Chapter Eight
Jessie remained silent for the rest of the voyage. She refused to speak or cry out when they dragged her up on deck to watch Jack and Elizabeth walk the plank, even after she recognized the island as the same one Jack had "been made king off afore," Barbosa mocked. Jack tried to make her speak when Elizabeth stood at the end of the plank, facing the long swim to the deserted island in front and the jeering crowd of men behind, but she stared straight ahead and ignored him.
"Ye have Miss Swiftblade to thank fer yer return home, Jack," said Barbosa. "She be's the one who begged me to let ye go."
Jack glared at her.
"I bargained for your freedom, Jack," she whispered. "I never said where."
"And why the devil not?"
"Because I don't really care where you end up, Jack. You're in the way. Besides, this island isn't so bad. You got off before; I'm sure you'll figure out a way to escape again."
Jack didn't look at her before he went over the edge, but Jessie felt his anger. She had known he would be angry with her, and she wasn't sure she minded. Still, it hurt her greatly to watch him swim back to that strip of beach for the second time, and she began to have second thoughts.
"I didn't do this to hurt you, Jack," she said to herself as she squinted at the sea, watching the two lone figures on the sand. "I did this to give you time to figure out what to do with Barbosa. I do care about you, and I hope you make it back to me safely."
She was thrown back into her cell with Will. He stayed in the corner by the door, then started pacing like he always did when he was thinking. Jessie curled up as best she could and tried to escape her miserable thoughts by sleeping.
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A splash of cold water jolted her from sleep the next morning. Pintel and Ragetti chortled as she sat up abruptly, spluttering and gasping.
"Ye've got a bit o' sumfin on ya face," Ragetti giggled. His wooden eye rolled in his head. "'Ere, let me get that wiv the mop."
They roared once more as Jessie tried unsuccessfully to dodge the spray from the mop they shoved at the bars. Will reached for her arm.
"Aw, lookie that! Swiftblade's got a little friend." Pintel pursed his lips and made kissing sounds while Ragetti nearly fell over the mop handle from laughing so hard. Jessie rolled farther to the corner farthest away from the pair.
"Don't, Will," she mouthed when she saw the look on his face. Will's jaw clenched and unclenched.
"I can see Barbosa hasn't changed his opinion about you two," she spat. "You're still made to do the dirty work and taunt prisoners, eh? Shall I tell everyone here why?"
Ragetti pointed a warning finger at her.
"Yew say anythin' missy, and I'll come in there and rip you apart meself," he threatened. The corners of Jessie's mouth began to turn upwards.
"It's because you're both too stupid to do anything else. You can't do anything without ruining it, can you?"
Ragetti jumped at the bars, shouting colorful threats. Pintel dragged him back.
"Come off it, you idiot! Can't ye see she's doin' that on purpose? Say nufin' to her and she won't talk to us. Now pick up ye mop and let's get this finished."
Ragetti sullenly took the fallen mop in his hands again, but he stuck his tongue out at Jessie when Pintel wasn't looking.
Will kneeled down next to the smug Jessie and wiped the dirty water off her face.
"I take it the three of you know each other," he remarked.
"Aye, we've had the pleasure of sailing together before." Jessie spat out a piece of hair the water had put in her mouth. "They were part of Jack's crew just before the mutiny. In fact," she raised her voice, "Wasn't it because the two of you fools Bill found out Barbosa was going to maroon him and told Jack?"
Pintel glowered at her. Will stood and leaned against the bars.
"You knew my father?"
"Ol' Bootstrap Bill?" Pintel replied sourly. "Aye, we knew 'im. And little missy there is right. Bootstrap had taken a shine to her and Jack, it seems, and it never quite sat well with him what we did to Jack. That's why he sent a piece of the gold to you, as it were. He said we deserved to be cursed… and remain cursed. Course that didn't sit too well wit' the captain."
"What did you cowards do to him?" Jessie exclaimed, sitting upright at the pleased look on their faces.
"Barbosa had us tie a cannon to Bootstraps boot straps," Pintel told her. Ragetti giggled again and repeated the phrase "Bootstrap's boot straps" to himself several times. "The last we saw o' him, he was sinkin' down to Davy Jones' locker."
Jessie said nothing. Shock ran through her and rendered her motionless. Will placed his forehead on the bars and shut his eyes.
