Barbossa's Daughter

Chapter 13

Under normal circumstances, being pressed up against by a bunch of men wouldn't be such a bad thing. However, in this circumstance where Cora's front was being dug into by the bones of her dead crew and her back had the weight of the living crew pressed up against it, there was nothing she wanted less in life right now.

Because right now, she was pressed into the cage as she reached as far as she could for the vines on the ravine wall. And the men cried out as both cages came just shy.

And for the millionth time, they rushed back to the other side of the cage before pushing themselves to the other side as they reached, and Cora was pressed on again.

And her hand closed around a vine, but it didn't have deep enough roots as it came out and the cage swung back away from the wall. And she wasn't the only one with grass and twigs in her hands as they all cried out in frustration, the other cage doing none the better.

"Come on! Put yer fat asses into it!" Cora ordered as they repeated the process and this time Will Turner was the one pressed up against her and despite the bones of her dead crew, it wasn't the worst situation to be in as she felt the muscles beneath his clothes as they stretched out and reached for the wall.

And this time luck was on their side as they latched onto the thick roots that fell down the ravine wall.

"Put your legs through. Start to climb!" Gibbs ordered.

"And if any of ye pansies let go, I will shoot you," Cora warned.

"Lovely as ever, Cora."

"Don't press yer luck, Will Turner. I will shoot you too," she said as she threaded her legs through the holes in the cage and her feet settled on the stone wall as she felt the weight of the cage pull on her.

"Come on, men! It'll take all of us to crew the Black Pearl!" Will shouted as he pulled, Cora walking on the walls as she pulled on the vines, breathing heavily through gritted teeth.

"Actually, you won't need everyone. About six would do!" called one of the men from the other cage and the climbing stopped as realisation sank in, and the prisoners turned to each other.

"Oh bugger," Cora sighed before she exchanged looks with Will and Mr Gibbs. "CLIMB!"

"HURRY!" Will screamed as their muscles burned and their limbs ached as they pulled at the roots and inched their way up the ravine wall, little by little.

"Come on! Is that all you got?!"

"Marty, shut yer hole if ye ain't helping!" Cora screamed at the dwarf, her voice strained as she pulled, her nails scraping on the stone as she reached the end of a root and latched onto another one.

"Wait, stop! Stop!" Will urged.

"Why?" Cora hissed and he gestured towards the bridge with his head and the Pelegostos walking across it.

"Stop!" Will said to the other cage as they came to a halt.

But they didn't stay stopped for long as the sneaky bastards kept climbing. However, karma was also a bastard when one of them picked up a snake instead of a root. And that was the story of how they tragically fell to their deaths as they lost their grips on the wall and went tumbling back, the force of their swing too much on the rope as it snapped, and they plummeted to their deaths. So sad.

But where one problem ended another one emerged as they were spotted by the Pelegostos on the bridge.

"MOVE!" Will cried.

"Move yer filthy behinds!" Cora added as they let out grunts and yells and climbed with every bit of strength they had as the distance between them and the edge of the cliff lessened. "HEAVE! Put yer backs into it!"