Wendy Darling: Volume 2: Seas

by Colleen Oakes

  “We’re here,” Hook declared, and then he was gone, the oars left lying in the boat as Wendy untangled Michael from her lap and carefully stepped out of the boat, her dress dragging in the sand. The bank was maybe a half mile wide at most, nothing more than a patch of barren sand with sporadic piles of tall grasses that blew in the wind. The bank was circular, and the fog that had so discombobulated her before now circled harmlessly around the tiny patch of land upon the sea, protecting it from any outside eyes. Wendy took Michael’s hand in her own as they made their way up the sloped sand, Hook several paces before them. For once, Michael was silent, awed as she was at this magical little sliver of Neverland. She looked back at the boat, Keme’s form unmoving, the white linen darker over the cave of his mouth. She shuddered and turned away, just in time to see Hook drop his sword in the sand and begin running, his boots kicking up sand as he made his way to the center of the sandbank. It was so unexpected from a man that normally moved with such purpose that she stopped short, unnerved by this explosion of movement.

  “Why is he running?” Michael asked, surprised. She gave his hand a hard squeeze, but it was unnecessary, for his questions trailed off into the crash of the sea when a figure emerged from the hazy mist.

  There was a moment of stunned silence before Michael uttered a single word.

  “Oh …”

  Her legs were impossibly long and muscular, her calves and thighs carved like stone. A loose navy-blue sheaf with gold filigree fluttered around her form, barely covering the body underneath it. Her chest and torso were bound in wraps of brown leaves that ran up between her shoulder blades before circling around the crown of her head. Her thick, black hair, easily long enough to brush the back of her knees, twisted in the wind, circling around Hook as he threw himself at her feet. The captain pressed his face into the sand, his hands clutching at her ankles, before climbing to her calves, his head pressed against her shins. Unnatural light radiated off her copper skin, a hearty golden glow that hovered around her entire being. It rose and fell with each breath she took, and when her hands reached out to run through Hook’s hair, his face was lit up in its glorious radiance.

  Wendy could see, even from across the sandbank, that Hook was desperately in love with this woman, who could only be Lomasi, the princess of the Pilvinuvo Indians. She sank to her knees next to Hook and pulled his face towards her in a desperate kiss, her glimmering light dulling to a soft glow, flickering between them like the spark of a flame as their mouths met in a passionate, hungry kiss. Her hair fell over her shoulders as she pulled Hook toward her, and with a gust of wind, it covered them both, their faces pressed together, their hands tracing lines of love across each other’s cheeks.

  Wendy loved Booth, and she had even loved Peter for a short while, but in that moment, Wendy knew that this love that she saw between Hook and Lomasi, this love would swallow them all, along with Neverland, the stars, and the sea below them. Their passion was palpable, and it barreled across the sand towards Wendy, making her feel in awe and lonely all at once. Lomasi pressed her lips repeatedly against Hook’s forehead and then guided his head to her shoulder, where he exhaled mightily, the captain’s shoulders unfolding against her bosom. They wrapped themselves around each other, tears of happiness and sorrow dripping off their cheeks. Her glow faded, and then they were just two people, completely lost in each other, the rest of the world blowing away like sand.

  Wendy pulled Michael close to her, turning her head away from their fierce display of love, feeling like a voyeur to something so potent. Lomasi’s voice finally crossed the sand, a deep tone that spoke of resilience.

  “Come, children—I’ve been eagerly waiting to meet you.”

  Wendy and Michael shuffled up the sand towards the couple. Hook rose steadily, pulling Lomasi up with him, their arms entwined as they stood to face the Darlings. Wendy felt very much like a child at that moment, a girl who had not fully understood anything until she saw the look on Hook’s face when he collapsed into this woman, his passion and his need so obvious. Looking at Captain Hook had always puzzled her, as if she was seeing a man through the jagged reflection of his soul, but now the mirror was clear, his reflection true. He loved Lomasi. And defeating Peter meant protecting her.

