theirs. She could step right from the Peacock ’s railing onto the Black Pearl —not that she would choose to do that, of course, after all those days she had spent hidden in its cramped, smelly hold.
But the important thing was that it was here now, literally within their grasp. And not only the Pearl , but also the Seref and the Centurion , now bobbing on the far side of the Pearl . Three Pirate Lords! Trapped right where the Company wanted them!
Oh, there would be a magnificent reward awaiting them for this, that was for sure.
If only there weren’t so many Spanish ships here, lurking about, waiting to steal their glory.
And that fat little man hopping up and down on the rock ledge on the island—what did he have to do with anything?
“You realize,” Benedict said, coming up behind Barbara, “that we are just as trapped as those pirates are, don’t you?”
Barbara scoffed. “It may seem that way,” she said, “you know, from the loops of thick black stuff holding us in place and tying us to the pirate ships. But I’m sure the Shadow Lord just mistook us for one of them by accident. As soon as he gets here, I’m sure he’ll clear this all up.” She glanced down at the mirror in her hand as if expecting the shadowy visage to appear again. He’d popped up there just once more, telling them to meet on this island; he’d had a tip from the Spanish navy that Ammand would be here, no doubt followed closely by Jack Sparrow. But where was the Shadow Lord himself?
Benedict turned his pale eyes to the island and the strange old man out there. For once, his brain was two steps ahead of his wife’s…perhaps the only time in their marriage that had happened. “My dear,” he said, “brace yourself for a disappointment.” He nodded at the rocky ledge.
“I’m afraid that is the Shadow Lord.”
Jack wasn’t particularly impressed either. This was the figure from his nightmares? Why, Henry was even more squidgy and useless looking than Jack remembered from their meeting in the Faithful Bride tavern. His belt could barely hold up his pants, and his floppy, pale green, sad attempt at a pirate hat looked more like a gardener’s sun hat. His yellow coat was a size too small, and the lace at his wrists was bedraggled and torn. His long brown hair was tangled and matted, and his droopy mustache was a different length on either side of his nose.
No, there wasn’t much that was intimidating about old Henry.
Other than the fact that he had somehow managed to steal the Pearl , of course…oh, and the long, smoky tendrils coming from his left hand, which he held like leashes on all the ships in the bay. Those were a little worrying.
“Huh. He’s a lot shorter in person,” Jack commented.
“At last!”
Henry’s voice boomed across the bay, supernaturally magnified by the cone of shadows rising from his left hand, above the leashes.
“I Have you all exactly Where I want you!”
Jack wiggled one finger in his ear. “No need to shout, mate,” he said. “We can all bloody well hear you. In fact, we’d really prefer not to, if it were up to us.” He sidled up to the railing, trying to gauge how quickly he could jump from the Centurion to the Seref and then onto the Pearl .
“Stop yammering on, Jack,” the voice went on, smooth and sinister. “And don’t even think about trying that jump.” Henry spread his fingers, and the ships drifted a little further away from each other—still close enough to be tied together, but with just enough distance between them that jumping from one to another would be highly dangerous.
Of course, that didn’t usually stop Jack. He looked up at the sky and began pacing along the railing, whistling innocently while he tried to think of another way across.
“Welcome, my enemies,” Henry went on. “I have waited for this day for a long, long time. Finally I have all of you together…the ones I hate the most, the ones I have most longed to punish.”
On the Peacock ,
But the important thing was that it was here now, literally within their grasp. And not only the Pearl , but also the Seref and the Centurion , now bobbing on the far side of the Pearl . Three Pirate Lords! Trapped right where the Company wanted them!
Oh, there would be a magnificent reward awaiting them for this, that was for sure.
If only there weren’t so many Spanish ships here, lurking about, waiting to steal their glory.
And that fat little man hopping up and down on the rock ledge on the island—what did he have to do with anything?
“You realize,” Benedict said, coming up behind Barbara, “that we are just as trapped as those pirates are, don’t you?”
Barbara scoffed. “It may seem that way,” she said, “you know, from the loops of thick black stuff holding us in place and tying us to the pirate ships. But I’m sure the Shadow Lord just mistook us for one of them by accident. As soon as he gets here, I’m sure he’ll clear this all up.” She glanced down at the mirror in her hand as if expecting the shadowy visage to appear again. He’d popped up there just once more, telling them to meet on this island; he’d had a tip from the Spanish navy that Ammand would be here, no doubt followed closely by Jack Sparrow. But where was the Shadow Lord himself?
Benedict turned his pale eyes to the island and the strange old man out there. For once, his brain was two steps ahead of his wife’s…perhaps the only time in their marriage that had happened. “My dear,” he said, “brace yourself for a disappointment.” He nodded at the rocky ledge.
“I’m afraid that is the Shadow Lord.”
Jack wasn’t particularly impressed either. This was the figure from his nightmares? Why, Henry was even more squidgy and useless looking than Jack remembered from their meeting in the Faithful Bride tavern. His belt could barely hold up his pants, and his floppy, pale green, sad attempt at a pirate hat looked more like a gardener’s sun hat. His yellow coat was a size too small, and the lace at his wrists was bedraggled and torn. His long brown hair was tangled and matted, and his droopy mustache was a different length on either side of his nose.
No, there wasn’t much that was intimidating about old Henry.
Other than the fact that he had somehow managed to steal the Pearl , of course…oh, and the long, smoky tendrils coming from his left hand, which he held like leashes on all the ships in the bay. Those were a little worrying.
“Huh. He’s a lot shorter in person,” Jack commented.
“At last!”
Henry’s voice boomed across the bay, supernaturally magnified by the cone of shadows rising from his left hand, above the leashes.
“I Have you all exactly Where I want you!”
Jack wiggled one finger in his ear. “No need to shout, mate,” he said. “We can all bloody well hear you. In fact, we’d really prefer not to, if it were up to us.” He sidled up to the railing, trying to gauge how quickly he could jump from the Centurion to the Seref and then onto the Pearl .
“Stop yammering on, Jack,” the voice went on, smooth and sinister. “And don’t even think about trying that jump.” Henry spread his fingers, and the ships drifted a little further away from each other—still close enough to be tied together, but with just enough distance between them that jumping from one to another would be highly dangerous.
Of course, that didn’t usually stop Jack. He looked up at the sky and began pacing along the railing, whistling innocently while he tried to think of another way across.
“Welcome, my enemies,” Henry went on. “I have waited for this day for a long, long time. Finally I have all of you together…the ones I hate the most, the ones I have most longed to punish.”
On the Peacock ,
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