"But," she protested once her mouth unfroze, "he was cursed like you! Surely he didn't die."
"Then he's still down there somewhere's mayhap, or perhaps the sharks took a liking to 'im like they did Rufio."
Jessie sat back, wishing her hands were free and she had a knife in one of them. Pintel shrugged.
"Course, it was only after we'd thrown 'im overboard we realized we needed his blood to break the curse."
"Now that's what you call ironic", Ragetti observed. The pair of miscreants chortled and guffawed.
Several of the crew appeared, led by a thick man with dark skin. Jessie had never learned his name, and she wasn't sure anyone else knew what it really was. Tattoos covered his muscled shoulders and on his cheeks.
"We're here." He tossed a ring of keys at Pintel, who barely caught them. "Bring Swiftblade and Turner."
Pintel hauled Jessie to her feet and trailed Ragetti and Will. Jessie retreated into herself as they loaded her into the longboat and rowed for the Isla de Muerta.
Tia sits across the table from her, smiling strangely.
"Ye really want ti know about dat legend? Isla de Muerta and the Aztec gold?"
Jessie nods. "Tell me the story, Tia. I want to know if it's true."
"True? A' course it's true!"
Tia waves her hand in front of her face. The air shimmers and turns into a clear ball. Random pictures float in and out of sight—a creature with tentacles flings a girl and young man onto a beach; a pirate stoops and drinks from a clear fountain; Davy Jones interrogates a living man on a ship full of the dead.
Tia chants something under her breath, and the pictures disappear.
"The pirate captain Cortez was greedy," she began, "and he thirsted for nuting save for gold. Chests of gold, rooms of gold he had aplenty, but he still wanted more."
Pictures of loot from a thousand ships fill the ball. Cortez, with his fiery red hair tied in a ponytail, stands atop his ship with his glass to his eye, searching for another land he hasn't yet plundered.
"Cortez eventually found anoder land, an island untouched by anyone. Dere were inhabitants dere who were rumored to have a great treasure hidden on deir island. Cortez slaughtered dem in his attempt to find and keep de gold for himself."
Cortez roars a silent word, and his men run onto the island in swarms. The inhabitants, whose black hair is shaved except for a single thick rope, wear nothing more than animal skins and hold crude weapons. They fall under the fire of the pirates' guns. Soon the beach is covered in their bodies.
"To stop de bloodshed, the leaders of that people paid Cortez to let them live. Everything dey had dey gave to him, except for a single chest of gold. But de greed of Cortez was insatiable. He slew de leaders and broke into der sanctuary to claim de gold. So the heathen gods put a curse on de blood money. Whoever took de gold from its place on de Isla de Muerta was cursed to remain neither living nor dead until the treasure be returned and de blood repaid."
The longboat rocked, bringing Jessie out of her memories. Pintel lifted her out of the boat and pushed her forwards on the rocks of Isla de Muerta. The pirates all gathered in a large cave, filled with treasure. In the center of the cave, a mound covered in coins held aloft the cursed chest of Cortez. A beam of light struck it, giving it a strange appearance.
Barbosa took Jessie and Will's arms and led them to the top of the mound. The pirates began chanting as the realization of their impending freedom sank in. Jessie inwardly cringed at all those bloodthirsty faces.
The pirate captain spoke. Jessie wondered how often he rehearsed in his mind the right words to say, how long he had spent dreaming about this moment. His eyes glowed brightly, almost insanely.
"The first!"
He held up Will's hand and slapped the coin into his palm. With a quick movement, he sliced through Will's hand directly under the coin and balled it into a fist. Will grimaced. The coin dropped to join its fellows, a red stain amongst all the gold.
Barbosa shoved Will aside and jerked Jessie over.
"As we bargained, young Mister Turner is kept alive," he grinned, "but ye won't be so fortunate." He ran a finger down the tip of her nose. "As much as I'd like to keep ye fer yer services, ye are a crafty little thing. I can't have nothin' but loyalty on me ship."
Someone kicked her savagely behind her knees, and she dropped to the hard ground. Her head was pulled back. Barbosa leered in her face as he kept a firm grip on her hair. He placed the bloodstained knife on her throat. The crowd's energy grew to a frenzy of chanting, then they stopped all at once. The hush of the cavern was worse than the noise. Jessie thought the air might spark from the tension.