  Wendy had never felt more self-conscious as she stumbled up the bank towards the princess, who watched their approach with a gentle smile, one hand wrapped firmly around her lover’s waist. As they approached her, Lomasi stepped forward, her black hair swirling behind her. Up close, she was even more breathtaking. Her skin was the color of wet sand, etched over strong cheekbones that jutted out from the side of a narrow face. Thick eyebrows arched gracefully over narrow brown eyes, the deep chocolate of the irises blazing against the fathomless black pupils. When Wendy’s hazel eyes met Lomasi’s, Wendy felt as though she could fall into them, into their wisdom and kindness. Looking at the Pilvinuvo princess felt like coming home to London and climbing back through her nursery window. Safe, as if everything that had been done to the Darling family could be undone with a look. Her pale-pink lips stretched into a genuine smile.

  “Ah, the Darlings. Wendy …” She bent over and gave Wendy a soft kiss on her cheek, following it with another one for Michael, who blushed from head to toe. She smiled at the boy.

  “Are you alright, Michael Darling?” Michael shuffled awkwardly from toe to toe. Wendy heard him whisper something. She turned to her little brother.

  “What was that?”

  He frowned. “WENDY, STOP!”

  Then he looked back up at the princess. “I said … you’re pretty.” Then her little brother hid shyly behind Wendy’s skirt.

  Hook laughed. “I’m afraid she’s spoken for.”

  “That was very sweet, Michael, thank you.”

  Her voice carried out to sea, and Wendy felt it deeply in her chest, like rolling thunder. Being in her presence was shattering. Wendy’s eyes met Hook’s, and she frowned.

  “You should have told me.”

  Hook shook his head. “I couldn’t. No one can know. It puts everything in jeopardy. If anyone knew that I knew how to get to her …” He shook his head. “But if I’m to ask you to go to Miath, then you needed to know everything. Even … this.”

  Lomasi was silent, staring at Wendy unnervingly before she spoke. “My brother must have liked you. I can tell you’re a kind girl, one who has found herself in what must be the most distressing of circumstances.”

  Her brother. Keme. A wave of guilt washed over Wendy, and she found herself choking on a sob, as tears pooled at the corner of her eyes.

  “It’s my fault, what happened to Keme. I should have asked Owl to walk me back, or let him take me… .” Despair permeated every natural impulse as Wendy’s hands began to shake. “I can’t bring him back, but if I could …”

  The native princess took a step towards Wendy, Wendy’s pulse rising as the princess bent over, her eyes level with Wendy’s. She reached out a hand and laid it on Wendy’s cheek, and Wendy felt her galloping heart quiet. Her full lips parted and a hint of the glowing gold returned to her skin.

  “Keme died protecting the innocent. I am very saddened by his loss, but I would not wish it differently. Justice was served, and Keme died aboard the ship he so dearly loved. He did not suffer, nor do I.”

  The sadness in her eyes betrayed her words. She stared at Wendy for a long moment before brushing a strand of salty curls back from her forehead.

  “Do not mistake me for a teller of fortunes, nor a witch or prophet, or some silly mythic child of the forest. I merely see what I see, and when I look into your eyes, I see … sound. Restraint. Mercy.” She turned her head sideways and her dark eyes widened. “And I believe that the truest nature of your heart will determine the future of Neverland.”

  Lomasi pulled back then, and Wendy felt a sudden cold with the distance. Lomasi turned to Hook, reaching her hand up to lay gently across his cheek.

  “My love, it is time to see my brother.”

&n
bsp; Hook nodded solemnly and led Lomasi towards the longboat. Wendy and Michael stayed still, watching as Lomasi knelt beside the boat with a loud sob, her arms reaching around her brother’s still form, her face pressed up against his chest, never rising.

  Wendy held Michael tighter as she wished for the sea to rise and carry her far away from this raw grief, so suffocating, the guilt beating in her heart. Unfortunately, the sea stayed where it was, and so Wendy watched as Lomasi wrenched herself away from the body and stood shakily, leaning her forehead against Hook, their tears mingling together, breathing as one. Hook turned her tear-streaked face to his and spoke quiet, secret words to her. Finally, Lomasi nodded before raising her hand in the air and calling into the wind.

