The Attainment of Evangeline

Chapter 40

The moon was full, almost unbearably bright, and Evangeline safeguarded her eyes as she was brought to the deck. Beside her was Jack, who seemed to be indifferent to the moon's harsh light, for he stared directly into it as if he desired to be blinded. He simply refused to look at her even as they were pulled, hands bound and sore from spending hours in the brig, he ignored all that was around them and he still clutched the length of lace in his hand. Evangeline hardly knew the man next to her. This was not the Jack Sparrow she loved so deeply, this man was empty and his swagger was absent, he might as well have been a casual man that she had never met, and it killed her to know she had ruined the very characteristics that made Jack who he was.

Floating on the starboard side of The Pearl was The Cherry Blossom, and men were preparing to board over, bringing a variety of crates and such things, but with all the ruckus of men about, it was eerily quiet. In the distance, Evangeline could see the shores of Scotland and a sense of utter disaster washed over her. She looked to Jack, hoping for a response, but he would not yield. They were stopped at the bow where Boone stood, his back to the rest of the ship as he gazed out towards The Land of the Brave, perhaps plotting everyone's fates. Boone stood there, silent and still, and no one said a word. Out of the corner of her eye, Evangeline saw Jack grip the lace tighter in his hand and she watched him mouth a word unheard to her and meant only for him.

"You already have what you sought from me; therefore I hardly see the reasoning behind bringing me!" A woman's voice screeched and Geline turned to see Captain Turner being dragged along beside them. Her hair was unkempt and rustled, as if she had been struggling and it was apparent that the blonde beauty had a fierce temper. With Elizabeth's outburst, Boone finally turned to address his captives, the wound on his cheek from hours before still visible in the moonlight, raw and jagged.

"My dear lady, you are joining us on this journey because I would feel better having you off your ship so that you may not cause any more trouble. You have already nearly killed a member of my crew here with your wild eruptions; I need to keep a watchful eye on you myself. Besides, Sparrow trusts you enough to have you hide this on your person," he said, pulling the compass from his pocket and holding it up for them to behold. "You will be useful to me on this island. I am sure."

Elizabeth made a low guttural sound towards Boone and he swung the compass back and forth in front of their eyes while he reached into his jacket and drew out the map.

"It seems both women have helped me greatly. I now have both items I require for this little skirmish," Boone said, speaking directly to Jack.

Captain Turner looked to Evangeline knowingly and not at all kindly, and Jack's sunken appearance changed to searing hate almost instantly.

"It appears you put your faith in the wrong people, Sparrow. I will say, both women put up quite a fight, but in the end, they were weak, and one more so than the other," Boone spoke quietly, looking to Geline as he did. "We will be taking two long boats to the Island, along with some supplies and a few choice persons, you three included. But there is a problem, you see, I cannot step foot off this ship until I figure out how to properly use this map. Words must be spoken in order for the map to function in Scotland and one of you three know those words. So, who will be first to speak?"

Silence followed Boone's words, all of them staring at each other, waiting to see who dared to utter the verse. Jack and Elizabeth both glared at Evangeline, willing her to keep quite - or else. Boone seemed to be losing patience for he drew his pistol and cocked it back, pointing it at Jack.

"Tell me, girl. What does 'Desaparecer sen mais e me amosar o camino' translate to? Hmm?" he asked, pronouncing the words almost foolishly.

"I don't know."