Chapter 21
I huddled with James, high in the sky, above the cover of the clouds. Mists swirled around us, occasionally making my view hazy. Below us, the seas stretched out in all directions. Neverland was only a shoreline in the distance.
After arriving, we had gone to the banks of a river that ran through the island to retrieve the Neverflower we needed to create the right spell. Then James had chanted as he combined the two ingredients in a small hole on the muddy shore, mixed with freshwater from the river. We’d drunk it and transformed into the images of James’s crew members. I had an eyepatch on my right eye, a heavy wide-brimmed hat, and stubble on my jawline. James appeared to have both functional hands, a peg leg, and a nasty scar running across his face.
His arm tightened around me as we floated in the air, staring down at the Jolly Roger. The topside wasn’t very active, meaning most of the pirates must be below deck, but there was a man in the bird’s nest keeping a lookout.
“We’ll need to time this exactly right,” James murmured in my ear. “When they switch the watch and are on the mast, that is the best time. We drop to the water behind the boat, move along the port side. We’ll have about thirty seconds.”
Despite our disguises, I enjoyed being this close to him. Our images were only a mirage. I felt the prick of his hook against my side, reminding me it was the man I’d come to trust. “And then?”
“Then we wait until the aft deck is clear and slip onboard one at a time. And try to blend in.”
“What if Joe and Bill Jukes happen to be nearby?” Those were the names of the men from whom we’d borrowed our current appearances.
“Then we will have to improvise.”
I nodded. “We can fly, they can’t.”
“Aye, as a last resort, abandon the plan. Fly out of sight, out of range.”
I swallowed. After this, Peter would know that we possessed the dagger and the spellbook. I’d have to follow through on my bargain or my brothers would suffer. If I double-crossed Peter—I wanted to choose that so badly—but Peter had been too good at keeping John and Michael hidden from me. Could I risk it? Every part of me desired to, and yet my fear for my brothers kept me from committing.
I took a long breath to steady my nerves. “Once we are on the ship, I head below deck to the third level, where the gunpowder is stored.”
“And I will have a talk with my crew.”
That was the catch. Peter may hope to see James dead, but he wanted the book—which was still hidden on the ship—and the Dagger of Forgotten Souls more. James had explained to me that destroying the spellbook would destroy Neverland. Peter wouldn’t allow that. This was his home.
We waited a bit longer. I shut my eyes, wondering what it might be like to keep this. To stay with James. But that was never an option. When I found my brothers, I’d have to return to London. They needed to grow up, be properly cared for, and become adults. I didn’t want John and Michael ending up like Peter. Though I wasn’t even sure if that was possible, I wouldn”t take that chance.
“There.” James pointed at a man on the deck making his way to the mainmast. “Wait until the man standing in the crow’s nest descends. Then we go.”
That man climbed to the edge of the nest and began to descend the long rope ladder.
“Now.” James released me, and we dropped through the clouds. I followed him to the water. Then he shot off toward the ship, and I raced to catch up. When we came under the protection of the stern, he gripped me and pulled me over to the stairs, settling me above him. “Ladies first, love.”
I inched up the wooden steps. They were damp and cold under my fingers. Carefully, I peeked over the edge onto the deck. Nobody seemed to be about, so I crawled on board and quickly straightened.
“Oi, you there.”
I froze, my heart pounding in my chest. I turned to the approaching man. Long scraggly hair framed his face, and he sneered at me with yellowing teeth. Had he seen me climb onto the Jolly Roger?
He squinted down at me, and I adjusted my stance, hoping I looked semi-piratish.
“Yes, sir?” I dropped my voice to my lowest timbre.
“Ain”t you supposed to be below helping with the mess?”
“Aye, sir, just came above for some fresh air—”
“I be telling you when ye can get fresh air. Now stop slacking at yer tasks or I’ll be havin’ you scrubbing the decks every day for a month.”
“Yes, sir,” I said again and scurried for the entrance that led into the dark hold. I was one step closer to my task. And James was on his own. My stomach twisted at the thought. If I were uncovered, Peter would most likely play along. But if he saw the opportunity to kill James…
The captain of the Jolly Roger had come this far. I would trust that he could handle himself. I held my breath against the unsettling smells in the hold. The walls of the boat creaked as the water lapped at its edges. I followed the directions James had given me to what should be the powder room.
I eased the door open and slipped in. Tightly closed barrels stacked on top of tightly closed barrels filled the space.
That was when I heard the shouting. James had revealed himself, as planned. I didn’t have long. I hurried over to a barrel and popped it open, grasping fistfuls of gunpowder and creating a trail to the door. Then I cleaned my hands off on my clothes.
Suddenly, James was there, his disguise gone, with a line of angry pirates right behind him.
“Hold!” James shouted. “Hold, I say! Or Wendy will send all of us to the depths of the sea with one spark!”
Reaching into my pocket, that was really James’s coat pocket, I pulled out the last thing we’d bought before leaving Neverland. I lit a match and held it up.
Everyone stilled
“Why should I care what you do to these men, Hook?” spoke the foremost pirate. It was the man with scraggly hair who had gotten after me, but his voice now contained a smooth texture to it. Peter had taken over. “You know they are not in control of their own faculties. It won’t matter to me if they die.”
“You will care if the book of Stardust is ruined, destroying all of Neverland.”
“The spellbook is on board the Jolly Roger?” Peter said through Scraggly Hair.
“That it is, Pan,” James growled. “So, if I were you, I’d listen to our request, and have every last man abandon this ship.”
“Why would I believe that you’d follow through with sinking your own ship?”
“Because we have nothing left to lose. You know what desperate men are capable of.”
The pirates lowered their weapons. Scraggly Hair sneered. “You win this round, Hook.” The pirate’s eyes met my gaze, and I saw the significance in them. Peter was backing off in the trust that I was bound to keep our bargain.
James turned to me. “Stay here until I give you the word that everyone is gone. Be on your guard.”
I extinguished the match and watched as they disappeared up onto the deck. It took a bit, and I heard his footsteps prowling through the ship as he searched for any signs of any stowaways.
Eventually he came back, his face relaxed. “We’re alone. Come. Help me lower the sail so we can put some distance between them and us.”