Wild Waters

by Rob Kidd

  “It’s coming from the stairs!” shouted one of the guards.

  “King Samuel knows that, you brainless fool!” Samuel yelled. “What is it?”

  Whatever it was, it was making an almighty crashing noise, like horses riding through a field of metal. And it was coming closer and closer and getting louder and louder. Pirates began backing away from the stairs.

  “No!” Samuel shouted. “Be ready for it! Stand firm!”

  Glancing at each other nervously, the guards drew their weapons and pointed them at the stairs.

  Diego and Carolina exchanged a puzzled look. If this was Jack coming to rescue them, he was being really unsubtle about it.

  The noise came closer…and closer.…

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  Suddenly something charged around the corner of the stairs and burst into the throne room. It shot past them so quickly, the guards only had time to yell with surprise and fall over backwards. One of them fired his pistol into the ceiling, and a baboon shrieked angrily from the rafters.

  “HIIII-YOOOOOOOO, Stripey!” bellowed the intruder—well, one of the intruders.

  “It’s Catastrophe Shane!” Carolina gasped.

  “What is he riding?” asked Jean.

  Catastrophe Shane, Jack’s most incompetent crew member, was waving a pistol in the air with one hand and using the other to clutch the mane of the strangest horse Diego had ever seen. It was a bit smaller than a normal horse, and it was covered head-to-hoof in black-and-white stripes. It brayed loudly as it galloped around the throne room, bucking and jumping. It kicked two guards in the gut before the others got smart and hustled out of its way.

  “I think it’s a zebra,” Carolina said, astonished. “I read about them, but I thought they were imaginary, like unicorns and hippos.”

  “Seize him!” King Samuel shouted, but the room was in chaos. Pirates fired their pistols into the air, which only made the zebra more enraged. It dashed wildly from side to side, nearly trampling guards as it went. Catastrophe Shane hung on for dear life, hollering with alarm.

  “Heh-heh-heh.” Carolina heard a familiar chuckle behind her, and then she felt the ropes around her wrists suddenly slacken and fall away. She whipped around and saw Grandmama slicing through Diego’s bonds with a dagger.

  “Never fails,” said the old lady pirate. “The distraction trick. Samuel just fell for it twice in a row, didn’t he? Hee-hee, this is the most fun I’ve had in centuries! Guess how many pirates I skewered on my way up here!”

  “I don’t want to know,” Jean said quickly.

  “And I was right about her, wasn’t I?” Grandmama said, poking her dagger in Sarah’s direction. Samuel’s half-sister was standing on the throne, scowling down at the chaos with her hands on her hips. “Knew she looked too much like that hag Teresa. Must be her daughter. You should have let me drown her.”

  “Agreed,” said Barbossa, snatching up his sword as soon as he was free. “Now I’m going to teach her a lesson.”

  “Not if I get there first!” Grandmama crowed. She launched herself at the crowd of guards surging around the throne, and Barbossa chased after her.

  Diego, Carolina, and Jean grabbed their swords, too, and began to fight their way over to Samuel and Jocard. Unfortunately, the Pirate Lord saw them coming and grabbed Jocard, using him as a shield, with his pistol digging into the small of Jocard’s back.

  “Don’t come any closer!” he shouted. The three pirates from the Pearl clattered to a halt. “Stay back!”

  “No, don’t worry about me!” Jocard called, struggling. “Samuel must be stopped. Even if it means my death!”

  “Well, that part can certainly be arranged,” Samuel snarled, taking a step back. He glanced around at his pirates. Some of them were cowering behind the throne, hiding from the zebra. Others were doing battle with Grandmama and Barbossa, but from the wild, delighted look on Grandmama’s face, it was pretty clear who was winning. And that wasn’t counting the pirates who had already been knocked out and lay around the room, tripping up their fellow crew members as they fought.

  “Look what you’ve done to my pirates. You’ll pay for this,” Samuel said, backing away toward the stairs. His strong arm was locked around Jocard’s neck, dragging him along. Samuel paused at the top of the stairs, glaring at Diego, Carolina, and Jean.

  “This isn’t over,” he growled. “I’ll call my men back from the ships—and this time, there will be no second chances for you. I don’t care how much I could have gotten for your sorry carcasses. You’ll all die…except for this one. I’m taking this man with me.”

