Free Pirates of the Caribbean 04 The Sword of Cortes by Rob Kidd Page A

at ease with the current situation than their captain.Jack cleared his throat and clapped his hands together. "So, when do my lessons begin?"Cortes stepped forward, his armor grating and squeaking."Now," he answered.There was a long pause. Cortes did not say anything more. Jack raised an eyebrow."Want to gi ve me a little more instruction than that, mate?" Jack asked. Behind his hand, he whispered to Arabella, "Now we know why he was a conquistador and not a schoolteacher in his former life."
    "Take the Sword and point it toward the port's docks," Cortes told him.From the hilltop graveyard where they stood, Jack had a clear view of the docks below. He lifted the Sword and pointed it at the dock farthest from where they had moored the Barnacle. An unbelievably powerful current of energy flowed through Jack's body and out through the Sword. Instantly, it blew the empty dock out of the water."Whoa!" was all Jack could muster.He examined the blade closely. It was smoking and smelled of sulfur. He could feel heat radiating from it onto his face.Cortes smiled.Jack qui ckly whirled around and pointed the Sword at Constance, the mangy, obnoxious cat that Jack's crewmate, Jean, claimed was his sister under a curse."Begone!" Jack shouted."Constance!" Jean cried out in horror.But nothing happened. Constance just hissed at Jack, stretched, and yawned. Then she sat down and curled her twitching tail around her."I knew it wouldn't work, or else I wouldn't have tried it," Jack said quietly to Jean. He hoped he sounded convincing.Jean wasn't buying it. He scowled at Jack and ran to Constance, gathering the nasty, matted cat up in his arms.Just then, Cortes stepped up behind Jack. Cortes placed his slimy, decaying hands over Jack's and gripped the Sword with him."Do you think we can use this sword to clean you up a bit, mate? Maybe just to get rid of that awful smell?" Jack asked.Cortes did not seem to be bothered by Jack's quips. He extended Jack's arms, pointing the Sword toward the sea. Another rush of energy flowed through Jack. A haze of vapour began to rise off the sea. It rapidly became thicker. Within seconds, the water along the entire coast of Isla Fortuna was violently boiling.Cortes stepped away from Jack, smiling smugly, and the sea simmered down.Then, Cortes stepped up to Jack again, holding the Sword together with him once more. Jack looked out at the turquoise Caribbean. The Cutlass! In all the excitement, Jack had shoved to the back of his mind that despite the fact that the pirate himself was gone, Left-Foot Louis's ship and crew were stil l docked right off the island. Cortes positioned Jack's arms--and the Sword --so that they were directly in line with the Cutlass. The huge pirate ship with its signature crimson Jolly Roger shimmered on the sea. Then with a quick blink, the ship vanished. “Guess that threat is over with," Jack said flatly. His crew was in awe."Neither the ship, nor the crew, will interfere with you any longer," Cortes said.Jack shifted uncomfortably, unsettled by the fact that Cortes had made an entire ship and its crew disappear. And all the while, Jack had been holding the mystical sword. Cortes stepped away from Jack again. Jack wiped Cortes's slimy grime from his hands and stared at the Sword in awe. He looked at Cortes, who was still smi ling, then turned his attention back to the Sword, which glowed with a waning power, the way a hot iron would as it cooled. Finally, Jack turned to his crewmates. Their expressions ranged from uneasy to terrified. Could no one share in his enthusiasm? Jack rolled his eyes and stomped over to his trusted crew, who were waiting for him at the foot of the hill.Tumen, a Mayan sailor, looked particularly troubled."Tumen!" Jack said, smiling. He slapped the young sailor on the back. "Look alive, mate! What's eating at you?"
    "I'm just not feeling very well," Tumen said."He does look pale," Arabella said, touching Tumen's forehead. "And he has a bit of a fever,