Rising In The East (6 page)

N
aturally, Jack was still very suspicious, but before he could attack, the new Pirate Lord of Singapore spoke again.

“I will explain,” Sao Feng said. “My brother has been planning a meeting with Mistress Ching for several months. The threat of the East India Trading Company has grown very strong in our waters. A new man, Benedict Huntington, runs operations from Hong Kong, and he is ruthless when it comes to pirates. Something must be done to stop him, and we believe perhaps the time has come for a joint effort.”

All the pirates in the chamber, no matter what region or crew they were from, snickered at the words “joint effort.” It was impossible to imagine pirates cooperating.

“Silence!” Sao Feng commanded, and the sheer power of his voice caused the room to fall silent again.

Sao Feng turned over his new Piece of Eight in his hands. “Of course, Liang Dao’s foolish idea was to betray Mistress Ching at the meeting, so he could seize control of her fleet. As if a weakling like him could accomplish such a devious plan!”

“I’m still right here,” Liang Dao pointed out grouchily from behind the wall of guards that surrounded him.

“
I
, on the other hand, am bold and clever enough to pull it off, if I choose to,” Sao Feng said, ignoring his brother. “But for now I intend to go to Hong Kong for the meeting and decide once I have seen her in person.” He smiled down at Jack. “You may accompany me, if you wish.”

“Why should I trust you?” Jack demanded.

“You shouldn’t,” Sao Feng said with a shrug. “But if you would like to find your own way to Mistress Ching, go ahead.”

Jack fumed. He thought and thought. He was not used to being tricked by other pirates. Normally he was the one doing the tricking. He liked it much better that way.

“Give me your word that you will not warn Mistress Ching that we want her vial,” Jack said. “I would rather get it in my own way, thank you very much.”

“Certainly,” Sao Feng said. “You may proceed however you wish once we reach Hong Kong.”

“Why Hong Kong?” Diego asked.

“It is considered somewhat neutral territory between here and Shanghai,” Sao Feng answered. “And that is where this Benedict Huntington is stationed. If we can find a way to take him out while we are there, we will.”

Lian and Park were making eyes at Jack from behind their fans. Jack cleared his throat. “Sao Feng, I request that one of your pirates come aboard my ship for the journey between here and Hong Kong, to ensure that you do not attempt to fool us again.”

“Oh, yes?” Sao Feng said, narrowing his eyes.

“Yes,” Jack said. “And you can choose who. Anyone but those two.” He pointed at Lian and Park.

“Ah, my deadly attendants,” Sao Feng said proudly. “I will agree to your request—but you must take Lian and Park.”

“No!” Jack said with melodramatic intensity. “Anyone but them!”

“I insist,” Sao Feng declared.

“Oh, all right, if I have to.” Jack said. Sao Feng turned to his brother, and Jack winked at the warrior women behind his back. Now at least the trip to Hong Kong would be more interesting.

K
nock. Knock. Knock.

“Go away!” Jack shouted from inside his cabin. “I’m not here! No one home!”

Knock. Knock. Knock.

“Sorry, not interested! Already have one!” Jack called again.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

Jack sighed. From the determined, slow tenor of the knocking, he had a pretty good idea who it was.

He cracked open the door to his cabin. “What is it, Alex?”

The zombie blinked for a few moments. His loose bits of skin flapped unattractively in the breeze as the
Pearl
skimmed along the waves, following the
Empress
to Hong Kong. Behind him on the deck, Carolina and Diego were practicing their sword fighting in the sunshine, while Marcella watched from the railing with a scowl.

“I have a message from Tia Dalma, Captain Jack Sparrow,” Alex said finally.

“Ooooh,” Jack said. “Tell her she
just
missed me. Better luck next time.” He started to close the door, but Alex put his foot in the way. There was a very disturbing squishing sound. Jack didn’t dare look down to see what that was all about.

“Tia Dalma says you are not being honest with the Pirate Lords, Captain Jack Sparrow,” Alex intoned.

“Well, of course I’m not,” Jack said. “That wouldn’t be very piratey of me, would it?”