  “Come!”

  Two more figures wearing fabric accented with brown leaves appeared in the darkness, lean males not much older than Wendy who ran past her and Michael without a second look.

  “Put him in the boat,” Lomasi ordered, and the two men gave her a small bow before heaving Keme’s enormous body onto their sculpted shoulders. As Michael and Wendy watched, the two men began making their way across the sandbar, heading the opposite direction that Hook and Wendy had come. Hook wiped Lomasi’s eyes with his thumb.

  “Someday, he will come and go from you once again, for all do. On that day, his absence will grieve you no longer. It is not forever, it is just for right now.”

  She nodded and pressed herself against him, Hook’s fingers trailing down her cheeks and down her neck. Wendy watched as a still Keme and the two Pilvi men disappeared into the mist bordering the sandbar.

  “Good night,” she whispered, to Keme, and she closed her eyes. “Good night, good night.”

  Hook reached out to her, his hand resting lightly on her arm. Wendy’s eyes met his own, steely and firm, gray like the swelling mist around them.

  “Bury your guilt, girl. It wasn’t your fault.”

  Wendy stared at him for a moment before surrendering with a nod. He was right. It wasn’t her fault. And though the grief was real, she knew it to be true. She was not to blame. That sin lay with Barnaby at the bottom of the sea. She repeated these words to herself as Hook pulled out his pocket watch and turned to Lomasi.

  “Our time is ticking, my love. Soon, the sandbar will be underneath the sea.” He sighed. “And my heart with it.”

  Lomasi raised her eyes to meet his before pressing her lips against his. Hook wrapped her in his arms and pulled her against his chest with a smile.

  “I would lose a thousand hours of my life to spend another one with you. I would take a thousand lives to have one of our own.”

  Lomasi smiled at that. “You wouldn’t.”

  Hook smiled, happy for the first time that Wendy had ever seen him.

  “Try me.”

  Her hair circled around them both. Lomasi stood a bit straighter as she spoke her reassurances.

  “Don’t despair, dear love. I have great faith that one day you will defeat Peter Pan and the Shadow, and we will be able to live freely, love freely, and our children will splash in the seas of Neverland. It cannot be any other way.”

  Hook’s eyes turned angry. “I cannot live without you much longer. It is an agony worse than any death at sea, this which you have asked of me.”

  The princess nodded. “I know, and it is the same for me.”

  She untangled herself from Hook’s arms and reached out to Wendy.

  “Walk with me for just a moment.” Wendy took her arm, feeling the princess’s skin, cool and soft, underneath her calloused fingers. “I wish that we had more time together, to truly speak. I want to know you, and I look forward to the day when I can. I believe it will come very soon.”

  Wendy felt lulled by her voice into a quiet, safe place. Lomasi turned to face her, her wild black hair tumbling over her shoulders.

  “When you travel to Miath, take this.”

  She slipped a tiny bracelet over Wendy’s wrist. It was very petite and looked like nothing more than a withered brown bark circle covered with dying leaves. Wendy touched it lightly with her fingers.

  “What does it do?”

  “It will give you strength when you need it most.”

  Wendy jerked her head up.

  “I’m afraid I still don’t understand.”

  “I can’t tell you, because it works differently for each person. When you go into Miath, run your finger lightly over the leaves. It will awaken the magic.”

  Wendy shook her head. “There is much strange magic here in Neverland.”

  An overwhelming ache passed through her chest. She wanted to share this magic with Booth, all of it. This regal princess, the bracelet, the ethereal quality of the sandbar—the fact that she wasn’t quite real here. Lomasi took Wendy’s chin in her hands.

  “So young, barely a woman. Would that I could take your place in Miath, I would. But the mermaids would never tell me what they know, nor would they want my blood.”

  Wendy raised her eyebrows.

  The princess pulled her tight. “You are a stranger to our shores, and yet you would risk it all to save the lives of those you don’t know. You are very brave, Wendy.”

  Wendy found her voice, unfurled it from the scared place it had been.

  “I don’t always feel brave. I feel afraid.”

