Pirates of the Caribbean 02 The Siren Song (2 page)

CHAPTER THREE

Tumen stepped away from the wheel to make way for Jack. Fitzwilliam was looking through his spyglass toward the island."It is difficult to make out," Fitzwilliam said. "Almost as if the island is there, but at the same time . . . not. It looks like nothing more than a cloudy mist through my glass."Draping his arm across the top of the wheel, Jack gazed ahead. The sun was making a slow descent, and the horizon was striped in shades of gold, pink, and purple. "
Sail toward it," he commanded.
"Are you mad?" Fitzwilliam asked."No. But I am a bit tired of being asked if I am," Jack replied."Why would we sail toward it? We have no idea where it came from, nor what exactly it is," Fitzwilliam persisted."Well, Fitzy, when anything happens at sea that is out of the ordinary like, oh, say a huge island appearing out of nowhere, it would probably be wise to ascertain that it happened for a reason, and that reason can often, though not always, lead anyone willing to explore it to great power and treasure. Besides, I am captain here. Savvy?""Aye, aye, 'Captain,'" Fitzwilliam snapped obnoxiously."I don't know about this," Tumen said.Jack just set his jaw, pointed toward the island, and the crew sailed on."I gues
s we know where the rough seas
were coming from earlier," Jean said. "Islands dropping into oceans will probably do that to calm waters."Just then the wailing sound started up again. It was strange and mystifying, but it was also beautiful. At least most of the crew thought so."What is that god-awful noise?" Jack said."I think it's pretty," Arabella said, "and so . . . sad," she continued, clearly on the verge of tears. The rest of the crew looked completely mesmerized. Jack looked puzzled.As the sound died down, the crew shook off the sleepy feeling the song had inflicted upon them. But before the effects had completely worn off, the Barnacle began to rock more violently than it had before. And from the turbid waters around them, like a cannonball fired from below the sea, s
hot an enormous roaring beast.
"Kraken!" Arabella shouted, as the eellike body of the beast slapped down on the ocean around them, attempting to crush the Barnacle."No! The Kraken is much larger, has tentacles, and smells like death. . . . This is something different!" Tumen said."But it looks . . . and smells ... no less dangerous," Jack shouted. "Grab your swords!"As the crew quickly prepared for action, the monster lurched and slapped itself down on the water, showing its face. Its huge jaws looked as if they could easily take a bite out of the Barnacle, and they were lined with rows of teeth that were set layer upon-layer, like a shark's. Its ruby-red eyes glared angrily at the crew, and as it hissed it sprayed them with a green slime tha
t smelled like long-dead fish.
"Oh!" Arabella shouted.The monster dove in toward the Barnacle, and Jack nodded to Fitzwilliam. Just as the monster was mere feet away from the boat, Jack jabbed his sword directly into one of its eyes and Fitzwilliam hit the beast in the side. A pink fluid sprayed from the eye wound and oozed out. The creature roared and recoiled for a moment. Laying limply on the water in what looked like a pink oil slick, it seemed as though the beast might be down. But then it squirmed its huge body, which was at least the size of the Barnacle, and straightened itself high in the air, turning toward the Barnacle and lunging again for the boat.Jack yelped and jumped back, then with hardly a thought, he jumped up onto the ship's railing and steadie
d himself in a ready position.
"Jack! What on Earth are ye doing?" Arabella called out to him.The creature was clearly in attack mode and Jack was right in its path."Going to the belly of the beast," Jack said with a wink, sword in hand. As the monster lurched forward, Jack jumped off the side of the boat and onto the creature, grabbing its fins for stability. The crew gasped as the monster whipped its body around in an attempt to free itself from Jack's grip. But Jack was holding on tightly.The creature opened its huge mouth and angled its head in an attempt to swallow Jack whole. But like an animal trying to lick its own neck, the creature was unable to reach Jack, who was just beneath its jaws."Get the boat away from this here beastie!" Jack shouted to his crew."What?"
