We were gliding down the Pantano River, not even bothering to wave off the insects. Other than the annoying quantity of bugs, Tia Dalma's realm is quite enchanting. The trees sort of lean over our heads, and lightning bugs flashed at us from the dark corners. The river is black and doesn't reflect anything. There are legends about falling in: You never come out.
Will sat next to me, staring around curiously. "Why is Jack afraid of the open ocean?" He asked Gibbs. I looked up from my nails, I had been cleaning them with my knife. I raised my head and gazed across the space between the boats to look at Jack. He was watching me as well. As I met his gaze, his eyes flashed sort of angrily. I furrowed my brow before he turned around.
Gibbs smiled softly. "Well, Jack has run afoul of Davy Jones," He said. Will still looked quizzical, so he continued. Pintel and Ragetti, sitting nearby, listened in. "Some say that there's a creature that does the biddin' of Davy Jones," Gibbs lowered his voice. "The kraken!"
Ragetti began to bite his nails. Pintel gripped his seat. I rolled my eyes at their stupidity. "They say it's breath is..." Gibbs shuddered. "Imagine the last thing you know on God's green earth is the stink of a thousand corpses, and the screams of the kraken's victims. If you believe in such things." He finished, ruining the spell he had weaved.
I chuckled darkly. If Gibbs knew all that, he should've guessed that Jack had the Black Spot.
"And the key will save him from this." Will stated, though it was a question. His voice was slightly sarcastic.
Gibbs nodded. "Well, that's the very question Jack wants answered." He looked away. "Bad enough, even, to visit...her."
Will waited for Gibbs to continue. "Her?" He asked, urging him to continue.
Gibbs bobbed his head. "Aye," He said grimly. "Her."
I rolled my eyes as we pulled up to Tia Dalma's rickety shack. There were lanterns hung haphazardly along the roof line, and the whole place just seemed to be holding its breath. I wasn't going to lie and say I wasn't nervous. I was about to meet a mystic, that may or may not have been Jack's girlfriend.
Jack got up first. He walked in front of the door, then turned to us. "No need to worry," He announced. "Tia Dalma and I go way back! Thick as thieves, we are. Were. Have been. Before..." He looked a bit skeptical of his choice to visit her.
"I'll watch your back." Gibbs assured him.
Jack shook his head. "It's me front I'm worried about."
He turned to the doors and said over his shoulder, "Mind the boat."
Gibbs turned to me. "Mind the boat."
I turned to Will, who told Pintel, who relayed it to Ragetti, who told Marty, who informed Cotton.
Cotton sat down in the long boat, last in the chain, looking defeated.
Jack swung open the door cautiously, revealing a dimly lit room with a desk facing the door. Leaning over it, was the woman I assumed to be Tia Dalma.
She sat back and smiled, revealing a mouth of gold teeth. Her dark skin was tattooed under her eyes, and her eyes themselves seemed to be glowing with a strange fire. Her dress was tattered and patched, but suited her well. Her hair was dreadlocked much like Jack's, though much messier.
She slowly stood, her grin widening. "Jack Sparra..." She drawled, holding a tuft of her dress in one hand and making her way around the table and to us. "I altways knew da wint woult blow ye back ta me one day..."
Jack smiled warily and did a sort of curtsy. "Tia Dalma." He acknowledged her.
She looked as if she would say something else to him, but she caught sight of me. "Ya 'ave da sea in your blood," She breathed a laugh. "And da song in your heart."
I gazed at her questioningly, and she moved on to Will, who had come in behind me. "You..." She made her way over to him, pointing a finger and moving around Jack and I. "You...have a touch of destiny about you!" She got up in his face, her eyes distant. "William. Turna."
Will's eyes widened. "You know me?" He asked her.
She smiled flirtatiously and messed with his collar. "You want ta know me?..." Will looked exceedingly uncomfortable.
Jack intervened, more than a little jealous. "There'll be no knowing here!" He said loudly. "We've come for help and won't be leaving without it. I thought you knew me?" He asked Tia Dalma, pouting a bit. I felt a prick of my own jealousy in my stomach.
"Not as well as I 'ad 'oped." She said, and moved to her desk again. "Come."
Jack gestured for the rest of the crew to file in. "Come," He repeated. I rolled my eyes; he had to boost his own ego.
Tia Dalma descended into her chair, and pulled Will into the one next to her. Those were the only two seats, so the rest of us crowded around her table. "What brings ye here?" Tia drawled out, leaning back and resting her elbow on her knee. "Ye know I demant payment." She stated a bit sharper.
Jack grinned. "I do know."
He waved over Pintel, who was carrying a covered cage. "Undead monkey!" Jack announced. He whipped the blanket off the top and shut Jack the monkey, the primate cowering in a corner and squealing. "Top that!"
Tia took the cage and unlatched the door. Jack hopped out, screeched, and hopped up the stairway. "No!" Gibbs and the rest of the crew lunged forward, looking disappointed. "You have no idea how long it took us to catch that!"
Tia ignored them. "Da payment is fair."
Will handed her the parchment with the key. "We need your help to find this."
