The Untold Stories of Neverland: The Complete Box Set

by K. R. Thompson

  Explosions cracked from the direction of both boats as the pirates shot at the flying boy and the rocks around her made pinging sounds as the bullets ricocheted when they missed.

  This will not do, Nerida thought, watching as Peter dodged first one way and then another. She wasn’t all that concerned about him—but what if they were to hit the girl?

  Peter had nearly made it out of the cave, when Nerida spotted Boggs take aim. His thumb pulled back a small lever. His brows lowered in concentration.

  It would be up to her to break it.

  Nerida took a deep breath and spread her wings, letting them carry her just far enough up that her feet brushed the top of the water. “No,” she said, her voice bouncing against the walls.

  Boggs started and his hand jerked, the loud pop causing a ricochet in the stone over Peter’s head. Without waiting for the pirate to reload, the boy flew out of the cave, the girl safely in his arms.

  Boggs saw her, then looked at something over her shoulder and shook his head sadly. “Ye shouldn’t have done that, lass.”

  Turning, she watched Hook pull a pistol out of Murphy’s hand and level it at her.

  “I do not take kindly to others meddling in affairs that are not their own,” he said in a calm, cold voice. “Especially when it concerns myself and the Pan. I give you no other warning. Come between us again and I will show no mercy.”

  Fury roiled through Nerida. If she hadn’t stopped them, they would have killed the girl and Hook would have thought nothing more of it.

  “This is my sea. Everything that happens upon it concerns me.” Vaguely she registered the air around her sparkling like silver. She felt bigger, stronger somehow. The two men in the boat with Hook backed to the far side, cowering, but the captain held his ground. His eyes narrowed as she flew closer. He didn’t fear her—but he needed to. It was time for him to know that.

  “From this moment on, I curse any man who dares swim in these waters. The Never Sea will only hold those who belong in it. Those who pay no heed to my warning will pay with their death.” A sharp crack echoed in the air and for a moment, Nerida thought perhaps he’d managed to fire his weapon, but a quick look down proved the sea had turned black, as if every drop of water was busy memorizing her wish.

  Something akin to respect moved under the captain’s eyes for a fleeting second and he gave the barest of nods. It seemed she’d managed to make her point.

  Nerida turned, realizing that she had been towering above the boats. In her anger, she’d grown larger than life—easily five times her normal size.

  “She be a sea witch,” she heard someone mumble.

  Yes, that appears to be the way of it, she acknowledged silently, managing to return to regular size by the time she reached the mouth of the cave.

  “Lass,” Boggs said, reaching out to her as she passed. His hand grasped her forearm. He didn’t look afraid of her, only worried. “Lass, what of the men on the ship? We be pirates, not hunters. What of fishing? The water from the nets and the boats being pulled up from the sea?”

  Nerida nodded and offered him the smallest of smiles. “Only those who are submerged under my waters have anything to fear.”

  “Thank ye, lass,” he squeezed her arm.

  “Please take care,” she whispered, just loud enough for him to hear, “I wish no harm for you, my friend. Never let the sea cover your head. Keep my curse from touching you.”

  He nodded solemnly and turned loose of her arm. Without looking back, she dove back under the surface, water glimmering black in her wake.

  11

  The Croc and I

  PETER SAT ON an overhead limb that stretched over the water, feet swinging carelessly as he talked to the small golden pixie on his shoulder. “Maybe she’s the new queen of the water sprites, Tink. She must have their magic now. See the black dust coming from her wings?”

  The pixie made a few chiming sounds, as if she wasn’t all that impressed.

  Nerida ignored them and moved on, anxious to get back to the sanctity of her isle. She’d spent enough time with humans. She was ready to be alone.

  “I don’t think she’s that powerful, though,” Peter said in a loud voice. The limb he sat on bounced as he stood and jumped up and down, rattling its branches. “If she was, she’d be able to stop Tic-Tock. No one can stop him.”

