We are wading through the jungle in waist deep water. I hear a small splash like someone stumbling.
"Why is it we've gotta bring 'er along?" Scrum asks, referring to the mermaid in the glass case he is helping to carry.
"Because tears don' keep. We need them fresh." Angelica replies.
"What is the ritual again? Water from the fountain and a mermaids tear?" Jack asks.
"And two silver chalices. One cup with a tear. One without." Angelica sounds annoyed to be explaining this again.
"So, one cup with a tear and water in both? Quite complicated is it not?"
"Both get water. One gets a tear. The person who drinks the water with the tear gets all the years of life from the other."
"How many years?" Jack sees a water snake and takes a step back. "Ah."
Angelica grabs the snake and wraps it around her shoulders. "All the years that they have lived, and could have lived, if fate had been kinder." She lets the snake snap in Jack's face, then she flings it away.
Snakes like her. I'd say that's a pretty good sign of her nature.
~
We finally come to dry land and stop to rest next to a small stream. Some of the crew drink handfuls of water. Funny how being surrounded by water can make you so thirsty.
Jack squats next to Phillip, the preacher boy. "Clergyman." Phillip looks over at Jack and he continues. "On the off chance that this does not go well for me... I would like it noted here and now that I am fully prepared to believe in whatever I must, so that I may be welcomed into that place where all the goody goodies get to go. Savvy?"
Phillip looks amused. "We have a word for that, Jack. You can convert."
Jack makes a face. "I was thinking more of an as needed basis."
"Pretty sure it doesn't work that way." I mutter.
Phillip glances back at the glass case and notices that there's something wrong with the mermaid. He stands up. "Quartermaster!"
The Quartermaster looks bored. "Aye?"
"She cannot breathe!"
The Quartermaster sighs in annoyance. "She has water."
"She needs air." Phillip strides over and kneels by the case. "Open this."
"She will escape."
Phillip stands up. "You're killing her."
"I support the missionary's position." Jack says loudly.
What a kiss up.
The Quartermaster just chuckles, so Phillip takes his sword and forces the case open. The mermaid gasps for air.
Phillip looks up at the Quartermaster. "See?"
The Quartermaster yanks his sword out and Phillip quickly puts his Bible in it's place.
Blackbeard, who had apparently been watching that whole exchange, decides it is time to move one and we follow as ordered.
~
"Not this way!" Jack calls from up ahead.
When the rest of us catch up, I see that we're standing on top of an abrupt cliff.
"This is the way, isn't it?" Angelica asks Jack accusingly.
"Of course it is. But we should go around to the east." Jack gestures with his sword.
"That would take us out of the path of the chalices."
"Well then we'll circle back.
"There's no time."
"You're the one who insisted on bringing the bloody mermaid!"
"Well the mutiny didn't help."
It wasn't supposed to, stupid.
"You walk like a girl." Jack was just grasping at straws now.
"You would know."
I almost laughed. For once we agree.
"Someone must go." Blackbeard growled.
No, really?
"You mean split up?" Angelica asked, sounding as though she couldn't stand to be away from her precious Papa.
"You mean jump?" Jack smirks. "This I cannot wait to see."
"Sparrow will go." Blackbeard says and Jack's face falls. "Find the ship, retrieve the chalices."
"Sparrow? What makes you think he will come back?" Angelica looked skeptical.
"Yes, what makes you think he will come back?" Jack asks.
If he was smart he wouldn't. But right now he's not too smart.
"We cannot trust him, Father. I'll go." Angelica says.
Jack grins. "She'll go."
Angelica starts to take a run at it, but Blackbeard stops her to talk to Jack. "How much farther to the fountain? I'm running out of time."
Good.
Jack checks his compass. "'Bout a days march north, following that river. You'll get to a series of pools, then you're close."
Blackbeard takes Jack's compass. "You will go."
The Quartermaster happily threatens Jack with a sword.
"I was sure it would come to this." Jack looks down at the river below. "You know that feeling you get sometimes when you're standing in a high place? Sudden urge to jump?" He paused. "I don't have it."
I had to chuckle.
Blackbeard pulls his pistol on Jack. "I need those chalices."
Jack smirks. "Shoot. Save me the bother of the fall."
"You will go. You will return. Or I will kill her." Blackbeard aims the pistol at Angelica.
Jack looks surprised. "You won't kill your own daughter!"
I snort. "Of course he would."
Angelica hits me with a quick glare.
"Oh come on." I roll my eyes. "When you look at him, do the words 'Daddy dearest' really come to mind?"
The mouth of the pistol slides to me. "Perhaps I should shoot you instead." Blackbeard says calmly. "You serve me no purpose."
"If you want to get to me, I think it may be more effective to threaten Angelica." Jack speaks up and waves a hand in my direction. "She's just... an acquaintance. Means nothing to me."
I'm pretty sure he's trying to trick Blackbeard into leaving me alone, but I still feel tears spring to the surface.
"Very well." Blackbeard says.
His finger twitches and I attempt to duck. The bullet burns through my left shoulder and I can only catch a glimpse of Jack's shocked expression as I tumble off the cliff.
~
I crawl out of the river spluttering and coughing. Fortunately my wound is not bleeding profusely, but I still need to support my arm, so I unbutton my vest and attempt to double my injured limb back through the armhole, letting my elbow hang out.
A shot rings out and I jump, thinking Blackbeard is trying to make sure I'm dead. I hide behind a clump of ferns and look up at the cliff, discovering that it was Jack who fired a shot in the air. What on earth is going on up there?
A few minutes later I hear Jack screaming and see the doll from the ship make a small splash in the river. Okay...
The doll is followed shortly by Jack himself. A few seconds later he comes to the surface, shaking his head like a dog. "Wet. Wet again."
I wait till the other pirates have moved on, then I come out of hiding and approach Jack as he climbs out of the water. "Jack?"
He looks at me in surprise. "I thought you were dead."
I give a small smile and shake my head.
"You know I didn't mean it, Sylvia."
"I know. You were just trying to trick him."
We start to leave, but suddenly my stomach feels queasy and I stagger past Jack to wretch into a clump of ferns.
Jack looks vaguely disgusted. "You alright, luv?"
I stand up slowly and give him a shaky smile. "Actually I'm great."
He stares at me for a moment then turns to walk away, shaking his head and muttering about women.
************
Originally I was going to go through the whole scene on top of the cliff and just have Sylvia jump after Jack, but then she got a mind of her own and decided to provoke Blackbeard into shooting her. :P
YOU ARE READING
POTC Book 4: Everything Has Changed
FanfictionSylvia Barbossa is now searching for the Fountain of Youth.
