Chapter 23: Stupid Girl

"Get her out!" Brine thrashed against Conch. "Get her out, get her out, get her out!"

"Brine! Are you kidding? Wait!" Conch crossed his trident over Brine's chest. "Those hooks will tear you apart!"

Brine elbowed Conch's gut. Grunting, Conch tightened his hold.

"Brine! Brine just – whoa!" Something burst overhead. Conch swerved with Brine, dodging a massive hook. He looked up. The pirates were throwing harpoons and hooks over the mer. The hooks swung from chains which the pirates pulled up and down like saws.

Mer were shouting. All efforts had turned from capturing Wendy and Peter to fighting the pirates. Hadal's narwhale skewered links with its tusk and tried to rip the chains from the ships. Queen Celadon rallied the warriors and her sons lead the attack. But the pirates had the advantage. Right now they were swarming the mer together. Soon they would lower nets.

Conch returned to the graveyard. Hadal was freed, except for the hooks in his hair and up his arm. Deeper in, Wendy was caught. She tried to stay afloat beside the human carcass, but her movements tangled the hooks and enticed the worms.

There wasn't much time.

"Brine." Conch glanced once more between the pirates and Wendy. "Brine, listen! Okay small fry, here's the plan!"

"HADAL!"

Teal screamed as Hadal jerked upwards. Aboard the ships, a pirate yelled –

"A BITE! REEL IN!"

- and Hadal launched to the surface. In seconds he disappeared, twitching helplessly against the chain.

"HADAL!" Frantically, Teal and Tiller swam for the ships. Nixie searched for a trident. Queen Celadon blasted the keels.

Overhead the pirates cheered. Hooks fell like rain. Chains swung like snakes snapping at fins and biting at tails.

Again, the pirates cheered. But this time, Wendy screamed as a hook lurched up her jaw. As the tip curled behind her ear, a pirate yelled. "ANOTHER! ANOTHER BITE! PULL!"

"No!"

"Brine!" Conch whipped Brine to face him. "Brine! You can't go in there! It's too late, there's no time! That isn't going to help her!"

"No I can!" Brine pushed. "Let me go! I can – "

"Stop thinking with your heart on your sleeve and start using your head!" Conch pointed to the ships. "I know you're scared but THINK! She's too far in! You need time! Brine! If you're going to stop the hooks you have to stop the pirates first!"

Brine stared. He looked up at the ships. Then, he looked at Wendy.

"Don't be afraid."

Brine pushed from Conch. Sprinting through hooks, he seized a chain. With all his might, he tugged. The pirates cheered. The chain went taut. And Brine was pulled up.

"Are you crazy?" Tail pumping, Nixie tore after Brine. "Wait for me!"

"Nix!" Conch threw his trident. "Drown a few!"

Nixie caught the trident. It danced over her fingers as she grasped the chain. "With pleasure." she growled, face breaking through the water and into the air.

"Here fishy, fishy!" Aboard the ship, Gentleman Johnny ripped the chain hand over fist. Mullins and Turk giggled, chain burning over their palms.

"Fish fillet!" Giddy to see the skewered mer, Turk wrenched the chain. "I likes mine boiled in butter!"

Brine shot over the side. "I eat mine raw!"

The pirates screamed. Brine and Nixie catapulted onto the ship, twisting the chain across the pirates. Brine fell hard but gouged the hook into the deck. Without pause he rolled as Bluebeard's men charged onto the Jolly Roger.

"Get those mer! The loose one! Grab the tail don't – argh!"

Brine clawed. A pirate fell. Viciously, Brine seized the pirate's shoulders and clamped an arm around his throat. Caught in the choke hold, the pirate staggered to his feet. Pitching back and forth, the pirate floundered for his pistol. Brine snatched the gun and, tail swinging, shot the pirates holding his brother.

Nixie watched the pirates drop. Hadal fled before they hit the deck. Nixie grinned. She was relieved Hadal abandoned ship. Had he stayed, Hadal might have stabbed either she or Brine in the back, (assuming he fought on their side). Either way, it was good Hadal was gone. Now, she could fight.

"A maid!"

Nixie snarled. A pirate landed on her spine. Her cheek slammed onto the deck.

"Hate the fish." Nixie felt the pirate's fingers under her shell brassier. Blindly she jabbed the trident, but the pirate shoved her down. Savagely he wrenched her top. "Love the upper half!"
"ARGH!"

Suddenly the pirate disappeared. Nixie heard her assailant scream. The scream was followed by a splash. A moment later she felt two more hands, re-fastening her brassier.

