Chapter 2
“ I t can’t be,” Molly whispered.
But it most definitely was. I’d seen the girl a week or so before on the cobbled streets of The Hollow…watched her get snatched by a flying mantis right before my eyes. Caught her as she’d fallen from the monster’s clutches.
So what the fuck was she doing here, on the other side of The Shadow Abyss? Unless she’d dove off the edge like we had…
Cissy’s face screwed into a scowl as she stopped in her tracks, cocking her head. “How d’you know my name?”
Not our Cissy then, or if it was, she didn’t remember us.
“Pan mentioned it earlier,” I lied, taking the opportunity to search her face more closely.
My heart skipped a beat as I realized she was missing a scar over her right brow.
She’d gotten it during an ill-advised sling-shot war with one of the boys in town a couple years back, and I distinctly remembered sewing it up for her.
As I looked her up and down, it was also clear that she was a few pounds heavier.
Her cheeks had lost that Hollow— hollowed—look, and her shoulders looked a hell of a lot less like a coat hanger.
Whatever was going on here, she was clearly not the same Cissy Petway.
Somehow, the girl existed in both worlds at once.
But how? From those horrifying, black voids in the fabric of reality itself to the hints of prophecy that had led me here, it was becoming more and more clear that there were larger forces at play in my life that I couldn’t even begin to grasp.
If anything, this was one of the least strange of such occurrences, and if I let myself fall down this rabbit hole, I wasn’t sure I’d ever make it out.
I pushed the matter aside and refocused on the scene in front of me.
Cissy led us toward the house with Caleb in tow. “Come meet Tristan. He’s the most recent Lost Boy to come to Neverland.”
“Is that what you call yourselves? The Lost Boys?”
Cissy nodded. “Yep.”
“Shouldn’t you change the name to the Lost Kids or something, since you’re not all boys?” Moll asked.
Cissy shrugged and looked away. “It, um, already had that name when I got here.” She shoved open the front door and went tromping in with Caleb hot on her tail. “Tristan?!”
I paused at the door, taking a glance down at my sand-caked pants and wet boots.
Moll sidled up next to me and we watched as another boy came trudging into the kitchen toward Cissy. He was a bit older than the other two, maybe eleven or twelve, and looked seriously irritated.
“Thought I told you I wasn’t interested. I’m building my bookshelves so quit bothering me.”
“Yeah, but I figured you probably changed your mind by now,” she answered cheerily. “C’mon, Pan wants us to show these two around.”
Tristan scowled, but then turned his attention to us and paused as his gaze locked on Fetch. “Fine…whatever.”
Cissy grinned and then glanced toward Moll and me. “What do you want to see first? Our fire pit? Ooh! Maybe our fishin’ spot?”
“How about we start with that change of clothes?” I tugged at the hem of the shirt that was plastered to my body with seawater.
Cissy flashed an accusatory glance at Caleb. “Weren’t you s’posed to get that for them?”
He flushed, opening his mouth as if to respond, but she cut him off with a wave.
“No big deal.” She turned back toward Moll and me. “I’ll show you to one of the guest rooms.”
I shot a glance at the gleaming, wooden floors and winced. “Maybe a towel first? I’d hate to drag sand and sea water in…”
Cissy let out a snort. “Don’t worry about that.
Tink can just throw some pixie dust at it, and it will disappear like poof !
” She blew into her hand and then splayed it wide.
Cissy’s nose crinkled as she leaned in closer and lowered her voice.
“Don’t tell her I told you, but I don’t get why she makes us do so much boring chores when she can just use her magic. ”
“She says it will help us learn ‘sponsatility and build character.” Caleb was clearly offended on the fairy’s behalf.
“Responsibility,” Tristan corrected, rolling his eyes. “And, yeah, that’s what she says, but I don’t see her scrubbing floors to build her character.”
“Maybe she already has enough character?” Cissy suggested, looking thoughtful.
He let out a snort. “Not likely.”
“Take it back!” Caleb glared at Tristan, his little fists balled at his sides.
“What are you gonna do if I don’t?”
“Do you guys like hide and seek?” Moll interjected, seemingly out of nowhere.
Cissy and Caleb exchanged a look and Caleb nodded, his fists unclenching. “Yeah, why?”
“Well, I’ve been wanting to play, but…” She let out a sad sigh and shook her head. “I’m so itchy in these salty clothes, and?—”
Caleb stepped forward and grabbed her hand. “Come on!”
Thank the Gods for Moll—she knew how to deal with the littles far better than me. Twenty minutes later, I was sprawled with my legs hanging over the edge of a massive, wooden bathtub full of fresh, hot water, and it felt amazing.
“If I die here, I’m okay with it,” Moll murmured from a second wooden tub the kids had dragged in just for us, on the other side of the checkered curtain that separated us.
“Same. I didn’t realize how sore I was.” A glance down confirmed I was basically one giant bruise from all the fighting and falling.
So much falling.
So much fighting.
I grimaced as memories of the battle at the Sky Tree flooded back.
Total carnage, on both sides, all because of Relyk’s lust for power.
I sent up a silent prayer for Duncan, Sir Crispin, and The Speaker’s band of Whispers.
But, deep down, I knew that they would be alright.
With the sorcerer and Heinrich dead, Alabaster’s soldiers would have surrendered quickly, falling in line under their new king.
