Pirates of the Caribbean 04 The Sword of Cortes (3 page)

"Have yo
u noticed that our cannons are
pointed right at your starboard?" the commodore asked."Hard not to, mate," Jack answered evenly."And that if by some stretch of the wildest imagination you are telling the truth, our men outnumber yours hundreds to one?"

"Noticed that, too."

"Well, then, help us aboard and surrender peacefully."

"I am warning you one last time," Jack said, gritting his teeth."Aim!" the commodore shouted as his men cocked their rifles.Jack saw what was coming. He raised an eyebrow, then gasped and ducked below the Grand Barnacle's railing for cover.

"Fire!"A series of huge explosions rattled the Grand Barnacle.
Smoke filled the air as a bar
rage of rifle fire hit the broadside of Jack's ship. Jack peeked over the balustrade cautiously. All he could see were plumes of white smoke flashing a fiery orange at irregular blast intervals. Then he realized the blasts weren't only coming from the naval ship, but from the Grand Barnacle returning fire as well. The Sword was glowing again. It must have been causing the Grand Barnacle to fire on the adjoining warship. The navy ship had moved closer now, close enough for the officers to stage their attack and board Jack's vessel.Jack looked up and saw navy crewmen swinging from their ship onto the Grand Barnacle. In a panic, Jack grabbed the Sword and pointed it toward the men. Midway through the air, the men were transformed by a blinding flash. Instead of men, small octopuses
and starfish now clung to the
lines. They hung there a moment before tumbling into the sea.

"Oh, boy," Jack said worriedly.Shrouded in smoke, the naval officers on the ship could not see what had happened to their seamen. And so they continued the battle, firing off cannons, rifles, and anything else they could find. Jack could hear screams and hollers, and he knew that whatever was happening was not good at all.Suddenly there was a tremendous sound, like an entire forest of trees falling before thousands of axes. Then a great plume of smoke rose over the deck. Jack felt the cannons blast below him. He struggled to steady himself as the jolts rattled the deck. A painful ripping sound resounded over the ocean, accompanied by screams and moans. This awful noise was followed by
silence. Jack
slowly crawled to the prow and
peered over. The thick smoke was beginning to dissipate. Jack found it difficult to breathe. He couldn't stop coughing for the gunpowder that hung in the air around him. But the sea breezes soon carried the smoke away, revealing a horrifying sight. All that was left of the navy ship was splintered timber and some remnants of the sails in the water before him.

"No," Jack cried. "No, no, no! This can't be
happening! “Jack
waved the Sword frantically toward the area where the navy ship had been, trying to raise it from the depths. But nothing happened. He stared in disbelief as splintered planks bobbed on the waves. But it was no use. The ship had gone to Davy Jones's locker.Stunned, Jack held his head in his hands for a momen
t. Then, he quickly jumped up.
In a furious panic, he began to race around the Grand Barnacle, examining it for damage. The ship had been rocked by explosions during the battle. But as Jack surveyed the ship, he didn't find a gash, a dent, or even a scratch on it. The Sword had protected the Grand Barnacle, and Jack with it.Even for Jack, who was famous for taking things in stride, this was overwhelming. And, more important, it changed everything."

Now, listen here," he said to the Sword through clenched teeth. "I've had as much as I can take of this. I am going to continue on this mission and retrieve my stone eye. Being that so many people--and non
people
want to get their hands on it, it must be worth something. Plus with all the mysterious pieces to your puzzle--scabbards, incantations--how do I know I don't need it to cement y
our power? Then, I am going to
learn to use that power. Really use it. And once I do, we're going to use your power to free my mates from that snow-covered isle. And I will also use your power to heal my dying sailor! And then, we're going to send that decrepit, smelly old half-dead owner of yours back to whatever grave he crawled out of. Savvy?"Jack raised his chin proudly and set the Sword back in its sheath.As he did, the Grand Barnacle began to rock. Jack was tossed from one end of the deck to the other.

