Two
Magdalena Raybourn did not appreciate being dismissed by Hook so casually. Technically speaking, he was in charge of her because she worked for him - not because he collected her soul. In fact, Magdalena didn't technically possess a soul. She was created in The Neverland, which meant she had never been alive. Fairy was the term they used down here, but it was too delicate a word for her taste. She preferred assassin - the title of her job - but she was fighting a losing battle, and that was something that rarely happened. Hook referred to her as his little pixie - "because of your feisty attitude" he would tell her - which was better than fairy but not the word she would use, either. Luckily, not many people knew of her status, and she wanted to keep it that way.
Fairy blood could give souls life, much like a Breather's. The only difference was Breathers were easily detected here; fairies were not. The only person who was cognizant of her secret was Hook. He had taken her in long ago after her mother sold her to him to pay off a debt. She thought Hook would use her like she was nothing more than a common street whore who cleaned and cooked when she wasn't pleasing him. However, Hook was not looking for a whore; rather, he wanted an apprentice he could trust, who would be worthy of his tutelage. He already knew what she was, even before he acquired her, but he did not tell a soul. The only other person who would know of her status was The Magistrate, but that was because The Magistrate knew everything.
James was warm but not kind. He was direct, sometimes even mean, and he constantly pushed her faster than she thought she could go. Her hands and her body were no longer soft, her mind was filled with multiple languages, history, geography, writing and reading, and a variety of special skills including lock-picking, physical combat, sword fighting, and the art of persuasion using her feminine wiles rather than force. When she was younger and much more naive, she fancied herself in love with him. He was beautiful and cold, but nice to her, and treated her like his equal for the most part. He trusted her more than anyone else had before, and that trust made her ambitious enough to earn it. Now, she regarded him as an older brother. In her entire time with Hook, she had never seen him fall in love, or even show a hint of affection for anyone. While he did engage in carnal pleasure, the relationship was always mutually beneficial relationship where feelings were left to the wayside. Should feelings arise in the woman, Hook was quick to move on.
But there was something different about Remy Cutler. Magdalena didn't know Remy well enough to make a judgment about her, but her protectiveness for Hook was strong and she wanted to make sure Remy deserved his fascination. She knew it had to do with the fact that Remy was a Breather; she could literally lure souls to Hook without any effort whatsoever and that was exactly what he needed in order to accomplish collecting souls. He still hadn't shared why he was doing that but she trusted him enough not to ask questions. Once Remy came aboard the ship, Magdalena was intent on keeping an eye on her. Hook had other plans.
"I need you to do something for me," James said, speaking in his native tongue. Old Norse was the first language he had taught Magdalena due to the rarity of it amongst the souls. This way, they could communicate out in the open without worrying about outsiders learning the details of their plans. "I need you to help Grey escape from jail."
Magda shifted her eyes so they locked onto James. "And why would I do that?" she asked, quirking a brow. She was the only person who could get away with questioning James, and she only did so sparingly.
“Because I asked.” He gave her one of his rare smiles, a smile that melted even Magda’s heart. She would do anything for him if he smiled that way when he asked her for things. “Also, because I need you to distract Grey.”
She remained mute. Instead, she continued to hold her quirked brow in place, patiently waiting for some kind of explanation.
“Not distract him in that way,” he said, an amused grin turning his lips up. His crystal blue eyes always glimmered when he smiled, making his eyes look like sapphires that glittered in the sunlight. “I need you to keep him preoccupied. I’m almost positive he will be arrested simply for being here and being who he is. A pirate neglecting his duty – he has the most important role in The Neverland, more important than mine or even The Magistrate. Nicholas Grey is in charge of ferrying souls to their final resting place. Those souls follow him. I need you to help him escape from jail and get him to go back to doing his job. If he does that, he will not be arrested. He is not so easily replaced, as some governors might like us to believe.”
Magda closed her eyes and shook her head. He was throwing a lot of information at her at once, and she needed a moment or two to digest it.
From what she knew of Nicholas Grey, he was still alive. He had been hand-selected by The Creator to be The Neverland’s ferryman. She did not know if he was being punished by a karmic deity on earth for sins committed there, or rewarded for service by entrusting him with an honorable position. In fact, Magda did not think anyone knew why he was here except Nick himself. The reason the position was deemed as most important by James was because those who controlled the souls controlled The Neverland. Without souls, The Neverland would not exist. It would collapse. Why have a house if no one was there to live in it? As such, the souls followed Nick to their final resting place, be it The Paradise, The Other World, or The Neverland.
Because there were many conflicting laws in The Neverland, Nick was able to skirt the edges of punishment. Even when he was caught by a power-hungry governor who wanted to claim the role of ferryman for himself or one of his loyal guards, Nick somehow was able to escape. James was not concerned about Nick’s escape; he was concerned about getting Nick to do his job, all while forgetting about Remy.
Not likely.
It was clear to Magdalena that Nick was in love with Remy. Whether he realized it or not was none of her concern. But if James wanted Nick to do his job, then he probably should have informed the pirate that would be expected from him on top of taking his loved one prisoner. If his feelings were strong enough to be labeled with love then Magda was going to have a difficult time trying to take Nick's mind off of her.