Jack, I noted, was watching Tia Dalma rather warily, as if he expected her to explode. I furrowed my brow but said nothing.
Tia Dalma considered the key carefully but did not explode. She turned to Jack, her voice sharp. "Da compass ye barta from me, it cannot leat you ta dis?"
Jack swayed a bit. "Maybe," He said slowly. "Why?"
Tia Dalma broke out into a knowing smile. "Jack Sparra does not knowt what 'e wants!" She narrowed her eyes, speaking teasingly. "Or do 'e, yet 'e loath ta claim it as him own?" She swiveled her head to me. I shifted under her gaze.
She changed the subject, either oblivious or ignoring the questioning stares from the crew. "Dis key go to a chest, and it is what insite da chest dat ya seek?" She met Will's eyes, smiling flirtatiously. "Ye knowt of Davy Jones? Great sailor, 'till he runt afoul of what vexes all men."
"What vexes all men?" Will asked, as Tia traced circles on his hand, which rested on the table.
"What indeed..." Tia Dalma smiled and ran her gaze over our group of pirates.
"The sea, obviously." Gibbs said.
"Sums?" Pintel guessed. "Unclaimed properties of valuable nature?"
"The dichotomy of good and evil?" Ragetti tried. We all stared at him, surprised at his sudden display of smartness.
"A woman," Jack said impatiently. I pretended I couldn't feel his intent gaze over the table.
"A woman!" Tia Dalma placed a hand over her heart and smiled dreamily. "He felt in love."
Gibbs shook his head. "No, no, I heard it was the sea 'e fell in love with."
Tia Dalma shook her head. "No, it 'twas a woman!" She gestured proudly at her body. "A woman as harsh and unchanging as da sea. Him never stop lovink her. But da paint it cause him was to much ta live with, yet not enough ta die." She leaned forward.
"What exactly did he put in the chest, Tia Dalma?" Will asked. I glanced at him.
Tia smiled and touched her chest again. "Him heart," She said softly.
"Literally, or figuratively?" Ragetti asked.
Pintel scoffed. "He couldn't actually put his heart in a chest." He looked to Tia, suddenly fearful. "Could he?" He whispered.
"It t'was not wort' feelink what small, fleeting joy life brinks." Tia Dalma's demeanor changed. Suddenly she was darker, and her presence seemed to grow and fill in the corners of the room. "So he carve out him heart," She said lowly, "And he lock it in a chest, an' he 'ide da chest from da world."
The sailors all gasped and looked frightened accordingly. I met Jack's gaze and rolled my eyes. He winked, a small grin present under his mustache.
"Da key 'e keep wit him at all times." Tia finished, and leaned away from us, relaxing in her chair. The spell she seemed to have cast over the room dispersed.
Will stood suddenly and turned to Jack. "You knew this."
Jack looked startled but quickly recovered. "I did not! But now we do! So all that's left is to climb aboard Davy Jones's crocodile machine or whatever the bloody thing's called and steal the key, go to wherever and save your bonny lass, eh?" He turned hurriedly to leave.
Tia Dalma stood, holding out her arm, palm up. Once again her presence seemed to loom over everyone. "Leh me see ya han."
Jack stopped and turned back. He held out his right hand and smiled innocently.
Tia Dalma gave him a threatening look.
He rolled his eyes and gave her his left.
The whole room seemed to hold its breath as she unwrapped the cloth Jack had wrapped around his palm. Tia Dalma tossed the dirty rag away as the Black Spot was revealed.
"The Black Spot!" Gibbs exclaimed in fright, spun in a circle, then spat on the ground a few times. Pintel and Ragetti copied, whispering The Black Spot! in fright.
Jack swayed, looking annoyed. I could see the unnerved look in his eye. "My eyesight's just as good as ever, just so you know!" He announced with an impatient smile. His hands were trembling.
Tia dropped his hand and sashayed away, mumbling about how she had jus' da t'ing. I glared at Jack, who was watching her hips rather appreciatively. He tore his eyes away and pocketed a ring off her desk. Jack, what am I gonna do with you...
Tia Dalma glided back to us, holding a large jar in her arms. Jack studied the jar warily. It was filled with what appeared to be sand. "Davy Jones cannot make port," Tia drawled darkly. "Cannot step on lan' but once every ten years. Lan' is where ye be safe, Jack Sparra, and so ya wilt carry lant wit you." She presented the jar to him ceremoniously.
He hesitated slightly, then took the jar from her. He stared down at it, then to her. "Dirt," He commented dryly. "This is a jar of dirt."
Tia nodded. "Yes..." She watched him warily.
Jack smiled flippantly. "Is the, erm, jar of dirt going to help?"
Tia leaned forward threateningly. "If ye don' wan' it, give it back!"
Jack hugged the jar to his chest. "No," He said possessively.
She smiled. "Den it helps."
Will sighed. "It seems we have a need to find the Flying Dutchman."
Tia smiled. She took a handful of crab shells into her hands and shook them, muttering into her hands. "A touch," She prophesied, "Of destiny..."