(no subject)
The Final Nail
Author: Tseek_Unique
Rating: NC-17- graphic violence, mental illness, dark themes, murder, sexual situations. Part 2.
Summary: James is kidnapped, and swept into a world of madness and lust.
Disclaimer: Property of Disney, I own nothing. They own me. *sigh*
Pairings:implied: Jack/James, Will/Jonah.
Author's Notes: Commodore abuse.
Feedback: cherished as always, my luvs.
James paced back and forth on the dock, then glanced at his watch. He’d been waiting for well over an hour, yet he saw no sign of a crew member with a letter from Will. Has something happened to Will? James wondered. Has Jonah killed him also?
At the sound of footsteps behind him, James turned and saw three sailors from the Black Heart coming down the dock. In the distance, he saw a donkey cart pass through the street, bearing the corpse of the murdered Lusk, wrapped in a red cloth. With the body removed, James hoped the mob would disperse.
“I say there! Have any of you seen Mister Turner?”
The men shook their heads and avoided his gaze as they passed by.
“No, sir.”
“Ain’ seen ‘im at all, sir. Heard ‘e was goin’ back to th’ ship.”
“When you see him, please inquire if he has a letter for James Norrington.”
“Aye, sir!”
They are so frightened, thought James. Perhaps, they already know of--
Suddenly, James was felled by the vicious stroke of rock against his skull. Standing over James’ body crumpled on the dock, Jonah swung his mace again and again. Terrified sailors wilted beneath Jonah’s gaze as they ran past the horrific scene.
A trickle of crimson blood from James’ head snaked it’s way between Jonah’s sandaled feet. Placing one foot on James’ shoulder, Jonah rolled him over. Satisfied James still breathed, Jonah cast his eye upon two passing sailors.
“To the ship with him!” Jonah commanded.
Two sailors seized the bloodied man under the arms and ankles, and hauled him along toward the boats. Jonah looked to the dark horizon and narrowed his eyes.
***
Will groaned as he sat up in the bed and tried to shake the dizziness from his aching skull. A hand touched his shoulder gently.
“Here, luv. Just a swallow.”
Jack held a cup of water to his lips and Will drank. The youth stroked back his long locks and glanced about. He recognized his surroundings: Jack’s cabin aboard the Black Pearl. Will felt a swell of sadness in his breast and tears rose in his eyes. He heard the soft click of trinkets as Jack leaned close with a kerchief.
“Not gonna cry on me, aye?” asked Jack.
“You have no idea what you have done. You have taken from your brother what he loves most.”
“I shanghaied ye because I knew it t’was the only way to make Jonah come t’ the Knell. ‘The outcome justifies the deed.’ T‘is written in the map.”
Sorrow choked Will. His whole body ached with it as he thought of the bloodied body of the murdered Lusk.
“Jack, hide behind any excuse save that of self-righteousness. It does not become you.”
Jack pouted. He flopped down beside Will and moped.
“T’is all Lusk’s fault, sellin’ bloody maps that are real. Blokes like ‘im, they pay for it one day.”
“He has paid for it, Jack.”
Jack’s eyes widened.
“Jonah stabbed him to death in an alley after you argued.”
Jack faltered and shook his head. “I-I did not know!” he whispered.
Will gripped his shoulders firmly and gave him a little shake.
“Jack, your brother wanted so to trust you. He was nervous nigh to the point of madness just getting dressed for the evening. He wanted everything to be perfect. He trusted you, Jack. We all trusted you. And that is why I am depending on you to set this matter straight.”
“How can I set this straight now that Lusk is dead an’ Jonah is carried away by madness?”
Will stood, grabbed Jack hard by the shirt and pulled him forcibly from the bed.
“You are going to turn this ship about and take me back to Tortuga. I must find Jonah and get him to Doctor Currie or else he will turn the Carribean into a graveyard. The voices have completely taken him.”
With a hard stroke of his forearms, Jack freed himself of Will’s grip.
“Damn Jonah and ‘is voices! I will naught turn this ship around! Jonah follows-- I feel it in my heart! Would I ‘ave risked all if I did naught believe that La Pellegrina is within my grasp?”
“Your greed has unbalanced you! Jonah will naught lead you into the Knell. You have run afoul of him and you risk the lives of all those aboard the Pearl. Is that what you want, Jack? To risk a broadside with the Black Heart?” asked Will. “She is newly refitted with twenty guns and twenty of the best gun captains money can buy. She is a formidable foe.”
Jack shook his head stubbornly. “Jonah wouldna fire on us, Will. Naught with you aboard.”
A wave of nausea swept over Will and he dropped down onto the bed once more. He felt Jack’s hand grip his shoulder in concern. He placed his own hand to Jack’s and squeezed.
“Your brother has lost all sense of reason. Who is on the tip of the blade will matter naught to him.”
***
James’ passage from darkness to grey was painful and slow. The throbbing in his wounded head was damnable. His neck and shoulders ached also. He felt an excruciating trickle upon his nose, blood or sweat, he did not know, but he could move neither hand to swipe it. Where am I? he wondered as he blinked sore, swollen eyelids.
