*

It takes half a day to get the Revenge underway--the currents are not in their favour. Stede doesn't let himself think about what that means, the fact that Hornigold has three full days' lead on them. Buttons seems confident about their heading, though the fact that a seagull seems to be his primary advisory raises some questions. The rest of the crew don't hesitate. They watch intently as Buttons stands on the ship's rail, squinting at the horizon.

He licks a finger holds it up in the air, hums, sniffs the finger and grimaces.

"They're headed due east," he says at last. "They've had a fine wind--we'll have to move quickly if we hope to catch 'em, cap'n!"

The crew is already moving as Stede gives the order to set a course due east. He sidles up next to Buttons, standing at the helm.

"Um," he says. "If I may ask. The, uh... the business with your finger. Is that something I could learn, perhaps?"

Buttons looks at him sideways, frowning.

"Oh that? Nay, cap'n. I were just making sure it were mine," he says, as if that explains anything. "It's Livvy as gave me the directions--she's offerin' us a bird's eye view, if ye catch my drift."

"O-oh," Stede says, and then, falsely, "I see."

Buttons just nods, eyes fixed on the horizon. Above them, the sails billow and snap as they catch the wind, and the ship moves at a steady clip through the harbour.

"Well," Stede says, "I suppose I'll just... I'll just go and check on Edward then, shall I?"

He moves slowly towards the companionway, looking around for something useful to do. The crew seem totally absorbed in their own tasks. Their focus since Stede told them Izzy'd been abducted has taken him by surprise. When he called the crew together to propose a rescue mission, well... he expected more of a fight, if he's honest. Izzy's never been popular.

He may not be able to do much for Izzy at the moment, but he can at least try to look after Edward.

*

Ed stares into the dark. He's curled on his side, blankets pulled tight around him. The cabin is stuffy, too hot. A drop of sweat rolls down his forehead. He shut the windows as soon as Stede went above, the curtains, too. He's seen men sweat to death before. Doesn't seem like a bad way to go, at least not compared to a lot of options. Ed shivers.

Benjamin Hornigold is back. As if he ever fucking left, the bastard. They'd stayed out of each other's territory for years, a wary detente. It always felt fragile to Ed. And now...

Now Hornigold has Izzy. Ed shivers again, pulls the blankets tighter around him. He has to do something, make some sort of plan. Izzy was always running after him, wanting a fucking plan and now... now Izzy's gone, and Hornigold's back, and Ed doesn't have a fucking plan.

Hell, at the moment, he doesn't have a fucking prayer. He squeezes his eyes shut and drifts back down into sleep.

*

Izzy can smell Hornigold's breath, rum and pipe smoke and decay. Hornigold's fingers, still twisting inside him, are rough and thick and Izzy can't help the pained whine that slips out when another one forces its way inside him.

"Now then, Israel," Hornigold says, for all the world like they're having a civilized chat in his quarters.

"You're a man with a reputation, aren't you?" There's a laugh in Hornigold's voice and Izzy grits his teeth, jaw aching as he fights the urge to scream. "A man of the world."

He curls his fingers inside Izzy, the feeling of it in his already-raw cunt fucking unbearable. Izzy makes a high, animal noise, tears starting down his cheeks again.

"A man like you certainly has information that would be useful to a man like me," Hornigold continues, unphased.

Izzy snarls, trying to kick, trying to roll away. Hornigold plants a knee in the small of his back, pinning him, hand in his hair still forcing his face against the floor.

"Ah, ah, ah," Hornigold says. "You're going to answer my questions, little bird. You don't have a choice."

Izzy shakes his head--he doesn't know what nonsense Hornigold is on about, but he won't be telling him a fucking thing, that's for damned sure.

"Oh, but you will, Israel."

Fuck. Izzy's heart pounds in his throat. He didn't say that out loud. He didn't. He's fucking sure of it, he knows how to bite his fucking tongue, he...

Hornigold is laughing.

"Of course you do, little bird," he says. "Under any other circumstances, I'm sure you'd die before giving up any of Teach's secrets. But it's not up to you now."

Hornigold leans in closer, breath foul against Izzy's face.

"It's up to me, my wayward little bedwarmer."

"Now," Hornigold says, smug, "what is Teach's next heading? Where is he planning to raid?"

And Izzy could fucking laugh, would if Hornigold's fingers in him weren't enough to make him puke instead, because he doesn't know. Edward hasn't discussed strategy with him in fuckin' months. Izzy's aware of his babbling now, hears himself repeating, over and over

"Don't know, don't know, hah, I don't... don't fuckin' know, fuckin' never talks to me anymore..."

