Chapter 1
A New Age of Piracy

Prologue

It was a moonless night and the waters all around Ship Wreck Cove had been plunged into darkness. The only light came from the countless stars above and the flickering lamps at the massive gates leading to the Brethrens Court. The island was a fortress unlike any other and had never been penetrated by intruders before. The inhabitants could live there for years without opening the gates. It was the one sanctuary in the pirate realm where all pirates could go. Of course they had never had to worry about anyone trying to break into the island. Even if they had, they would never have see the ship sitting a ways from the island fortress in the blanketing darkness.

Now would the sentries had seen the individual scaling the outer cliff walls from a long boat that had crept up on the island out of no where. The individual wore no safety ropes, only in garbs of black that covered them from head to toe and climbing claws on their palms and feet. The individual moved with the grace of a cat as they climbed cliff face rapidly. Thirty minutes later the individual pulled themselves over the edge of the cliff and was soon sprinting across a hard grassy stretch of land. The intruder’s padded feet kicked up dirt in their wake as they ran, covering a lot of distance in a short time. Their would be patrols about somewhere and it would not o well to be caught in the middle of infiltrating the place.

Finally after what felt like forever, the end of stretch of land was coming to an end, the intruder could just make it out in the darkness and without hesitation, dropped off the edge and started to slide down a steep slope that led to the rocky but calm waters below. The black garbed intruder controlled their descent with the climbing claws strapped to one of their palms, dragging it through the wall and when the intruder was not more then a meter from the water, they launched themself across the rocks jutting out of the water and dived beneath the surface.

The water was cold and dark, but the intruder pushed forward, sticking close to the surface, coming up for breaths only when necessary. Fish scattered from the intruders approach and the hairs on the back of the intruders neck stood on end, sensing no doubt the presence of a lone shark that had found its way into the cove. The intruder shivered uncomfortably and powered forward. After a few minutes the intruder passed under the docks just as two pirates walked overhead. The intruder made a face at stench they gave off an suppressed the urge to gag.

“………The blabbering idiot didn’t know what to do when we attacked his ship.” laughed one of the pirates. “He was an annoying fella, that’s why the captain impaled him to one of the ships masts and set the ship aflame. The captain ain’t got much time for cowards like that, can’t say I wouldn’t ‘ave dun the same yah know, but I’d ‘ave cut out his tongue first and melted silver into his ears and eyes.”

“Yah a cruel man sometimes” the other almost seemed to chuckle.

“I do enjoy my work, t’is true” the first agreed. “But he’d ‘ave had it coming.”

“Fat merchants think they’re invincible because they have a ship and a few cannon’s. Stupid blighters shouldn’t even be allowed on the water” growled the other one.

“Cut out yah own tongue Tick…who else would we steal from if there were no merchants on the sea” replied the first one, obvious shocked.

“Yah know what I mean” Tick said dismissively.

And then they were gone. The intruder reached up to the edge of the dock and silently pulled themself out of the water, rolling on to the dock and then was off like a shot. The intruder was quick, dashing along the wooden planks and pulling a pair of Khukuri knives from the belt on their waist, coming up on the pair of pirates from behind like a tiger. A creak from the docks caused the men to turn, only to see the black shadow launching through the air at them. Before they had time to draw their swords the intruder had already slit their throats and sent them crashing into water.

The intruder continued without stopping, racing into the Brethrens Court without a single second of hesitation. There was no point in turning back now without getting what they’d come here for. There were other sentries that the intruder would sneak up on, slitting their throats without ever alerting them. There were others that were impossible to sneak up on, and had to be taken by surprised and killed in almost the same motion, but the intruder managed it without raising the alarm in the process. The only concern now was someone finding the hastily hidden bodies.

The Brethrens Court was huge, but at the moment there was only a few living here, only the Keeper of the Code and his pirate crew and a few slaves that kept the place maintained.

Fortunately the intruder knew where to go and within fifteen minutes had found the giant double doors leading to the archives, where the pirate lords kept their secrets locked away. The intruder pulled a small needle and a small hooked rod and went to work on the intricate lock built into the door. Sweat dripped from their brow and they had to stop several times to wipe their eyes. It was only when the intruder heard the satisfying click that they sighed with relief and pushed the doors open.

Before the intruder stood rows of shelfs filled with rolled up charts and poorly kept log books and journals, even ancient looking scrolls and a few other items that had been stored there for safe keeping over the years and subsequently forgotten about. It was probably the first time anyone had ever set foot within the archives in years. Everything was a mess and there seemed at first to be no discernable filing system, but the intruder knew better. The intruder knew what they wanted however and moved quickly to the mass of charts and rifled through them urgently, pushing aside rolled up maps and examining others, until finally they found the big rolled up bamboo map. The intruder grinned triumphantly and quickly left the archives, and quietly closed and locked the doors on the way out. There was no need for someone to come along and raise the alarm just yet. The Intruder hoped to be far away from Ship Wreck Island before anyone realized anything had even been stolen in the first place. At least that was the most ideal outcome.

After making sure the doors were locked again, the intruder turned and went to run off, only to crash into a mountain of a man that had come strolling around the corner at the exact same time. The intruder bounced off the man like a child’s toy and crashed ungracefully to the ground in a heap, the bamboo chart scattering across the ground.

“Watch where yah going shorty” the pirate rumbled in a deep voice, annoyed by the collision but barely affected by it either and was about to leave when he noticed the chart for the first time. He eyed the intruder suspiciously as realization started to settle in. “Oi! What are you doing with that? Who are you!?” he demanded.

Before the intruder could react he had reached down with one of his big meaty hands and tore away the black cloth masking their face, revealing the big green eyes and long flowing blood red haired pony tail of a young woman staring murderously back at him.

