Pirates of the Caribbean 06 Silver (5 page)

It was eerie the way they steadily glided over the sea, without the fam
iliar push-pull of oars, using
only the power of Silverback's crystals."AFTER THEM!" Captain Laura ordered.Everyone just looked at her."Who, exactly, are you talking to, Madam Captain?" Jack asked with mock politeness.

Jean and Tim were rounding up the last few pirates and locking them in the--now incredibly cramped--brig. The unconscious were unceremoniously pushed through the hatch.There was hardly anyone left on the deck except for Laura and the crew of the Barnacle--in the end, almost her entire ship had mutinied.

"All right, then, quarter shares for you all!" Laura promised. "Right after we hit the East India Trading Company. But for now, man the sails and the wheel, and get after those scallywags!"

"Begging your pardon again, Madam Captain," Jack s
aid patiently, "but what for?"

"They fomented mutiny! They attacked their captain! They ran off before I could make them walk the plank!" Laura yelled.Arabella rolled her eyes. A bit dramatic there, mother?Jack ticked points off on his fingers. "We still have the medallion--no, wait, dont interrupt," he added quickly, holding a hand up before Captain Smith could speak. "Arabella will explain it all to you later, no doubt. Medallion: we still have it. We also now have Silverbacks gem. You still have this fabulous boat. And I'm sure you'll be able to get yourself a newer, better crew just like that," Jack said, snapping his fingers."Surely she could not get a much worse one," Fitzwilliam muttered."The point is, we all have everything we need. Right here." Jack waved his hand.

"A boat, a magic
medallion, and a star to steer
us all by. Or something. Look, just let it go, all right, then, Arabella's mum?"

Laura bit her lip again, just like Arabella. One last time, she glared furiously at the boat disappearing toward the horizon.

"Your words make a certain amount of sense," she admitted grudgingly."That must be the very first time someone has told you that," Fitzwilliam teased Jack.

"Stay back!" Jean suddenly yelled. Everyone turned to look. He had a very wet and tired looking Mr. Reece at sword point. His red bandana had flopped down over one blue eye, and a fish was stuck in his belt."It's all right," Jack said, waving his arm to hold back his friends "He's the only one still loyal to the captain on this blasted boat."

Jean lowered his sword but looked untrusting."Mr. Reec
e!" Captain Smith cried with a
grin. She winked at the handsome first mate. "I knew you were a good man!""He's still a pirate Arabella said snootily. "Where were you during all the fighting?" Fitzwilliam demanded."More important, why in the Seven Seas did you bother coming back?" Jack muttered. "With all this drama going on . . ." He waved his hands."Silverback used his devilish powers and magicked me away. Before the mutiny got underway, I suppose," Mr. Reece said tiredly, using a finger to get water out of his ear. "But his range isn't very far. I think he meant to drown me--I suddenly found myself several feet underwater. I kicked to the surface and clung to the side of the ship. I've been trying to get myself back up the entire time. Sorry I missed the excite
ment." He gave Captain Smith a
nod that was almost a bow. "I would have defended you with my life, you know that."Laura beamed."You have a fish in your belt," Arabella pointed out sourly.Mr. Reece sighed, his dignity completely gone. He pulled the flopping fish out and tossed it into a nearby barrel."Now that we've had all of these charming reunions," Jack said, pressing his hands together, "daughter and mother, first mate and captain, silver gem and medallion . . . might I ask what you plan to do, Captain Laura, with the mutinous crew of yours we've locked belowdecks?"

"Throw them all overboard," Arabella's mother said. "Drown the lot of them."

"Mother!" Arabella protested."Sounds reasonable to me,
" Mr. Reece said thoughtfully.

"Pardon my interfering, but do they not need to be tried, or something of that sort?" Fitzwilliam asked."Mutinous pirates? They'd be hung immediately," Tumen pointed out."We could leave them on a deserted island," Jean suggested.Captain Smith looked thoughtful. "Are there any in the area? Preferably without drinking water?"

"So they'll die of thirst? Mother, that's terrible!" Arabella said with horror."Actually, we were just recently stranded on a deserted island," Tumen said helpfully.