He heard the scraping sound of whetstone against steel. James opened his eyes. Jonah sat a mere arm’s length from him, sharpening his dagger. The eyes fixed upon James’ throat gleamed with a sinister intelligence. In the lamplight of the cabin, James saw spatters of dried blood on the hem of Jonah’s white garment. Undoubtedly Lusk’s thought James.
James shifted a little on the edge of the bed and noticed that both his arms were tied to bedposts on either side of him. He looked wordlessly at Jonah. The man dropped his gaze coyly as he sharpened his dagger.
“Sparrow, what is the meaning of this?” he demanded.
“I thought it would be obvious to you, James. Jack has taken my man and so I’ve taken his.”
James frowned in frustration. The thought of Jack stealing Will a second time made his head ache even worse. “So Jack has played the fool yet again. If you are contriving to ransom me for Will, I fear you are wasting your time. Jack has deserted me.”
Jonah held his dagger against the light and directed his eye down the blade. His pupils contracted to the size of pin pricks and rendered his eyes black and fathomless, like those of a great predator. The crown of gold on his forehead shimmered in the dim light of the lantern.
“I am aware of that, James.”
“Then why in God’s name hold a useless hostage? Why aren’t you at sea trying to kill Jack?”
“I’m getting to it, James.”
James listened. Yes, now he could hear the rush of water against the hull and feel the rocking movement beneath him. The Black Heart was under sail.
“So we are going to the Knell,” said James.
Jonah did not answer.
“Tell me, Jonah. Why am I tied up in your bed and not the brig?”
Jonah stroked his mustache and considered.
“Perhaps I brought you here for company. Perhaps I’ve always felt my brother dealt too harshly with you.”
Then the gleam in Jonah’s eyes flared to a murderous intensity.
“Or perhaps I brought you here to kill you for my own amusement.”
Jonah secreted his dagger beneath his long hair, untied the cat o’ nine tails from his waist and sat down astride James’ lap. He looped the whip around James’ bare neck.
“Poor little James!” Jonah sneered. “How sad it must be for you to reflect on everything you gave up to care for a man who could never be trusted. Jack toyed with your heart with no more regard for your feelings than if you had been a dog.”
Anger flared in James.
“For whatever little it is worth, I dearly loved your brother!”
“Talk of love if you must, James. Men like you are destined to be loved at will and discarded.”
“Men like me-- and perhaps, men like Will?”
In sudden fury, Jonah yanked hard on the whip. James winced as the leather bit into the tender flesh around his throat. Jonah arose from his lap. Crimson streams of blood trickled onto James’ breast. A wave of fiery pain washed over his neck.
“You should take great care what you say about Will,” Jonah said matter-of-factly. “Will is the desire of my heart.”
James dropped his gaze to the dried blood stains on Jonah’s clothing. Perhaps there is a better way to do battle with this man.
“And shall the desire of your heart still want you when he sees how filthy you’ve become?”
Jonah’s eyes widened and he froze at James‘ words. “Filthy?”
James nodded toward the blood spatters. “Yes, filthy.“
Jonah looked down at his garments and the stains.
“You are filthy, Jonah, and you reek of blood. I could smell your filth even before I opened my eyes.”
Jonah swallowed hard as he stared down at the stains, then began to pull at his hair.
“We both know that Will is so pristine. He could never love anyone so filthy as you.“
Jonah took several deep breaths then shouted.
“Farley! Farley!”
James heard rapid footsteps approach and the cabin door swung open. Farley leaned in the door.
“Aye, cap’n?”
“Fill my bathtub at once! At once!
Jonah’s voice rose to a scream and Farley ducked out with an “Aye, sir!”
With his dagger, Jonah slashed at his long shirt until it ripped free of his body. He bunched it up and thrust it into the small brazier by the window. As the garment smoldered, Jonah swept several stone jars off the bureau and into a drying cloth with one stroke of his forearm.
“Jonah--”
Jonah froze again and glared at James.
James nodded. “There is more blood on your breeches. They are as filthy as the rest of you.”
The bundle of toiletries dropped to the floor with a thud. James saw beads of sweat break out on Jonah’s brow as he struggled with the buttons on his breeches. He jerked them off and cast them into the fire. James raised an eyebrow as he studied the slender form. He had not imagined Sparrow to be so comely.
Jonah seized the cloth bundle from the floor and ran from the cabin. James listened intently. In the cabin beside him, he heard the splash of water and men’s voices as they prepared Jonah’s bath. Presently he heard a splash as Jonah entered the tub and the voices subsided.
Dismally, James tugged on the ropes binding his wrists. Well, whoever bound me up certainly knew how to tie a decent knot, he thought.
A creak by the door caught his attention. Farley stood in the doorway, his expression grim and uncertain. In his hand he gripped a small fish knife. Then he ducked into the room and began to saw at the ropes binding James’ wrists.
