“Water sprites are tricksters. What makes you so sure it told you the truth?” Muir wasn’t nearly as agitated now that an idea had been presented, and while Nerida could sense he wasn’t ready to believe Cassius, he wasn’t ready to dismiss his suggestion, either.
“I saved her, just as she was about to be eaten by an eel,” Cassius’ brows furrowed and his eyes glazed over, as if he were only now contemplating how foolish an act that had been. Eels had worse attitudes than sharks. He shook his head, then continued, “She owes me her life. She will show us the way, if we choose to go.”
Nerida wanted to ask him the particulars of how and why he had saved the water sprite. It was difficult to imagine Cassius doing anything that didn’t benefit himself.
Her father seemed to be of the same mindset. “Why did you risk your life to save it?”
“I don’t know.” From the perplexed expression on Cassius’ face, it was clear he didn’t.
Momentary lack of judgment, Nerida thought, tucking a floating strand of black hair behind her ear. It’s probably the only time he’s ever thought of someone other than himself.
Still, she wanted proof. “So where is this sprite?”
Cassius’ silver gaze locked onto her and he smirked, making Nerida wish for nothing more than to wipe that expression right off his face. “I’ll be right back.”
She watched him disappear through the pearl columns of the throne room, appearing seconds later with a water sprite. The tiny being was clad in thin, blue strips of fabric that twisted around her body. The ends of her dress floated against the current as if the ocean held no power over her, even though she wasn’t any bigger than Nerida’s little finger. The sprite paused at the door, then followed behind Cassius, shining dust glinting like bits of silver in her wake.
Nerida had never dealt with water sprites before. In fact, this was the first one she had seen so close. They weren’t common creatures, and whenever she did manage to see one, it was only a blur, leaving a flash of sparkling dust as the only evidence it hadn’t been a figment of her imagination.
The sprite became impatient and zipped around Cassius to stop directly in front of the throne, a spray of silver dust glittering in the water around her. Her face held no emotion as she looked from Taron to Muir, then her solemn gaze landed on Nerida.
Nerida had expected to see some expression of fear on the sprite’s small face. After all, she was standing in the presence of the two mightiest rulers of the sea. But she she didn’t see any sign of fear. She saw something different. Something dark—and cunning.
“Well?” Impatience was getting the best of Muir, who was obviously not impressed with the sprite. His giant tail flipped again, crashing against the steps below the throne.
The water sprite’s attention left Nerida and she calmly looked back at Muir. Tiny chime-like sounds echoed as she opened her mouth to speak. “I know the way to another world,” she paused as her words bounced hauntingly against the coral walls of the throne room. “A world without humans.”
After her words quieted, silence enveloped the room for a long moment. Taron was focused on Muir, his expression hopeful. Nerida looked at her father. He stared at the water sprite with such intensity, it was as if he were trying to read her mind to see if her words were true.
“Why should we believe you?” Nerida broke the silence, asking the question that loomed in her father’s eyes.
As she spoke, Muir nodded in agreement. “Why, indeed?”
The sprite shrugged, as if she didn’t care whether they believed her or not, then brushed her white, wispy hair away from her eyes before crossing her arms imperiously over her chest. The chimes sounded again as she answered, “I am Thespa, Guardian of the Never Sea. I have no reason to lie, but believe what you will.” One arm uncrossed as she pointed at Cassius. “That one saved my life and I owe him a favor.” A look of intense displeasure crossed her tiny features, as if she was now thinking perhaps death had been a better option.
Her expression convinced Muir more than her words. His grip on the throne’s armrests lessened, his knuckles returning to their normal color. He leaned back against the throne and regarded the sprite with a thoughtful look. “And for this favor you will take us all to this Never Sea…this place where we can live with no fear of humans?”
Thespa gave him a curt nod. “There are no humans on the Never Sea.”