Hornigold sighs, irritated, and Izzy wants to pull away from him, knows nothing good has ever come of that fucking sound, not for him at least, but he's trapped. Just like Ben likes it. Ben's fingers twist in him and he realizes he's babbling again. Useless fucking nonsense pours out of him, "No, please, stop, stop, it hurts, please," Hornigold's little laugh over top of it and Izzy's voice breaks on another sob.

"Now, now, Israel, don't make a fuss."

"The king likes it better when I catch pirates in the act, of course," Hornigold murmurs. "Makes for a better story, you know. But don't you worry, my little bird. It will make a marvelous story no matter how I catch the legendary Blackbeard."

And that is so fucking stupid that Izzy realizes he is laughing, a high-pitched, mirthless sound.

"Fuckin' won't," he mutters, knowing he should keep his mouth shut, not even trying anymore. No fucking point now

"You'll never... he's... he's fuckin' smarter than you, you evil old prick," he gasps, then groans as Hornigold slams his face down into the wood. Blood flows hot from his nose as he laughs.

"But don't you see, little bird?" Hornigold says through his teeth. "He'll come for you. His loyal dog. Won't he?"

The laugh turns to a sob halfway through, Izzy almost dizzy with elation even as the weight of despair bears down on him with crushing certainty.

"No," Izzy says, feeling the truth of it in his bones. "He's not coming for me."

The pain of that certainty, the joy of knowing this bastard will never lay eyes on Ed again, overwhelm him, face down on the floor under the only man he's ever really feared. It's almost a relief when Hornigold drags him up by his hair, and sends him crashing down into the deck again. Unconsciousness embraces him like an old friend.

For now, though, the bastard's flying high.

"Captain says we can have you when he's finished," the man sneers, face too close to Izzy's. Not close enough to bite, sadly. Izzy stares at him thoughtfully for a moment and then, without warning, spits in his face. The man reels back, shocked, then shouts in rage. He grabs Izzy by the hair and for a moment Izzy wonders if he might get lucky, if this stupid fucker might just kill him and have done with it.

"That's enough, Jeremiah."

Hornigold stands in the door, light behind him casting his face in shadow.

"But sir...!" the sailor, Jeremiah, protests. Foolhardy, then. Izzy revises his estimate--the lad'll be lucky to last a few weeks, let alone months. Ben's standards have fallen. For now, he just shakes his head, and Jeremiah falls silent, sulking

"Not to worry, lad," Hornigold says. The kindness in his voice makes Izzy's skin crawl. "I'll handle him"

Hornigold nudges him with his boot, rolling him over to his back. He shakes his head, the movement exaggerated, everything a performance with him.

"I'm afraid I can't let disrespect like that stand, Israel," he says mournfully, as if he genuinely regrets whatever he's about to do. As if he wouldn't have found an excuse no matter what Izzy did. Just another fucking game. Izzy's breath speeds up, out of his control. Fear makes a hollow pit in his chest.

His eyes follow the motion as Hornigold's hands go to his belt. He still can't see the bastard's face, not properly, as if this didn't already feel like a fucking nightmare. Izzy wants to scream and scream and scream until he wakes up. Hornigold pulls the belt loose, wrapping one end around his fist. Izzy hears himself babbling again, can't fucking stop it, feels fucking sick with it.

"No, no, no, please, Ben, please, don't, I won't, please..."

Hornigold clicks his tongue, grabbing Izzy by the hair again, pulling him up to his knees

"Hush now, boy," Hornigold says firmly. "I know you haven't forgotten my rules. I won't have lax discipline on my ship."

Izzy whimpers as Hornigold drags him to a low wooden bench at the side of his cell, manhandling him until he's draped over it, ass in the air. He shudders at the feeling of exposure. Hornigold's fingers stroke over his ass, the slit of his cunt

Izzy's breath comes in short, panicked gasps, tears already falling. He doesn't try to fight them this time.

"I would ask you to count," Hornigold says coolly, "but I haven't decided how many I'll give you yet."

Izzy writhes, panicked, words pouring out of him again, pure fucking terror, "Wait, wait, please, Ben, please, don't--!"

The belt whistles through the air, cracking across the meat of Izzy's ass. He doesn't scream--he chokes, gasping for air.

By the time Hornigold stops, Izzy is crying silently, limp over the bench, nothing left in him but pain. He hardly even notices that it's over until Hornigold's hand strokes his back. He flinches away, the feeling of that gentleness worse than the pain of the beating.

"Shhh, little bird," Hornigold says indulgently, like he's speaking to a frightened pet. "There, now. All's forgiven."

