Silver Spirits

Everything seemed to move in slow motion the moment Scarlett pressed the gem into the amulet. She could feel her cuts and bruises start to heal themselves, and she see the wicked silver glint coming from the blade that had nearly skewered her, though the attacker's muscles seemed to freeze just inches away from her. So this was it. This was how it felt. Scarlett didn't know what to make of the suddenly invincible feeling bubbling up within her. She was in such a daze that she didn't even notice Abram try to grab the amulet out of her hand, unless a blast suddenly threw him back, the force knocking Scarlett over as well.

Abram groaned and rolled over, the hand he had left held up at his forehead. Scarlett hesitantly stood up, still clutching the amulet with both hands. She suddenly felt a slight breeze and a whistle as a knife flew just centimeters away from her face, embedding into a tree behind her. Turning, she found that it was the knife that Emily had thrown at Nathaniel, which he had proceeded to throw at Scarlett. His face was twisted into an angry expression, but softened to a look of pure shock when he realized he'd missed.

"I never miss," he growled, trudging closer to a range Scarlett knew he wouldn't miss.

He threw another knife, aimed right at Scarlett, but it seemed to go off course by itself and hit one of Abram's crew members in the back. Nathaniel clenched his teeth and looked down at Abram, who didn't look like he was doing so well as he rolled around in the sand. Nathaniel gave him a good kick in the side.

"Get up, boy, you're making a fool of yourself," Nathaniel snapped.

Abram rolled over again and sat up, blinking and looking around with big, curious eyes. He leaned back and shaded his eyes to look at Nathaniel's hulking figure, a lopsided grin on his face.

"Oh my goodness, you are huge. Are you part giant?" he asked. "Or am I just very small?"

The fighting just seemed to stop, everyone looking at Abram in shock. The once ruthless captain was swaying slightly like a young child with a goofy grin on his face, laughing to himself as a butterfly fluttered past him. Nathaniel narrowed his eyes at Scarlett, then looked back to Abram.

"You're on the ground," he grumbled.

Abram blinked and looked down, digging his fingers into the sand and laughing again.

"Oh, you're absolutely right! I am on the ground!" he laughed, playfully throwing a handful of sand at Nathaniel's feet and looking over at Scarlett. "Have we met? You're lovely. I hope you can see past my stump of a left hand. I do have a sparkling personality, after all. I plan to get a hook in its place very soon. Let's go swimming! It's blistering hot out here."

Abram rolled back onto his feet and started walking (or rather, stumbling) towards the water, where he tripped and fell flat on his face once he was ankle deep. Nathaniel shook his head in disbelief, looking back at Scarlett.

"Trying to take the amulet from you must have driven him mad," Ben murmured from behind, watching in amusement as Abram coughed up sea water.

"He was always a fool, anyways," Nathaniel snapped, turning to the rest of Abram's crew. "Leave him be! We have other matters to tend to. He may be your captain, but I'm the one you take orders from."

The crew hesitantly did as Nathaniel asked, leaving Abram to pretend he was a dolphin in the shallow water. Scarlett boldly stepped forward, right in Nathaniel's face.

"It's over," she told him. "You can't lay a hand on the amulet, and I'll never give it to any of you willingly."

"The amulet?" Nathaniel smirked. "Love, that's Abram's fight, not mine. I have other problems to address, and other pests to get rid of. You should have learned years ago not to cross me. I don't have to kill you to make your life miserable."

He looked over Scarlett's shoulder at Percy, who was in bad shape and leaning on Leon for support, while Emily clung to him. He then looked to Ben, raising an eyebrow at Scarlett.

"Really? Again? Haven't you already what happens when you grow attachments?" Nathaniel asked. "Scarlett the scorned lover. I doubt he'll stay for very long once he finds out how you are with rejection."

"Don't turn this around on her again," Percy called out from beside Ben, weakly standing on his own now and locking his eyes on Nathaniel. "I know the truth about Colt, and I know that your fight isn't with Scarlett. It's with me. You're upset because I chose her over you."

Nathaniel narrowed his eyes at Percy, and everyone tensed up, ready to defend Scarlett's first mate if need be. Even Emily, who'd just gained an immense amount of respect from Scarlett after her display with throwing knives, was glaring at him and holding two more knives in each hand.

"Percival Benedict Everett," Nathaniel said slowly. "You know, I had other plans for what to name you, but your mother decided she liked Percival Benedict more, changing your name at the last minute just because I wasn't there when you were born. I knew from that very moment that she wasn't going to raise you right. She was going to turn you against me from the very start, just like she did with Colt. And where are they now? One of them is in the inner circles of hell, and the other is part of the weakest pirate crew I've ever seen in my life."