“Are you quite sure you want to do this, Mister Farley?” asked James. “This is an act of mutiny.”
“Mutiny or no, ye gotta stop Sparrow, Mister Norrington. Mister Turner knew ‘ow to deal wi’ him and keep ‘im in line. Now, he’s fallin’ back into ‘is old ways. He’ll kill us all, iffen ye don’t stop him.”
The rope came free and James rubbed his sore wrists. “Thank you.”
“And iffen Sparrow asks who cut ye free, best tell ‘im it t’were me. He’ll kill the whole crew otherwise.”
Taking the knife, James cut a length of rope from the bed. “I shall tell him I freed myself. This knife is not sufficient. Where are Jonah‘s weapons?”
“Locked up in th’ closet there. He hides th’ key in ‘is hair.”
James tried to pry the lock with the knife but only succeeded in breaking the small blade.
“Is any man willing to give me his pistol?” asked James.
“No, sir. T’is a mutiny we can’t be involved in. Iffen ye lose, he’ll kill all of us!”
Farley paused suddenly, grasped James’ shoulder and looked down as he reflected. His eyes looked moist.
“Twelve years ago, I was first mate aboard Sparrow’s ship, in the days before he took the Black Heart as his own. We was a half day off th’ coast of Malaysia. All the crew were grumblin’ ‘bout havin’ been on rations fer two weeks. Sparrow didna like their cheek.”
Farley paused and James waited patiently as the man mustered his gall.
“In the middle of the day, Sparrow ‘ad me load the jolly wi’ food, coins an’ water. Said he an’ I would be first to shore. He went about the deck with a sack of coins, ‘andin’ out wages. Then he put the men to work on deck, scrubbin’ everythin’. He told me to launch the boat, and he ordered all the other crew members to stay on deck while he went below. In a bit, I heard a splash and Sparrow came swimmin’ toward the jolly. I helped ’im in and he told me to row like hell if I wanted to live. So we both rowed as hard as we could.”
James felt a sickness inside him grow.
“Sparrow didna like their grumblin’ an’ so he went down to the powder magazine and lit a fuse inside the ship. When the fire hit that powder, she blew into a thousand pieces. Not a single man survived.”
“He killed the entire crew?” whispered James.
“Aye. Sixty eight men ‘e kilt an’ he was right ’appy about it! Said ’e was glad to be rid of ’em, they weren’t to his likin’.”
“What kind of man would kill his entire crew?“ James asked.
“The killin’ kind, sir.”
***
James’ blood ran cold as he gripped the rope taught in his hands and stepped silently into the cabin. The air was filled with steam and the sweet scent of blue lotus. To his advantage, the copper bathing tub was turned away from the door, so that Jonah could not see his approach. As James stepped closer, he saw the back of Jonah’s head and heard soft whispers as Jonah rubbed handfuls of warm water over his face.
James moved forward until he stood mere inches from the tub, directly behind Jonah’s head. He doubled the loops of rope around his hands. Must catch him on the first try. There will be no second chance! Then he flung the rope about Jonah’s throat and jerked it tight.
Jonah choked and thrashed in the water. A wave sloshed over the floor and James‘ feet slipped as he was pulled forward. He braced a knee upon the edge of the tub and drew the noose tighter with all his might. Jonah let his weight drop and his head disappeared beneath the bath water with a splash, then his feet thudded hard into James’ breast. James reeled across the room and fell hard against a table. Jonah jerked at the garrote, choked for air, then with a snarl he sprang from the tub.
From the corner of his eye, James saw the gleam of steel. He flung out his hand and caught Jonah’s wrist. The blade of his dagger stopped a finger’s breadth from James’ forehead. James wrenched hard the wrist and the blade fell to the floor. Then with all the ferocity of a wild animal, Jonah sank his teeth into James’ shoulder. James staggered back, swung his fist and caught Jonah hard in the temple. James felt the golden crown bite hard into his knuckles but the blow knocked Jonah loose.
James seized Jonah by the crown at the back of his head, propelled him toward the tub and drove his head beneath the water. James pinned the struggling man with one knee. The struggles weakened. James pulled Jonah’s head above the water. Jonah gasped and choked for breath.
“Yield!“ James shouted. “You are my prisoner!”
James winced as Jonah spat in his face. James slammed him back down into the water and sat astride him as he wiped the saliva from his eyes. Jonah thrashed beneath him.
“Do let me know when you are ready for parley, Captain Sparrow.”
Jonah’s movements ceased suddenly. James felt knuckles tap delicately at his ankle in the water.
“So! Perhaps you want to live after all. Is that what you’re saying?” asked James.
The knuckles tapped again.
“And do you give me your word, such as it is, that you will accept the terms of surrender?” James asked.
Another tap on his ankle.
“Jonah, I am not convinced. You are known to be a lying scoundrel with a predilection for murder.”
Frantic tapping at his ankle. James sighed and shifted his weight cautiously. Slowly, Jonah’s face rose above the bath water. He coughed and spat a mouthful of water as James let him sit up.
