Pirates of the Caribbean 02 The Siren Song (5 page)

CHAPTER NINE

Jack smacked the wheel. He walked to the mast, circling around his newly deranged crew members. "So," he began, pacing back and forth in front of them, "it has recently become clear to me that the Sirens, or something like them, are the reason for all of this bizarre, strange, and utterly unacceptable
behaviour
. This of course indemnifies you all on some level--though not entirely--but it does not solve my more immediate problem, which is ho
w do I overcome this trial and
get you all back to normal." He glared at Constance, who was sitting with her paws crossed angrily, "Or, as normal as possible."It also does not explain why I seem to be the only one remotely aware of this Siren song, nor does it explain why I have not been affected by it." Jack stopped and thought for a moment."It does explain the sea beast."He paused again and
concentrated. “It
does not explain the appearing disappearing island."It does explain the presence of the song, whether you can hear it or not."Jack rubbed his chin thoughtfully."So! You see, we have more items unanswered than answered."The bound crew members were limp and stared slack-jawed and expressionless at Jack."And it's cle
ar none of you are hearing any
of this, so I am basically speaking to a mast," Jack said."Anyway," he continued, "about these Sirens ... I don't know why I didn't realize it before. We've all heard the stories, the legends. Every sailor lives in fear of being called to their watery grave by the Siren's song. He leaned over the side of the ship and cupped his hands together. "I guess I just thought they'd be a bit more on key," he mused.Just then, the song wrapped itself around the ship once more. The crew perked up."For the glory of the Crown and the Dalton name!" Fitzwilliam shouted. "I must report for my commission at once! Why are you detaining me?""Well, you see, Fitzy," Jack said, kneeling down beside the delirious boy. "There is no commission
. There is no Crown. And after
today I am not even sure there is a family Dalton. Everything you've been saying is out-and-out rubbish." Jack was enjoying turning the tables on Fitzwilliam, who consistently insisted that Jack was not a captain. Jack stood up, then stumbled a moment, dizzy and light-headed. He steadied himself by grabbing the mast over Fitzwilliam's head. "Must have not quite recovered from my dip in the ocean," he muttered."Mother!" Arabella pleaded. "I must see my mother! I must!""Bell," Jack said quietly, "I really don't think it's a good idea for that request to be granted.""Tia Dalma!" Jean moaned. "We have to go see her!""I believe your friend Tumen will argue that," Jack pointed out. Tumen nodded angrily in agr
eement. "And I'd hate to cause
a rift between such good mates. So I shall refuse you both, in the interest of your friendship. We're keeping to our original course."Constance had stopped yowling and hissing. She simply sat there, staring at the ropes wrapped around her and gazing up at Jack defiantly. From the twitching of her tail, he was pretty certain he'd pay for her confinement later."And you," he began to address the cat, who bared her teeth, "oh, never mind."Jack started suddenly and flapped his hands quickly about his ears, as if he were trying to shoo away the song. He lowered his wet bandana over his ears and tightened it, hoping it would help muffle the sound.It didn't.Jack groaned in frustration and gritted his teeth. The s
hip was drawing ever closer to
the island, and Jack was beginning to think that if this was where the Sirens or mermaids, or whatever they were, wanted him to go, then he should make every effort to avoid heading toward it.He gave the wheel a try--hoping it would work this time--and was thankfully surprised that the rudder responded to his touch. "Okay now, Scaly Tails," he shouted out to the sea, "thank you for your hospitality. So glad you'd like us all to stick around your strange disappearing island, but sorry, it's getting late, must be going. Savvy?"Peering at the instruments, he realized that although the compass seemed to be working, he had no idea which way to guide the Barnacle. The boat had been pulled in so many directions between here and there-- between the first encounter with the sea beast and
now--that he had no idea where
he was. Further, with his crew tied to the mast, he'd have no help adjusting the sails to catch the winds. He thought that once the starry night appeared, Tumen would be able to help him with navigating. . . . Then he looked over at Tumen, who was drooling all over himself and stuttering, "Home! Home!""No help there," Jack said. "Well, actually, thinking about it more carefully, this can't really be all that hard. All I truly want to do is get out of here. It doesn't matter where I wind up, as long as it's far from sea beasts and the Scaly Tails."As Jack tried to figure out how to
manoeuvre
the boat away from the island, the song grew even louder, filling Jack's head completely. It was nearly impossible for him to think of a plan, a direction to take. Any thought
he had was crowded out by the
wailing of the song and the shouting of his crew."All right, that's it!" Jack stalked away from the wheel. "I've had it with all of you!" Jack shouted. Turning to his crew, he continued through gritted teeth, "And I do mean all of you."There was only one thing to do. He had to face the creatures who were tormenting him and entrancing his crew. One way or another, he had to stop the singing. That was the only way he'd be able to break the hold over his ship and his mates. If the Scaly Tails were too cowardly to come to him, then he'd be more than willing to join them on their
turf. He
strode to the prow of the ship and planted one foot on the bowsprit. "All right, Scaly Tails," he bellowed out to sea, "I know who y
ou are. I know the game you're
playing. I'm ready to fight for my crew! So, come out . . . and play with old Captain Jack Sparrow!"Sudden silence.Then, Jack heard the lapping of gentle waves against the hull of his ship. Finally, a delicate, pale hand broke the water. A finger was lifted and i
t beckoned Jack into the sea.

