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The Chalice of Doom	By : Jessica66 Category: Pirates of the Caribbean (All) > General Views: 2364 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own the Pirates of the Caribbean movie series, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 8
- 9
- 10
8.
The Phantom

Captain
Rowan Scarlett was bored. A few lazy days off in Tortuga had been nice after the
adventure in Port Royal but now she felt it was time for a change. Unfortunately
she couldn't set sail to anywhere because Santiago wanted to find out more about
that chalice and had buried himself in his books, but apparently he hadn't found
a hint yet. Since he was not available for conversation, Will had started to
plague her every day about when they would be sailing to Shanghai. She didn't
have the nerve to tell him the tale of a mysterious chalice, an evil magician
and an odd-behaving Norrington, and that they would have to thwart their plans
first before they could even think about finding the boy's father. So she passed
the buck to Jack Sparrow and told Will that they're only waiting for him to
return.

"If
he ever returns and I doubt that. Just remember the way Santiago had chucked him
out." Will said gloomily.

Actually she doubted it too but that
was no reason to confirm his worries. "Well he'd promised it to you and
it's not up to me to judge if you can trust his promises, so you have to make up
your own mind about it. Guess you
know him better than I do."
Will
paused to puzzle out the meaning behind her words and she used the opportunity
to hurry off.

Scarlett
had almost reached the harbour when she picked up the talk of two fisherman
about a wreck that had been washed ashore at the north-western coast of the
island near Cap Binauette. Well, that sounds interesting, she thought and
tried to find out more information since an abandoned wreck was always an easy
prey. Apparently no one had entered it yet due to the tide, but if that got
around it would be overrun by pirates or any other adventures soon. So she had
to think of something better than getting there by boat like all the others
would try to, and she even knew how. She ran all the way back to Santiago's
house and borrowed one of his horses. Unlike other sailors- or pirates- she'd
always liked horseback-riding.

She
reached Cap Binauette about an hour later and immediately saw the wreck; it had
gotten stuck between the rocky cliffs. Approaching it she was startled because
she knew this ship- it was the Gavina. Her head was spinning with all possible
explanations for this accident but soon she realized that there was something
wrong. The Gavina couldn't possibly have been the victim of an unlucky accident
since the hull didn't look badly damaged nor did the masts or rigging. Yet there
was an aura of death surrounding the wreck. A flock of seagulls soared up into
the sky when she came closer and then she could even smell the decay.

They
were all dead, the whole crew. Men that had laughed and drunk with her own crew
once were lying blood-stained and
scattered on the deck now, mutilated beyond recognition by time, weather and
animals.

Scarlett
didn't know why she entered the ship although
the first look had been shocking enough to last for a lifetime. Maybe it
was the absurd idea of finding a survivor or a strange kind of sentimentality
that made her to go to the
Captain's cabin. Or maybe she just had to see it with her own eyes that Capitano
Escobar was dead as well.

For a moment she thought everything
was all right because he sat at his
table with all his nautical charts and instruments spread in front of him.
Ignoring the tattered logbook she called his name. Of course there was no
reaction. She stepped closer and touched his shoulder to see� what? That he
was only wounded and miraculously lived long enough to be saved by her? Yet the
splattered blood had dried already and you can't save someone from a cut throat.
He was definitely dead. She felt miserable, sad and angry at the same time
because of this senseless killing.

Suddenly
she heard footsteps coming down the companions way so she quickly hid behind the
door, giving it a hard kick to welcome the intruder at the right moment. But it
didn't slam shut and hit the face of someone. There was the sound of metal
meeting wood and getting stuck. She heard a low curse followed by rattling and
whirled round the corner to threaten the person with her sword, pointing the
blade at the throat of- Captain Jack Sparrow.

"Hello
luv." He had stopped tugging at his sword since it wasn't wise to make rash
moves with a blade pointed at his throat. He looked rather stunned. Then a broad,
gold-glittering smile flashed across his face.

"Oh
no. It's you again."

"I've
missed ye too." Although her blade was still aimed at his throat he spread
his arms in an exaggerated gesture of welcome. "Come on luv, no need to
tickle me with yer sword. I'm sure
ye can show me yer affection in a better way."

"Affection?"
She frowned and shook her head but at the same time she lowered her weapon.
"What are ye doing here?"

"Ah,
that's a good question. By the way, I could ask ye the same and add: how
did ye get here? I didn't see a boat."

"That
might be 'cause I came here on horse-back."

"Horse?"

"Aye,
it's an animal with four legs, a mane, and a tail."

"I
bloody know what a horse is luv, but
why- ah, now I know! Alf's education. He was always keen on teachin' things
ye'll never need when ye're to become an infamous pirate�"

"Did
you prefer to learn things like that?" She cut him short and pointed with
her head to the dead Spanish captain. "Does it come up better to yer black
pirate's heart to kill innocent people?"

"Thought
ye know me better."

He
sounded offended and Scarlett knew immediately that perhaps she'd gone too far-
but on the other hand, what did she really know about him? Could she offend him
at all or did she just wound his pride a little? If only he wasn't be such a
damned poser, exaggerated in his whole way� yet he managed to surprise her now
and again.

"Now
listen, luv. I saw seen this wreck and noticed it was the Gavina, so I actually
came here to see if there's anythin' I can do like givin' the dead an
appropriate burial at sea. I know that ye liked Captain Escobar 'n I'm sorry
that he's dead but it's neither me to blame nor any other pirate, savvy. Have a
look. What d'ye see? The
logbook's tattered but ev'rythin' else's untouched. Yet any pirate would've
looted the cabin pinchin' at least the charts 'n the nautical instruments, so this wasn't any pirate's doin'."