“You could have just shot me!” Jonah sputtered.
“And forego the delight of watching you drown? I think not, Jonah. Stand up!”
James dropped the loop of rope around his neck and pulled. Jonah grabbed hold of the rope and jerked back.
“Leave off there!” snarled Jonah. “I can hardly catch my breath, let alone stand up.”
“I should remind you that you are my prisoner,” replied James.
“Oh, so now we’re back to that are we? ‘You’re my bloody prisoner, Jonah, stand up or I’ll drag you like a bloody horse, Jonah!’ “
“Captain Sparrow, if you would, please.”
But the strangulation had weakened Jonah considerably. His legs trembled so that he could not stand, even with James’ arms around him. When on the fourth attempt, Jonah collapsed into the tub, James decided the struggle had become too cruel. He dropped the drying cloth around the exhausted man and lifted him from the tub into his arms. He carried Jonah to his cabin and placed him upon the bed.
James wrapped the small, shivering form in sheets, then bound each hand to a bedpost with the same lengths of rope that once bound his own. James listened to Jonah‘s tired sigh and felt a twinge of pain in his breast. He sounds so much like Jack when he‘s tired, thought James.
“But I’m not Jack, am I, James?”
Oh, bloody hell! Now he’s reading my thoughts. James dipped a cloth into water, sat down upon the bed and dabbed gingerly at the whip cuts on his neck. Suddenly, James felt a touch on his shoulder. He turned around and one of Jonah’s silken knees caressed his cheek.
“James,” Jonah purred, “now that you’re captain of the Black Heart, just how do you intend to bring me to justice? Am I to be flogged or marooned? Or perhaps you will return me to Egypt and hand me over to the sultan who has put a price on my head.”
“Jonah, can you not remain silent for for just a few moments? You are insufferably like Jack.”
“So you enjoy telling me.”
“My head is aching so and your voice is annoying.”
The knee caressed again.
“Are we going to the Knell?”
James pushed the leg away. “Yes, we are going to the Knell.”
“So Jack’s prattle of La Pellegrina has beguiled you also? Why, I never suspected you were a pirate at heart.”
James sighed. “I’m going to the Knell to kill Jack. I’ve concluded that he deserves to die for what he has done to me.”
Jonah gasped and a look of sheer delight lit his face. “Oh, James! How I admire you at this moment! You must let me help you plan this. How do you intend to do it? Will you throw him over a cliff or blow him up?”
“I do not think any of that shall be necessary, Jonah. From my naval experience. I suspect that a single, well-aimed shot will suffice.”
Jonah wrinkled his nose as he considered. “Sufficient yes, but hardly noteworthy. Speaking as a man of experience, I should tell you that it is always best to kill your lovers dramatically. People respect you more.”
Bitterness welled in James’ throat as he considered Jonah’s words. “I don’t think that throwing Jack over a cliff is going to restore my self respect, Jonah. I lost that a long time ago. And I don’t understand why you are gloating so. You are going to die also, as shall Will.”
Jonah’s eyes widened. “Why Will? He has not harmed you!”
James considered. “Will is at the center of this entire matter. And since Jack can never be restrained from taking what he wants, both he and Will must die. You, Jonah, I shall kill simply because you deserve to die.”
“So who’s dying first in your little scheme?”
“Jack.”
“Hmm. So, it’s rather like if you cut off the head of the monster, the rest of it will die also. Yes, I follow your line of reasoning. There’s just one little detail you‘ve overlooked.”
James looked around. Jonah sat up as far as the ropes permitted. The sheet fell away and revealed an enticing, brown nipple.
“Why aren’t you dying along with the rest of us? There won’t be anything left for you to go back to, James. You have no friends left in Port Royal save for a few military officers. As for the the Black Pearl and my ship, well, I doubt very much if you’ll bring the crews under your command, because you’re not a pirate.”
Jonah waved a forefinger. “And then, there’s the messy, little issue of murder. You see, all of us are protected citizens under the Crown. Surely, it will mean the noose for you, James. Much better to die with the rest of us, don’t you think?”
James felt a great weight press against his heart again. Though Jonah was insane, his words held a maddening truth. James leaned forward and placed his face in his hands. Images of pirates dying on the gallows haunted him still. What specters would plague him in the future should he carry out this plan of vengeance?
He felt warm, bare feet knead his back tenderly.
“Perhaps you are not meant for this sort of thing, child,” Jonah said gently. “Why don’t you lie down here with me awhile?”
James chuckled at the absurdity. “And put my head on your shoulder, perhaps, so you can bite my nose off?”
James seized Jonah by the throat. “I’d cut your bloody throat!”
Jonah twisted in his grasp and nibbled delicately at James’ fingers. “Is that all you could do with my throat?” he whispered.
A warm flush suffused James’ cheeks and his groin. Suddenly, he wanted to taste the sweetness of those full lips and see what treasures lay hidden beneath the sheets. Looking down, his saw his own hand resting on one of Jonah’s velvety thighs…
Hit Counter
Author: Tseek_Unique
Rating: NC-17- graphic violence, mental illness, dark themes, murder, sexual situations. Part 2.