  “Oh, no you’re not,” a voice piped up behind him. An enormous bronze vase crashed into the back of Samuel’s head.

  The Pirate Lord’s eyes went wide and then slowly drooped shut as he slumped to the floor. Jocard felt Samuel’s arm slip free. He jumped away, grabbed Samuel’s pistol where it had fallen, and turned to thank his rescuer.

  “Marcella?” he said, astonished.

  “Marcella?!” Diego, Carolina, and Jean cried in unison.

  Jean’s cousin stood at the top of the stairs. She tossed her hair and smiled triumphantly. “Who, me, saving the day? Why, yes, I am. Thank you for noticing.” She lifted her chin and looked down her nose at Jocard. “Not that you deserved saving or anything. Stupid pirate captain, falling for a scheming wench like that.” Marcella glared at Sarah, who was being sullenly escorted off the throne by Grandmama and Barbossa.

  All around the room, Samuel’s pirates were lying where they had fallen, either groaning in agony or unconscious. Catastrophe Shane had finally calmed down the zebra. The two of them were standing in a corner, and the zebra was munching placidly on the edge of a woven wall hanging.

  “Got your traitor for you,” Grandmama said to Jocard, shoving Sarah at him. The Portuguese woman scowled at all of them.

  “I always knew she was evil,” Marcella said. “Plus she has stupid hair.”

  “You’ll be sorry for this when Samuel wakes up,” Sarah said as Jean tied her hands tightly behind her.

  “I have a feeling no one will be more sorry than Samuel when he wakes up,” Jocard said. “You gave him quite a whack, Marcella.”

  Marcella preened. “If you want, I could do the same thing to her,” she offered, nodding at Sarah.

  “That won’t be necessary,” Jocard said, hiding a smile.

  Suddenly they heard footsteps on the stairs. Someone else was running up to the throne room! Everyone drew their swords. There were still plenty of King Samuel’s pirates around…and who knew how many were coming to fight them right now.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  Jack skidded to a stop when he saw all the swords pointed at him.

  “I say,” he said, “that’s not very friendly, is it?”

  “Jack!” Carolina cried. “You’re alive!”

  “Oh, fabulous,” Barbossa muttered.

  “Don’t sound so surprised,” Jack said with a bow, flourishing his hat. “I’m remarkably hard to kill. Which is not an invitation to try,” he added quickly.

  Diego sheathed his sword and offered his hand to help Jack jump over Samuel’s prone body. Jack peered down at Samuel with an alarmed expression. “Had a bit too much rum, has he?” he said in a loud whisper to Diego.

  “Actually, I defeated him,” Marcella announced smugly.

  “Blimey, and I thought she couldn’t get any more insufferable,” Jack said, rolling his eyes. “Hang on…why is that one all tied up?” He waved his hand at Sarah.

  Diego told Jack the whole story as they tied up the rest of Samuel’s pirates. But when Jack tried to tell his own story, nobody believed him.

  “A hideous man-beast?” Jean said. “With black fur? Jack, are you sure you didn’t have a bit too much rum?”

  “Not in the least,” Jack said, drawing himself up tall. “Well, only a jot. Barely a swig. My monstrous friend quite liked it, too, and I couldn’t let him drink alone, could I? I think it might have been banana flavore
d.” He hiccupped and looked thoughtful. “Yes, definitely banana flavored.”

  “A likely story,” Barbossa sneered. “Battling monsters in the basement while we’re up here doing all the hard work.”

  “See here!” Jack cried, looking injured. “If you don’t believe me, just wait until you see old Benedict lying down there in the kitchens. He still hasn’t woken up, can you believe it? I had to waste my fabulous dramatic exit line on an unconscious man. But I was running out of fruit, so it was really time to go before old beastie got restless again.”

  “You’re sure it was Benedict Huntington?” Carolina asked. “Here? How did he knew we’d be here?”

  Jack frowned. “That is a good question,” he said, scratching his head. “Do you want to hear it?”

  “Hear what?” said Diego.

  “My dramatic exit line!” Jack cried. “Aren’t you listening? Never fear, Huntington, for you will always look back and remember this remarkable day as that exact day when you very nearly captured the most famous of pirates, Jack Sparrow!”

