Sword - Summon ghost

 "I should be holding the parchment, too. You read it off, Fitz, and I'll repeat after you. Got it?"

"Aye, 'Captain,'" Fitzwilliam said, saluting dramatically and leaning over Jack's shoulder. The breeze stirred everyone's hair. The empty town of Puerto San Judas had never sounded as silent as it did that moment. Even the birds seemed to have stopped singing. Everybody crowded closer to Jack and Fitzwilliam as Fitzwilliam began to read aloud:

"Poena Letum Pugna."

Jack repeated, loudly and proudly, "Poena Letum Pugna!"

"Did he say 'pain?'" Jean whispered to Tumen. Jack pretended not to hear.

Fitzwilliam said, "Envinco--"

"Envinco."

"Inhumanus."

"Inhumanus!" Jack finished, shouting it out, to make sure the godlike power knew to come to him instead of Fitz.

Silence. Nobody moved. Jack waited for any of the humming, tingling, or glowing that ought to accompany godlike power. None developed.

“Is that all?" Jack said, turning the parchment over in case something else was written on the back. But the other side was blank.

Arabella scratched her head. "The change must not be obvious. Try to do something magical."

Jack did the first thing that came to mind. He pointed at Constance and said, "Turn this thing back into Jean's sister!" Constance mewed once, then began washing herself with her paw. Jean slumped in disappointment.

(...)

"I can't believe it," Arabella said. "It makes no sense at all."

"Blasted pirate stories." Jack could have pitched the sword and never looked back. He threw his hands up in the air in disgust and said, "Right. I'm headed back into the city to see if anyone left supper on. Coming?"

He turned to go--and that's when he saw the phantom. It wore a conquistador's armor, made of iron and silver, glowing slightly with heat. Steam and foul-smelling sulfur oozed from the bearded phantom's ears, mouth, and nostrils. The phantom took one step toward them, its hellish armor clanking. Its eyes were red, and its beard curled like smoke. As the crew of the Barnacle all huddled close together, terrified, the phantom raised a hand and groaned in a gravely voice.

Arabella clutched Fitzwilliam's arm. "Jack, don't ye realize what's happened? The pirates' stories lacked a wee detail! The incantation brought back the Sword's owner! This is the spirit of Hernan Cortes, risen from the dead!"

Cortes took one more step toward them, his glowing red eyes still fixed on the Sword. Nobody said a word. They were all too scared to speak--in fact, scared out of their wits. Almost all of them, that is. Jack took a jaunty step forward and extended his hand toward the conquistador.

"Well, hello there, mate," he said. "Captain Jack Sparrow. How very nice to meet you."

***

The Pirate Chase, Chapter 9