Beyond the Reef (POTC 3)

Chapter 9: Jack for William

I ordered a longboat to get ready for me so I could meet Barbossa and Jack on a sand spit to talk to Davy Jones, Beckett, and Will in parley. I commanded Tai Huang to lead the Empress into battle, because I planned to be aboard the Pearl during the War Against Piracy.

Jack, Barbossa, and I strode down the sand spit in a row, approaching Will, Lord Beckett, and Davy Jones, who stood in a bucket of water.

It was the first time I had come face-to-face with Beckett. Jack had revealed to me a while ago that Beckett was the man who branded the P on his wrist. I glanced down at my P brand, unaware of exactly who in the East India Trading Company branded me because I was quite young. With the identical powder wigs and pale skin, they all look the same. Beckett wore Georgian clothing, he had a slender build with a white wig under his black hat. His cold-heart manifested in his icy pale skin, having maliciously murdered men, women, and children in both piracy and the slave trade. I want to see his head on a spike and his heart roasting on a spit.

Beckett's slow, menacing voice broke through the tension between the six of us when we stood in front of them, "well, well, well. The tales are true. Annette Levasseur. The Pirate Darling. Delighted to finally meet your to acquaintance. Such a shame we meet under such undesirable circumstances."

"That's King Levasseur to you," I spat back. Even talking to him left a bad taste in my mouth. I would kill to see him swing at the gallows.

"Your vibrancy can be spotted clear across the sea. The Crown could have used your winsome characteristics to lure pirates to the gallows. I will serve you well. It's not too late."

I exhaled sharply and said, "you are a pathetic excuse of a man."

"Hmm," he groaned softly. His eyes gravitated down to my feet before making their way back up to my eyes. "This burning desire is turning me to sin."

"What are you thinking?" I asked. I tried to study his face, but he was nearly impossible to read. His expression was as blank as paper.

"I was just imagining a rope around that beautiful neck of yours," he hissed. "The Devil is so much stronger than a man, you know."

"I know what you were imagining, you scabby sea bass," I barked at him.

"Jack Sparrow." Beckett looked to Jack. "How's about coming back and you can fulfill your end of our last arrangement?"

Jack said dryly, "I'd rather not."

"Time will tell. When your ships are dragging along the ocean floor, you'll remember that you belong to me and that you should have joined us when we gave you the chance," Beckett said.

"I know you've gone mad from my absence, and I apologize for that," Jack replied cockily.

Beckett's eyes locked with mine again and he said, "it's your turn, pirate. Perhaps a dance with Jack Ketch would change your mind. Pyre may also condemn you. I know there is more to you than what meets the eye. I pray you take my offer."

Jack Ketch was an English executioner in the 17th century, employed by King Charles II. He was made infamous by his botched attempts to behead his criminal victims. To have a dance with Jack Ketch, means condemning someone to the gallows. And pyre, meant he could ensure that I would burn at the stake.

"I won't pray for you, so don't pray for me. For every soul you have damned, I will see to it that you're punished with a fate so agonizing, even the Devil will cry."