Pirates of the Caribbean 04 The Sword of Cortes (6 page)

"No, Montecuhzoma was also said to be a philosopher and a sage--not a warrior. He even took the throne reluctantly. So why is he fighting now?"

"Betrayal and death will do that to a fellow, I guess," Jack responded.There was another explosion as Montecuhzoma and Cortes locked swords. Sparks of magical light and energy flew off the blades each time they clashed. And then Montecuhzoma made a dec
isive blow,
knocking the Sword from Cortes's hand. It flew to the ground, smoking with heat and melting the snow around it.Arabella and Jack looked down at it. Jack reached down to retrieve it, but Arabella held him back."No, Jack, wait till this is through."The two teenagers watched as Montecuhzoma gripped Cortes under his arms and lifted him in the air. Montecuhzoma suddenly took flight, leaving a trail of fire in his wake as he flew over the sea. Then he made a quick turn downward and plunged into the water with Cortes. The water steamed and boiled. Then there was silence.Jack and Arabella watched in anticipation. At last, Montecuhzoma reemerged from the sea . . . without Cortes.The spirit flew back toward the island, over Jack's and
Arabella's heads. Finally, he
hovered above the inn where Fitzwilliam and Jean were watching over Tumen. The spirit shone brightly, filling the space above and around the inn with light brighter than the sun. It was the brightest light Jack had ever seen. A moment later, the spirit flew off, northwestward.Jack twisted the beads in his hair uncomfortably.

He turned to Arabella, who expressed a look of shock."Bell, are you okay?" he asked her.Then Arabella collapsed against Jack. As tough as she was, what had just transpired was far too much for her to bear. Still, Arabella began to wake almost immediately. Jack made sure she was all right, then bent down to pick up the Sword."Jack! What are ye doing?" Arabella cried out."Trust
me, love. I've one more thing
to do with this blasted sword."Jack eyed the Sword with grave disappointment. It had promised so much. It should have been his ticket to freedom. Instead, it, like its namesake, was just a despot that made anyone who wielded its power a pawn in its game.Jack lifted the Sword in the air. With Cortes gone, he suspected it would obey him.

It only had one master now."Now, mate," he said to the Sword, "undo anything you've done that would have helped your old master. Undo the things that would have pleased Cortes."The town square lit up, and the confused citizens of Puerto San Judas reappeared. The docks were repaired and full of ships. Much to his disappointment, the Grand Barnacle had transformed back into the little fishing vessel Ja
ck and his crew were used to.
"Would have been a chore to sail that thing, just the five of us, anyway," Jack said.Jack looked out on the sea and noticed a familiar ship sailing near the horizon. It was the Royal Navy vessel the Sword had sunk out at sea. Jack heaved a sigh of relief. He wondered if the crew remembered anything of what had happened.And there were certain things that
strangely didn't change at all,
the snow was still falling, though lightly now, over Isla Fortuna. And Left-Foot Louis and his crew, whom the Sword had conquered, did not reappear. Nor did Tumen.Jack turned to Arabella, and they shared a moment of silence for their fallen crewmate.Then, they heard a rush of footsteps coming up the hillside. They turned to see Fitz
william and Jean, followed by
Constance struggling in the snow. And behind them . . . Tumen!"Oh, my stars," Arabella said, holding her hands to her mouth. Tears of joy and relief welled up in her eyes.

The spirit of Montecuhzoma must have saved him. Arabella ran to Tumen and embraced him. Jack rushed over as well."You're all right, mate! See, I told you we'd make you right as rain!" Jack said. "So how was the other side?" he asked."Cold," Tumen responded.Everyone laughed uncomfortably.

"Well, it couldn't be any colder than it is here," Jack said. "Let's sail out of h
ere quickly, to somewhere
warm."

"Tumen wants to return home," Jean told them."Then it is off to the Yucatan! You never deny a man h
is un-dying wish," Jack said.
Jack gathered up the Sword and put it in its scabbard."What are ye going to do with that thing, Jack?" Arabella asked."There's someone to whom I owe a debt, and this is just the payment she will accept."As they made their way through the town square, the residents of Puerto San Judas looked bewildered and puzzled. Children were joyfully building snowmen and tossing snowballs at one another.

"Well, this is odd," Jack said.A finely dressed man approached the crew."You, there, strangers," he called out to them. "I am governor here, and demand you tell me who you are and what you know of what happened upon this island.""What is the last thing you remember?"
Jack asked.
The man shook his head confusedly, clearly straining to remember any detail he could."I don't remember anything," he said. "None of us does.""Well, then," Jack said, smiling, "I guess nothing happened."As the crew boarded the Barnacle, Jack leaned over the hull and shouted down at the townsfolk, "But you might want to consider changing the name of your dear home to Snowy Island. Better start chopping firewood!"Crew," Jack shouted, "chart a course to the Yucatan.""Aye, sir!" Jean said, saluting his captain."And remember," Jack continued, "I need to make a quick stop at the mouth of the Panta
no River along the way."

" Jack Sparrow, you've come back. Not that I am surprised. The sea told me you would return with your fair payment. And you've brought guests," Tia Dalma said.Jack and his crew sat in the mystic's shack. Jack was cool, as usual. The crew, on the other hand, was in awe.Constance cowered in a corner, and Jean was antsy. After all, it was Tia Dalma who had turned Constance f
rom Jean's sister into a cat!
Jack stepped up to the legendary mystic and presented her with the Sword."All yours, love," Jack said.

"The Sword belongs to no one," Tia Dalma corrected. "But I will house it here, and it will not be misused again."

"Madam, please, I beg your forgiveness, but, please, madam . . ." Jean said, stammering."The power to return your sister to her previous form lies in Jack Sparrow's hands now," Tia Dalma said, reading Jean's thoughts."What . . . but how?" Jean asked, looking back and forth between Jack and Tia Dalma.Tia Dalma smiled."I have no bloody idea what she's talking about," Jack said. "And now," he continued, quickly changing the
subject, "we must be going."

"Proceed carefully, Jack Sparrow," Tia Dalma said, showing Jack and his crew to the door. "You've already drunk a sip of what the sea has in store for you. And be warned, the Sword is not the only curse Cortes has left behind."

"No worries, love," Jack said as he and his crew left Tia Dalma's shack and boarded a longboat. "From now on, it's only uncursed treasure for us. Riches are a perfectly fine way to secure freedom. Savvy?"

"Jack Sparrow, don't play the fool," Tia Dalma said. "You know better than anyone on the Seven Seas that in the Caribbean, magic and treasure go hand in hand."Tia Dalma smiled and winked at Jack. Then she quickly closed the door of her swam
pland shack behind them.
Don't miss the next volume in the continuing adventures of Jack Sparrow and the crew of the mighty Barnacle!

The Age of
Bronze With
the Sword of Cortes ordeal over, Jack and his crew take a break in Tumen's village on the Yucatan peninsula. But when a powerful amulet goes missing from the village, Jack and his crew become the prime suspects. Can they clear their good names and conquer the mysterious duo they believe to be the real thieves?

THE END