“Well, well, look what I’ve found” the pirate leered, licking his lips and staring down at her expansive bounty. “Trying to steal from us were yah girly? Well you’re just gonna have to be punished aren’t yah now little missy?”

“Who said anything about trying” sneered the young woman.

Without warning she nailed her foot between his legs and he leg out a great high pitch cry as he let go of her and grabbed at his man bits in agony, bloody dripping from his mouth as he fell to the ground. The woman rolled her eyes and grabbed the chart up off the ground before dashing off once more, his cry no doubt have drawn attention of others. It was only seconds later that a group of men came along and found the incapacitated man lying on the ground. He pointed painfully at the direction the young woman had gone and soon she found herself being chased by horde of angry pirates, swords at the ready. She swore under her breath and started sprinting as fast as she could. She had the advantage, she was smaller and light on her feet and not carrying nearly as much weight as the men behind her. She could move more freely and had no trouble ducking and dodging as she fled.

“Why does this always happen” she sighed to herself, suddenly wondering what was worse. That it always happened, or that it happened often enough that she could say it with the same familiarity as putting on a shoe.

A pirate appeared in front of her, grinning arrogantly, but as he went to grab at her, she dropped into a slide and slid straight through his wide spread legs and was on her feet and running once more, laughing as the horde of pirates behind her crashed into the man. She slipped quickly under a gate and cut the ropes holding it in place. It crashed shut with a great boom and locked in place. She smiled, proud of herself and turned to leave, only to be confronted by two pirates that had crept up on her. She levelled even looks at them and placed the bamboo chart down as she took out her second Khukuri knife and slowly sized the two men up, moving into position. They were bigger then her and from the look of their muscles had superior strength too. Of course the sight of a five foot seven, young woman squaring off against two six foot plus men looked almost ludicrous.

That’s why she let them make the first move.

They came at her as one, hefting their large swords and swinging above and below. The young woman dived forward, her feet clearing the path of the blades as they passed each other and rolled across the ground behind the men. She came up in a crouch and sprung from her position, landing on one of the men’s back jamming one of her blades into his side and twisting it before yanking it out. The man roared in pain and horror and she jumped off his back as he tried to cover the wound, but was too later. Within seconds he sagged and collapsed to the ground like a sack of potato’s. The other man, enraged now turned and came at her with power swings. She parried the first one and felt a jarring shockwave shoot through her arms. She danced around the taller warrior, using her compact form to her advantage, until suddenly her blade was resting against his arm pit.

“Better luck next time” she said coldly, and sliced the blade through the skin, severing a major artery. The man collapsed and died faster then the first one, two great pools of blood forming around them.

She collected the bamboo chart from the ground and was off running again and soon she was outside, racing along the docks, chart in one hand and a Khukuri in the other. Any pirate that got in her way was cut down just as quickly, leaving a trail of bodies in her wake.

She saw that she was running out of dock and sheathed her blades before diving into the water. The pirates on the docks above had draw their pistols and rifles and were firing wildly into the water, lead balls whizzing past her head as she swam towards the Devil’s Throat, the narrow inlet that had claimed more ships every year then the Royal Navy did. It was what made invading Ship Wreck Cove nigh impenetrable. By ship that was. She wasn’t sure how long she swam just beneath the surface, but the whole time she could sense the presence of the sharks beneath her, but they paid her little mind, drawn by the smell of blood further in the cove. It would keep them busy for a while yet. Finally she emerged from the inlet, gasping for breath as she did, her lungs burning and protesting against the extended lack of air. She didn’t stop though, she kept swimming further and further into the darkness.

Minutes later as she swam further from Ship Wreck Cove, her crew in the long boat pulled up along side her and pulled her up out of the water. One of the crewman quickly provided a blanket that she gratefully wrapped around her to stave off the cold, her teeth chattering as she smiled triumphantly.

“You got the chart then?” asked one of the men excitedly.

She held the chart up to their eager eyes.

“Part One, accomplished boys.”

The fun, was just beginning……


Undisclosed Location

The mood at the cliff over looking the massive expanse of the ocean was a sombre one. The small gathering stood, scattered about loosely with hats removed and hands folded quietly in front. A lone young man, his face set in emotionless mask detached himself from the crowd and started towards the edge of the cliff, carrying a long flaming torch that lit up the twilight that fell across the gathering. He approached a pile of wood at the very edge and stopped meters away from it, staring silently at it for a couple of seconds and then the ocean before him, before casting the flaming torch into the pile.

In a great whoosh the pile erupted in flames, thick oily smoke rising into the air as the young man sighed quietly, the fire light flickering in his eyes as he suppressed the urge to cry out in anguish and confusion. Why he wondered, why did it turn out like this. It was maddening and he nearly lost it there and then trying to figure it out as he had half a dozen times already. What was the point he wondered bitterly as he turned and stalked back down the path to where the people waited.

He recognized most of them, having grown up around them. Some he recognized from descriptions he’d heard and a couple he didn’t know at all. Those that he didn’t recognize had invited themselves.

As he reached the gathered once more, and elderly man stepped out to clasp him on the shoulder, his eyes wet with emotion. William smiled sadly.

“Thank you for coming Mr Gibbs” he said sincerely.

“Not even Sirens could have kept me away young William” the elderly man assured him. “Your mother was a good person, perhaps even most good hearted person I’ve ever known. I couldn’t believe me ears when your letter reached me.”

“It came as a shock to us all” William admitted, shaking his head. “Not that she died I mean. We all knew for a long time that she was dying, then one day she disappeared from the house, a few days later her body washed up on the beach….”

He closed his eyes tightly against the rush of confused emotions that welled up inside of him. Gibbs sighed and tightened his grip on Williams shoulder.

“I think I’m beginning to understand yah mother’s thinking lad” the older man said seriously, causing William to jerk his head up in surprise. Mr Gibbs couldn’t help but smile slightly, pleased that he could still surprise the young ones. He was about to explain when he caught sight of an individual moving amongst the crowd and frowned slightly. “Not here William…there be too many ears abound for my liking.”