"Only it's not deserted anymore. And there's lots of wat
er there, with all that snow,"
Jean
reminded him.

"Forget it, then," Captain Smith said.

"Drown
them, like I originally said."

"Um, excuse me, and pardon me for interrupting," Jack said politely. "But while we're all debating the various merits of drowning, hanging, or dehydrating your crew, may I point out the ship--the big one over there, with all the flags and things--that is rapidly heading our way?"Everyone turned to look.Approaching from the opposite direction in which Silverback and Louis had gone-- a giant, trim-looking vessel was coming speedily at them. A giant, trim-looking vessel with a lot of cannons. And British flags fluttering off its masts."It's a navy ship," Fitzwilliam immediately realized."That's it then. It will be hanging for
all of us," Jack said darkly.

CHAPTER NINE

The navy ship increased its speed. Jack took Fitzwilliam's spyglass--the aristocrat didn't protest this time. If there was any stray doubt about being noticed by the other vessel, it was erased by what Jack saw. The military scurrying around on deck, the cannons being readied, the captain--in a magnificent hat-- pointing at the Fleur and barking orders."Sort of makes you wonder what the point of a Jolly Roger is," Jack observed, looking up at t
he flag above. Captain Laura's
flag was tailored to her: a skull with cross roses, where cross
ones would normally be. It stood out. "Maybe pirates would be more successful if they went undercover? Didn't advertise the fact, et cetera?" Jack said."Quickly! Unfurl the sails!" Captain Smith ordered everyone.They just stood there, looking at her."Please," she added after a moment.Arabella, Tim, Jean, and Tumen looked at Jack. Shockingly, even Fitzwilliam did. Jack gave them a brief nod.

The four boys hurried off to carry out Laura's orders.

"I love a good last desperate attempt as much as the next adventurer," Jack said, turning to Arabella's mother. "But may I take the sad responsibility of pointing out that there is no chance of us escaping them? With the Barnacle tied to the Fleurs side, she's as
manoeuvrable as a sea cow with
pleurisy. By the time we even catch the wind, well, theyll have caught up to us. Savvy?"Captain Laura just gave him a grin.

"Watch and learn, laddie!"Jean and Tumen let loose a line and the sails came billowing down. They were beautiful, a blue that blended perfectly with the Caribbean sky. A whispery, spider
web
soft sheen glowed off them. The cloth fluttered under the slightest breeze.Slowly, laboriously, with the Barnacle in tow, the Fleur de la Mort began to move.

The navy ship was so close now that Jack could read the name (the Pride of London) and see the black shine on its cannons. The crew of the Barnacle gritted their teeth and waited tensely . . . but Captain Laura and Mr. Reece didn't seem bothered at all."You have right beautiful sails," Jack said. "But I still don't
see . . ."
Suddenly the naval ship slowed down. Jack raised an eyebrow at Laura, but she just gave him a mysterious smile. He looked through the spyglass again. There seemed to be some sort of confusion on deck. The Pride turned slightly to the east. Slowly. The captain and his first mate were shouting at each other. Then the naval ship straightened and turned west a little. It continued like that, weaving across the sea like a drunken sailor searching for his heading.Finally it passed the Fleur. It came close enough so that if its oars had been out, the tips would have been broken off. The crew on the Pride seemed to be looking everywhere over the water--everywhere except directly at the Fleur, that is. It was spooky."What in blazes is going on here?" Jack demanded."That's the beauty of the Fleur de la Mort94Captain Laura said proudly.

"Her sails were woven in the islands of Samoa by some mystic fishermen who live there. We are invisible to all but those aboard this ship.""Well," Jack said with genuine admiration. Imagine having a ship like that! He could go anywhere. . . . What a grand idea . . ."Aye, we're free to go," Laura said, giving an ironic wave to the naval boat. It continued confusedly sailing this way and that into the distance, still looking for the pirate ship that had disappeared before the crew's eyes. Soon that story would join the many other great sea myths of the Caribbean."Heading?" Tumen asked politely, taking out his astrolabe as Jean took the wheel."New Orleans," Captain Smith said decisively. "It is the nearest port, and despite my earlier trepidation, I am certain we will find there t
he mutinous slime who tried to
commandeer my ship. Bringing them to justice is far more important than intercepting that trading company ship. I'll explain myself to my partner later.""Actually, mother" Arabella said with her nose in the air and hands on her hips, "We-- my friends and I--and notice the term friends there--have to go in the opposite direction. To the Yucatan, to return a treasure to our friend Tumens village. Like we promised. See, it's all about loyalty and promises . . . but ye wouldn't know much about that, would ye, Mother?"