A noise broke the friction. It was a man's voice that came from the back and was coming closer. Barbosa ignored it until he realized the man was standing directly below him.
"It's not possible," he muttered, staring down the mound at the man. Jessie craned her head to see whom he was looking at.
"Not probable, you mean," Jack corrected.
"How in blazes did you get off that island?" For the moment Barbosa forgot his composure and stared at Jack as though he expected him to turn into a ghost.
"When you marooned me on that god-forsaken spit of land, you forgot one very important thing." Jack held out his hands and smiled. "I'm Captain Jack Sparrow, mate."
"Well, I won't be makin' that same mistake again." He nodded to the tattooed man, who laid his brawny hand on Jack's shoulder.
"I don't think ye want to be doin' that," Jack said quietly. Barbosa pressed the knife harder on Jessie's throat.
"No, I really think I do."
Jack sighed. "Your funeral."
Barbosa paused, considering. Then he rolled his eyes in frustration and turned to Jack.
"And why don't I want to be do this?" he asked with feigned sweetness.
Jack slapped the man's hand off his arm and made his way up the mound. "Because Commodore Norrington and the entire royal navy are outside this island, just waiting for you to come out. Now, if ye were to break the curse at the moment, ye'd have about five minutes of life before they swooped in here and killed the lot of you."
"So ye want me to not kill the wench?" Barbosa said irritably.
Jack shook his head. "No, no, by all means, kill the wench. Just wait for the opportune moment." He ran his fingers over the gold coins and held some in his hand. "For instance, after you've killed Norrington's men." He dropped a coin into the chest.
Plink.
"Every…"
Plink.
"…last…"
Plink.
"…one…"
Jessie glanced at his hand, expecting one last coin to fall. He wrapped his fingers around his palm and continued walking towards Barbosa.
"Then there won't be anything hindering you from sailing out of here."
"And happens to yeself?" Barbosa asked suspiciously.
"I join ye as captain of the Pearl once more. Ye'll have the makings of ye very own fleet, Barbosa, what with the Pearl bein' yours and the Dauntless being without a captain."
Barbosa glanced at Jessie. "Seems I've heard that one afore."
He stepped off the mound and led Jack away from the rest of the crew. Jessie's hands were caught by the muscular man. She struggled, and he growled in her ear.
"What's Jack doing?" Will whispered. Jessie shook her head.
"I don't know. Bargaining with Barbosa, I'd imagine."
Jessie watched her brother's body intently. She had learned from a very young age to watch his actions and not listen to his words, but she wasn't sure she could still read his hidden messages anymore.
Barbosa suddenly turned to them. "Gents! Take a walk. I want you to meet Jack's friends outside."
The crew chuckled to themselves. Barbosa took Jessie once more and watched them walk out of the cavern. Jessie saw them go down beneath the water. A sinking feeling settled in the pit of her stomach.
"They're going to ambush Norrington and his men," she said quietly to Will. "They'll walk on the ocean floor to get to the ship."
"Norrington won't know they can't die," Will finished her thought, pressing his lips together. "They'll be slaughtered."
Neither of them spoke for several minutes. Barbosa forced them both to their knees, leaving one of the three pirates who stayed behind to watch over them. Jack meandered over to another pile of treasures and started looking through them. Aside from the sounds of Jack throwing things out of his way, there was silence.
Slyly, Jessie peeked at their guard. He was standing just behind her, picking his nose. She slid her arms up her back as far as they could go and groped with her fingers for a spot between her shoulder blades. Her shoulders winced, but she tried to push her hands up farther.
Will leaned close, keeping an eye on the pirate.
"What are you doing?"
Jessie grunted quietly. "Are your hands tied?"
"No."
The pirate kicked Jessie in the back. "Quiet, you."
The kick sent Jessie forward into the chest. The corner of the chest cut her forehead, and a tiny trail of blood trickled down her face.
Jessie cast a scornful glance at the man and tried to sit up. Will reached for her arm, earning himself a curse from the pirate guard. As he helped Jessie back onto her knees, she leaned heavily on his arm.
"There's a knife on a belt under my shirt," she whispered hurriedly. "Grab it and put it in my hand, quickly!"