  “We are all afraid. But those who decide to act despite their fear change the world for all of us.” Lomasi reached out her palm, lying it against Wendy’s heart.

  “Keep your heart beating, my dear.”

  Wendy felt cold water licking at her toes and noticed that sea had slowly crept up the bank, narrowing the sandbar to only about eight feet. She stepped out of the water, the hem of her heavy dress dragging in the wet sand. Hook walked towards them, Michael behind him.

  “It’s time, my love. We must go.”

  Wendy could hear the desperation in his voice, the agony of leaving her ripping him apart. Hook stepped past the princess, laying his hand on Wendy’s shoulders, before he cleared his throat.

  “Wendy—I am sending Michael with the princess.”

  “What?” Wendy wrenched herself free from his grasp and circled her body protectively around Michael.

  “No! Absolutely not! He stays with me!”

  Michael began crying, clutching his arms desperately around her legs.

  “Do not come near us!”

  Lomasi stepped forward. “Wendy, we would never, ever take him from you by force. That is not what we want, but I beg you to listen to James.”

  James. Wendy tightened her grasp around Michael, the waves now cresting over her ankles. Hook’s eyes met her own.

  “Going with Lomasi is the safest thing for Michael. We are taking you to Miath, where he cannot go with you—nor would you want him to. Not only that, but it is not safe to be on the Sudden Night right now, not with the Undertow and Peter Pan lurking around these waters, seeking our destruction. They will not get it, by gods I swear, but they will try, of that I have no doubt. It’s just a matter of when.” He shook his head sadly.

  “The least-safe place in Neverland right now is aboard the Sudden Night.”

  Wendy ran her hands through Michael’s blond hair. “But he’s with me! I can … I will protect him.” Even as she said the words, she knew it wasn’t true. Lomasi bent over Wendy, who was now kneeling in the sand, clutching her little brother.

  “Wendy … you cannot protect him from cannons, or even Peter Pan. The time will come when he will come for you—ship or no ship. War is coming to Neverland, and wherever you are, Peter will be there. A pirate ship isn’t safe for a child even without all those dangers.”

  Hook looked pained. “She’s right, Wendy. Look at what happened to Keme … and to you.”

  Wendy let out a sob and shook her head. “He’s all I have left of my family. I can’t leave him alone.” Lomasi reached out and stroked Wendy’s hair, her subtle glow pouring over them both.

  “I will take Michael back with me, to where the Pilvinuvo wa
it. Captain Maison and Peter Pan don’t know where it is. No one does—not even Hook. He will be safe there, I promise. Cared for and loved, under my personal protection. I will not let him leave my sight. We have abundant food and shelter. There are other children he can play with, his age. Wendy—it is the safest place in Neverland, a happy place. Do you trust us?”

  Wendy looked at Hook and the princess for a long moment before her heart turned traitorous. She did trust them. She clutched desperately to Michael for one last, weak protest.

  “But he’s my brother.”

  Hook knelt over her, one arm clutching her shoulders.

  “Love protects, even when it breaks your soul apart.” He looked up at Lomasi, both of them blurry through Wendy’s tears. “I know it to be true.”

  Wendy picked up Michael and walked a few feet away from the other two, setting him down on the last remaining patch of sand. His blue eyes looked up at her.

  “You aren’t going to leave me, right, Wendy?” His little chin trembled. “You can’t leave me. We’re family.”

  Wendy swallowed her sob, her mouth crumpling in the process.

  “Michael. Hook is right. You have to go with Lomasi. She will keep you safe in a way… .” Her words were dissolving as she looked at her brother’s distressed face, his small features twisted in betrayal.

  “You’re leaving me!”

  His fists began hitting her shoulders. “You’re leaving me! Just like John!”

  He was howling now. “YOU LIED TO ME! You said you would never leave me.”

  Wendy brushed his tears away. “I know, I know I said that but …”

  Her heart twisted painfully as she broke her promise, but also her own last bit of happiness in this world. She knew leaving him would be painful, but it would never compare to watching him die, something she had already done once. For the first time, the safest place for him was away from her. Her love would have to be enough.