The young man turned to see who Gibbs was staring at and caught sight of the filthy looking sea dog of a man with a big hat and unkempt beard and a monkey on his shoulder. The description caused a brief flicker of recognition in him. Someone his mother had told him about long ago. She hadn’t trusted him and but said he had done her good service once, but William took an immediate disliking to them man, but stood his ground firmly when the man started towards them.

“Captain Barbosa” Gibbs almost sneered.

“Ah, Mr Gibbs, its been a long time” Barbosa replied evenly.

“What business do you have here?” Gibbs demanded.

“Can’t a humble pirate pay his respects to his king?” the other replied with feigned innocence.

“A humble pirate could” Gibbs replied scathingly. “So what are yah doing here Barbosa, you mutinous dog.”

Barbosa glared murderously at the old man, causing both Gibbs and William to flinch involuntarily under the pirates gaze. Even the monkey fidgeted uncomfortably.

“I don’t like repeating myself Mr Gibbs. I’ve done what I came here for and now I’ll be going” Barbosa growled, sounding slightly insulted.

With that Barbosa turned and limped off in a huff, an air of aggravation about him as he went that caused others to steer clear of him. William watched the man leave with relief, noting the same expression on Gibbs wrinkled old face.

“What was that about?” he asked calmly.

“History” Gibbs replied simply.

“And who are they?” William asked quietly, nodding towards a small group of distinguished looking individuals. “I don’t recognize them.”

“Those are six of the nine Pirate Lords, Barbosa is the seventh. I’m surprised to see them here myself to be honest lad. I wasn’t aware yah mother had made that kind of lasting impression on them that they would attend her memorial personally. Yah mother was an important woman, probably more then you realize boy” the old sailor said in a calm respectful tone. “Come on boy, there be matters that need discussing in places more private then this here.”


Sometime later William stood in the study of what was now legally his house staring at the portrait of him and his mother she’d had made when he was four and wondered to himself if he had ever been that young. Silently he took a swig from the rum bottle and turned to look at Gibbs, who lounged comfortably in one of the plush chairs on the other side of the desk, affectionately draining the contents of his own bottle of rum.

“This is a fine home lad. Yah mother did well for herself after that whole business with the East India Trading Company” the old man nodded approvingly, then smiled. “You’re mother was a born leader boy and she could take control of situation better then any I’ve seen, perhaps except for Captain Teague, but his methods are drastically different. Fact of the matter is, no matter how good a leader yah mother was, she didn’t have the heart for pirating. She did what she needed to during those hard times to survive and I respected her for that…we all did.”

“Tell me about her” William said suddenly, sitting down across from Gibbs with a look of interest. “She told me in privacy about what happened, but she never really told me, you understand?”

“Aye” Gibbs nodded. “Hmm, where do I start. Even when yah mother was just a wee lass she had that burning fire of determination that stayed with her through it all. She wasn’t about to let her life be dictated for her. That was when she met yah father for the first time too, when we pulled him half dead from the waters………”

And so Gibbs told William the story of his mother. He went on for hours and through it all the young man suspected that parts of it were either greatly exaggerated or his mother had been very modest about her part in her adventures with his father and Jack Sparrow – whom he was disappointed had not shown up – against Barbosa and later Davy Jones and Cutler Beckett. He found Gibbs version of the story refreshing and he almost felt like a young boy again. He enjoyed the parts that involved his father, only have fading memories of him when he had turned ten years old. Then thinking about his father he grew inwardly sombre once more, remembering he would soon have to tell give his father the news of his wife’s death when he returned for his day on land. William was not looking forward to that, but he supposed it was his duty.

“William?” he came out of his inward melancholy to see Gibbs staring at him in concern. “You alright boy?”

William forced a smile. “Yeah. I just caught up in my thoughts, that’s all. There were some matters that you wanted to discuss with me?”

Gibbs nodded seriously and pulled an envelope out of his pocket. Its seal was broken but William immediately recognized his mothers seal. It looked old and worn, like it had been opened numerous times.

“Yah mother sent this to me some years ago. I was surprised that she sent it to me actually” the old man explained and pulled out a letter that looked as worn as the envelope. “As you know, your mother was one of the Nine Pirate Lords and she was elected as Pirate King at the last Brethren’s Court. She died without passing that title on to another and now that there’s an open spot there’s gonna be a lot of ambitious pirates out to claim that title for themselves.”

“Pirate Politics…that still makes me laugh” William grinned. “What does this matter to me anyway Gibbs? I don’t want to be a Pirate Lord.”

Without a word the old sailor reached across the desk and handed the letter to the young man, who curiously took it.

