There is something they wish me to see. Something important.
She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, realizing that the cloying fear subsided somewhat if she kept her eyes shut. She trusted the stingrays more than anyone—and she owed them this much.
The decision made, she put out her hands, placing one on top of each ray’s head. “Show me what you want me to see.” As long as she kept her eyes shut and they led her, she would be able to follow them.
Slowly they swam forward, ensuring she kept up with them. Nerida knew the cavern was narrowing inch by inch, but still she kept her eyes tightly shut and held her place between the rays.
They had travelled this way for a few moments when Nerida heard the sounds of voices. The first she recognized as Peter’s. His dark laughter bounced against the walls around her.
The other belonged to the captain, who sounded even more distressed than he had earlier.
That realization made her open her eyes and she forgot all about the walls closing in around her as she heard his angry shout, “Let her go or I shall kill you.”
The words of the other pirate echoed in Nerida’s head. Ye’ll be no good to her dead.
Who had Peter brought here? Was it the woman she’d spotted on the ship before?
Nerida couldn’t make out Peter’s reply to the captain, but from the sharp clanging sounds, she was certain he hadn’t freed anyone.
The noise was bothering the rays and they drifted away, presumably to the still, dark water at the bottom of the cavern.
She could go on without them, she decided, spotting a light ahead. The tunnel the rays had been leading her into was widening now and if the light was any factor, soon she’d be out in the open.
The fighting became louder with each second that passed. She was close now.
Then she heard a sudden thunk and all went quiet for a moment, but for the sounds of the water around her.
The tide surged and a sudden, swift current pushed her out of the tunnel and into a wide, open space. The first thing she spotted was the woman tied to a boulder in the center of the cavern. She was submerged in the water from the waist down. The familiar fringe on the dress swayed back and forth in the water.
Peter had stolen away the woman she’d seen on the ship.
Something wasn’t right with her. She was so still. Then Nerida spotted the long, thin blade that had pierced her chest. Blood fell in droplets, then ran quicker in a thick stream, instantly coloring the water a bright crimson, making is hard to see.
“No, no, no, no!” came the anguished voice of the captain. The woman’s body lurched forward.
A quick flash of silver sliced through the bloody water and cut the ropes free. Then the woman was pulled free and a dull clank echoed, as if the sword had been thrown away.
“You will pay for what you have done, even if it takes my death to make it so,” the captain said in a low, deadly voice.
Nerida found herself swimming closer. Curiosity was pushing her forward more than the tide now. Ignoring the now strong, coppery taste of the sea, she stopped just shy of the side of the ledge and peered up through the red-tinted water—and saw Peter.
The look on his face spoke of darkness and reminded her so much of Cassius that she nearly turned away—ready to flee back through the tunnel to the safety of the open sea. But his words stopped her.
“No, it won’t take your death. Not yet. I find myself enjoying this far too much.”
He even sounded like Cassius. That sent a shiver through her that had nothing to do with the cold water around her. Something horrible was coming. She could feel it.
Then she saw that Peter held the long, thin blade belonging to the captain. The captain gripped the sharp tip that was pointed at him with his hand in an obvious effort to retrieve it.
As she watched, Peter wrenched the blade free, then swung it in a wide arc. It circled, returning on a path directly back at the man’s hand.
An instant later, the severed hand went flying through the air and made a distinct splash not far from her. She wrinkled her nose in disgust, but her eyes never left the scene unfolding before her.
Even through the foamy surf above her she could see the gory blue that ran in thick streams from the man’s wrist. Didn’t humans have red blood—like merfolk? She was nearly certain they did, which made her even more curious about the man she was watching.
Her gaze left the strange blood and centered on the man’s face. From the place he stood, she could make out the fierce determination in his features.
“My blade if you please,” he told Peter coldly, shoving his other arm up in the air.
Peter looked as if he was thinking about chopping that hand off too, but then thought better of it and tossed the sword down. It clanked at the man’s feet, near the woman’s body.
Flying through the opening at the top of the cavern, Peter laughed. It was a happy sound, as if he’d managed to take everything he’d wanted and was quite pleased with himself.
Her attention turned back to the captain, who was staggering to pick up his sword. The blood running from his wrist was pooling into the water now, mixing in with the crimson from the woman.
The captain was out of sight now, thanks to their inky, dark blood clouding her vision, but she heard him fall onto the ledge above her.
He’ll die soon if no one helps him, she realized sadly.
She remembered the dolphins who had rescued her—her two now faithful companions—and pushed herself out the surf and gripped the solid, rock ledge above, pulling herself up.
The man had landed near the woman, the fingers of his remaining hand splayed in her hair as if he’d wished to be close to her in his final seconds of life.
Nerida took a quick look at the woman. Her face had already taken on the waxy dead look of the humans she’d seen before on the ocean floor. From the looks of things, she was well on her way to the Underworld and there wasn’t anything Nerida could do to help her.
She didn’t bother looking at the captain. She didn’t want to see the last signs of life leave his face, too. Instead, she hooked her arm around his chest and pulled him back into the water with her, taking care to leave his head above the surface.
