POTC Book 4: Everything Has Changed

Chapter 16: Barbossa And The Silver Chalices

Jack and I are running through the jungle when he suddenly trips and falls into a patch of ferns.  He immediately gets up and whacks at the offending plants with his sword.

I roll my eyes.  Very mature, Jack.

We run along the beach until we come to an arch, beyond which I can see a ship perched on a cliff.  That's... odd.

"The Santiago.  Famously Captained by Ponce De Leon."  Jack looks back at me.  "Oh.  It's just you."

I glare at him.

"Right then."  He walks through the arch and I follow, attempting to burn a hole in his back with my eyes.

~

We finally reach the ship after crawling up what felt like miles of rocky hillside.  Jack finds a hole in the hull and we duck through.

After climbing up several levels, Jack pokes his head through a hatch and I hear him say something about Ponce De Leon.

Then I hear a painfully familiar voice.  "If forty pirates dreamt for forty nights of treasure, it would not match the contents of this room."

I shiver involuntarily and my throat constricts.  I have to take a couple minutes to pull myself together before climbing into the shadows in the Captain's cabin.  Barbossa and Jack both have their swords drawn and neither notices my entrance.

"Blackbeard sent me."  Jack seems to be explaining his presence.  "Why are you?"

"Silver chalices fer my Royal Liege."

"Oh, please."  Jack lunges forward with his sword.

My sentiments exactly.

The ship sways and Barbossa swings wildly to deflect the blow.  "Back!  Back!  We have ta balance it out!"

Jack steps back and sheaths his sword.  "Right then."  He holds up his hands.  "What if, we each choose an item of approximately equal weight?"  He picks up a vase and the ship tilts.

I grab onto a post and watch as Barbossa and Jack stumble over to the side with the bed.

"Put it back!"  Barbossa growls.  "We touch nothin'!"

They stagger back across the room and Jack puts the vase back.  A box slides out from under the bed.

Jack points at it.  "What about that?"

Barbossa grins.  "The chalices."  With the help of his crutch he takes several steps back so that the box will slide to him.

Jack follows.  "Oi!  Why do you get to look first?"

"Fine then."  Barbossa walks past Jack and purposefully trips, causing the ship to shift.

I don't reach for the post in time and tumble into the wall next to my husband.

"Sylvia?"  Barbossa looks surprised and... guilty?

Jack lands between us, ruining the moment.

The box slides towards us, but Jack kicks it away and crawls after it.  Barbossa and I follow and we all put our hands on the box at the same time.

"Together."  Barbossa and Jack say in unison.

They open it enthusiastically, only to find that the velvet indentations meant for the chalices are filled with rocks.

Barbossa squints.  "The Spanish."

Jack looks up at him.  "They're ahead of us, mate."

They both look at the skeleton on the bed.

We all get on the bed.  Jack on the skeleton's left, Barbossa on the right, and me at his feet.

Jack looks at us with a comical frown.  "Never thought I'd be in the same bed with you two."

I almost threw up again.  Ah, Jack, you always know the right thing to say.

Barbossa just rolls his eyes.

Suddenly Jack's attention is drawn to something in the skeleton's lap.  "Wonder why they left this behind?"  He starts to pick up what looks like a map, and the skeleton's head swivels as if to look at him.

I leap backwards off the bed.  I want no part of that!

"Don't touch the map."  Barbossa mouths.

Jack puts the map back and the skeleton's head returns to it's previous position.

Barbossa looks at the map.  "They know the path.  But I can also see where they'll most likely make camp."

~


Barbossa, Jack, and I are laying in a patch of ferns so we can spy on the Spanish camp.

I hear footsteps and then the happy and surprised voice of Gibbs.  "Jack!"

Barbossa shushes him and waves at him to get down.

Gibbs crawls up next to Jack, who looks back at him.  "Gibbs!  I was just on me way to break you out of jail."

Gibbs snorts disbelievingly.

Jack flicks him in the nose.  "You stole my map."

There is a muffled grunt of pain from Gibbs, and Barbossa starts to get up.  "Right.  Best be startin'."

We begin our trek, making a wide arc around the camp so that we may come out on the other side.

~

Jack talks to Gibbs as we walk and Barbossa is up ahead with his officers.  I need to be able to think, so I walk alone.  When we finally come to the other side of the Spanish camp, Barbossa motions Jack to join him, and I tag along.

"Stealth over force."  Jack says quietly.  "I'll take it from here on account of your condition."

Barbossa looks unimpressed.

Jack looks down at Barbossa's peg leg.  "You don't have termites, do you?"

Barbossa narrows his eyes.  "I appriciate yer concern, Jack, but I'll be keepin' ya company all the same."  He looks back at one of the Navy officers.  "Hold here Left-tenant commander.  Wait fer my signal."  He hobbles away and Jack and I follow.

~

We come to a river and the sight of the dark water brings up memories of my near drowning.  I freeze.  Barbossa and Jack are nearly across before they notice that I'm not with them. 

Jack understands right away and speaks softly to me.  "There aren't any mermaids in here, luv."

I know he is right, but I still tremble as I enter the water.  I was prepared to die before.  But not now.  A slippery rock upsets my footing just as I am about to reach them and I make a wild grab for Barbossa's arm, nearly pulling him under with me.  Jack grabs his other arm and pulls us both to safety. 

We hear shouts as we are getting out of the water and are forced to dive behind a palm tree into a large clump of ferns.  A Spaniard appears on the shore, pointing his weapon at the water.  Satisfied that nothing is out of the ordinary, he leaves.

"Are ye alright, Sylvia?"  Barbossa asks me tentatively.

I nod.

"Come on."  Jack urges, heading for the camp.

We find a place where we can see the Spaniards, and Barbossa points at one who is wearing a fancy coat.  "There, that one.  That be the leader.  Make note of his tent because that's where-"  He sees the chalices on the table.  "My God.  That must be them right there."

We drop to the ground and begin to crawl.

I hear Jack sniffing.  "Your sword smells funny."

"Aye."  Barbossa confirms.  "Poison.  From the innards of poisonous toads.  Just a scratch and you're a dead man in minutes."

I hope that's meant for Blackbeard.

"Would you mind pointing it the other way?"  Jack makes a face.  "I don't like toads."

We stand up and Barbossa looks around intently.

Jack looks confused.  "What are you doing?"

"Plannin' an escape route.  Isn't that how ya do it?"

"Yes.  'Course sometimes I just improvise."  Jack sneaks away and I follow, with Barbossa trailing behind.

~

A Spaniard is polishing one of the chalices.  Jack peers over the edge of the table and takes the other one.  The Spaniard puts down the cup he was polishing and looks for the other one.  Barbossa takes the one he just polished.  The Spaniard sees that the other one is gone to and looks under the table, and when he sits up Barbossa knocks him out with his crutch.

Barbossa tips the chair, dumping the Spaniard on the ground, and then he looks at Jack.  "Now what?"

"We stroll out slow and steady.  Just like we belong."

And that's exactly what we do.  Surprisingly we make to the outskirts of the camp before meeting a guard that looks suspicious of us.  Jack salutes him and we keep walking. 

I hear multiple footsteps and spin around with my sword drawn.  Barbossa and Jack follow suit, and sure enough several more guards have come to the aid of the first.  We quickly cut them down, sheath our swords, and keep walking.

We come around a bend in the path and find ourselves staring down the barrels of several Spanish muskets.

Bugger.

************

Barbossa is finally back!!! :D  I've been looking forward to this chapter.  But I'm looking forward to the next one even more. ;)