-5- Something Wicked This Way Comes

Peter awoke from his sleep with a start, bolting upright in his hammock hanging in the upper branches of one of the tallest trees in Neverland. The wind was whipping and tossing the branches as if a hurricane were on the horizon. He listened as Tinkerbell buzzed around his head, then tipped his head and closed his eyes to listen to the wind. His eyes snapped open and he was flying through the air as if shot from a rifle. Tinkerbell had to scramble to catch up and grab onto his shoulder.

Try as the fairy might, she could not get the eternal boy to tell her where they were going or why. All she could do was hold tightly to his arm as they flew along at a breakneck speed. After nearly three hours of this silent soaring a shape appeared on the horizon in the silver moonlight. Tinkerbell began to feel cold fingers of unease wrap around her little heart as they flew closer to the Jolly Roger.

The ship was at full sail and Peter looked down on the deck trying to find Captain Hook or Jirel. It took him only a moment to find them on the bridge. Jirel stood wrapped in a shawl with her back against her husband's chest, his arms loosely around her. Peter let out a crow and began his decent to the deck. Jirel stepped forward as the boy landed on the deck. "You felt it too." It wasn't a question. Peter nodded before speaking, taking a moment to catch his breath. "I'll fly ahead to Cimmariel to see if I can find out what exactly is wrong."

Jirel nodded as the boy once again took to the air. She turned to look at Hook, who hadn't spoken at all in the few moments the boy had been there. The look of fear on her face was more than the captain could stand. He reached out and pulled her back into his embrace, feeling tears on his still bare chest. He couldn't remember ever wanting Peter Pan to hurry back to his ship.

Peter skimmed low along the tops of the ocean waves at an incredible speed, the waves reaching up towards him as he flew. He had been continuing onward at the breakneck pace for about two hours after leaving Jirel and Hook standing on the deck of the Jolly Roger. Cimmariel was approaching on the horizon. He stayed on this low level, raising just enough to glide a few feet above the cobbles of the street. He reached the palace and began searching for Gabe. Unable to find the boy, he went to his next source – Prime Minister Zantour.

He found the older man in one of the hallways just stepping out of the royal chambers. As he closed the door he turned around to see Peter floating at eye level with him. The boy had his arms folded on his chest and a cross expression on his face. Zantour wasn't fazed in the least but nodded and motioned towards another room across the hall. The older man never said a word as he went to the desk in the room and penned a note. Folding it carefully, he handed it to Peter instructing the boy to take the note to Jirel. Peter's frown deepened, he greatly disliked having to take orders, but he went to the window and lighted into the air.

When he arrived back at the Jolly Roger he handed the note to Jirel saying that Zantour hadn't said anything else other than to deliver the note. Jirel looked warily at the paper before unfolding it. She read it while Captain Hook looked on wordlessly from several feet away. When she was done she looked up at Peter then over to her husband with a look of distress coloring her features. "Peter was there anything unusual going on in the city while you were there?"

Peter shrugged. "People seemed really sad; a few were hanging these sheets of black fabric out of their windows…."

Jirel whirled on the boy. "They were what!?!?"

Peter looked taken aback. "They were hanging black material out of their windows."

By now Hook had walked over to the pair. He reached out and put a hand on Jirel's shoulder. "Why is that important, love?"

Tear filled green eyes met his blue ones. "That is a sign of mourning for a member of the royal family."

All blood drained from Hook's face. There was a moment that the entire world seemed to hold it's breath before Hook let out a bellow to the crew. "Lower the sails! Get them down, you dogs!!" Pulling Jirel tightly to his side he spoke to Peter without looking at him. "Call your fairies, boy. Quickly."

The Jolly Roger hurtled along at a pace Hook had only experienced before on his few trips back to Earth with Jirel. Jirel stood at the bow of the ship, her hair tossing behind her in the wind. They would reach the outlying islands around Cimmariel soon, then they would need to wait for their escort from the royal guard. Hook was more than a little troubled by this request that Zantour had made, for them to wait for the ship from the royal fleet while hiding behind one of the islands. There was something more going on and even though he trusted Zantour as much as he trusted any man, it bothered him that he couldn't plan for contingencies.

