Neverland's Key

by R. V. Bowman

  “Let go,” said Pan. “You have the Captain. I won’t let you hurt what is mine to play your stupid games. Do that on your own time.”

  Corelli snarled at Pan and pointed his revolver at the boy, but Pan’s dirk did not waver from Corelli’s neck.

  “Do you think you can pull that trigger before I can slice your neck?” Pan asked conversationally.

  Corelli didn’t let go of Rommy’s hair.

  “I can’t control him without his daughter,” said Corelli. “We had a deal.”

  Her father snorted. “Good luck with getting Peter Pan to honor that.”

  “Shut up,” said Corelli and swung the revolver toward her father.

  So fast that his movements were a blur, Pan sliced the hand tangled in Rommy’s hair and tried to pull her away from the pirate. But Corelli’s grip didn’t loosen. Rommy yelped as Pan pulled one way, and Corelli kept a viciously tight grip on her hair. She felt like a bone between two rabid dogs.

  Blood dripped down Corelli’s arm but he didn’t loosen his hold. “Keep it up, boy, and I’ll snap her neck.” He gave another savage yank, and Rommy bit her lip to keep from crying out as her neck wrenched at a painful angle.

  “I won’t let you take what’s mine,” said Pan, his eyes narrowing.

  “Let go and back up,” Corelli said, waving his revolver at the boy.

  Pan paused, and Corelli moved the gun until it was pointed at Rommy.

  Pan smiled. “If you shoot her, what’s making the Captain here do what you want?”

  Her father chuckled. “The boy does have a point, Corelli.”

  Corelli snarled in her father’s direction, but he had learned his lesson. The gun stayed trained on Rommy.

  “If I can’t use her to make him cooperate, she’s useless to me anyway,” said Corelli. He cocked the gun and smiled so widely his gold tooth winked in the lamp light. “Say goodbye.”

  Pan scowled but abruptly let go of Rommy. Corelli jerked her toward him and put a beefy arm round her throat. He stuck the gun in his waistband.

  “Now then,” he said looking at Hook, “what’s say you and I have a heart to heart, eh, Captain?”

  Her father looked down his nose at the other man, his eyes cold. “The only heart you’ll see is your own when I rip it, still beating, out of your chest.”

  “Now, now, Captain,” chided the other man, “is that any way to talk?”

  Without warning, he backhanded her father across the face. Hook’s head snapped back from the impact, but he merely shook his head, working his jaw from side to side. One eyebrow rose as if Corelli was a mere annoyance.

  Rommy’s eyes went to her father’s face, and for just a moment, as their eyes met, she saw anguish there. Then the cold mask of fury slammed back down.

  “As I was saying,” the pirate said. He leaned forward, and his dirty fingers dipped into the front pocket of Hook’s leather coat. When they reappeared, a ruby the size of a robin’s egg was pinched between his fingers. “Why don’t you tell me where I can find the rest of these jewels, and I’ll let your little girl here go.”

  “Your word isn’t worth considering,” said Hook.

  “Maybe, maybe not,” said Corelli, tucking the jewel into his own pocket, “but I can tell you, if you don’t tell me where to find these jewels, you won’t be the only one to feed the fishes, and that’s a promise I aim to keep.” He tightened his arm around Rommy’s throat, making her breathing difficult.

  Her father kept his eyes trained on Corelli. “That’s a dangerous promise to make,” he said.

  Corelli shook his head. “Still making threats, I see,” he said. “Let’s see if you keep that so proper stiff English upper lip when other people suffer for your stubbornness.”

  He turned and pointed at Tommy. “Sorry, lad, but you had your chance to join me.”

  Tommy glowered at him. “I wouldn’t join you if you was the last pirate around.”

  Corelli grinned, his gold tooth flashing in the lamplight. “Well, I’ll be the last pirate you see, boyo.” He nodded at Stubbs who was holding Tommy. The old man blanched.

  “But...but...sir,” said Stubbs.

  Corelli didn’t say a word. He simply pulled the gun from his waistband and fired. The old pirate hit the deck with a thud. Rommy turned her eyes from the still form.

  The silence that fell on the deck was deafening.