Arabella shouted. She couldn't
hear well over the roar of the creature and the rush of the water. The wound in the creature's eye continued to leak fluid, and fishy green slime dripped from its jaws, fully covering Jack and causing him to lose his grip."Boat. Out. Now." Jack repeated what he had said before."We cannot hear you!" Fitzwilliam said.Jack's right hand continued to slip off the monster's fin, and in a desperate attempt to get a better grip, he let go, then quickly grabbed the fin again, tearing it clean off the body of the beast. The creature roared louder than it had up till now, and the crew gaped in terror."I think we'd better get the boat out of here," Jean yelled to Jack."Good thinking!" Jack shouted back, now hanging from ju
st one of the creature's fins.
"What?" Arabella asked, not able to hear Jack over the chaos."Just get going! Go!" Jack shouted. Then the beast reared up and slammed Jack down on the surface of the water. Jack was able to hold on, and when the creature broke the surface again and straightened its body as it had before, yowling like mad, Jack took his sword, inserted it just below the monster's jaw, and slid down the length of the creature, cutting the beast in the process. The thick skin of the creature split open to reveal bluish guts covered in dark blood. It tossed its head like mad, spraying its green slime all over the surface of the water, then collapsed on top of Jack.The water was still for a few moments as the crew watched, stunned, and waited for Jack to surface.
But there was no sign of him.
"Oh, my . . ." Arabella said, putting her hand to her mouth.Then, suddenly, from behind the ship, a loud splash sounded. Something had shot out of the water again."Jack!" Fitzwilliam shouted, genuinely pleased to see him."Who were you expecting? Davy Jones?" Jack quipped.The crew looked out onto the water where the carcass of the mighty beast lay in an oily pool of monster juice."Well," Jack said, "looking on the bright side, we now have boatloads of meat
for the rest of the journey."

CHAPTER FOUR

The crew sailed away from the butchered sea beast, which sank slowly to the ocean depths. They were entering the thick of the fog that surrounded the island which had appeared on the horizon, but the island itself was miles away yet. The ocean was still and silent again, the only sounds heard were the creaking boards and the slap of the waves against the Barnacle's hull.And then, that other sound again ... the beautiful, haun
ting, lovely, maddening sound.
Jack wondered if it could be the howling of sea beasts, like the one he had just slain."Come near my ship, beastie," Jack yelled out toward the ocean, waving his fist as a warning, "and I'll do to you what I've already done to your mate."He stood at the ready, but as he scanned his crew, he noticed that they were not responding at all. While he was prepared for another battle, they were slack and relaxed.Arabella stood at the rail, staring gloomily out to sea. Fitzwilliam sat on a barrel, pulled his sword from his scabbard and used his neckerchief to slowly polish it, making long, smooth strokes. Tumen picked up the astrolabe Arabella had laid on the deck and seemed to be studying the stars, which was odd, since non
e had appeared in the sky yet.
Jean petted Constance over and over, the cat lying limply in his arms."What is all this?" Jack scolded. "We have a ship to--"His voice broke off, as the sound, floating along the wind, became louder. It was like a song, but not exactly. There were no words, just sounds. It was hard to tell if it was one voice or many. And though it was clearly being sung, the melody wasn't very songlike--no repeated phrases, no hummable tune. Jack wasn't sure if he was hearing it with his ears or if somehow the sound had burrowed into his brain and he was hearing it from inside his head. It was wrapping itself around him like the tentacles of some sea beast.Jack threw his head back and forth violently, trying to shake the sound out. Then he s
tood up straight, enduring the
sound, and cleared his throat. "Mates," he said to his crew, "it's high time for--" He suddenly ducked as the boom swung toward him."Hey!" Jack cried, yanking on the line. "Tumen, Jean. Look alive there, mates."The two able-bodied seamen ignored him, so he left the helm to lash the rope to the cleat at the stern, making a tangled mess of the excess. "I'll fix that later," Jack muttered. Thwack! Jack jumped at the sound of all three sails suddenly furling."What the--" he sputtered, wondering how he would set them right all at once. He strode to the center deck. "Jean, Tumen," he barked, "trim the jib and the foresail. Arabella, Fitz, you tackle the main." No one moved.Whomp! Jack jumped again and stared up incred
ulously as the sails unfurled,
returning to their proper positions.Something had clearly taken control of the ship--something powerful and invisible. Could it have something to do with the strange song? Jack wondered. "Well, at least the sails seem to have sorted themselves out. More than can be said for you lot!" Jack said, glaring at his crew. He opened his mouth to deliver a severe tongue-lashing, but then noticed the wheel at the helm twirling madly. He dashed back to it and tried to get it under control. "A little help would be nice," he called.No response.He turned his back on the deck in order to face the wheel directly, struggling with it. It suddenly seemed to have a mind of its own. Every time he yanked it one way, it yanked itself back the other. He had the oddest feeling that some
one was under the ship pulling
on the rudder, forcing the wheel to guide the ship away from the island on the horizon.Jack closed his eyes tightly in frustration. He released the wheel to pull his bandana from his head and wipe his face. He watched dumbfounded as the wheel spun around and around like a wayward top. It then stopped dead still. Just as he reached for it again, it whirled frantically, first one way, then the other. He yanked his hand back from the mad dance of the wheel."Fine, be that way," Jack shouted at the wheel.None of his crew members had budged a single inch. Jack would have thought they'd been mystically turned into statues if they weren't each absently, languorously, and silently continuing their activities. The setting sun cast long shadows across the deck. Jack jumped
down in front of Fitzwilliam.