He
was right and she'd been too blind to notice. He was also right that the dead
deserved an appropriate burial at sea; this thought had come to her as well yet
she hadn't known how to do it on her own. Maybe she should be glad that he was
here and would give her a helping hand.

"Well,
I'm sorry Jack. Apparently I'm a bit�" She broke off
when she saw him approaching the dead Spanish Capitano like a tiger on
the hunt, stalking closer without ever leaving his eyes off Escobar's hand that
still rested on the table. There was a slight glitter of gold from one of his
rings so she thought Jack was on the hunt for treasures. Annoyed she barked him
back. "Bloody hell, ye're not going to plunder him before ye send him to
Davy Jones' locker!"

Again
she was wrong about his intentions. He paused and looked at her in bewilderment.

"Is
there a problem between us, Captain Scarlett? Do you really think I'll plunder a
good man who has helped to safe our lives?" Jack straightened his back and
gave her an odd gaze. "There's a piece of paper crumbled in his hand. I
don't know what you think but I'd like to find out what it's all about. Maybe
it's a hint of what really happened here."

"Sorry
Jack." she said for the second time within minutes.

"Aye,
ye should be." He took the piece of paper from the dead man's hand and
studied it.

"What's
he writin'?"

"Don't
know."

She
was tempted to ask whether reading was one of those things he also never
bothered to learn when he started to read aloud.

"Querida Capitano, el tiempo urge. El
barco gris sobre que hablamos�
Is that Spanish?"

"That's for me!" Excitedly
she tore the letter out of his hands and had a quick look at it. Of course it
was written in Spanish since it had
been Capitano Escobar who wrote the letter.
"So what's he writing?"
"� the grey ship we've been talking about really
exists. It's called Phantom. Appearing from out of nowhere it follows us
and is swiftly closing the gap. Soon they'll catch up... I can't read what's
next because the ink's smeared but it's quite obvious what happened, aye?"
She looked at Jack with narrowed eyes and tried to control her rising anger.
"This grey ship, the Phantom, what d'ye know 'bout it? And- more important-
what did bloody Norrington want from you? He even tortured you to find out what?
What is of such importance for him that he forgets all his good manners and
begins to kill innocents? Tell me!"
"I wonder why nobody asks me
politely 'cause actually I'm not such a bad guy. I'll definitely respond to
polite questions." he stressed yet that wasn't the answer to her question
and she didn't want to beg. At least not at the moment as there was a line in
the letter that caught her attention.
It was about Santiago. She remembered
that she'd asked Escobar once if he knew anything about him or his origin since
Santiago himself never revealed anything concerning his past. "I know
you will read this one day, so I have to tell you that I've discovered something
interesting about a certain Miguel Alfonso de Santiago in a book. I forgot to
show it to you last time..."

"Ye'd made inquiries 'bout Alf's
past?" Jack sounded astonished. "Never thought of that."
"Mm, didn't find out much either.
You know how reserved he can be, aye?"
"Aye." He smirked at her
invitingly. "Well, Escobar said somethin' 'bout a book and luckily he
hasn't as many as Santiago. So, are we gonna look for it, luv?"
"We're most definitely gonna
look for it!"
There was this fallen angel's smile
on her face again and suddenly he knew what he had been longing for these last
days though he didn't know it then. That also meant Gibbs had been right on the
point that he really wasn't cursed, 'cause if he was cursed he wouldn't
feel anything but actually he felt quite good today. Nevertheless he
didn't understand it at all.
Scarlett had already turned to the
bookshelf taking out one book after the other and flipping
through them. Soon she lost patience. It would take days to search them
all for a hint. She wished Escobar had been less vague and specified in which
book he'd read about Santiago. Of course this was too much too ask for since
he'd been facing death while writing the letter and that reminded her of the
fact that the atmosphere in this cabin was spooky. They were on a ghost ship and
its captain was watching them with dead eyes. A shiver ran down her spine; all
of a sudden finding out more about Santiago's past wasn't that interesting
anymore but at the same time Jack gasped. "Now that's really interesting!"
He
had been more efficient with his
search, had ignored books about nautical things or those that
looked untouched for a long time when he saw one which jutted out a
little. A bookmark lay in it and immediately showed him the right page, a page
with a picture of Miguel Alfonso de Santiago true to life. That alone wasn't
really spectacular but the date was. 1492.

Rowan
had the feeling someone was cutting the ground out from under her feet. Her
knees became weak and the blood was roaring so loudly in her head that she
scarcely was aware of her surroundings any more. She only saw this picture. She
knew it was Santiago himself and not one of his ancestors who incidentally had
the same name but this couldn't be. He couldn't be that old. No man has ever
lived that long- provided that he was a man at all�

A
bottle was held to her mouth and from a far distance she heard Jack saying.
"Have a sip o' rum luv ye'll feel better then."

The
golden liquid floated down her throat and lit a warming fire in her stomach.
Slowly her senses were returning, bringing her back to reality. She remembered
that Santiago had looked old the
day they'd met but of course she'd been a child then and every grown-up had
looked extremely old to her. Since that day it had always seemed to her that
only she was getting older� like trying to catch up with him. But maybe
her memory wasn't serving her right because she'd seen Santiago nearly every day
during these last twenty years so maybe her imagination was playing tricks on
her. She glanced at Jack suddenly realizing that he was still standing next to
her with a bottle of rum in his hand and apparently in the same need for a drink
like she was.

"Ye
haven't seen Santiago for a long time so d'ye think he's changed- his appearance
I mean?"

"No.
He looks exactly the way I remember him yet he certainly doesn't look like he's
over 200. I'd say he's well-preserved for that age."

