I slowly poled down the black river, softly singing in my enchanting tones, though there was an unfamiliar edge to my voice. The slight swish of the pole kept the beat, and I kept my eyes on the night-colored water.
Some are alive
And some have died
We were in Singapore, to persuade Pirate Lord Sao Feng to loan us a ship and a crew while Will stole the Navigational Charts.
Ha. There was no possible way he would be able to steal anything; Will was too innocent for his own good.
And others sail on the sea
We need the charts to rescue him, from the locker. We have to get those charts. I don't care how we get them; if we have to slaughter the whole of Singapore, fine. I don't know what I'll do if we can't get him back...
With the keys to the cage
And the devil to pay
A firecracker started and hissed, in a spectacular burst of golden sparks to my left. They shimmered and burned my eyes; I looked away. I couldn't appreciate the simple beauty at the moment.
We lay to Fiddler's green
I risked a glance over my shoulder. The crew; Gibbs, Pintel and Ragetti, Cotten, and Marty were following behind me, submerged in the water, using little straws to breath. I smirked darkly at that, then turned my head.
The bell has been raised
From it's watery grave
I passed underneath a bridge. Tia Dalma, in disguise, of course; was pushing a cart atop it. She was accompanied by Cotton's parrot, and Barboussa's monkey.
Can you hear its sepulchral tones?
A glance to the side showed that Barboussa and Elizabeth were following my trail, off to the side, waiting for the opportune moment, as he would say, to reveal themselves. Elizabeth had changed, somehow, after he died. I wasn't sure why his death had affected her so much; I had the impression that they were over the brief romance they had shared on the Pearl while Will was missing.
Well, they better be over it.
A call to all, pay heed the squall
And turn your sails to home
I reached the dock and tied off the boat, then carefully climbed out, still singing.
Yo, ho
All together
Hoist the colors high
Heave, ho
"Thief and beggar!"
I jumped up, my hand at the hilt of my sword, and faced the new-comer. He was a disgustingly dirty Singaporean, with two compadres. They slowly made their way to me, finishing the song.
"Never say we die." He tilted his head, studying me. His black eyes glittered in the dimness. "Dangerous song ta be singing, for one ignorant of its meaning. Particularly a woman." He moved closer, my heartbeat speeding up. "Particularly a woman alone." He eyed my curves. I tensed.
"And what makes ye think she's alone?" Barboussa descended from the shadows with Elizabeth, just in the nick of time. He had his hand on his belt threateningly. I smiled grimly and slid a knife out of my sleeve. Adrenaline coursed through me, I felt the chemical fogging my mind.
The man before me turned, looking bewildered and feirce, "You protec' her?" He asked, stepping towards Barboussa and Elizabeth.
My temper flared. I drew the knife, leaping forward. I pressed the cold blade to his throat and hissed into his ear, "And what makes you think I need protecting?" His buddies drew their cutlasses and puffed out their chests; prepared to defend their leader. I felt the tip of a silver blade tap my back, in between my shoulder blades.
Barboussa kept his eyes on the man, but he was exclusively speaking to me. "Yer master's expectin' us," He drawled slowly, smirking slightly. "And a death would shed a slight mar upon our meetin'."
I dramatically removed the knife, glaring at Barboussa. He had to ruin my fun, didn't he?
Without further ado, we were escorted through the winding, twisting streets of Singapore, being watched closely all the while. It was dark, and musty, and I kept glancing around; I had the strangest feeling that we were being watched.
"Is he really that terrifying?" Elizabeth asked dryly, walking to my left. Barboussa was to my right, still managing to move faster than us with his limping gait.
"He's much like meself, minus my sense of mercy, and fair play." Barboussa answered, amusement etching his tones. I glanced disbelieving at him, unable to find anything funny with my current mood. Elizabeth just rolled her eyes, flipping her sleek blond braid over her shoulder.
We entered a sort of waiting room, and the Chinese that flanked us moved to the side. It was damp and smelled rotten, to say the least. Sao Feng would see us in his bathing house, and so far, I hadn't glimpsed one sliver of hygiene in this rotten hell-hole.
Barboussa removed his many fancy weapons, setting them on a table for that purpose, and we all began to walk forward.
I, who was in front, was stopped by a filthy pirate. "Did you think dat because dey are women we would not suspec' dem of treachery?" He turned to Elizabeth and I. "Remove."
Barboussa smiled his calculating and manipulating smile. "Well, when ye put it that way..." He shrugged apologetically.
I pulled Pistolina out from behind my shirt and tossed it onto the table, then revealed my baldric, which I also added to the pile, and I slid the knives out of my boots and carefully set them down as well.
Elizabeth, however, opened her shirt and removed five loaded pistols, ten deadly looking knives, her personal cutlass, and a small grenade, which she brandished sheepishly.
It seemed she was done, but she held up a finger and rather awkwardly reached down her pants, grimacing, and pulled out a huge gun. She held it over her shoulder, letting us see the heavy weight, before plopping it down with the rest. I rolled my eyes, smiling humorlessly.