"You will not speak to me that way-- either as a captain or as your mother!" Laura said with icy fury."You're not my captain. Jack is. And I notice ye didn't answer me question," Arabella said, sticking out her lower lip. "The part about
loyalty and promises . . . ?"

"You insolent girl! I am extremely loyal to my friends and allies!" Captain Smith said, hands clenching and unclenching as if she wanted to smack someone again."But not daughters, it seems," Arabella said scornfully."Um," Jack said, getting a little uncomfortable. He traded a look with Fitzwilliam, who was also shifting nervously."I told you my story! I guess I shouldn't expect little girls to understand the difficult choices adults have to make," Captain Smith said with a sniff.

"Difficult choices? You abandoned your child because you didn't like the life you had!" Arabella's voice began to get shrieky."Uh," Jack said again. Mr. Reece was carefully studying the deck. Tumen and Jean were fidgeting."Some of us didn't
have a . . . a . . . Jack' to
save us from it all!" Captain Laura shouted back, leaning forward into her daughter's face."I AM NOT A DAMSEL IN DISTRESS!!! HE DIDN'T SAVE ME!" Arabella screamed.That was it.

Jack raised his eyebrows and moved his head in the direction of the hatch. Relieved beyond words, Tim, Fitzwilliam, Jean, and Tumen eagerly rushed below
decks to escape the mother
and
daughter feud. Mr. Reece looked like he sorely wished he could go with them, but he was a loyal first mate. Jack came quickly after. Neither Arabella nor Captain Laura Smith noticed.The five boys gathered in the captain's office, which had a nice large table they could all sit around. But even though there were several layers of wood and tar and planking between them and the deck, the two women could still be heard screaming at each other up above.98. . . Useless bar brat!". . . SEA COW!"Jack winced. "Fitzy, light us a lantern, would you?"The aristocrat did as he was told. He set it in the middle of the thick wooden table. Jack carefully laid the medallion out in front of him. It glinted, reflecting the lantern's flames. Then he took out the silver gem he had swiped from Silverback and laid it next to the medallion."Where on earth did you get that? Fitzwilliam asked in surprise. None of them had seen the fight with Silverback, or seen Jack take the gem from him."A pirate gave it to me," Jack said whimsically. "Looks like a good fit, doesn't it?" He moved it so it was near an open setting in the medallion, next to the bronze one."That g
em--it's mine!" Tim cried out.
Everyone stared at him. The crew was taken aback. They didn't know him very well--they had only just picked him up in New Orleans, and he had previously been working with the villainous Madame Minuit. Had they trusted him too quickl
y?

Tim shrank back a bit. "I mean, my family's," he explained more calmly. But he never took his eyes off the silver gem."This whole medallion thing is getting stranger and stranger," Jack said slowly. "Maybe you'd better explain yourself, lad. Start from the beginning."Tim cleared his throat, a little reluctant to tell his sad story. "It's been in my family for generations. My great-great grandfather, Jebediah Hawk, acquired it on one of his expedition
s to the New World--the Hawks
still lived in England back then. My da never thought it was anything special, just a souvenir from a trip. A charm. It's just silver, after all. But it was one of the few things our family had, you know?" His face darkened, remembering. Silverback came looking for it two years ago. ... It was a horrible night . . . his leg and terrible grin all glowing red like fire . . . everything in the house flying around . . . I'd never seen anything like it. Before that time, nothing out of the ordinary had happened to me--or anyone I knew for that matter. Wizards and magic and supernatural things were things you read about, not things you lived. I didn't know there really were wizards! Or pirates. Or pirate wizards. I thought they was just stories my da' told me."He took a deep breath.