cw: violence, amputation aftermath, discussed eye whump (graphic)
A week passed, at least as far as James could tell. Jeddy was his sole visitor, bringing water and a thin soup, checking his wound and changing the bandages daily. When the pain had ebbed enough, James was able to take a more thorough stock of his situation.
His ankles were still cuffed together, a small link of chain between them, connected to a longer one spanning several feet and bolted to the wall. As if he could even stand on his own, much less try to run. The fever and lack of food had incapacitated him as well as any binding could, and even if the ship were docked and every restraint removed, he doubted he could even make it to the door.
Jeddy didn't speak much on her visits, only ever commenting on his condition. He didn't dare ask what Peter had in store for him, and even if he did, he wasn't sure she'd be able to answer. Peter was unpredictable. It was nearly impossible to pin down what he might be thinking at any given moment.
Even the mutiny had come out of nowhere. James hadn't been particularly close with his first mate, having appointed the other man due to his experience, and the fact that the other sailors were quick to do as he said. He should have been more wary of the latter fact, the detail that had been James' downfall. There had been no preamble, no murmurs of discontent. The traitors aboard The Scarlet Merry had simply sprung, outnumbering the loyal few, quickly overpowering their former captain and tossing him below.
If only he'd had just another instant of awareness of the plot. He could've fought back harder. They could've killed him, he could've escaped the pain, the dread he was currently stewing in.
The food Jeddy brought did little to help him regain his strength, and he couldn't even look at his arm without wanting to empty his stomach. He could feel the ghost of his left hand, nonexistent wounds still being dealt to the nonexistent appendage.
He was blinking away sleep when the door opened, but this time it wasn't Jeddy standing at the entrance.
It was Peter.