Pirates of the Caribbean: The Price of Freedom

“Easy,” Jack said. “You shouldn’t talk. Rest.” He’s talking about
Tia Dalma, he realized. Her cures are famous, but she demands a
trade. His mind was still reeling at the notion that he was talking to
someone from the legendary island.
Taharka’s right hand lifted. He gripped Jack’s wrist, his fingers
unexpectedly strong. “I must speak…you need to know.”
“All right,” Jack said, gently. “All right. Tell me, then.”
“I had cure…but now, it is lost,” Taharka’s voice was filled with
sadness. “Tell them…I fulfilled…”
“You fulfilled your promise,” Jack said. “You did. I will tell them.” He
took a deep breath, and realized he could smell smoke. The flute was
on fire. It was a good thing the rogues had emptied the powder
magazine.
“Tell my wife, Queen Tiyy. Tell my daughter, Princess…Amenirdis.
And my son, who will be pharaoh, Prince Shabako. Tell them all…of
my fate. Please.”
“I swear, on pain of death, that if I can find them, I will tell them,”
Jack said. As if I could find Zerzura! But what harm could it do, to
make a promise to ease a dying man’s passing?
Hearing this, the pharaoh relaxed slightly. He tried to draw a deep
breath, but coughed instead. At length he whispered, “Good. Good. My
thanks, sir.” His fingers loosened slightly on Jack’s wrist. His eyes
closed for a moment, then flew open, and his grip tightened. “One
more thing…you must…return my talisman…to Zerzura.”
“Talisman?”
“My bracelet.” The pharaoh painfully raised his left hand, to touch a
slender strip of woven grass that circled his right wrist. A small, flat
gray pebble was centered on it, with a few lines scratched into the
stone. Jack squinted down at the pebble, realizing that from the proper
angle, the lines resembled a crude representation of a lion’s head.
“Watch,” Taharka gasped. He closed his fingers on the strip of woven
grass.
In the gloom beneath the canvas, Jack saw a greenish glow
surround the wristlet for a moment. When Taharka moved his hand
away, Jack gasped, seeing that the bracelet had transformed. It was
now a golden marvel, with a pale green stone, and the image of a