Summary: James is kidnapped, and swept into a world of madness and lust.
Disclaimer: Property of Disney, I own nothing. They own me. *sigh*
Pairings:implied: Jack/James, Will/Jonah.
Author's Notes: Commodore abuse.
Feedback: cherished as always, my luvs.
James paced back and forth on the dock, then glanced at his watch. He’d been waiting for well over an hour, yet he saw no sign of a crew member with a letter from Will. Has something happened to Will? James wondered. Has Jonah killed him also?
At the sound of footsteps behind him, James turned and saw three sailors from the Black Heart coming down the dock. In the distance, he saw a donkey cart pass through the street, bearing the corpse of the murdered Lusk, wrapped in a red cloth. With the body removed, James hoped the mob would disperse.
“I say there! Have any of you seen Mister Turner?”
The men shook their heads and avoided his gaze as they passed by.
“No, sir.”
“Ain’ seen ‘im at all, sir. Heard ‘e was goin’ back to th’ ship.”
“When you see him, please inquire if he has a letter for James Norrington.”
“Aye, sir!”
They are so frightened, thought James. Perhaps, they already know of--
Suddenly, James was felled by the vicious stroke of rock against his skull. Standing over James’ body crumpled on the dock, Jonah swung his mace again and again. Terrified sailors wilted beneath Jonah’s gaze as they ran past the horrific scene.
A trickle of crimson blood from James’ head snaked it’s way between Jonah’s sandaled feet. Placing one foot on James’ shoulder, Jonah rolled him over. Satisfied James still breathed, Jonah cast his eye upon two passing sailors.
“To the ship with him!” Jonah commanded.
Two sailors seized the bloodied man under the arms and ankles, and hauled him along toward the boats. Jonah looked to the dark horizon and narrowed his eyes.
***
Will groaned as he sat up in the bed and tried to shake the dizziness from his aching skull. A hand touched his shoulder gently.
“Here, luv. Just a swallow.”
Jack held a cup of water to his lips and Will drank. The youth stroked back his long locks and glanced about. He recognized his surroundings: Jack’s cabin aboard the Black Pearl. Will felt a swell of sadness in his breast and tears rose in his eyes. He heard the soft click of trinkets as Jack leaned close with a kerchief.
“Not gonna cry on me, aye?” asked Jack.
“You have no idea what you have done. You have taken from your brother what he loves most.”
“I shanghaied ye because I knew it t’was the only way to make Jonah come t’ the Knell. ‘The outcome justifies the deed.’ T‘is written in the map.”
Sorrow choked Will. His whole body ached with it as he thought of the bloodied body of the murdered Lusk.
“Jack, hide behind any excuse save that of self-righteousness. It does not become you.”
Jack pouted. He flopped down beside Will and moped.
“T’is all Lusk’s fault, sellin’ bloody maps that are real. Blokes like ‘im, they pay for it one day.”
“He has paid for it, Jack.”
Jack’s eyes widened.
“Jonah stabbed him to death in an alley after you argued.”
Jack faltered and shook his head. “I-I did not know!” he whispered.
Will gripped his shoulders firmly and gave him a little shake.
“Jack, your brother wanted so to trust you. He was nervous nigh to the point of madness just getting dressed for the evening. He wanted everything to be perfect. He trusted you, Jack. We all trusted you. And that is why I am depending on you to set this matter straight.”
“How can I set this straight now that Lusk is dead an’ Jonah is carried away by madness?”
Will stood, grabbed Jack hard by the shirt and pulled him forcibly from the bed.
“You are going to turn this ship about and take me back to Tortuga. I must find Jonah and get him to Doctor Currie or else he will turn the Carribean into a graveyard. The voices have completely taken him.”
With a hard stroke of his forearms, Jack freed himself of Will’s grip.
“Damn Jonah and ‘is voices! I will naught turn this ship around! Jonah follows-- I feel it in my heart! Would I ‘ave risked all if I did naught believe that La Pellegrina is within my grasp?”
“Your greed has unbalanced you! Jonah will naught lead you into the Knell. You have run afoul of him and you risk the lives of all those aboard the Pearl. Is that what you want, Jack? To risk a broadside with the Black Heart?” asked Will. “She is newly refitted with twenty guns and twenty of the best gun captains money can buy. She is a formidable foe.”
Jack shook his head stubbornly. “Jonah wouldna fire on us, Will. Naught with you aboard.”
A wave of nausea swept over Will and he dropped down onto the bed once more. He felt Jack’s hand grip his shoulder in concern. He placed his own hand to Jack’s and squeezed.
“Your brother has lost all sense of reason. Who is on the tip of the blade will matter naught to him.”
***
James’ passage from darkness to grey was painful and slow. The throbbing in his wounded head was damnable. His neck and shoulders ached also. He felt an excruciating trickle upon his nose, blood or sweat, he did not know, but he could move neither hand to swipe it. Where am I? he wondered as he blinked sore, swollen eyelids.
