Chapter 27: The Body

The wind had been building since I'd been inside; it was icier than ever, and I wrapped my cloak tightly around me as Lesaro strode ahead of me.

"Hurry, Señorita!" Lesaro called over his shoulder. "This is the calm before the storm, it will be very bad soon!"

I had to run to keep up. I didn't even have time to look left or right as we went, and my thoughts were filled with anxiety for Capitán Salazar.

I thought I glimpsed Benetez near the main mast, leading some of the prisoners in chains below, but it was no more than a split second's glance and then we were already going up the steps to the quarterdeck and towards the Capitán's cabin door.

As Lesaro opened the door, I saw at once there was a crowd inside. Every single officer on La María Silenciosa seemed to be there.

I balked on the doorstep as they turned to stare at me.

I recognised Magda at once, standing with Santos by the long table. Both of their expressions were blank - which made me even more uneasy. I almost would have preferred to have seen Santos worried, or Magda looking his usual haughty self, but seeing them both wearing perfect poker faces made the back of my neck prickle in foreboding. Something bad had happened. They were not being guarded for nothing.

Officer Moss was by the windows, talking quietly with three other officers I'd not seen before; they stopped mid-conversation at our entrance.

Officer Cortez was among the crowd too, but he was standing alone, seemingly deep in private thought. He turned and looked straight at me as I wavered in the doorway, his gaze unblinking.

"This way, Señorita." Lesaro started in.

I swallowed, aware of the weight of so many eyes on us, but followed him up to the higher part of the cabin. The crowd of officers parted to let us through. Lesaro came to a halt by the same bed I'd slept in, the one built into its own niche into the wall, and drew back one of the drapes for me. Time seemed to slow to a stop as I came up beside him, and saw Capitán Salazar lying there, eyes closed, unmoving.

I stopped breathing.

He looked - like he was dead.

Not even his chest was rising. What had happened to him? My head started to swim. Everything inside of me felt like it was sinking to the floor, and I realised too late I was starting to sag.

"Señorita - Señorita Athena!" Someone exclaimed.

"A chair for her, now!" Lesaro commanded.

A chair was under me, someone was helping me to sit in it, but I couldn't take my eyes off of Capitán Salazar's body on the bed.

"She must need more water, and food!" I heard someone muttering. "When was the last time anyone -?"

"Enough, Antonio!" Lesaro cut him off. "Stop complaining!"

"She is so pale!" Someone else said. "Is she going to faint?"

"Look at me." Someone said softly. "Don't look at him. Look at me."

I dragged my eyes away from the Capitán's still form.

It was Magda.

He was kneeling at my side.

I looked from him back to Capitán Salazar, and wanted to ask what had happened to him, but my mouth was dry and my mind stupidly blank.

"Athena, look at me," he said again.

He reached out cool fingers and touched my cheek, gently turning my face to look at him. His cool touch sent an instant shiver through me - but not because it burned hot, as Capitán Salazar's touch did. No, his touch was like ice-cold water on a hot day… I froze in shock.

I saw him pause. A confused frown crossed his face swiftly as he quickly drew his hand back from my cheek, before he glanced up at Lesaro.

"I must have your permission, Lieutenant," he said. "I must touch her to make sure she is not ill."

"Make it quick!" Came the curt answer; followed by, "And the rest of you, do not allow this one exception to be the rule! El Capitán wants none of us to touch her skin, and you will all still obey that order!"

I almost wanted to laugh hysterically at the hard note of distrust in the Lieutenant's voice. Yes, don't touch the fainting woman! She's so dangerous! She might make you faint too!

"Take a deep breath in," Magda was advising me. "Air is good for you."

I took a breath in, and closed my eyes, trying to force the bout of light-headedness to pass. I opened my eyes when he wrapped a hand around my wrist. The same sensation, like a rivulet of ice water, rushed over my skin. Strangely, the sensation was sobering, almost a relief... but I still couldn't help starting in surprise at his touch, before I realised he was assessing me like a doctor and feeling for my pulse. He studied my face as he touched me, and again I saw that same brief frown, but he quickly hid it.

"She only needs sleep," he said, letting my wrist rest in my lap. "Whatever your reason for bringing her here, I am sure it can wait -"

"No." Lesaro said. "No, it cannot wait."

"Cannot?" Magda stood. "Forgive me, but I am at a loss. Why can it not wait?"

"Capitán Salazar ordered it."

I stared past them towards the Capitán, trying to understand what had happened, as Magda stepped in towards Lesaro. "He ordered it?"

