His free hand reached up and caressed her cheek, then his fingertips wandered to her lips. Then he leaned in and crushed his mouth to hers. She shoved against his chest, trying to move him away, but he was as solid as the rock behind her. Her struggles seemed to amuse him enough that he stopped kissing her and backed away enough to laugh.
“This is only the beginning, Nerida. If you choose to marry me willingly, I might decide to make your life a little easier.” The laugh stopped and the cold look came back into his eyes. “And if you do not…” He removed the staff from her neck. “…you will live in fear of what I will do to you.”
Nerida fought the urge to swim away from him as fast as she could. That would show weakness, so she stayed where she was and watched him go. He shot her another lazy smile over his shoulder. “Your choice, Nerida. It’s up to you.”
THESPA WASN’T THE only one second-guessing the decision to give the new king of her Lost Ones a token of the water sprites’ power.
“Are you certain he can be trusted to use it wisely?” Bridgette asked, a frown creasing her brow. “From all I’ve seen so far, that one seems to have no respect for anything or anyone around him.”
It had been Thespa’s idea to give Cassius the trident. She’d infused it with the magic of water sprites, hoping that every time he touched it, he would remember who had given it to him, and with those thoughts he would continue to believe in her.
The concept had been brilliant when she had originally thought of it. Water sprites as a race weren’t generally friendly beings. They preferred their solitude and only barely tolerated each other. Giving the new sea king a sign of power that would remind him of her—without her physical presence being required—had seemed the perfect idea at the time. He and his people would believe in them without the sprites having to be seen.
The power she’d placed in the shining silver staff had been an afterthought—a way of keeping up with him. Each time he used the trident, she would feel the pull of power and know what he was doing. It was yet another method to keep up to date with things without having to actually be around other creatures.
“You may have given him too much power.” Her second-in-command seemed to be reading her mind today. Bridgette was wringing her hands—a sure sign of distress.
“If he deems himself unworthy, I can take that power away just as easily,” Thespa retorted hotly.
Understanding that she herself could be just as easily replaced for doubting her queen’s decision, Bridgette only nodded, the white tendrils of her hair bobbing in time with the ocean’s current.
A dark shadow passed over them and Thespa glanced up, expecting to see the long, scaly form of the crocodile swimming above them on the surface. There wasn’t anything she feared in Neverland, save the thought of her magic dying, but the crocodile always managed to keep her wary.
Thespa was certain, given half a chance, the big, green bully would happily eat them all and not give it another thought. The fact that he’d managed to eat both sea kings on the same day hadn’t been coincidence. Part of the deal with the merman who had saved her was to let him rule his own kind once they arrived at the Never Sea. To do this, both of the sea kings had to go and Thespa had only barely managed to lure the crocodile that far below for a short time. That he hadn’t eaten more of her Lost Ones than the sea kings was a stroke of sheer luck.
But the crocodile wasn’t what waited on the surface right now.
The creaking groans of wood echoed through the water as a ship passed overhead. She heard the muffled voices of humans—quite a few of them, if her ears weren’t lying.
“The pixies have brought more of their Lost Ones to Neverland,” Thespa muttered, gritting her teeth.
“But I thought you warned the one who stays with the flying boy? Surely she knows the Never Sea is ours?”
“I did warn her.” A streak of gold flew low over the sea. A pixie, possibly the exact one who hadn’t listened to her. A dip in the sea might teach her a thing or two, Thespa decided.
“Then what shall we do?”
Thespa pointed to the unassuming pixie above. “We teach her a lesson. Next time, she will heed my warnings. Make no mistake.”
ONCE CASSIUS WAS gone, Nerida spent her time listening to the strange sounds and voices from the ship, feeling safer in its shadow than she did in the castle that was by all rights her own. So as the humans began to sail around the island, she swam beneath them and picked up bits of information from their conversations.
A lot of it she didn’t understand, but she did discover that they thought themselves to be lost and were searching for more of their own kind. What a surprise will be in store for you once you learn there are only children waiting for you on the island, she thought, smiling. There were quite a few humans above her and she found herself wondering how many of them were, as the boy named Patch called them, grown-ups.
As she listened, a familiar voice spoke clearer than all of the rest. This was the one she had seen before, she was sure of it. Cautiously, she broke the surface of the water, hoping to catch a glimpse of him.
He stood near the railing, and had he been looking down at the sea, he would have surely seen Nerida. But his attention was locked on someone else—a beautiful, bronze-skinned woman with flowing, black hair. The breeze caught the fringe along the edges of the woman’s dress and hundreds of small strands danced in the wind, making her seem ethereal, as if she was some magical creature.
Whoever she was, her attention was just as focused on the man in the red coat. The way they stared at one another, it was as if no one else on the ship existed.
They love one another, Nerida realized. So this is what love looks like.
“Whatever this island holds, whether there be a port or not, I promise to always keep you safe,” she heard the man say.
The woman nodded, her eyes filled with tears.
She doesn’t have anything to fear, Nerida thought. There isn’t anything but children on the island.
