Chapter Fifteen
Captain Hook groaned as his eyes fluttered open, his head pounding like the beat of a cursed war drum. He squinted into the gloom, faint orange flickers from the torchlight dancing across the walls of his confinement. Brick surrounded him on three sides, but the fourth wall consisted of thick, rusted bars spaced far enough apart to slip a hand through—but not much else.
"Oh…blast it all…" he muttered hoarsely, dragging himself upright.
"Cap'n! You're awake!" The familiar, fretful voice of Mr. Smee broke through his haze. Hook turned his head to see his first mate sitting on the cell floor, his round face lighting up with relief. "Oh, Cap'n, I was so worried! I tried wakin' ya, but ya wouldn't budge. I even gave ya a good shake or two—well, a light shake, o'course! I wouldn't dare rough ya up, not ol' Smee—"
"Quiet, you bumbling buffoon!" Hook snapped, waving a hand dismissively as he sat up straighter. He winced, rubbing his temple. "Where are we? And how in all the Neverseas did we end up here?"
Before Smee could answer, a smooth, sly voice, tinged with a thick accent, slithered through the shadows.
"Ah, about time ze codfeesh came to. I was beginning to think zat mighty Captain Hook could not handle a leetle knock to ze 'ead."
Hook stiffened instantly, his jaw tightening. He knew that voice all too well, and it grated on him like nails scraping down a chalkboard. Slowly, he turned his head toward the sound, his expression darkening.
"LeBeak," he hissed.
Beatrice LeBeak stood in the opposite corner of the cell, leaning nonchalantly against the brick wall. The dim torchlight caught the gleam of the golden linings of her indigo-violet coat, and the mischievous glint in her dark eyes. Her hat tilted just so, casting a shadow over her smirking face.
"Bon soir, Hook," she spat, giving him a mock bow. "I see we find ourselves in quite ze pickle, no?"
"LeBeak! I knew it!" Hook exclaimed, rising to his feet and glaring at her. "I knew your sneaky, sniveling snook mind was behind all this—"
"Pah!" LeBeak cut him off with an impatient wave of her hand. "Take a look around, you eediot! I am just az trapped az you are!"
Hook's glare wavered, confusion creeping into his expression.
"Well then…" he muttered. "If it wasn't you that out-crooked the great and glorious Captain Hook, then who?"
"Perhaps ze ones who I saw dragging you and your tranquilized lot into zis horrid dungeon, Capitaine!" LeBeak hissed, jabbing a finger toward the bars.
Hook followed her gesture, peering through the rusted metal to another set of bars further away. Behind them, he spotted Sharky and Bones, both gripping the metal bars as they stood there looking through them. Bones, ever cheerful, noticed Hook and waved enthusiastically.
"Hi, Captain!" Bones called, his tone completely oblivious to the gravity of their situation.
"Sharky!? Bones!?" Hook exclaimed, his voice rising in disbelief.
"Aye, it be us. Glad to see you're awake, Cap'n," Sharky said with a chuckle. "Took you long enough. We've been here for hours."
Hook grasped the bars tightly, his knuckles whitening.
"What happened? How did you end up in here too?"
Bones scratched his chin, his expression blank with thought.
"Well…not a clue, Captain. All I remember is….uh….Sharky, what was it again?"
"The Talstein lads, Bones. Those two found us in the jungle. Next thing ya know, there was this strange flash of lightning outta nowhere, and then BAM! Here we be."
LeBeak's eyes narrowed at the mention of the Talstein brothers. She folded her arms, leaning back against the wall.
"Hmm. A very similar thing happened to me. Only, it was a few nights ago. I was in ze middle of plotting my own brilliant scheme, when I was set upon by Jacque and Patrick. But zat wasn't all. Zere was also zis man. A man about your age capitaine codfish," she explained, pointing at Hook. "And his weapon….it was an old hand-and-a-half that he wielded. I have never seen anything like zat since I left ze mainland. Alas, zere was something else about him. He had a bad eye..or two," She paused, grimacing. "Next thing I know, I am here. Locked up in zis dreadful place. But zere was no lightning for me. Non."
