Swelling Tides- Will Turner x Reader book 2

Chapter 10

Once the lashes were over, they discarded me like fish thrown back into the sea after being disemboweled. I was pushed down a ladder to the lower deck, landing on my freshly torn open back. I got to my hands and knees, puking as the pain made me double over.

Y/n-

I wish she was here. I wish anyone was here.

"Will-" my father ran to me.

Anyone but him.

"I don't need your help." I managed to get up and take a couple steps away from him before clutching onto a railing for support.

"The bosun prides himself on cleaving flesh from bone, with every swing."

"So I'm to understand what you did was an act of compassion." Hatred surrounded my words

"Yes." He said solemnly.

I faced my options. Swallow my pride and accept his help or remain alone and in pain. I sighed and allowed him to help me down the stairs.

"How did you end up like this?" I asked through the pain as I walked alongside him.

"One hundred years before the mast, losing who you were, bit by bit. Until you end up like poor Wyvern here." He gestured to the wall.

At first I didn't see him until he squinted open his eyes. Who was once a man was now embedded into the ship, somewhere between life and second death.

"Once you've sworn an oath to the Dutchman, there's no leaving it. Not until your debt is paid."

I had to leave. I had to get back to Y/n.

"I've sworn no oath."

"Then you must get away." He whispered.

"Not until I find this." I pulled the cloth with the key from my pocket, "The key."

Wyvern, the man in the wall, suddenly stepped out. "The dead man's chest." He spoke, his voice hoarse after probably years of silence.

"What do you know of this?" I asked, desperate for any information I could get. The sooner I got the key, the sooner I could return to the girl I loved.

"Open the chest with the key and stab the heart... no, don't stab the heart. The Dutchman needs a living heart or there'll be no captain, and if there's no captain, there's no one to have the key."

"So the captain has the key?"

He sunk back into the wall a bit.

"Where is the key?"

"Hidden." He whispered.

"Where is the chest?"

"Hidden." He resumed his space in the wall, becoming perfectly still.

Well, at least he wasn't entirely unhelpful. I turned back to my father. "Come boy, let's get your wounds cleaned." He lead me to a chair and began to rinse my wounds with salt water. I winced as pain stung through my body.

Y/n.

Get back to Y/n-

Hours later I arose from the lower deck to see most of the crew gathered around a few men. They rolled dice under cups on the rotting wood, placing bets. But not bets with money, bets with years.

"Wondering how it's played?" My father walked over behind me. I brought a hand to my chin.

"I understand. It's a game of deception. But your bet includes all the dice, not just your own. Can any crew member be challenged?"

"Aye, anyone." My father confirmed.

I already had my plan and that was the confirmation I could pull it off.

I raised my voice. "I challenge Davey Jones."

The constant organ music stopped and no one made a sound. The clunk of Jones' peg leg on the deck was louder than ever. A few crew-mates started laughing.

Jones walked down the stairs.

"I accept."

They sat both of us down in proper chairs and arranged a table, handing each of us a cup and dice.

"The stakes?" Jones asked as he sat down.

"My soul. An eternity of servitude." I replied. And I knew in this moment I was betraying what I promised to Y/n; my love- I was praying it wouldn't come to that. I was praying that for once, the odds would be in my favour.

"Against?"

"I want this." I dropped the cloth down on the table, making Jones unfold it.

"How do you know of the key?" He snarled.

"That's not part of the game, is it?" I kept my face and my gaze steady, hiding how nervous I was. "You can still walk away."

But he didn't. Good. One of his tentacles reached back and grabbed out the key. He dangled it in front of me.

Come on Will, all you need to do is get that and you can go.

I put my dice in my cup and shook them, Jones doing the same. We slammed them down on the table, a third cup hitting the wood.

My father.

"What's this?" Jones demanded.

"I'm in. Matching his wager." He said.

"No! Don't do this." I pleaded.

"The die is cast." He said softly. Too late. "I bid three twos. It's your bid captain."

Jones chuckled. "Four fours."

"Four fives." I bid.

"Six threes." Said my father.

"Seven fives." Jones hissed and the crew began to laugh. I checked my die once more.

"Eight fives." I was tense, as was the air surrounding us.

"Welcome to the crew lad." Jones laughed.

"Twelve fives." My father said. No. It was a sacrifice. "Call me a liar, or up the bid."

"And be called a liar myself for my trouble?" Jones scowled, uncovering my father's die. "Bootstrap Bill! You're a liar and you will spend an eternity on this ship." He turned to me, "Master Turner, feel free to go ashore... the very next time we make port!" The crew erupted in jeers and laughter leaving me and my father left at the table.

"Why would you do that." I turned to him.

"I couldn't let you lose." He said, defeat weighing down his voice.

"It was never about winning or losing." I sighed.

He finally got it, way too late. "They key- you just wanted to know where it was."

Y/n's POV:

"Jack, this obviously isn't working." I said, pacing around the cabin. We were back on the ship and had left the port at Tortuga just over an hour prior with our 4 new crew-mates.

"There is one thing that might work." He said and I stopped in my tracks.

"What is it?"

"There is a chest that key opens. Of unknown size and origin that contains the still-beating heart of Davey Jones."

Oh my god. "Tia Dalma was right-" I said under my breath.

"Who do you think Jones fell for." I paused for a moment, processing this new information. "We'll, whoever possesses that chest possesses the leverage to command Jones to do whatever it is he or she wants, including saving lover boy."

"And you didn't think of mentioning this as a viable solution earlier!?" I yelled. I took a breath, calming down. "How do we find it?"

"With this." Jack presented his compass. "Greatest desire, right?" He raised his eyebrows. He handed me the compass and I opened it, the needle already spinning. Until... it stopped.

"We have our heading!" Jack yelled to the rest of the crew on the deck. "Cast off those lines! Weight anchor and crowd that canvas!"