My dearest William

I pray that this letter reaches you in good health and that Mr Gibbs hasn’t exaggerated my life too much, but if you are reading this, then I am no longer with you. Do not be sad for me William, I have lived a life that many would have give anything to have. Despite the pain and loss that my interests in pirates and piracy has brought me, it has also given me a better understanding of the way the world works and I would not trade anything in my life to change what happened. Piracy was not for me, but I have learnt that being pirate doesn’t mean you have to become a cold, black hearted murder, although it may sometimes become necessary to kill those that would kill you in turn. I have killed many men William, so has your father. I have never pretended that this was otherwise and have always been honest with you dear. No, being pirate doesn’t mean becoming a monster. Being a pirate is about living your life without regrets and being willing to break the rules when you have to live your life free.
I am the Pirate Lord of the South China seas William, that is my domain of command and it was not easy being accepted as first by my predecessors followers. I didn’t want to be accepted either, it wasn’t something I wanted to control my life, so when it was time to return to my former life, I considered leaving the title to someone else there and then, but men that I now commanded me, begged me to remain their captain and leader. And after much consideration, I agreed and for the last twenty years, I have controlled the business in the South China Seas from afar. It brought us much financial aid over the years, especially when you were much younger. I do not regret my decision and I tried to influence my men as much as possible, however I do not fool myself into believing that they have become decent honest men. I have seen the way they live and the acts they commit, but I do believe that most were honourable men deep inside, even if they did not show it all the time.
I am telling you this William because, no doubt by now Mr Gibbs has explained that my death has created a opening within the Brethrens Court and that many will try to claim my title as their own. This can not happen William, for I have chosen you to succeed me as Pirate Lord of the South China Sea’s. Tai Huang, my proxy in Singapore knows of my decision for I confided in him long ago of my plans and he has helped me greatly to understand the society I ask you to command now. Tai Huang will help you, as I’m sure Mr Gibbs will too if you ask him, but be wary. You will inherited my enemies as you do my title. Lao Feng, Sao Feng’s younger brother is a snake that will try to take the title of Pirate Lord by force. He has already created his own faction of loyal followers and commands many ships under him. He is not to be underestimated or trusted. Be cautious and keep a weather eye open young William, Lao Feng could come for you at any time, but he is most certainly going to cause trouble.
You must travel to Ship Wreck Cove and present this letter the other Pirate Lords and Captain Teague, along with the other documents I sent to Mr Gibbs for safe keeping. The contain information they must know about Lao Feng. This letter and those documents will guarantee your succession as Pirate Lord.
I am sorry to foist this responsibility off on to you William and I pray that you forgive me if I have upset you. But how long you remain Pirate Lord is up to you, you can pass the title on to another if you wish, but do not let Lao Feng gain the title do you understand me William. You can not let Lao become one of the nine.
Remember what I said.
Being a pirate, doesn’t mean becoming a monster.

Your’s Sincerely
Elizabeth Turner

P.S. If you need help, call upon your father.



William put the letter down, his face unreadable and quiet as he stared off into space. His shock was so great that he couldn’t even begin to form the words in his mind as to what he could say. His mother had fore seen this but never felt the need to talk it over with him in person, only in a letter when he could not argue with her. Of course he would carry out his mother’s last wishes. He would go to Ship Wreck Cove and present the court with the documents his mother spoke of and that would be the end of it. He refused to become a Pirate Lord. He liked listening to the tales of pirates, but he had no overwhelming desire to turn pirate himself, even if it was saturated in his blood.

“You have these documents?” he asked finally.

“No, I was afraid to bring them with me. I’m afraid we’ll need to make a stop before going on to Ship Wreck Cove” Gibbs explained. “Your mother was right though William, you cant let Lao Feng come to a position of such power and esteem. He is a very dangerous and sadistic man. He tried to kill Sao Feng several times if I remember correctly. But if he becomes a Pirate Lord, your mothers people will have no choice but to follow his commands and he’ll have an army unlike any we have ever seen. Even the armada that Beckett raised would pale in comparison. If this not settled quickly, we could very well be looking at a civil war over succession.”

William sighed. “I did not ask for this.”

“Your father never asked to become Captain of the Flying Dutchman either, but he accepted his part in the grand scheme of things, just as you yourself will have to in due time” Mr Gibbs told him calmly.

“I don’t want the title of Pirate Lord, Gibbs. I’m not a pirate” the young man tried.

“Pirate is in your blood lad. You can feel it just as pirate does, the call of freedom” Gibbs explained reassuringly. “We’ll leave tomorrow morning Will. The sooner we get this done, the better for everyone involved.”

William shook his head. “No, there are things I must attend to first.”

“They can wait”

“I have responsibilities to more then just the pirate community Mr Gibbs. They’ve survived without me for more years than I can imagine and they’ll manage for a while longer more without me.” William replied dryly.

Mr Gibbs frowned. “William, I don’t think you fully grasp the urgency of the task your mother has left to you! You may think the pirate community is a separate body from the rest of the world, but imagine a civil war amongst the pirates, imagine the chaos they’ll cause fighting over victims and the likes. The reason Morgan and Barthollmu created the Pirate Code and the Brethren Court was to prevent this kind of thing from happening.”

William gritted his teeth in aggravation. The idea of being a pirate was to live your life freely, yet here he was being shanghaied into it without a second thought. What was free about that? He suddenly felt like he had no control over his life anymore and wished his mother had addressed this problem when she had still been capable of it, or had at least spoken it over with him first.

“Day after tomorrow” he said stubbornly.

Mr Gibbs did not look pleased, but seemed to understand that it was the best he was going to get for the time being.

“You can use one of the guess bedrooms Gibbs” William said absently as he started reading his mothers letter, but his tone held a irritating note of finality.

“Thank you so kindly” Gibbs replied venomously before stalking off in a huff, and leaving young William to his confused thoughts.


Another Part of the World

Half way across the world in an out of the way tavern in one of the more dangerous areas of that particular region, sat a shady individual in the corner, nursing a pint of ale as he watched the rest of the tavern goers. He sat silently in the shadows, smoking a pipe as his one good eye – his other, useless eye concealed behind an eye patch - rolled across the individuals drinking and laughing and generally having a good time. He was an imposing man with a great presence about him that demanded the respect of all that met him.

He had been in many bars like this across the world. That was always at least one wherever you went, provided you looked hard enough. Nothing could compare to Tortuga in the Caribbean but there were many that were good substitutions. You could talk more freely and relax in a place like this and gather information on nearly anything if you were lucky.

He paused in mid drag of his pipe as the front doors opened and light streamed in. No one else seemed to pay much attention to the young man that entered, who stopped and looked around until he spotted the man sitting in the corner and came over. The parrot on his shoulder fidgeted slightly, digging its talons in anxiously until the man calmed it by scratching its belly absently and making a quiet but sharp clicking sound with the tip of his tongue against the roof of his mouth.

