Chapter 19
Chapter
Nineteen
“She can’t go in alone!” Widow yells.
She and Shiner are in a standoff at the front of the cave.
“She must. Tiger Lily said only Moira.”
“That’s bullshit.” Widow shakes her head. “There’s no way she’s going in there by herself. It’s too dangerous. We didn’t come this far and lose our Cap—” She halts, then looks at me.
“It’s all right.” It isn’t, but she’s not lying.
We lost someone that can never be replaced, and what he wanted more than anything was to set the island to rights and end the scourge of Peter Pan.
I’m here to do just that. Once it’s over, then I’ll mourn, then I’ll let myself fall to pieces.
Until then, I have to be strong for Hook. He was always so strong for me.
“You’re not going alone.” Widow comes to my side. “I’m part fae. I can go in and—”
“That doesn’t matter.” Shiner stomps over.
“Don’t you think I want to go in, too?” she snaps.
“We can’t. Moira is here to restore the balance.
She’s the only one who can. If anyone else enters the heart of the island, it threatens the balance we’ve been working toward.
She’s Peter’s boon. A Spinner. She’s part of the island, and only she has the island’s blessing to enter. ”
“You mean Tiger Lily’s blessing,” Widow shoots back.
“Are you saying Tiger Lily doesn’t know the island’s heart?” Shiner’s hand strays to the hilt of her sword.
“I’m saying maybe you’re trying to lead Moira into some sort of trap.” Widow’s fingers flirt with her cutlass.
“What?” Shiner cries.
“Exactly how many pirates have you killed, Shiner? Don’t be shy. You’ve always hated our kind. And now you want to let Moira walk right into—”
“Guys.” I force my way between them. “Well, ladies, I guess. Ladies, stop this. I don’t think either of you want to hurt each other or me.” I reach out and ease Shiner’s hand away from her sword hilt. “Don’t go ‘Mercutio’ me, all right?”
She blinks. “Don’t what you?”
“Shakespeare. Nevermind.” I wave a hand.
“Look, I know the two of you want to protect me and the island.” Turning to Widow, I scoot her fingers away from her blade.
“But I think Shiner is right. If all this started from when—” I swallow hard and say his name.
“—Hook went into the island’s heart without Tiger Lily’s blessing, then maybe we should try to go about this the right way this time around.
If I’m the only one with the VIP pass, then I’ll go.
I can handle myself. I’m magical, remember? And I can fight.”
“I’m not sure how true either of those are.” Widow raises a brow. “You broke Ari’s curse, but you don’t know how. And your fighting is questionable at best.”
“Fair points.” I turn back to Shiner. “What’s in the cave other than the roots of the Nevertree?”
Shiner shakes her head. “I don’t know.”
“Seems like something you should know, being a Guardian and all.” Starkey weighs in, and I realize the entire crew is standing around us, watching the argument.
“The cave is sacred,” Shiner retorts. “The Guardians don’t go tramping through it whenever we feel like it. So, no, I don’t know. I’ve … I’ve never been inside.”
“Shit.” Starkey sighs. “So we have no idea what you might face.”
“Does it matter?” I throw my hands up. “I have to go. It’s either that or let the island tear itself apart unless Peter tears it apart first.”
Some of the pirates shift uneasily, their gazes darting around the crystal jungle that towers around us.
I’m certain they’ve always feared Peter, but now that Hook is gone, that fear is probably next level.
He’d protected them for so long, and now …
Now we’re all on our own. Peter could drain them the same as he’s been doing to the rest of those on the island.
“Stay here. I’m going in. If I don’t come out, then that’s what the island decided, I guess. I don’t know. But there’s no way around it. I’m going to see this through. I have to.”
Widow grimaces. “I just don’t want you to go alone.”
“I don’t want to go without you either.” I pull her in and hug her. “Promise me you’ll take care of them, especially Cookson,” I whisper to her. “He’s always been so kind to me.”
She sighs and hugs me back. “He can cook almost as well as I can, so I suppose I’ll look out for him.”
I snort a laugh then pull back. “You’ve been a good friend and particularly mean sparring partner.”
“No.” She crosses her arms over her chest again. “No goodbyes. I’ll be seeing you when you prance your ass out of that cave.”
“Yes.” I nod, though I know in my heart my chances aren’t great.
“Take this.” Bill steps up and shows me a small blade. “It’ll come in handy if you get in a tight spot.” He hands it to me.
“Thank you.” I stow it in the back of my belt, then lose my breath when he pulls me in for a crushing hug.
“Be careful.” He finally lets me go, and I wonder if he hasn’t cracked one of my ribs.
“Packed this for you in case you need ter take a few bites in there.” Cookson limps forward and hands me a sandwich wrapped in a napkin.
“Don’t want ter be hungry when you meet the big boss.
” His one eye peers up at the Nevertree then comes back to me.
“I’ll have you something hot and tasty when you come out. ”
“Thanks, Cookson.” I smile at him and stow the sandwich in the pack I have slung over my shoulder.
“You’ve got the salve I gave you just in case?” Skylights strides up beside Cookson.
“I have it. And the bandages. And the stuff that fizzes when you put it on a cut. You packed your whole infirmary into this little bag.”
“Better safe than sorry.” He gives me a nod.
“Here.” Shiner hands me her water skin. “Mine’s better than yours.”
