Nothing But a Pirate

Chapter Ten

As Peter Pan and Felix, as well as Pan's most loyal few of the Lost Boys all arrived within the Indians' camp at the time of sundown agreed upon by the villain and Princess of her tribe with Hook still held as their prisoner, Tiger Lily stepped out from among her own people and walked up to the cage in which the pirate was now trapped in, staring coldly at the man who murdered her father centuries ago. Though he still felt the weariness and agony from Pan's torment, Killian as he looked at her remorsefully, without showing his weakness in front of them.

"After all these years, I feared my father's spirit would never return his murder here to Neverland to face justice as you so deserve, Captain," she whispered cruelly. "But finally you are here at last. And justice will be given to me and my people tonight. However, it won't be here that we begin."

"I know what I've done," Hook responded sadly. "I don't deny that I murdered your father and the Chief of your people, or that I did so because he stood between me and my freedom. I wasn't sorry then over what I did."

Pan laughed as he moved around to stand with the leader of the tribe now surrounding them as he looked at Hook and sneered, "Are you trying to tell us that you're sorry now? I just can't believe that you're capable of being anything, but the ruthless villain we all know you to be, Captain."

Killian nodded as he turned away from everyone and looked down at his hand, then replied in understanding, "I see. So you haven't told Tiger Lily that I've sided with Emma and the rest of the heroes who've come to defeat you. Not that it matters, but you want to keep the appearance of the villain I am very much alive so as to manipulate everyone into making your nemesis suffer as much as possible purely for your entertainment. You can go ahead and do your worst, but you know me better than anyone. I'm a survivor. I won't fall by your hands here in Neverland. I will die only how and when I choose to."

"Brave words, but I don't care what either of you have to say," the Indian Princess answered curtly. "I've heard enough. It's time to leave. If Hook has chosen to work alongside this Savior I've heard about, then most likely she will attempt to rescue him. We're leaving for Skull Rock."

"The Savior still sees Hook as the pirate he is," Peter responded smugly. "She may attempt to save him because saving hero and villain is a sickness within her, but I cannot be beaten."

Hook chortled quietly and then replied, "You don't know just how wrong you are, but you will. I've seen Emma's power. When she discovers it too, she will be far more powerful than you."

Pan glared at Killian as he answered cruelly, "When I get all I need from her son, she won't be."

The Lost Boys and Indians traveled slow as they made their way through the jungle with their prisoner in hand, both sides taking turns carrying the cage Hook was being held in, while Peter flew above them in order to keep an eye on their surrounds since he no longer had his shadow to help him do so, so long as the heroes continued to hold it prisoner. However, it wasn't long after their journey had begun that Tiger Lily shouted an order for her people to stop and when the boys looked between her and the other Indians warily, they immediately gathered around their leader as Peter flew down to the ground to protect him should the Indians attempt to make an attack against them.

"What are you doing?" Pan asked sternly as he glared at the other leader with whom he had formed an uneasy truce with. "We need to keep moving. I've been looking forward to seeing the Captain suffer almost as much as you have."

"I take no pleasure in watching a man suffer," the Princess replied coldly while Killian attempted to rest for as long as possible to prepare himself for the torture he knew would be coming soon. "I do this only to bring justice to my father and the rest of my people whom Hook has killed for his short lived freedom. And we won't be going to Skull Rock after all. It is a dangerous place and I do not wish to risk any of my people's lives needlessly. I've thought about it and I think perhaps I have someplace better I have in mind. And it's not much further. Will you permit me to lead the way?"

Peter stared at her as if to try to sense any deception and then finally answered, "I know of the spot you mean, but if you care to take the lead, Princess… by all means."

Less than an hour later…

When the Indians stopped again as they reached the area upon the island that was to be their destination, they and the Lost Boys found themselves within a very old and sacred Indian burial ground and within its center laid an altar surrounded by dark circle imprinted into the ground. Felix and the other boys started to walk forward until they were suddenly forced backwards by an invisible barrier. Both Pan and Tiger Lily laughed and then she began to sing a quiet chant as the barrier lifted, then stepped up to altar to study the markings and symbols engraved within its stone.

Felix got back to his feet again as he spoke up coldly saying, "Let me guess, this is where your father is buried?"

"Yes," the Indians' leader whispered sadly, without turning her head away. "As well as all the rest of my people and our ancestors who have died before us. It's time to begin. We do not have time to waste."

"Worried about outside interference?" Peter asked coolly as the rest of the warriors with her dragged Hook roughly from the cage, and laid him across the altar while they bound his arms, legs, and chest by chains, despite his struggle against them. "We have time enough. If the Savior is looking for Hook, she'll start at my camp shown on the map I gave her, where she'll be greeted by a small surprise. When she and the others get past them, which I don't doubt, they won't know where to start looking next."

Tiger Lily looked into Hook's eyes as she finished reading the carvings her father etched into the stone himself centuries ago while Killian glared back at her, then she turned to the warrior now standing on her right. Upon doing so, he began to chant quietly in their native tongue as the symbols began to glow and dark smoke slowly rose from the ground. The rest of her people chimed in and finally the Princess herself did as well. While Pan stepped forward to stand on Tiger Lily's other side, as did Felix, the rest of the Indians and the Lost Boys stepped back in fear when blue flames suddenly ignited surrounding them.

Hook kept silent as he continued to struggle to free himself even though he knew it was useless to do so, and while the warriors never raised their voices, their chanting slowly became louder and louder as his chest tightened, making it harder for him to breath. The smoke entered into his lungs, then Hook suddenly began to scream in anguish as his head exploded in pain, the worst kind of pain he's ever felt within all the centuries he's been alive.