Chapter 11 #3
“Once the Spinner heals you, lass.” He makes a deep growl in his chest. “I’m going to eat you alive and leave nothing for seconds.”
Hot. Fucking. Flash.
He turns his head. “Bill, escort Anne to the brig. Feel free to kick her in the ribs after you throw her in, then lock her cage and forget about her.”
“Aye, Captain!” He takes her by the arm and drags her away, but not before she sneers at Hook and swipes her hand beneath her chin in a ‘fuck you’ gesture.
Once she’s out of sight, I can sense some of the tension leaving Hook, his body relaxing as he turns the wheel with a lazy sort of confidence that speaks of familiarity and years of knowledge.
“We’re on our way.” He kisses my crown, his gruffness fading a little, though still present in the way he keeps a tight grip on me.
“What about the spawning kraken?” I peer at the dark water as we ease away from the island.
“We’re going to hew closer to the shoreline, lass.
They don’t care for shallower water. It’ll slow us down a bit, but we won’t have to fight them and waste more time.
” He glances up at the moon as it sits low on the horizon.
“Two more moonrises before we get to the Fairy Village. Two more until the moon is full.” He shakes his head. “But there’s nothing for it.”
“It’ll be a full moon when we get there?
” That doesn’t sound good. I barely survived the last full moon, and this one has even higher stakes.
But maybe the Fairy Village will offer shelter like the Guardian Village.
Surely, it’s safer there than out on the island in the open.
“Peter’s shadows were all over his cave.
Have you seen them in other places at the full moon? ”
“I’ve heard tales of them in the Nevertree and around those parts, but I don’t know how far they venture. They might be buoyed to wherever Peter drained them.” He turns to me. “Which means there might be other shadows in the Fairy Village, if what Tinker Bell said was true.”
“The part about him draining the fae?”
“Aye, lass. If he makes shadows out of the Lost Boys, I can only imagine what would happen to a fae he drains.” His visage goes grim, his jaw tightening.
“I’ve heard stories.” Shiner climbs the stairs and leans on the railing beside me.
She’s not throwing up, so that’s a win, but she already looks a little queasy.
“We don’t go to the Fairy Village any longer.
The Silver Mountains are more dangerous than ever.
But before they completely cut off contact, we heard stories of vengeful demons, formed like fae but only existing in shadows.
We thought maybe they meant the Lost Boys, but now …
Now I suppose we know better. Peter made monsters of the fairy folk, of the ones he drained, anyway. ”
“There has to be a way to free them. All of them. Anyone Peter drained. Surely, the island has some sort of magic to repair all the damage Peter has done.” I don’t know how, but I have to believe there’s a way to fix it. Because if there is, then there’s also a way to fix me.
“I don’t know, lass. That’s a tall order.” Hook turns the wheel, and the ship drifts until it’s parallel to the island, the cliffs rising on my right. “The island let it go on for this long without righting the ship. Makes me think either it can’t fix it or it doesn’t want to.”
That’s a sobering thought. I’ve been imagining the island as a benevolent figure, not one indifferent to suffering. But Hook has a point. If the island is a font of magical power, then why hasn’t it curbed Peter yet?
“Captain!” Cecco yells from his spot in the crow’s nest. “Port!”
Hook looks to the left as a mass of purple tentacles rises in the distance.
I shudder. “Oh, shit. Not again.”
The tentacles writhe as another set shoots from the water near it, though these are more of a green color. The sea splashes around them as the tentacles join together and slide along each other.
“Is that … Are they mating?” I wrinkle my nose.
“Might want to avert your eyes. They’re known for making quite a mess.” Hook keeps looking.
“What kind of a mess?” Shiner walks over to that side of the ship and stares.
A loud whale sound vibrates through the ocean, and then the water around the tentacles begins to glow a bright green, like bioluminescent algae. The color spreads, churning through the water.
“He blew his load too soon.” Cecco’s laugh makes it down to us. “Imbarazzante!”
“Embarrassing, indeed.” Hook laughs. “Don’t worry, lass. They’ll be occupied for a while yet. We should have decent sailing.”
My insides cringe at the sight of all the glowing green goo in the water.
Gross. This right here is how I know for a fact Neverland isn’t all in my head.
Because never, not once, could I have made up kraken splooge turning the ocean a ghastly biohazard green as I sail around it and hope it doesn’t touch the ship.
Shiner bends over and puts her hands on her knees. “I think … I think I’m going to need another one of those pills.”
I nod. “You and me both.”