"Is there not a moment's rest here?" Jack asked,
exasperated. The
waves became fierce, and a bone-chilling mist gathered around the boat. He knew then what was happening, and he smiled.The mis
t thickened. There was a great
explosion that sent a roaring sound over the sea. Waves sprayed over the deck. Then the water settled, the mist began to lift, and under the light of the dying sun, the silhouette of Isla Sirena
appeared on the horizon.

CHAPTER SIX

Jack pointed the Sword at Isla Sirena, and the Grand Barnacle raced toward it. He tried not to think about what had just happened to the Royal Navy vessel. But with the Sword doing the work of captain and crew there was little left for Jack to do but think. The event played in his mind over and over again. It seemed like a terrible dream that had left him with an uneasy feeling during his waking ho
urs. He hoped, for the sake of
the soldiers aboard the ship, that Davy Jones's locker was not nearly as terrible as the tales made it out to be.Jack felt a jolt as the Grand Barnacle came to an abrupt halt. He was still almost a mile away from the shores of Isla Sirena. He peered over the side of the ship and noticed dark patterns in the water. The ship was snared on a huge reef.

"Now what?" Jack said.

"Jack Sparrow," a whispery voice called out, wafting over the ocean.Jack looked around with a mix of confusion, suspicion, and caution."Jack Sparrow," came the voice again. It was clearly female.Jack looked over the prow. Still no sign of the merfolk. But he knew they were here. All they needed to d
o was show themselves.

"Come on, Scaly Tails!" Jack shouted. "Come out and play!"

"Captain!" a new voice called out. This one was deeper."Jack!" still another voice cried. This one sounded very familiar."Bell?" Jack asked.

"Jack, help us. Come back. We need you," a voice that sounded just like Arabella's rang out over the waves.Jack had encountered the merfolk before.

He knew their games."Stop it, Scaly Tails, I'm on to you." "But, Jack, I care for you. We all care for you," the voice that sounded like Arabella's said, tauntingly. Jack
was getting angrier.

"Jack
" Two new voices sailed
over the waves."Tumen? Jean?"
Then more voices joined them. They called Jack's name over and over again. "Jack. Jack Sparrow. Captain Jack Sparrow . . ."

"Stop it!" Jack shouted, holding his ears. "Stop it right now!"

The voices stopped suddenly."Ah, that's better," Jack said, smiling.But then the water around the ship began to splash and turn. Suddenly mermaids shot up from the depths, surrounding the Grand Barnacle. One after another they emerged from the sea. In a few seconds, there were a hundred of them. Then five hundred. And then, before he even knew what was happening, thousands of mermaids had surrounded the Grand Barnacle. And they all had one thing in common."Green-tails," Jack said soberly.The Green-tails, Jack had learned, were the military a
rm of mermaid society. If they
had a nasty bark, their bite was worse. Jack had the tooth-mark scars to prove it.Jack could not get away even if he wanted to now. The ship was completely blockaded b
y the Green-tails. Unless
Jack thought for a moment about using the Sword. But after what had just happened with the navy ship, he thought the better of it. He did not want any more blood on his hands.

"I'll only use that blasted thing when I really need to," he
said. Besides
, he was here to turn himself in, not to stage an attack. What could the Green-tail army do? Rip him to shreds a piece at a time?On second thought, maybe they could. He preferred not to think about it.

"Good day, Scaly Tails," Jack said, placing his hand over his heart and bowing. "I have come to see your Blue-tail l
eaders, whose
names I have never had the fortune to learn. Can one of you--or better yet, all of you--go run and let them know I'm here for my appointment?"

"Jack Sparrow," one of the Green-tails hissed, "you will be brought to the chairwomen. They will not be brought to you."

"Ah, 'chairwomen.' One step closer to knowing their names now. Funny choice of title, though, you know, being they have no legs and could never possibly sit . . ."