  “That’s one down, so many more to go,” said Corelli. He moved the gun to track Tommy’s movements. The boy had crouched down when the gun had gone off and was scuttling toward the rail of the ship. The other pirates were still too stunned to move.

  Rommy knew she had to distract Corelli before he shot Tommy. She only hoped the man wouldn’t kill her for it.

  She squinted in the lamplight and made out Big Red and Max, who also had their hands bound behind their backs. She didn’t see Gentleman Jack anywhere and hoped he would make it back in time to help them.

  Suddenly, from the corner of her eye, a light caught her attention. Moving her head ever so slightly, she saw several tiny glowing orbs came into view. She blinked, not sure if she was seeing things because of lack of oxygen, but no, Nissa, Balo, Kalen, and Talen were here. Hope sprang up in her chest. Now all she had to do was stall Corelli.

  Before she could second-guess herself, Rommy let her eyes flutter shut. She went limp.

  Chapter 33:

  Pride Goes Before the Fall

  The sudden shift of Rommy’s body weight, slight though it was, threw Corelli off balance. He stumbled slightly. A blast ripped through the night. Rommy kept her eyes shut and her body limp, but she could hear the commotion as men dove for cover. Corelli’s arm tightened around her neck, and she wondered if she really would pass out from lack of air.

  Just when she thought she was going under, he jostled her around so she was tucked under his arm like a bundle of sticks.

  “Blast females!” Corelli said.

  She felt him turn in a partial circle. “Get out from there, ya bunch of cowards,” he said, his voice rising. “Or the next shot will find its mark.”

  The pirate’s arm was like a vice around her waist, and she hung at an uncomfortable angle. At least she was making things more difficult for him, so she kept her eyes shut and willed her body to stay loose.

  He grunted and hefted her up again. It was all Rommy could do to keep up the ruse of being unconscious.

  “Now then, Captain, who d’you like to see get it next?” asked Corelli. He seemed to have gotten his composure back. Rommy only hoped Tommy had been able to slip away in all the confusion.

  She slitted her eyes open. She was hanging over the pirate’s arm so that her head was upside down, but she still had a partial view.

  Suddenly, blasts of light lit up the deck.

  Rommy took the opportunity presented and reared up, smashing the back of her head into Corelli’s face. She heard a satisfying crunch. The man roared with pain and dropped her onto the deck. She landed hard on her side, momentarily stunned. She shook her head and rolled toward the railing. Another blast from Corelli’s gun deafened her, and she felt something hot skim by her ear and land with a thwack into the wood just behind her. She scrabbled to her feet, dodging toward one of the masts.

  Looking back over her shoulder, she saw her father rear back and head-butt Corelli in his already-broken nose, making the man stagger back. Taking advantage of his being off-balance, her father kicked the man in the chest, sending him crashing to the deck, the gun spinning out of his hand.

  Rommy backed up to the rail, looking around wildly for any kind of weapon. Suddenly, a figure hurtled down from the rigging, sending the two pirates guarding Big Red and Max crashing to the deck. It took only a moment for Gentleman Jack to free his fellow pirates.

  Her father was battling with Corelli, and Big Red, Max, and Gentleman Jack were fighting the other pirates. Rommy reached for her dagger, but just as her fingers touched the hilt, an arm snaked around her and yanked her backwards.

&nbs
p; She tossed her head backwards, trying to hit whoever held her, but the high-pitched laugh sent an icy chill over her skin. She had forgotten about Pan.

  “Clever girl,” Pan said, “but I’ve already seen you do that trick.”

  Rommy struggled to get away from him, but his hold tightened. She felt his blade against her throat again.

  “Stop it,” he said, jerking her even closer until she could barely breathe. This was getting so old. “Don’t you want to see who wins?”

  Rommy stilled and looked down. From up here, she could see the entire deck spread out below. She watched as Finn dodged between pirates and swords until he had reached her father, who was fighting Corelli even though his arms were still bound behind him. Finn slid behind him, and suddenly Papa was free.

  Her father pulled out the sword still strapped to his waist. With a guttural bellow he charged into the fray, slashing and swiping.

  Rommy stared as her father whirled through the pirates like a dancer of death. Corelli had scrambled for his gun and was pointing it at her father.

