Troubled Seas
Black Magic
“Don’t.” she whispered.
“Oh Katrina my love, please don’t make this any harder than it has to be. Your life for his? Remember? That was the deal. You agreed, signed your name in blood,” H smiled at her wickedly, His grey eyes burning with mirth.
“Take mine. Take mine instead,” she fell to the ground, begging him on her knees.
“Stand up!” He growled.
“No!” she begged.
“Stand up!” His voice echoed off the walls of the hut, shaking the very timbers that held it up right.
Katie’s body was pulled into a standing position by a force not of her own will. By a force that held her arms clamped to her sides. The tattoo on her wrist glowed crimson red, as if she was being branded.
“I gave you more time than we had agreed on in the first place! Do not expect any mercy from me now!” His voice rolled off the walls, burned upward with the heat of the fire.
“I’ll do anything you ask!”
“You already have.”
“He! He doesn’t know!”
“That shall make it all the more fun,” He grinned at her, walking around Katie and sizing her up. “My my, you have made quite a mess of yourself. We don’t want to waste any of your precious blood now do we? Or I suppose we could always perform the ritual sooner than I had anticipated. Which would you prefer Katrina my love?”
“You don’t need him! You have me!” she cried out. He stood before her, His face turned to stone, and he slapped her hard across the bleeding cheek. She yelled in pain, her head lulling to the side.
“When I ask a question. I demand an answer.” He raised his blood stained hand to his lips and licked off the sweet liquid. “Now then. Shall I bandage you or end it now?”
“I don’t think ye shall be doing either mate?” Jack leaned casually against the entrance to the hut. “You see, I’m kind of attached to that there girl, and I have no plan of losing her to a knave like you.”
“Ahhh. And so he arrives. The long awaited guest to this surprise meeting. How wonderful to finally meet you Captain Sparrow,” the man turned his grey eyes to Jack and grinned like the devil himself.
Jack was unnerved. The man was over six feet tall and thickly built. His black hair lay in tangles about his face, obscuring every except those burning grey eyes. He was dressed in rugged apparel and wore nothing on his feet. The whole air around him hummed with electricity.
“Now that’s what I call unfair. How is it you have the pleasure of knowing my name and I can’t return the gesture?” Jack gave no sign of his worry.
“All in good time Captain, all in good time. You see, I was trying to have a pleasant conversation with my dear Katrina when she went and got all smart mouthed on me. I can’t be having that. Might put the wrong thoughts into the savages heads. Once a leader is seen as kind hearted, his men are never the same, I’m sure you understand,” the grey eyes danced.
Jack grimaced, “I do.”
“Good, good. Now where was I? Oh yes. Katrina, shall I tell your good man why he’s here today? Or would you like the honor?”
Jack’s chest constricted. His Katie? His Katie who only hours before could barely survive on her own? What could she possibly have to do with this evil man.
“Run Jack,” Katie whispered hoarsely, blood trickling down her chin.
“I don’t think that was an option,” the grey eyes taunted. He grabbed the knife from Katie’s clenched hand and made a quick but deep slash into her shoulder.
Jack tensed. “How about you tell me yourself mate.”
“Very well then, mate. You see Katrina and I made a bargain when she first washed up on these shores. I would spare her life if she brought me another. Yours to be exact. But I’m sure I should start from the beginning. You see I was all set on taking her life to complete the ritual that would provide me with eternal life, and so I did. But the moment my blade cut into her skin, time seemed to stop.”
“It was only Katrina and I in a vast plane of whiteness. She begged. Pleaded. Said she would do anything if I would let her live. And anything is quite a powerful word. The medicine man that once resided on this island was the one who informed me of this precious ritual. It calls for life of a pure and honest soul. I thought I could do no better than a young lady gone astray, but then it came to me. The famous Captain Jack. Mutined by his crew for giving up too much information willingly. Nearly hung for helping reunite two lovers. You can’t get much more pure and honest than that.”
“So I told Miss Katrina that she would have one year’s time to find me the one and only Captain Jack and bring him back to me. If she could do this I would spare her life. If she failed, I would take it. And so it seems that she has brought you to me. But alas, more than year has elapsed and now I must be forced to take her life anyway. A very unfortunate turn of events to be sure, but…” he shrugged.
“I don’t believe you.” Jack stated flatly.
“That’s quite understandable Captain, you see what happens in the white plane is not a conscious action. What Katrina said. The deal she made. She had no recollection of taking place. And without her ever knowing, she did everything in her power to find you and lure you here to the island. The white plane is full of delightful little tricks like that.”
“Why just the other day, when Katrina’s time ran out, I took her back to the white plane, the plane where a person is neither dead nor alive, and I visited her as her brother. I didn’t want to risk her seeing me and finally remembering our deal. No that would never have done. She was in love with you and would never have given you over to me. But I digress. As her brother I urged her to live. Urged her to be with you. And with this small prod, I brought you both straight to me. Marvelous place that white plane.”
“It wasn’t until she stepped foot in my hut that everything returned to her. Messy business really, I had no idea a second visit to the white plane would destroy her wits so, but that is of no consequence now. She is back, all back. And now I shall kill you both.”