The island where they were to meet the royal ship was appearing on the horizon and Peter appeared floating beside the captain. Hook mockingly bowed for the boy to take the wheel. Peter flashed a cocky grin and took command of his long time enemy's ship and home. He briefly thought of suddenly throwing the ship hard to one side but just as he was going to spin the wheel he saw Jirel looking back at the two of them from the bow. Peter let go of any idea he had of causing mischief.

Hook was greatly surprised at just how well the boy guided the ship into the island's cove and landed it into the water. Peter could have even rivaled Smee. They dropped anchor and settled in for a tense wait. Jirel paced the deck nervously till Hook could hardly stand it. Just when he was going to try to distract her from wearing a hole in the deck, a call from off to the edge of the cove caused everyone to jump. Smee had put the crew on alert and now the pirates lined the rail of the gunship with muskets drawn, aiming towards the sound of the call. The royal clipper, The Mystique, came into view and the captain of the guard waved to them from the bridge of the ship. There was no discussion as the Jolly Roger fell in line with the other ship and they began the sail back to Cimmariel. After being able to fly, sailing now seemed to be unbearably slow. Hook now understood Peter's frustration.

It took several hours for them to make it back to the port. When they were finally moored and anchored, Jirel was off the ship and down the dock. Hook had to rush to catch up with her. He jogged down the dock and finally caught up to his wife as she rounded the corner to the market court. Jirel stopped so short that Hook nearly slammed into her. All around the market square, in every window, hung a black sheet of fabric billowing in the breeze. Jirel turned in stunned silence looking around the square her mouth hung open in shock. Hook stepped forward and took her hand, ushering her towards the palace.

The guards through out the palace parted before them as they moved down the halls. They swept through the halls towards the royal wing like a storm wind. No one dared cross their path. They had just reached the end of the hall leading to their rooms when Zantour came around the corner in front of them. He moved quickly down the hall and instructed them to follow him before they could question him. Glancing at one another they fell in step behind him as he led them towards the royal suite. They entered the rooms belonging to the king and queen and the first thing Jirel noticed was oppressive, heavy incense hanging in the air. There were priests and the two lead palace healers scattered about the room. The queen was seated on the bed holding her husband's hand. She looked up with red eyes at Jirel. At the appearance of Zantour, they all looked up expectantly. A nod dismissed the priests and the trio moved closer to the bed. The king lay propped up on a stack of pillows his face grey and ashen. His eyes were closed in a quiet doze. Jirel reached for her husband's hand feeling as if her knees were going to buckle. This wasn't at all what she had expected so it caught her completely off guard. At the sound of the door latching behind the priests, Zantour leaned closer to the bed. "They're gone, your Majesty."

The king opened one eye and looked around the room before sitting up. Jirel and Hook stepped backwards, shocked and not understanding what was happening. One of the healers handed the king a wet towel and he began wiping a grey makeup off his face. The other came forward with a bowl filled with a pale colored liquid and tipped the queen's head back to drip the liquid in her eyes, clearing the redness. After a moment, the king and queen faced the young couple looking more or less their usual selves. Hook shook his head and stepped towards Zantour. "Would you care to explain what the hell is going on here?"

Jirel finally had a chance to glance around the room and notice there was someone still absent. "And where is Gabriel?"

There was a nervous look that passed from the royals to Zantour. The Prime Minister motioned to a chair. "Perhaps you had better sit down, Lady Jirel." She stepped up to stand beside her husband, crossing her arms across her chest. Her voice was tinged with ice as she spoke.

"I'll stand. Now where… is… my son?"

A few moments later Jirel and Hook were pacing the room like a pair of caged tigers. Everyone was wise enough to give them a large berth. Jirel turned to face Zantour and the royals once again. "So let me get this straight… weeks ago you received a threat stating that the heir to the throne would be taken hostage unless the trade sanctions against the local privateers were lifted, yet you didn't share this with us and allowed us to leave our son here. Knowing full well he was in danger."

The king stood and walked closer to where Jirel was pacing. "Threats against the crown are common place. We didn't see any reason to concern you."

Hook wheeled around and grabbed his father-in-law by the front of his shirt, his eyes a bright red hue. "No reason for concern!!?!! MY SON HAS BEEN KIDNAPPED!! Is that reason enough??!!"