We made to move forward again, but once again, the doorman held up a hand. "Remove," He requested, a small smile gracing his features. It was not a pleasant expression. "Please." At our quizzical glances, he lowered his gaze to our pants.
My jaw dropped.
He gave us an eager, sick smile, revealing rows of yellow, rotten teeth.
In short, Elizabeth and I entered the bathhouse wearing our very long shirts. I refused to remove my sash, so that was tied loosely around my waist, but nothing more. Thank god no one asked me to take off my necklace, with mother's locket and his hair ornament. I think I would've thrown a fit.
I decided I hated Singapore.
We trailed after Barboussa; he had entered first. The bathhouse was filled with tubs of dirty, scurvy pirates. I glanced to my left. There was a moldy 'bath', the pirates inside having knives through their skulls, mushrooms growing around the blades. I grimaced and looked away. At least the pirates I knew weren't this disgusting...
We arrived at the front of the room, and through a misty cloud of steam, a man, dressed in oriental battle uniform, slowly turned to view us. I tensed apprehensively. Barboussa gestured hurriedly for us to bow. I did so, but there wasn't an ounce of respect in my low kneel.
"Welcome," Sao Feng held out his arms, in a sort-of-not-really welcoming gesture. "To Singapore."
He smiled; his teeth were the usual blackened mess, and turned to his handmaidens. "More steam," He ordered softly, and then focused his attention on us again. The young and beautiful Chinese woman pulled a lever, and a cloud of vapor poofed out from bars beneath his feet.
Sao Feng was every inch the fearsome Pirate Lord he was rumored to be, from his scarred bald head to his dirty bare feet. His beady eyes were black and sharp, he missed nothing. There was a scary looking wooden peg thing in his belt, that I suspected he used to impale people, and an assortment of knives covering tucked in beside the nasty weapon. I could tell by the way his robes were sewn that he was carrying hidden swords; I knew how those clothes looked; I will confess to wearing them. He brought me out of my discreet observations by addressing Barboussa.
"Captain Barboussa," He asked. "I understand you have a, request to make of me?"
Barboussa smiled, straightening up. "More of a proposal," He grinned. "I have an adventure underway and I find myself in need of a ship, and a crew."
Sao Feng considered this, walking a bit to the side, his finger to his chin. He appeared to be in mock deep thought. "Well, that 'tis a strange coincidence." He had a sense of humor; slight amusement was underlying his words. It was there, but barely.
Elizabeth piped up, "Because you happen to have a ship and a crew you don't need?" I glared at her. This was not the time to be testing Captain Sao Feng.
"No..." He ignored her flippancy. "No, because just this morning, a thief..."
I sent a glance toward Barbousa, who's face was carefully blank. Will, I silently communicated.
"...broke into one of my uncle's most revered temples and tried to make off with these," He continued, walking to one of his henchmen, and taking a rolled up piece of parchment from him. "The Navigational Charts." He shook them pointingly and the threw them to the man behind him again. "The Route to the Furthest Gate. Wouldn't it be amazing, if your quest took you to the worlds beyond this one?"
Barboussa unfroze and smiled breezily. "It would merit a strange coincidence, that," He dismissed it.
Sao Feng smiled. I glanced nervously at my companions.
He crossed the room, to a tub. There were two burly men each hold on the end of a stick on each side, and Sao Feng waved upwards at them, a command ringing through the gesture.
The two guards hefted up the stick, thus revealing that there was a handsome, brown haired young man tied to the pole. We all recognized him immediately.
It was Will. He breathed in heavy gasps, trying to get air into his lungs, and shaking his soaking, shoulder length chocolate locks back. Elizabeth tensed beside me.
"This," Sao Feng grabbed a tuft of Will's hair, holding him up as Will attempted to sink to the floor in exhaustion. "Is the thief. Is his face, fam-mil-ar to you?"
Naturally, we all shook our heads, quite unconvincingly. The blunt fear in Elizabeth's eyes pretty much wiped away our facade.
"Then," Sao Feng drew that wooden peg, and brandished it at us. "I suppose he 'as no further need for it?" He wound up and lunged at Will's neck.
"No!" Elizabeth gasped and covered her mouth, I jumped at her sudden movement. I'm sure my face was one of cold horror.
Sao Feng's eyes flashed, and he moved toward us. Will fell forward, held up only by the two men beside him. "You come into my city, and betray my hospitality!" He hissed angrily. Warning bells went off in my head, we needed to finish this now.
"Sao Feng, I assure ye I had no idea--" Barboussa began.
"That he would get caught?" Sao Feng shouted. He was close to Barboussa's face, his nostrils flaring. "You intend to attempt a voyage to Davy Jones's Locker. And I cannot help but wondah," He spun around and went back up to his 'stage', then turned to look at us again. "Why?"
Barboussa said nothing, but pulled out a piece of eight and chucked it at Sao Feng. He caught it and spit on the silvery surface, then brought it to his ear.