“Oh Katrina my love, please don’t make this any harder than it has to be. Your life for his? Remember? That was the deal. You agreed, signed your name in blood,” H smiled at her wickedly, His grey eyes burning with mirth.
“Take mine. Take mine instead,” she fell to the ground, begging him on her knees.
“Stand up!” He growled.
“No!” she begged.
“Stand up!” His voice echoed off the walls of the hut, shaking the very timbers that held it up right.
Katie’s body was pulled into a standing position by a force not of her own will. By a force that held her arms clamped to her sides. The tattoo on her wrist glowed crimson red, as if she was being branded.
“I gave you more time than we had agreed on in the first place! Do not expect any mercy from me now!” His voice rolled off the walls, burned upward with the heat of the fire.
“I’ll do anything you ask!”
“You already have.”
“He! He doesn’t know!”
“That shall make it all the more fun,” He grinned at her, walking around Katie and sizing her up. “My my, you have made quite a mess of yourself. We don’t want to waste any of your precious blood now do we? Or I suppose we could always perform the ritual sooner than I had anticipated. Which would you prefer Katrina my love?”
“You don’t need him! You have me!” she cried out. He stood before her, His face turned to stone, and he slapped her hard across the bleeding cheek. She yelled in pain, her head lulling to the side.
“When I ask a question. I demand an answer.” He raised his blood stained hand to his lips and licked off the sweet liquid. “Now then. Shall I bandage you or end it now?”
“I don’t think ye shall be doing either mate?” Jack leaned casually against the entrance to the hut. “You see, I’m kind of attached to that there girl, and I have no plan of losing her to a knave like you.”
“Ahhh. And so he arrives. The long awaited guest to this surprise meeting. How wonderful to finally meet you Captain Sparrow,” the man turned his grey eyes to Jack and grinned like the devil himself.
Jack was unnerved. The man was over six feet tall and thickly built. His black hair lay in tangles about his face, obscuring every except those burning grey eyes. He was dressed in rugged apparel and wore nothing on his feet. The whole air around him hummed with electricity.
“Now that’s what I call unfair. How is it you have the pleasure of knowing my name and I can’t return the gesture?” Jack gave no sign of his worry.
“All in good time Captain, all in good time. You see, I was trying to have a pleasant conversation with my dear Katrina when she went and got all smart mouthed on me. I can’t be having that. Might put the wrong thoughts into the savages heads. Once a leader is seen as kind hearted, his men are never the same, I’m sure you understand,” the grey eyes danced.
Jack grimaced, “I do.”
“Good, good. Now where was I? Oh yes. Katrina, shall I tell your good man why he’s here today? Or would you like the honor?”
Jack’s chest constricted. His Katie? His Katie who only hours before could barely survive on her own? What could she possibly have to do with this evil man.
“Run Jack,” Katie whispered hoarsely, blood trickling down her chin.
“I don’t think that was an option,” the grey eyes taunted. He grabbed the knife from Katie’s clenched hand and made a quick but deep slash into her shoulder.
Jack tensed. “How about you tell me yourself mate.”
“Very well then, mate. You see Katrina and I made a bargain when she first washed up on these shores. I would spare her life if she brought me another. Yours to be exact. But I’m sure I should start from the beginning. You see I was all set on taking her life to complete the ritual that would provide me with eternal life, and so I did. But the moment my blade cut into her skin, time seemed to stop.”
“It was only Katrina and I in a vast plane of whiteness. She begged. Pleaded. Said she would do anything if I would let her live. And anything is quite a powerful word. The medicine man that once resided on this island was the one who informed me of this precious ritual. It calls for life of a pure and honest soul. I thought I could do no better than a young lady gone astray, but then it came to me. The famous Captain Jack. Mutined by his crew for giving up too much information willingly. Nearly hung for helping reunite two lovers. You can’t get much more pure and honest than that.”
“So I told Miss Katrina that she would have one year’s time to find me the one and only Captain Jack and bring him back to me. If she could do this I would spare her life. If she failed, I would take it. And so it seems that she has brought you to me. But alas, more than year has elapsed and now I must be forced to take her life anyway. A very unfortunate turn of events to be sure, but…” he shrugged.
“I don’t believe you.” Jack stated flatly.
“That’s quite understandable Captain, you see what happens in the white plane is not a conscious action. What Katrina said. The deal she made. She had no recollection of taking place. And without her ever knowing, she did everything in her power to find you and lure you here to the island. The white plane is full of delightful little tricks like that.”
“Why just the other day, when Katrina’s time ran out, I took her back to the white plane, the plane where a person is neither dead nor alive, and I visited her as her brother. I didn’t want to risk her seeing me and finally remembering our deal. No that would never have done. She was in love with you and would never have given you over to me. But I digress. As her brother I urged her to live. Urged her to be with you. And with this small prod, I brought you both straight to me. Marvelous place that white plane.”
“It wasn’t until she stepped foot in my hut that everything returned to her. Messy business really, I had no idea a second visit to the white plane would destroy her wits so, but that is of no consequence now. She is back, all back. And now I shall kill you both.”