In the Hands of Fate II: Dead Man's Chest

Chapter Seven

The filtered sunlight and slight fog made the river ride to Tia Dalma's both beautiful and threatening.

"Why is Jack afraid of the open ocean?" Will asked Gibbs.

"Well, if you believe in such things," Gibbs began, setting up for yet another story, "there's a beast does the bidding of Davy Jones- a fearsome creature with giant tentacles that'll suction your face clean off and drag an entire ship down to the crushing darkness." Gibbs shot us a meaningful glare, what it meant I don't know, but meaningful all the same. "The kraken. They say the stench of his breath is like…" He shuddered. "Imagine, the last think you know on God's green earth is the roar of the kraken and the reeking odor of a thousand rotting corpses. If you believe such things."

"And the key will spare him that?" Will ponders unfazed.

Gibbs shrugged. "Well, that's the very question Jack wants answered. Bad enough even to go visit…her."

"Her?"

"Aye, her."

"Tia's not that bad. You just have to ignore the voodoo and she's a very nice lady."

"No worries, mates," Jack states as we arrived at Tia's place an hour later. "Tia Dalma and I go way back. Thick as thieves. Nigh inseparable, we are. Were. Have been. Before."

I patted his shoulder as I bounced to her door. "Not so tough now, are ya Jackie?"

"My sister!" Tia called as I opened her door. "You've returned so soon?"

"Tia, I've only been gone for a little over three weeks," I reply as I pull her into a hug.

Tia nodded and looked over my shoulder. "Jack Sparrow."

I turned to look at the aforementioned man as he swaggered his way towards us, narrowly dodging a jar of pickled chicken hearts.

"Tia Dalma." He shot a fleeting look at me but kept his attention to her.

She stood and walked over to him. "I always knowed the wind was goina blow you back to me one day. To your room, sister," Tia ordered, "an' tend to our previous guest."

Out of respect and nothing more, I retreated to the room I once shared with my father. I could still hear everything.

"You…" she took a few dragging steps to the door. "You have a touch of… destiny about you, William Turner."

"You know me?" Will wondered.

"You want to know me," Tia told him. I had to hold back a snort. Tia was not Will's type, Jack's maybe but not Will's.

Shuffling sounded before Jack spoke up. "There'll be no knowing here. We've come for help and we're not leaving without it. I thought I knew you."

"Not as well as I had hoped."

And I thought I knew everyone. Apparently not.

"Come," Tia called as they began to move.

"Come," Jack repeated, probably to Will. A chair moved and someone sat down.

"What service may I do you?" Tia asked in a sultry voice. Then in a more commanding voice she said; "You know I demand payment."

But not from me, I teased in my head.

"Watch your thoughts, girlie," Tia called.

"Scuze!" I bellowed back.

"I brought payment," Jack told her. He whistled and a memorable monkey's chattering reached my ears. "Look," gunfire shot, "an undead monkey. Top that"