Pirates of the Caribbean 07 City of Gold (5 page)

Oui, and I and Constance will be joining him in the good life," Jean added, giving his sister a scratch under the chin. "We had a fantastic time on this voyage, Jack, but adventuring is tres dangereuse business. We are retiring early, my sister and I. Very early. We are going to live in Tumen's village and fish for the rest of our days. Eh, mon petit?"Constance purred in agreement, no doubt envisioning plentiful fish heads for
years to
come. She hissed a little at Jack. But only a little.

"Well, off you go, then," Jack said cheerfully, strangely unconcerned that he had just lost most of his crew. He turned to Fitzwilliam.

"Please tell me that you're not coming with me either."Fitzwilliam tried to hide a smile.

"I am afraid I have nowhere else to go, Jack."

"That's Captain Jack corrected. "On you go, then, I guess he added grudgingly.Fitzwilliam stepped aboard, followed by Jack, who took the tie line with him. Jack made himself very busy coiling the lines, but watched as everyone else stepped on to the Fleur de la Morte, each disappearing before he or she boarded the invisible ship. Arabella turned around and waved. Then she took a step into what looked like thin air and vanished.

CHAPTER TEN

The sun shone brightly over a calm aquamarine sea. Puffy little storybook clouds drifted across the sky. Occasionally, a gull cried and a silver fish jumped out of the water. A good breeze kept the air from getting too hot and filled the sails of the Barnacle. Perfect sailing weather.Jack and Fitzwilliam sat listlessly on deck. Jack was tossing little pebbles into a coil of rope and Fitzwilliam was looking at Arabella's kerchief.The waves made little lapping noises against the side of the
boat.

"Well, this is dead boring," Jack finally said, breaking the silence.

" Who would have ever thought it would just be you and me aboard this vessel? How very ironic, as you were the only member of my not-so-faithful crew that I tried to keep off the ship."They lapsed into silence again. Jack drew his cutlass and watched its golden tip glint in the sun.

"Well. What now?" Fitzwilliam asked, after a very long, very awkward silence. He put Arabella's kerchief in his breast pocket and stood up and stretched.For once, Captain Jack Sparrow had no answer. Fitzwilliam moved over to the broadside of the ship and pulled out his pocket watch. He smiled as it glowed warmly in the sun. He was happy to have it back. It was the last connection he had to his long lost s
ister.
Jack also
got up and joined Fitzwilliam
for now, the only source of amusement on the Barnacle. He grabbed the gold watch and turned it over in his hands, trying to see what was so special about it.

"You're an overly sentimental fool, Fitzy. What's so special about this highfalutin, aristocratic trinket of yours?"Fitzwilliam's nostrils flared, and his eyes flashed with anger.

"Give it back!"Suddenly, the perfectly clear blue sky grew dark with roiling clouds. Rolling thunder echoed over the sea.

"At ease, there, Fitzy. Here, take it," Jack said quickly, clapping the watch back into Fitzwilliam's hand. He looked at the sky, spooked. It didn't seem like a coincidence that the angry aristocrat's temper flared up along with this fromout-of-nowhere storm. They had, af
ter all, encountered a pirate
named Captain Torrents who co
uld stir storms with his anger.

”
That was not me," Fitzwilliam said, pointing out over the sea.

"Look!"A huge ship emerged from below the waves and came at them quickly. It was covered from stem to stern in human bones. Jack didn't need to see it up close to know whose ship this was. It was famous in nightmares and horror stories across the Seven Seas.

"The Flying Dutchman" he said, his voice thick with dread.But before Fitzwilliam could ask what that meant, a bolt of lightning flashed. A figure appeared on deck beside them as if it had always been there, just waiting for the right moment to make itself seen. He was huge and his tentacled face squirmed in the

*To be c
ontinued!
Don't miss the next volume in the continuing adventures of Jack Sparrow and the crew of the mighty Barnacle

The Time
keeper
Jack has lost all of his crew to the Fleur de la Morte... except for Fitzwilliam P. Dalton III. Now, Jack and Fitz must face the greatest danger of the Seven Seas--the feared Davy Jones--all on their own. Don't miss our next volume, or you'll be very, very sorry you did. Savvy?