Still, the two above her whispered promises to one another and after a few more moments, they left their place at the railing and, unknowingly, left Nerida alone to listen to the muted sounds of music coming from the belly of the ship.
The sun was beginning to set and the water darkened, making the shadow she had been travelling with blend with the sea. She would have to go back to the castle. While she wasn’t afraid of the darkness, she was afraid of the crocodile she had yet to see. Plus, she needed to check on Callie—her sister was all she had left.
She sighed and moved away from the ship and began swimming back down into the depths.
Two bright streaks of silver zipped over her head and disappeared into the darkness.
“It must have been the water sprites,” she said to herself. They were the only things in the sea that moved so quickly.
A bright flash of gold fluttering toward the bottom of the ocean caught her eye. It moved like a wounded fish with sudden bursts of flurrying movement interspersed with bouts of stillness. Whatever it was, it seemed to be struggling to go to the surface, but was losing the battle.
This is like no fish I’ve ever seen. Nerida swam toward the floundering bit of yellow that was sprinkling golden dust in the water around it like…a pixie. That realization had her swimming faster to the tiny being who had ceased its struggle and was now plummeting toward the ocean floor. Pixies don’t swim; water sprites do. She’s drowning!
Nerida swam more quickly than she ever had and managed to catch the pixie in her palm just before the creature dropped to the sand. As she watched, the last bits of air bubbles escaped from the pixie’s nose and she stared up at her rescuer, the life draining from her eyes.
Unwilling to give up, Nerida turned and darted to the surface as fast as she could, her muscles aching. If only those water sprites had seen her. They had been so close before they flew over. They would have been quick enough to help me. After what seemed forever, she broke the surface and thrust her hand out of the water
in an attempt to save the tiny being.
The small weight in her hand didn’t move at first, but then the pixie turned her head to look at her. Her big blue eyes blinked one time, then closed. She wasn’t breathing, or making any movement to cough the water out of her mouth in the way Nerida once saw a human do.
What do I do now? Nerida wondered. She looked up and noticed she was close to the shore. Maybe she needs to be away from the water. Maybe that will help.
Even as she began moving toward the sandy beach, the tiny pixie in her hand shuddered and went still. It only took a glance to realize there wasn’t any need to go any farther. The once-glowing skin of the pixie went opaque and pearl-like, then she began disintegrating, falling into herself like a fragile shell crushed by some unseen force.
Seconds later, Nerida held nothing but a handful of shimmering, gold dust that glinted in the moonlight. Tears filled her eyes as she stared at the remains of the tiny being who had just died, literally at her fingertips. She didn’t know where she had come from or why she was in the sea, but she felt a profound sense of loss just the same.
“What is a fitting goodbye for a pixie?” Nerida asked herself aloud. Had she been a mermaid, what remained of her would have already joined the sea, foam mixing with the water on the surface. Somehow blowing the golden dust into the tide didn’t seem like the right thing to do as this one wasn’t a creature of the sea. Perhaps blowing her dust into the wind upon the island would be a better choice. But that was something she couldn’t do without walking on land. Breaking the rules was something she wasn’t quite ready to do again just yet.
Nerida sighed, wishing the Peter boy would fly over and notice her there in the dark water. She would even settle for Patch with the rabbit hat, or the round one, if they would manage to help her with this dilemma.
But there was only her, alone.
The round seashell from her necklace floated on the water, bobbing softly up and down on the waves. It had been a gift to Odessa from their mother. It had been designed in a way to be opened and clasped back together again to keep something safely inside.
“What is in it?” Odessa had asked as their mother fastened it behind her neck.
“Nothing yet. You see, it is made to hold something special. Once closed, it shouldn’t be opened again, or the clasp will break.” The necklace secure, her mother smiled. “It is up to you to decide what secret it will keep, Odessa.”
Nerida wasn’t sure the remains of the pixie were exactly secret, but it would be a special resting place until she could find someone or some way to get the little pile of golden dust ashore. She glanced up at the dark sky and made up her mind, fumbling the shell with her free hand until she felt it loosen and open. Then, she carefully poured the dust in the shell, and closed it.
A bright flash of gold swirled along the lines of the necklace and traveled to the small crease where Nerida had opened it. Within the next second, she felt a small, hot heat in her palm as the necklace fused shut.
There may not be any opening it now, she thought, frowning, unhappy with the fact that she might well have to either break the shell later to get the dust out—or bury it, necklace and all.
Something moved farther out in the sea. Something big and dark. I’ll figure it out later. Right now I have to get below where it is safe.
And with that, she carefully let the shell rest against her flesh. It was cool now, though it still held a light, golden glow. Giving one last look to the place where she had noticed something in the water, she dove back under and made her way back home.
4
The Pirate
SHE SPENT DAYS within the walls of the castle, trying to restore some sense of balance to her people. She sat upon her father’s throne and listened to their fears and their wishes, while Cassius sat opposite her on Taron’s throne, not even bothering to look the least bit concerned with anything that was said.
“You could at least pretend to be interested in them,” Nerida muttered under her breath, knowing he heard every word. “You rule half of this kingdom, after all.” Rule was too strong a word, she knew. He only wanted the title of king, not the responsibilities that came with it.
