Crawford was trapped—one arm tangled in thick ropes dangling from the fallen beams above him. He strained with all his strength, trying to pull free, but the cords held fast. His legs dug into the rubble, searching for leverage, but he could not escape. Every instinct screamed at him to move, to break free—but he … Read more
Chapter One: The Breaking Sky The sky was deep grey, hanging low over a churning, merciless sea. The HMS Dauntless groaned. Shattered, dying, her masts broken. James Norrington stood on the deck of the Black Pearl, and for the first time in his life, the ground beneath his feet felt utterly alien. He was surrounded. … Read more
Part 1: Tortuga Commodore Norrington’s heart hammered against his ribs as he pressed his back against the door he’d just closed behind him. The room was dark, lit only by a single guttering candle, and it smelled of rum and salt and something indefinably pirate. He’d sought refuge in the first unlocked room he could … Read more
The door of the rented room in Tortuga closed with a soft, traitorous click behind Commodore James Norrington. For a heartbeat he stood motionless, back pressed to the wood, chest tight beneath his immaculate coat. The sounds of Tortuga bled through the thin walls—laughter, shouting, the scrape of boots and the promise of violence. He … Read more
TORTUGA – A LESSON IN DUST AND SALT Tortuga smelled of rum, gunpowder, and the kind of danger that slithered through alleys long before a knife appeared. Commodore James Norrington had learned this the hard way. Captured by pirates, dragged through the filth of the island, half-conscious and beaten, he had managed to escape only … Read more
Two weeks later, the atmosphere in the Governor’s grand dining hall was suffocating. Admiral Hobart, a man whose uniform was as stiff as his sense of morality, sat across from Norrington. Hobart was one of the few men high enough in the Admiralty’s inner circle to have been “briefed” on the secret status of the … Read more
The meeting took place in the Governor’s private study, far from the prying ears of the admiralty or the gossip of the court. The air was still, heavy with the scent of old books and the sea breeze drifting through the open balcony. Norrington sat in a high-backed chair, his posture rigid despite the exhaustion … Read more
The brig of the HMS Dauntless was a damp, miserable place at the best of times, but in the middle of a Caribbean hurricane, it was a death trap. The ship groaned like a dying beast, pitching so violently that Jack was tossed against the iron bars of his cell every few seconds. Water was … Read more
The sun beat down on Tortuga like a physical weight, drawing out the thick, heady stench of overripe fruit, unwashed bodies, and the salty tang of the Caribbean Sea. The harbor was a chaotic symphony of creaking timber and shouting men. The Black Pearl glided into the docks, her soot-colored sails snapping in the gale … Read more
The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea The Dauntless was dying. She groaned, a deep, structural sound that vibrated through the soles of James Norrington’s boots. The mainmast had been shattered by the rogue storm, a jagged stump reaching toward a bruised sky, and the sea was currently claiming the lower gun deck with a … Read more