Nixie swung the trident. Whipping around, she aimed the teeth at –

"Shark!"

Shark grinned. Ducking a bullet, he knelt over the love of his life. And he would have devoured her had a second pirate not attacked.

"Pearl and rot!" Levering off Shark's shoulder, Nixie stabbed the pirate. Her trident sunk into his gut. "Can't we EVER get a moment alone?"

Shark licked his lips. Easily as flicking a fly, he tossed the pirate overboard and lifted Nixie into his arms.

"Surrender maid."

Nixie grinned. "Okay." she said, pulling Shark into her lips. He felt her cold heart. She felt him bite. Nixie smiled. Crossing the trident behind Shark's neck, she pulled him close. She loved him so much.

"Nixie!"

Shark roared. Reeling, he clawed as Brine leapt onto his back.

"Brine!" Nixie fell. Grabbing Shark's arm, she hoisted up and punched. "Brine! Stop! Get off! Get off him!"

"Oh please, my sweeties!" Eight tentacles suddenly coiled around Brine's neck. Shark stumbled as the seawitch peeled Brine off his back. "Let me help!"

Nixie froze. Then, eyes on fire, she attacked.

"LET GO OF MY BROTHER! YOU MONSTER!"

Underwater, King Basalt heard Nixie's cry. Instantly, he released a drowning pirate and looked to his wife.

Queen Celadon sliced the pirate's throat. Then, twirling her trident, she blasted water at the king.

King Basalt dove into the jets. The water drenched him full force, vaulting him into the winter air. Crack! King Basalt slammed into the haul. Turning as he fell, King Basalt dug his arm guards into the wood. The barnacles stuck, scratching the inscription of the Devorador. A chain swing later, the king maneuvered his way onto the Jolly Roger and to his children's side.

The seawitch wailed as King Basalt attacked. Slicing two tentacles – one for each child on board – he seized Nixie and Brine.

"Capsize it." King Basalt said, catching a chain and throwing it – along with his children – off the ship. Before diving after them, King Basalt looked for Bluebeard. It was not hard. Once making eye contract with the pirate lord, King Basalt pointed. Then, he sliced his trident across Shark's cheek. The message, as it were, was effectively sent.

"PULL THE CHAIN!" Darting past Nixie and Brine, Queen Celadon seized the chain. She pulled. It was still attached to one of the ships. She looked up. She grinned. The chain crossed over the Jolly Roger, but was anchored to the Devorador.

Heart freezing with bitter joy, she ordered the mer to take hold. "PULL!" she said as King Basalt lead the warriors along the chain. With all webbed hands in place, Queen Celadon called again. "PULL! CAPSIZE THE SHIP!"

It was a valiant feat, and one that the Northern Neversea mer had perfected over infinite battles with Bluebeard and his pirates.

Peter Pan would have been impressed. After all, he hated pirates. Much, much, much more than he hated Brine.

But Peter Pan did not notice. He hardly remembered Captain Hook at all, or else he would have surely joined the fight.

No. Peter's whole being was focused on one person.

"Wendy. Come on Wendy. Over here." Peter peered through the hooks. His heart screamed as a hook caught that strange corner of Wendy's lip. "It's me. It's Peter Pan. Coming to save you."

Wendy gasped. Peter thought she tried to say his name. But the hook rammed higher around her neck, and the human carcass floated into his view.

Hands shaking, Peter forced himself to stay calm. Carefully he drew a barbed chain. Even more carefully, he hooked it aside another, like a curtain drawn. He waited. It held. Peter drew another. In this fashion, Peter worked his way through the hooks and chains.

It seemed an eternity, and Peter was never fond of taking his time. But nettled by hooks and unused to his mer tail, Peter had little choice. Soon his fins were scratched and his fingertips were raw. But with every pirate cheer, every tugged hook, and every slithering worm, Peter pushed his path a little faster to Wendy.

"Almost there." Soothingly, Peter spoke but his insides began to writhe. A worm peeked over Wendy's head and nosed into her hair. Wendy felt the nibbling and reflexively lurched. It cost her. Hooks snagged under her scales.

Peter almost shouted, but the worm flumped softly off Wendy and onto the human carcass. Without pause, the worm suddenly turned into the dead woman's open mouth.

Peter saw the panic in Wendy's eyes.

"Wendy. Wendy, Wendy don't look. Hey, hey, look at me!" Twisting his tail, Peter turned. Angling an arm through the last sheet of hooks, he touched Wendy's cheek.

