Dead Reckoning

Chapter Nine

When Pan's shadow came to the pirate Captain while he and his men were aboard the Jolly Roger, Hook was down in his private quarters, lying on his bed while he studied the symbols and star map engraved into the gold sextant that his brother had given him long ago, the markings Killian had known by heart since he lost the only family he had left in the world. He heard his men shout out from the ship's deck that the shadow had come and immediately pulled his cutlass even though he knew it would do him no good in defending himself against it should the entity attack him.

The shadow flew down and floated above the Captain within the room as Hook glared at it while he asked, "What the devil does the demon want now? Our alliance has long since been over."

It continued to stare at him as the entity replied, "Pan wishes to speak with you. He says you will want to come to his camp and hear him out."

"There is nothing he can say that I want to hear," Hook responded curtly and lowered his sword until he finally rested it back in the scabbard that hung at his side. "We both know every word that comes out of his mouth is either a lie or has a hidden meaning behind it that only benefits himself."

"Perhaps… but what if what he wishes to offer you, is a deal that will benefit you as well?" Pan's shadow questioned. "Leaving Neverland for good is what you want. I believe if you hear Peter out and do as he asks of you, he can make this happen."

The one-handed pirate glared up at it as he coldly asked, "How do I know this isn't some sort of trick? Some sort of trap Pan has lying in wait?"

The entity floated down so that it and Hook were eye level, then it answered, "You don't know that it isn't, but I assure you it's not. If Pan wanted to set a trap for you, he could have done so at any time and without sending me here to give you his message. He hasn't ordered your death yet and as far as he knows, you've done nothing to provoke him into doing so for some time. What do you say, Hook? Will you allow me to guide you to Pan's camp? I can assure your safety."

"Very well, but I'll be bringing my first mate with me, if only to attempt to make any fight that might break out more fair for me," Hook replied smugly.

"If you insist," the boy's shadow responded, then flew out of the Captain's quarters while the pirate followed behind it, motioning to Mr. Smee to follow when he waked past him.

Nearly an hour later, after Hook and Smee walked behind the shadow through the dark forest surrounding them, they finally arrived at Pan's latest camp, then stood ground in front of the large bonfire before them while the Lost Boys rose to their feet and slowly surrounded the two pirates with their weapons at the ready.

Hook didn't draw his sword this time, but he did however lower his hand to keep it trained on the blade's hilt, then he leaned over and whispered into his first mate's ear, "Keep a sharp eye, Mr. Smee. Trouble could come from anywhere."

Smee nodded and then uttered nervously, "That's what I'm afraid of."

"Well, this is just about the warm welcome I was expecting," the pirate Captain then called out smugly while he looked between the boys glaring back at him. "I understand the demon wanted to have a talk. So, where is he?"

"Relax, Captain… I'm here," Peter answered from the shadows and then slowly walked out among those loyal to him and his enemies. "I'm glad you've come. I knew my offer of your freedom would get you here."

Hook glared at the boy and replied, "It has. So, what do I have to do in order to earn passage out of this infernal realm? I won't help you kill any more of your enemies. I won't go into the Indian camp to talk to Tiger Lily again or to help you enforce some kind of treaty between you and her people and I won't go there to murder her for you as I did her father down at Skull Rock."

Pan just smiled, then he responded, "As luck would have it, I don't need you to do any of those things for me. It's as you've said. Our alliance has long since been ended. But… I do need your help to rid me of one of my enemies. Don't worry, you won't have to kill him. I have something else in mind for him. What I need is someone willing to fight against him in a duel until either he or you are beaten, not dead."

"I don't understand," Hook stated as he looked between Peter and his shadow now floating above him. "If all you want to see is a duel, why not just have one of your own imps fight this enemy of yours? Why is such an undaunting task worthy of passage out of Neverland?"

"Because some of my boys are still loyal to this enemy and while there are more who are most loyal to me, I still cannot have any of them fight one of their own," Pan answered while he walked among the Lost Boys until he came to a stop in front of Badrick as Felix, Devin, and two others immediately grabbed the brute and forced him out into the opening nearer to the fire and Hook, then down to his knees.

Pan pulled his own sword and forced the sharp end of it to Badrick's throat, then he spoke up coldly saying, "There isn't anything that goes on here in Neverland without my knowledge, old friend. I was there within that cave when you attempted to start your uprising against me. I should thank you, as I now know who among you are truly loyal to me and to this world. But I cannot allow you stay here among us, or anywhere else… unless of course you devote yourself to me and to Neverland once and for all."

Badrick glared at the leader of the Lost Boys as he questioned, "You speak of loyalty and your love for this land as though it means something to you, when I know the truth from your own lips. The only thing you care about, is yourself. You would sooner burn Neverland to the ground if it meant staying young forever. And you would not hesitate to kill every last one of us."

"You're wrong, Badrick," Peter replied sternly. "Whatever you think you heard, you heard wrong. I really wish I didn't have to do this. I wish that I could trust you won't ever try to get my friends to turn against me again, but I can't. You will fight against Captain Hook in a duel. If you lose, I will banish you from Neverland and the Captain will be taking you aboard the Jolly Roger when he leaves our island for good."

"You can drop him off someplace… anywhere of your own choosing, Captain," Pan continued as he turned back to the pirate once again. "That is the other reason why I need you. I know that Badrick here loves Neverland nearly as much as I do, which is why banishment is the perfect punishment and I need you to take him away from here."

"And what if I win?" the traitor sneered as he struggled against the other boys' hold on him while he glared between both Pan and Hook. "What is to stop me from running Captain Hook through with my axe when I beat him into the ground?"

Hook scoffed and then responded, "I think you underestimate me, mate. Or maybe you overestimate your own skills because of your large stature. I assure you, I've fought against bigger and have won."

Peter looked between the largest of the boys among them and the pirate, then he answered, "Badrick… if you do happen to beat Hook, then I won't stop you from killing him. I know how much you despise him like the rest of us. And to give you even more of a motivation to want to win, I will grant you a pardon and allow you to stay here in Neverland, though you won't be welcome to remain among the Lost Boys any longer. You will simply have to fend off the dangers of this island on your own. What do you both say? Do you agree to these terms of the duel in which you're about to fight?"

"It appears I have no choice," Hook muttered glumly as he turned his gaze to his devoted first mate who nodded at his Captain worryingly, while he pulled his cutlass from its scabbard once again.

"No… it appears we don't," Badrick reacted as well, when he pulled his axe from his back, then prepared himself to fight against the Lost Boys' enemy.

A great fight broke out as Hook defended himself against the brutal onslaught of the boy larger than he was when Badrick struck out against him first. Thankfully, Hook was well trained with a blade and with the use of his hook to help him since all he had was one hand to fight his enemies with. For awhile, it appeared as though the brute was going to win the battle due to his size and never ending attacks against the Captain, especially when one of the many strikes with the axe forced Hook on his back against the ground with the large weapon against his throat.

Smee called out to his friend in fear, but stayed put knowing his help was against the rules of any duel. Hook struggled to keep the axe's blade from landing as he used his hook to keep the brute's wrist from coming down on its target while holding the top of the axe with his hand, having dropped his own weapon a few feet to his left.

Knowing there was only one thing he could do, Hook let go of the axe with his hand while he struggled that much harder to hold the axe off of his throat, reached into his coat's inside pocket, then swiftly pulled out a dagger and finally thrust it deep into Badrick's shoulder as the large boy screamed out. Hook suddenly kicked the man off of him and stood back on his feet, then forced his own sword against the brute's throat while the once Lost Boy remained on his knees. Hook had won and in the end, he was rewarded with his freedom.