"Ha,
ye're joking. None can live that long." She ran her fingers through her
hair thinking about it. Only recently she had started to believe in magic yet
she had always known that there were things beyond reason. Apparently her whole
world just collapsed about her and the person she had trusted most had cheated
her all the time.

Jack
shrugged. "Well think 'bout it luv. Both of us always knew that he's
a little peculiar, aye? He likes to talk
in riddles and does things beyond reason and I also guess he's somehow involved
in let's say 'magical affairs' but after all he's a good man who cares a lot 'bout
ye."

"But
he's lied to me." she snapped defiantly.

"Nah, I wouldn't say that luv.
Maybe he's only failed to mention it to ye."
"Failed
to mention that he's more than 200 years old? Jack, he's a� damned I don't
even know what he is!" In a complete turmoil she stared at the
picture again as if it could answer all her questions. Santiago looked so
familiar on it and yet somehow different. Suddenly she got it- it was the
uniform he was wearing, the uniform of a highly decorated soldier. Once again
she was taken aback and even more after she'd glanced through the article that
was printed on the opposite page. "Apparently he's also failed to mention
that he had fought for His Most Catholic Majesty of Spain at that time, that
he'd helped to 'purify' Granada from the Moors by killing them and that this
bestowed him the 'glorious' title Slayer of Granada. So what d'ye
think now?"

"Is
slayer a glorious title?" Jack asked puzzled and shook his head.
"Well, these Spaniards are really peculiar guys indeed."

"They're all stubborn, ignorant
and religiously fanatical machos." Rowan put a scornful
emphasis on the last word but she didn't bother to give him another
lesson in Spanish history since she'd already told him about her own past and
how her parents had been hunted by inquisition. A cold shiver ran down her spine
realizing that Santiago had been part of this terror crew as well and had even
played a special role in their evil game once. She knew that she'd never forgive
him nor trust him ever again. For a moment, she felt utterly frustrated and
somehow abandoned- until she realized she wasn't that alone; Jack had put
an arm around her shoulders.
"What's this about?" she
asked but her words lacked the usual sharpness and she simply accepted his
support without pushing him back.
"I'm only trying to- what's this
word?- ah, to comfort ye 'cause ye look so troubled." Jack replied
as honestly as was able to and even managed to give an absolutely innocent
impression.
Would he do anything without any
ulterior motives? she wondered and then she
decided not to wonder about his motives any longer. Actually she even enjoyed
his presence now since she would have felt even more miserable without him,
if she had to go through this all on her own. But was it so wise to look
into his eyes longer than necessary to let him know she really appreciated his
comfort? His dark brown eyes were dangerous as they tended to soften her too
much and she already knew how this could end because it had happened once before,
and she definitely didn�t need this mess right now; her life was messy enough
without him. However, he was close enough to play around with an unruly strand
of hair that always liked to dangle into her face, his fingers
touched her cheek, and she knew that he was gonna kiss her. Now wouldn't
it be annoying to Santiago if she messed around with Jack although he had just
warned her off it? Oh I most surely wanna antagonize him, she thought, and
maybe I even wanna kiss Jack. Or should I resist?

"Stop it." she said all of a
sudden.
He looked at her perplexedly as he
hadn't done anything reprehensible yet� only thought about it. "What's
up?"
"Well,
it might be the opportune moment but it's definitely not the opportune location-
we should leave the wreck. There're too many corpses around."

"Oh!"
He raised his eyebrows and gave her an ambiguous glance. "Ye're lucky that
the Pearl's anchored in a small cove not far away from here by chance. Fancy to
come aboard with me?"

"Aye,
and I'd love to see Santiago's face when he finds out."

Jack's
smile froze. "D'ye mean ye're only comin' with me 'cause ye wanna annoy
Alf? Why not hit him over the head with his past 'n ask him to explain this to
you? I'm sure he's got reasons�"

"'cause
I just can't stand seeing him. Besides, he's lost any right to tell me what's
right or wrong, to judge me or- ah, I simply won't take anything from him
anymore!"

He
could understand her quite well. But no matter how you looked on it he still had
problems with her accompanying him only to annoy Alf. That was on his mind more
than it should be since he'd never wondered why women went with him (of
course he didn't include the ones he'd paid for company). However, he was quite
sure that no woman had ever done it for defiance. Somehow he felt that
this wasn't right, that wasn't enough. He wanted more. "So ye're sure it's
the only reason?"

Rowan
just shrugged and looked at him like asking what else did you expect?

"Well�
how 'bout love?" He couldn't believe it- had he really said that? The words
had escaped his mouth before he even realized that they had been in his mind a
long time. Now this was strange.

"Come
on Captain Sparrow ye're surely not asking me to come aboard yer ship 'cause
ye've fallen in love with me." she replied in a mocking tone obviously not
believing either what she'd just heard.

"No.
I mean yes. Am I not?" He was bewildered and didn't know which one was the
right answer. Was he in love with her? In any case he wanted to kiss her
but he'd wanted to kiss many women before so this might not be the best
clue. However, this could be a promising start and maybe he'd find out more
later on. She was just too close to him to wonder about such things and her lips
looked much too tempting to resist� His lips were only about an inch away from
hers when he suddenly heard the
disturbing sound of footsteps on deck. Whoever the intruders were- this was
definitely not the opportune moment to intrude.

Scarlett
backed away from him and quickly drew her sword. "Yer men?" she
inquired in a low voice.

He
shook his head. His men wouldn't have dared to disobey his orders. "Don't
do anything stupid luv. I'm gonna
have a look and be back soon. Don't run away."