CHAPTER TEN

Without hesitation, Jack dove into the water. A powerful current swept over him, and he felt himself being sucked downward. He opened his eyes wide, but the water was spraying his face, stinging him so badly that he needed to squint. He felt the rush of water all around him, and it became clear that he was inside a whirlpool or something very much like one. He was spun around and dragged deep into the ocean, deeper than he'd ever been
before. He could feel himself
descending, and the little bit of light he could see through his now barely opened eyes was waning. Down he went, his hair whipping around, the underwater world swirling into a frenzied
blur. Just
when he thought his lungs would burst, Jack was spat out into a vast cavern at the sea bottom. "Ouch!" he shouted as he landed. He lay gasping on shell-covered sand."Hey," he murmured, "there's air down here. And light." Given these strange facts, Jack was not sure if he'd actually landed at the bottom of the sea, or if he'd been transported to another dimension entirely.Slowly, he pushed himself up and gazed
around. The
huge cavern walls shimmered with the refraction from the turquoise water, each tiny ripple sendi
ng glints of light across the
ceiling. Little pools full of translucent shells and exotic fish dotted the sandy shore. Black coral formed bridges and thrones throughout the dark, damp, cavernous space that dripped and oozed with slime.Three mermaids with bright blue tails lay in the center of the cavern atop a slick boulder. They stared at Jack, their dark eyes haunting and intense. Around them, in shallow water, were hundreds of mermaids with green tails. They also stared at him intently. Relegated to a far corner of the cove were a dozen or so red-tailed mermaids. Jack couldn't tell where they were looking, but he thought it safe to assume that they, too, were staring at him.Jack stared back. He'd never before seen such a sight. "All these beautiful mermaids." He smiled. "Creatures of legend and lore, right in
front of me! What an exciting
adventure, indeed!" he murmured. Then he straightened his back and quickly reminded himself that these women were the enemy."Welcome," the three blue-finned mermaids said in unison."Nice harmony there," Jack commented. "I just hope you don't start up all those choruses again. I don't think I can take any more of that bit. Nice place you've got here," Jack said, admiring the dripping cave. "Where exactly are we?""We are beneath the island that is here but is not here," the three replied."Come again?" Jack asked."The place that resides in Davy Jones's locker but also rises to the air above the sea. You saw this island, and you wished to explore it. You are a courageous one," the blue-finned mermaids said together. "Not many have d
ared explore Isla Sirena, and
fewer still have been invited to meet us in our lair. You intrigue us.""You're a mite interesting yourself," Jack said, figuring these blue-finned mermaids were the leaders. The green-tailed creatures must be their army--if soft-looking fishtailed girls could constitute an army. It was an odd thought, but he knew from the legends how dangerous these creatures could be. His own crew had succumbed to their powers. He wondered what the Red-tails were. Servants,
maybe? As
he scanned the cavern he noticed a movement just out of the corner of his eye. It was a kind of flickering. He turned back to face the blue-tailed sirens and started. He could have sworn they had just shape shifted. For a moment he was certain he had seen their arms as tentacles ending in sharp nasty claws and th
eir shining scales covered in
barnacles and boils. Yet when he looked at the mermaids dead-on they-were beautiful again.And now, he sensed the same thing happening with all the green-tailed mermaids just beyond his peripheral vision.Steady on, he told himself. Keep your head clear."What is your name?" the three bluetailed mermaids trilled."Jack Sparrow. Well, actually now, Captain Jack Sparrow. I've got a ship. The Barnacle. Little thing really, not such a ...""Silence!" the three mermaids rang out in unison."So," he cleared his throat, "you know who I am. And now, I assume, you are the great Sirens of legend. Call sailors to their doom and all that," he said."No, Jack Sparrow. We are not the Sirens. We are
the merfolk. We sing our own
melody, and we do the bidding of the Sirens. We are their agents, like the sea beast you killed during the last rising sun. There are others you were fortunate enough not to encounter--gill men, sea warriors . . . We all receive the protection of the Sirens in return for our services.""And what exactly are your services, pray tell?" Jack asked, leaning forward.Three Blue-tails flicked their fins in unison. "Our song will tear open your heart, and you will beg for more. It will tease you with your greatest desire till you grow mad. And this desire will eventually burn so fierce that you will drive yourself directly to us. Then it is our charge to deliver you to those to whom we answer.""The Sirens," Jack said."Yes," the Blue-tails replied.Jack thought about th
is.