She fell against his chest. When she straightened again, he pressed the small dagger in her hand, then he wiped the blood out of her eyes. The pirate went back to leaning against the treasure, ignoring them. Jessie turned the blade in her hand, placing the tip in the tiny keyhole and began working it in the mechanism.
Barbosa suddenly rose from his seat. "I thought I had ye figured out, Jack," he said. "But I never would've guessed ye'd come crawling back to me and agree to join me crew."
Jack looked up and grinned. "Me? I'm dishonest. And a dishonest man you can always trust to be dishonest. Honestly, it's the honest ones you want to watch out for, because you can never predict when they're going to do something incredibly…" he paused and smiled at Will and Jessie. "Stupid."
Jessie read his smile. The chains clicked and fell off her wrists. At the same moment when she leapt to her feet, Will threw his elbow into their guard's nose. Barbosa barely had a moment to see what they were doing before ducking under Jack's sword.
Jessie took hold of a sword in the mound and parried the guard's swings at her throat. He laughed wildly.
"I can't die, but you can!"
Round the chest they went, Jessie desperately looking for a way to gain the advantage. The man was clumsy, but he felt no pain, no matter how many times Jessie's sword sliced through his skin. He laughed again when he saw her discouragement.
Jessie took a step back and found herself pressed against the rock wall. The pirate stabbed at her middle. She rolled away, and his sword snapped on contact with the wall. He growled and threw a handful of coins at her face. Instinctively, she covered her face with her hands, dropping the sword. Instantly he grabbed hold of her and tried to pin her down. Jessie dropped to her back and rolled over, landing with herself on top. Freeing one wrist, she balled her hand into a fist and punched him in the jaw. His neck snapped to one side. With a quick jump, she sprang away and picked up another sword as the second pirate came at her. In one hand, he held a sword, and in the other a bomb. Jessie parried his rain of blows as she staggered backwards. The moonlight, dripping down through the cracks in the roof, shot beams of light onto the floor. As he passed through them, the pirate alternated between a skeleton dressed in rags and his normal self.
The pirate threw the bomb at her, the wick burning down. Jessie caught it gingerly. Then, struck with an idea, she rushed forward. The pirate was caught by surprise and had no time to react when she shoved the bomb in his exposed ribcage and pushed him into the shadows. He groped at his middle, trying in vain to take out the bomb through his stomach. Jessie turned and ran, ducking as the explosion ripped through the cavern.
Jack and Barbosa had fought all the way around the cave. She could see them weaving in and out of the rock pillars, moving like two dancers she had once seen. She started to run towards them. Suddenly, Barbosa struck Jack's hand, tossing his sword away, then ran him through the middle.
Jack staggered, staring at the protruding hilt in his chest. Jessie froze, horrified. Before she could do anything, however, Jack came into a beam of moonlight.
Barbosa and Jessie stared at him. His body had changed. His bones showed through the tattered material clinging to him. His golden teeth glittered amongst the rows of dirty pearls. Jack examined his bony fingers, juggling a coin between them nonchalantly.
"That's very interesting," he muttered.
Barbosa let loose a guttural sound. Jack drew the sword from his chest and continued to parry and thrust at Barbosa.
Will touched Jessie's arm.
"Jessie! Get to the chest!"
Jack heard Will. He cut his palm, squeezed the coin, and tossed it to Jessie as she passed him. Barbosa roared and chased Jessie up the mound. He caught hold of her in his iron grip, tripping her, and pressed his pistol to her temple.
A shot went off. Everyone stopped. Barbosa turned around. Jack's pistol, the only one he ever carried, the one Norrington mocked for having one shot, was smoking. There was a hole in Barbosa's chest.
"Ten years ye've waited to use that pistol and now ye've wasted yer shot," Barbosa said smugly.
Jessie winced. "He didn't waste it."
Barbosa whipped his head around. Jessie unwrapped her fingers and let fall the two coins, now stained red. The blood-stained knife in her fist glinted.
The pirate released her and stood, pulling back his coat to look at the growing stain on his shirt. Jessie glanced at Will. He had run one of the two remaining pirates through and had been grappling with the one whose neck Jessie had snapped. With a little chuckle, the man stared at the hilt of Will's sword in his chest and fell backwards.
"I feel…" Barbosa whispered, relief spreading over his face when he realized the curse was lifted. Then he frowned. "Cold."