“She says you must warn them about the Shadow Lord, Captain Jack Sparrow.”

“Listen, mate,” Jack said, trying to edge away from the zombie, “this is a lovely chat, but could we finish it later? I’m a little—”

“The Pirate Lords must be warned, Captain Jack Sparrow. They must be ready when the Day of the Shadow comes.”

Jack froze. On deck, Carolina caught Diego’s arm and turned to listen.

“Come again?” Jack said, trying to sound casual. “Day of the what now?”

“The Day of the Shadow is coming, Captain Jack Sparrow,” Alex said intently. “All the Pirate Lords must fight it together.”

“Ah, well, that’s where you’re confused, my good man. Pirate Lords never do anything
together
. Make a point of it, in fact. If you catch one Pirate Lord doing something, the other eight will find eight different ways to do eight opposite things. That’s just the way it’s always been.”

Jack waved his hands flippantly, but that phrase had chilled him to the bone. How did Tia Dalma know what his nightmare had told him? What did “Day of the Shadow” mean? Most important, how soon was it coming, exactly, and where could Jack hide from it?

“Alex,” Carolina said, interrupting their conversation, “what’s the Day of the Shadow?”

“A good question, love,” Jack said. “How about you two go ahead and discuss, and I’ll get back to my massage.” He started to close the door again, but this time it was Carolina who firmly barred his way.

“This is important, Jack!” she said.

“
Captain
Jack Sp—!” he began, instinctually.

“If the Shadow Lord is planning something, we’re the only ones who can stop it!” Carolina cried, cutting him off.

“Oh, I don’t know about that,” Jack said. “I’m sure there are plenty of capable hero types out there who’d love to handle this for us. At least five or six of them, I imagine.”

All Jack really wanted was the next vial so he could get healthy again. Fighting a great big Shadow Lord and his army was not exactly his priority.

“The Day of the Shadow is when the Shadow Lord will rise,” Alex droned, “and all the world will be crushed beneath his boots.”

“Charming,” Jack said. “I can’t wait. May I go now?”

“We have to tell Sao Feng,” Carolina said. “And Mistress Ching!”

“Listen, darling, why don’t you leave the captainy decisions to me and go back to sword fighting,” Jack said. “I’ll just go in here and think very hard about all this, um, important stuff until I come up with a brilliant solution.

All right? Here I go—thinking hard!” He managed to shove her aside and slam the door before she could stop him.

“Diego, we might have to take matters into our own hands here,” Carolina said in Spanish.

“You don’t think we have enough to worry about?” Diego responded, also in Spanish. “With the whole Spanish navy still out looking for you?”

“This is much more important than that,” Carolina answered. “The fate of the world could be at stake.”

“Well,
I say
,” Marcella declared loudly, “Alex, don’t you think it’s
incredibly rude
when people
deliberately
exclude you from a conversation by talking some
stupid other language
?” The zombie blinked at her, then shambled off to the galley without responding. That didn’t stop Marcella. She flounced up to Diego and Carolina, put one hand on her hip, and glared at the Spanish princess. “This is an
English
pirate ship, missy.
Try
to remember that.”

“I’m going to the crow’s nest,” Carolina said to Diego, still in Spanish. “But good luck with
her
.”

Diego’s expression clearly said, “Don’t abandon me!” but Carolina grabbed the nearest ratline and began climbing the ropes with nimble hands and feet. Soon the hubbub of the ship and the gentle swish of the waves were fading below her.

It was obvious to Carolina that Jack needed help dealing with the menace of the Shadow Lord. If he wouldn’t admit that, then someone else would have to figure it out for him.

And there’s a funny thing about princesses: once they decide something needs to be done, you’d better believe it’s going to happen.

S
torm clouds hung low over the city of Hong Kong, casting a gloomy pall over the normally bright temples and colorful flower markets. Two caped figures strode through the winding gray streets, keeping their faces hidden. But if they intended to conceal their identities, they were not succeeding. Almost any citizen of Hong Kong could recognize the pure white woolen cloak of the figure on the left, or the shimmering emerald satin of the one on the right.