"Kill me, then," Percy snapped. "Now's your chance."

Nathaniel drew back as if he was going to plunge his knife into Percy's heart, but stopped suddenly, glaring at him and taking a step back.

"Not like this," he said, eyeing Scarlett and her crew. "This was Abram's fight. I need it to be my own. This isn't over, Percy. I'll give you another chance to make the right decision. You know where to find me."

He sheathed his weapon, walking over to the pile of firearms left in the center of the beach, picking up his own, walking backwards in case anyone tried to get him while he was turned around. He barked an order for the rest of Abram's crew (or rather, his own new crew) to do the same and retreat back to their ship. Abram was washed up on shore now with his arms and legs sprawled out, staring up straight into the sun and yelping every time it burned his eyes.

"There's a person inside the sun!" he exclaimed. "If you stare long enough, you can see it!"

Nathaniel rolled his eyes and pulled his pistol from his belt, casually firing two shots into Abram's chest to put the insane ex-captain out of his misery. Scarlett flinched at the sight, never having expected Abram to go that way. She almost felt guilty. She sighed softly as Nathaniel sailed off, waiting in silence with her crew until the ship was just a speck in the distance. Somehow, no one felt like celebrating. About a third of the crew had been lost in the fight on the beach, and though they had the amulet, there were only about ten or eleven of them left to gain something from it.

Percy had been using all his strength he had left to stand up and stay strong in front of his father, but the moment they were gone, he all but fell unconscious right then and there. It took three men and Emily to haul him into a boat and get him back to the ship, where Emily didn't hesitate to start cleaning him up as best she could. Scarlett was one of the last to leave the island, clutching the amulet in her hands. Ben stepped over and put an arm around her, kissing her forehead. He said nothing, until the boat came back for the last time and he quietly told Scarlett that it was time to go.

Scarlett wasn't sure why, but she almost felt sentimental as they left the island, watching it from the stern of the ship as it floated away, disappearing almost as quickly as it had appeared. She then went to hide away in her quarters, sitting cross-legged on the bed and staring at the amulet in her lap pensively. It had dawned on her that she had the power of the amulet, and the immortality everyone craved, even though she didn't intend on taking it. Now, she had no other choice but to stay on her ship and with her crew. And away from Ben.

Ben appeared himself after an hour of Scarlett's self-loathing by herself, sitting down across from her on the bed. He seemed to be doing alright, despite looking rather beaten up. Other than his shoulder wound, he had a cut up by his hairline that had dried blood dripping down his face, along with a slash in his side and a purple bruise appearing on his cheekbone. Scarlett frowned as the cut on his forehead started to bleed again, reaching up to wipe it with her sleeve.

"I was told to just leave it alone," he shrugged. "It's not too deep. It will heal by itself. This one did get a few stitches, though."

He turned slightly to gesture to the slash in his side, which was looking a little bit better now that it was cleaned up. Scarlett nodded slowly, moving her hand away from his face.

"Are you going to wear it?" Ben asked, changing the subject as he nodded to the amulet.

"Absolutely not,"

"Around my neck? Heavens no," Scarlett smirked. "It's bulky and old fashioned, and will cover the areas I normally try to attract attention to. I do always have to keep it with me, though. Now that I'm... well... its wielder. Unless I decide I don't want it, and give it to someone else."

"What happens then?"

"I die, and so does everyone else who is bound to me."

Ben noticed the grim undertone in her voice and frowned, leaning in a bit. "This is good for you, Scarlett. It's what you wanted from the start. It's what your crew wanted from the start. You would have been celebrating if I hadn't been such a burden."

"You're anything but a burden, Benjamin," Scarlett argued. "I'm just upset that we'll have to be separated again. That's all."

"Who said I was going anywhere?"

Scarlett's eyebrows shot up in surprise, searching Ben's face for any sign of a joke, but finding that he was more serious than ever.

"You can't stay here," Scarlett said.

"Why not?"

"You have a good life in London," she argued. "Money, title, family... you have everything."

"Not everything," he said. "It might hurt a few people in London, but I've made my decision. You were going to give up everything to be with me. I will happily do the same, Madi. Title doesn't matter here. We collected enough gold on that island to make twice as much money as I've ever made in my life. As for family and friends, Emily and Simon know the truth. They'll know I'm happy. They'll have to pretend I'm dead, but they know the truth."

Scarlett sighed and looked down at the amulet, tilting it left and right. "Once you do this, there is no turning back."

"I don't want to turn back."

"You'll have to spend the rest of your life with me. It's a thousand times more binding than marriage."

"I know."

"What if I get annoying? Then what?"

"Madeline, please."

Scarlett sighed and nodded, holding up the amulet in the palm of her hand. "It asks for a bit of blood."

