Chapter 12: Old Ghosts and Golden Hearts
The chaos wasn't just at sea.
No, it bled into the city like wildfire.
Smoke rose over Port Royal—dark clouds coiling above its skyline like a curse. Screams echoed through the cobbled streets. The docks burned. And above it all, the Black Pearl loomed, a vengeful shadow against the light of day.
Jake's ship rocked violently, anchored close enough to witness the carnage unfold. Elias leaned over the railing, his eyes narrowed, following the smoke trails and cannon fire.
"This ain't just about us," he muttered.
Jake looked at him, twirling his sword absentmindedly. "What gave it away? The flaming buildings or the innocent civilians running for their lives?"
Elias didn't smile.
He pointed. "Look. There."
From the heart of the city, Barbossa's crew spilled like rats from an open wound—scrambling through the smoke with weapons and sacks of stolen goods.
But it wasn't the looting that made Elias's blood freeze.
It was who they had with them.
A woman—graceful, head held high even as she was dragged along.
And beside her, a man, shackled but fighting every step of the way.
Elias's breath caught. "No…"
He took a step closer to the edge, gripping the railing.
Jake followed his gaze, then looked sideways at him. "Friends of yours?"
"More than that," Elias whispered.
Raina, who had been scanning the shoreline through a spyglass, snapped her gaze to him. "You know them?"
Elias nodded slowly, eyes locked on the distant figures.
Elizabeth. Will.
His voice broke a little, but not from fear.
"Back when I was just a street rat—starving, filthy, nothing to my name—they fed me. Gave me blankets in the winter. Elizabeth smuggled food out of her own kitchen. Will taught me how to sharpen a blade without cutting off my fingers."
He exhaled shakily. "They were the only ones who ever treated me like I was more than a thief."
Raina looked at him quietly. "You never mentioned them."
"I never thought I'd see them again."
Down on the docks, Barbossa's crew loaded their captives onto the Black Pearl.
Elias's jaw clenched. "They're taking them."
Jake squinted. "She's got fire in her eyes, that one. And the lad—he looks like he's one insult away from biting someone."
Elias turned to him. "We can't let them go."
Jake gave him a sidelong look, serious for once. "This isn't a tavern brawl, lad. That's the Pearl. That's Barbossa. And those two—if he's taking them, it's for a reason."
Elias nodded. "Which is why we're going after them."
Raina looked stunned. "You're serious?"
Jake shrugged. "He usually is. That's the problem."
"But it's suicide!" Raina hissed. "They've got a full crew, more cannons, more weapons—"
"And we've got a mad captain," Elias interrupted, nodding at Jake, "and a street rat with a death wish."
Jake smiled. "I do enjoy those odds."
Raina looked between them like they were lunatics.
Which, in all honesty, wasn't far from the truth.
Elias was already moving—grabbing his sword, the black compass, tying his sash tight across his waist. "If I let them take Elizabeth and Will… I'm no pirate. I'm just a coward."
Jake clapped him on the back. "Welcome to piracy, lad. Where bad decisions are made heroically."
They turned toward the Pearl, now slowly drifting back from shore.
Jake narrowed his eyes. "We'll follow at a distance. Let her lead us to wherever Barbossa is hiding. Then… we get your noble friends back."
Elias smiled for the first time since the smoke began to rise.
"Aye, Captain."
He turned to the horizon, heart pounding, blood burning.
He had a debt to repay.
And a compass that pointed to what his soul truly wanted.
This time, it wasn't freedom.
It was vengeance.
It was rescue.
It was loyalty.
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