"Um - excuse me. I'm - I'm so sorry," I almost couldn't get the words out. "But what - what happened to him?"

The whole cabin was silent.

I looked up at both Lesaro and Magda, who had turned at my interruption.

"He fell unconscious." Lesaro said abruptly. "He just had time to ask for you, to say you could wake him…"

Briefly, an irrational warmth filled me - he'd asked for me! - but it was quickly replaced by worry again.

"Wake him...? But he's not asleep." A bad feeling started to creep over me. "It's - it's the Nightmare, isn't it?"

"Sí," Magda tilted his head. "It is the Nightmare. But how do you know of it, Señorita?"

"I - he - he told me about them..."

And I shared one with him. But I wasn't sure if I was ready to tell them about that just yet.

"The Curse gives us Nightmares." Magda nodded, but his gaze searched mine as he continued. "It forces us into them, living Nightmares where we are neither truly asleep, nor awake. We are forced to hear, to see, what we are most afraid of."

"It is bad." Moss spoke up. "Twice in as many days… is very bad."

Behind us, the other officers began to murmur softly in Spanish to one another.

"Señorita." I could feel Lesaro's intense focus on me, as he said in a low voice for only me to hear, "He said you could help him. Can you really help?"

I didn't know how to answer him.

Everything that was Armando Salazar was gone. His blazing eyes, his mercurial moods, even the feeling I got just from being close to him - all gone. His wild and weightless hair seemed to have lost its life, now only managing to lift limply from the pillow his head lay on. His hand lay still at his side. I had an irrational urge to lean forward in my chair, reach out and hold his hand. I wanted to reassure myself that our mutual touch was still burning hot, reassure myself that he was still in there somehow - but Magda was watching me closely, and I couldn't.

"Miguel," Lesaro said suddenly. "Allow me to speak with her alone."

Magda turned suspiciously to face him.

"Why?" He paused, while Lesaro remained silent. "Gui, I thought we understood one another." He gestured in my direction, his own voice barely audible. "You told me we should question her first, thoroughly. You told me she might be dangerous. That we needed to know more about her."

I kept silent, looking aimlessly at my hands while I listened; happy to let both men think I wasn't fully cognisant of what they were saying. Especially if it meant finding out more.

"And we both heard El Capitán give explicit orders," Magda said, "To keep her away from him. Orders you were keen to uphold, barely an hour ago. But now you say he asked for her to be brought to him?"

At once, Lesaro was defensive. "Things have changed. Capitán Salazar has fallen into the Nightmare. He asked for her to be brought to help, and now helping him is all that matters."

"So that is why my suggestion she be kept safe in my cabin was ignored?" Magda gave a thin, humourless smile. "Tell me. Is she still my prisoner to guard, or not?"

"Until Capitán Salazar wakes, sí!" Lesaro's said, exasperated. "You are still to guard her! But for now, the Señorita must try and help him!"

"I have never seen you worried like this before." Magda said casually. "Sí, having two Nightmares so close together is unusual, but… you were the only officer on the quarterdeck when he fell." Magda's gaze seemed to drill into Lesaro. "What did you see, that makes this time different to all the other times the Capitán has had a Nightmare?"

"Only the - frequency, as you said." Lesaro said. "Now, Officer Magda -"

"Nothing else?" Miguel's voice was smooth. "Nothing to do with, perhaps, breaking the Curse?"

"No." Lesaro was expressionless. "The Nightmare is irrelevant. And you have already been told, the Sparrow says this Señorita is the key to breaking the Curse. That is all."

But it wasn't all, and I couldn't help the look of surprise that I shot the Lieutenant when he said that. Why wasn't he telling Magda about the Trident of Poseidon? Why didn't Magda seem to have been told yet what had happened when it was broken?

"Ah…" Magda's gaze was shuttered; I knew he'd seen my surprise. "And I thought you had told me everything, Gui." He looked from Lesaro to me. "Why do I have the feeling I do not know everything?"

"When I know more, then I will inform you - you and all the officers!" Lesaro said tightly. "Until then, permit us some privacy."

Magda paused, before offering Lesaro a polite nod of acquiescence, turning and leaving. But he did not go far, instead choosing to study us both from a short distance away.

The other officers had already withdrawn back to their original places, but continued to talk with one another in low Spanish from time to time; all except Magda and Cortez, in separate parts of the cabin, but both silently watchful.

"Come, Señorita," Lesaro murmured out of the side of his mouth as he turned back towards the bed. "I know you heard everything. Do not waste my time pretending you didn't."