He heard the scraping sound of whetstone against steel. James opened his eyes. Jonah sat a mere arm’s length from him, sharpening his dagger. The eyes fixed upon James’ throat gleamed with a sinister intelligence. In the lamplight of the cabin, James saw spatters of dried blood on the hem of Jonah’s white garment. Undoubtedly Lusk’s thought James.
James shifted a little on the edge of the bed and noticed that both his arms were tied to bedposts on either side of him. He looked wordlessly at Jonah. The man dropped his gaze coyly as he sharpened his dagger.
“Sparrow, what is the meaning of this?” he demanded.
“I thought it would be obvious to you, James. Jack has taken my man and so I’ve taken his.”
James frowned in frustration. The thought of Jack stealing Will a second time made his head ache even worse. “So Jack has played the fool yet again. If you are contriving to ransom me for Will, I fear you are wasting your time. Jack has deserted me.”
Jonah held his dagger against the light and directed his eye down the blade. His pupils contracted to the size of pin pricks and rendered his eyes black and fathomless, like those of a great predator. The crown of gold on his forehead shimmered in the dim light of the lantern.
“I am aware of that, James.”
“Then why in God’s name hold a useless hostage? Why aren’t you at sea trying to kill Jack?”
“I’m getting to it, James.”
James listened. Yes, now he could hear the rush of water against the hull and feel the rocking movement beneath him. The Black Heart was under sail.
“So we are going to the Knell,” said James.
Jonah did not answer.
“Tell me, Jonah. Why am I tied up in your bed and not the brig?”
Jonah stroked his mustache and considered.
“Perhaps I brought you here for company. Perhaps I’ve always felt my brother dealt too harshly with you.”
Then the gleam in Jonah’s eyes flared to a murderous intensity.
“Or perhaps I brought you here to kill you for my own amusement.”
Jonah secreted his dagger beneath his long hair, untied the cat o’ nine tails from his waist and sat down astride James’ lap. He looped the whip around James’ bare neck.
“Poor little James!” Jonah sneered. “How sad it must be for you to reflect on everything you gave up to care for a man who could never be trusted. Jack toyed with your heart with no more regard for your feelings than if you had been a dog.”
Anger flared in James.
“For whatever little it is worth, I dearly loved your brother!”
“Talk of love if you must, James. Men like you are destined to be loved at will and discarded.”
“Men like me-- and perhaps, men like Will?”
In sudden fury, Jonah yanked hard on the whip. James winced as the leather bit into the tender flesh around his throat. Jonah arose from his lap. Crimson streams of blood trickled onto James’ breast. A wave of fiery pain washed over his neck.
“You should take great care what you say about Will,” Jonah said matter-of-factly. “Will is the desire of my heart.”
James dropped his gaze to the dried blood stains on Jonah’s clothing. Perhaps there is a better way to do battle with this man.
“And shall the desire of your heart still want you when he sees how filthy you’ve become?”
Jonah’s eyes widened and he froze at James‘ words. “Filthy?”
James nodded toward the blood spatters. “Yes, filthy.“
Jonah looked down at his garments and the stains.
“You are filthy, Jonah, and you reek of blood. I could smell your filth even before I opened my eyes.”
Jonah swallowed hard as he stared down at the stains, then began to pull at his hair.
“We both know that Will is so pristine. He could never love anyone so filthy as you.“
Jonah took several deep breaths then shouted.
“Farley! Farley!”
James heard rapid footsteps approach and the cabin door swung open. Farley leaned in the door.
“Aye, cap’n?”
“Fill my bathtub at once! At once!
Jonah’s voice rose to a scream and Farley ducked out with an “Aye, sir!”
With his dagger, Jonah slashed at his long shirt until it ripped free of his body. He bunched it up and thrust it into the small brazier by the window. As the garment smoldered, Jonah swept several stone jars off the bureau and into a drying cloth with one stroke of his forearm.
“Jonah--”
Jonah froze again and glared at James.
James nodded. “There is more blood on your breeches. They are as filthy as the rest of you.”
The bundle of toiletries dropped to the floor with a thud. James saw beads of sweat break out on Jonah’s brow as he struggled with the buttons on his breeches. He jerked them off and cast them into the fire. James raised an eyebrow as he studied the slender form. He had not imagined Sparrow to be so comely.
Jonah seized the cloth bundle from the floor and ran from the cabin. James listened intently. In the cabin beside him, he heard the splash of water and men’s voices as they prepared Jonah’s bath. Presently he heard a splash as Jonah entered the tub and the voices subsided.
Dismally, James tugged on the ropes binding his wrists. Well, whoever bound me up certainly knew how to tie a decent knot, he thought.
A creak by the door caught his attention. Farley stood in the doorway, his expression grim and uncertain. In his hand he gripped a small fish knife. Then he ducked into the room and began to saw at the ropes binding James’ wrists.