"Ah, what's all this talk about lightnin' now?" asked another voice, holding a mix of authority and intrigue.
From the shadows on the opposite side of the dungeon, where Sharky and Bones stood, emerged Red Jessica. Her orange curls framed her face, glowing faintly in the torchlight as they bounced with her every step. The tailored lines of her rose and crimson coat accentuated her slim figure, and her piercing eyes scanned the group with sharp curiosity. She stepped between Sharky and Bones, grasping the iron bars with a delicate yet firm grip.
Hook's jaw dropped, his eyes widening in astonishment.
"Red Jessica! My beloved—say it isn't true! You're behind all this!?"
LeBeak let out a loud, exasperated groan, dragging a hand over her face.
"Oh, for ze love of Neverland! Fix ze loose screw in your 'ead, eh Hook? She's trapped here just like ze rest of us!"
Hook bristled at LeBeak's insult but turned his attention back to Red Jessica, his usual bravado replaced by an uncharacteristic worry.
"Jessica, my dearest, what happened? Who dared lay a finger on you?"
Jessica sighed and rested her forehead against the bars for a moment before meeting his gaze.
"Ah, my story, I'm afraid, is as vague and baffling as yours, James," she said. "One moment, it was just another day in me castle, and the next…"
"What do you remember, Miss Jessica?" Mr. Smee piped up, wringing his hat nervously in his hands.
The lass glanced at him thoughtfully.
"Well let's see. Two strangers showed up at my door. I'd never seen them before, and something about them seemed… off. Not the type you'd welcome inside, so naturally, I tried to close the door," She paused, her lips pressing into a thin line. "That's when it happened. The world went black, and when I woke, I was here."
"Strangers?" Sharky interrupted, his brow furrowing. "Hold it there just a second. Were they a pair of young lookin' fellows? One in red, the other in green?"
Jessica tilted her head, a spark of recognition flashing in her eyes.
"Aye."
"And they be a redhead and a brunette?" Sharky pressed, his tone growing more animated.
Jessica nodded slowly.
"Aye again."
"And did they have attitudes nastier than a Neverbeast on a stormy night?" Bones chirped eagerly.
Jessica raised an eyebrow.
"That they did, Bones."
LeBeak's eyes narrowed.
"Jacque and Patrick," she said with a hiss. "Ze Talstein brothers."
Jessica blinked, her brow creasing.
"Talstein? Can't say I've heard the name before."
LeBeak folded her arms and gave a sharp nod.
"Trust me, mademoiselle, zey be trouble. Zey ambushed me too."
Jessica sighed and stepped back from the bars, her hands resting on her hips.
"Well, whoever they are, they didn't make themselves very trustworthy. When I tried to shut the door, they pushed it open. And that's when… well, nothing. Everything went dark."
Hook growled under his breath, pacing the floor of the cell.
"Those post pubescent twits! I'll have their heads on a platter for daring to involve my Red Jessica in their schemes!"
Jessica raised an eyebrow, the corner of her mouth tugging into a half-smile.
"Oh, James, you haven't changed a bit. Always ready to duel for my honor."
Before Hook could respond, LeBeak's voice cut in sharply.
"Enough of ze dramatics! We must focus! Clearly, ze Talstein brothers have us all here for a reason. Probably to rob us blind!"
Jessica nodded, her face hardening.
"Aye lads. She's right. Whatever their plan is, we'd better figure it out before they come back."
Before anyone could speak, yet another voice called out from the shadows. This one carried a richer, older tone, seasoned with authority and experience, yet unmistakably feminine.
"Save your breath, all of you. There's no use in trying to escape this place. Believe me. I've been here longer than the lot of you combined."
The voice came from the cell right next to Sharky, Bones, and Red Jessica. A figure emerged into the flickering torchlight, arms crossed and eyes sharp.