"Look at me." Peter repeated, gently and bravely as he could. With his other hand, he pushed the remaining chains. "Come on little Wendy. Look at me."

Wendy tried. She really did. But as she turned from the corpse, the hook about her neck cracked into her jaw. Blood ripped across the corner of her mouth. And head extended by the hook, Wendy could only cry.

"Oh no…no, no. Wendy." Peter stretched his hand. But he could not reach. "Wendy please don't cry. I'll get you out."

Wendy nodded. At least, she tried. A hook pried deeper. Trembling, she closed her eyes.

Helpless Peter stared. Hooks. There were so many hooks. Wendy was trapped. He... was he too late?

Peter frowned. The unhappy thought was insulting.

Determined, Peter bit his lip. "Never. Never too late for Peter Pan. Wendy? Wendy? Wendy I am here…"

Stiffly, Peter swam through the hooks. He batted at a worm and ignored the carcass it was eating.

"….an...and…" Peter pinched a hook snarled in Wendy's hair. Gently he eased it free. "…and we are going to play a game. A game that the Lost Boys like to play. Remember when the boys practice tying knots? Real tough, stiff, loopy in-and-out knots? Remember?"

Wendy gasped, choked by the hook. Peter gulped. Gingerly, he worked another hook from Wendy's ear.

"Sure you remember. I sure do. Remember that one day? When you let those blockhead boys practice tying you up with knots? And then they ran off on an adventure! Leaving their poor mother still tied up in her chair. Remember that? Remember that Wendy?"

In spite of herself, Wendy smiled. She cringed when the hooks countered her expression.

"Sure…silly, kind, little mother. I had to untie all those knots."

Peter kept his eyes on the worms. They were inching closer. Gritting his teeth, Peter plucked out each hook. Wendy flinched, but it was the faster that Peter pulled. There wasn't much time.

"Well in a couple seconds, Wendy – " Peter grasped a three pronged hook. Wendy cried out as he pulled. "—I'll undo all these knots. Or –erm – hooks. And...and then – "

A worm nuzzled into Wendy's ear. Peter struck it away. On the way down, he pulled out a hook. "—and then I'll take this big hook from around your neck – "

"—PULL OVER THE SHIP!" yelled the mer. The Devorador creaked dangerously against the Jolly Roger.

The water swirled, and Peter blocked the swinging hooks. " – and then Wendy you can take my hand – "

"NOT ONE HUMAN ON THAT SHIP LEFT ALIVE!"

The Devorador tipped, yanking the hook on Wendy's chain. Wendy felt pressure building in her head as the hook cut into the skin beneath her tongue.

"—and then!" Peter yelled as Leviathan charged the haul of the Devorador for a final, monstrous blow. "—and then – WE FLY!"

BOOM!

Leviathan splintered Bluebeard's ship as the mer heaved-ho. The Devorador smashed into the Jolly Roger, pitching both ships into the side of an iceberg. The hulls shattered, but remained upright. And Peter, wrenching the hook from Wendy's neck before it popped out of sight, shot from the graveyard the way he'd come. Wendy was hugged against his chest.

Peter and Wendy rolled with the momentum. They hit the sea-floor and skittered over the frozen sand. Peter swung his tail and flipped over Wendy as they came to a halt. Together they lay, gasping so hard that sand fluffed with every breath.

Slowly, Peter rose. Mind buzzing, he surveyed Wendy's injuries. Suddenly he stopped, unable to look beyond her sky blue eyes. They were trembling. She was still afraid. And she was looking at him. Not Brine. Not the merman. Him.

Gently, Peter brushed blood from the corner of Wendy's mouth. With his touch, her lips moved but Wendy could hardly speak.

"I-I-I…oh Peter – "

"Wendy!" Brine pulled against the mer holding him back. He reached through Hadal, silver eyes filled with tears. "Wendy! Wendy! Mom! Dad! Don't!"

"Seize the humans." Mer surrounded Peter and Wendy as Queen Celadon spoke. Murderously, she gave the decree. "Lock them in prison. Do not let them escape. Conch. Nixie. Brine. To court. Now."

"Wendy!" Brine screamed as Hadal dragged him away. "Wendy! Wendy! No!"

Wendy backed fearfully from the mer. One grabbed her arm, but she shied away.

"Peter – " she begged, trying to keep hold of his hand.

But Peter met Wendy with an acidic glare.

"Tuh." he scoffed, throwing her hand away.

Eyes burning, Peter looked once at Wendy and once at the merman screaming her name.

"Stupid girl."