-

Scarlett
watched Jack Sparrow walking up the companions way, shaking her head. Bloody
scallywag, she thought yet she couldn't prevent a smile from curling up her lips.
He irritated her most of the time, was charming sometimes but nevertheless a
pain in the neck as he was much too full of himself usually. Today he'd been a
bit different though. She had appreciated his comfort and it had felt quite good
being close to him and maybe it wasn't only for defiance that she'd wanted to
kiss him.

All
of a sudden she had an uneasy feeling that something was dreadfully wrong. She
couldn't see what was happening on deck but she heard muffled voices and people
scurrying around. Too many people since Jack was on his own.
And nearly unarmed, she added mentally when she caught sight of
his sword still stuck in the door. Grabbing it she followed him cautiously.

Startled
she saw that he was encircled by a group of five persons in uniform who
threatened him with their swords, and he could only defend himself only with his
mad wit and some big gestures. It was strange- these people were neither
English, Spanish nor French soldiers. They wore grey uniforms without any
insignia and of a kind she had never seen in the Caribbean before. Nevertheless
they seemed to have a reason to threaten Jack. Immediately her pirate soul
yelled out that she had to interfere and help him.

She
called his name and from then on all seemed to happen at the same time. Jack
managed to grab the sword she had thrown to him but he didn't seem too happy to
see her at deck. He gesticulated dramatically with one hand as if he wanted her
to go back downstairs while parrying an attack of the soldiers. Of course she
had no intention to stay away from a good fight at all when he was slightly
overtaxed with five opponents at the same time. She would have loved to take
over one or two of them. Unfortunately she didn't get that far as someone foiled
her plans by grabbing her from behind and pointing a cold piece of metal to her
head.

"Lower
your weapon, Sparrow!" a cold voice shouted- Norrington's voice.

Immediately
the sound of colliding swords died away.

"It's
still CAPTAIN Sparrow, Commodore." Jack replied stubborn but he had already
lowered his weapon. Unobtrusive he cast his eyes over the deck. Where's Gibbs?

Norrington
ignored this comment looking thoroughly at his hostage. "So, whom do we
have here? Well, if that isn't the lovely Spanish widow formerly known as Senora
Rioja. Mylady, I must admit that you've changed disadvantageously since I last
had the pleasure of your company."

"Well,
and I can't claim yer company was ever a pleasure." Scarlett hissed
infuriated most at all with herself
that she'd been stupid enough to run into a damned trap. So Jack hadn't wanted
to send her under deck but to warn her. Couldn't he have expressed himself more
clearly than madly waggling his hand through the air?

"I
see. Obviously you rather prefer the company of scum and that corresponds to my
plans perfectly." Norrington pressed the barrel of his pistol tighter to
her head and addressed Jack. "Your slut is under my control. If you don't
want me to shoot her I'll recommend you'd better give me your compass right
now!"

Jack
sighed. "Commodore, we've had it all before. Why d'ye think I've changed me
mind?"

"Because
I am gonna shoot your whore if you don't change your mind."

"Yeah, ye just mentioned it. But
why d'ye think I care about her? If she's a whore like ye said I can easily find
another one in Tortuga."
Norrington
got impatient but Scarlett knew that he was only bluffing anyway. Though he
appeared to be ruthless it was still against his education and good manners to
harm a woman. That fool hadn't even released the catch of his pistol yet! But
did Jack knew it too? She was glad that up till now he had remained
uncompromising especially since she now knew what Norrington wanted from him.
His compass. Well, of course not just any compass but probably the compass that
doesn't point north. The compass which leads to the Isla de Muerta. She didn't
want to imagine what a led-astray commodore and a mad magician hoped to find in
these caves- certainly not only
silver and gold. So she had to do something to surprise Norrington before things
could get worse. Assuming that he wouldn't expect a woman becoming violet she
rammed her elbow into his stomach with full force, making him gasp. She used his
moment of shock to whirl around on one leg kicking the pistol from his hands
with the other. Free again she tried to get far away from Norrington and closer
to Jack when the sound of many cocked guns caused her to freeze in motion.
Slowly she turned around looking to the afterdeck where at least twenty of these
strange-uniformed soldiers aimed their guns at her. Apparently she hadn't
achieved anything except impressing Jack. Fantastic.

"Don't
worry luv, 't was worth tryin'."

Unfortunately,
Norrington didn't see it this way as he was really pissed now. He seemed to have
forgotten all propriety and how to treat a woman because he gave vent to his
anger and punched her so fiercely that she nearly knocked out.

A
wild pain exploded in Jack's heart but since he was used to keep his thoughts to
himself his face didn't show any feeling. It had never been so hard to keep
composure though. No matter how he twisted and turned it, it all came down to
the same problem. She was his problem. He was infatuated with her, was in
love with her- loved her? Well, in any case he just would have liked to grab
Norrington by the throat and smash his arrogant face, but that wasn't very wise
since bloody Norrington needn't to know how much he cared about her. Besides,
there were too many of his grey-dressed vassals around who surely would be
against this idea. Maybe it was best to negotiate.

"Commodore
you've already spoiled me day so I recommend ye let her go free and we'll forget
about it, savvy?"

Norrington
flashed a glance at him that could kill or at least scare any man but Captain
Jack Sparrow. Nevertheless, even he felt a shiver running down his spine when he
saw these eyes. They
were supposed to be blue but now they'd turned black.

"Sparrow,
you daft fool, didn't I make myself clear? I am the one who sets the
terms and since I am also the one who has a leverage I recommend
that you do what I tell you. So hand over your compass, now."

"Ts,
never thought the Royal Navy 'd ever be in such need of compasses that they're
even trying to rob pirates to get some." Jack shrugged and started to
search his pockets.