The green hood shifted as the woman underneath it glanced down a dark alley, then turned back to her husband.

“I thought I saw someone running away down that alley,” Barbara Huntington whispered, pointing a bloodred fingernail. “What if it was a pirate? A dirty, slithering—”

“No pirate would dare walk these streets now,” Benedict Huntington answered, pulling his ermine hood down further. Despite the humid Hong Kong heat, he was covered head to toe, and he seemed determined to hide his face from the sun even more than from the people around him. “My agents patrol every inch of this city day and night. They have strict orders to run any pirate through, without warning if necessary. There is no mercy for pirates here.”

“Splendid,” Barbara said breathily. “But how will they know who the pirates are?”

“I have trained all the Company agents impeccably,” Benedict answered. “They can spot a pirate on sight. It’s not difficult, my dear. As you say, the smell is often the first sign.”

The couple rounded a corner and came face to face with a troop of seven East India Trading Company agents, who were wearing the dark blue uniforms Benedict had assigned to them and marching in single file down the street.

“You see?” Benedict said to his wife. “My agents are everywhere. No pirate would dare try to sneak past them! Report, soldier,” he said to the leader of the troop.

“Sir!” the man said, snapping to attention with a salute that wasn’t quite as polished as Benedict would have liked. But he didn’t want to criticize the men in front of his wife, after he’d spent so much time praising them to her. So he decided to overlook the sloppiness—for now. At least the polished gold buttons on the man’s tunic gleamed the way they should. He peered at the agent.

“What on earth do you have wrapped around your face?” he asked. The agent’s eyes peered out between a traditional three-cornered Company hat and a strange sort of bandanna wrapped around the lower half of his face. “That’s not regulation issue, is it?”

“Very sorry, sir,” the agent said with an apologetic bow. “You see, I’m quite ill—really quite horribly ill—and I didn’t want to spread it to the other agents. Precautions seemed wise, sav—um, if you can comprehend that.”

“It doesn’t look at all proper,” Benedict said, reaching toward the man’s face. “I think we can risk a little contagion for the sake of order. What do you have, exactly?”

“Er—” the man said, leaning away from Benedict’s fingers. “Leprosy! Yes, most definitely leprosy. Bits of me falling off all over the place. Quite disgusting, really.”

Benedict recoiled. “Don’t we have distant, quarantined islands where we stash our lepers?” he asked in disgust.

“Yes, sir. On my way there right now, sir,” the agent said, nodding agreeably.

“We’re escorting him,” said another of the agents in an oddly high voice. And—surely that wasn’t a
Spanish
accent?

“And keeping an eye out for pirates on the way!” said another, pushing back his hat so some of his red hair escaped. “We won’t let any of that scurrilous sea scum get by us, no sir!” He clicked his tall black boots together.

“Long live that spirit!” Benedict said with vicious delight. “Just as I was saying to Barbara, as long as you boys are on the case, I am sure there’s not a pirate anywhere in the city of Hong Kong. We’ll gut any blackguard who dares set foot in our town. As I promised: nothing for you to worry about, dear,” he said, patting his wife on the shoulder.

“Hmmm,” she said, her green eyes glittering as she studied the agents.

“Well, we’d better get on,” said the first agent, pulling his hat down to cast more of a shadow over his face. “Wouldn’t want my nose to fall off while we’re standing here, would we? Very messy.”

Benedict shuddered. “Yes, yes, on your way. Keep up the good work, lads!”

The troop marched away. He watched them go, admiring how carefully they checked the alleys around them and scrutinized each passerby.

“Admit it,” he said to Barbara. “You’re impressed, aren’t you?”

“Hmmm,” she said again.

“Yes, they’re very diligent in their duties,” he said. “I’ve got them all whipped into shape. They’ve seen the punishment they’ll face if they fail me.”

“You don’t allow women to become East India Trading Company agents, do you, Benny?” Barbara asked.

“Certainly not,” he said. “You’re the only woman I’ve ever met who’s even half as clever as a man.”

