Chapter 3
Chapter three
James
My chest deflates, tightening around my aching heart as I close the clam again, sighing.
The dulcet tones of his pan flute helps to soothe my worry.
It stops me from getting sick. Peter has been gone for four days now.
Not as long as the last time. However, last time I got sick after only two days, and on the fourth day, I was barely able to stand.
Still, I miss him. I feel lonely again, sick and tired of waiting.
I haven’t seen Matthew and Barry either, for some reason Peter is always the one who sets our meetings up.
“That’s it, I need some fresh air,” I tell no one in particular as I am alone in an empty room once again.
Wrapping my green cape around my shoulders so I won’t get cold this time, I step out of my room.
Careful to make sure no one sees me, Peter has the staff keeping an eye on me.
Stopping me from entering Silvermist Forest, I love it there and when he is home Peter will often take me.
I know he is protective of me, and I understand why.
It’s just too suffocating. I’m alone here, and I spend my time baking, but there is only so much I can bake before the fauns get sick of eating something sweet with every meal.
If this goes on any longer I will lose my mind, I’ll be careful, I won’t even have to use the mountain passage.
I will stay hidden behind the Colorless peaks, in Peter’s court.
By the time I reach the servant entrance, I’ve convinced myself enough, and I slip out, quickly making my way to the dense forest. Only when I hear the river flowing, the leaves rustling and the birds singing do I slow down.
I wish I had a book with me, it would be a perfect space to read.
There is just enough sunlight filtering through the leaves to make me able to read.
Somehow the forest seem lighter than the castle does.
Probably because it is next to the Colorless peaks and not behind it.
Not cast in its shadow, the sunlight is what I love most about the forest. That and the quiet, the lack of staff buzzing around, people always wanting something from Peter or me.
It’s wearing me down, I know I should not be complaining.
My life has gotten so much better, and while I miss them like crazy and cannot talk to them anymore.
My parents’ life must have improved too.
I’ve written them a letter, Peter told me I could not tell them about Silvermist, parents can never know to keep the magic alive.
So I just told them I found my soulmate, that I overheard their plans to sell me into a marriage, and that I choose the man who will take care of me and my brothers.
I saw Peter place the bag of gold on top of the letter with my own eyes.
Strangely enough, it is one of the few vivid memories I have of my parents, of my life before Peter.
Still I’m sure my parents cried over it; they meant well. Life just kicked us down one time too many. I also know they will overcome this grief, knowing all our lives are better now. And with enough gold in their pockets to get mom to the doctors and cure her.
Loud voices startle me awake, and when my eyes fly open, the sun I came out to find has disappeared.
I must have dozed off. Even with the clam necklace, I hardly get any sleep at night.
The nap helped, but now Peter’s staff found me, and they will scold me, tell Peter when he comes home.
He will be so mad with me again. Maybe if I just lay still, they won’t see me.
I will just sneak back to the castle when they are gone, pretend I fell asleep in the bath.
“Cap, he is here. He’s making it easy on us.
” Cap? That’s short for captain, and there is only one captain I know in this land.
My eyes fly open again, as ice water pours down my spine, and I am face-to-face with a bald, bearded man, his hazel eyes squinting.
As if he can’t believe how stupid I am for being in this forest— MY forest—on my own.
“I hope you will make kidnapping you just as easy,” the tall man that appears smirks.
Like baldy, he has pointed ears. He must be proud of them as he has tied his long black hair back to showcase them.
His blue eyes are cold and full of disdain.
When he takes a step closer, I see the hook where his hand used to be, a chilling confirmation of who I am dealing with.
“Like hell, I will,” I scream, hoping to alert Peter’s staff. Or anyone from the Faun court. I regret being stupid enough to not listen to Peter. To venture out here on my own. But I’ll make it up to him. I’ll start by not getting caught.
“Come on, darling; otherwise, it’s going to hurt.”
My hands have been scrambling for purchase behind my back until the coarse dry wood behind me gives way. Moving against my searching fingers, my hands wrap around the loose branch behind me.
“I’m sure, it’s going to hurt…” I slap the branch in his face with all of my might “HURT YOU.”