I looked up at him, alarmed. "I'm - I'm sorry - I didn't -"

He closed his eye, and sighed. "You do not have to be - afraid of me."

Too late for that, I thought privately.

"Officer Magda…" He started to say, and then stopped; as if unsure how much to confess.

"He doesn't know, does he?" I prompted quietly. "He doesn't know that Capitán Salazar is the reason why you're all still cursed."

"No. And for Armando's sake, I would like it to stay that way."

I wasn't sure what that meant. "I thought you - trusted Officer Magda?"

"To an extent." He glanced behind him, at all the officers, before shifting closer to me. "Officer Moss is devoted to a fault, and Officer Cortez - he sees no advantage in divulging what he knows." He sighed, and a heavy crease settled between his brows. "But the sooner Capitán Salazar wakes, the better it will be."

I could see, without needing to look behind me, that Magda's continued attention was still on us, and I could see it was making Lesaro very uneasy, so I whispered, "Would you mind telling me what happened before he - fell into the Nightmare?"

"He had spoken with Barbossa below," Lesaro admitted. "And he had returned to the quarterdeck. He was -"

Lesaro frowned and looked off, remembering.

"He was standing at the side, looking out at the sea. He - he lifted a hand. Held it out over the railing. And then - " Lesaro shook his head, his frown creasing his face. "Dios mío…"

"What?" I frowned with him, trying to understand.

"I fear… he was…" His voice dropped to a bare whisper, as his gaze fell onto his Capitán. "Trying to use the Trident's power inside himself."

"He - what!" I met Lesaro's worried expression with my own. "Was that when - when it happened?"

"Sí, almost immediately. He fell to his knees, there was no time for anything, only time to tell me to get you, that you could help - and then he was unconscious."

I shook my head, trying to understand. The Curse had shoved him into a Nightmare. But the question was, why? I went over what Lesaro had just said again: he had been on the quarterdeck. He'd lifted his hand out over the sea. And then the Curse had deliberately knocked him out... there was only one reason why it would have done it.

The Curse must've felt threatened.

I stared down at him again. After finally listening to Sparrow, after finally discovering that the whole reason their Curse hadn't left them was because he had taken the Trident's place… of course he'd tried to use that power. Maybe he'd even tried to conjure it out of himself… and then I realised what he really must have been doing.

"The knife. Does he still have that knife Eleni gave him?"

Lesaro looked at me with equally dawning realisation.

"He was holding it." He glanced quickly behind us, and added in a low voice. "I found it in his hand."

"Where is it now?" I asked, trying to keep my voice down as well. "Do you have it?"

"Sí, I do..." Lesaro drew the blade out of his own inner coat pocket.

He held it out briefly for me to see, and even without touching it this time, I felt that now-familiar prickle of magic over my skin. He quickly put it away again.

"It's the Curse." I told him. "He must have been trying to draw the power out by himself. Trying to put it inside that knife. The Curse didn't want him doing that. So it put him in a Nightmare."

Like a reflex, I thought to myself. The Curse feels threatened, it throws you into a nightmare.

It felt threatened by Salazar growing closer to me, after our first conversation in his cabin - so it threw him into a Nightmare. And now again, the moment Salazar tries to take control of the power inside himself, it did it again.

I felt my lips already twisting into a determined line. Well, enough was enough. It had to go.

I got to my feet. I still felt a little unsteady, but I let my knees lock against the side of the bed, and used its hardwood frame to prop me up.

Behind me, I heard the officers murmuring at my unsteadiness; but Lesaro merely held up a hand, and they stayed where they were.

Which I was glad for. I didn't need assistance. I just needed Lesaro to listen to what I was about to tell him - and hopefully, he would agree to my idea.

"Did he tell you that I was in his last Nightmare?" I asked.

Lesaro's single eye widened, and he shook his head wordlessly.

"I fell asleep. And while I was sleeping, I saw the Capitán." I remembered how hard it'd been to get to him. "He was struggling - I wanted to help him, but the Curse was trying to stop me. I had to fight just to get to him. But when I touched him, it made him wake up…"

I stopped, remembering how he'd looked the moment I'd touched him: alive. Human. And... very, very handsome.

I flushed a little at the last thought, and cleared my throat.

"He said he'd never had someone else in his Nightmare before. Said that me being there helped him."

"You... woke him up from his Nightmare?" Lesaro absorbed this. "While you were asleep?"

