Authoress Note: Welcome to Chapter 14 of Tortured. I want to thank those who have left reviews for this story. It truly does mean a lot to me that you guys are enjoying this story. I've been trying my best to make sure that each chapter is written out as the best that I could. We're now at the meeting of the Brethren Court. I'm excited to show you guys what happens next. How will James react to being here? Without further ado Chapter 14. ENJOY!

Chapter 14

Rose walked up to the doorway with James behind her.

"Are you sure about this?" James asked softly his hands behind his back as he followed her.

Rose looked back at her intended with a soft look on her face. "We don't have much of a choice, James." She said softly as she came to a stop in front of the door.

"We're still short one Pirate Lord. I'm content to wait until Sao Feng joins us." Jack pointed out.

Rose came through the door with James behind her. "Sao Feng is dead."

Huang was behind her.

She began to walk in when Huang touched her shoulder gesturing to the globe. "Before he died, he named me captain of the Empress, and passed his lordship onto me." She said stabbing her sword into the globe.

"Captain? Captain? They're just giving the title away now."

Sumbhajee made a small gesture to Ashay.

"Sri Sambhajee inquires, by whose hand did Sao Feng perish?"

"Hers, I'll wager." Jack said looking at Rose.

Rose rolled her eyes. "He fell to the Flying Dutchman."

An uproar of concern came over the pirate lords.

Rose took a breath as she saw James looking at her. She steeled her nerves and squared her shoulders. "Listen! Listen to me! Our location has been betrayed. Jones, under the command of Lord Beckett - they are on their way here."

"Who is this betrayer?" Jocard questioned looking at Rose.

"Not likely anyone among us." Barbossa said shaking his head.

"Where's Will?" Rose questioned looking at Jack and Elizabeth.

Jack shrugged his shoulders. "Not among us."

"And it matters not how they found us! The question is, what will we do now that they have?" Barbossa questioned from his chair.

"We fight." Rose said simply.

The others laughed dismissive of what she had said.

Rose let out a groan shaking her head lightly. She squared her shoulders again knowing that someone was going to have to take charge. "Good men have already given their lives to this cause!"

"And so what matters the lives of a few bad ones, quips Sri Sumbhajee."

More laughter came over the group.

"They died in defiance of the Company. That's my measure of good."

Jack looked over at Rose with a gaze of calculation.

"Shipwreck Cove is a fortress, a wellsupplied fortress. There is no need to fight, if they cannot get to us." Mistress Ching said looking over at Rose.

"There be a third course. An another age - at this very spot! - the first Brethren Court captured

the Sea Goddess, and bound her in her bones. That was a mistake. We tamed the seas for ourselves, aye, yet opened the door for Beckett and his ilk. Better were the days when mastery of seas came not through bargains struck with eldritch creatures, but by the sweat of a man's brow and the strength of his back alone. And you all know this be true! Gentlemen ... ladies ... we must free Calypso."

"He has lost his senses, declares Sri Sumbhajee!"

"Démence!" Chevalle said shaking his head.

"She is a barathrum!" Ammand said shaking his head as well.

"No good can come of this!" Mistress Ching said in Chinese.

"Ella es nuestra diosa!" Villanueva said.

"Don't let him speak any further!" Jocard said shaking his head.

"Shoot him!" Ammand said.

"Cut out his tongue!"

"Shoot him and then cut out his tongue! And then shoot his tongue. And trim that scraggly beard." Jack said adding in his two cents into the whole thing.

"Sao Feng would have agreed with Barbossa." Huang said looking ar Rose.

"Sao Feng's judgment in matters Calypso shouldn't be trusted, even if he were here."

Huang stepped back away from Rose.

"Nonetheless, I would have agreed with Sao Feng." Villanueva said.

"Calypso was our enemy then, she will be our enemy now." Jocard said shaking his head.

"And her mood's not likely improved, n'est pas?" Chavalle said shaking his head.

"I would still agree with Sao Feng." Villanueva said with a shrug of his shoulders.

"You threaten me?"

"I silence you!" Villanueva said lifting his pistol, but Chevalle punched him sending him into the other pirates causing the pistol to go off.

"Vézu! No!" Mistress Ching said shouting.

"A pox upon thee!" Ammand said.

"Coward! Feathermerchant!" Jocard said.

"Sri Sumbhajee decries you all!"

Rose let out a breath as James came up beside her resting his hand on her side as she watched the mess unfold in front of them. "This is madness."

"This is politics."

"And, meanwhile, our enemy is bearing down upon us." Rose said shaking her head.

"If they not be here already." Barbossa said with a shake of his head.

"Meaning we're sitting ducks." Elizabeth said softly knowing that this wasn't a good sign.

"Are you sure coming here was a good idea?" James asked Rose softly.

"Well we didn't have much of a choice in the matter James…"

James swallowed the lump in his throat knowing that this was probably the best thing that they could be doing at this moment. He was just worried of what was to come. Could they beat Lord Beckett at the game he was involved in or would they fail?

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This is the end of Chapter 14. I hope that you guys enjoyed this chapter. We see that James is a little leary of the whole thing of going to the Brethren Court. We will find out soon enough of what will happen. I have a feeling that you guys know where this is going to go next. I promise you that I'll change it a little bit. I hope that you enjoyed this chapter and I hope to have the next one out very soon. Please leave a review and let me know what you think. Reviews help me keep going when it comes to writing. It helps my muse continue on. Until next time.