White and Black Pearls 3 - Ten Pearl Strand

Chapter Fourteen

Jack’s head lifted as he heard the familiar clash of blade to blade above deck, and he looked over at Barbossa in a panic. “So do we have an accord then?” he asked urgently while scratching at a growing patch of hideous black fungus growing on his chest and part of his neck.

“We do!” Barbossa agreed.

They shook hands firmly before Jack opened the cell door up. He tossed Barbossa his sword from the stockpile and drew his own, and they both ran above deck together.

The sight before them was horrendous and fascinating all at once. Calypso and Davy Jones stood to one side of the deck, watching what was happening in silence but not interfering.

Celestiana and Cutler Beckett were battling fiercely, so much so that even Jack took pause, his sword lowering as he stared at the woman he’d known for near his entire life. He’d never had any idea she could use a sword like that. He shook his head and regained his composure, looking over at Barbossa. “Do it!” he declared, before running towards Celestiana. Standing beside her, he tried to grab at the knife in her stomach, but she kept wiggling too much. “Darling,” he said between quick little parries, trying to keep from getting hurt in the process of carrying out his plan, “Wouldn’t it be so much better if you killed him below deck where the steerage belongs, like the dog that he is?”

“It would!” Celeste agreed at the top of her lungs. She began to fight their strange trio towards the stairs down into the ship, and with Beckett facing off against two opponents – though only one of them posed any real threat – he began to take steps backwards towards the stairs.

“Sparrow!” Beckett barked. He didn’t know what the man was up to but it couldn’t have been good. “Stop this at once!”

“Sorry mate, you need to be holding the moss for it to do you any good, and it’s back with your coat in my quarters,” Jack said with a grin before watching Celestiana and Beckett disappear down below deck. He ran back up the stairs, looking up at Barbossa. “Now!” he declared.

Barbossa grinned. “I love this job,” he said happily before holding his arms up into the air to gather attention. “Dearly beloved,” he began. “We are gathered here today…”

Calypso blinked, and then looked over at Jones, before staring at Jack. “He’s mad,” she whispered. “Celeste will never say those words.” Still, it was clever, and she watched with fascination as the man went on with the usual speech for matrimony. Would it be official with only one of the two to be married present? Would this work? She clutched Davy’s hand in her own for a moment, before pursing her lips. “We have to try,” she said suddenly.

“In sickness and in health, in richness and in poorness,” Barbossa continued. “Till death do you part?” He looked over expectantly at Jack, but Jack had gone below deck again. “Jack!” Barbossa called out urgently.

“Little busy at the moment!” Jack’s muffled voice came from below deck as he dodged another one of Celestiana’s swings. “When did you and I get on the same side?” he asked Beckett before they both ducked a wild swing.

“When you were stupid enough to let her gain your sword!” Beckett barked, having to parry two blades now.

“Right,” Jack agreed. “My mistake. I’ll leave it to you then!” He ducked out of the battle, leaving Beckett to fend for himself and running above deck once more. “I do!” he called out, before disappearing into the captain’s quarters and looking around. He spotted what he needed and grabbed it, running back below deck as quickly as he could.

“Do you have the rings?” Barbossa continued.

Jack held up his prizes, stolen from Beckett’s belongings. “Yes!” he cried out, shoving one of them on his own finger. “There, see! Go on with it!”

“And do you Celestiana take Jack Sparrow to be your lawfully wedded husband, in sickness and in health, in richness and in poorness; till death do you part…?”

“AUGH!” Celestiana screamed as she was cut deep into the thigh on her way back up the stairs during the fight. She fell to the floor on deck and scrambled backwards, having lost both her swords. The blood stained more of her dress than was left clean, and her every breath brought up blood with it, spattering down her chin and throat and across her breasts.

Beckett grinned and lifted his sword high, aiming to thrust it down into her chest once and for all.

“No!” Calypso cried out, throwing herself between them and grabbing at Beckett’s wrist. She was immediately struck on the face and sent against the rails of the Pearl where some of the weapons were racked, but when Beckett raised his sword again, this time it was caught in Davy Jones’ claw.

“Stand down!” Beckett bellowed at Jones as Celeste twitched at his feet and struggled to try and drag herself away. “Release my blade immediately or I’ll make sure your precious Calypso suffers to the very end!”

“Celeste!” Calypso called, while holding up an axe she’d pulled from the rack of weapons. “Do you want this?”

“I do!” Celeste choked out angrily, reaching for it but unable to get up.

Calypso threw the axe across the deck, letting it skid against the floorboards towards her sister.

“The ring!” Barbossa bellowed.

Jack tried to get close to Celestiana to attempt to put the ring on her finger despite the confused look that flashed on Beckett’s face, but it was too late.

As Davy Jones pulled harder on Beckett’s sword and refused to let go, Celestiana released a shrill, wet scream and swung her arms in the air with the last of her strength.


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