Zantour was a braver man than Hook originally took him for. The Prime Minister stepped forward and grasped the captain's wrist to ease his grip on the king's shirt. "Which is why we have some of our best intelligence agents out gathering information and created this ruse to cover the real reason for your return."

Hook looked from Zantour to the king and back again, still holding tightly to the king's nightshirt. Jirel appeared in his line of sight and motioned for him to ease up. He took a moment more before he relaxed his grip on the king. He turned his back to the group and Jirel moved to his side, putting an arm around his shoulders and ushering him towards one of the sitting couches. As much as she was upset and bothered by the turn of events, the look of defeat that colored her husband's every move was difficult for her to watch. He sank to the couch and dropped his head into his hands. She sat next to him, resting her cheek on his shoulder before speaking.

"What information have you found?"

It was several hours later when Captain Hook and Jirel made their way back to the ship. Neither one of them could bear spending the night in the palace. They climbed the gangplank with heavy hearts. Smee was waiting for them with an expectant look on his face. Jirel couldn't hold back her tears any longer. She reached out and pulled the old bosun into an embrace as sobs wracked her body. Hook stood next to her stroking her hair as she cried.

A pair of dark eyes watched the scene from between several of the cargo crates on the pier. They watched as the captain scooped up the crying woman, carrying her through the doors leading presumably to their quarters.

The small form melted from the shadows and began hurrying down the street, a cloak helping to conceal the shadow's movement in the rapidly darkening avenue. Those eyes saw a rag-tag beggar hobble along asking for coins with an outstretched bowl. The cloaked figure's lips pulled back into a disgusted grin. "Palace spy." The words were spit out with contempt under their breath as they continued on their way, making a point of bumping into the man and removing well more than half the coins from the wooden bowl as they passed.

It took several minutes of dodging down streets and alleys before the cloaked figure finally checked behind them one last time and ducked through a door barely holding onto its hinges. At the top of two flights of stairs there was another similarly decrepit door and on the other side was an empty loft. The far wall had a hole, gaping floor to ceiling where the wall was crumbling. A still body lay on a pile of rugs and mats in a sheltered corner not far from the hole in the wall.

The shadowed figure's eyes narrowed as the cloak was unfastened and cast aside. The body on the floor let out a moan and began to stir. After dipping a ladle of water from a basin on a table, the only piece of furniture in the room, the figure stooped next to the awakening boy.

Unfocused crystal blue eyes met doe brown ones. Gabe fought to sit up only to have the world spin on uncertain angles. Hands gently held him still and he felt cold metal being pressed against his lips.

"Drink this." The words seemed to come from everywhere. "You hit your head pretty good. I can imagine that everything is still pretty hazy. You've been out for three days already." Gabriel gingerly sipped the water and glanced up at the girl holding the dipper. Her skin was a dark tan, darker than most of his father's crew. Her face was half hidden in shadow but he could see her eyes in the dimming light. His head started swimming again and he sunk back on the palate. The girl stood and walked back across the room to the table she refilled the basin of water and reached for a vial of powder further down on the table. She sprinkled some of the powder across the surface of the still water, watching as it bled down into the liquid. Nodding, satisfied with the brew, she climbed a ladder to the roof of the building. Sitting on an old crate she hugged her knees to her chest and watched as the last of the suns rays faded into blackness.

The sun shining on his face woke Gabriel the next morning. The sun hurt his eyes even though they were closed. He fought to wake up and pull himself into a sitting position. His head felt like some had put a kettle over it and had beaten the kettle with an iron rod. He sat with his back against a wall, out of the sun, letting his eyes stop pounding.

"You're awake."

Gabe cautiously opened his eyes to see the girl from the previous evening sitting across from him. He blinked trying to clear his vision but everything kept dancing. He licked his dry lips and tried to speak. The sound wouldn't come out of his mouth. The girl rose to her feet and brought a dipper of water to him. The liquid wasn't cold but it still felt good as it ran down his throat. His head swam worse for a moment then began to clear. After several moments he was finally able to find his voice.

"Thank you."

She nodded and went to put the dipper back on the table.