"Yes." I said. "So I'm thinking, if I fall asleep, I might be able to do it again."

Lesaro pondered this; and I decided it wisest not to interrupt him while he did.

"I have to tell you, Señorita Athena," he said slowly. "I still do not…entirely trust you."

"I know." I nodded. "And I don't blame you." I took a deep breath, and said: "But I want to help. I want to help you break your curse. And I'll do whatever it takes… whatever I need to do."

Lesaro's expression, which I'd only ever seen worried or furious - or a stern mixture of the two - softened a fraction when I said that.

"I am not satisfied yet," he was weighing me up, "That you are - not dangerous." He paused, his eye flicking over to his Capitán. "But, he asked for you. And if what you say is true, about doing whatever it takes…" He shot me another measuring look. "Then I would like to see you prove it."

"Okay," I agreed. "I'll try." I looked again at Capitán Salazar, and felt a rush of hope. "I think the first thing I need to do, is try and fall asleep… but." I gestured discreetly to the officers in the cabin. "Um. Would it be alright - if - if I did this - without an audience?"

Lesaro shook his head. "I do not believe they will want to leave."

"Well, it might be a bit hard for me to fall asleep then…"

Lesaro looked thoughtful, and then turned and approached Magda.

"The Señorita needs to sleep."

If Magda looked surprised at the left-field statement, he hid it well.

"Did you find anything that might produce sleep in your inventory?"

"Perhaps." Magda said, "There was a medicine case, that we found on the Queen Anne. It might have something to induce sleep." He glanced at me, and added, "However, I must insist on asking the Señorita some questions in private, about her health. I wouldn't want to give her something that... might have an ill effect."

"I admire your dedication," Lesaro said wryly, "But whatever you ask, can be asked here, in the cabin -"

"Lieutenant Lesaro!" One of the crewmen was suddenly at the cabin door. "Lieutenant Lesaro!"

Lesaro whipped around at the interruption and scowled. "Where are your manners!"

But the crewman only bowed hurriedly before launching into rapid Spanish.

Every officer stared in silence when he had finished.

Lesaro turned and looked at me, before looking back at the crewman.

"I promise," the man said. "I speak the truth!"

"Que?" Lesaro was shaking his head, as if trying to shake away what he had just heard. "How? When? When did this happen?"

"Just now, Lieutenant."

"Now?" He blinked in disbelief. "Are you certain?"

The crewman glanced at me, though I couldn't tell why, before nodding. "Sí, Benetez saw her there himself!" He pointed directly at me. "¡Era una señora - la pelirroja!"

Everyone looked at me, but Lesaro was having none of it.

"Absurdo!" He shook his head. "She has been here the whole time!"

"Perdon, but Navarre, he also saw same! La perlirroja in the brig, and then Benetez saw her again, on the gun deck!"

"How?" Cortez spoke up from out of nowhere. "She has been here. And before here, she was being watched by Bracero. It is not possible."

"Bracero!" The nervous crewman snatched at the name like it was a lifeline. "Bracero told me to come and tell you himself! The prison cells, ah…" his English faltered. "One has - broken lock!"

"Que?" Lesaro was as coldly furious as he'd been when he'd hit the pirate; I could hear it in his voice, and shrank back involuntarily. "Are all the prisoners accounted for?"

"Sí, sí! They are all - all there!" The crewman stuttered. "Por favor, Bracero went, he has seen the lock, he believes Benetez, and he says you also should come!"

"Impossible!" Lesaro muttered, but he was already striding towards the door. "Impossible!"

The crewman spread his hands in a helpless gesture, which only made Lesaro growl something under his breath in Spanish.

"I will question Benetez and Navarre myself!" Lesaro said to the crewman. "There must be a mistake! And if I find one of the prisoners has broken that lock, there will be punishment!" He turned back to address Magda. "While I am gone, you will procure a sleeping draught for the Señorita!"

"Sí, Lieutenant," Magda answered with a respectful bow.

"I will return once this matter has been dealt with!" He then addressed the rest of the Officers. "Cortez, go with Valdés, and patrol the top deck! Moss, you will go with Santos, and see to the prisoners on the lower gun deck! The rest of you, come with me! Every cell will be inspected, every prisoner accounted for! Report to me immediately, if anything is unusual! We will start from the bow and work our way back through every cell until we discover who broke that lock!"

SPANISH TRANSLATIONS:

Absurdo – Nonsense

Era una señora - It was a lady

La pelirroja - the red head/ with the red hair

Lo siento – I'm sorry