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Chapter Seven

Blackblood...

I had learnt the moment I set sail through the skies of this world that the villagers do not take well to ships out of water. Our appearance caused a huge uproar, as it was broad daylight and the clearest of days. Since that chaotic debut, I have ascertained that night is the best method of travelling.

When Pan and that wretched girl struck through the sky like a sluggish comet, I knew he would take her to his home, to Neverland. An idiotic and predictable decision, though not one I was unhappy with. Pan practically got stage one of the plans rolling: get the girl to Neverland.

Annoyed at the confines of my cabin, I decided to take a breath of fresh air and a break from scheming. The deck was quiet, the men too exhausted to do anything but drive the Jolly Roger forward. I leant out against the rail, watching the stars pass us like diamonds against a velvet sea. The wind was cool and tasted of pollution, the air not clear nor briny nor sweet. I tapped my fingers against the hilt of my sword, beginning to fall into the deep chasm of thought. I envisaged my father stomping about the deck, wondering at what orders he would command, what he would choose as the next move. It was not the first time I grew anxious at whether the path I was choosing was the right one, or the wrong one.

A man shouted to another, tearing me from the dark whole of pity I was falling into. I shook my head indignantly, scolding myself for planting doubts. This is the right path, I reminded myself, Pan must die, and the only way for that is to capture the girl.

"Neverland, she's close! Ready yourselves men!" Dugsly called down from the crow's nest. I closed my eyes, feeling the thin, fragile sheet of this world and Neverland rushing forward to meet the ship. The men dived for a stable object to cling to, now that the Jolly Roger was steering forward itself, following the magnetic pull of Neverland. It was as if unseeing hands had reached forward beyond the sheet and encompassed the ship in its fingers, dragging us onward.

I steeled myself, knuckles tightening around the rails. The ship gave a violent shudder, then jolted forward. My feet slid from under me, so I locked them around the rails. The ship tilted forward into almost a pin dive, flipping and twisting into a violent death spiral as the lost winds tore at the sails and the men, whipping our faces and causing our eyes to tear.

The sparkling water came up to meet us, and suddenly, as though the ship had grown wings, the Jolly Roger straightened out, gracefully gliding lower and lower until it met the water. It was as though perhaps the hectic entrance never happened. We were now cutting smoothly through the water, coming to a rest at the Cove, where the waters were tastefully darker and more mysterious to those surrounding the rest of Neverland, with the playful sapphires and light hearted jades that so sickened me.

I retreated back into my cabin, pulling out my best coat, skating over the details of the plan. What was the best way of getting a young woman to do what you wanted? And what you wanted was to completely take advantage of her gifts in order to defeat the boy you loathed to avenge your father.

Seduce her.

It was time to begin the end of Peter Pan.

Peter...

"Wow," Rose murmured, her gaze sweeping over the lagoon. She tried to hide her disappointment, but it was clear in her eyes she was let down at the absence of mermaids.

"They're here," I nudged her. She wobbled slightly, having to grab my arm to keep from falling off the stone boulder that hung over the edge of the lagoon. The bottle green water shimmered with mystery, I could swear I saw dark eyes staring up at me from beneath the surface.

"Really? Where are they?" Rose leant forward, peering over the edge of the rock. I snatched up her arm and pulled her back.

"Don't get too close. They're not exactly friendly."

She rolled her eyes at me. "I know, Peter. Are you forgetting who I am?" She put her hands on her hips in an attempt to seem harsh. I bit back a laugh.

"Writing about something and experiencing it in person is completely different. You might imagine the way their eyes lure you in, but you have no idea of how powerful it is." I had grabbed her shoulders, bringing her face close to mine. We were both intent on each other, unaware that across the lagoon watched three pairs of dark eyes, glimmering with mirth and malice, were watching us. Their cold presence pricked the back of my neck, and I turned to face them.

