The devil's to blame

[lovely-fatale.livejournal.com]

Who: Calum, Lilith, a fellow named Swann, and some uninvited Shadows
What: Pirates and demons and Heartless, oh my!
Where: Somewhere in the Caribbean.
When: A very, very long time ago - about seventy years prior to Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl. (Super backdate of doom? XD)

[[OOC note: This is originally Josiah's narrative, but unfortunately, since he's down for the count for awhile, he asked me to finish it for him and post it. So please forgive the abrupt change in writing style and any discrepancies near the end of this. *apologetic bow* Besides, he'll probably kill me anyway because of the way I ended this.]]

There were three things that were known for certain aboard the Tempest, facts that were indisputable. One, the Captain was always right. Challenging or questioning his decisions was detrimental to a person's health - the man wasn't illogical, but he could be annoyingly self-righteous at times. Still, as far as the crew knew, he had never steered them on a wrong course before. Better to keep opinions to oneself. Even his first mate knew better than to question the other man's authority. One did not become the youngest pirate lord ever by chance or stupidity after all.

Two, strange things were bound to occur. Pirates were a superstitious lot by nature, and even if they weren't, being aboard the Tempest strengthened whatever beliefs the men had about the supernatural. Storms occured on cloudless days, sirens attempted to lure men to the Locker, and, once or twice, the men would swear that magic - literal magical elements - surrounded the Captain. Some scoffed at the idea, others ignored it, but there were a few who would swear on the good book that there was enchantment bound to decks of the Tempest, just as surely as the pirates themselves were.

The probable reason that defined both certainties was the third certainty - there was something very strange about that woman that was always with the Captain.

Not many of the crew remembered when she had first arrived. It had been so many years ago, before the old captain of the Tempest had been lost at sea. A woman aboard a ship was considered bad luck, but this woman, with her strange blue eyes and seductive smile, marked an abnormal rise in fame for the crew of the ship amongst the Caribbean pirates and the pirate lords. Some were suspicious though - she knew too much and was far too close to the captain for anyone's liking. But whenever anyone thought to say something, they would remember that first indisputable fact, and would back off to their duties.

Which was why no one said a word when they ventured to visit an "old friend".

Thomas Swann did not like the idea of having to deal with pirates. Especially aboard their own ships. Especially this one. The blond man in front of him was toying with some trinket - some sort of jade and copper talisman - and marking notes on a detailed-looking map. He appeared relaxed - he was wearing neither hat nor coat, and looked far too amused at Thomas's discomfort for Thomas's liking. Thomas discreetly glanced around the captain's quarters - the man apparently enjoyed his occupation, as his number of collectibles had grown since the last time Thomas had been aboard the ship.

"Planning on pawning these in Tortuga?" Thomas finally said, his eyes falling on a pair of barbaric-looking masks.

Calum looked up at him and smiled faintly. "Would you offer me a better deal if I sold it to you?"

"I don't make deals with pirates," came the stiff reply. Calum laughed quietly and turned his attention back to his maps. Thomas shifted uncomfortably at the ease of the man's brush-off, and then squared his shoulders. "We're having... trouble here."

"Yes, I know. Shadow demons, isn't it?"

Thomas knew Calum well enough to know that the man would never reveal how he knew so much about the growing port town when he was away for months at a time, terrorizing other towns and villages of the Caribbean ports. He also knew why Calum kept coming back to Port Royal, why he never attacked this place... and why he, Thomas, kept letting him come back, despite his disgust for the man's trade. "Yes. Maybe only a handful, and they can usually be extinguished, but the people have become... fearful."

Calum sat back in his chair, raising an eyebrow. He was waiting for something.

Thomas scowled. "Dammit, Calum. You already know."

"Yes, but I'd rather hear you ask."

Inside, Thomas was livid. In any other case, if it had been any other pirate, Thomas would rather die before asking the soulless bastards for help. But this pirate, this man, in particular, was different from the others. He was smart, ruthless, and... one other key factor.