"So, that explains why Fitzy wants to go join the Light Brigade, Tumen wants to go home, Arabella threw herself overboard, and Jean wants that mangy feline transformed back into a human form--""--which is the feline's wish as well," the mermaids finished for Jack, "hence the eerily human posturing.""But what about me? Why was I not affected?" He smiled smugly. "I guess it's likely because you fancy me," Jack said, smiling and tugging at his shirt collar. "Can't really say I blame you, ladies," Jack continued, examining his dirty fingernails proudly in an attempt to look nonchalant. Then he reminded himself that these ladies were not his friends."But you were affected, Jack Sparrow. Remember what you desire most. You were following what you desire most,
" they responded.
This was not clear to Jack, who shook his head in confusion."Your greatest desire . . ." all the mermaids in the cavern crooned."Desire," hundreds of them echoed over and over, "desire."Jack bit his lip. He was going to have to think about this one for a while."Well, no harm done," he told the merfolk. "I'd have acted the same way with or without your musical interference." He took a step closer to the edge of the lagoon. "But now I really must insist. Release my crew and my ship from your spell ... or else."Jack noticed the leaders' blue tails flicking the way Constance's tail did when she was about to pounce. He braced himself for an attack and gripped his sword, which st
ill stank of slain sea beast.
"We are willing to make a deal," the three Blue-tails sang."A deal ... a deal ... a deal . . ." the others chimed in."I can do -without the chorus, please," Jack said. "No offense.""None taken," the mermaids replied.He turned to address the entire circle of Green-tails and once again was startled by strange transformations in his peripheral vision. Claws snapped; what had seemed to be pretty, soft faces grew scaly and fanged; tentacles reached toward him, then retracted. With a nervous shiver, he faced the Bluetails again."You were saying," he said, his voice a little shaky."We will let you and your crew continue unimpeded on one condition. You must offer to us the greatest tr
easure you will ever obtain."
Jack flinched--he already considered the Sword of Cortes as good as his. The prospect of cutting this deal so he was free to search for the Sword just to lose it again to the Sirens was unthinkable."I'm afraid on that I shall have to disappoint you," he told them. "I see no profit in going through all the trouble of finding the Sword of Cortes, risking the life of my crew--not to mention my own--endure great hardship, and face who knows what obstacles just to turn it over to you lot." He shook his head. "We'll have to do a bit more negotiating, my dears. The Sword of Cortes is not a treasure I'm going to part with."All the mermaids in the cavern laughed, their amused voices trilling. The sound was echoing so loudly in the huge cavern that Jack had to force himself not to cover his ears."Not all
treasure is silver and gold,
Jack Sparrow," the Blue-tails said.Jack wondered why these supernatural types always found the need to speak in riddles. He could hardly figure out what his greatest desire was, and now he was challenged to come up with the thing that would be the greatest treasure he'd ever obtain. And that, only to barter it away in order that he and his crew could sail on, in search of the treasure he desired most. . . which he'd have to return to the merfolk once it was procured. It was all so confusing."Well," Jack said, "if it's not silver and gold you're looking for, then it can't be that important. I accept your offer," Jack said. All the mermaids below Isla Sirena hissed."Then we have made a deal," the Bluetails sang."Great, then. Be on my way now," Jack said. "Can any one of you b
e a lady and
show me the way out?" he asked, winking at a particularly cute Red-tail, who smiled back."Before we release you, we require collateral," the Blue-tails countered."Sorry, Scaly Tails, got nothing on me but this old sword, my boots, and old Stone-Eyed Sam's stone eye."The coven gasped."We will take the eye."Jack shrugged. He'd taken it as a souvenir of his last adventure, but it didn't have any value beyond the sentimental. And Jack Sparrow was anything but sentimental. He held out the stone that was once set in the skull of the pirate Stone-Eyed Sam and dropped it neatly into one of the Blue-tails' hands. The mermaids smiled with pleasure."Very well. We will hold this stone until you return to deliver to u
s your most prized treasure."
Jack shrugged. "Okay, then," he said. These mermaids were not quite as clever as they thought they were.The mermaids grinned at Jack as though they could read his thoughts. A sudden shiver shot up Jack's spine. Their identical smiles unnerved him. He shook off the strange feeling of doom."Jack Sparrow," the Blue-tails said, then paused . . .Jack stared at them, waiting."You are free to go," they finished, laughing."Free, free, free," the rest of the coven repeated, as the word echoed throughout the cavern.Jack felt a hot rush of blood go to his head.