Something in Nerida’s gut told her the sprite wasn’t being entirely truthful. “No humans at all on the surface?” she asked again. “What about on land? Every ocean has land and surely this Never Sea has bits of it, places where the water shallows and the ground rises out of the sea? Places where trees and grass grow?”
“There are humans on Neverland,” Thespa shrugged, as if it was a trivial matter.
“You weren’t going to tell us about them, were you?”
“Whether you go or stay, makes no difference to me,” the sprite said darkly. “I am here to repay a favor. Whether you take it—or not—my debt is paid.”
“We will go.” At first Nerida had thought it had been Cassius or Taron who had spoken—but neither had said a word. “We will go to this Never Sea,” Muir repeated.
The shock of his words stunned Nerida for a second. “Father, we need to think this through. Don’t agree to this—not yet. What if there is more she hasn’t told us?”
“There is a sea with no humans. That is all I need to know,” Muir said, his face hard. He turned his attention to Thespa. “Where is the way to this Never Sea?”
“In two days, I will return and take you there. Make sure all who wish to leave are in this room or they shall be left behind.” Without waiting for anyone to answer, Thespa turned and flew away in a blur, leaving a sparkling burst of silver dust as the only evidence she had been there.
NERIDA SPENT EVERY second of the following day trying to convince her father to break his deal with the water sprite, but Muir’s decision had already been made.
Word travelled quickly, and before the first day was done, the castle was crowded with merfolk from both the northern and southern kingdoms who were more than ready to leave the familiarity of the ocean they knew, for one they knew nothing about. In fact, Nerida had yet to find a single one who had chosen to stay. With every second that passed, more filled the castle, waiting for Thespa to reappear and lead them to the Never Sea.
As the last morning came, she gave up hope of convincing Muir and tried to change the minds of others. Only one had paid attention to what she had to say—Callidora. Callie was her younger sister, and while she had listened to Nerida, she chose to stay close to Muir in the end. As their mother had died when Callie was born, Muir was the only parent she knew and rarely did she stray from his side. She would go to this new sea, too, though she had her doubts.
It will be only me left if I stay here, Nerida thought, tears filling her eyes at the thought of loneliness she knew she would feel. Granted, if she traveled a great distance to either the eastern or western kingdoms she could find other merpeople, but it wouldn’t be the same. It wouldn’t be home without her father and sister. She swam outside the gleaming walls of the castle, watching as the last few of her people entered.
Within a few minutes, Thespa would arrive and everything would change. Odds were, it wouldn’t be for the better. There could be worse things than humans waiting for them in that new sea and then it would be too late.
Six small specks of vibrant blue approached the castle from above, streaks of silver dust trailing behind them. Thespa had arrived and brought help with her.
Nerida watched as the six sprites entered the castle. The time had come. She waited, certain everyone she watched go in would come out soon and follow the sprites to this new ocean, but the only ones who came back out were the six sprites.
Perhaps Father changed his mind. Hope swelled in Nerida’s heart as she swam toward the giant pearl columns on either side of the castle’s entrance. Silver dust clouded everything around her and covered her
body from the top of her head to the tip of her tail. She could barely see the giant doorway through the thick, glittering water. She struggled to get inside—to get away from the six sprites who were furiously covering every inch of the castle with silver dust.
No longer able to see anything in front of her, Nerida reached for the doorway. The tips of her fingers found the arch and she gripped it, pulling herself toward it.
The water around her quaked and sand mixed with the dust. The archway lurched, as if the entire castle had come free from the ocean floor. Nerida lost her grip. Unsure of where she was, she shifted to the left, hoping she was still near the doorway. She swam forward as fast as she could, completely blinded by sand and silver dust, when a sudden, sharp pain exploded in the back of her head as she made contact with something hard and smooth.
As the pain left and a warm sensation filled her mind, a hand gripped hers, pulling her forward, away from the shimmering sand. The first thing that registered after the pain was the odd sensation of coldness seeping around her. She felt the water around her move swiftly, as if the ocean had taken a mind of its own and created an icy whirlpool, trapping her in its center. Darkness surrounded her, and she struggled against it.
