Chapter 6: Flowers and Blood

"Alamgir is back?" Barbossa asked. It was inane. He knew it but asked anyway.

"Yes," 'Umniya replied while she fit the key into the lock. "One of his men came to ready the household. He will be here very soon."

The lock squeaked as the key turned and then the door was open. Jack followed Barbossa out but before they could start down the hall Jack stopped.

"Give me that key, lass," Jack demanded.

"Why?" the woman asked in turn but she handed him the key. For answer Jack went to the other cell. When the door opened two very scruffy men stepped into the light of the lanterns. One was short and stocky while the other was of a height with Jack and very lean. They began babbling their thanks instantly.

"Save that for when we get clear of this place," Barbossa snapped. Ignoring Jack's scowl he went on. "Follow us and don't lag or we'll be leavin' ye."

"Hector, remember your place." Jack's voice was soft but carried a hint of menace. "Let's get going."

'Umniya and her eunuch lead them back to the stairs and they made their way to the ground floor of the house. In a small room across from the head of the stair they found their weapons and belts. The party then followed a long, stone floored hall to an outer door. But as they reached it the door swung open to reveal four men in the customary dress of the corsairs. Taking advantage of their surprise Barbossa whipped out his blade and attacked. One Arab went down in his first rush but the others backed into the small court yard and drew their own weapons. The fight was on. Barbossa held his own against the three and even pushed them back to allow Jack and the others out of the door. The ring of steel echoed from the stone walls and lantern light flashed from the blades. Men screamed their battle cries and moaned in the throws of death. Only a moment had passed before the three remaining Arabs were laying on the cobbles in widening pools of their own blood.

"Quick now!" Jack said urgently. "They'll have heard that."

'Umniya nodded once, her eyes wide above the veil over her face. She turned toward a small gate and the men followed with blades bare. The gate let into the garden where the pirates had entered. Now though lanterns lit the paths. In the middle of the garden was a small group all staring at the gate as the pirates pushed it open.

"Barbossa!" yelled a swarthy man at the center of the group. "I'll castrate you and let the dogs tear out your entrails."

"Alamgir," Barbossa growled back. "Ye've not got enough arse in yer britches to kill me."

Without thought the two men charged across the garden with hate in their eyes and murder in their hearts. Their blades met as the rest of the pirates caught up to Hector and met Alamgir's men in a rush. Jack skewered one and turned immediately to the next. Even in the thick of the fight Jack marveled at Barbossa's skill. Jack himself was no mean swordsman but the flash of Barbossa's blade was like the flicker of a dragonfly's wing. Only a blur. Alamgir was bleeding from a half dozen cuts already but there was no backing down. Aaftab fought as fiercely as Jack and between them, the eunuch and the two men they'd freed, the other Arabs were pushed back. Some lay in flower beds either moaning in pain or laying all too still. Jack took a cut on his arm but dealt a killing stroke in return. Aaftab lunged in and missed but he was saved by the lean man called Ragetti who split the Arab's skull with a stroke from the tulwar he'd taken from one of the guards in the courtyard. No good deed goes unpunished however. Ragetti received a slash to his face and began screaming as blood poured from an empty socket. Pintel slammed into the Arab and drove him to the stones where Pintel hacked down on him three times in a rage. As the last of Alamgir's men fell Barbossa hacked off the Arab's thumb causing the corsair's sword to clatter to the stones. Alamgir screamed. Not in pain but in rage. He threw himself at Barbossa with bared teeth but Hector turned his point into the corsair's breast and ran him through to the hilt. Still glaring, Alamgir sank slowly to the garden path. His blood black on Barbossa's blade.

"Come on!" Jack ordered. He made for the corner where the grate was. Pintel lead Ragetti as the thin man thrashed and mewled in pain from his missing eye. 'Umniya went at Barbossa's side and Aaftab and the eunuch brought up the rear. They all made it through the grate but the eunuch had to bend another bar with his bare hands to make the opening wide enough. As he slipped through they could hear more of Alamgir's men come into the garden and more lights appeared from the windows of the house.

"Which way?" demanded Jack.

"Go there." The eunuch pointed across the broad avenue toward a narrow alley shrouded in darkness.

The party made it to the alley and pressed themselves against the walls. Ragetti was still in pain but he was silent as Pintel pressed a rag to the wound.

"There now," Pintel said to the wounded man. "The girls love a man wi' a bat'le wound. You'll see. They won't be able to stay away from you now."

"I'd rather I 'ad me eye," Ragetti whined. No one blamed him.

Jack had cut a bit of cloth from his robe and bound up his arm. "We still have to get the statue."

"Aye," Barbossa replied. He was looking back at the garden wall. A look of satisfaction lay on his face. "I've been wanting to do that for a time now."

"We'll have to get out of the city," Aaftab said. "Which way do we need to go?"

"The lady says the statue is south o' here," said Jack. "I think it would be best if we left by a gate going either east or west. Don't want them to know where we're bound. We can't go back through the one we came in though."

"You think the captain will have gotten the goats and the camel?" Aaftab said with a smile. Jack chuckled.

The party turned their steps away from the house of Alamgir toward a new gate and the road to the falcon.