by Rob Kidd
Dark had fallen. A gale was howling around the Pearl, but inside the captain’s cabin it was quiet and warm. Candlelight illuminated a map of the world spread out on the table in the center of the room. Gathered around the table were Jack’s friends. And Marcella.
“What’s the next step, Jack?” Jean asked. “Where do we go from here?”
“As far away from Spain as possible,” Carolina voted. The day’s chase had given her quite a scare.
“I agree,” Diego said.
“Well, I hope wherever we go it’s civilized,” Marcella snapped, fanning herself.
“What about North Carolina?” Billy demanded.
“Yes, yes. Of course, Billy my mate. We just have one more stop to make first,” Jack said, spinning a globe beneath his hands. “But don’t worry, it’s on the way.”
“I want to see this Shadow Gold, if we’re going to spend so much time a-hunting it,” Barbossa said suspiciously.
“It’s quite safe, I assure you,” Jack said with a sly smile. “No danger of anyone else stealing it from us. You can be sure of that.”
“Wherever Captain Jack Sparrow wants to go, we should do that,” Alex intoned, staring blankly into space.
“Now that’s the spirit!” Jack said happily. He clapped the zombie on the back with a grin, then quickly pulled his hand away and wiped it off on his thigh. “Don’t worry,” he went on. “I have a plan.”
Jean laughed. “Usually that’s exactly when we do have to worry.”
Jack trailed his fingers across the map on the table. “It so happens that I know who has one of the vials…and I know where to find her.” He tapped the map meaningfully, and they all leaned in closer to peer at what he was pointing at. Barbossa sighed.
“China?” Carolina said excitedly. “We’re going to China? Santa Maria, we’re going to meet Mistress Ching!” she said to Diego.
“Ew, China,” Marcella said scornfully. “I hear they eat with sticks, instead of forks like civilized people.”
“That is definitely NOT ‘on the way’ to North Carolina,” Billy objected.
“Just this one stop!” Jack said. “Not to worry! Man the sails, me hearties. We’re off to Asia!”
EPILOGUE
Dear Sir,
We have received your proposal, and we find ourselves in complete agreement with you: ridding the seas of the plague of pirates, particularly those who call themselves “Lords” of the “Brethren Court,” is of the utmost importance. Moreover, your offer of such a powerful army is most enticing. It seems that with such mutual goals and priorities, working together would clearly be of mutual benefit. Therefore, we hereby agree to your proposal, and when you have betrayed the Pirate Lord of whom you speak, we will not hinder you in your quest to destroy all the others as well.
Godspeed
The letter was signed by a Spanish admiral. The imprint of his seal beside the signature glowed in the candlelight as the Shadow Lord examined the parchment carefully.
Beyond the circle of candlelight loomed stacks of barrels and shelves laden with rum bottles, webbing to hold the cargo in place, and in the dark far corner of the hull, the jail cells that awaited any who crossed the captain. The floorboards rose and fell beneath his feet as the ship slammed across the waves, battling the fierce winds of the storm outside.
The Shadow Lord smiled. Of course the Spanish had accepted his offer. They must have learned what he’d done in Panama. The prospect of having the most powerful army in the world at their side was too much to resist. And he had carefully avoided mentioning exactly which Pirate Lord he was going to betray first.
A shadow curled up from the floor below him and wound around his hand. He caressed it absentmindedly like a cat, letting it circle through his fingers and press itself against his ring as if yearning to join the other shadows inside.
The Shadow Lord folded the letter and replaced it safely inside his coat. Little did the Spanish admiral know what the Shadow Lord had planned for his Shadow Army. Once he had defeated the Pirate Lords, it was a natural step from there to conquering all the armies of the world—all the ships that sailed on all the oceans, from the freezing poles to the blistering equatorial seas. All of it would be his. Finally the world would know his power, and then they would respect him. Soon his day would come.
But first…he had a Pirate Lord to kill.
Jack and his crew are off to China. But before Jack can secure more Shadow Gold he’ll need to fight off the Pirate Lords Mistress Ching and Sao Feng, and the East India Trading Company. Can even Jack survive such a terrible triangle?