  Rommy opened her mouth to scream, but her father was already there, his sword neatly sliding into Corelli. The man’s mouth opened in surprise, and he stood there staring for a moment before he slumped to his knees. Then he slowly fell to his side, his eyes still open in shock.

  “I do so admire the Captain and his fighting skills,” said Pan. He shook his head and let out a tsk. “Corelli was not very smart to leave your father with his sword. It looks like that mistake cost him.”

  Rommy stared down at her father, who stood in the middle of the deck, his black hair flowing behind him. He had his sword in one hand, and his hook gleamed in the lamplight. All the pirates that had turned on him were now on their knees, their hands behind their heads.

  Pan started to pull her backwards. “Time for us to go,” he said.

  Rommy snapped back to the present.

  “No,” she said, twisting and kicking against Pan. “I don’t belong here.”

  “I keep telling you, you’re wrong. You do belong—with me,” said Pan, dragging her backward, away from the ship. “You’ll see.”

  The stars above her were starting to wink out. The moon had slid down behind the clouds, and Rommy knew her time was running out.

  The deck receded from below her feet, and she dimly heard her father calling her name. She refused to be stuck here forever. Pan wasn’t going to win this one. Not now, not after all that she had gone through.

  Straining forward, she bit his wrist. He screeched and his hold loosened. She wrenched away, darting back toward the ship.

  He grabbed her ankle, halting her progress. She grabbed her dagger and twisted back, slashing at him. He yelped and let go.

  Again, she rocketed toward the ship. Again, he grabbed her, this time by the back of her shirt. She reached behind her and hacked at his arm, and the drag holding her disappeared. Down she went again, but he tackled her midair, sending them both tumbling.

  She twisted and bucked, and her foot connected solidly with his middle. He shrieked and let go of her, bending double.

  Rommy flew toward the deck again, Pan’s screams following her downward. Her heart thundered in her ears. She was almost there. Suddenly, a searing pain ripped through her scalp. She jerked to a halt, the pain making her eyes tear up. She tried to pull away, but the ripping at her scalp made spots dance in front of her eyes. Suddenly she stopped fighting Pan and let him pull her close.

  Pan was caught off-balance, allowing her to swivel around in his grip. She smacked her head against the bridge of his nose, and his grip fell away from her hair. She shoved with both hands, sending him backwards.

  She landed on the ship, gasping for breath. Her father ran toward her, only steps away, but Pan flew between them. He smashed the hilt of his dirk into Hook’s nose and blood spurted in a red arc. Pan wrapped an arm around Rommy’s waist, but someone tackled him from the side, sending them both spinning off the boat into the air. Rommy was flung to the deck, the breath knocked from her lungs.

  Her father knelt next to her as she gasped for air. “Go,” she wheezed. “We have to leave.” She pointed a shaking finger toward the horizon where the faintest of glows was just visible.

  Her father jumped to his feet. “Jack, get those men down to the brig,” he shouted. “The rest of you, weigh anchor and hoist the mizzen.”

  Rommy pushed herself to a sitting position as the ship beneath her creaked. Within a moment, it began to glow with pixie dust as it surged forward and began to lift off the surface of the water.

  In the sky Finn and Pan grappled with each other. Rommy lurched to her feet, her eyes trained on the two boys above her head. She bunched her legs beneath her, but her father caught her around the waist. He pulled her into his broad chest.

  “No, Rommy, you can’t,” he said. “There’s no time left.” She knew he was right. The glow in the horizon was getting brighter. The ship lifted with a creak into the sky.

  “No,” she cried, “we can’t leave him. Finn!”

  There was a pause as the two boys separated for a moment. Across the space, Rommy’s hazel eyes met Finn’s gray ones. He grinned at her and winked. Then he dove back at Pan.

  Tears blurred Rommy’s vision so that she barely saw the dark gray streak. Her father’s arms were like bands of iron keeping her rooted to the deck. She stopped struggling and sagged back against him.

  It was too late.

  The ship picked up speed and burst forward with a loud sucking sound. Neverland became smaller and blurry until it disappeared from view, and all that she could see were the gold and pink clouds of sunrise.