  He flung out his arms dramatically and paused as if waiting for applause. After a moment, when nothing happened, he dropped his arms and looked at his friends appraisingly.

  “No?” he said. “Too much? Still needs work, doesn’t it? I had a feeling it did.”

  Barbossa rolled his eyes and stomped off down the stairs to gather the rest of their crew.

  Jack hopped over to Jocard, who was removing an old rusty-looking tobacco cutter from Samuel’s belt. It looked worthless, but Jack knew it was Samuel’s special piece of eight. It was what identified him as a Pirate Lord.

  “It suits you, mate,” Jack said, clapping Jocard on the back.

  “Jack,” Jocard said, standing up. “So glad you finally showed up to help.”

  “Well, I do what I can,” Jack said modestly. “I guess this means you’re Pirate Lord of the Atlantic Ocean now.”

  Jocard straightened his shoulders, and a broad smile slowly spread across his face. “I gather I am.”

  Jack waved his hands around. “So all this—this huge fort, all this treasure, all these lovely beasties—it’s all yours.”

  Jocard shook his head. “No, that is not what I want. I just got my freedom, Jack Sparrow. I don’t want to lose it again so soon by trapping myself inside cold stone walls. I want to be out on the seas on my ship, living like a true pirate. Speaking of which—men, signal the Ranger! We’re taking the short route back to Libertalia!”

  His pirates cheered heartily. No one wanted to spend another night with the Madagascar rain-forest mosquitoes.

  “Finally another Pirate Lord who sees things the way I do!” Jack said, shaking Jocard’s hand with gusto. That was exactly how he felt about the freedom of the open seas and life aboard his ship. “So…incidentally…while we’re liberating King Samuel of his gold sparklies…” He peered inquisitively down at the former Pirate Lord.

  Jocard smiled. “I suppose this is what you’re looking for?” He held up a vial of Shadow Gold on a leather strap. “It was around his neck.”

  “Well, it might be,” Jack said casually, eyeing the Shadow Gold with a hungry expression.

  “I’m not sure you’ve earned it,” Jocard said, “but your pirates certainly have. So here you go.” He tossed the vial to Jack.

  “Well, that was delightfully easy,” Jack said as he caught it.

  “Easy!” Jean protested, waving his arms around at the wreckage of the throne room and the bumps and bruises on all the pirates.

  “Well, it’s all relative, mate,” Jack said with a charming grin.

  As his friend turned away, shaking his head in outrage, Jack slipped the vial into his coat pocket with trembling hands. He hadn’t told anyone about the nightmares that had plagued him the night before. But once he drank this vial, he’d have at least a few days of blessed relief from the shadow-sickness, hopefully more. And then he only needed two more vials, and he’d be cured!

  Don’t drink the last vial, Jack.…

  Jean’s prophetic words rang in his head. What if they were true?

  What if he drank the last vial…and someone else died for it?

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  Captain Teague was most satisfyingly astonished when the Ranger sailed back into Libertalia later that day carrying Jack, his crew, and Gentleman Jocard, the new Pirate Lord of the Atlantic Ocean. The only dark cloud over Jack’s triumph was that when he’d returned to Samuel’s kitchens, Benedict had vanished. Which not only meant that the Huntingtons were probably still out there looking for him, but also that he had no proof that he’d been having his own sword fight while everyone else was upstairs doing battle.

  “All right,” Teague said, tilting his bicorne hat back to look up at Jack, who was balancing along the rail of the Ranger while Jocard’s pirates dropped anchor. “I’m a little impressed.”

  “They couldn’t have done it without me,” Grandmama smirked, popping up behind Jack and nearly startling him enough to send him toppling into the water. Luckily he windmilled his arms and caught his balance at the last moment.

  “Or without me,” Marcella added, wearing a matching pleased-with-herself expression.

  Jack sighed. “Don’t encourage them,” he warned Teague.

  Jocard came up to shake Jack’s hand as the pirates began climbing off the Ranger. His new gold earrings shone in the sun.

  “Carolina has been talking my ear off about this Shadow Lord,” Jocard said, patting the dark-haired girl on the shoulder. “It sounds like a great battle may be coming.”

  “That’s what we hear,” Jack said with a shrug.

