Barbossa's Daughter

Chapter 12

"Wakey, wakey, Mystery Man. I don't got all day," sang a sweet voice as Will was stirred from his daze.

"Cora?" he murmured so softly that she barely heard it.

"Will Turner. Of all the places to run into ye," she said before she slapped his cheek and his vision focused to see her hovering above him. "There ye are."

And she sat back as Will sat up, a hand on his head as he took in his surroundings and asides from the gorgeous woman sitting next to him, his surroundings weren't very good-looking.

The aching pain in his back turned out to be the bones of animals that made up the spherical cage they were now stuck inside. And not just one cage, but two. And not only that, but the cages were suspended in the middle of a ravine by a rather thin rope that was attached to a rather thin-looking bridge that connected one cliff to another.

"Ah," he remarked.

"Indeed," Cora agreed. "Now get up and tell me what the bloody hell ye be doin' here, because I know it ain't just to see little ole me. And these bones are a pain in me ass."

And they rose to their feet as the other men of the Black Pearl crew greeted their old friend.

"We be not here for pleasantries, you old sea dogs," Cora scolded. "Turner, speak."

Will had to hold himself back from replying formally, the way the Navy had taught him to. He didn't want to think about what she'd tease him with if he said, "Yes, ma'am." 

"Elizabeth and I were arrested for helping you escape Port Royal. We face the gallows. I need Jack's help to save her," he summed up and Cora laughed.

"Figures yer here to save her," she commented. "And who arrested you? We all figured ye confess to Elizabeth yer undying love and get married, and her father gives ye a pass on the gallows."

Will did not want to admit this, especially not in front of all these men and he wasn't going to. If she asked later, if they lived, then yes, perhaps he'd tell her, but now, none of it mattered. None of it was going to get them out of these cages.

"It is beside the point," he answered. "Why would Jack do this to us? If he is the chief..."

"Aye," Mr Gibbs said. "The Pelegostos made Jack their chief, but he only remains chief as long as he acts like a chief."

"So he had no choice. He's a captive then as much as the rest of us," Will filled in.

"Worse, as it turns out. Especially after what he did to get Miss Cora into this cage with us."

"What did he do?" Will wondered as he turned to the woman in question.

"Let's just say that the native folk of these lands don't take too kindly to non-native women," she said with a sour look on her face and Will decided that it was safer not to ask.

"Aye," Gibbs agreed. "And the Pelegostos believe that Jack is a god in human form, and they intend to do him the honour of releasing him from his fleshy prison."

Will looked confused until another pirate grabbed Gibb's hand and bit his fingers. Whether he was answering the unanswered question or just hungry, they couldn't tell as Gibbs wrenched his fingers out of his mouth.

"They'll roast him 'n eat him. And I doubt me Uncle tastes like chicken even after he be plucked and stuffed," Cora said with a disgusted look on her face, the topic of conversation distracting her from how surprised she was to see William Turner again. She had yet to decide if it was a good surprise or a bad one.

"Where's the rest of the crew?" Will asked and Gibbs not only answered his question but answered the question of why Cora was reluctant to touch the bony bars of their cage.

"These cages we're in, weren't built till after we got here," Gibbs answered.

And Will dropped his hands from the bars. They weren't animal bones as he'd originally thought. 

"Tell me about it," Cora muttered under her breath as Will curled his hand into a fist, no doubt ignoring the disgusting feeling that lingered on his skin as the sound of the drums grew louder.

"The feast is about to begin," Gibbs muttered gravely. "Jack's life will end when the drums stop."

"Well, we can't just sit here and wait then, can we?" Will asked. "Have you not tried to escape yet?"

"What kinda stupid question is that?" Cora spat. "Of course we bloomin' tried to escape!"

"Miss Cora was able to fit through one of them holes," Gibbs explained. "She tried climbin' the rope but whatever it be made of, she kept slipping down."

"But," Cora announced loudly as she clapped a hand on Will's shoulder, making him flinch. "As you surprise me, I have surprised myself in coming up with another course of escape."

"And?" Will prompted as something in his chest tightened at her touch.

"We be your plan, Miss Cora?!" Gibbs asked.

"One must think outside the box. And to get outside the box, ye must climb the box," she smirked as if it explained everything but, like the men they were, they were still confused.

"What does that mean?" Will wondered. "I thought you already tried to climb out."

"Up the rope, yes. However, the ravine walls remain unclimbed."

Will's jaw dropped a little bit. That actually was a good plan. The ravine walls were covered in vines and ivy that would make climbing them easy if they could reach it.

And he looked from the ravine walls to Cora. "And how do you propose we reach the ravine walls?"

Her smirk only grew as she regarded him as if they couldn't possibly be about to die or hanging over a deadly drop. "Don't tell me you've never been on a swing before, Mr Turner?"

This was either the most genius plan ever... or they were all going to die. 

Looks like they were giving it a go.