A Land of Never After

by R. L. Davennor

  Elvira tightened her grip as she dragged me toward her brother, forcing a yelp from my lips for more than the pain. Hook wasted no time in snatching my right hand and gripping it tightly just below the wrist. Producing a long strip of fabric from his pocket, he wound it around my arm; only once the tourniquet’s knot had been secured did true panic begin to set in.

  He was serious.

  “Wait,” I pleaded, uncaring that my terror was showing. “You can’t—”

  “I can, and I will,” Hook growled, for my ears alone. “Wasn’t it you who begged me to be a proper father? Consider this parenting.”

  When he reached to pull one of Elvira’s knives from her belt, Peter and I screamed as one. He flew closer but hovered just out of reach. “Let her go!”

  “Would you rather I kill her instead?” Hook whirled around, gesturing to the blade still held to my throat. “If it makes you see sense, then so be it. You cannot escape your fate any more than Wendy can escape hers. This ends tomorrow—”

  “No,” I cut across him, voice hollow. “This ends tonight.”

  Everyone turned toward me, offering their undivided attention. I couldn’t look upon a single one of their faces—least of all Peter’s—so I spoke to Hook’s chest, loud enough for all to hear.

  “He’s right. I may not be able to escape this… but Peter, you can. Go.”

  His voice was pained and heavy. “I’m not—”

  “I belong here. I’m his blood.”

  The truth didn’t shock the pirates, but upon hearing it for the first time, Peter nearly tumbled from the sky. He caught himself just in time, seizing a rope before settling upon the mizzenmast with his head in his hands.

  “Y-you… you—”

  “I’m his daughter.”

  “And how long have you…”

  “I didn’t. Not until yesterday.” I dared a glance in Peter’s direction. “Please, you must believe…”

  I trailed off when he slid from the mast and floated to the main deck with a blank, unreadable expression. He strode toward Hook, dropping his dagger and offering both hands.

  “Take me. I’ll go.”

  “No!” I shrieked, but even as Tink began throwing herself against the sides of her jar, it was already too late. At Hook’s command, pirates surrounded Peter to seize his arms and tether him firmly to earth. It was hardly necessary; he didn’t utter a word of protest.

  “Take him below—you know the place.”

  I continued screaming while they dragged him out of sight. It was only Elvira’s knife that silenced me; at this point, it had dug dangerously close to slicing something important.

  “Well done, Wendy.” Hook beamed, undoing my tourniquet before snatching Tink’s prison. “No coercion, deception, or force of any kind. I couldn’t have orchestrated that better myself.”

  “You monster.”

  “I much prefer devil.”

  Elvira yanked me away before one of my kicks could land a blow. As she dragged me back to my room, obscenities and curses poured from my lips, but even all of them combined weren’t enough to do my father justice.

  I didn’t sleep that night. Hours crept by, but I remained awake, able to picture my first kill down to every visceral detail. Replaying it endlessly in my head, a rush of ecstasy flooded through me the moment my victim’s heart ceased beating. I craved the screams of agony. I relished the blood on my hands.

  I vowed it would be his.

  IX. the tomb

  Featured Song: Serpent’s Bite

  It was little wonder Blackbeard’s tomb wasn’t accessible by land; despite being an underwater cavern, it was barely accessible by sea.

  The jagged rocks dotting the shallows posed too great a threat to The Jolly Serpent, so we’d been forced to anchor a fair distance from shore. It wasn’t even first light when I was bound and dragged from my room, loaded into a longboat with Elvira and half a dozen other men. Our group was closely followed by a second boat: this one containing Hook, Peter, and several of the captain’s most trusted pirates. Tink had been left behind, and it was painfully obvious why.

  Peter hadn’t given himself up for Tink. He’d surrendered his freedom—his life—for me.

  The reason remained a mystery, and one of the countless things currently eating me alive. I had no plan; not even a sliver of an idea as to how we were going to get out of this alive. No weapons. No flight, not when Tink’s dust had worn off hours ago. Nothing. My only shred of an idea revolved around the medallion that Hook had brought along, but that wasn’t even in my possession. Here we were, sailing into the mouth of a vengeful pirate’s tomb.

