The Turning Tide (2 page)

D
iego swung down the ratlines, clambering nimbly from rope to rope. He reached the cross-beam of a sail and paused to look down.

Carolina was standing at the railing, watching the shore of India slip by. Her long, dark hair blew freely in the wind. She was barefoot, wearing the loose dark trousers and white shirt of a pirate. A long sword hung from her belt.

She was so beautiful, it made Diego’s chest hurt to look at her. For years, he’d adored her from afar—a stable boy with an impossible yearning for a Spanish princess. But then she’d turned to him for help with her escape from a Florida fort, and he’d immediately agreed to help smuggle her out of San Augustin. Anything to get her away from
El Cruel
, the scheming old governor she’d been betrothed to against her will.

Now here they were, halfway around the world, living the wild, free life of pirates. Still, Carolina was a Spanish princess at heart. Surely it was too much for him to hope that she felt the same way about him…wasn’t it?

Carolina glanced up and spotted him. Her face lit up in a brilliant smile. She turned and checked around the deck, then beckoned to him.

“I think it’s safe to come down,” she called in a stage whisper. “Marcella is napping again.”

Marcella had always slept more than anyone else, but she’d been doing a lot of extra “napping” since they left Hong Kong, disappearing belowdecks for hours at a time. Not that anybody minded. As long as Marcella wasn’t on deck, nobody had to listen to her complaining loudly about the food, the smell, the waves, the hygiene of everyone aboard, or the way the sun was deliberately and—she was sure—spitefully shining in her eyes no matter where she sat.

The only person she didn’t complain about was Diego, but he rather wished she would. It would be much easier than being the object of her affection.

Diego dropped lightly to the deck beside Carolina.

“You need a haircut,” Carolina said, brushing back a lock of his dark hair. “You’re starting to look like a wild pirate or something.”

“Whereas you make such an effort to look like a lady,” he joked with a smile.

“Maybe Marcella could cut your hair for you,” Carolina teased.

“Stop that,” Diego said. “Don’t even joke, or she might hear you and come at me with a pair of scissors. What are you looking at out there?” He leaned on the railing next to her, close enough to smell the jasmine scent of her hair.

“I’m watching for tigers,” Carolina said dreamily, resting her elbows on the rail. “Or elephants. I was reading about them in one of the books from Jack’s cabin. It said they’re bigger than horses! Do you think we’ll see any?”

“Maybe.” Diego gazed into the dark green jungle, separated from them by a stretches of sparkling sea and muddy sand. He could see flashes of red and yellow and light green as birds darted through the trees. Above them in the clear, blue sky, hawks were circling. According to Barbossa, they were close to Bombay now; the first of the islands ruled by Sri Sumbhajee was just coming into view ahead of them.

“Actually,” Carolina said, looking at Diego’s hair again, “didn’t Jack say that Alex was a barber?” She leaned around him, searching the deck for the shuffling, mumbling, decaying character Jack had been “given” by Tia Dalma.

Diego gave her an alarmed look. “Don’t even think about it,” he said. “I’m not letting him near me with a razor!”

“That is just outright unfair bias against zombies,” Carolina said. “So he smells a bit like a graveyard; I’m sure he’d do an excellent job. Although he might leave a finger in your hair.” She giggled, wrinkling her nose.

“Why are you torturing me?” Diego asked, but he couldn’t help smiling, too.

A sudden cry from the forecastle wiped their smiles away. “A sail! A sail!” Jean cried. He pointed out to sea. “There’s a ship coming this way!”

Jack shot from his cabin, blinking, as Carolina and Diego hurried up to the prow. There was indeed a ship sailing out from a gap between the islands ahead of them. Was it the East India Trading Company? A military vessel? Or more pirates? Carolina shivered, and Diego knew she was thinking of the Spanish navy, which as far as they knew was still out there looking for her.

Jack took the spyglass from Jean and peered through it. “Ah,” he said. “As I predicted. Where’s Barbossa? He loves it when I’m right.”