“Feisty, not Peter’s usual type.” He smirks, wiping the blood from his cut lip while stepping even closer to me. I raise the stick again, squaring myself to hit him again, but Captain Hook grabs the stick, pulling me flush against his body.
“Pretty eyes that make you his type though…” he drags his hook down my cheek, and I want to push him off me.
I want to scream and shout, and vomit, but I am frozen to the spot.
Peter was right—I am of no use in a fight.
I have no idea what this Captain wants from me, and it scares me to the point where I turn into a statue, a poor man frozen in a position that screams terror.
As if I am looking Medusa and not Captain Hook in the eyes.
Wait, did he just wink at me?
Before my mind can comprehend what my eyes witnessed, my arms are pulled back with enough force to make the seams of my shirt creak. My shoulders instantly ache, coarse fiber bites into my skin as I try to move my arms in vain.
A third person I didn’t see ties a rope around my waist as soon as Captain Hook steps back again.
Their brown hair, shaved off at one side, reveals the same pointed ears.
I would have called their eyes almost kind if it were not for the fact that they are currently settling on the rope, seemingly checking the knots.
“Take him, Vani, Samuel only gag him if he doesn’t know how to shut up” The person who tied the rope around my waist grabs one end and starts walking, dragging me with them like I am a dog on a leash.
A fourth guy grabs the other end and walks behind me following Captain Hook and the bald guy with the pepper and salt colored beard.
My brain is scrambling to come up with a way to let Peter know.
To leave a hint he will understand, something that shows him where these monsters are taking me to.
Not that they tried hard to hide it; the forest is dense, especially since we’re venturing deeper into the forest where there aren’t any paths.
The pirates dragging me along make sure every branch sweeps in my face.
They will hold the branches back for each other and let them go, when I have to walk past them.
My face burns from all the scratches and I am sick and tired of it.
Frustration gnaws at me, and all I want to do is scream.
Tell them how much I hate them, that they won’t get away with it.
The pirates will gag me if I do, and I need to be able to call for help when Peter is close to me.
He is still out there looking for this scumbag. I need to play it smart for now.
“Cap, it’s been hours, and we’re getting tired and hungry.”
“Fair, I didn’t expect to find our little darling in the forest. Let’s set up camp here and scour for some food.”
This captain barks his orders around like he doesn’t care for his crew at all.
They tie my rope around a tree as they set up the camp.
I’m playing the smart game here, but that doesn’t mean I can’t have some fun.
One of the men comes back shirtless, using the shirt as a basket for a ton of ripe neverberries.
I’m surprised to get a handful of them. I’m hungry too, and I love neverberries.
The pirates seem unsure. This forest is part of Peter’s land, so they can’t be here often. And I just want to mess with them.
“No, thanks I don’t want those.”
“Why? Are you starving yourself out of protest? That’s not going to help you,”
“Do I look like I’m starving myself?” I scoff looking down at my body. My least favorite captain rolls his eyes, but he doesn’t say a thing.
“Then, why won’t you eat…”
“Because, vomiting and having the shits is not high on my bucket list?” I interrupt the one I believe is called Vani.
“Bucket list?” The third man slowly repeats. He must be thick-headed. “
Yes, you know the list of things you want to do before you kick the bucket… Being dragged around by a bunch of smelly pirates when I am sick isn’t on it.”
I smirk, as one of the men pops a berry in his mouth, showing me he doesn’t believe me. I try my hardest to show him how it amuses me. That I want them to eat the berries. He crinkles his nose, and I see the confusion on his face as he stares at the berries.
“Your face crinkles. Shame that probably means the berries are still sour. Seeing all of you shit yourself would have been very high on my bucket list,” I tell them.
I know full well that the berry he just ate is sweet and rich in flavor.
Whatever it was that made his face crinkle was not the taste of the berries, but if they don’t have food, they might get weaker, slower, easier to fool.
“If they’re ripe and sweet and juicy, that is when they are the most poisonous,” I lie.
And it works! He stands up to throw away the berries. One by one the other pirates follow suit until there is a neat little pile of berries right next to me.