"It may be magic," Thomas murmured finally, levelling an annoyed look at the other man. "They are unlike any creature I have ever seen, and cannot be killed by normal measures. If they continue to grow in numbers-"

"-this town will fall to demonic powers," a new voice, sweet and sultry, added, and Thomas had to physically restrain himself from turning around as the door closed behind the newest occupant of the room. She came into his line of sight eventually, brushing past him deliberately and making him think thoughts that were entirely inappropriate for the setting. She weaved her way behind the table, and then perched on the arm of Calum's chair. Whatever she had on Thomas didn't seem to bother Calum at all, unless the other man was so used to her presence that he had become immune to it. She leaned onto him and peered back at Thomas with those strange blue eyes of hers, and smiled. "What a shame that would be."

Thomas cleared his throat to distract himself, and then said, "You would be paid."

Calum shook his head, not even looking up from his maps. Another smile, devoid of humor, appeared on his face. "I am not a privateer, Thomas. You cannot pay for the services of a pirate on a whim. And if I help you because of our... friendship, then the other pirate lords will undermine my reputation." He glanced up at him, looking again far too amused with the situation. "It seems as if I can't help you in this endeavor."

"Then why did you travel halfway across the bloody Caribbean? Just to tell me that my inquiry was pointless?"

The smile grew wider. "Perhaps."

Thomas scowled again - there was no "perhaps" about it. Calum Rees made plans for his plans, that much he knew for certain. He never did anything without reason, even when said reasons didn't become apparent until much later. To do something without profit... that was abnormal and out of character for him. "What are you planning, Calum?"

The pirate lord frowned at him and then rose to his feet, walking to the other side of his quarters. The woman's eyes never Thomas though, and he became more and more uncomfortable under her relentless, seductive gaze. Even when he tore his glance away, he knew that she was still looking at him.

But before he could say or do something that he would regret later, Calum returned to the table, an ancient-looking book in his hands. The woman's eyes flashed at the sight of the book, but Thomas couldn't understand why. Calum placed it on top of his maps, and then began paging through it, obviously looking for something. A few moments passed before he eventually found what he was looking for, but before he could say anything, both he and the woman's attention abruptly turned towards the door. Thomas, though a little bit later, did the same, and listened. He could hear the wind, the creak of the deck, the lapping of the waves against the hull of the Tempest, and... scratching.

"So you've brought guests," the woman mused thoughtfully even as Calum grabbed his dark coat and hurried past Thomas to the main deck. It had been night when Thomas ventured to the ship - he knew better than to arrive on a pirate ship in the middle of the day - not that Calum would have announced his arrival in broad daylight. The deck was silent, except for that scratching noise, and when Thomas joined Calum, he saw nothing that could be the source of that sound.

And then the pirate moved, faster than Thomas thought possible, the shrill ring of blade now joining with the scratching noises, and silver glinted in the moonlight.

Then Thomas saw what was making that noise.

Four of the shadow demons, small, fast, and yellow-eyed, were skittering across the deck, disappearing into the wood, and appearing again, with a speed that made Thomas narrow his eyes. He unsheathed his own cutlass, remembering that swords didn't seem to work well on the creatures, but feeling better being armed anyway. But even as he swung at one, the creature dissolved, disappeared, and Thomas nearly lost his balance. Dammit - he had forgotten.

"You cannot kill them with a sword," Thomas loudly whispered to the captain of the Tempest.

"So I've noticed," Calum replied dryly. He quickly took count of the number of creatures making a playground of the deck, and then closed his eyes. Thomas would have thought it a foolhardy thing to do, but refrained from saying so aloud - the other man's lips were moving, and, even as the creatures moved at blinding speeds, he cast a spell. Fire magic, smaller than a child's fist, appeared in midair at four places on the deck, golden-red and dripping with sparks. Calum opened his eyes and waved his hand calmly, and the four orbs of fire magic trailed the shadow demons faster than even they could move, landing on them, igniting them, and turning them into smoke with an efficiency that made Thomas blink. He paused still when something red and purple and shining disappeared also with the shadow demon, only trailing up to the sky for a brief second.