Barbosa crumpled, his black eyes staring at the ceiling. Jack and Jessie watched him fall, the siblings feeling a joint surge of pleasure. Jack smiled the broadest Jessie had seen in years and lowered his gun.
"We did it, Jess."
Jessie nodded, leaning against the cursed chest.
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Jessie sat for a long time on the mound of gold, fixating on Barbosa's dead body. Jack had left her and returned to rifling through the treasure, donning a ridiculously large crown and several necklaces, and carrying a golden idol. Will had taken charge of the bodies of the bodies, removing Barbosa's last of all. Jessie didn't blink as he took it away, and her gaze didn't waver from the spot once the body was gone.
Will sat next to her and placed his hand on hers.
"Jessie?"
"Hm?" she grunted, not moving.
"Jessie, are you alright?"
She moved her stare to their hands on her knee, then followed his arm up to his face.
"Most of my life has been spent chasing after one thing: revenge. I wanted to find Jack so we could sail away together, find Barbosa, and make him pay for his mutiny."
Will raised his eyebrows. "You got what you wanted, didn't you? Barbosa is dead, and you have Jack now."
She nodded slowly, chewing on her lip. "Yeah. I guess I did." She watched Jack as he flung a gilded cup over his shoulder.
"So, what's the matter?"
She sighed. "I don't know. I just… I don't know what to do now. Barbosa is dead, and we have the Pearl, so Jack will probably want to return to the sea, searching for legendary treasures like before. I should be happy, Will. I should be…" Her voice trailed off, and she quickly focused at the ground. "I just don't know anymore."
Will cleared his throat. "You expect to make it out of the cave without Norrington catching you?"
"I could if I wanted to."
They sat in silence until Jack came and stood in front of them.
"Well, Jess, if ye have finished yer gaping at the spot where Barbosa died, I'd say we'd best be goin'. The Pearl is waitin' for us with the crew safe, I presume, so the two of us can sail on out of here."
Jessie stared somewhat dubiously at her brother. But before she could speak, voices sounded in the cavern entrance. Jack and Jessie reacted, jumping to their feet and looking for an exit. Finding none, they reached for weapons.
Will moved quickly and pinned Jack's hands behind his back. "I can't let you do that, Jack," he said quietly.
Jack smiled wanly. "Ye can't keep us here, Will."
Jessie threw down her sword and sat once more.
"We're caught, Jack," she said resignedly. "There's no way out."
Norrington and his men ran into the cave. They surrounded the two men and Jessie, forcing her hands behind and up her back. Jessie grimaced in pain.
"Hello again, Captain Sparrow," Norrington smirked. " Gillette, clap Sparrow and Mr. Turner in irons."
Norrington walked over to Jessie, who was struggling to loosen her captor's grip.
"Hello, Miss Swan," he said softly.
Her gaze hardened. "It's Swiftblade, Norrington, Jessie Swiftblade."
Norrington nodded to his man, who brought Jessie to a boat and tied her hands together in front of her, then attached the rope to the side of the longboat.
"Where are we going, Commodore?" Jessie asked, though she thought she knew the answer.
Norrington didn't respond. He wouldn't look at her until the longboat had reached the H.M.S. Atonement and the two of them were standing in his stateroom. Governor Swan and Elizabeth waited for them, both grave and quiet.
"Jessie… Swiftblade," Norrington began, "You are charged with several significant crimes against the British crown. You aided a dangerous pirate; you commandeered a royal ship; and you willingly sailed under the Jolly Roger, as well as other things I don't care to mention."
Jessie continued to stare ahead, keeping her face expressionless. Governor Swan approached her.
"Why, Jessie? Why did you do this?"
The pain in his voice hurt her, but she refused to show it.
"I was a pirate before you took me in, Governor." She tried to soften her words by speaking quietly. "I was born to pirates, I grew up with pirates. I am a pirate. When you found me floating about that night, I had just escaped from my enemies. I tried to change for you, but I couldn't. I've been sailing through the Caribbean since I left for Barbados."
"Jessie," Elizabeth pleaded. Her voice was strained, and her eyes filled with tears. "Jessie, please. Father can grant you clemency, and you can come back to Port Royal and live with us again. This will all be as if it never happened."
Elizabeth touched Jessie's arm, her face so miserable Jessie nearly relented.