Just as she was getting ready to swim back toward the tunnel, Peter appeared from the top of the cavern and swooped down. He landed in the same place she’d been seconds before and scooped up the captain’s thin sword. Looking down, he noticed her below him.
He smiled, but it looked more to her like a grimace when he realized what she was doing.
Worried that he had come back to finish what he’d started, Nerida began swimming in earnest back to the narrow tunnel, towing the man with her as fast as she could. As she reached the mouth of the tunnel, she turned just in time to see Peter fly back up and out of sight. Apparently, he’d decided not to kill anyone else just this minute.
Nerida sighed and continued onward, carrying the man along with her. It was hard working against the tide. For every inch she pushed forward, she felt as if she slid backward twice as far. The man’s dead weight dragged her down, making it difficult to keep the balance of pushing up far enough to keep him above the water while fighting to go forward at the same time.
I’m the only hope he has. I won’t give up, she thought stubbornly, fighting against the currents. Inch by inch, she struggled until she made it through the tunnel. The tide had risen so much now she wasn’t sure there was much space between the water and the roof of the tunnel. More than once she thought she heard a small thump as the man’s head met the rock above, but still she pushed onward.
Darkness surrounded her and she found herself reaching toward the same walls that seemed to close in on her such a short time before. She trailed her fingertips along the slick surface, using the wall to guide her.
As if they had realized she needed them, she felt the smooth, soft fins of the rays as they brushed past her. An instant later, she felt them giving her an extra push from behind.
/> Just a bit further. I’m almost there…
Finally, she spotted sunlight sparkling through the water. She focused all of her strength upward the instant they left the cavern to reach the surface.
The warm air took her by surprise and she gasped. She’d expected to hear the captain do the same, but he stayed silent. He hadn’t moved at all during her rescue. With misgivings, she took her free hand and placed it under his shirt and waited, hoping to feel some sign of life.
After a couple of seconds, she felt a small flutter beneath her fingertips, as if his heart had decided it didn’t want to give up just yet. This gave her a renewed sense of urgency. He needed help—now. She’d gotten him this far, but now he needed his people.
She twisted, looking for any sign of the rowboats that had been so close earlier—then she remembered the crocodile. She hadn’t so much as looked before leaving the safety of the cavern. With so much blood clouding the water, they would be sure to attract some sort of unwanted attention.
Fear churning in her stomach, she spun around, looking in every possible direction.
Luckily, she didn’t see any sign of the scaly monster, but she did catch sight of one of the small boats a short distance away—and they saw her.
“It be the same one that came aboard before!” she heard one say excitedly. His words were immediately followed by a sharp click as he raised a long, metal barrel and pointed it toward her. “She won’t bewitch me twice, make no mistake.”
“Wait, ye fool! Can’t ye see she has the cap’n? She be bringin’ him this way.” An old, wrinkled pirate shoved the metal thing out of the way and glowered at the other one. “If ye shoot, I’ll throw ye overboard meself.” He turned his attention back to Nerida and waved her to come closer. “No harm will come to ye, ye have me word.”
She didn’t answer the old man, but swam toward the boat. She hadn’t come this far to give up now. She towed the man as close as she dared, then ducked back under the surface of the water and pushed his body upward so that it would float while leaving her safely below him.
She heard the men in the boat grunt as they pulled his body from the ocean. As they lifted him into the boat, she caught a glimpse of his face. Even though he wasn’t conscious, she caught a look of sadness etched in the lines around his eyes. It tugged at her heart.
Though he still breathed, she was certain his soul had already followed the one he loved.
She’d expected the old pirate to pop his head over the side of the boat and give her a curt “thank you,” or thought maybe one of the others would be trying to catch a better glimpse of her, but they were focused on their captain, and had forgotten about her, though she was merely inches away.
“He’s still living, though how I can’t say,” she heard the old man mumble. “Get us back to the ship quick-like, lads, there be no time to waste.”
She waited until they turned back toward the ship, then she rose far enough out of the water to watch them. She stayed there a few moments, waiting to ensure the captain was safely carried aboard.
She realized she had the eerie feeling of being watched, but not by anyone on the ship. Whatever it was, was with her, here, in the water.
Fighting her instincts to dive straight to the bottom of the ocean, she sank slowly back under the surface, just far enough so that she could see who watched her.
“Cassius,” her words came out in a whispered hiss. She didn’t have any doubt the sound of his name matched the expression on her face.
He seemed every bit as pleased as she. She’d expected to hear a retort of some kind from him, but instead, he looked angry—as angry as the time he’d trapped her and left her to die.
“I haven’t taken on human form,” she said quickly, hoping to diffuse some of the hatred that glowed in his eyes. “And I haven’t gone back to the castle—not even to see Callie.” Even though I’ve wanted to more than anything.
“You may not have taken their form, but you’re saving them, which is the same thing.”
“It isn’t!” she objected. “He would have died if I didn’t help him.”
“Humans die. That’s what they do,” he retorted as he lifted his trident and pointed it at her. “That’s what you’ll do now too, Nerida. If you want to live as one, you’ll die as one. I’ve grown tired of waiting for you to realize you belong below the surface.”
