Pirates of the Caribbean: Barbossa and the King's Messenger (Book 1)

Stirrings

Chapter Nineteen -- Stirrings

My accident occurred on the morning following Barbossa's promise to teach me navigation. I admit that my thoughts were far away as I took my usual walk about the deck. Each day I hoped to glimpse the Troubadour, in spite of the fact that I hadn't the least idea whether Teague was still following the Pearl or had been delayed by some unforeseen event. Since he had not told me how or when he planned to join me at Pencarren, I would only know his whereabouts when he actually arrived. Until then, it seemed wiser to depend only upon myself and Barbossa.

On this particular morning, I paced restlessly, pondering an unlikely suspicion that persisted in my mind. I heartily regretted not asking Teague the questions that now haunted me: was there something more to the history of my unfortunate aunt? Could the incredible truth be that Marianne had left a child when she died, and that child was Jack? I tried to attack this folly by arguing the absurdity of it not being known to myself or Jack, but nagging doubts remained. She would have been very young, and some development must have prompted my uncle to mark her as his first victim. And Jack had never been very forthcoming on the subject of his mother's identity.

I thought of how Jack and I had been brought up almost as brother and sister - could it be that he was my cousin? He had his father's dark hair and eyes, but were there any traces of my family as well? I was not certain whether Jack knew much more than I, since his father had kept the memory of Marianne a close secret. With such a meagre family tree as mine, the idea of having an unknown kinsman who had grown up at my side tormented and tantalized me. Were our close bonds caused by something beyond our long years of youthful friendship?

This was the state of my reflections as I descended from the deck in a manner that violated everything I knew regarding safety at sea. I started down the steps alone and in my irons, just as if I were on land - not bothering to descend backwards whilst securely gripping both rails. The Pearl must have just reached the top of a swell, for she suddenly pitched forward and down sharply at the bow. I lost my footing as the steps lurched, and I reached in vain for anything to prevent a perilous fall. Behind me, an unlit iron lantern, having leapt off its hook, struck me square on the back of my head. I saw a bright flash of stars and toppled down the steps, banging my shoulder on the way, then losing consciousness as I slid down to the lower deck.

As my senses began to return, the clamour of many voices broke through the throbbing haze of pain in my head. When I opened my eyes, vertigo and nausea quickly forced me to shut them again. I was picked up from the foot of the stairs by many clumsy hands clutching and prodding me. There was excruciating pain in my left shoulder, as though my arm were being twisted and torn from my body. The intensity of it nearly made me faint, as the crew hoisted me up and carried me off to my cabin. I was unceremoniously dropped upon my bed, where I briefly passed out.

As I returned again to consciousness and the sounds of voices arguing, I opened my eyes, only to feel the room spin sickeningly. I closed my eyes again and lay for several minutes trying to think what was to be done, but concentration eluded me. At last, in my disoriented and strangely groggy state, I heard a booming voice over the hubbub.

"Back t' work, ye lice! Ye nearly let a valuable captive die - ain't that enough for ye damned cockroaches?" I struggled not to sink back into the blackness as I heard the cabin door slam shut. My distress made movement impossible, and my dislocated shoulder felt even worse than my throbbing head. I was aware of Barbossa leaning over me and touching me lightly as if to discover the extent of my injuries.

I must have been groaning all this time under my breath, for he proceeded carefully, muttering some reassurance. I could sense two moist, sticky tracks on my face where tears must have run from the outer corners of my eyes into my hair, and the back of my head felt warm and soaked wet with blood. The injury to my shoulder produced such agony that the thought of anyone touching it frightened me. "Shoulder..." I managed to get out between clenched teeth.