"I
warn you! Don't try to make a fool of me! You know exactly which compass I want."

"Don't
do it, Jack!" Rowan cried out.
"He's�"

Another
hard slap interrupted her words before she could tell more.

"Women
are only allowed to speak when they're asked to."
Norrington informed her and closed his hand on her hair, yanking her head
upward. She spat at him but a tug on her hair reminded her once again that she
was scarcely in the position to quarrel with him. To clarify this he drew a
dagger and caressed her cheek with it before he addressed Jack. "It's your
choice, Sparrow. Doesn't she have a pretty face? Now, wouldn't it be a pity if
I'd cut it to pieces beyond recognition just because you are stubborn and
disobedient?"

Jack had to swallow hard not to lose
his serenity, not to lay his heart open for all to see. He would have done
anything Norrington asked of him if only that bastard wouldn't harm her. Yet
none could ever guess his inner turmoil since his face had become an inscrutable
mask and his voice sounded like usual, bold with an undertone of mockery. "Juss
why d'ye make such a fuss 'bout a compass that doesn't point north as ye laughed
'bout it when ye saw it first."
"However, I want that compass
now."
"Unfortunately
I haven't got it 'ere with me. Must have left it aboard the Pearl. So release
Rowan and we'll bring ye a compass that doesn't point north, aye?"

"Jack, oh Jack you're really
amusing me. Just what makes you think I could agree on that?" Norrington
said nearly cheerfully before his face froze again and he looked at Jack with
cold, black eyes. "I tell you something and I will only tell you once; so
better mark my words. I give you three days to meet me at the same island of the
Caicos where I've lain in wait for you before. You hand over the compass and in
return I release your whore. Did I make myself clear?"

"He's
gonna trick ye, don't ye see?" Rowan yelled in spite of the fact that
Norrington would hit her again for speaking when not asked to; he had already
lifted his hand.

"Nah,
I wouldn't do it if I were you." It was the calmness in Jack's voice which
made Norrington hesitate and to stare at the pirate in disbelieve.

"I
thought I'd made myself clear."

"Almost,
Commodore. Am I right that you're in desperate need of a compass that doesn't
point north?" Jack scarcely noticed Norrington's nodding since he tried to
catch Rowan's gaze. Please look at me and don't do anything stupid. Trust me.
When he continued speaking it sounded more
soberly and not so slurred like usually. "Well, if you really do want
something from me you better take care that you don't harm your leverage. So
return her inviolate or our accord will fall through. I certainly have no
interest in a disfigured whore."

"Three
days." That was all Commodore James Norrington replied before he barked
orders to his gray-clad men. There was something strange about the way they
moved; Jack had noticed it before when they'd
threatened him with swords in their hands. All of them acted the same,
like puppets on a string and just as emotionless. At first glance they looked
like normal people but somehow he sensed that they weren't, and that sent an
ice-cold shiver down his spine. He just couldn't stand the thought of Rowan
being in their custody but there was nothing he could do about it. And it even
got worse. Norrington flicked his fingers and a ship materialized next to the
wreck, covered in patches of fog that had hidden it. It was a bulky, grey
galleon with lots of canons. The Phantom.
"Release the old man. We don't
need him anymore." Norrington told his men and
grinned to Jack when someone tossed Gibbs from the afterdeck; it was an evil
grin. "We have a better leverage."
"Sorry
Captain� couldn't warn ye�" Gibbs gasped for breath looking remorseful
although there wasn't any reason for it. Sure, he was supposed to keep watch but
Jack just couldn't blame him for not noticing a ghost ship that appeared out of
nowhere and was shrouded by magic. A ship that couldn't be found until
Norrington wished so; in three days. Yet three days were too long- much too long
for him to stand knowing Rowan in the custody of odd marionette-soldiers and an
occasionally black-eyed commodore. He wouldn't let her down.

-

"Once,
we had an appointment for dinner but apparently you weren't too keen to keep it Mylady."
Though Norrington spat out the last word with disgust he pointed invitingly to
the table; it was set for two with finest china and crystal glasses shining in
the light of two big chandeliers. There were also plates with plenty of
delicious smelling food and a carafe of cooled wine. "We really should make
this up today, don't you think so? Please, take a seat."

Scarlett
looked at him in bewilderment. She would have been inclined to reject his offer
if she were in a better position but with her hands tied and guarded by two of
his humble gray servants, who looked like they'd love to shove her into a chair,
she'd rather give way.

"Unfortunately
you've proven too hot-tempered lately therefore you shall have to remain tied.
I'm sure you will understand that." Norrington sat down and started eating,
carefully dabbing his lips with a linen napkin whenever he drank a sip of wine.
After a while he looked at Scarlett again. "I swear the roast-beef is
delicious. Are you hungry, Mylady? Well, maybe you like to tell me a bit
about Sparrow's escape from jail. Who planned it? Where did he hide? What role
did you play in this little game? Did you spy for your lover? If your answers
please me you mayhap get something to eat and a glass of wine."