“You have what I asked for boy?” the man rumbled quietly.

The young man sat down and looked around nervously, making sure he hadn’t been followed or no one was trying to ears drop on them.

“My sources tell me that the charts were at the Brethrens Court” the young man whispered.

“Were?” the man asked ominously.

“Pieces of Eight! Pieces of Eight!!” the parrot on the man’s shoulder squawked suddenly, causing the young man to shift uncomfortably.

The young man sighed. “According to my sources, someone infiltrated Ship Wreck Cove and broke into the archive several weeks ago. They stole the charts, and killed several men in the process. The thief was last seen diving into the waters but never surfaced again. They thought the thief was dead but when they made someone go down to see if they could recover the charts, neither the body or the charts were anywhere to be seen.”

“Then how did this thief escape?!” demanded the man angrily.

“It seems the thief…a young woman one of the men described, swam under the gates. Apparently the gates don’t touch the bottom and there is a big enough gap for several individuals to swim through. It was a moonless night so the sentries never saw her nor did they see any ships, but you know well how big the ocean is” the young man explained.

“Damn that infernal Brethren’s Court!!” the man hissed, smashing his fist into the table and almost spilling his ale. “Do they have any idea who this blasted thief was?”

The young man shook his head. “The only man that got a good look at her described her deceptively beautiful when he tore her face coverings off. Then she kicked him.”

“Kicked him?” the man said incredulously.

“Yeah, straight in the goolies I hear. Kicked him so hard he died several hours later” the young man squirmed uncomfortably.

The man winced thinking how strong a kick that had to have been.

“So we’ve got a feisty young lass running around with my charts and no one knows where to look for her…this could be very interesting” the man said, suddenly subdued. “Our young thief seems to be the kind of person you don’t want underestimate. Breaking into the Brethren’s Court alone is a feat in itself. I suddenly want to meet this young lass very much so.”

“You’re orders then Captain?”

“Find me a crew and have them ready by the morning after next. We’re going to the Caribbean” the man smiled menacingly.

“You really think she’s in the Caribbean sir?” the young man asked. “If she has the charts wouldn’t she use them straight away?”

“Because, anyone that goes to the trouble of breaking into a place like Ship Wreck Cove knew exactly what they were looking for. She’ll know the dangers involved in venturing out on this journey, and I don’t just mean those that will come after her to retrieve the charts. She’s going to need to stock up on supplies and perhaps even recruit more crew members. She wont be ready to undertake such a journey immediately” the man explained seriously.

“Yes, but the Brethren’s Court is watching Tortuga like a hawk. They’re keeping their eyes out for any female pirates. They’ll be waiting for her” the young man pointed out.

“Which is why she’ll still be there when we get there. The Brethren know she’s there and she knows they know she’s there so she wont make any rash moves just yet. She’s as much a prisoner in that port as she would be behind bars. She’s going to need us and that gives us a certain amount of leverage” the man smiled arrogantly as he downed the rest of his ale and quickly ordered another two. “We’ll need to be careful as well though. I don’t like the idea of being held up by the Brethrens lackeys, but I hate the idea of being taken prisoner by them a whole lot more.”

“Don’t worry Captain, you can count on me” the young man said fiercely.

The man laughed warmly as one of the barmaids brought the two ales over. “I’m sure I can lad. Now drink up and enjoy yourself while you can. We’ll be hitting the ocean soon and we’re not likely to set foot on land again for a good while after.”

“Aye, aye captain” the young man grinned with boyish amusement.


Turner Estate

Williams sleep was not peaceful. He tossed and turned with unsettling dreams of falling into a dark abyss he couldn’t escape, only being pulled deeper and deeper by unseen hands. He wanted to scream or cry out for help, but his mouth was sealed shut by its own accord and he could only struggle uselessly in the invisible bindings. He was alone in the darkness, everyone he knew slowly leaving him until all he had was his own chaotic thoughts.

Then the shades begins to appear around him. Enraged ghostly spectres that looked at him accusingly.

His father appeared before him, his face livid. “You let your mother die!”

William was horrified. “No! No I didn’t!! There was nothing I could do!!”

“Liar!!” he spun as his mother appeared behind him, she pointed at him. “You let me die and now you refuse your inheritance. What kind of son are you! I didn’t raise you to be a spoilt brat!!”

“Why are you saying these things!?” William demanded, heart broken and enraged.

“You’re an evil child William! I should have given you up when you were born!! Then I could have lived my life the way I wanted to!!” Elizabeth screeched at him.

“You are not my parents!!” William shouted back. “My parents would never speak to me like this! None of this is real! Leave me alone!!”

“Keep telling yourself that” his father laughed cruelly. “You little pirate! What does it matter at all to you anyway! You inherited the fortune your mother worked so hard to amass for you, why should you have to carry out her final wishes eh? You’re nothing but a shameless little thief!!”

“You’re going to die William” he mother giggled insanely. “You’re going to die a slow and painful death for being a little thief that you are!”

“LEAVE ME ALONE!!”

Without warning William shot awake in bed, covered from head to toe in a cold sweat as a adrenalin surged through his body. His breathing was heavy and his heart thumped painfully in his chest. He wiped the sweat from his face, realizing quickly that it had just been a dream. No, a nightmare was more like it. But already it was starting to fade.

“Good god, I’m going insane” he sighed to himself has he put his head in his hands.

He couldn’t believe how vivid the dream was, but the rational part of him knew it had to do with him feeling guilty over how easily his mother had left the estate and disappeared until her body had been found on the beach. He blamed himself for not being more diligent in his care for her. And now he had been feeling even more guilty about being reluctant to succeed his mother as a Pirate Lord. It was a lot to drop on him all at once and no one could begrudge him that, but he knew that to be a Pirate Lord was a great honour, and he did not feel like he deserved it.