"Mummy!?" Hook gasped, his voice pitching higher than usual. His eyes grew wide as saucers as he stumbled back, clutching the bars of his cell.
"It can't be!" Mr. Smee trembled.
Sure enough, it was Mama Hook. Her silver hair pulled neatly back. She wore her signature red coat, slightly frayed at the edges but no less regal, and her boots clicked faintly as she stepped forward. Her expression was a mix of bemused annoyance and quiet strength, the look of someone who had faced countless trials and come out tougher for it.
"Ah, James," she said dryly, giving him a once-over. "Yes, it seems the Talstein bilgerats have captured me too." She gestured around at the dungeon with a sweeping motion. "Or had you not noticed?"
Hook flung his hands into the air hysterically.
"But—how? You're the fiercest pirate ever to set foot on Never Land! Even that blasted Pan doesn't mess with you!"
Mr. Smee nodded rapidly, wringing his hat even more tightly.
"Aye, ma'am! How in all the Never Seas did those scallywags manage to get the drop on you?"
Mama Hook straightened her posture and tilted her chin up, pride flashing briefly in her eyes.
"Oh, I handled those boys just fine," she said with a smirk. "Jack, Patrick, Maverick—none of them could hold their own against me. In fact, I was about to have them disarmed by the time the real fight started."
LeBeak, who had been leaning against the wall, suddenly stiffened. Her feathers seemed to bristle as her eyes narrowed.
"Wait," LeBeak said, her voice sharp and deliberate. "If zey could not defeat you, zen… it was 'im, wasn't it?"
Mama Hook gave a grim nod.
"Aye, Beatrice," she said, her tone turning grave. "It was the leader. A man wielding a longsword with a bad eye—or maybe two, it was hard to tell in the light. However the way he fought it wouldn't have mattered. It seemed as if the man could have done it completely blindfolded and with a hand tied behind his back."
LeBeak hissed, pushing off the wall and pacing her cell.
"I knew it! It was zat same cursed man who caught me. Ze Talstein boys, zey are pests, but zey are not ze masterminds. Zis man is pulling ze strings!"
Red Jessica crossed her arms, her expression darkening.
"A leader with a longsword and a bad eye? I've never heard of such a man. Who is he?"
Mama Hook sighed, leaning against the bars of her cell.
"I don't know who he is, but he's no ordinary pirate. The way he fought… it was indeed like I said before, calculated, precise, ruthless and on top of all completely effortless. He didn't just want to defeat me—he wanted me alive. And now here I am."
Bones, who had been sitting cross-legged on the floor of his cell, raised a shaky hand.
"Uh… can we stop jawin' about how we got here and start talkin' about how we're gonna get out?" he asked timidly, his voice wavering.
Red Jessica nodded, her fiery curls bouncing with the motion.
"Aye, he's right. We can talk about who did what later. The blasted family might still be out there looking for more poor souls to toss in this pit, and I, for one, won't be staying long enough to find out."
Before anyone could respond, the dungeon door let out a long, ominous creak as it swung open. The faint echo of footsteps followed, and LeBeak immediately stiffened.
"Someone's coming," she hissed, her voice low but urgent. "Quick, Capitaine Codfish, have your mère fake a heart attack! Zey might open ze cell!"
Mama Hook shot LeBeak a sharp glare.
"Do shut up, Beatrice. I'm not fainting for the likes of you."
All eyes turned to the doorway as two figures strode in. Jack and Patrick Talstein entered the dungeon, their confident smirks illuminated by the torchlight. Jack was dragging Misty, who had allegedly been stripped of her magic wand, squirmed and twisted in his grip, while Patrick yanked the Pirate Princess along by her arm.
"You will regret this!" the wonderful with strained, only for Jack to push her further.
"Unhand me you scoundrel!" the Pirate Princess demanded, her voice fierce as she struggled. "And return my rainbow wand at once!"
