Take Off Your Dress, Pick Up A Sword

a grave mistake

Although Joanna witnessed the entire event, she was so tense with anticipation that the crack of the oar against Jack's forehead made her jump.

"Oh my God," she exclaimed in shock, tracking the tumble of Jack's body to the ground. "Will -- did you -- did you kill him?"

Will shot her an exasperated look. "No," he said, nudging Jack's lax body with his foot. "I think he'll be out for a while, though."

"At least we won't be adding murder to our list of crimes," Joanna lamented. She looked nervously at Will. "What's the plan?"

~

A few things became abundantly clear the longer Joanna and Will bore witness to the archaic ceremony of Isla de Muerta. First, Elizabeth's blood was required to break a curse; second, that curse had befallen the whole of the Black Pearl's crew; third, Elizabeth's blood had failed to sever the hold of the malediction upon the pirates.

Fourth -- it had failed because her blood was not that of a Turner.

"Where is his child? The child that sailed from England eight years ago --" Barbossa spat in Elizabeth's face, the bloody coin clamped in his hand. Joanna saw Elizabeth's rejoining sneer and felt pride in her fearless response. " -- the child in whose veins flows the blood of William Turner? Where?"

Elizabeth's silence earned her a backhand across the face, so loud it cozened a flinch from Joanna. Joanna turned to Will to say something clever in place of something hysterical -- I think I know where that child is! -- but he was already gone, slipping from cover into the black water.

"No goodbye?" Joanna muttered as he glided away.

"Hello," someone whispered hotly against her ear.

Joanna jerked in surprise and opened her mouth to scream; before she could, a hand clamped over her mouth. The icy blade of a knife found its way to her throat.

"My darling," Jack Sparrow said, taciturn and smooth. "You and your friend have made a grave mistake."

Joanna's heart was attempting to defenestrate itself from her chest. She squeaked in panic against the palm of Jack's hand, struggling minutely; her hands were soon seized and gripped behind her back.

"Give me one reason," Jack said as he tugged her backward, away from the chaos unfolding in the golden chamber and into darkness instead. "Just one, luv, why I shouldn't kill you."

The pressure left Joanna's lips, but his hand hovered over her mouth in case she got any ideas. Joanna took a deep, steadying breath before saying, "You were going to trade Will for a ship."

Jack's reply was cold. "A ship that's worth more than your paltry life." The knife dragged against her chin. "Try again."

Joanna squeezed her eyes shut. She tried again. "You'd have done the same. If we double-crossed you." She shrugged a shoulder in the direction of the blade at her throat. "As demonstrated."

After a beat, Jack released her hands and stepped away. Joanna sagged in relief, pressing a grateful hand to her un-slit throat.

"That was not nice," she hissed, angrily turning to face him. His rejoining grin was at odds with the enmity in his eyes.

"Neither is the headache I'm sporting," Jack replied, and Joanna finally noticed he was leaning heavily on the oar -- ironically, the very thing that had induced his calamity. "C'mon."

Joanna glanced over her shoulder. "I'm supposed to wait for Will." She shot another glare at Jack. "And I don't feel like following you."

Jack swayed close to her, the line of his mouth cross. "Your remonstrance is noted, but about forty miscreant pirates are about to traipse through this particular tunnel, so if you value your life, we should go this way."