Calum frowned, glancing around the deck of his ship. He seemed to be considering something. Thomas watched him, and then followed him, as they walked back to his cabin where the woman was standing in the door, a faint smile on her beautiful face. The captain paused just outside of the door.

"I will deal with these demons, Thomas," he said after a moment. "Though not in the way you'll want me to."

Thomas narrowed his eyes. "And what does that mean?"

Calum glanced at him over his shoulder. "I will not accept payment from you, and you will not tell anyone of this. There will be magic at work in Port Royal, and I'd rather not have everyone tracing it back to me or my crew." Thomas frowned at that, but then nodded. Piracy and witchcraft - one was already bad enough, but for one person to practice both... God have mercy on his soul if the authorities ever got a hold of him. And if anything, if the magic was traced back to Calum, his crew would be in danger too. The man was loyal, Thomas would give him that.

"Do you accept those terms?"

"Aye. How long-?"

"When the situation is finished," came the short reply. He gave a brief nod. "Good-bye, Thomas." Thomas took that as a note that the conversation was over and done with, and chances were, he would not be speaking to the pirate for the next few years again. He sighed irritably, and headed to where his small boat was still tied to the side of the Tempest. He had gotten what he had come for, Port Royal would be safe for awhile longer, from demons and from pirate attacks. At least... he hoped for the latter. Calum was tricky and unpredictable and not altogether honest... but hopefully, on this matter he could trust him.

Back in the captain's cabin, Lilith gave Calum a long, amused look as she unpinned her long, dark brown hair from the bun at the nape of her neck. "You're very protective of this ridiculous human town," she noted casually, gauging his reaction carefully.

Calum laughed, glancing back over at his maps of lands half-completed, half-discovered. "I did live here once." It wasn't really an answer, and they both knew it. Lilith walked up to him from behind, the skirts of the dark blue gown rustling on the wooden floor, and wrapped her arms around his waist and lifting her chin to rest on his shoulder.

"You're planning to help them, as a token of friendship for that silly man," she added. "I hardly see why. As you said, you're a pirate, not a privateer."

"Can a pirate not also be a good man?" mused Calum, glancing down at her. Lilith gave a low laugh as she closed her eyes.

"You're planning something," she countered matter-of-factly, trailing her hands up his chest. "The moment you said that he didn't have to pay for your services, I suspected that you had other ambitions." She paused and then smirked curiously. "Dare I ask what is so important in Port Royal that you're willing to put your reputation as a pirate lord at risk?"

"Tia Dalma is looking for something."

Lilith frowned. "The sea witch is out on a scavenger hunt again?"

"I will do whatever it takes to remain in her good graces." Calum chuckled, shaking his head. "Besides, as it seems I am the only one of the pirate lords seeking to free her from her human bonds, she is quite eager to do the same with me." The succubus said nothing to that - if the other pirate lords knew of that ambition that he kept from them, they would do whatever it took to stop him. To free the goddess was to lose reign of the seas, something that none of the Court would give up without a fight, even amongst their own.

Instead, she put her hands on Calum's shoulders and turned him to face her, tilting her head up, her cool turquoise eyes sharp with hidden thoughts. She didn't caution, she didn't speak doubts - she encouraged that ambition of his. It could hardly be tamed, and it was an all-consuming passion of his. "But if you tame Calypso and the other pirate lords...think of the glory that will come with that."

She reached up and pulled him down into a passionate kiss, pressing herself against him with an intensity and fervor that was the mark of their relationship. His hands wandered down her sides and then around to the small of her back, pulling her back towards him and his bed. She didn't have to use her powers to weave spells of seduction on him - he was the only one of her masters that she didn't.

"I have considered it," he said belatedly with a laugh, pulling away the kiss abruptly. "The seas of the world and the pirates that sail on them. Perhaps I could best Davy Jones too, and gain immortality." Her eyes glinted, and a small smirk slowly appeared on her face even as she pulled him down onto the bed.

"I would not object to that at all."