“You mean it’s one of Sri Sumbhajee’s pirate ships?” Carolina said eagerly.

“On the contrary, love,” Jack said. “That’s the
Otter
, so it’s Sri Sumbhajee himself. See that long blue pennant with the black cutlass on the top mast? That’s his jolly roger. The Pirate Lord himself is gracing us with his presence. He must know it’s me coming.” Jack preened for a moment and then stopped, looking worried. “Oh, dear. I hope he’s forgotten about the…incident.” He shot a guilty sideways look at his crewmates. “Um. Back in a moment.” Jack hurried off to his cabin. After a moment they could hear thumps and bangs from behind his door, as if he were flinging trunks around the room.

Carolina and Diego exchanged glances.

“That’s ominous,” Carolina commented.

“Should we try to run?” Diego asked Jean.

“I don’t think so,” Jean said. “I mean, this is who we’re looking for. We need his vial of Shadow Gold. Let’s just hope he’s feeling friendly.”

BOOM!

A cannonball flew out from the other ship and landed with an enormous splash in the water beside them. The waves rocked the
Black Pearl
violently.

“Oh, sure,” Carolina said, seizing the railing to stay upright. “They seem friendly enough.”

Without waiting for his captain’s orders, Jean grabbed the white flag of Parlay and waved it in the air. “Parlay!” he yelled. “Parlay!”

There was no response from the
Otter
, but no further cannonballs either. As the ship slid closer and closer, Carolina and Diego could see three men standing at the prow with their arms folded. Two of the men were tall and wide and looked exactly the same. Both had long, black beards and thick, bristling moustaches that swept out to precise points at the ends. And both wore dark green turbans and woven goldand-green vests over brown, striped tunics, with wide gold sashes wrapped around their waists.

In between them stood a tiny Indian man with graying black hair. Despite his diminutive size, Carolina and Diego could tell right away from the imposing look on his face that this was the Pirate Lord Sri Sumbhajee. He had fierce brown eyes over a long nose and a thick beard which seemed to be parted down the middle. The carefully folded turban on his head was a richer green than his companions’, and it was clasped with an enormous gold-and-pearl brooch as big as a man’s hand. His robes were long and opulent, woven and embroidered in green, red, and golden-brown patterns.

As the ship pulled closer, Jean signaled to Billy to drop the
Pearl
’s anchor, and the sailors on board the
Otter
did the same.

“Parlay!” Jean called again.

“Yes, all right,” said one of the big men aboard the
Otter
in heavily accented English. “We heard you.”

“Sri Sumbhajee would like to know what the notorious Jack Sparrow is doing in his waters,” said the other big man. “Sri Sumbhajee sensed he was coming by the tingling in Sri Sumbhajee’s beard.”

“When Sri Sumbhajee’s beard tingles, he always knows something bad is on its way,” the first man added ominously.

Diego glanced at the Pirate Lord, who had his arms folded and was glaring at the
Black Pearl
. “Why doesn’t he speak for himself?” he whispered to Carolina.

“Oh, he never speaks,” she whispered back. “He always has his aides do all his talking. Nobody knows why. I read about that.”

Jean pressed his hands together in front of his chest, palms facing each other, and bowed slightly to Sri Sumbhajee. “Thank you for allowing us safe passage,” he said.

“Sri Sumbhajee has not granted you safe passage,” rumbled one of the big men.

“Sri Sumbhajee has not forgotten the last time he was honored with a visit from Jack Sparrow,” growled the other.

“But we’re here on important business,” Carolina interjected. “We’re going around the world warning the Pirate Lords of the Brethren Court about the Shadow Lord!”

The funny part, Diego reflected, was that at this point Carolina had worried about the Shadow Lord so much, she probably believed that was their real mission. Most likely she had forgotten all about the Shadow Gold.