Patrick chuckled, his tone mocking.
"Is this any way for a princess to behave?" he asked, smugly.
"You are a fine one to talk!" she snapped, managing to free one leg long enough to kick Patrick in the shin. He yelped, clutching his leg, but quickly tightened his grip on her arm before she could escape.
"Nice try." Patrick grumbled, dragging her toward an empty cell.
Jack and Patrick unceremoniously threw both Misty and the Pirate Princess into the cell across from the others, slamming the door shut with a resounding clang. Misty sat up and glared at Jack, her cheeks flushed with anger.
The Pirate Princess crossed her arms, defiant even in captivity.
"You just wait till Peter Pan hears about this!"
"Oh he'll hear," Jack promised. "We'll make sure of it."
"Yeah. Him and his little boy sidekick. They'll wish they took every single word they said to us while we were on Hook's blasted ship back!" Hook perked up, his mind racing.
"Ehem, speaking of that night on me ship…" he drawled, a mischievous smirk creeping across his face. "How's that very special key of yours doing? Last I recall, it went flying out of a cannon. Good luck finding it now, boy."
Patrick froze, his eyes widening in panic. His face flushed hot with anger, and his jaw tightened.
Jack raised an eyebrow, glancing at his brother.
"Hold the bone. Is that why you and Maverick have been sneaking off so much lately? You lost the key?"
"W-what? No! I—I didn't lose it! I just—" Patrick stammered.
Jack's smug grin widened as he folded his arms.
"Oh, this is rich. However, I suppose I have been waiting for you to cough up the truth for a while."
"Quit it!" Patrick snapped, his voice tinged with desperation.
Jack waved him off, his smile unwavering.
"We'll talk about this outside, brother. Don't think you're worming your way out of this one." With that, he turned on his heel and left the dungeon, the door creaking shut behind him.
Patrick stood frozen for a moment, his face a mix of panic and rage. Then, realizing he was now alone in the room with a collection of prisoners—many of whom were glaring at him through their bars—he swallowed hard.
"Well, this be awkward." Bones said, breaking the silence.
Hook's lips curled into a smirk, glad to see at least one of his captors was as miserable and bitter as he currently was.
"What's the matter, lad?" the pirate Captain in red asked. "Lost your nerve too? Or just your key?"
Patrick slammed his palms against his cheeks, his green eyes wide and his face still contorted in horror.
"Why me?" he muttered, pacing the room. Then he dropped his hands, spun around, and glared daggers at Hook.
"You!" he exclaimed. "You insensitive, pigheaded, ignorant, fatuous codfish of a MORON!" the brunette in green and black bellowed, his voice echoing off the dungeon walls. "Do you realize what you just did?! Thanks to you, he's gonna make me look like a fool!"
Hook leaned lazily against the bars of his cell, a sneer curling on his lips.
"Believe me, Talstein," he retorted, his tone dripping with venom. "Whatever you look like, you've managed all on your own. No help needed from me or your blasted brother!"
Patrick's face turned crimson, his fists clenching and unclenching. He opened his mouth for another tirade, but a soft, calming voice cut through the tension.
"Why are you doing this? Why have you captured us?" Misty called from her cell, her tone gentle but curious. The seventeen year old Talstein son hesitated, the anger in his expression faltering for a moment. He turned his head slightly toward her, but his eyes didn't meet hers. Instead, he backed toward the dungeon door, his face a mask of bitterness.
"For the same reason a pirate plunders," he muttered, his voice lower but no less sharp. "Because I can."
With that, he slammed the dungeon door shut behind him, the sound reverberating like a gunshot in the tense silence that followed.
Amber and Maverick stood atop the cliff, overlooking the dense, moonlit jungle below. The night air was cool, but Amber's icy glare as she scanned the horizon made the atmosphere feel sharper. She stood tall and composed, her arms clasped behind her back with the precision of a general, just beneath the cascade of her fiery red hair that shimmered faintly in the moonlight.