Scarlett
didn't bother answering but remained silent, unwilling to communicate. She
wouldn't correct him about underestimating her, and he did obviously
underestimate her. These things happen so she let him keep his illusions. Anyway,
he wouldn't have believed the truth even if she told him because there were no
heroines in his noble world, only heroes. Though he kept on babbling she wasn't
listening to him anymore, instead she cast her eyes around the cabin. The room
was furnished luxuriously and very British- at first look. Yet when you looked
at it again one could see that it was as dirty and neglected as the rest of the
ship except the canons; they were polished to gleam dangerously. The furniture
was covered with a thin layer of dust, cobwebs were hanging from the corners of
the ceiling and the crumbs of whatever on the floor were likely to attract rats�
or cockroaches. She saw some of them crawling over the table and, at once, lost
appetite though she'd been hungry before. Norrington didn't seem to notice- or
didn't mind- because he kept on eating like an almost starved man. Of course he
wasn't. He just wanted to prove that he could eat and drink as much as he wanted,
and that she would get neither food nor drink until she was willing to cooperate.
She knew that he would have loved to beat the truth outta her with his
cat-o'-nine-tails he had so neatly placed on the table next to his plate like an
unspoken warning. She also knew he wouldn't dare to use it on her, thanks to
Jack's warning; that, they both knew. But, there were still other forms of
violence; more subtle ones that got by without strokes or bruises. He had
already proved it when they had come aboard. 'Search her for weapons', he
had ordered, and his gray-clad crew had done so; they had searched her
thoroughly, shameless, but definitely not interested in female flesh. However,
Norrington had watched this procedure ambiguously smiling. Well, she couldn't
have cared less since she surely won't be intimidated by a guy who eats cockroaches!
Fascinated she stared at his fork while he bolted down some beans plus the
cockroach, chewing.

"Abacas
de comer una cucaracha." she informed him politely. It was hard not to
burst out into hysterical laughter because he seemed to be quite content with
her answer.

"Ha,
it�s Spanish, isn't it? So I was right to assume that the Spanish captain was
your companion and helped you to free Sparrow. Therefore I was also right to
kill him and his crew of miscreants." he boasted proudly.

He
ought not have said it since she had already suspected that he was the
one to blame for the massacre aboard the Gavina. Yet hearing it straight out of
his mouth was quite a shock. Escobar had been such a kind man. If only she would
have known then what she knew now, she never would have asked him for help. The
price he'd paid was just too much, too senseless.

"You're
gonna pay for this, one day." she told Norrington, and her voice sounded
calmer than she felt inwardly. He just laughed.

"Oh,
now that really scares me. A little whore is threatening the Commodore-
the future Admiral- of the Royal Navy!" All of a sudden his eyes
darkened dangerously. He jumped to his feet and dragged her off the chair, one
hand reaching for her throat while the other one grabbed her hair.
Unceremoniously he tugged her head backwards and forced her to look into his
eyes. "Don't go too far, slut. Don't forget that you're still under my
control, and don't trust that Jack's warning impressed me at all." He
tightened his grip on her throat but she just looked at him without a flicker,
knowing that he wouldn't kill her right now. Eventually he let go of her throat
and touched her breast; with a mean smile on his face he pinched her nipple. It
was meant to be a warning. "Well, actually I don't even need to beat you;
there are still other ways to break your defiant pride- in that you're
very similar to Sparrow. Don't get me wrong, personally I am not at all
interested in a pirate's whore but my crew might be."

Scarlett
thought about it and doubted it, yet she was wise enough to keep her mouth shut.
At least as long as she was in Norrington's cabin. Later though, after she was
fortunate enough to be dismissed from his company, she gave it a try on the two
vassals as they escorted her to the brig.

"Hey
guys, if ye wouldn't shove me 'round like
that I could be much nicer to you� if you know what I mean?"

"Mhmpf."
one of them mumbled.

She
made eyes at them and staked everything on one card. "Ye're two handsome
guys, both of you pretty and strong� don't you feel like having a bit o' fun
with me, forgetting yer duties for a while?"

"We
obey and serve our master." answered the other tonelessly without showing
any emotions- simply because he didn't have any. He untied her hands, thrust her
into the brig and locked the door, walking away like a puppet-on-strings.

She
breathed a sigh of relief. Though
she would have been able to match them if they'd tried to take advantage of the
situation she was glad that she didn't have to. Gosh, she was so tired. Any
other day it would have been a triumph to see that she'd guessed right, that
Norringtons servants really were scarcely human but just some marionettes
subjected to his will. Yet today, today too much had happened; she had faced
death, betrayal and humiliation. Escobar had only died due to her folly and
Santiago� well, Santiago wasn't to be trust anymore.
He had cheated her all
these years by failing to mention that he was more than two-hundred years
old and the Slayer of Granada. She would never be able to forgive him but, at
the moment, this should be the least of her problems. At the moment, she had to
face the facts; she was aboard a
ship that was shrouded by magic and therefore couldn't be found until bloody
Norrington wished so. There was
nothing she could do about it. If only she wouldn't have gone to the wreck. If
only she had told somebody where she was going. If, if, if. Now, none of
her friends knew where she was, that she was held prisoner in the brig of a
dirty, rotten ghost-ship. It was a dark and damp place; water dropped in from an
unnoticed leak, wetting the straw that covered the floor. And there were rats.
She could hear them scurrying in the straw, the sound of tiny claws scratching
over wooden planks when they're hustling and bustling around.

Scarlett
crouched onto a small bench, arms wrapped around her knees. She felt frustrated
and mentally exhausted. None knew where she was- none but the infamous Captain
Jack Sparrow. He of all people had been the only one
who'd offered at least a little comfort today, and she had accepted it
willingly. She had even wanted to kiss him before things went dreadfully wrong.
Thinking about it she wasn't that sure anymore if defiance had really been the
only reason, but then again she didn't allow herself to let her thoughts roam
into that direction. There's no need for it. She wasn't a dreamy girl waiting
for a hero to come and save her, and besides, Jack definitely wasn't the typical
hero. Yet, he was a
hard man to predict and she still hadn't figured him out; there was more behind
his madness than meets the eye. What would he do? Probably he would do something
unexpected since he was always good for a surprise. But would he be stupid
enough to hand over the compass to Norrington for her sake? After all is said
and done he would, that's what she feared. And then things would become worse.
It was too much for today. Her eyes were burning with unshed tears she couldn't
hold back anymore and then she finally gave in, weeping silently.