"Hello girls," I drew Rose slightly behind me, shielding her from view. They smiled, pointed teeth glimmering as they glided forward. Their long fair swirled around them and their pale skin glittered, the tinge of blue to their pallor making my own skin crawl.

"Peter Pan," they giggled together, "you finally return to us." They were huddled together at our feet, arching their necks in curiosity to peek at Rose.

"I have," I winked, and drew Rose forward, still keeping a tight grip on her clammy hand. "And I brought someone with me. This is Rose."

Their black eyes grew wide and glinted with wonder. Vepar, the leader, rose up out of the water, rivulets running from her long black hair. "Oh, but she has a sort of destiny, something is different,"

"Yes," hissed Storm, whose tail shone gunmetal grey. "Her aura, it is not one I have seen in many millennia. The gold, it is so pure," the hunger in her eyes grew, and she edged closer; webbed hands clutching onto the crevices of the rock. Ursula, as always, kept to the shadows, blending into the background. And that's what made her more dangerous than the others. Her huge black eyes were infinite, deep pools of night that lured you in and kept you there, screaming silently.

Her eyes were focused on Rose. Even I, who the glare was not directed at, felt the magnetic pull of her gaze. Rose caught Ursula's gaze and froze, turning rigid. Rose's eyes turned unfocused and one hand began to hover towards the mermaids. This was not good.

Rose...

Her eyes began to burn black fire, they called to me. It was like gravity was dragging me down towards those eyes, whispering, urging me forward. Without realising it, my hand reached forward to her, a sweet, strange sound quivering in the air. All I wanted was to dive into the cool, green water with her and the other mermaids, to live in eternal happiness and youth under the sea. Just as my fingers brushed against her webbed hands Peter snatched my wrist, jerking me out of my trance.

"Careful," he hissed, pulling me sharply away from the rim of the rock, away from the mermaids and their dangerous eyes.

"Holy crap," I stumbled back, clutching Peter's arm like it was a life vessel. I realised cold sweat was running down my neck, disappearing under my shirt.

"I told you they were dangerous," he chided me; turning back to the mermaids and speaking in that unfamiliar tongue again. The clicks and shrill noises he made sounded harsh, and the mermaids narrowed their eyes at him and shot out a stream of screeches before diving back into the water. Soon it was still, not a ripple indicating any menace, seemingly innocent. Like the mermaids.

"What did you say to them?" I asked timidly, edging back from the water. Peter turned to me, his eyes hard.

"I just told them they can't try and claim you, that they can't have you. I also asked if they had heard anything from Blackblood: the mermaids know all that-"

"That goes on in the waters?" I interjected. "Yeah, I know."

He raised an eyebrow and grinned. "Right, forgot about that."

"So had they heard anything from Blackblood?" It felt strange talking about Blackblood like a person, not a character.

"Apparently he's landed back in Pirate's Cove. The ship has been unusually quiet- a bad sign, if you ask me."

"You got all that from a set of angry shrieking?"

"You didn't?" Peter caught my hand and chuckled, using his leverage on my hand to sling me over his back. I wrapped my legs tight around his waist and held onto his shoulders, stomach jolting as we lifted off into the air. Daring a glance behind me revealed three dark heads staring at us from the water, half their faces concealed under the surface, only their huge dark eyes above; watching.

"Where are we going?" I asked breathlessly into his ear, shivering. His golden curls tickled my cheek.

"To the next part of the island: the Indian Camp. Time to meet the natives!"

"Oh, cool," I tried to sound enthused, but I couldn't really grasp the urgency in which Peter was flying with.

"It's not only so you can get friendly with the Redskins; they also need to know you're my friend, so they don't kill you," he clarified.

I stiffened. "Oh, well in that case, let's go!"

The sun bounced off his golden hair and glimmered on his skin. His laugh was carried back to me by the sweet Neverland wind, drifting with it a faint taste of bonfire smoke and incense. Below us lay the Indian encampment.