  The name of the crocodile made Nerida freeze in her tracks. The very thought of him made her want to dive into the sea and head straight into the cold sand at the bottom and hide. But her next thought reminded her that she wasn’t powerless. Not anymore.

  “Pity no one can stop him. He keeps eating things he shouldn’t,” Peter added.

  Nerida looked up and gave the boy the attention he wanted. The girl he’d named Tiger Lily was nowhere to be seen. He had apparently made quick work of depositing her somewhere safe, then scurried back in record time to catch her as she left the cave.

  Peter’s bottom lip was thrust out in a pout, an expression used by a child who hadn’t gotten his way. Noticing that she watched him now, he plopped back down on the branch. “My Neverlings get eaten all the time. Nothing to be done about it, I suppose. I saw Tic-Tock head over there where they were just a bit ago. No doubt I’ll be short another one soon.” He crossed his arms and pointed ahead with his chin to a small cove just around the bend. As if in reply to his words, a sharp cry of terror shrilled in the air. His eyebrows lifted as if to say, See? I wasn’t joking.

  Without thinking, Nerida zipped around the bend and found Beetles hunched into a tight ball as if he was trying his best to be invisible to the big green monster who had him cornered. Patch was doing his best to reach over the embankment and grab him, but his arms simply weren’t long enough.

  Nerida flicked her fingers at the crocodile, then waited as hundreds of strands of seaweed came up from the ocean bottom and wrapped themselves around the croc. They began at his snout, then circled around his giant body. He thrashed, forgetting all about the boy, who was running past him, making a quick escape.

  Seconds later, Tic-Tock lay motionless—completely at her mercy.

  The two boys stopped just long enough to look past the crocodile at her, then ran off, disappearing into the forest.

  “We need to have an understanding, you and I,” Nerida said quietly, coming to stand in front of the big beast. His big golden eyes followed her, watching her every move. “You see, it is my job now to take care of everything in this ocean—this includes you, of course—and to do this, I can’t have you eating things you shouldn’t. Even if they deserve it.” Peter flew by, gave her an impish grin and disappeared into the same spot where the two boys had gone, his golden pixie leaving a trail of dust behind him.

  The crocodile blew out a blast of moist, hot air from his nostrils. He obviously thought all of them deserved eating. Nerida wondered if maybe he wasn’t right.

  She sighed. It wasn’t the Neverlings’ fault they had such a poor leader. Peter could have easily swooped down and picked up the boy and saved him. He’d wanted to test her—and she’d fallen for it.

  She leaned forward so that she could look the croc straight in the eye. “You don’t eat the young ones, understand? Or any of the merpeople—OR my stingrays.” She noticed a stick protruding out of the creature’s leg. She reached down and quickly pulled it free. Somehow, she didn’t think this particular attack on the Neverlings had been unprovoked. She threw the stick into the water and finished talking to the croc. “If anyone should be so foolish to attack you first, they are yours. Unless they harm you, you must not harm the small, non-flying humans, the merpeople, or the stingrays. If I find you disobeyed me, next time I won’t be so forgiving.”

  He blinked, which she took to be a sign of reluctant agreement, so she waved her hand and the seaweed fell away. She’d expected him to at least open his mouth and show off his rows of gleaming, sharp teeth once he was free, but he only sat and watched her until she moved to go. Then he followed her home.

  “I’V
E PLACED A law that none of our people are to come to the surface again,” Callie said, shaking her head. “I hope they obey it. Perhaps with what they saw the human do to Annalise, they’ll realize that there is danger here, even though we were promised the Never Sea was safe.”

  “Perhaps,” Nerida agreed. It felt strange talking about the castle and her people while she sat on the beach of her isle, looking like the humans Callie was trying to avoid. It was better this form than the other, though. As long as the water didn’t touch her, Nerida appeared to be an ordinary human sitting on this beach. She wrapped her arms around her knees and settled her chin on them, thankful for the rough shirt and trousers the pirates had given her. The clothing was large enough that she felt as if she was hiding inside of it like a turtle in a shell. At that thought, she hugged her knees even tighter and hunched farther into the shirt.