Gabe's eyes followed her petite form across the empty room. She looked to be no more than fourteen, if she was even that old. She moved back to her original place sitting across from him, gracefully dropping to the floor and folding up her legs. "What is your name?"

She looked taken aback by the question. Surprised that he would ask about her. "My name… My name is… Calla."

"Calla…" Gabe repeated the name as if he were tasting it. He closed his eyes again, fighting another wave of dizziness. He sighed and re-opened them. "Calla, why am I here?"

The girl shrugged. "It's not my business to know. I came back one night and here you were. I was given instructions to give you water and watch you till you woke up." She jumped up to her feet. "Now that I'm thinking about it, since you're awake I don't need to sit here anymore. I can go take care of my own business."

She started towards the door and Gabriel tried to follow. Unfortunately he stood too quickly and the floor began to spin. He hit the floor with a crash, pulling Calla's attention back away from the door.
"Oh bother." She sighed and moved to help the boy. After several moments Calla finally managed to get Gabriel sitting back against the wall. She was surprised by how muscled the fourteen year old palace brat was, even in his tipsy state. Calla looked up and was suddenly caught in the stare of ice blue eyes. The pair were caught looking in each others eye and didn't hear the sound of someone coming up the stairs.

The door burst open and the pair jumped in surprise. A short, fat man stood in the doorway, his face covered in stubble. His left eye was squinted closed and he pointed an accusing finger at Calla as he shouted.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!"

Calla let go of Gabe's arm and nearly shoved him back to the floor, she stood up so fast. Her eyes were locked down on the floor as he came towards her and he grabbed her shoulder wrenching her away from Gabe. Gabriel watched as the man threw her across the room, knocking over the table. Calla pulled herself to her feet, holding her shoulder where it had hit the table. She began stammering an apology. "I… I'm sorry…. I really am, sir. I'll… go now…"

He moved with speed that surprised Gabe, once again grabbing the girl. "You can't even follow simple orders to watch him! Not play with him like some kind of pet - but watch him!" He threw her again, this time she nearly went through the hole into the wall. Gabe grabbed at her as best he could to keep her from falling to the street several stories below.

The man was beside them and her held Calla at arms length. "You'll go alright! And you'll take this piece of dirt with you while you go earn your supper! And you had damn well better bring your usual amount – not a single shilling less – or you won't eat for a month!!!" He leaned so close Calla could see the grooves in his front teeth. "And don't think about running. You know that I can find you. You're nothing but a little deformed monster. There's no one else in this whole country who would keep you. That's why your mother left you and the money you bring in is the only reason I keep you!!" He shoved Calla roughly against the wall and left, slamming the door hard enough pieces of the ceiling fell to the floor.

Hook woke and looked across his cabin. Jirel stood looking out the windows at the rolling sea, wrapped in the shawl Gabriel had presented her with only a few weeks earlier. He knew that she more than likely hadn't slept. The morning sun streamed in through the wide windows. He pulled himself up from the bed and moved to stand behind her, resting his hand on her shoulder. She tipped her cheek to rest it on his fingers and sighed. "It looks so beautiful out. It's hard to believe anything could be wrong." He felt a tear run across his fingers.

He pulled his wife against his chest and wrapped her in his arms. "We'll find him, Jirel. We will." She nodded but he could still feel her apprehension. Neither of them were able to speak further, hearing a loud commotion out in the hall. Smee's voice was easily recognized but the other was a foreign voice they couldn't place. The arguing pair burst through the door into the cabin.

Smee grabbed the collar of the man and prepared to haul him out of the cabin when the captain stopped him. Smee scowled at the man and roughly let him go.

After standing up and straightening his shirt he spoke. "Captain Hook, Lady Jirel, I was sent from palace intelligence…" Jirel cast a warning look at Smee as the bosun tried to cover a laugh. "... they sent me to bring you to the palace. They have discovered some information regarding your son…."

He wasn't given an opportunity to finish what he was saying. Jirel and Hook began flying around the cabin getting dressed and Smee hauled him backwards through the door so they could. In less than five minutes the messenger was struggling to keep up with the pair as they hurried towards the palace, trying not to outright run down the street.