The next moment was a haze of motion that came from every direction. In the instant Cassius’ trident sent a blinding stream of silver light at her, Thespa appeared and zipped directly in its path. She held out one tiny hand, as if she truly expected to stop the sizzling magic aimed at her, but the silver light slammed into her and threw her against Nerida.
Thespa hadn’t stopped anything. The bright flash of power from the trident sizzled through the air like a streak of lightning from the sky and smashed into both of them. Pain shot through every inch of Nerida’s being.
Just when she accepted she was dying, she spotted her two stingrays heading toward Cassius. The largest one began to circle around him in quick, tight loops. Around and around in a dark, endless blur. The motion was managing to distract Cassius. He stopped his assault on her and turned his trident toward the rays.
Every inch of her body screaming in agony, Nerida tried to swim toward the three battling forms, but flailed, unable to help. The trident was pointed at the smaller ray now and any second it would die. As she heard the rumble of power leave the trident’s sharp tips, she screamed, certain it had found its mark.
Then, all went quiet.
The water was heavy with magic, so thick she couldn’t see. Between the bursts from the trident and the glittering silver from Thespa, the sea around her shimmered.
This time, her attempt to move toward Cassius and the rays worked. Closer, she could barely see the outline of the sea king, his trident poised. He twisted, jerking in spasms, then went perfectly still, as if he’d frozen.
Two dark objects flitted toward her from the maelstrom.
They were safe. Her rays were safe. Nerida sighed, relieved, letting them swirl around her despite the pain still wracking through her.
She’d made it close enough to make out the lines of Cassius’ face. His expression was locked in a look of permanent shock. A large hole the size of the barb on a stingray’s tail showed on the side of his neck. Red blood clouded the water around him for a few seconds, then it stopped as if he’d simply ran out of it. As she watched, Cassius dissolved into foam, bubbles floating toward the surface. The trident shattered as if it had been made of glass, then the pieces exploded, as if announcing the end of the sea king’s reign.
Tired of fighting the pain, Nerida closed her eyes and fell.
This is the end, she thought, letting herself spiral to the bottom. At least I know he’s gone.
THESPA LANDED ON the ocean bottom, dropping to her knees on a large, green leaf that sprouted out of the sand. Things had definitely not gone as she had planned. She looked at the still form of the mermaid lying in a crumpled heap a short distance away.
The two stingrays who had once been Thespa’s dolphins settled next to her and took up a defensive stance, their barbed tails ready to attack anyone who came close. The mermaid wasn’t dead yet, but it wouldn’t be long. Thespa could imagine her bubbles rising to the surface.
But they wouldn’t be just the remains of a mermaid—they would be coated with the dust of a water sprite. Shining, sparkling, silver bits that would be the end of not one being, but two.
Thespa struggled to take a breath. The blast of magic from the trident had taken more from her than she’d thought possible. As it drained the magic from her, it had also redirected it back at her so quickly and with such darkness that it overwhelmed her tiny body to the point where it was now dying.
“Thespa?” Bridgette appeared, a look of horror on her round face that only reaffirmed what Thespa knew.
“I’m dying,” she acknowledged in a voice that held a no-nonsense tone. It wouldn’t do to get a
ll mushy and emotional. There were still things that needed to be done and there wasn’t much time left if she was to set things right.
Bridgette nodded slowly and blinked back the tears from her blue eyes.
“I chose the leader of our Lost Ones poorly and should have listened to you. I shouldn’t have given him so much power.” A spasm of pain caught in her chest, causing Thespa to pause. She rubbed the sore place over her heart before she continued. “This one,” she pointed to the still form of the mermaid. “She was the one I should have chosen. She will be the one to save us.”
“Thespa, she’s—”
“There’s still time.” Thespa cut her off, stood, and walked slowly toward the mermaid. “I can give her everything I have left.”
“If you do this, it will change her. And more than that, you’ll die.” Bridgette was wringing her hands now, but she stopped long enough to put a hand on Thespa’s arm, trying to stop her. “The sprites will have no one to lead us if you are gone.”
Thespa turned, gave her a small smile, and took Bridgette’s hand in her own. “You are wrong, my dear Bridgette. They will have you. Now, go back to the sprites, and tell them what has happened.”
She gave her hand a final pat and watched as the sprite reluctantly left. Then, Thespa turned her attention back to the mermaid and moved a strand of long, dark hair from the mermaid’s face, then placed her palm flat on her cheek. “You won’t be the same,” she whispered, “and for that I am sorry. With power, comes a price, but it will be worth it.”
Though the mermaid didn’t open her eyes, Thespa thought she saw her eyelids move, as if she’d heard her. The broken shell of the mermaid’s necklace laid in front of her.
Taking one last breath, Thespa closed her eyes and wished all of the magic she had left into the mermaid’s still form.
The pain eased once it was done, and the glittering silver dust that had been Thespa shimmered around the mermaid as the two stingrays pushed her body up from the sandy bottom to the surface.
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The Untold Stories of Neverland: The Complete Box Set Page 33