  “You need to come home.” Callie insisted.

  “No one wants me there. The castle is for merpeople. Not for someone like me.”

  Callie edged farther up on the isle, going as far up on the shore as she dared, while keeping an eye on the crocodile who sat farther up on the shore, sunning himself, seemingly oblivious to this visit. “I don’t care. I want you there. You’re my sister and you’re all I have left. You belong with me.”

  Nerida shook her head and scooted back an inch to stay out of the water, even though it took her away from Callie’s outstretched hand. “I can’t. I’m sorry,” she whispered.

  The horrified looks on the faces of her people hadn’t been easy to bear at first, but the longer she stared at them, the stronger she felt. She remembered the pirates and the sheer feeling of power that seemed to feed off their fear. This wasn’t any different; if anything, it was better. She felt invincible.

  That feeling changed when her eyes met Callie’s and she found the same horrified look on her sister’s face. Callie’s fear hadn’t given power, it had brought shame.

  That expression wasn’t there now, thankfully, but this one wasn’t much better. Callie was ready to cry. Nerida could tell from the small crinkles at the corners of her eyes that tears would be coming soon if she couldn’t find some way to ward them off.

  “Callie, you are the queen of the merpeople. You always have our people’s best interest at heart. With you as their ruler, they will be safe. They trust you,” Nerida said in a matter-of-fact voice. And the only thing I see in their eyes for me is fear. A new thought popped in her head. “Will you have to rule with any of Cassius’ sisters?”

  Annalise’s face passed through her mind. Out of them all, she would be the easiest to contend with, so long as Cassie knew she couldn’t be depended upon. Annalise hadn’t come to her aid when she knew she was in the cavern, and she hadn’t stopped to help Nerida escape Black Caesar either, even though Nerida had risked her own life to save her.

  “Speaking of Annalise,” Nerida frowned. “Why was she on the island and how did everyone know the human had her?”

  Callie echoed her frown. “She discovered the yellow flowers that surrounded the castle were poisonous. You remember, the ones Father loved so much when we arrived?”

  The memory of Muir, bent over his flowers, flitted through Nerida’s mind and she nodded. Callie continued, “Annalise found out that if you smelled them for very long, they made you groggy, so she and a handful of other mermaids tore them out and then swam up to throw them out of the sea. The flowers kept taking root and wouldn’t die, otherwise. On that last trip, she and the others talked to the flying boy. He was telling them stories of his adventures. They weren’t paying attention and the human grabbed Annalise. The others came back to the castle and told everyone else. She is lucky you were so close. I don’t know that any of us could have lured him close enough to the sea to save her. But as to sharing rule with any of Cassius’ sisters, that won’t be a problem.”

  Callie moved, letting the tide pull her the slightest bit back before she twisted, showing Nerida the reason there wouldn’t be any quarrel over who ruled. “There is only one kingdom now.” She patted her slightly rounded stomach. “This child is heir to it. Come back with me, Nerida. Please.”

  The shock of seeing Callie pregnant left her speechless for a moment. That short bit of time was all it took for a hopeful expression to appear on her sister’s face. Nerida’s shocked silence had been mistaken for thinking of returning with her.

  “I can’t come back to the castle, Callie,” Nerida said quickly, when her sister opened her mouth. “You know that. I’m not the same. I don’t belong there.” She gestured to the trees behind her—to the isle. Her isle. “This is where I belong. This is where I will stay. It’s the only place that I can be me—whoever or whatever that is,” she reached over and grabbed Callie’s hand and squeezed, no longer caring when the water touched her. She felt her wings come alive and she smiled. “But I’ll always be here, whenever you need me. We’ll be sisters forever. No matter what.”

  BRIDGETTE STAYED A safe distance away from the isle, keeping an eye on the sea witch. She’d been using magic left and right over the past day. The water was thick with it and just now beginning to look blue again. So far, the magic had been nothing like when the trident had been used. If anything, it had made the sprites stronger.