Izzy hears Hornigold fumbling with his trousers again. He shudders.

"Please," he whispers, not even sure if it's loud enough to be heard, knowing it wouldn't matter if it was, still not able to stop himself from fucking begging, "please, no."

Hornigold's hand tightens on the back of his neck, holding him down, hard bench digging into his soft belly as Hornigold fucks into him again. Izzy whimpers quietly, the pain of it eclipsing everything else.

"There now, darling," Hornigold says as he fucks Izzy at a brutal pace.

"It's too bad you won't be much use when it comes to catching Teach, but no matter."

Hornigold grunts, coming in Izzy's cunt again, quickly this time, no surprise--a beating always got the old bastard worked up. He leans in close, stroking the hair out of Izzy's face.

"You're back where you belong."

*

It's a day and a half before the Swede spots a sail on the horizon. A murmur goes through the crew, all of them looking to their captain for orders.

It's a testament to the Revenge's speed. Stede wishes he had the time to feel smug about it. Everything feels so urgent, time moving too quickly. Ed still won't talk to him, won't tell him what he fears, why even the sound of Hornigold's name makes him shudder. Everyone on board seems to know something. Hushed conversations fall silent whenever Stede comes near. No one will tell him what they're afraid of.

"You... you don't think Izzy might be dead?"

Stede twists his hands together, watching Jim sharpen their knives. They glance up but don't meet his gaze, staring past him, towards the horizon where the Swede first spotted the sail.

"No," they say after a long moment. They turn back to their knives.

"Then... then what exactly is everyone afraid of?" Stede asks. He feels sick, though he couldn't say why. Jim just shakes their head

"Just, shut up about it, okay?" they say. "We're getting him back."

*

Hornigold is on top of him again, cock in his throat cutting off his air until black spots swim at the edges of his vision. They've been playing a new game. To Izzy it seems the same as every other fucking game Ben plays. Ben asks Izzy questions--when he doesn't like the answers, he hurts him.

"Admit it, little bird. You missed me, didn't you?"

"Fuck no."

Another backhanded blow, Hornigold spitting in his face, pinning him down, calling him a liar

Izzy can't help but grin. They both know he can't lie, not now. And then Hornigold's cock forcing its way past his lips, hands in his hair, demanding he keep his eyes open. Doesn't matter anyway--open or closed, he sees the same thing, those fucking eyes. He wants to gouge them out

Hornigold finishes, spending over Izzy's face. Predictable. Izzy holds fast to his contempt, the last lifeline he's got. There's a knock on the cell door. Hornigold startles

Now, that's interesting. Jeremiah looks nervous when he sticks his head around the door. Hornigold tucks himself away again, buttoning up his trousers and grimacing as Jeremiah whispers something to him. He spares barely a glance at Izzy, lip curling, displeased again. Izzy doesn't know what the fuck is happening, but he holds out little hope it'll do him any good.

"Dose him again," Hornigold says, and then he's gone, leaving Izzy alone with Jeremiah.

Jeremiah's eyes dart nervously. There's shouting now, what sounds like gunfire.

"Sounds like trouble," Izzy says, managing to imbue the words with a touch of insouciance. Jeremiah snarls at him.

"Shut the fuck up," he snaps, pulling Izzy's head back painfully. "You think you're safe just because you're the captain's toy?"

Safe. Safe? Izzy snorts, then giggles. Christ, this lad is exactly as stupid as he fucking looks isn't he? Jeremiah slaps him hard

And when Jeremiah pulls out a knife, he laughs harder still, tears spilling down his face, breath coming in short, desperate gasps. Fuck, it would have been nice to at least wash his fucking face one more time, but it won't matter when he's dead and the knife is at his throat and he waits for the bite of it.

Jeremiah makes a strange, strangled noise in the back of his throat. The knife slips from his fingers and god, no, Izzy could fucking scream.

He was almost out. He was so fucking close and now this stupid fucking shitstain twerp is dropping his knife because... because...

Jeremiah slumps to the side, blood bubbling on his lips, mouth working soundlessly as his punctured lung collapses. Jim steps out of the shadows, pulls their knife free from his back, wipes it on the sleeve of their coat. They blanch when they look down at Izzy.

"Mierda, viejo," they say. "You look like shit."

Jim moves quickly, cutting the ropes around Izzy's wrists and ankles. They reach out to help rub the feeling back into his limbs, pins and needles stabbing through his unused muscles, but Izzy flinches back. They raise their hands apologetically.

Izzy doesn't look them in the eye. He groans as he stretches for the first time in... fuck, how long has it been? He almost doesn't believe they're here, but it would be the first good dream he's had in years.