Everyone within earshot could her the unmistakable ring resonating from the coin. My eyes widened and I glanced at Barboussa. He was, I knew, Pirate Lord of the Caspian Sea.
"The song has been sung," Barboussa rasped. "The brethren must convene. As a Pirate Lord, you must honor the call."
Sao Feng considered this. "More steam," He said to the servants behind him. The two girls were identical, and wore the same dreary expressions. One pulled her lever, but no mist arose from the openings at the floor.
"More steam!" Sao Feng asked again, this time loudly and irritably. The girl looked slightly panicked and pulled the lever again. This time, the wet clouds rose from the floor to engulf his feet again. I glared sharp daggers at Sao Feng. It wasn't her fault!
But...the delay in steam meant that the crew was below, and prepared. I took this into consideration as we continued to barter.
He turned his attention back to us. "There is a price upon all our heads," He commented, narrowing his eyes. "It seems the only way a pirate can make his way in the world is by betraying other pirates..."
Isn't that our nature? I wondered what he meant by that, why it was a problem, or tedious.
"The First Brethren gave us rule over the sea, and now that rule is being challenged by Cutler Beckett!" Barboussa growled, annoyance underlying his tones.
"Against the East India Trading Company, what can the Brethren Court do?" Sao Feng asked dubiously, gesturing a bit with his hands, reminding me painfully of him.
My temper snapped at his words, and the fire inside me flared up and burst forth. "You can fight!" I exclaimed angrily, leaping forward. Two of the Singaporean pirates attempted to restrain me, but I slapped them off. "Get off me!" I stood before Sao Feng, my posture defiant and challenging. "You are Sao Feng, the Pirate Lord of the South China Sea!" I gestured at him, feeling that an ego boost would help him in his decision. "You have seen an amazing era of treasure and passion! How would you feel if that that era should come to an end on your watch? Pirates from all over the world are gathering to defeat Beckett and his assholes and you sit here still, cowering in your bath water!" I finished and took a deep breath, my eyes burning with furious tears. I blinked, feeling that empty hole inside of me.
Sao Feng smirked slightly and stepped down from his raised platform, and began to circle me. "There is more to you than meets the eye, isn't there, Adeena Cole?" I held my head up, feeling everyone's eyes on me. I could feel his stinking breath on my ear. "And the eye..." He walked fully around me. "Does not go unwanting."
I gazed at him hard and indignantly. "I'm afraid I'm not for your taking," I stated firmly. "I belong to someone else." My voice, despite my best efforts, cracked.
He tore his shrewd eyes from mine after a few tense seconds. I wondered if he knew that he was dead, and if he had guessed. "I cannot help but notice," He began, dismissing our exchange. "That you have failed to answer my question. What is it you seek, in Davy Jones's Locker?"
When no one from our group responded, Will spoke up. He had composed himself, and was hanging defiantly from his pole. "Jack Sparrow," He answered, cautiously. "He's one of the Nine Pirate Lords."
The handmaidens still atop the stage giggled behind Sao Feng, then shut up after a death glare from the Pirate Lord.
At his name, my whole body clenched and I turned my gaze on the floor. I wouldn't cry. Sao Feng looked to me again, the realization dawning in his beady eyes. "Jack Sparrow," I had the feeling he used his name for my own torture.
He crossed the room, to stand behind us. We watched him warily. "The only reason I would want Jack Sparrow returned to the land of the living...is so I can send him back myself!" He kicked over a bucket with fury, breathing heavily.
I decided I hated Sao Feng.
Barboussa crossed in front of me, to Sao Feng. "Jack Sparrow failed to pass on his Piece of Eight to his successor before he died," He sounded reluctant, though that was to be expected. "So we must go, and get him back!"
Sao Feng lowered his eyes to the back of the man he was standing behind. His eyes widened and he looked up, positively murderous. "I admit," He growled. Barboussa slowly backed up to stand with us again. He was incredulous. "You have deceived me..." Sao Feng hissed, and then whipped out a cutlass. "Weapons!" He yelled, and all of the Singaporean pirates drew knives, pistols, and swords to stand with the Pirate Lord.
We were horribly outnumbered.
I jump at the movement, and tap the floor three times with my foot. "Sao Feng, I assure you our intentions are strictly honorable!" Barboussa cries, and six swords shoot up through the cracks in the floorboards and into our hands.
Elizabeth glanced from each weapon, shocked that it had went as planned, and Barboussa laughed nervously.
Sao Feng put his blade to the throat of the man in front of him, who looked exceedingly panicked. "Drop your weapons!" Sao Feng shouted, glaring at each of us in turn. "Or I kill your man!"
Barboussa looked to me, his eyes questioning. I was puzzled as well. "Kill him, he's not ours!" I responded. I didn't drop the weapons.
Sao Feng gazed angrily, then bewildered, at us.
Will spoke up from his position in the tub of water. "If he's not with you," He wondered, his stare flickering about the room, "And he's not with us, who's he with?"
Almost as if in answer, the doors to the bathhouse burst open, and the red coated Navy poured inside, guns blazing.