  A few faint, ticking sounds caught her attention just before an enormous, dark form moved on the beach. She hadn’t paid any attention to it until now, thinking it a fallen log. The crocodile, noticing she watched him, opened his mouth wide, giving her an open invitation to fly inside. He’s guarding her, she realized, as he moved a bit to the right, his back to the girl who sat higher up on the shoreline.

  Bridgette grinned. For one who was supposed to strike fear in the hearts of all those who crossed her path, she’d managed to make friends with the one creature everyone feared.

  The water sprite had worried the last time she saw her and wondered if the sea witch would be strong enough to accept what she was. It seemed that worry had been misplaced.

  The girl stood and walked down to splash her feet in the sea, bending over to stroke the tops of the stingrays, a smile on her face. Her wings spread out behind her and fluttered as she laughed. One would never guess that she hadn’t been born a fairy—albeit a large, rather dark-colored one.

  Magic agrees with her, Bridgette thought with a smile that was even brighter than the girl’s. Things are finally as they should be. Happy, the water sprite turned and left, the girl’s laughter echoing in her ears.

  12

  Hidden Secrets

  “WHERE HAVE YOU been?” Nerida asked the crocodile as he basked in the warm, evening sun. Seemingly unperturbed, one golden eye slit open just far enough to acknowledge her presence, then promptly shut again.

  Nerida crossed her arms and arched an eyebrow, knowing full well the croc was much more aware of his surroundings than he was letting on. “You’ve been gone for quite a while,” she told him. “I’ve been worried about you.”

  At this, he snorted and opened his eyes, then opened his mouth wide to give her a good view of his teeth as if to say, “I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself, thank you.”

  She didn’t bother answering him, so he huffed and snapped his jaws shut. His big eyes narrowed for a second, then he shuffled toward the water, pausing only long enough to turn and see if she was going to follow him.

  “Right behind you,” she answered. She dove into the water just in time to see the croc heading toward the ocean bottom.

  She grimaced. She tended to avoid going so far below if she could help it. The farther she went from her isle, the more likely she would be to run into one of her people. While a sudden jolt of fear from them would make her stronger, she didn’t want the shame that was certain to accompany it.

  But there wasn’t any time to worry about that now. Even without a tail, Tic-Tock was frightfully fast. If she didn’t keep up with him now, she doubted he would show her his hiding place a second time.

  Shrugging off her unease, she
followed him as he dropped deeper, swimming farther away from the island. The water became warmer as she trailed after him along the ocean floor.

  They swam along peacefully for quite a while, and just when Nerida decided the crocodile must be only taking her for a swim, he dodged under a wide sandy ledge that she’d never noticed before. Sitting at an angle that caused it to blend in perfectly with the ocean bottom, she wondered if anyone else knew of it.

  Staying a slight distance back from the crocodile, she followed him into the darkness. Immediately, she knew why he disappeared to this place. The water had warmed several degrees and the farther she went, the warmer the ocean seemed to be.

  It would help to be able to see, though, she thought, reaching out to see if she could feel anything around her. I wish the dust from my wings was as bright as the water sprites’. Then I could see if there is anything in here other than myself and the croc.

  Unfortunately, her wish didn’t work. Of course, she thought with a wry smile. Silly of me to try. I may not be able to change me, but I can change the water.

  Another wish later, and the water shimmered around her as if small strands of silver light had come to life to show her the way.

  “That’s much better,” she said aloud as she stopped to take a look around. The ledge was much larger than she had originally thought, opening into a wide crack that seemed to go straight down into the ground. Rock walls rose up on all sides covered in green seaweed that glittered in the light of her magic. There wasn’t anything to be seen here, at least yet.

  Tic-Tock wasn’t here now, having apparently not bothered to wait on her. “There isn’t enough air for him to stay in here for days on end,” she said, deciding to travel farther in to see what else the deep cave held. “Something else must be down here.”