Glass broke somewhere in the house suddenly and William jumped out of bed, grabbing the flintlock pistol he kept next to his bed and quietly hurried into the hall. He could hear footsteps down stairs and crept quietly to the balcony overlooking the lobby. He spotted the broken window immediately as his eyes scanned for the intruders. A few seconds later they appeared from the dinning room area. They were garbed in filthy clothing that hung off them in places like rags and they stunk of the sea, but in the darkness he could barely make out their features. They looked around and then seemed to notice the stairs for the first time. William swore under his breath and retreated back down the hall once more.

When he reached the guess room he opened the door and slipped in without making so much as single sound. Closed door behind him and went to Mr Gibbs who was snoring loudly with a teddy bear in his arms. William nearly fell over at the sight of a elderly man such as Gibbs snuggling close to a stuffed animal. He almost fell over laughing but the present situation was more then serious.

He placed his hand over the man’s mouth and he awoke with a start but William kept him quiet.

“There’s men in the house. They broke in” he explained in a low whisper. “They look and smell like pirates.”

“I should take offence to that” Gibbs mumbled as William removed his hand.

The sound of heavy footsteps walking up the hall caught both their attentions and William pressed his hand against a panel built into the wall beside Gibbs’ bed and it folded out to reveal a flintlock pistol, much to the old man’s surprise.

“Mother had weapons hidden all over the house” William explained as he handed the gun to Gibbs.

Suddenly the door to the guess room was kicked in and without thinking both Williams and Gibbs opened fire, taking down the two men that tried to enter the room at the same time. The gun shots were deafening and wisps of smoke trailed out of the barrels. William heard cries of surprise from down stairs and saw, not stopping to think that there may have been more then two..

“Come on!” he hissed, pulling the old man out of bed. “We’ve gotta get out of here now. There’s more guns in the room at the end of the hall.”

“These men are Asian” Gibbs said as he saw the dead bodies. “They’re most likely Lao Feng’s men.”

Even as they started up the hall they could here the sound of many feet rushing up the stairs and shouts of murderous glee. William didn’t threw the door open to the room at the end of hall and Gibbs hurried in after him, slamming the door shut behind them. As he took in the sight of the room though, Gibbs froze in awe. There were cabinets filled with pistols and rifles of all types, enough to arm two or three ships worth of crew.

“Mothers milk lad, what was Elizabeth expecting, a war?” he said in shock.

“She liked to be prepared” was all William could think to say as he pulled open a cabinet and started handing Gibbs a variety of pistols before he started to arm himself.

The door started to rattle as the men on the other side tried to force the door open, but William calmly took a rifle down from the top shelf of a cabinet and aimed at the door. Without hesitation he opened fire and heard a short cry of surprise, then the sound of a body slumping to the ground.

“Leave or die!” he shouted to them.

“Oh yes, that always works” Gibbs replied dryly.

Suddenly the door handle was blasted off by gun shot and the door flew open. Both William and Gibbs opened fire as soon as the first man tried to enter. In the first two seconds four men were already dead. William threw his depleted guns to the side and fire another two before discarding those as well. He picked up the rifle he fired before and used it as a club as one of the men came screaming towards him. He caught the man in the side of the face with the butt of the rifle and sent him spinning to the floor. Then there was another and he jammed the bayonets into the pirates chest and drove him back into the other coming up behind him and sent them falling over each other.

William turned and grabbed up the sword of one of the dead men and slashed it across the back of a pirate trying to kill Gibbs. The man cried out, his body convulsing as the blade sliced through his back. He fell to the ground, dropping his own sword with blood oozing out every where.

“They tend to make a mess don’t they” William said critically.

“Aye, their mothers didn’t teach them any manners” Gibbs growled wiping some blood from his split lip where the pirate had gotten in a good right hook. “Devil’s spit! There’s still more of’em!”

William turned to see not only the ones he had knocked over getting to their feet, but more men streaming down the hall. He couldn’t believe his eyes. Where were they all coming from. He turned around and pulled open one of the draws in the lower section of the cabinets, revealing a couple of hand grenades, much to Gibbs amazement.

“I don’t really want to do this, but living is more important then a house” the young man explained bitterly as he slipped two rings on and pulled the fuse of one grenade between them, igniting it instantly. He did the same to the other and threw them down the hall and pulled Gibbs to the other side of the room, shouting “Get down!!”

A couple of seconds later the hall exploded, ripping apart walls and obliterating several doors. The heat from the explosion raced up and down the hall, filling every room and even singed Williams skin in places. Fire licked at the walls and ceiling but most of Lao Feng’s men had been killed instantly, others were groaning and or screaming with painful burns. William coughed and hacked on smoke that was quickly filling the house as he helped Gibbs to his feet. He picked up another sword for himself and one for Gibbs and started down the hall on shaky legs. One of the men that hadn’t died immediately tried to grab William’s leg, but the young man coldly cut his hand off and continued on without a second thought. So caught up in his thoughts that he didn’t even notice the straining beam over head until Gibbs pulled him back at the last second before it fell down through the floor and to the kitchen below them.

“Thanks” William breathed in shock.

“Now we’re even” Gibbs replied.

They hurried down the stairs as the fire started to quickly spread through the top floor, but as they reached the bottom floor they were dismayed to find more men waiting for them.

“Die Turner!!” shouted one of the men in pretty good English, before charging towards him.

William parried the first attack with one sword and ran him through with the other. He kicked the man off the sword with a single thought and readied himself for the next attack. The next man came at Gibbs, but the old man was surprisingly agile and dodged the attack and punched him in the face before slicing his throat open with a single long stroke of his blade. William blocked another attack and jumped to the side as to avoid another attack. His challenger was relentless and having to guard against the others at the same time was quickly wearing him out. Over and over again they pounded against his blocks and he dodged their attacks until his arms and legs burned with strain. He killed as many as he quickly could, taking advantage of the openings they presented. Soon there was a mass of dead bodies laying around him, blood splattering the walls and the fire starting to spread down the stairs, smoke filling the house quickly.