“Be still, child.” Recognizing the voice of her father and realizing the hand gripping hers was his, she relaxed and let him pull her further into oblivion.
2
A New Sea
THE NEVER SEA was as Thespa had promised, free from danger of humans. In fact, the only conflict that took place was when the two kings discovered Muir’s castle had been transported and grounded safely at the base of the main island and Taron’s had not. But this was soon settled when the two realized there wasn’t enough ocean to worry about splitting between the two of them. Upon several explorations, the merpeople discovered if they swam away from the castle all day until night fell, the next morning, they would find themselves back where they had started the previous day. It was as if the bottom of the ocean was an endless circle that couldn’t be escaped. Both sea kings were happy with this arrangement, for now it was easier to keep up with their people and there wasn’t any threat of the unknown.
Nerida, on the other hand, was frustrated and told them of her fears of being trapped in this strange new place, but the two kings ignored her and took up residence in the one castle. They divided everything among each other equally and began their rule together of the Never Sea.
Time passed strangely in the new ocean, and Nerida didn’t know whether they had been in the Never Sea for a space of days, weeks, or even years. Thespa had visited once after their arrival in the Never Sea, and that visit was to enforce a single law—the merfolk were forbidden to take on the shapes of the humans. Never were they to walk upon land as they had been known to do in the old world.
As both kings still harbored reservations about going near the surface, humans or not, they readily agreed to her solitary term. But the odd rule had struck Nerida as peculiar, and so each day she set out, hoping to discover the reason why Thespa wanted to keep them safely below the surface.
The sun sparkled through the water one morning as she swam close to the island. Warm air brushed her face as she broke the surface, making her realize how cold the water was around her. A white-sanded beach and tall green trees loomed in front of her. She swam a little closer, feeling her tail touch the rough, sandy bottom of the ocean floor as she ventured into the shallows. The inlet she had chosen to search was wide. A large boulder sat in the center, one end touching the sandy bottom of the inlet, the other arching out of the sea toward the sun. It looked inviting…and so warm. She fought the urge to pull herself onto it and enjoy the warmth it offered.
Later, she promised herself. Once she discovered what secrets the island held, she could bask in the sun’s rays without fear. But not now.
Her attention left the rock as a sharp cry came from the outcropping of trees. A rotund, brown, fur-covered being rolled into view, followed by another, which was also furred but stood taller and was thinner.
What manner of creatures were these? Her mouth opening in astonishment. Perhaps there was a good reason for her people to stay below the surface if such strange animals ran on the island’s beaches. A sudden gust of wind picked up, blowing the fur off the shorter one’s head, revealing a human face.
A human boy. Well, Thespa did say there were humans on the island.
The two were laughing now and Nerida found herself drawing closer to them, her curiosity piqued.
She was a short distance away when the taller one caught sight of her. He nodded, sending two long ear things to swing about his head. “Peter said the Blue Ones were bringing fish people to the sea,” she heard him tell the round one. “It must be true. I see one over there.”
His companion spun around surprisingly fast for one so large and the two boys watched her with the same looks of wonder she felt looking at them. She hadn’t swam any closer since she had been noticed and stayed silent, watching them.
The tall one had noticed. “You can come closer to us, we won’t hurt you,” he called out. “I promise.”
“What if she hurts us?” she heard the shorter one hiss. “Best not make promises you can’t keep.”
“Hush, Beetles. She looks afraid,” the tall one’s elbow found the other’s ribs, causing him to grunt. “I promise we won’t hurt you. You have my word.”
Curiosity was getting the better of Nerida, so she slowly came closer. “Who are you? What are you?” she asked.
“I’m Patch,” the tall one announced. “And this is Beetles. We are Neverlings.”
“Neverlings?” She had never heard of such a term before. “What is a Neverling?”
“It’s someone who lives on Neverland,” the one named Beetles answered in an imperious tone as he put his hands on his hips.