  “Well, my crew will be prepared to fight if necessary,” said Jocard. Carolina beamed. “And now our debt is settled, Jack. I appreciate your help—such as it was—taking down King Samuel, but you have your Shadow Gold, and we are even.”

  “Fine by me,” said Jack.

  “So you understand,” Jocard said with a smile, “that if I catch you in my waters again, I will have to blow you out of them.”

  “What?” Carolina cried.

  “Of course!” Jack said, nodding as if this were obvious. He waved to Billy, who was trotting up the Ranger’s gangplank toward them.

  “I am a Lord of the Brethren Court now,” Jocard explained to Carolina. “And as the newest Pirate Lord, I have a reputation to establish. From what I hear, hobnobbing with Jack Sparrow isn’t going to win me any friends.”

  Jack laughed. “Unfortunately, that is true.” He tugged on his beard, looking sly. “But I have another proposition for you. Before you get all piratey on me, would you consider one more joint venture? One that would ensure pirates everywhere know the name of Gentleman Jocard?”

  “Go on,” Jocard said, looking intrigued.

  “Oh, no,” moaned Billy. “Jack, what are you dragging us into now?”

  “Nothing terrible,” Jack said blithely. “It’s just that our next stop is Europe, savvy? We have two more vials to recover—one from Chevalle and one from the Pirate Lord of the Black Sea, whoever that is at the moment.”

  Carolina counted on her fingers. “You, Sao Feng, Mistress Ching, Villanueva, Sri Sumbhajee, and Gentleman Jocard, plus those two. Wait,” she said, “that’s only eight. Aren’t there nine lords of the Brethren Court?”

  “Oh, yes,” Jack said, “but the last one is the Pirate Lord of the Caspian Sea. Ever heard of it?” Carolina started to nod, but he barreled on. “No, of course not, because it’s an absolutely useless sea. I mean, it’s completely landlocked. Really just a big lake. So whoever he is, he’s not much of a pirate threat, eh? Sailing from one side to the other, going: ‘I wonder where all the other pirates are!’ Ha-ha!”

  Jack and Jocard roared with laughter.

  Nobody noticed Barbossa glowering furiously in the shadows.

  “Anyway,” Jack said, wiping away tears of laughter, “there’s no chance he was counted strong enough to get a vial. No, I’m sure these guys have the last two. But it’s go
ing to be a lot harder to avoid the East India Trading Company up there, now that they are looking for us. Not to mention the fact that the entire Spanish navy is probably out searching for a certain princess.”

  Carolina lowered her head.

  “Plus it’s possible the Shadow Lord will be there waiting for us,” Jack said in a rush. “So—”

  “Wait, what?” Billy demanded. “The Shadow Lord? How?”

  “Well,” Jack said, “he may have poked around in one of my nightmares. Just a bit. So he might know the Pirate Lords have the Shadow Gold. But he may not! He didn’t seem like the brightest candle in the barrel, if you catch my drift.”

  “We’re dead,” Billy said, burying his head in his hands. “So, so, so, so, so dead.”

  “What I’m saying is a little extra firepower wouldn’t go amiss,” Jack finished with one of his charming grins.

  “Sounds dangerous,” Jocard said with a gleam in his eyes. “Why not? The whole Atlantic is mine now. All right, Jack Sparrow. The Ranger will accompany you to Europe.”

  “Oh, no,” Marcella said loudly, elbowing her way into the conversation with Jean close behind her. “You mean we’re stuck with your ugly mug? Please. You’ll probably just abandon us out of nowhere without saying good-bye again, like a stupid pirate.”

  “Marcella, my savior,” Jocard said gallantly. “How would you like to sail on the Ranger instead of the Pearl as we make our way north?”

  Everyone goggled at him.

  “You can’t be serious,” said Carolina.

  “Best idea I’ve ever heard!” Jack burst out. “Take her! TAKE HER!”

  “That’s very kind of you,” Jean said to Jocard, “but I’m afraid Marcella…well, she kind of hates you.”

  Marcella tossed her hair and stuck her nose in the air. “That’s true,” she said belligerently. “But—”

  “But!” Jean cried, gaping at her.

  “How’s the food on this ghastly vessel?” Marcella asked, ignoring her cousin. “I mean, I never liked you…but I was okay with your jambalaya.”