Gibbs dispatched another pirate and then killed the one attacking William, from behind. There was still more men, just not as many, but William knew he couldn’t keep this up and neither could Gibbs. They blocked passage to the front doors and to other parts of the house, trapping the two of them in the lobby.

“Any plans?” Gibbs asked.

‘Your turn” William replied simply as they stood back to back.

“Aye, I was afraid you were going to say that” the old man sighed.

As quickly as it had paused, the fighting flared up again with renewed vigour with a clash of swords. William ducked and swept his opponents legs out from under him and blocked another attack as he came up in a crouch. The pirate he was blocking pushed forward with both stronger leverage and superior body strength and William could feel himself faltering as he noticed the other man starting to rise and ready his sword. William gritted his teeth and dropped to the left out of his crouch and pulled the man standing over him to the side, sending him crashing into the other.

As he stood up he failed to notice the pirate standing off in the shadow with a pistol levelled and aimed at him. Gibbs turned and saw the pirate just he was starting to pull the trigger. Without hesitation he grabbed William by the scruff of his neck and with a burst of strength sent the younger man flying to side.

William’s eye went wide when the gun went off and everything seemed to freeze in the instant that followed, even Lao Feng’s men came to a stop. Gibbs stood staring off into space, seeing or sensing something that no one else present could. He mouth was slightly opened and breathing suddenly became erratic, as his night shirt started to stain with blood pumping out of his chest.

“Gibbs!” William gasped.

The old man staggered back and fell against the base of the stairs. William dropped his swords and scrambled past the Asian pirates and went to the old man’s side with wide eyes.

“I’m sorry Gibbs!” the young man nearly choked. “It should have been me.”

“Its not your fault lad” the old sailor smiled. “My life has been one stupid mishap after another. I forsake my career and gave up what was most important to me for selfish reasons………only time I ever felt like I was doing anything right was when I was helping Jack, and yah parents. I would rather die in your place, then die drunk in some forsaken alley. At least I can die knowing I did something right.”

William clenched his fists together and forced back an rush of tears, his face turning red with strain.

“Listen to me William” Gibbs hissed seriously, grabbing him by the upper arm and squeezing tightly, the light in his eyes becoming dimmer. “The documents, Jack Sparrow can help you find them. Those documents, MUST reach the Brethrens Court! Remember that lad!”

“I will Gibbs. I swear to you and on my mother’s grave!” William growled with fierce determination. “I swear………”

“You’re a good lad………just like yah father……” Gibbs stared off blankly and smiled. “I feel a change on the wind says I………”

And then the old man slumped, a smile of satisfaction on his face and his body went limp. William lowered his head as he raised a hand close the Gibbs’ eyelids in respect. He could feel Lao Feng’s men gathering behind him, could hear their low chuckles of amusement at the old man’s death and felt the rage growing in his own heart. Slowly he raised to his feet, standing at his full height, and a low feral snarl escaped his lips.

Fire started to spread rapidly through the house, eating through the second floor like a ravenous beast. William hooked his foot under the sword Gibbs had been using and kicked it up into the air, catching it by the hilt and snapping around the speed of a demon. The man coming up behind him didn’t even have time to scream before his was sent flying from his body. A fiery beam crashed down the stairs behind William and he looked through the thin veil of his fringe at them. The men flinched back from the death glare he levelled at them.

“Why?!” he snarled, breathing heavily. “WHY!?”

He exploded forth like a tiger loosed from its cage. He swung the sword with deadly precision and sparks flew between his sword and the one it clashed against, driving his opponent back as he continued to drive forward, crashing through into the dinning room. Enslaved to the rage inside him William kicked the man between the legs and when he fell to the ground William drove his sword down through his back. The man screamed, blood spraying from his mouth. William jerked the sword free and brought it around in time to block another pirate’s attack. With his free hand the young man grabbed the curved knife sticking from his opponents belt and slashed him across the throat with it, splattering his own face with blood.

As the man collapsed to the ground, grabbing at his throat and trying to gasp for air William looked at the four men remaining. Two of them back up a couple of steps when they saw his face, their eyes wide shock and a little fear.

“ALL OF YOU DIE!!” William roared.

He charged at the four of them like a wild animal, screaming until his throat burned and went hoarse. The men easily blocked him as he swung at them, but he was operating on adrenalin and rage, and he came back at them faster then they had anticipated. One parried his sword stroke and another try to knock the knife from his hand. But he was too quick. He jumped back out of their reach, bringing his sword down as he did and slicing one of the men open from his right collar bone to his left hip.

Now there were three.

William came at the remaining men even faster driving them further and further back and diving out of the way as a bed fell through from the second floor and flattened another one of the men. The two remaining were shaken badly with fear now as the younger and inexperienced warrior before them easily dispatched their comrades. By now though William was lost inside himself and he could only think of hurting these men, making them pay for what they had done here.

Coming into his home and killing his friend.

He lunged at one of the men, driving him to the floor and sinking the knife into his chest. Then he was up again and coming at the last remaining pirate. His attacks were lightning fast and within seconds the pirate had numerous superficial cuts covering his arms, legs, body and face. He put up a good defence. He blocked when he had to, dodged when he could and parried Williams attacks as much as possible, but the boy was fighting like a demon. Then out of no where Williams balled up fist collided with pirates face and sent him sprawling backwards, his sword clattering across the polished floorboards.

Another wardrobe crashed through the floor above and smashed into the floor behind William but he barely seemed to notice as he started to stalk slowly towards the terrified pirate, becoming a silhouette against the fire behind him.

