The Cry of Liberty

Chapter Sixteen: Damned

"Prepare to go ashore!"

The crew rushed about the ship, gathering supplies for the rowboat. Sasha loaded her pistol with fresh powder and attached her rapier to her hip. She pocketed a small leather pouch she had made just to carry the coins. Her landing party would consist of Elias, Davu, Allard, and a couple of the more combat-adept crewmen just in case they encountered any hostile forces. The ship would be guarded by the rest of the remaining crew and Sasha placed Saleem in charge in their absence. Saleem had joined the crew after a particularly brutal plantation takeover on the island of Tortola and had proved his loyalty and skill with a sword.

"Capitaine, we are ready to drop the boat." Allard called through the door. With a deep breath, Sasha nodded to herself and exited her cabin. The rest of the landing party was geared and in the rowboat. Before getting in herself, she stopped and looked over the crew gathered to see them off.

"If we do not return by dawn tomorrow, you are to sail away under Saleem's command. If anything happens before then, fire the cannons twice and we shall make our way back." She accepted Davu's offered hand and hauled herself into the boat and signalled for it to be lowered.

The Isle de Muerta was a relatively small island but was lush with thick forest. As the rowboat hit the shore, everyone got out and pulled it onto the sand. Sasha pulled out her map and marked where they had landed so they could find their way back. They would have to wander blindly to find the cave as Jack never got far enough into his stories to divulge the location outright.

"We'll follow the stream on foot. Seems like the right path to follow for a long lost treasure." Sasha led the trudge through the humid jungle. "Davu, Elias, a word please." The two men matched her pace.

"Yes, Captain?"

"If the legends are true, then I shall be the one touching the coins. If the curse is real then they will be the only thing affected by it. You and the others grab anything else, if there is anything else, but leave the coins to me."

"But Sasha-" Elias tried to argue but she quickly cut him off.

"That's an order, both of you." They both nodded and the party continued on along the water.

Sasha's mind ran through every scenario it could make but nothing helped. No one knew what the curse did to whomever invoked its ire so she had no idea what to expect if it was real. That's why she had Allard come along, equipped with as many medical supplies that would fit into his satchel. She hid the shaking of her hands and marked their path traveled on the map. She had given them plenty of daylight in case they needed to stray deeper into the jungle.

The group of pirates wandered further along the river for a couple of hours and spotted the mouth of a large cave ahead. Excited exclamations mixed with the sound of the water and cries of local wildlife. They stopped just outside of the opening and Sasha cut a few branches from a nearby tree, wrapping them in the strips of cloth in Allard's bag and soaking them with rum from a flask. She struck two rocks together until finally the torches lit. She handed one to Davu and one to a crewman.

"Stay close and be prepared for anything." Sasha assured everyone was ready and they entered the cave.

It was a tight squeeze in places, but they followed the water deeper and deeper inside until the narrow passageway spilled out into a large cavern. Cracks in the high stone rocks allowed for a peppering of natural light, and combined with the torches, they could see the glimmer of gold. The floor was littered with piles of treasures, goblets, jewelry, plates and cutlery, and even clothing. At the end of the cavern a large stone chest sat, eerily illuminated by the sunlight streaming in.

"Start filling your bags with what you can carry." Sasha's eyes locked onto the chest and she clambered over the rest of the loot to stand before it.

"Sasha, there's enough gold here to buy a decade's worth of supplies. You don't have to risk it." Elias stood at her side, worried at the mezmorized look in her blue eyes. He grabbed her shoulder and tried to shake her out of it. "We don't need it, Sasha."

"I have to know." She repeated to herself as she struggled to push the stone lid open. It shifted slightly under her weight, just enough for a hand to reach through. She plunged her hand inside before Elias could stop her and grabbed a handful of the coins, bringing them into the light. They were beautifully crafted with intricate designs with a skull in the center face. Sasha smiled to herself as she dropped them into the pouch in her pocket. She turned to walk away from the chest but sunk to her knees, clawing at her throat.

"Allard!" Elias called for the medic and knelt beside the gasping woman. "What can I do?"

"W-water." She managed to get out one word.

It felt like someone had dumped red hot coals down her throat. She wretched until there was nothing left in her stomach and then some. Elias returned with an ornate goblet filled with water from the spring and she downed it in one gulp. It felt like she had drunk nothing at all, there was no cooling relief from the liquid as it ran down her throat, evaporating before reaching her stomach.

"We have to get her back to the ship." Allard looked panicked when he felt her skin and no heat met his. Sasha held up her hand, struggling to speak.

"Treasure. Then w-we leave." Sasha croaked out.

Elias cursed under his breath as he tossed his empty bag to one of the crewmen and helped their leader to her feet. He helped her to the spring and she fell once more, cupping the water to her lips and trying to sate the fire. The pain began to subside as she knelt by the water. She realized that she could no longer feel the cool breeze that blew through the cavern, nor the water that dripped from her fingertips. She couldn't even feel the rough jerk of her arm as her first mate brought her to her feet once more.

"We've got what we came for, let's get the hell out of this damned place." Elias whistled for the rest of the party to head back to the ship while he and Allard helped Sasha walk. After an hour of dragging her, Sasha finally felt well enough to walk on her own.

The party made it back to the rowboat as the sun began sinking below the water. They rowed as fast as they could to get back to the ship and leave the island far behind them. The crew aboard the Liberty lowered down the ropes and Davu and Elias attached them to the boat so they could be pulled up.

"Out of the way!" Davu shouted as they spilled out onto the deck. He helped Sasha out and guided her to her cabin. She was crowded by her top crewmen, Elias, Davu, and Allard, all looking at her with concern and fear.

"What do we do now?"

"Mon dieu, tu es plus froid qu'un cadavre!"

"Dole ne mu isa Tia Dalma." Everyone spoke all at once, worried for the brunette. Sasha paced by the window, watching the moon rise overhead. She went to push open the window but quickly pulled her hand back, eyes wide and fear in her heart.

"Get out." She ordered, stepping away from the glass.

"But Captain, we need to figure out what to do." Elias stepped forward but quickly retreated when she turned to look at them, panic swimming in her eyes.

"Get out!" The three men quickly left without another word and she locked the door behind them. She walked back to the window and opened it, holding her hands out in the moonlight, flexing her skeletal fingers. "What have I done?"