“Whenever they say something interesting, then I’ll listen. So far, all that I’ve heard is ‘worry about the crocodile,’ and that isn’t important as he hasn’t come this far below since last time.” He twirled his staff in his hands, eyes never leaving the bright silver.
Last time. Nerida shook her head, fighting back the words that threatened to come out of her mouth. Last time, that crocodile had taken two kings and left dozens of others unharmed. Thespa had arrived and declared Cassius king of the Never Sea soon thereafter, which made it more glaringly obvious to her. Their arrival in the Never Sea had been carefully planned by the water sprite and the cunning merman sitting across from her—but what she couldn’t figure out was why? She knew why Cassius wished to rule, but why did Thespa bring them to this strange, new sea?
“There isn’t anything to worry about with the crocodile,” he said. “If he bothers us, I’ll take care of him.”
I wish the crocodile would take care of you.
Nerida’s thought must have showed on her face, because he stopped twirling his staff long enough to fix her with his cold, silver eyes. “Whether you like it or not, the kingdom is mine and you will be at my side as my obedient wife. I have decided the wedding will commence in two days. Make whatever preparations you wish. In two days, our kingdoms will unite.” He paused, and a sly smile crossed his face. “It will happen, Nerida, make no mistake.” He rose from his throne and approached Callidora, who had just entered. A look of profound fear washed over Callie’s face as he drew his thumb over her chin. “As queen, you must remember to think of the welfare of your subjects. After all, I’d hate to see something terrible happen to those you love. You do love your people, don’t you, Nerida?” With a laugh, he turned and left.
“Are you all right?” she asked Callie once he was gone. She received a quick nod from her wide-eyed sister before Callie swam to her side. “He’s powerful, Nerida. Too powerful. I’ve heard stories of what he can do now that he has the trident. No one dares to cross him,” she whispered.
“You must tell me everything you know about Cassius’ staff,” she told Callie once she was certain the merman had gone. “If we have any chance of surviving this…” If I have any chance of surviving this, she added silently, “we must find out everything we can.”
Callie nodded. “When Thespa gave him the trident, the first thing Cassius did was shatter the statue of our father in the gardens.”
Nerida’s breath caught. The enormous stone statue of Muir had somehow been transported with the castle when they had arrived. It was larger than life, easily ten times the size of the sea king himself, and once sat at the entrance to the castle. After they reached the Never Sea, it had somehow settled in the gardens, a short distance away.
“How?” she managed. “How did he shatter it?” The statue had been chiseled from solid rock and, as far as she knew, was indestructible.
“He pointed his trident at it and a bright flash of silver light came from the tips at the end and went straight into the statue. The water became unbearably hot for a moment, then the statue exploded. There isn’t anything left of it now but small chunks of stone.”
Callie paused, then added, “There’s more. Lillette was telling me her brother saw him kill a humpback whale. He doesn’t know why he did it, but he did say that it looked like Cassius enjoyed watching it die.”
Tears filled Nerida’s eyes. The giant whales were protectors of her people against the humans. In the old sea, whenever a ship would pass above, the whales would sing songs that would warn them of the harm on the surface. The gentle giants had never offered to harm them in any way.
“We have to find a way to stop him, Callie. We have to find a way to take the trident from him.”
“But how? He never leaves it and no one else will help us. They are all
too afraid of what he would do to them if they tried.”
“I don’t know,” Nerida admitted. “But we’ll have to find someone to help us…soon.”
CASSIUS’ YOUNGER SISTER stared at her, wide-eyed. “But he is the sea king. Thespa gave him the trident. I can’t take it away from him!”
“Annalise, you have to help us. You have to try. You’re his sister. He trusts you,” Nerida said, offering her a smile, all the while hoping that the young redheaded mermaid who reminded her so much of Odessa would prove to be as adventurous as her own sister once had been.
Annalise chewed on her bottom lip, worry filling her green eyes. “He never leaves the trident. He always keeps it close,” she stated, repeating the same words that Callie had said earlier. She looked thoughtful for a moment, then started to speak, “The only time he lays it down—” She froze and whatever words she had meant to say never made it past her lips.
“What? When does he lay the trident down?” Nerida asked, reaching over to take the girl anxiously by the arms. She was ready to give her a quick shake in hopes that she could loosen up whatever words she could out of her when she saw a look of pure terror etch itself on the girl’s face. Her eyes were locked on something just over Nerida’s shoulder.
“Never,” a voice hissed. “The answer is that I never lay the trident down, Nerida.”
Annalise’s gaze left Cassius’ and moved to lock on to Nerida’s. She shrugged out of Nerida’s grip and backed away until her back hit the side of the castle’s wall. Her voice quavered, threatening to break. “He never lays it down, Nerida.”
NERIDA EXPECTED SOME kind of retribution from cornering his sister, but Cassius had claimed to find it amusing and laughed as he left. Once he was gone, she tried begging Annalise for help again, but the mermaid whispered a hoarse, “I can’t help you, I’m sorry,” before she hurried back inside the safety of the castle’s walls.
The Untold Stories of Neverland: The Complete Box Set Page 29