Barbara decided to ignore that remark, knowing perfectly well that she was at least five times as intelligent as her husband. “Because four of those agents seemed awfully feminine, including the one with the leprosy, don’t you think?”

“They’re just young,” Benedict said dismissively, waving one white-gloved hand. “I like to start the training early. We’ll turn them into big, strong men in no time, don’t you worry. Now let’s get on to this meeting—I’m sure our mystery informant doesn’t want to be kept waiting.”

Barbara’s shrewd gaze followed the agents as they marched away.

“W
hew,” Jean said, mopping his brow with a regulation issue Trading Company handkerchief. “That was
much
too close, if you ask me.”

“Leprosy?” Billy said to Jack. “Are you daft?”

“It worked, didn’t it?” Jack said from behind the bandanna, sounding flustered.

“You know what else would have worked?” Billy said. “Shaving your beard so you could look like a real agent instead of a scruffy pirate!”

“Never!” Jack said. “Get rid of my lovely beard for a tiny stroll like this? Do you know how long it took me to get it just right?
You’re
the one who’s daft if you think that’s worth it.

It’s bad enough I had to leave my excellent hat behind on the
Pearl
. This one isn’t half as nice. And it smells funny.”

“That’s because it smells
clean
,” Billy pointed out.

“I like Jack’s beard,” Lian murmured from the back of the line, glancing around watchfully.

“Me, too,” Park agreed with a giggle. “It is very handsome.”

“Thank you, ladies,” Jack said, preening. “My thoughts precisely.”

“Ew,” Carolina said. “Not to quote Marcella or anything, but—gross.”

“I still don’t understand this plan,” Diego said. “Why did Sao Feng send us on ahead? Where did he get these outfits anyway?”

“Stop worrying, lad,” Jack said cheerfully. “We’ll find him at the meeting place. It’s just safer to travel through the streets this way. Makes sense to me. You’re just not used to thinking like a pirate yet. And besides, we left Barbossa to keep an eye on him.”

“Right. I feel much better,” Diego muttered. He suspected that the first mate would take any opportunity to sail off with the
Pearl
if he had half a chance. Although perhaps he wouldn’t do it while Marcella was on board. Regular Marcella was bad enough; abducted Marcella would probably be as furious and bad-tempered as a wet cat with its tail on fire.

The group had reached the seedier part of town, where dilapidated shanty houses leaned close together and tiny rivers ran along the gutters. A smoky, sickening smell came from several of the darkened homes where dirty curtains were drawn across the windows to keep the opium smoke in. Several barefoot children in ragged clothes were chasing a dog through the street. The children stopped to watch the newcomers with expressions of hostility and suspicion that were well beyond their years.

A misty rain began sprinkling from the clouds as the pirates stopped to consult the map Jean was carrying. Hunching their shoulders against the dreary drizzle, they huddled in a circle, squinting at the parchment. Diego made sure he was next to Carolina, close enough to share his warmth with her. Her hair was neatly tucked away under a Company hat, but she still looked so beautiful to him that he couldn’t believe the British couple hadn’t recognized her instantly as royalty. She caught him watching her and gave him a reassuring smile.

“All right,” Jean said in a low voice, using one finger to trace the route Sao Feng had drawn for them. “We’re close now. The den should be at the end of this row of shacks.” He turned to point down the street and found himself on the very unpleasant end of a silver pistol. At the other end was a Chinese woman with a tight black bun of hair, powder white makeup covering her face, and a distinctly mean look in her eyes.

“Um…Jack?” Jean said nervously. “I think we might have a problem.”

The others turned around and discovered that they were surrounded. A host of pirates had appeared as if from nowhere, dropping silently from the roofs and popping out of the underground sewers. Now they were all pointing an awful lot of nasty-looking weapons at Jack and his crew.

“Oh, bugger,” said Jack.

“Agents of the East India Trading Company,” hissed the woman with the pistol. “I’m afraid you have wandered into the wrong part of town…and now we have no choice but to kill you.”