“Are you quite sure you want to do this, Mister Farley?” asked James. “This is an act of mutiny.”
“Mutiny or no, ye gotta stop Sparrow, Mister Norrington. Mister Turner knew ‘ow to deal wi’ him and keep ‘im in line. Now, he’s fallin’ back into ‘is old ways. He’ll kill us all, iffen ye don’t stop him.”
The rope came free and James rubbed his sore wrists. “Thank you.”
“And iffen Sparrow asks who cut ye free, best tell ‘im it t’were me. He’ll kill the whole crew otherwise.”
Taking the knife, James cut a length of rope from the bed. “I shall tell him I freed myself. This knife is not sufficient. Where are Jonah‘s weapons?”
“Locked up in th’ closet there. He hides th’ key in ‘is hair.”
James tried to pry the lock with the knife but only succeeded in breaking the small blade.
“Is any man willing to give me his pistol?” asked James.
“No, sir. T’is a mutiny we can’t be involved in. Iffen ye lose, he’ll kill all of us!”
Farley paused suddenly, grasped James’ shoulder and looked down as he reflected. His eyes looked moist.
“Twelve years ago, I was first mate aboard Sparrow’s ship, in the days before he took the Black Heart as his own. We was a half day off th’ coast of Malaysia. All the crew were grumblin’ ‘bout havin’ been on rations fer two weeks. Sparrow didna like their cheek.”
Farley paused and James waited patiently as the man mustered his gall.
“In the middle of the day, Sparrow ‘ad me load the jolly wi’ food, coins an’ water. Said he an’ I would be first to shore. He went about the deck with a sack of coins, ‘andin’ out wages. Then he put the men to work on deck, scrubbin’ everythin’. He told me to launch the boat, and he ordered all the other crew members to stay on deck while he went below. In a bit, I heard a splash and Sparrow came swimmin’ toward the jolly. I helped ’im in and he told me to row like hell if I wanted to live. So we both rowed as hard as we could.”
James felt a sickness inside him grow.
“Sparrow didna like their grumblin’ an’ so he went down to the powder magazine and lit a fuse inside the ship. When the fire hit that powder, she blew into a thousand pieces. Not a single man survived.”
“He killed the entire crew?” whispered James.
“Aye. Sixty eight men ‘e kilt an’ he was right ’appy about it! Said ’e was glad to be rid of ’em, they weren’t to his likin’.”
“What kind of man would kill his entire crew?“ James asked.
“The killin’ kind, sir.”
***
James’ blood ran cold as he gripped the rope taught in his hands and stepped silently into the cabin. The air was filled with steam and the sweet scent of blue lotus. To his advantage, the copper bathing tub was turned away from the door, so that Jonah could not see his approach. As James stepped closer, he saw the back of Jonah’s head and heard soft whispers as Jonah rubbed handfuls of warm water over his face.
James moved forward until he stood mere inches from the tub, directly behind Jonah’s head. He doubled the loops of rope around his hands. Must catch him on the first try. There will be no second chance! Then he flung the rope about Jonah’s throat and jerked it tight.
Jonah choked and thrashed in the water. A wave sloshed over the floor and James‘ feet slipped as he was pulled forward. He braced a knee upon the edge of the tub and drew the noose tighter with all his might. Jonah let his weight drop and his head disappeared beneath the bath water with a splash, then his feet thudded hard into James’ breast. James reeled across the room and fell hard against a table. Jonah jerked at the garrote, choked for air, then with a snarl he sprang from the tub.
From the corner of his eye, James saw the gleam of steel. He flung out his hand and caught Jonah’s wrist. The blade of his dagger stopped a finger’s breadth from James’ forehead. James wrenched hard the wrist and the blade fell to the floor. Then with all the ferocity of a wild animal, Jonah sank his teeth into James’ shoulder. James staggered back, swung his fist and caught Jonah hard in the temple. James felt the golden crown bite hard into his knuckles but the blow knocked Jonah loose.
James seized Jonah by the crown at the back of his head, propelled him toward the tub and drove his head beneath the water. James pinned the struggling man with one knee. The struggles weakened. James pulled Jonah’s head above the water. Jonah gasped and choked for breath.
“Yield!“ James shouted. “You are my prisoner!”
James winced as Jonah spat in his face. James slammed him back down into the water and sat astride him as he wiped the saliva from his eyes. Jonah thrashed beneath him.
“Do let me know when you are ready for parley, Captain Sparrow.”
Jonah’s movements ceased suddenly. James felt knuckles tap delicately at his ankle in the water.
“So! Perhaps you want to live after all. Is that what you’re saying?” asked James.
The knuckles tapped again.
“And do you give me your word, such as it is, that you will accept the terms of surrender?” James asked.
Another tap on his ankle.
“Jonah, I am not convinced. You are known to be a lying scoundrel with a predilection for murder.”
Frantic tapping at his ankle. James sighed and shifted his weight cautiously. Slowly, Jonah’s face rose above the bath water. He coughed and spat a mouthful of water as James let him sit up.