She may be rude, but she’s also right. I trade her my canteen and loop the leather from her skin onto the belt at my side.
Cecco walks up, though he moves gingerly, bandages draped across his back. “Take this coin.” He hands me a doubloon. “Never know when you’ll have to buy your way out of trouble.” He winks.
“If you keep giving her things, she’ll be too weighed down to get very far.” Smee appears, his face pale and drawn.
“Didn’t think I’d see you.” I look up at him.
“I’m still keeping watch for him.” His voice falls. “I always will.” He glances at the cave. “Are you ready?”
“As I’ll ever be.” I adjust the pack on my shoulder, centering it between my wings.
He gives me a stern nod. “Get it done. We’ll be anchored here until you return.”
He seems so sad, so defeated. I mourn for Hook in my heart, but he does too.
In what must be a fit of insanity, I walk to him and wrap my arms around him.
He freezes, seemingly stunned, then awkwardly pats me on the back. “It’s all right.”
I pull away, my cheeks heating. “I made it weird, didn’t I?”
He smirks, the old sass surfacing. “That’s all you’ve ever done.”
“You’re welcome.” I smirk right back at him.
I don’t want this to be my swan song, but it certainly feels like it.
Even with the gifts and the well wishes, I suspect a lot of the crew doesn’t believe I’ll be coming out of the cave alive.
I don’t blame them. Neverland has been nothing but danger and death since I got here. Why would it change now?
Reaching into my pocket, I grip the pearl. It’s quickly become my talisman, and I’ve touched it probably a hundred times since Ari gave it to me. It’s like a tiny piece of him, and I carry it with me.
“Here.” Bill hands me a torch from the fire. “Should last you a good while, and you’ve got flint if it goes out.”
“I’m all set. Thanks for everything.” There’s nothing else to be said. I have to go, and they have to stay—but that knowledge doesn’t make it any easier. I take a deep breath and turn to the cave, the crystal ground rising in steps toward it.
I take them slowly, the yawning mouth of the cave devouring the light thrown from my torch. Even so, I keep going, picking my way across the ground until the crystal finally coalesces into a relatively even surface. By the time I turn to look behind me, all I see is darkness. It’s the same ahead.
Once more, I touch the pearl, then head off into the island’s maw. The crystal walls echo my steps, and the ceiling seems to grow lower as I move farther inside.
I don’t know where I’m going. This is the one place that Hook didn’t have mapped out. So, I just keep walking, one foot after the other as the stone floor begins to slope downwards. I lift the torch to see if there are any offshoots, but there’s nothing except crystal, opaque and smooth.
Hook came this way. So did Peter. Were they scared as they walked along the path? Or were they so eager to make their wishes that they didn’t care what danger might lay ahead? I think I know the answer to that. Both men crave danger, and it seems they always have.
The air seems to warm little by little as I travel deeper into the heart of the island. There is no light down here, so I’m grateful for the torch as I pass through caverns lined with stalactites and one particularly narrow ledge with a yawning chasm on one side.
I’m careful, travelling slowly and keeping an eye out for any other creatures or tunnels. Hours pass, and sweat tickles down the center of my back as the air warms even more.
A low hiss begins to sound in my ears, and I wonder if I’m imagining it to displace the eerie stillness of the cave.
I keep going and find that it’s real, the sound of water. It grows, becoming louder the deeper I venture.
After another hour or so, I realize I can see more detail in the walls, the glow of the crystal a warm gold.
There’s light. My torch is growing weak, so I’m glad for the illumination, though I wonder where it’s coming from.
I have no choice but to keep going, the sound of the water a rumble beneath my feet now.
The light grows brighter, and when I step out onto a ledge overlooking a soaring cavern, I douse my torch altogether.
The roots overhead are thicker than redwoods, all of them glowing golden and showering the enormous cave with light.
Down below, a wide pool shimmers, golden on its surface, and a waterfall churns to my far right.
The entire cavern is indescribably vast, the roots of the Nevertree creating their own forest underground.
Roots wrap around pillars of crystal, and some delve into the water.
There’s a hum here, a song. It’s the same one I felt when I pressed my palm to the crystal pillars on the shore.
Picking my way carefully down the wall, I step onto one of the wide roots. It’s thicker than a city bus, and I’m able to walk along it, jumping to the next one where it hovers over the water.
I keep going deeper into the forest of roots until I see a small island ahead. Several roots twirl around it in a pinwheel fashion, and the crystal that forms its base is shot through with golden veins. Somehow, I know I need to go there.
The song grows louder, but it’s not in my ears. It seems to be coming from inside me, resonating through my chest as I climb along the roots and lower myself onto the island.
Once I’m there, I ease down and sit, crossing my legs and staring around at the magnificent beauty that lies at the heart of Neverland. Reaching into my pocket, I rub the pearl. “I’m here, James. I made it.”
A ripple appears in the water ahead of me. I let go of the pearl and lean forward, palms on the ground so I can peer into the pool.
The ripples grow, and beneath the golden shimmer, I see a horse. Well, sort of a horse. It has scales and a beautiful golden mane, with a mermaid tail instead of legs.
“Hi,” I whisper.
It swims around, then pokes its snout from the water.
I reach out to pet it.
“I wouldn’t if I were you,” a familiar voice says.
I jump and fall back onto my ass.
When I look up, my heart stops. “Mom?”