"I've lost plenty of that already. What's another two drops?" he shrugged, reaching up to wipe some blood from his forehead.

He smeared it over the center ruby of the amulet, watching with interest as it bubbled slightly before seemingly dissolving into the stone. They both waited for some kind of lightning or fireworks, but nothing else happened.

"Is that it?" Scarlett frowned. "How do you feel?"

"I feel... the same," Ben said.

"Your bruise disappeared!" Scarlett exclaimed, pointing to the bruise that was gone from Ben's cheek, and watching as the cut on his forehead closed up and faded as well, just leaving a very faint, pink scar. He lifted his arm and watched as the stitches fell out and the slash closed up as well, until every mark that was left on his body was gone.

"That's fascinating," he chuckled, almost in disbelief. "I feel perfectly normal. Try and stab me."

"What?" Scarlett frowned. "No, I'm not doing that."

"But it won't work!" he insisted.

"We don't know that for sure," Scarlett reminded him.

"We're about to," Ben said, clicking his pistol open and removing the aether from it's compartment.

"What are you doing?" Scarlett frowned.

"I did it to you, it's only fair that I feel it, too," he said.

"Ben, you've gone mad. Give it to me," she said, glaring at him and reaching to grab it.

Ben held it away from her, and despite her attempts to snatch it away, he was much bigger than she was.

"It won't hurt me," he insisted.

"If it does, I'm not coming to your funeral," she snapped.

"Fine. Bottoms up," he chuckled.

Scarlett shuddered in disgust as he ingested the aether, reaching for something he could puke in as she remembered her own experience in this situation. Although, her dose of it wasn't fatal, like Ben's. He hiccuped a bit and turned pale, groaning and hanging his head.

"Ben? Ben, please tell me you're alright," Scarlett begged, tilting his head up to look at him.

"I'm fine," he muttered. "That was just about the foulest thing I've ever tasted, and I immediately regret my completely unnecessary decision to eat it."

"That's what you deserve," Scarlett said, letting him put his head in her lap for a few minutes until he felt well enough to function again.

As the legend said, he was now bound by blood to Scarlett and her crew, and immune to death until the day he went down with his captain. It took a little bit, but Scarlett was finally convinced to get up and return to her crew, who were impatiently waiting for her to come out as they tended to the wounded. They rushed to add their names of Scarlett's blood-bound crew, but not everyone was as eager as they were. Emily and Simon were reluctant after hearing than Ben was staying back, but after the three of them spent some time discussing it in hushed tones, finally decided to accept that distance makes the heart grow fonder. Simon had been desperate to return to Port Aris since the moment he'd left Evelyn, after all. Nosebleed was more than happy to hear this, giving up chance at immortality to be with his new "baby brother". Leon also denied the opportunity, wanting to return to his family now that he had enough gold for them to live comfortably.

Scarlett knelt down next to Percy, who'd just barely started to regain consciousness as Emily carefully tended to him. His eyes flit up to see her, and he gave her a weak half smile.

"How are you?" Scarlett asked.

"I've had better days," he admitted, "But I'll be alright. We've been through worse, and I'm sure we'll go through even more pain in the future."

"Actually, Percy, I don't think we will," Scarlett said softly.

"What?" he frowned.

"It took me a while to accept it, but you need to go back to London with Emily," she told him. "I know that your heart lies there, not here. Your mother needs you, now more than ever."

As much as Percy wanted to argue, he knew it would be pointless. Not only was Scarlett right, but he did need to go home to his mother, for her sake.

"I'll see you again," he said reassuringly.

"Of course you will," Scarlett nodded, smiling and brushing his hair out of his eyes. "I'll be keeping an eye on you, even if you can't see me."

"That's reassuring," he chuckled. "Thank you, Scarlett."

Scarlett leaned down to kiss his cheek before standing up again and straightening herself out, instinctively looking for Ben. He found her first, slipping an arm around her waist from behind and pulling her in, resting his forehead against hers.

"Speaking of promises," he said, "There's still one you owe me."

"Oh," Scarlett sighed, closing her eyes as she remembered. "Ben, are you sure? Neither of us can be seen in London. We'll wreak havoc."

"You'll find that I can be invisible when I want to," he reassured you. "I'll arrange it. Don't worry, I have my own ways of doing it."

"I'm nervous," she admitted.

"You have a little while to think about it. We do have to make the entire journey back, after all. Don't worry, I'll be with you every moment. You'll be fine."

Scarlett sighed and nodded, giving him the smile he'd been waiting for. "You know, I feel bad that you have to give up your title. For what it's worth, I do hear there is an opening for first mate aboard this vessel."

"Yes, but isn't that technically a step down from Commander?"

"Don't push your luck, idiot."