They were ushered into the war room where the King and Queen were already waiting. Standing at the head of the table was the head of palace security along with the commander of the naval fleet. Jirel and Hook sat down at the table without so much as a glance at Jirel's parents. The naval commander could feel the tension between the two couples and was glad he wasn't in the middle of the argument. The security chief began speaking bringing his attention back to the information at hand.

He held up a sketch of a dark skinned man. "One of our operatives has spotted this man in the lower quarters of the city. One of the guards on duty the night of the prince's abduction recognized him hanging around the gates."

Hook's eyes narrowed. "Why do you feel he's connected with this?"

The chief fidgeted as he set the picture down on the table. "He is the right hand of the Street Master." He paused almost expectantly, seeing the blank looks around the room he continued. "The Street Master has unified the thieves of the streets over the past few months. He offers them guaranteed food and shelter for the thieves giving him a percent of what they take. Wherever this man is we can be sure the Street Master isn't far behind."

Jirel snorted and sat back in her chair. "The Godfather…offers protection for those who pay for it."

Hook thought back to the series of movies he had watched with Jirel over one of their trips to visit Melody in London. If this man was half as powerful as Corleone, they were in for a fight. A thought began tickling in the back of Hook's mind, swimming around like a goldfish in a bowl, wriggling up and down his spine. Jirel glanced at her husband, noticing he was flexing his fingers. She saw his eyes were narrowed and he was deep in thought. He suddenly came back to attention, addressing the chief. "Have you done any checking into the Street Master? What do you know about him?"

The chief was a bit off balance by the sudden questioning. "Umm… well… yes… he has a large estate in Quatlamper. There are several building through out the city for 'safe houses' as well as a large home outside of Cimmariel."

Hook snorted his disgust. "He certainly is living well for a slaver."

The chief let the comment pass. "We are working on tracking through he lower quarters, trying to find the Street Master and where he's hiding. When we know, we'll go in with a regiment of the guard and bring him in. We'll find the prince."

The King and Queen looked satisfied with this and they thanked the chief and commander as they excused themselves. Shortly after that, the palace personnel exited and left Hook and Jirel sitting alone.

Jirel broke the silence. "We need to find him first. Once the palace guard gets their hands on him we'll never see Gabe again."

Hook nodded. "I'll tell Smee to ready the ship to sail with the evening tide."

Jirel smiled, the first time Hook had seen a smile on her face in two days. "I wondered if you were thinking that too."

Hook shrugged. "If this fellow…" He picked up the sketch. "…is as important as they claim he is he wouldn't be seen anymore than the Street Master himself has been. He's allowing himself to be seen and followed. The only logical reason for that is that he is acting as a decoy."

A new voice behind them caused them to jump. "I completely agree. I think you should go to Quatlamper and I will cover the reason for your departure."

The couple turned to see Prime Minister Zantour standing in the doorway. The three shared a moment of quiet camaraderie before the pirates rose to leave. Zantour had been in full agreement with them that the royals had taken the threats far too lightly. The older man lightly grasped Jirel's shoulder as she passed. Their eyes met and she was surprised to see how much he cared for her son shining in his eyes. "Bring him home." No longer caring about protocol, she stepped forward and embraced the old man, reassuring him as much as herself.

The tide went out in the early afternoon and the Jolly Roger rode the retreating water. After they were out of the harbor of the royal city, they unfurled the sails and began sailing towards the slave trade city of Quatlamper. Peter stood with Jirel and the captain while Bill Jukes piloted the clipper. Peter offered to call

the fairies but the captain declined this time. They didn't want to attract too much attention and the lanes to Quatlamper were well traveled. The three of them had to grab for the railing as the ship suddenly lurched forward.

Hook scowled at Peter. "I told you no fairies!" Jirel had moved to the back of the ship and was peering over as Peter argued his innocence. The captain was about to berate the boy further when his wife called out to him.

"It wasn't him, James. Come look at this."

Both the boy and the pirate captain walked across the deck to stand beside her. When they looked over the edge of the ship neither could believe what they saw. A group of at least a dozen mermaids were pushing the ship along. Not knowing what to say the trio moved back across the deck and resumed watching the horizon. They would be that much closer to finding Gabe when land finally came into view.