Later,
when she heard a key unlocking the door, her first thought was that it would be
Norrington, that he would try again to break her pride. Relieved that her hair
had fallen over her face like a veil so that none could have taken notice of her
moment of weakness she wiped away the last tears and prepared for a fight. But
it wasn't Norrington.

"Luv,
are ye alright?"

"Jack!"
She whirled up and hugged him, kissing him hard without thinking. Then she
realized what she had just done and stepped back as far as he let her.
"What're you doing here? You
can't be here. You can't possibly have found this ship�"

"I
didn't need to find the ship 'cause I was already aboard before it could
sail away with you in Norrington's control. I just couldn't let ye down luv,
savvy." Jack said cheerfully as he had really liked her welcome. It had
been an unexpected yet not unwanted surprise therefore he didn't understand why
she backed away from him now and why she shot him a furious gaze.

"Ye
certainly mean ye didn't wanna leave yer whore to Norrington, isn't it
so?"

"Ah,
that. Well, let him believe yer my whore as long as he doesn't know who ye
really are, Captain Rowan Scarlett. He may have heard yer name before." He
reached out a hand to touch her face, stroking her gently. "Didn't mean to
offend ye luv, just wanted to know ye're safe."

"I'm
sorry, Jack." How many times had she already said it today? Suddenly she
felt like a fool and started shaking all over.

"Luv,
are ye alright?" He asked once again, taking her in his arms when she
merely nodded, still trembling. There where so many things he would have liked
to tell her if only there would be words for it. He remembered how startled he'd
been when he came here first and the brig had been empty. Everything he could
imagine Norrington doing to her had been worse than his worst nightmares, and it
was just a relief to hold her tight now. Yet, she had been weeping; he could
still see the signs of tears on her skin. "What's happened? Did he hurt
ye?"

"No."
She shook her head and shrugged. "It's just Escobar and Santiago� all
that's happened, you know." Well, she actually didn't expect him to
understand but she slowly realized that it wasn't really wise what they were
doing here, and with that she didn't mean the danger of a kiss. That would be
rather welcome but definitely not here, where Norrington's men could pop up
every minute. "We should leave this place."

They
didn't get far, just as far as the door, and then they froze to their tracks
when someone laughed mockingly, clapping hands.

"Lovely,
ah that's really lovely. The infamous Captain Jack Sparrow is so fond of his
red-haired whore that he follows her everywhere, even to the brig of my
ship." Norrington said still laughing, but it was a cold and sardonic
laugh. He gave a wave and some of his men approached with guns in their hands.

"Commodore,
why can ye never wait for the opportune moment? I swear, we were just on our
way to give ye the compass, honestly." Jack smirked and reached for
the pockets of his coat to pull out a compass. He opened it and stared at it for
a while. "Well, it doesn't point north�"

Norrington
grabbed the compass greedily, checked it, and put into his pockets with a
content impression on his face; so content that it was almost alarming.

"Jack,
you shouldn't have done so." Scarlett gasped utterly shocked but he ignored
her protest and turned to Norrington once more.

"Now
mate, you can thank me by givin' us one day's head start just like in good ol'
times, aye? What d'ye say?"

"What
are you prattling on about? I would never give you one day's head start nor have
I ever. You Sparrow have an appointment with the noose and this time you're
going to keep it. This time you're going to be accompanied by this little whore
you're so fond of, therefore enjoy your last days. All I will grant you is that
you're going to be undisturbed in this cell." With these words he locked
the door and walked away.

"Fool!
Goddamned daft, mad, stupid fool!" Scarlett yelled infuriated and gave him
a hart push that nearly sent him to the floor. "Ah,
you've made such a great job. Now we're both captured and bloody Norrington has
the compass, and therefore we don't have anything to bargain with anymore.
Great, really great. You know, I really like it here. I've always wanted to be
in a bad smelling, dirty cell with rotten straw on the floor and rats floating
on the surface of foul water that drops in from somewhere. Dead rats, by the
way!" Disgusted she picked up one of them and flung it at Jack who had made
himself comfortable on the small bench meanwhile. "Well, ye might not care
'bout it and maybe the Pearl's lower deck is as filthy as this one where even
rats die in despair but I'm fed up with it. Bloody hell, why did ye come here
anyway, if ye're only plan was to mess it all up? Why did ye give that damned
compass to Norrington instead of�"

"Instead
of what? Letting him shoot ye or cut yer face to pieces or torture ye? Nah luv
that's too much to ask for, even for me. All I've ever wanted was to save yer
life so please stop throwing dead rats at me."

"Ha!
But we're still in this brig and this rotten ship is bound for Port Royal to
take us to the gallows. Is that's what you call saving my life?"

He
smirked. "Luv, you've forgotten one very important thing. I'm Captain Jack
Sparrow."

"How
could I ever forget that! Gosh, I really hate ye when ye're so full of yerself,
a selfish and arrogant wanker."

"Now
you've hurt my feelings."

"Ha!"
she sneered, taking it for granted that this was a jest. Only after a while she
realized that maybe she'd really gone too far; maybe he really had feelings that
could be hurt but she was not gonna say sorry again. "Okay, Captain
Jack Sparrow, I assume ye've
got a marvellous plan to get us outta here."

"Aye."
He outstretched an arm, opened his hand and revealed a key. "Ye can take it
'n walk outta here on yer own or ye could try to trust me."

Scarlett
was tempted to take the key and walk away, leaving him imprisoned. But that was
just an ill-thought after an enervating day, nothing she would really do.
Recently, they had gone through a lot together and there was no use denying that
she had become quite fond of him- though it still wasn't reasonable to trust him
blindly.