The aides glanced down at Sri Sumbhajee, who made a small gesture with his left hand and nodded.

“Sri Sumbhajee knows all about the Shadow Lord. Sri Sumbhajee sees all and knows all,” said one.

“Nonetheless,” the other added quickly, “Sri Sumbhajee will allow you to tell him what
you
know of this Shadow Lord.”

“Wait!” Jack’s voice called from the cabin. “Here it is! Got it! Coming!” He dashed out of the cabin and sprinted up the steps, waving something that glittered red in the sunlight. Diego blinked at him and realized Jack was holding a bloodred ruby the size of a fist.

“Sri Sumbhajee!” Jack called out. “Nice to see you again! Except in the sense of it actually being pleasant in any way. Were you looking for this?” Jack held up the gem so the sun shone through its facets, casting flickering reflections like fire on the boards of the ship.

Sri Sumbhajee glared even more. He kicked one of his aides in the shins.

“Sri Sumbhajee wishes to observe that the item in your hand belongs to him and has been in his family for generations,” the man said, wincing. “He was most displeased to find it missing after your last visit to our shores.”

“And, I assure you,
I
was most displeased to find it had accidentally fallen into my pocket,” Jack said charmingly. “One moment, there it was, gleaming from the eye of a statue in the middle of the jungle, and then all of a sudden—
poof
—in my coat. I can’t imagine how that happened. I absolutely had to turn around at once and bring it back.”

The men on the deck of the
Otter
narrowed their eyes at him. “It seems to have taken you a few years,” observed one of the aides.

“Well, you know how it is,” Jack said, waving one hand in the air. “Big world, busy pirate things to do, lots of, er…waves in the way.”

“Jack, tell them about the Shadow Lord,” Carolina prompted him.

“Yes, yes,” Jack said. “All in good time. Perhaps we could go back to your palace and discuss it?” he said to Sri Sumbhajee with a winning smile. “Very big danger, you know. Worldwide threat and all that. Well, I’m sure you know. Your, er, beard has probably been muttering about it for a while now, eh?”

Sri Sumbhajee’s moustache twitched. He grabbed his aides’ robes and forced them to lean down so he could mutter in their ears.

“So he
can
speak,” Diego whispered to Carolina, “he just
chooses
not to.”

The aides stood up and beamed at the crew of the
Pearl
with wide, insincere smiles. “Sri Sumbhajee welcomes you to India,” the first one said with a little bow. “He invites you to stay in his palace while you are here.”

“If you will follow our ship, we will lead you back to Suvarnadurg,” said the other. “And there you may return the property of Sri Sumbhajee to him.”

“Splendid,” Jack said. “Right. We’ll follow you.”

“Sri Sumbhajee will be watching,” one of the aides said darkly.

“Well, I expect so,” Jack said. “Do you mean with his eyes or with his beard?”

None of the three men responded to this. Instead, their sailors ran to lift the anchor, and Jack commanded his to do the same.

“Are you sure this is a good idea, Jack?” Diego said. “What if it’s a trap?”

“Oh, it’s definitely a trap,” Jack said expansively. “But it’s a trap with Shadow Gold in it, isn’t it? Don’t worry, lad. Escaping from traps is my specialty. That or getting thrown out of them because someone realizes they don’t want to keep me around after all.” He sauntered off to check the jib, tossing and catching the ruby in one hand.

Diego knew that what Jack was saying was probably true. All the same, as they followed the
Otter
between the high green shores of the islands, Diego had an uneasy, sinking feeling.

Once they were inside Sri Sumbhajee’s fortress…would they ever get out again?

