was. It lay like bottled moonlight in his hand. Was this a wise decision? He didn’t really have a choice. With extreme caution, he pried out the cork. Of course he wanted to live. Besides…it was pretty.
He tipped back the vial and poured the Shadow Gold down his throat.
As the cold trickle of the alchemical metal spread through his body, he felt himself becoming more alive than he’d ever been before. The weight in his chest melted away, the darkness in his vision vanished, and the air around him was suddenly still instead of plagued by moving shadows. He felt a wild energy surge through him. It was like the first time he stood at the bow of the Pearl , captain of his own ship, free as the wind. He felt as if he could run on water, leap off mountains, battle any sea monster.
Yes, he would definitely search for the other vials. He wanted this feeling to last forever.
He blinked and realized that there was another change: he could see in the dark. The forest around the graveyard, previously full of shifting shadows and dangerous unknowns, was now clear as day to him. The gleaming eyes belonged to small night mammals, not ferocious beasts. Nothing was lurking to pop out at him.
Nothing but Alex, of course. But even he didn’t look so terrifying through Jack’s new eyes. Upon closer inspection, the look on his decomposing face was actually a bit goofy.
Not that Jack was getting any closer, of course. The zombie exuded a rather strong smell.
“One question,” he said to Tia Dalma. “If you’re such an all-fired powerful mystic, why can’t you just summon the vials back here right now?” He waggled his hand in the air. “You know—poof and all that?”
“If I could do that,” Tia Dalma said, “I’d never have to leave my shack, would I, witty Jack?”
“A nifty power, eh?” Jack mused.
“But not one I possess at the moment,” Tia Dalma said with an ominous glint in her eye.
“All right, so where are these magical, lifesaving vials, then?” Jack asked.
“Dat would be tellin’,” Tia Dalma responded with a coquettish smile.
“Why, yes, it would be telling,” Jack said, nodding in agreement. “It would be very useful telling. We’d quite like that much telling, instead of all this not telling and mysterious gobbledygook, madam.”
“I t’ink you have all the knowledge you need, witty Jack,” Tia Dalma said. “But I will tell you one t’ing more. There was a vial going to Villanueva, but I stopped Alex in time. This Shadow Gold was sidetracked into safer hands. You might start by looking for it in South America.”
“South America?” Jack said. “What, the whole continent? Care to narrow that down for me?”
Tia Dalma shook her head, looking mysterious, as usual. “This might help,” she said, reaching into a side pocket and pulling out a handful of knotted string. Jack took it from her and peered at it, holding it at different angles to see if it would turn into something informative. Nope. Still just a bunch of knotted string.
“Wow. String,” he said blankly.
“It is a quipu ,” Tia Dalma said.
“Kee-poo,” Jack repeated. “Er. Splendid. Always wanted a…kee-poo. And is the, er, string going to help?”
“Do you want it or not?” Tia Dalma said fiercely.
“Oh, it’s lovely,” he said, quickly tucking it into his coat. “Thanks very much.”
“And you be taking Alex wit’ you,” Tia Dalma added, taking the zombie’s shoulders and pointing him at Jack. “Follow witty Jack, Alex.”
“Hang on,” Jack said. “No, don’t follow witty Jack. I don’t need a fellow losing bits and pieces of himself all over my ship. For one thing, it’s messy, and what’s more, bad for morale. Nobody wants the bloke in the next hammock over suddenly dropping his arm on the floor in the middle of the night. Very unsettling.”
“Him will be my eyes and ears wit’ you,” Tia Dalma said. “Him know all there is to know about the Shadow Lord. Also, him was a
He tipped back the vial and poured the Shadow Gold down his throat.
As the cold trickle of the alchemical metal spread through his body, he felt himself becoming more alive than he’d ever been before. The weight in his chest melted away, the darkness in his vision vanished, and the air around him was suddenly still instead of plagued by moving shadows. He felt a wild energy surge through him. It was like the first time he stood at the bow of the Pearl , captain of his own ship, free as the wind. He felt as if he could run on water, leap off mountains, battle any sea monster.
Yes, he would definitely search for the other vials. He wanted this feeling to last forever.
He blinked and realized that there was another change: he could see in the dark. The forest around the graveyard, previously full of shifting shadows and dangerous unknowns, was now clear as day to him. The gleaming eyes belonged to small night mammals, not ferocious beasts. Nothing was lurking to pop out at him.
Nothing but Alex, of course. But even he didn’t look so terrifying through Jack’s new eyes. Upon closer inspection, the look on his decomposing face was actually a bit goofy.
Not that Jack was getting any closer, of course. The zombie exuded a rather strong smell.
“One question,” he said to Tia Dalma. “If you’re such an all-fired powerful mystic, why can’t you just summon the vials back here right now?” He waggled his hand in the air. “You know—poof and all that?”
“If I could do that,” Tia Dalma said, “I’d never have to leave my shack, would I, witty Jack?”
“A nifty power, eh?” Jack mused.
“But not one I possess at the moment,” Tia Dalma said with an ominous glint in her eye.
“All right, so where are these magical, lifesaving vials, then?” Jack asked.
“Dat would be tellin’,” Tia Dalma responded with a coquettish smile.
“Why, yes, it would be telling,” Jack said, nodding in agreement. “It would be very useful telling. We’d quite like that much telling, instead of all this not telling and mysterious gobbledygook, madam.”
“I t’ink you have all the knowledge you need, witty Jack,” Tia Dalma said. “But I will tell you one t’ing more. There was a vial going to Villanueva, but I stopped Alex in time. This Shadow Gold was sidetracked into safer hands. You might start by looking for it in South America.”
“South America?” Jack said. “What, the whole continent? Care to narrow that down for me?”
Tia Dalma shook her head, looking mysterious, as usual. “This might help,” she said, reaching into a side pocket and pulling out a handful of knotted string. Jack took it from her and peered at it, holding it at different angles to see if it would turn into something informative. Nope. Still just a bunch of knotted string.
“Wow. String,” he said blankly.
“It is a quipu ,” Tia Dalma said.
“Kee-poo,” Jack repeated. “Er. Splendid. Always wanted a…kee-poo. And is the, er, string going to help?”
“Do you want it or not?” Tia Dalma said fiercely.
“Oh, it’s lovely,” he said, quickly tucking it into his coat. “Thanks very much.”
“And you be taking Alex wit’ you,” Tia Dalma added, taking the zombie’s shoulders and pointing him at Jack. “Follow witty Jack, Alex.”
“Hang on,” Jack said. “No, don’t follow witty Jack. I don’t need a fellow losing bits and pieces of himself all over my ship. For one thing, it’s messy, and what’s more, bad for morale. Nobody wants the bloke in the next hammock over suddenly dropping his arm on the floor in the middle of the night. Very unsettling.”
“Him will be my eyes and ears wit’ you,” Tia Dalma said. “Him know all there is to know about the Shadow Lord. Also, him was a
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