"Where is Remy now?" Magda asked, her arms across her chest, her eyes looking out at the island James had just come from.
"I took her to her quarters," he informed her. "Your quarters, actually. I want her to feel safe on our voyage back to The Other World." Upon seeing the look of outrage on Magda's face, he immediately continued. "I understand it would have been more prudent to ask first; however, since time is of the issue, I assumed you would understand the importance of the situation and I took her there without asking you first. For that, I apologize. I did not want her to see you."
"Why not?"
"I need her to think she's alone here," James said. "I need her to think she's helpless, that her best chance of survival is depending on me and my generosity. If she sees you, she might get inspired to do something drastic like escape or question me and my motives. If she's isolated and I show her a hint of compassion, I can compel her to trust me and choose to stay with me. The choice is the most important part. She chose to come, now I need her to choose to stay."
Magda shot him a look. She did not appreciate the predicament he was putting her in. At least, he was giving her the choice - unless he was manipulating her as well. Did it make any difference?
"Does she need to make that choice in my room?" she asked, and James have her that smile that melted her heart and she refused to think about it any longer.
She would not think about James trading her presence for somebody else’s. She would not think about the fact that he still did not offer any explanation for why he needed Remy. Instead, she pushed her questions down inside of her to a place she could revisit at a later date. It was not the first time James kept her in the dark about something as important as this, and it would not be the last.
“You have quite a collection of clothes,” he remarked. “While here, she needs a wardrobe.”
Her eyes widened in sur
prise. “So not only is she getting my room, but she’ll be wearing my clothes as well?” she asked, and she could not help the whine in her voice if she tried.
She could get used to her room being temporarily occupied by someone else, but her clothes as well? That did not seem fair. However, there was nothing she could do about it now. So she bit her lip, looked away, and remained silent.
Nick was in a jail cell in Port Haven, trying to figure out how to get him and his crew out of this one. It intrigued him that the Law was so flimsy in The Neverland, and always seemed to be upheld when it came to him. Yes, he was technically a pirate on top of being a Transporter, a ferryman, whatever label that was thrust on his person without his consent. Based on what Smee told him, he and his crew were to hang in three days’ time after The Creator selected his replacement.
This meant The Magistrate knew he had broken the Law, and knew many governors in The Creator were calling for his death.
He could not let that happen. His crew still had yet to learn their lesson and move on. He still was primed to life, still wanted to explore this world and earth, of course. He had yet to go through the Third Door since rescuing Remy – he couldn’t, wouldn’t think about Remy right now, either. He didn’t want to feel the pain of her loss, the guilt that he had let her down – and he realized, as he sat in this bleak cell with four other people, all crammed into one space, he wanted to go back to earth and live.
Maybe once he got Remy back, they could go back together.
Because he would get her back.
He just had to figure out how.
“What now, Captain?” Adele asked with a sneer, picking her head up from the cell bars so she could flicker her dark eyes over to Nick.
Nick refused to look at the redhead, or else he would lose his temper and he knew that would not help anything. He clenched his teeth together and wondered if his gold teeth glimmered in the candlelight. The mindless thought calmed him down, and he could get back to thinking.
A shout caused each crewmember to jump and snap their heads toward the entrance. Nick’s eyes scanned the cell, hoping to find some kind of weapon he could use to protect himself and his crew. If only they hadn’t made him give up all of his after they took him into custody.
A scuffle broke out, but they still could not see it. However, it was over ask quickly as it began. Nick all but pressed his ears to the bars, hoping it would help him hear better. If he didn’t have a weapon, he would have to fight. Which was fine. He knew how to do that.
The door creaked open. Footsteps echoed in the room.
And then –
Magdalena, James Hook’s right-hand man. Girl. Woman.
What the hell is she doing here? he thought to himself. He kept his eyes on her, took in her appearance, waiting for some kind of indication of what was going on.
By the time she reached his cell, she still had not spoken. Then, she pulled something out of her jacket pocket – a small bag. And then –
Tools.
She knelt down so she was on the balls of her feet, her ankles popped up, and her eyes – it was too dark to decipher the actual color – narrowed on the lock of his cell. The realization hit him fast, like a flash of lightning. She was going to pick the lock.
“What are you doing?” he asked. Her eyes looked up at him, flashing something akin to Are you daft? “Okay, why are you doing what you’re doing?”
She looked at him again from the side of her round eyes, holding his stare but keeping her mouth closed. She was quiet. He appreciated how quiet she was, actually. Women tended to talk his eyeballs off, and he did not really pay much attention to what they were spouting off anyway. Remy had a knack for talking so much, he did not think she even realized what she was saying the majority of the time.
When the lock clicked open, she sprung to her feet and opened the door.
“Where is your ship?” she asked him.
“She speaks!” he exclaimed. The look Magdalena gave him would have sounded like sarcasm if he could hear it. He cleared his throat as the rest of his crew filed out behind him. “The Black Star is currently detained.”