F
rom a distance, the island of Suvarnadurg looked no different than any other island near the port of Bombay. The cliff walls that faced the sea were perhaps a little too straight, a little too steep even at the top, but it was hard to tell through the greenery that grew along the shore and up the rocky sides. It wasn’t until you sailed right up to it that you noticed the cliffs looked an awful lot like fortress walls.…

“Well, I’ll be,” Billy said, shoving his hat back on his head to stare up at the huge stone walls that ran the entire way around the island. Under the heavy moss, the enormous black stones seemed to meld together, creating one sheer, imposing façade with nary a foothold in it. Bleak, jagged rocks lined the shore at the base of the wall; if any ship tried to attack, they would founder on the rocks long before its sailors could even attempt the perilous climb into the fort. The crew of the
Pearl
couldn’t see a single break anywhere in the wall. Suvarnadurg was the definition of “impregnable.”

“How do we get in?” Billy asked nervously. “What if Sri Sumbhajee is just luring us to our deaths upon these rocks?”

“There are much easier ways to kill us,” Jack said, not very reassuringly. “Besides, he wants this, doesn’t he?” He hefted the ruby again, looking thoughtful. “A pity to part with it.”

“Jack, no,” Carolina said. “I know you’re plotting how to steal it away again, but don’t do it! We need Sri Sumbhajee on our side for the battle with the Shadow Lord.”

“On the contrary,
he
needs us on
his
side,” Jack said flippantly. From the way his eyes were fixed on the ruby, Diego had a feeling Carolina’s advice might be falling on deaf ears.

Marcella popped up behind Diego, too suddenly for him to escape. She clutched his arm dramatically. “Look!” she cried, pointing at the island. “What are they
doing
?”

Just ahead of them, pirates had appeared at the top of the stone walls on a stretch of the island and were flinging ropes over the edge. With lightning speed, several of them swarmed down to the ground. Diego saw them uncover long ropes from inside the foliage and under the rocks clustered at the base of the wall. The ropes seemed to lead out to sea. Gripping the ropes in their hands like they were in a tug-of-war, with half the pirates pulling one rope and half pulling another, they heaved and yanked and tugged with all their strength.

Carolina gasped. “
San Cristobal
! The rocks are moving!”

Indeed, the jagged points of rock that stuck out of the sea right in front of them, blocking the way to the fort, were suddenly bumping and sliding off in either direction.

“The rocks are tied to the ropes,” Diego said in awe. “They’re not real—it’s an illusion.”

“They’re probably real everywhere else but here,” Jean pointed out. “I wonder what these are made of.”

“It’s the perfect disguise,” Carolina marveled. “No one would sail close enough to notice a gap in the wall here, because they’d be too afraid of smashing on the rocks.”

“Sneaky pirates,” said Marcella, without easing her death grip on Diego’s arm.

The Indian pirates dragged the line of fake rocks up onto the real rocks and caught them carefully. Suddenly the way forward was clear.

The
Otter
sailed into the gap as a false curtain of moss slid up on the fortress wall, revealing a dark, watery passageway leading into the island. Up above, the pirates that had raised the moss waved to the
Black Pearl
.

“I don’t like this,” Barbossa growled. “I wouldn’t go in there.”

“That’s why you’re the first mate and I’m the captain,” Jack said, earning himself a murderous glare. “Onward, lads! To the oars!”

The
Black Pearl
lowered its sails and followed the
Otter
into the dim passageway, which was lit with only a pair of lanterns that flickered with strange green fire. Damp stone walls towered above them, high and wide enough to admit a ship between them. The only sound was the whisper and splash of oars in the water and the drip-drip of droplets falling from the roof.

Diego glanced back as the
Pearl
disappeared into darkness. Before the moss curtain fell back into place, he saw a pirate dive into the sea with the end of the fake-rock rope tied around his waist. The pirate swam out to sea with brisk strokes, replacing and rearranging the illusion of the dangerous rocks behind him.

Soon the passage widened and the crew could see sunlight up ahead. The ships emerged into an enclosed harbor, a dazzlingly blue lake surrounded by the same thick wall. Beyond the wall, on the rolling green hills of the island, they could see ornate buildings made of red sandstone and white marble.

Directly opposite the hidden entrance was a dock and the single exit from the lake, which led through the walls up to the palace of Sri Sumbhajee.