  She turned in her father’s arms, buried her face in his chest, and sobbed.

  Chapter 34:

  This is Happily Ever After?

  Rommy heard her father murmuring and felt his cheek against her hair. Alice and Francie crowded close, and she could feel hands patting her and hear soothing words. But a horrible ache had taken up residence in her chest, and she didn’t know if it would ever go away.

  Finn. Finn had saved her, and now he was gone. Forever. The thought brought a fresh torrent of tears.

  “I’m so sorry, my dear,” Hook murmured.

  She wasn’t sure how long she’d been crying when she heard someone clearing their throat. Francie was pulling on her sleeve.

  “Rommy? Rommy?”

  Rommy lifted her head from her father’s chest and blinked her red, swollen eyes. She heard Alice giggle and felt a spurt of annoyance.

  “I think you’d best wipe your eyes, darling,” said her father and when she looked up, he was smiling.

  What was wrong with everyone? Didn’t they realize Finn was gone?

  She turned to say as much to her friends, and that was when she saw Finn perched on the rail of the ship. The next thing she knew, Finn was pulling himself over the edge, Balo and Nissa next to him.

  Rommy’s eyes widened. “Finn? But how...I thought...”

  He pushed his hair out of his eyes and grinned at her. “It was Tinkerbell,” he said. “She come zooming in and started firing those magic balls of fire at Pan. He was yelpin’ and trying to get away. You didn’t have to tell me twice to get going.”

  He took a step toward her, his smile softening as he gestured toward her red eyes. “Don’t tell me all that was for me.”

  She ran across the deck and threw her arms around him. “You big daft idiot, of course it was for you,” she said and squeezed him a bit tighter as his arms came around her. “Oh, Finn, I thought you were gone forever.” Her voice caught. “Because of me.”

  “Aw, don’t start crying again,” he said, patting her back awkwardly.

  She pulled back and punched him in the arm.

  “Hey,” he said, rubbing his arm, but he was still smiling. “Is that any way to treat the hero of the day?”

  “Hero?” she spluttered.

  “Yeah, hero,” he said.

  And putting both hands on either side of her fa
ce, he leaned forward and kissed her. Her eyes fluttered shut, and she leaned into him. Everyone else faded into the background, and it was just her and Finn.

  Then her father cleared his throat.

  They jerked apart. Rommy’s cheeks turned bright red, and Finn looked at Hook, panic washing over his face.

  A smile ghosted across Hook’s face. “I’m sure you’re overcome with emotion, and I won’t be seeing a repeat, isn’t that right, young man?”

  Finn swallowed. “Um, yes, sir. Of course, sir.”

  He glanced at Rommy, who smiled at him.

  Then everyone was crowding around. Francie let out a whoop, and Alice clapped her hands. The Lost Boys hung on Finn’s arms and legs. Even Tiger Lily was smiling.

  Rommy looked up to see her father standing a little apart, a smile on his face. Following her gaze, Finn squeezed her hand and nodded. She disengaged from the rest of them and came to stand by Hook, leaning into him. His arm came around her shoulder.

  Part of the crew was busy trimming sails and steering the ship, and several of the men were mopping dark smudges on the deck. She quickly looked away. Smee, Corelli, and Stubbs were nowhere to be seen, and Rommy pushed her last memory of them down deep.

  “This has been quite the adventure,” said her father.

  Rommy sighed. “It’s hard to believe I left Chattingham’s not even two weeks ago,” she said.

  “I don’t know that I could have survived if it had been much longer.” He gave a wry smile and hugged her closer. “I think it’s high time we went home, don’t you?”

  Rommy nodded. She couldn’t agree with him more.

  Epilogue

  April 1911

  Tottenham, England

  Rommy sat in the small visiting parlor, waiting for her father. It was her 13th birthday. She couldn’t believe it had been a year since that fateful day when her father had failed to show up.

  Things had changed drastically since then. While her father still was in charge of a vast shipping enterprise, he ran it mostly from his offices on the London docks. This summer, they planned to take a trip to their estates in St. Croix. Francie was coming with her, and, of course, Tiger Lily and Alice would be with them, too, since her father had formally adopted both girls.