Maverick was slumped on a nearby rock. He rested his cheek on his left hand, his right aimlessly plucking at the blades of grass around him. He shot a glance at his mother, then sighed dramatically.
"How much longer?" he muttered, his tone dripping with complaint.
Amber didn't even turn her head, her focus locked on the treetops.
"Not much." she growled under her breath.
Maverick groaned, flopping backward against the rock.
"You said that forever ago! We've been here for hours. It's late, and I want to go to bed."
Amber's head tilted slightly in his direction, her voice low and cutting.
"Patience Maverick. She'll be here any minute now."
As if summoned by Amber's cold certainty, a soft fluttering sound filled the air. A streak of lavender and yellow darted from behind a tree, cooing softly as it glided gracefully to the cliffside. Amber's sharp gaze softened, her posture relaxing as she extended her arm with a refined fluidity.
"Ah, there you are, darling," she cooed with a warmth and tenderness wholly absent in her interactions with her son. The Never Bird perched delicately on her arm, tilting its head as it regarded Amber with intelligent eyes. Amber's lips curled into a faint smile as she stroked the bird's soft feathers. "My beautiful little helper," she murmured. "Did you do as I asked? Did you find the key?"
The Never Bird nodded, her movements dainty and deliberate. But Amber's sharp eyes quickly noted the glaring absence of the key in the bird's beak or talons. Her smile faltered, her hand stilling.
"But my dear….," she began. "Where is it? Do you not have it with you?"
The Never Bird's eyes sparkled, and she uttered her single word: "Never."
"If you don't have it,...can you tell me where it went?"
"Never."
Amber's jaw tightened, though she kept her composure. Her free hand clenched into a fist behind her back as she fought to maintain her veneer of control.
"I see," she said through gritted teeth. "But surely, my dear, you can give me a little more to go on?"
"Never." the bird repeated, cooing softly before spreading her wings and taking off into the night.
Amber stood frozen for a moment, her arm still outstretched as she watched the bird disappear into the darkness. Her face was a mask of barely contained fury.
"This is getting ridiculous." she hissed under her breath.
Maverick yawned loudly, breaking the tension.
"So, can we go back now?"
Amber's head snapped toward him, her icy glare silencing any further comment.
"Absolutely not." she snapped.
Maverick sighed, flopping back onto the rock.
"Then what are we gonna do?"
"I'll tell you what we're going to do," his mother began. "We're going to find those little kids and—"
She reached for the silver necklace at her throat, the key to their captain's chest of potions. Her fingers met nothing but the fabric of her blouse. Frowning, she patted the area again, then frantically searched her clothing. Her composure began to crack as her movements grew more hurried.
"It's gone." she muttered, her voice low and dangerous.
Maverick sat up, alarmed.
"Gone? What's gone?"
Amber ignored him, pacing back and forth, her hands sweeping over her clothing in disbelief.
"Impossible," she hissed. "It was right here. I never take it off."
"Your key necklace thingy?"
"Yes!"
Maverick's eyes widened.
"You don't think… it fell off in the cave?"
Amber froze, her eyes narrowing dangerously as her mind raced.
"No," she said slowly, her voice laced with venom. "That cave was empty when we left. Unless…" Her eyes flashed with realization. "That little rat. She stole it!"
Maverick slumped back against the rock, groaning. "
"That's two keys those little pirates have stolen from us now!" she exclaimed.
"Well you know…." Maverick began with a weak shrug.
Amber whirled on him, her fury barely restrained.
"Those brats think they can outsmart me, but they'll learn soon enough that no one takes what's mine." She began pacing again, her mind already crafting her next move.
Maverick swallowed hard.
"So… what do we do now?"
Amber stopped, a chilling smile curling across her lips.
"We take back what's ours, by force if necessary. But first…I think it's time for a good old-fashioned family meeting."
Maverick's stomach sank as he fell back on the rock.
"Yipee."
To Be Continued…