“Are there many Neverlings on this island?”
“No, not many of us now.” A scowl stretched across Beetles’ plump face. “The crocodile keeps eating us.”
“Then, it seems we have a common enemy, though I’ve yet to see a crocodile since we arrived.” Nerida said with a nod.
“There’s only one and he tends to stay in the narrow inlet to the west. The water is warmer there. If I might ask, who are you and what are you?” Patch asked.
“My name is Nerida, daughter of Muir, the sea king. I’m a mermaid.”
“Could you come closer? I’ve never seen a mermaid before,” Patch asked politely.
“Certainly.” Nerida let the tide sweep her closer to shore. She stopped just short of the beach and dug her hands into the coarse white sand, then flipped her silver tail into full view.
“Wow,” whistled Beetles. “You really are a fish person.”
“Mermaid,” corrected Patch, placing another solid whack on Beetles’ ribs, which caused the shorter boy to gasp, then retaliate.
Nerida smiled and waited until the two stopped their scuffling and stilled. She needed more information about this strange island. “Where are your parents?” At their two blank stares, she tried again. “Are there any grown humans on the island?”
Patch shook his head. “No, no grown-ups are allowed in Neverland.”
“That’s right. Pan’s orders,” Beetles piped up.
“Who is Pan?”
“His name is Peter Pan,” Patch explained. “He’s the one in charge of all of Neverland. No one comes or leaves unless Peter lets them.”
“Is he a grown up?” Nerida asked, adopting their term for full grown humans.
“Oh no, he’s a boy like us!” Beetles exclaimed, putting his hands on either side of his ample girth as if in an effort to show her the correct size for a human boy.
“No, not like us. He’s a flying boy,” Patches said, his hand up in the air, mimicking a bird soaring through the air. “The rest of us can’t fly, though it hasn’t been for lack of trying.”
A flying boy is certainly strange. Another thought crossed Nerida’s mind. “What happens when you gro
w up? Do you have to leave Neverland?”
Two identical, hard expressions answered her question before she heard their words. “No one grows up on Neverland—and no one ever leaves.”
“Oh.” It seemed an inadequate response, but she wasn’t really sure what to say to them as they both seemed to resent the idea of growing up.
“Just wait, you’ll see,” Patch nodded his head, knowingly. He pointed to the sky. “There’s Pan now.”
Nerida looked up to see a boy clad in strange, leaf-like clothing, soaring high in the air above them. A small child clung to his hand as if he were frightened to be so far up in the air. The two zipped over Nerida’s head and disappeared into the forest. A tiny yellow pixie followed, sprinkling Nerida with gold dust as she passed over.
“He’s brought another Neverling to join our troupe,” Patch said.
“That one is too small,” Beetles complained. “He won’t be big enough to take care of himself. You wait and see.”
“Pan chose him, so he must be big enough,” Patch argued.
A strange bird-like caw came from the place where the flying boys had disappeared. “That’s Pan crowing,” Patch grinned. “He’s calling for us. Time to go.”
“Time for us to babysit, you mean,” Beetles grumbled. He scowled and pulled the ears of his fur hat down low on his face before stomping into the woods behind Patch.
The water around Nerida sparkled with the yellow pixie’s dust. She cupped a handful of water and lifted it up. The sunlight caught it, and the gold dust glittered. While this new sea seemed safer than the one they had left, Nerida found herself holding onto caution. Thespa hadn’t mentioned pixies or the fact that the humans here could fly.
She watched until the two boys disappeared into the dark shadows of the forest, then she turned and swam back out of the inlet to the rock she had passed on the way in. She shivered. The water was so much stranger than what she was used to. In some places sharp spikes of ice rose up and jutted out of the water into the open air, then, merely feet away, the water would be warmer. The warmest water was near the castle, yet another reason the merpeople didn’t mind staying far below the surface.
The Untold Stories of Neverland: The Complete Box Set Page 27