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Izzy dreams of sharks.
He dreams that Blackbeard finds him in the little space between the walls, lifts him easily from the bed of rags the crew made for him and carries him on deck. It’s not difficult, Blackbeard is of course stronger than any other man and Izzy’s had little appetite even for the poor rations they’ve been trying to eke out. For a moment it’s almost comforting to be carried in his Captain’s arms.
But Blackbeard is striding towards the rail and the crew flee before him and no-one dares protest when he holds Izzy out over the water.
“Watch and learn!” Blackbeard shouts. “This is what we do with useless, broken things!” Then he whispers in Izzy’s ear, almost intimate, “They’re waiting for you, Iz.”
Blood from Izzy’s leg drips down into the sea and triangular fins rise from the water. Izzy shrieks and clutches at Ed’s jacket, begs for his life, begs for a more merciful death, but Blackbeard only laughs and flings him over the rail.
And Izzy wakes from that jolting fall. He leans out from his bed and gropes in the darkness. There is rum in his cabin and Roach has left him a phial of laudanum but he has something better.
His unicorn leg, made by his crewmates. He holds it close and rubs his cheek against the varnished wood.
Lucius dreams of hands.
Hands hold him down, pull at his clothes, clamp over his mouth, claw and prod at his body. There are too many hands for him to free himself from, he shoves one away and two more take their place. The hands are stinking and slimed with sweat and their nails are ragged. There is no respite. The hands will not stop, will not leave him and now there are voices too, whispering, jeering, grunting.
Pete has learned how to wake him. He doesn’t touch Lucius, not yet. He calls to him softly, Babe, Honey, Sweetheart. Lucius wakes and reaches for him and they clasp hands in the dark.
Fang dreams of the storm.
He reaches for the crewman being swept over the side but he is always too slow, too late. He leans dangerously far out over the rail and stretches out his arms to Ivan, to poor Izzy, to his dear dog that believes to the last that he will save it. But he is never quick enough, brave enough, clever enough, and he can’t save anyone.
Fang wakes with tears on his face. He slips away to the cargo hold, to the pen where the goats are kept. The animals are sleeping. Little Kevin stirs briefly when Fang takes him in his arms, then snuggles against his chest. No-one will ever hurt Little Kevin, Captain Bonnet has promised. Fang can hold the kid as much as he likes and he will never be swept away.
Frenchie dreams of music.
The strings of his lute are wet with blood and scream whenever he touches them. He doesn’t want to play, doesn’t want to hurt them, but Blackbeard is implacable, Blackbeard will punish him terribly if he doesn’t keep playing.
Then Calypso appears in his dream. Calypso is smiling and strong, stronger even than Blackbeard. Calypso gives Frenchie a golden lute that plays the sweetest music.
Jim and Archie don’t dream.
That is to say, not the kind of dream you wake from in fear. Olu holds them, one in each arm. The three of them sleep close and warm, guarding each other against dreams.
Stede dreams of Ed.
He finds Ed’s body in the hold once more, and once more he refuses to believe that his beloved is lost to him. He ignores the pleas and warnings of his crew, ignores the stench and the buzz of insects. He ignores the way grey skin slides over sodden flesh when he takes Ed’s hand. But when he lifts the cloth from Ed’s dear face, fat black flies come swarming up at him and reveal ~
Stede wakes sobbing and shuddering. He curses Ed for leaving him, reminds himself that he is a real pirate now, a pirate captain. He doesn’t need Ed. He wouldn’t sell his soul for one more night, one more look, one more word.
Ed dreams of the Kraken.
Or he tries to. He wants to dream of that terrible creature, vile and murderous, dragging his crew shrieking beneath the waves. If the Kraken ever saw a beautiful golden mer-person swimming down to save it ~ why, the Kraken would snatch the poor thing up in it’s tentacles and rip it to pieces. The Kraken destroys everything it touches and the Kraken is never far away.
Ed stares at the ceiling of his fisherman’s hut and tries to dream of the Kraken, so that he can tell himself that he has done the right thing.