And what an improvement it would be. He might be a member of the royal family, but Duncan was as good a man as I’d ever met. Under his leadership, the people of The Hollow, The Smudge and Little Alabaster would prosper. It was just a shame I couldn’t be there to see it.
A wave of regret washed over me as an image of his face shimmered to the forefront of my mind, but I forced it down.
Maybe we’d meet again someday. Though in my heart of hearts, I knew that was a foolish hope.
He was…somewhere else. Even now I didn’t fully grasp what had happened, or how we’d gotten here.
I swallowed a sigh as an image of The Speaker’s final stand came rushing back to my mind.
We hadn’t known each other for long, but I sincerely wished that I could see him again, too.
Although it seemed like a lifetime ago, it had been just hours since we’d witnessed him sacrifice himself in a blaze of glory, taking Relyk with him.
Despite the grief, there was something bittersweet about it.
He’d chosen to go out that way, accomplishing his life’s goal in his final act, while surrounded by those he loved. How many others could say the same?
I frowned, sloshing a bit of water over the sides of the tub as I reached for the still-damp pouch I’d set on the little stool beside the tub, a wayward thought circling to the front of my mind.
The magical jeweler’s loupe. Had it fallen out at some point in all the madness?
My pulse thumped heavily in my ears as I reached for my bag, my hands ghosting over the pockets and through the interior as I tried not to panic.
I sucked in a relieved breath as I felt the smooth curve of the brass exterior and tugged the loupe free.
Such a tiny thing…yet it had changed the entire outcome of the battle against Relyk, allowing me to finally, truly unlock the magic inside me.
I had no idea if I would need it again in this new place, but knowing I still had it gave me a small sense of peace.
I ran my thumb over the glass before slipping it back into the bag, pausing as my fingers brushed against a piece of damp paper.
There were a few things in the bag, my incapacitator, a small dagger that my stepmother had given me, and an acorn from the Sky Tree that I’d taken in remembrance of my time there. But I didn’t recall a note or?—
Maybe Duncan had slipped it to me at some point before I’d left?
I unfolded it as gently as I could manage, letting out a sigh as I saw that, while the ink was a bit runny, it was still readable.
The day will come, so don't be late
She’s in The Hollow, to fulfill her fate
Fair of face, with boots of red
Her name is peace, A wizard's dread
Daughter, tinker, smuggler, spy
A falcon's heart, a jeweler's eye
She's the one who holds the key
To unlock the ring and set you free
Shine a light and steal the dark
Help her see, ignite the spark
She alone cannot succeed
She needs you all to complete the deed
Then prince and pauper, hand and hand
To finish the job, to heal the land
Only then can she hope to turn the page
Daughter, tinker, pirate, mage.
Figured since you didn’t have a whole lot of time to write it down or memorize it, this might come in handy. I also wanted to thank you for everything you did for our people. Sometimes, it seemed like I’d never find you, but in the end, it was worth the wait.
But as you already know…your work isn’t done yet. There are other worlds, and other people who still need saving.
Including yours.
You’re probably wondering where to start, and while I don’t know much more than you do on that front, I did remember this.
Several years back, a woman named Gayelette came to visit me claiming she was from The Smudge.
A strong Whisper recognizes another, but I let her keep her secrets because it was clear she had a message that she asked me not to read until I found you:
“When the chosen one is able to turn the page, let her know that her success in this next world relies on her being on time . Outside forces are eating away at the very fabric of reality, and her people need her. The clock is ticking…but also not. She must find it to complete her journey so she can get back home before it’s too late. ”
Not exactly sure what it means, but you’d better get at it. Whatever it is.
-The Speaker
P.S. No pressure, but I’m definitely going to haunt you if you don’t do your best to fulfill the rest of your destiny.
I chuckled, wiping a tear from my eye as I slipped the note back into the bag and set it back on the stool.
The ending bit had only confirmed what I’d suspected; he’d known he wouldn’t make it out of the battle alive from the very start.
Yet he was brave enough to do what needed to be done.
Now, I needed to take my cue from him and do the same.
And, I needed to do it—whatever it was—pretty fast. Because apparently, my people needed me… But what people? My friends?
“Harm?”
I let my eyes drift shut, the weight of it all bringing me low as I replied to Moll. “Yeah?”
“Do you think that pirate ship was the same one that we saw on the wall of the amphitheater back in Alabaster?”
Still reeling from one shock after another, I purposely hadn’t allowed myself to think that hard yet. But, now that she’d brought it up, there was no point in trying to shove this genie back into the bottle.
“I couldn’t see the flag from that distance in the dark, but it sure as hell looked like it.”
An image of that massive, terrifying galleon firing cannonballs at us ran through my mind and I winced.
Daughter, tinker, pirate, mage…
Had I already fucked up beyond repair? Was I supposed to swim up and, I don’t know, shake hands or introduce myself? Pretty hard to think straight what with all the trying-not-to-drown and attempted murder going on around me.
“What else do you remember about that fairytale book of yours from when you were a kid?” Moll pressed softly.
I pondered the question for a long moment before answering. “Some of the tales, I remember really well. Others, not at all. I didn’t want to read the ones that looked scary. Why do you ask?”
“Well, because I’m starting to think we might be trapped inside of one just like it.”