“You could have just shot me!” Jonah sputtered.
“And forego the delight of watching you drown? I think not, Jonah. Stand up!”
James dropped the loop of rope around his neck and pulled. Jonah grabbed hold of the rope and jerked back.
“Leave off there!” snarled Jonah. “I can hardly catch my breath, let alone stand up.”
“I should remind you that you are my prisoner,” replied James.
“Oh, so now we’re back to that are we? ‘You’re my bloody prisoner, Jonah, stand up or I’ll drag you like a bloody horse, Jonah!’ “
“Captain Sparrow, if you would, please.”
But the strangulation had weakened Jonah considerably. His legs trembled so that he could not stand, even with James’ arms around him. When on the fourth attempt, Jonah collapsed into the tub, James decided the struggle had become too cruel. He dropped the drying cloth around the exhausted man and lifted him from the tub into his arms. He carried Jonah to his cabin and placed him upon the bed.
James wrapped the small, shivering form in sheets, then bound each hand to a bedpost with the same lengths of rope that once bound his own. James listened to Jonah‘s tired sigh and felt a twinge of pain in his breast. He sounds so much like Jack when he‘s tired, thought James.
“But I’m not Jack, am I, James?”
Oh, bloody hell! Now he’s reading my thoughts. James dipped a cloth into water, sat down upon the bed and dabbed gingerly at the whip cuts on his neck. Suddenly, James felt a touch on his shoulder. He turned around and one of Jonah’s silken knees caressed his cheek.
“James,” Jonah purred, “now that you’re captain of the Black Heart, just how do you intend to bring me to justice? Am I to be flogged or marooned? Or perhaps you will return me to Egypt and hand me over to the sultan who has put a price on my head.”
“Jonah, can you not remain silent for for just a few moments? You are insufferably like Jack.”
“So you enjoy telling me.”
“My head is aching so and your voice is annoying.”
The knee caressed again.
“Are we going to the Knell?”
James pushed the leg away. “Yes, we are going to the Knell.”
“So Jack’s prattle of La Pellegrina has beguiled you also? Why, I never suspected you were a pirate at heart.”
James sighed. “I’m going to the Knell to kill Jack. I’ve concluded that he deserves to die for what he has done to me.”
Jonah gasped and a look of sheer delight lit his face. “Oh, James! How I admire you at this moment! You must let me help you plan this. How do you intend to do it? Will you throw him over a cliff or blow him up?”
“I do not think any of that shall be necessary, Jonah. From my naval experience. I suspect that a single, well-aimed shot will suffice.”
Jonah wrinkled his nose as he considered. “Sufficient yes, but hardly noteworthy. Speaking as a man of experience, I should tell you that it is always best to kill your lovers dramatically. People respect you more.”
Bitterness welled in James’ throat as he considered Jonah’s words. “I don’t think that throwing Jack over a cliff is going to restore my self respect, Jonah. I lost that a long time ago. And I don’t understand why you are gloating so. You are going to die also, as shall Will.”
Jonah’s eyes widened. “Why Will? He has not harmed you!”
James considered. “Will is at the center of this entire matter. And since Jack can never be restrained from taking what he wants, both he and Will must die. You, Jonah, I shall kill simply because you deserve to die.”
“So who’s dying first in your little scheme?”
“Jack.”
“Hmm. So, it’s rather like if you cut off the head of the monster, the rest of it will die also. Yes, I follow your line of reasoning. There’s just one little detail you‘ve overlooked.”
James looked around. Jonah sat up as far as the ropes permitted. The sheet fell away and revealed an enticing, brown nipple.
“Why aren’t you dying along with the rest of us? There won’t be anything left for you to go back to, James. You have no friends left in Port Royal save for a few military officers. As for the the Black Pearl and my ship, well, I doubt very much if you’ll bring the crews under your command, because you’re not a pirate.”
Jonah waved a forefinger. “And then, there’s the messy, little issue of murder. You see, all of us are protected citizens under the Crown. Surely, it will mean the noose for you, James. Much better to die with the rest of us, don’t you think?”
James felt a great weight press against his heart again. Though Jonah was insane, his words held a maddening truth. James leaned forward and placed his face in his hands. Images of pirates dying on the gallows haunted him still. What specters would plague him in the future should he carry out this plan of vengeance?
He felt warm, bare feet knead his back tenderly.
“Perhaps you are not meant for this sort of thing, child,” Jonah said gently. “Why don’t you lie down here with me awhile?”
James chuckled at the absurdity. “And put my head on your shoulder, perhaps, so you can bite my nose off?”
James seized Jonah by the throat. “I’d cut your bloody throat!”
Jonah twisted in his grasp and nibbled delicately at James’ fingers. “Is that all you could do with my throat?” he whispered.
A warm flush suffused James’ cheeks and his groin. Suddenly, he wanted to taste the sweetness of those full lips and see what treasures lay hidden beneath the sheets. Looking down, his saw his own hand resting on one of Jonah’s velvety thighs…
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