"So,
put yer cards on the table, Jack. Why did ye give that compass to
Norrington?"

"Stupid
wench." he sighed slightly amused. "Do you really think I gave him the
right compass?"

"But
you gave him a compass that doesn't point north."

"Aye,
I gave him a compass that doesn't point north but not the one that gives
up the bearings of the Isla de Muerta, savvy."

She
looked at him confused.

"Luv,
it's quite simple to manipulate a compass not to point north."

"Oh,
never thought of that." she admitted and felt like a fool once again; once
again she had misjudged him thoroughly.

"Now,
do me a favour and don't say ye're sorry 'cause it gets boring to hear. Instead,
tell me why it bothers ye that Norrington could go to the Isla de Muerta. Don't
ye think it's time to put your cards on the table, luv?"

Scarlett
shuddered. So much about trust. Did she really have to talk about mad magicians
and a weird chalice once again? Well, apparently she had to. She couldn't expect
Jack to come out with something, gaining nothing but a shrewd smile in return.
It was all up to her now. Suddenly she longed for the shelter of his embrace and
cuddled next to him on the bench while telling her story, and he didn't hesitate
to put an arm around her shoulder, giving her a stronghold against all kinds of
insanity she revealed.

"Phew.
Well, that's really interesting. I never imagined little Ratbone to be a mighty
magician but I've already wondered why Norrington's so completely out of his
wits, doing things he usually wouldn't do. Ye know, usually he's not like this.
He's stiff- aye, that for sure- always concerned about the law and how to serve
it best but he has never been a sadist. Probably he's possessed. He didn't even
remember the day's head start he'd granted me once."

"Does
it change yer plan, now, that ye know it?"

Jack
shook his head, jingling beads in his hair. He reached out for her and touched
her face. "This ship had never altered its course, didn't you notice? We're
still heading for the Caicos. Dunno why but that's a fact."

"Probably it's a trap and they're
after the Pearl. Wouldn't Norrington expect an escape attempt? He will suspect
that the Pearl is never far away from where you are, sailing these waters and
waiting for ye. Say, d'ye know where the powder magazine is?"
He
understood at once what she had in mind though it was hard to believe that such
a pretty face could make up such deadly plans. However, that was one reason he'd
fallen in love with her. "So ye wanna blow up this damned ship, d'ye?"

"Aye."
She shot him a wry smile. "As far as I know there are no human beings
aboard thus we shouldn't have any scruples doing so, savvy?"

Jack
smiled broadly and showed her the way.

The
fuse was already burning when they reached the longboats and Norrington's humble
servants discovered their escape. Scarlett grabbed Jack's sword, ready for a
fight, while Jack tried to drag her to the rail, cursing. Worse than being
cursed was only being in love with a mad woman who didn't even give a damn about
his worries for her. Of course she didn't know because he couldn't tell her,
because he didn't understand it himself. He was Captain Jack Sparrow and his
only love up to now had had three masts and black sails. He had never longed for
the woman of his dreams, the perfect companion; he had never begged to
fall in love with her. Yet it had happened. And now she drove him out of his
mind.

"Rowan,
come here!" Jack yelled, dragging her once again to his side. At the
same time he struggled to get the
longboat over the rail and into the sea. It crashed down just before the first
explosion shook the Phantom. He got hold of Scarlett's waist, lifted her up and
jumped off board with her. Only when the waves closed over their heads he
remembered that he had forgotten to ask her if she could swim at all.

They
sank for a long time. Meanwhile, still sinking, Scarlett wrestled to get free
from his tight grip and nearly knocked him out doing so. Immediately he let go
of her, realizing firstly that they're probably both going to drown if he
didn't, and secondly that she surely could swim. Alf's education, he
thought and swam upward, following her. Their heads broke through the waves at
the same time, both of them were spitting out water and panting for breath.
Scarlett was the first to recover and she turned to him angrily.

"What
the hell�"

Hell
was the key-word because that broke loose before she could even finish her
sentence. There was a loud, thundering bang followed by the sound of splintering
wood. Then the night was on fire. Glowing ash fell from the sky and died away in
the sizzling water; some bigger pieces of what once had been a ship rained down
and just kept on burning like torches on dark waves.
The sea was in seething unrest when the remains of the Phantom went down,
creating a suction that almost gulped everything and everybody nearby. It was
really a challenge to stay alive during the aftermath of an exploded ship.

After
a hard struggle not to drown in heavy swells, Scarlett's fingers finally got
hold of something solid� it was one of the longboats, floating upside-down on
the water. She tried to climb onto it but it behaved like a wild, untamed horse
and just threw her off, turning around again. Actually it looked much better
this way, much more like a boat instead of a piece of wreck that the sea had
spared by chance. But where was Jack? Relieved she saw him swimming
towards the boat and helped him to get into it. Finally they were safe.

"Wow,
this was fun!" she said breathless and gave him a kiss.
"Apparently it never gets boring with ye."

Jack
lay down beside her and couldn't help but laugh. "Ha! Usually I'm the one
who's considered to be daft but ye're much better and surpass me by far."

"I
daresay it's a compliment."

Aye,
that was the way it was meant to be
although he couldn't tell her straight from the heart. He fell silent. Sometime
in the early hours of the next day the sun was rising like a glowing red ball on
the eastern horizon, painting the world in colours again. It was only then when
they saw an island. It was green, nearby, and the current carried their boat
right to its beach. But in spite of it all there was no denying that they were
still stranded on some unknown island.
- 8
- 9
- 10
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The Chalice of Doom