William’s ears twitched and he spun around, sword ready to strike. It clashed against another and a gun was pointed in his face. He froze, his brain kicking back into gear for the first time in what felt like an eternity. William blinked twice and then looked from the gun to see who was holding it and almost gasped when he saw Barbosa staring back him emotionless eyes.

“What are you doing here?” William demanded.

“For me own reasons boy!” Barbosa growled

“Lao Feng’s men, they killed Gibbs” William told him, and for a quick second he thought he saw a pang of angry sorrow flash across the old pirates eyes.

“Come on” Barbosa hissed and turned to leave, expecting the young man to follow him obediently.

“Not yet!” William snapped and turned back to the pirate he had been ready to kill. He spotted him going for his sword and crossed the distance between them in a couple of steps and picked the man up by his neck and slammed him into a wall with a murderous glare in his eyes. “You’re going to go back to Lao Feng, and you’re going to tell him what’s happened here. You’re going to tell him that there’s no where on this earth that he can hide that I wont find. His days are numbered and when I find him, I’m going to cut his black heart out, do you understand me!!?”

The frightened man nodded and William slammed him against the wall again before letting go of him and turned to Barbosa.

“Now we can go” he said ominously as he started forward.

Without warning Barbosa raised his pistol and fired. William’s eyes went wide and he jumped at the sound and stood frozen in place staring at the emotionless man only a few feet in front of him. Then realizing he wasn’t hurt, he turned and saw the other pirate standing behind him with a knife ready to strike, and smoking hole in his head. The man topped backwards and the knife scattered across the floor and William turned back to Barbosa in shock.

“I gave him a chance to live though………” he said, unable to think of anything else.

“You gave him a chance to die by Lao Feng’s hand, and I assure you young William, Lao Feng is a notoriously sadistic man” Barbosa explained.

William shook his head bitterly. “Lets go. Gibbs told me who I have to find.”

Barbosa narrowed his eyes. “And who might that be?”

“Jack Sparrow” William replied simply.

Barbosa hissed to himself. “I should have known.”

With that the two quickly left the burning house. Outside was a plain looking carriage with dirty looking one eyed pirate at the reins. Barbosa herded William into the carriage quickly and they were soon heading in the direction of the port. William turned around and looked out the back window at his home. Flames burnt through the walls and roof, somewhere in the house gun powder exploded and took a wall with it. Even as he watched the structural support gave out and the house started to fall in on itself, thick black smoke rising into the night.

“I will make that bastard pay” he snarled.


Tortuga

Night had fallen quickly over Tortuga, and tavern goers were out in full force, numerous fights had already broken out across the port city. Some had been settled, others still waged on. The scream of someone being killed and robbed cut across the city for a second or two, and was then drown out by the drunkard partying. One man was thrown through a window from the second floor of an Inn. Another was on his hands and knee’s in the street vomiting across the ground and an army of whores stood at every corner.

Jack Sparrow had never found another place that he liked more then Tortuga and he grinned wildly as he strolled idly through the streets like he owned the place. He side stepped puddle of puke, making a face as he did. A couple of whores that recognized him, battered their eye lashes at him and he gave them a toothy grin and return.

For a change he wasn’t interested in that tonight. He had a good number of drinks in him already and he wanted to get back to the Pearl to continue drinking the two bottles of rum he carried and chart his next course, deciding it was time he left Tortuga once again. He was looking forward to getting out on the open waters once more, now that he had found a crew that a crew that wouldn’t commit mutiny against him again.

He was wary of running into Barbosa again though. He knew the old seadog would try to steal the Pearl from him again the moment he let his guard down. He vowed he wasn’t going to lose his ship again though. It had already happened more times then it should have.

He walked down the docks towards his ship, admiring its beauty as he approached it and thinking back to the day he had first sailed her. Back before he had renamed her The Black Pearl, back when she was called The Wicked Wench. She was a fine and reliable ship, she had never let him down and he suspected she never would.

He walked up the gangway with his usual flourish, unconcerned with everything around him and caught up in his own little world with the thing that was most important to him.

Himself.

It wasn’t until he was on deck that he noticed that no one else was. He turned once and his eyes shifted about as if something was amiss. He shrugged, realizing it was late and they his crew had probably gotten an early night. They asleep below deck he decided as he headed for the captain’s cabin and noticed that someone had left a lamp on inside. He frowned, thinking that it was dangerous. His boat could have been burnt to a cinder if that lamp had fallen and broken.

He pushed the doors open and took four steps before coming to a stop at the sight of the young woman sitting in his chair. She was only a young looking woman, maybe in her early twenties at the most, blood red hair and bright sapphire eyes. She lounged comfortably in his chair, one leg over the side of a chair arm, and resting on the other one. She grinned wickedly at him and naughty thoughts immediately raced through his mind.

“Well ello lovely lady. What do I owe this unexpected visit?” he asked slowly, even as a wary sense of recognition started to creep into his head. He frowned. “You look familiar, have I wooed you before?”

She shook her head.

“No wooing eh?” he looked troubled. “Then why do you look fam………”

Without warning he dropped the two bottles of rum and he started to tremble violently, stumbling backwards towards the door as his face went deathly pale and his eyes wide with horror. Even receiving the Black Spot hadn’t terrified him this much.

“Hello Jack” she said casually.

He turned and started to run. He was half way across the deck when men came piling out from below deck and quickly blocked the way to the gangway. Without slowing he turned and made for the side of the Pearl, and was about to jump over when the end of a whip suddenly snaked around his ankle and pulled his feet out from under him, sending him crashing painfully to the deck. He groaned and rolled onto his back before being pulled back the way he came, only to come to a stop at the young woman’s feet. She put one foot on his chest and leaned into it, making sure that the heel of her boot dug into his flesh.

Jack winced and smiled nervously “……….ello love.”



To Be Continued