"And what," she asked, keeping her voice steady, "what is going to happen to Will and Jack?"
The governor lost his patience. "Jessie, this is not about those two! You are in danger of being hung with them, and we are offering you a way out. Please, child, do not make this more difficult—" He caught himself and took in a deep, shaky breath.
"So they will both be hung," Jessie said, almost to herself. "What happens if I accept?"
"You will return to Port Royal with us, and I shall personally make sure this whole incident is kept a secret. You can return to Barbados, if you wish, or you can live with us once more." Governor Swan clasped his hands behind his back. "Whichever you decide, my dear."
Jessie stared at her boots. Her mind she had made up several minutes ago, but she wanted to phrase it well.
"I've made my choice," she said finally.
"Oh, good, I'm so glad you've decided to come home!" Elizabeth cried.
"I ask you, Governor Swan, to grant the clemency you would've given me to William Turner," she finished. "William came with me and Captain Sparrow to protect me. He has not killed anyone wearing a uniform, and he kept Sparrow from running on that island."
Governor Swan and Norrington were stunned. Neither could speak. Elizabeth broke the silence with a wail.
"No, Jessie! Please, no!"
Governor Swan protested as well. "What happens to the boy is not your concern, Jessie! You must think of yourself."
Jessie opened her mouth to speak.
"If Jessie wishes to give her place to William," Norrington said quietly, "then we must respect that."
Now Jessie felt shocked, but she managed to speak.
"I beg you, Governor, please grant me this."
Governor Swan turned away and stared out the window. Norrington went to his side. Both men spoke in soft murmurs, glancing from Jessie to the longboats outside. Elizabeth stroked Jessie's arm.
"Jessie, please come home," she implored.
"Lizzie, I can't. You know I can't. The sea is my home, and there are other things…"
The governor turned around. He regarded Jessie for what seemed a long time. Jessie held her breath.
"I am willing to pardon William Turner of his crimes," Governor Swan said at last. "I am also willing to extend that pardon to you, Jessie, so you don't have to choose."
Jessie lifted her head proudly. "Thank you, Governor, but I cannot take that. I have committed crimes, and I shall accept the consequences of my actions."
Norrington looked knowingly at the governor, though he said nothing. The governor pressed his lips together and leaned heavily on the table, his back to Jessie. Elizabeth fell into a chair with a fresh sob. Jessie's throat constricted, and as Norrington led her out of the room, she couldn't stop a tear from rolling down her face.
Outside, they were met by two officers.
"Commodore," one said, saluting, "The Black Pearl is gone, sir."
Jessie and Norrington both stared in amazement. "Gone?" Norrington cried, "What do you mean?"
"Just that, sir. We sent a boat over to kill whatever pirates remained and take the ship, like you ordered. The men found another crew in the brig and let them out of their cells. The men threw our sailors overboard and have now got away."
Jessie followed the man's finger where it pointed to the place the Pearl had been anchored. Not a sign of Jack's ship could she see in the dark waters. Norrington frowned.
"Well, they'll have got halfway out of the Caribbean by now," he said grimly. "Take Swiftblade and Sparrow to the brig and keep them chained until we reach Port Royal, and bring William turner to me."
He handed Jessie over to the officer and returned to the state room. Jessie kept her face rigid as she felt the eyes of every sailor who watched her until she disappeared in the brig.
Jack was sitting against the wall, his hat tipped over his face and one arm resting on his knee. He didn't move until the officer had removed Jessie's cords and replaced them with shackles, keeping her hands behind her back, then left the two alone.
"So, Jess," Jack mumbled, "here we are again, eh? Just the two of us, tied up in an enemy ship, on our way to be hung. Just like old times."
Jessie crawled over to her brother and leaned on him, her head resting on his shoulder.
"Jack."
"Yes, darling"
"Jack, I'm sorry."
Jack frowned and raised an eyebrow. "Sorry?" he said, confused.
"I'm sorry I made Barbosa maroon you, and I'm sorry the Pearl's gone again. I'm sorry I couldn't help you escape."
Jack snorted. "Don't act daft, Jess. I'm not angry with you anymore. I would've done the same to you."
Jessie craned her neck and kissed his cheek. "I know."
The pair eventually fell asleep, Jessie with her head on his sleeve, Jack with his face in her hair.