"To arms!" he shouted, expecting Fitzwilliam to raise his sword and rush to the bow. But the young aristocrat just continued running his neckerchief up and down the blade. Jack huffed in frustration. He was getting nowhere.Jack crossed to where Arabella stood gazing out to sea. "What is so bloody fascinating out there?" he asked her.She didn't answer, didn't move, just gripped the rail, her long hair lifting in the wind."Well, if you want to go all statuey, lass, that's your prerogative. But I have a ship to sail here," Jack said, stepping away from her.He turned and joined Tumen at center deck. The young sailor was making adjustments to the astrolabe. "I hate to break this to you, my good fellow," Jack began, "but I can't see what use this device can be if you ho
ld it upside down."
Tumen behaved as if he hadn't heard a word.Jean was petting Constance--or more correctly, attempting to. The cat had slithered out of Jean's hands and onto the deck. She lay sprawled in a way that made her look like a limp rag doll. It was unusual behavior for the feisty, albeit nasty, feline. Yet Jean's hands continued to move as if he were still holding her, rising and falling, rising and falling."What is wrong with you lot? Have you forgotten that we were just minutes ago nearly killed by a sea beast? Step up, now. These are dangerous waters!" Jack barked.Jack took a step toward them, but suddenly the song that had been blaring seemed to shift pitch and become much softer. Then Arabella shivered, Jean clasped his hands together, Tumen
stopped manipulating the
astrolabe, and Fitzwilliam's polishing slowed to a halt.The melody was still dancing about the boat, but now it was only a whisper. Jack felt as though the song were an entity that had just wound its way across the deck and was now heading back out over the water.The crew appeared to be getting back to its normal self, and then, suddenly, the sound increased markedly. The crew went stiff again, and the sails flew up and down the masts. The boom swung back and forth, and the lines untied themselves. Jack went into frantic action, dashing all over the ship, reaching, pulling, yanking, shoving--and above all, shouting. He was on his own for now. Despite his commands, not a single crew member responded.Panting, sweating, and furious beyond belief, Jack
Sparrow leaned heavily on the
wheel. It had set its own course, away from the island, and he'd given up trying to change it. At this point, any destination was better than jerking about this way and that."Might as well see where we're headed," he murmured. He pulled out his pocket compass and peered down at the instrument, but it was getting dark. He needed to light the lanterns. That was usually Arabella's job, but it wasn't likely she'd be taking that on this night.The compass needle flickered back and forth without rhyme or reason. It wasn't pointing north. Nor was it pointing south or east or west. It was just spinning aimlessly."Hmm. That's probably not good," Jack said, matter-of-factly.He shoved the compass back into his pocket. "Well, let's try this." He glanced at the stan
ding compass. That needle also
made a slow circuit around and around and around, like a sped-up clock. The instruments were as useless as Jack's so-called crew. He crossed to the rail to better see his mates. They all seemed to have fallen asleep. Jack wasn't sure if it was any worse than having them awake and useless.Grumbling, Jack strode to the bow, taking care not to accidentally kick anyone (though he did so a few times). As he peered into the oddly starless night, the wind picked up, pushin
g the Barnacle speedily along.