With any luck, they’ll leave me here, tied to this tree as the pirates retreat to their makeshift tents for the night, and I can feast on the berries.
“Let’s go to bed. We’ll be back at the Obsidian Oath tomorrow around lunchtime,” Captain Hook calls out, his crew grumbling but retreating to their tents “And you…” he says, yanking me up by the rope, “I have a tent set up for you…”
He frees my hands, and for a second, I feel like this is my chance. If he is going to let me sleep with my arms without restraints, I can make a run for it. I know this neck of the woods far better than they do.
“Don’t even think about it, darling. I’m not cruel enough to let you sleep with your arms tied to your back. I’ll tie them in front of you.”
I roll my eyes at the stupid nickname and the implication that he is anything other than a monster.
I watch how even with a hook for a hand, he quickly ties my hands in front of me.
After he drags me into a tent, he ties a new rope to the wooden pole inside, before leaving me alone without another word.
It’s been about an hour. I am sure all the pirates are asleep now. There’s no grand escape in the books for me now, but I should still be able to reach the berries. I’m starving…
It is almost too easy to reach the berries, and now in this dark forest, the loneliness feels even more repressive.
All I can think about is Peter coming home to find out I am no longer there.
Nobody even knows I got kidnapped. What if he thinks I just left him?
That him being away from me all the time broke me?
It was one of the few things we ever fought about, and me disappearing without a trace when he was on another mission, will look like I made good on those angry threats.
“And remember, my sweet boy, if you ever miss me, if you ever doubt our bond, just listen to our song.” Peter opened the clam trailing his finger down my chest. I nodded.
I hate that we fought again, but I didn’t see the threat this captain poses.
Life here in Silvermist was good; that captain never seemed to be close.
Sure, Peter had a good reason to hate him. But the thing was, I didn’t get why he kept on this crazy goose hunt. All it did was leave everyone in the castle at risk. Or he wasn’t telling me everything there was to know …
If he loved me like he said he did, wouldn’t that mean he would tell me everything?
I sat there listening to the sounds coming from my necklace calming me down, like it had done the first time he gave it to me, when he suddenly walked back into the room with me.
“Come to bed with me, my sweet boy. Give me something to come home to. I’ll make sure you’ll sleep tonight.”
Without thinking about it, my hands find the hanger on my necklace.
All doubts and worries disappear as I listen to the ethereal tones of Peter’s music.
It always wraps around me like warm fluffy clouds.
I’ll feel warm and floaty and safe. It helps me remember the bond between me and Peter.
He will know I didn’t just leave him; he trusts our bond way more than I do.
It’s not as new to him; it’s something he has been waiting for his entire life while I was unaware mates exist.
He will know who got to me, and he will come to rescue me, and then, we will finally be able to marry and have our dream future.
The one I didn’t even know I had. Leaning against a tree trunk, eating the juicy berries, listening to Peter’s music, makes me feel a little better.
Makes me feel like this isn’t all hopeless.
“Well, Well, Well, I thought you said those berries are poisonous?” Shit, I’ve come to recognize that silky smooth but cold voice, and out of all the men to find me here stuffing my face with Neverberries, it’s Captain Hook himself, my least favorite.
“I said no such thing,” I quip back.
“Clever thing, too clever to be with a man like Peter,” he says, something flashing behind his eyes before he continues, “You, implied they were,” he tells me, suddenly switching back to our previous conversation.
“Nope,” I say, popping my P with lips still sticky from the neverberries, as I keep eating them. The berries swirl around my stomach as I am being yanked up.
“Do not play smart with me,” he growls, his hook tangling in the collar of my shirt. His eyes drop to the necklace that holds the black and green clam. I hiss as the golden links bite into my skin.
“Is it really playing smart when I got your entire crew to believe me without me even trying?“ I shrug, wondering if Peter would still hate my snarky mouth. Or if he would like it when I use it on his enemy?
“Darling, you make the hand your lover has in his trophy cabinet itch to slap some sense into you. But then, I remember you let prince goat fuck you. And fill your pretty little head with lies,” he snarls shoving me in the tent. “Sleep tight, goat’s mate.”