"Silence!" The Green-tails said, their voices echoing over the sea."Okay, okay, no need to get all hissy . . ." "Step from your vessel now," they commanded.Jack shrugged. He had little choice. He lowered the gangplank the only way he kne
w how--by using the Sword—and
descended into the mermaid-filled water. Toward the bottom of the plank, mermaids latched onto his ankles and began to drag him down into the sea.
Jack was underwater for what felt like only seconds before he emerged in a long cavernous tunnel that was filled with water up to his neck."Funny how this place works," Jack said. "One second you're only feet below the water, and the next you're in a corridor filled with air." He wasn't sure he'd ever get used to stuff like this.The Green-tails ignored him. They escorted him toward the well-lit chamber at the end of the tunnel. As he approached, Jack recognized it as the chamber where the chairwomen held court. Sure enough, when he entered, the three Blue-tails were lying upon their
thrones, their tails flicking.

"Jack Sparrow," the three mermaids said in unison."

You know, I'm getting pretty sick of hearing my name over and over and over," Jack said."You have come to submit to us, yes?" the Blue-tail on the center throne asked."Well, sort of," Jack answered.

The Blue-tails shot him an angry glare."Kind of?" Jack said, shifting uncomfortably.The mermaids' tails all flicked faster."Well, okay, yes. Yes I have," Jack said, dropping his head to acknowledge defeat.The Blue-tails smiled, and their pointy teeth gnashed as they laughed. Then, the Blue-tail seated on the right noticed the Sword at Jack's side and her eyes widened. "Morveren," she said to the Blue-tail who sat in the center.

"Ah! Your name is Morv
eren!" Jack
shouted to the mermaid in the center, elated. Then he frowned. "Funny, I thought you looked more like a Susan."

The Blue-tails ignored him and continued their discussion."Morveren, the Sword."Morveren nodded. "Jack Sparrow," she said, "we will bring you and your sword to your chamber now. Come.""Now, wait a minute," Jack protested. "You have something of mine that I'd like back first. The collateral I left with you last time I visited your cozy home. You know what I'm talking about. Little round stone? Sort of looks like an eye?"

"Your collateral will not be returned to you until you are safely confined. Only then will you have submitted to us your greatest treasure. By our agreement, you owe us
your freedom," Morveren said.
"And by the rules of collateral," the other two Blue-tails hissed in unison, "you must pay your debt in full before the object is returned."

"Now that's not exactly fair," Jack said. "I believe there must be something we can work out here. Let's make a deal."

"Very well," Morveren said. "We will accept the Sword. If you give it to us, you may keep your freedom. Otherwise, you keep the sword, and you are both imprisoned here."Jack knew he still needed the power of the cursed Sword in order to save his crew and to defeat Cortes. Yet the stone eye was looking more attractive than ever to him, since everyone else seemed to want it. Which should he choose--stone or sword?"

I have a better idea," Jack said, thinking fast. "I propos
e a duel. If I win, I go free,
with my sword and with my stone. If I lose, I stay here with you for eternity, you get to keep the eye, and the Sword is yours, too."The three Blue-tails all whispered to one another.

"We find this a fair bargain," Morveren said."Yes," the others hissed."Prepare the battle chamber," Morveren shouted.Half a dozen Red-tails, the servants of merfolk society who were always wading around waiting for orders, made their way to the far end of the chamber. They gripped heavy chains at either end of a huge iron gate. As they pulled, the gate lifted, revealing a wide alcove."You mean, I have to go in there?" Jack asked. But
before he could say more, the
Red-tails were guiding him through the waist-high water. Once he was inside the alcove, the iron latticework gate crashed down, sealing the area off. Jack was trapped.

"Are you lot not playing fair again?" Jack shouted to the mermaids on the other side of the gate. "You said I could duel for my freedom.""Oh, you can," Morveren said. "But we never said who--or what--you would be dueling."With that, Jack heard a fierce rumbling in the enclosed chamber. At the far end of the alcove he saw two huge, glowing yellow eyes."Oh, no."Then from the opposite side, in a dark cavernous part of the cell, he heard heavy footsteps--like an elephant's might sound-- comin
g right toward him. The second
creature stepped out from the shadows just enough that Jack could see its yellow eyes, too. It roared, baring huge razorlike teeth."This is not good," Jack said.But at least he still had the Sword.The beasts moved toward him.Now Jack could see them clearly. They looked like iguanas. But they were much, much larger, with much sharper claws and much more powerful teeth!