Jack Sparrow was the only one who managed not to gasp.

“Well, it’s all right, if you like that kind of thing,” he said. “Bit gaudy, if you ask me. ‘Oooh, look at me, I have lots of money because I’m such a successful pirate.’” Jack snorted. “A smart pirate doesn’t need a fancy palace. All he needs is his ship.” He patted the railing of the
Black Pearl
.

Nobody looked convinced. “I’d live there,” Jean offered.

“As would I,” Marcella cooed.

Red sandstone walls as thick as the
Pearl
was wide encircled the small hill that the palace was built on. Crenellated towers stood at each corner, and elaborate carvings of monkeys and vines and icons covered every column. A pure white dome and one staggeringly tall white spire peeked over the top, hinting at the luxury inside. A pair of enormous carved wooden doors stood open at the top of a flight of stone stairs. These ran down to the dock, where Sri Sumbhajee’s ship was pulling up.

“Alex,” Jack said, beckoning to the zombie. “I think it would be best if you stayed on board to guard the ship. No offense, mate, but I don’t think they’ll like it much if they start finding ears and toes lying about their palace.” Jack wiggled his fingers and made an alarmed face.

Alex nodded slowly, staring off into space (as he usually did). He didn’t seem offended.

Jack signaled the rest of his crew to drop anchor on the other side of the dock and lower the gangplank. He strolled down, hitting the solid stone surface at the same time as Sri Sumbhajee. The two Pirate Lords squared off, staring each other down. Well, Jack was staring down; Sri Sumbhajee had to stare up. But the short pirate’s glare was no less fierce.

The Indian Pirate Lord held out his hand, palm up.

“Sri Sumbhajee demands the return of his property as a gesture of good faith before he welcomes you into his palace,” one of his aides said, folding his arms.

“Remind me, which one are you?” Jack asked the aide. “Axel or Pushy?”

“I am Askay,” the first man said with steel in his voice. “And this is my twin brother, Pusasn.”

“Yes, of course,” Jack said. “How could I get
those
names wrong?”

Sri Sumbhajee flapped his hand at Jack, scowling.

“Do not change the subject,” Pusasn intoned.

“Not at all, I assure you,” Jack said. “Very much on board with the subject, I am. Like it just the way it is. Wouldn’t change a thing.”

“Jack,” Billy said, poking him in the back, “just give him the ruby.”

Jack sighed, long and melodramatically. He reached into his coat pocket and tenderly placed the ruby in Sri Sumbhajee’s hand. But as Sri Sumbhajee’s fingers closed over it, something seemed to go wrong. Jack didn’t let go. Sri Sumbhajee tugged on the ruby, but Jack hung on, gazing at it with wistful, loving eyes.

Sri Sumbhajee’s eyes were bright with rage. He seized the ruby in both hands, and there was a momentary scuffle. Neither pirate wanted to give up the ruby, and both seemed willing to end up in the harbor rather than let go. Finally Jean pulled Jack away and Sri Sumbhajee stood triumphant, the ruby clenched in his fist.

A hard, wicked smile appeared on his face for the first time, making the ends of his moustache twitch.

“Sri Sumbhajee welcomes you to Suvarnadurg,” Askay said, bowing and sweeping his hand toward the stairs.

“Sri Sumbhajee hopes you will be comfortable here,” Pusasn added in a tone that tended toward the ominous rather than the hospitable.

The Pirate Lord led the way up the stairs. His entourage closed in around Jack’s pirates, and they had no choice but to march straight up the steps behind him, their boots scuffling on the rough, cold stone.

The view on the other side of the doors was the most magnificent yet. Glorious gardens stretched in every direction around the central palace, glowing with gold, scarlet, and orange flowers and full of the scent of exotic fruit trees. Tiny, delicate deer darted between the trees, chasing each other playfully, while white herons hopped at their hooves and lime green parrots fluttered overhead.