“Do you know where?” the blonde asked, tilting her head to the side and keeping her eyes focused firmly on his. They were a midnight blue, he realized. Almost brown, if one was not looking close enough.
“I do,” he said with one nod.
“We need it,” she said.
“We?” Nick asked. “Listen, I thank you for what you’ve done for me and my crew but I cannot have you on board my ship. I do not know you. I do not trust you.”
“I can get you your ship back,” Magdalena told him, and her tone sounded certain. “All I ask is for passage on your ship for an indeterminate amount of time. You can go back to being a wanted man in every port in The Neverland and ferrying souls.”
Nick gave her a cheeky grin. “So you’ve heard of me?” he asked.
She did not respond to his charm. Instead, she reached out her arm and offered her hand. “Do we have an accord?” she asked.
Nick paused. He really had no other choice. He needed a ship and had no prospects to get her back. She was his only hope. As such, he placed his hand over hers and kept his eyes firmly in hers. They were beautiful eyes, he decided. But girls with pretty eyes were the toughest to trust.
Three
Remy kept track of each day that passed by writing down everything she could. She had requested a journal, and Hook granted it with some flippant comment about girls keeping track of their feelings. She wanted to correct him and remind him that she was actually a woman and not some girl, but she decided it was wise to keep her mouth shut since she got what she wanted. Also, if he believed her feelings were trivial, he might disregard the journal or forget she even had it in the first place. He seemed distracted anyway. His mind was elsewhere. In fact, Remy had seen little of him the past week. He rarely stepped out of his captain’s quarters; what he was doing in there was anyone’s guess.
Even though she was technically a prisoner, Remy had free reign of the ship. She wasn’t forbidden to a room; nothing was off-limits. Everyone was respectful of her presence; she did not feel threatened or in danger. If she had a complaint about anything, it was boredom. However, that was fixed when Pam, her personal maid, showed her the library. She had never been a fan of reading for pleasure, but Remy was growing to like it.
Pam was timid and quiet, shy and hesitant. If she had a choice, Remy would guess the poor girl would choose to keep to herself. That particular dreary morning, after a week and one day had passed, Remy decided to try and engage the girl in more than a one-sided conversation. If anything, it would pass the time. Remy was starting to pace to do something.
“Pam,” Remy said when Pam came to inform her about supper. “How old are you?”
Pam looked at her feet, her sharp cheeks tainted red. The girl could not be more than fourteen, which mean she died at an extremely young age. Remy could feel her heart breaking for Pam. And, for some reason, Pam had yet to move on. Instead, she was here, serving as a makeshift handmaiden on Hook’s ship of otherwise respectable members of The Neverland society. Remy had no seen a speck of dirt, a book out of alphabetical order, any food on the floor. It was completely unlike Nick’s ship.
Nick…
She wondered how he was, what he was doing, if he spared a thought for her at all…
That’s not fair, Remy, she thought to herself. You gave yourself up for him. You should not expect him to dwell on you when he should be focused on living his life – whatever life meant here – was.
“Fifteen, mum,” Pam replied, breaking Remy out of her thoughts – for now. She knew when she was alone, she would more than likely revisit Nick and her conflicting feelings for the pirate later. For now, she would turn her attention on Pam.
“Mum?” Remy asked, aghast. “Surely I’m not old enough to be called mum. Remy is fine. I hope you and I can be better acquainted, Pam. Perhaps you can tell me more about Captain Hook. I kn
ow nothing of the man, yet everyone knows who he is. Might you divulge some information?”
Remy watched as the young girl’s cheeks turned red, and she played with her fingers behind her back. Everything about Pam looked tightly wound – like a jack in the box, ready to spring up when the lid popped open. Remy had always detested those deplorable children’s toy. They did not amuse her in the slightest and nearly gave her a heart attack even though she knew to expect the surprise every time.
The more Remy studied Pam, the more she realized Pam was trying to minimize her body as much as possible. She wanted to disappear. She did not want to be seen. Was she shy, or had something happened to inspire such cautious behavior?
She’s a woman, her mother’s voice said in Remy’s mind with her patented sneer. Cautious behavior is expected.
Remy had to refrain from rolling her eyes. There were certain things her mother was an expert at, but this particular opinion was one in which Remy must disagree. She did not believe that because she was a woman, she should be more protective of her person. She knew that that was how this world worked, regardless of how it should be, but Remy did not think it fair that a man could walk around without worrying if he would be harassed or violated in some manner while women should expect it.
“There really is not much to say,” Pam said. “He runs a tight ship. He’s highly respected and admired. He’s a good leader.”
“What does he want with me?” Remy asked. Her voice came out more insistent than she intended, but she did not apologize for her question.
Despite their initial conversation, James had yet to explain to her why her presence was required, where they were going, and what he wanted to do with her. It did not seem as though he were interested in violating her in any way. She did not feel threatened though his eyes – those marble-like eyes that were both cold and captivating and could quite possibly see straight through her soul – lingered on her to the point of discomfort.
The Neverland Trilogy Box Set Page 27