Carolina seized Diego’s hand and pointed at a large bird strutting slowly across the grass. A fan of blue and green feathers swept out from its tail. It eyed them beadily.

“I think that’s a peacock,” she whispered in delight. Diego squeezed her hand, and to
his
delight, she didn’t let go.

Neither of them noticed the baleful glare this provoked from Marcella.

A marble path lined with small fountains took them to the palace itself. Here, another set of stairs led up to a courtyard perched above the gardens. A roofed area supported by five lines of carved red sandstone columns marked off one corner of the courtyard; the rest was open to the bright sunshine. Carolina nudged Diego and nodded to the top of the columns. Each was crowned by a carved pair of animal heads—an animal with sharp tusks and a long, dangling nose.

“Elephants,” Carolina whispered, “I think. They look kind of like the pictures in the book.”

“Shh,” Jack warned them.

“Yeah,” Marcella said loudly. “SHHHHHH, Carolina.”

Sri Sumbhajee raised an eyebrow. He had paused with his back to the palace. Now he turned and glanced surreptitiously over his shoulder.

Jack followed Sri Sumbhajee’s gaze to the carved stone screen that ran along the second floor of the palace. A diamond pattern of small holes in the screen, each no bigger than a fist, seemed designed to let a breeze flow through. But Jack realized that they served another purpose. Anyone could stand on the other side of the screen and peek down at the courtyard without being observed.

And judging from the sparkle of gold jewelry, and the pink and blue and green flashes of cloth he could see behind the holes, the pirates were being observed that very minute—by a curious group of palace women.

Jack winked at the screen, causing a flurry of flapping silk. Sri Sumbhajee whirled to see what was causing the muffled commotion, and Jack took advantage of his turned back to blow the mysterious women a kiss.

He was sure he caught a glimpse of dark eyes, lined with kohl like his own, before the hidden watchers all vanished into the depths of the palace.

Sri Sumbhajee frowned suspiciously at Jack, but Jack wore a very convincing innocent expression.

“Sri Sumbhajee observes that you have a pair of female pirates among your ranks,” Askay said.

“Oh, no,” Marcella said. “I’m not a pirate! No way! I’m nothing like these hooligans.
I
wash at
least
once a month.” She patted her stringy hair and batted her eyelashes at Sri Sumbhajee.

“Well, I’m a pirate,” Carolina said, casting Marcella a disgusted look.

“Sri Sumbhajee is certain they will be more comfortable in the women’s quarters,” Pusasn said, giving a little bow.

Carolina blinked as his words set in. “But I want to stay with my crew! And my
capitan
! And—” She glanced at Diego but didn’t finish her sentence.

“Oooooh, I would love to meet some nice, civilized ladies for a change,” Marcella said, beaming. “I’ll go! She can stay with the others. She’s practically a boy anyway. I mean, look at how she dresses, and you should
see
her table manners—” This was a rather unfair accusation, as Carolina had grown up in a fine Spanish court and knew better than anyone on the ship exactly which fork to use for what…not that that mattered when you were sharing three forks between the entire crew.

“We must insist,” Askay said, turning to Jack. “It is our custom.”

“Sorry, love,” Jack said to Carolina. “Don’t worry, we promise not to have any fun without you.” He paused, thinking for a moment. “Unless there’s rum. Then I can’t promise anything.”

Carolina protested, and Diego chimed in, but there was nothing they could do. A tall woman wearing thin veils and a lavender sari appeared to firmly escort the two girls through a low doorway at the far end of the palace wall.

As Diego followed the others up through the center doorway into the palace, he glanced behind him and saw Carolina looking back at him at the same time.

He touched his heart, wishing he could send some magical protection with her. He hated being parted from her in this strange, dangerous place.

His heart banged in his chest as she blew him a kiss. His last glimpse of her was her long, dark hair swinging loose as she ducked through the doorway, and then she was gone.