  Only once we were closer did I realize it had literal teeth. What I had first assumed to be rocks were far too smooth and pointed, and much too strategically placed not to be intentional. As we rowed past, the pirates shifted their oars to avoid them, and I noted the small nicks ribbing the inner side of each bony extremity. Perhaps if we got close enough to one, I could reach out my bound hands and—

  “Don’t you dare.” Elvira dug her knife even further into my back. With a sigh, she tested the bonds digging into my wrists, and I had to bite my lip to stifle my whimper. The ropes were so tight the circulation in my hands was beginning to cut off, but I would die before complaining aloud. “I should have known you wouldn’t keep your head down.”

  “You and Hook both.” I twisted around as much as I was able, but not for the captain; though I had no right to, I wanted to glimpse Peter. He wouldn’t meet my gaze. Unlike me, he remained as free as a bird, able to fly away if he wanted to. Why would Hook risk such a thing? My only thought was that he didn’t believe it to be a risk at all, but why Peter wasn’t at least prodding the captain’s arrogance, I didn’t know.

  Fucking idiot.

  “Yours, or mine?”

  I shifted back to face front, realizing I must have cursed aloud. “Both. This feud is pointless. There’s no winning for either of them.”

  “I’d say freeing all of Neverland from a death curse is a pretty huge win.” Elvira removed the knife, but only to resume picking her fingernails as before. “I’m sorry if it comes at the cost of your little boyfriend, but it has to be done.”

  “He’s not my boyfriend.”

  “Yeah? Why else would he follow us willingly to his death?”

  I didn’t have an answer to that, so I changed the subject before the lump in my throat made it impossible to speak. “All I’m saying is that there’s got to be another way.”

  Elvira laughed. “You seriously think Ced hasn’t considered that? You think he’d be doing this if there were any other way?

  “I offered him another way, and he refused—”

  “Quiet.”

  I’d have closed my mouth regardless of the order. An icy, unnatural chill had settled over me, the sensation not unlike my very first experience in the Forest of Never. My fingers became stiff, my breaths visible, and it wouldn’t be long before the trembling became uncontrollable. Judging from the way Elvira and the men stiffened around me, they felt it, too.

  A moment later, we dodged the last of the teeth, fully entering the tomb.

  If I’d thought I was cold before, it was nothing compared to what I felt now. It gripped me with a vengeance, settling deep into my bones within seconds. Desperate for any semblance of warmth and uncaring where it came from, I snuggled against Elvira’s chest. She wrapped both arms around me, seeking the same. The rowing slowed to a halt as one by one, the other men succumbed to the chill, and it was all I could do to force words through my chattering teeth.

  “W-what’s g-g-going o-on—”

  Then I saw them.

  Dozens—no, hundreds—of glittering yellow eyes flashed in the darkness. More Nightstalkers than I’d ever seen gathered in one place stood like sentinels on either side of the cavern, simply watching as we passed. The boat
continued its forward momentum, and the path ahead was illuminated in an eerie, inexplicable fashion, revealing we’d run aground shortly. Beyond that were a series of tunnels, but only one had been lit for us to follow.

  The gesture did little to bring me comfort. Why would so many of the Nightstalkers be gathered in such a large group, if not to kill each other? They didn’t appear to be rotting, and the realization brought more unease than comfort. This didn’t feel right. What if they were working together as a pack, leading us straight into a trap ripe for devouring?

  First rule of Neverland, Wendy. Peter’s voice echoed in my head. Never trust a Nightstalker.

  The closer we drew, the more still they became. I could have sworn they held their breath once the boat finally reached the cavern’s shore; as if on cue, the illuminated tunnel grew brighter and more inviting. What the light’s source was, I had no idea.

  Could they truly mean us no harm?

  “W-Wendy.” Elvira’s teeth chattered against my skull. “D-do you h-hear th-that?”

  I didn’t until she pointed it out, but the low hum soon became impossible to ignore. No, not a hum… whispers. The Nightstalkers chanted it over and over again, rhythmic and monotonous, almost as if it was an incantation.

  Wendy Maynard. Wendy Maynard. Wendy Maynard.

  Every single one of those eyes were staring at me.

  “You see?”

  The human voice startled me so much I felt Elvira’s jaw click when I flinched. Untangling myself from her grasp, I glanced over to see Hook and his boat make a landing right beside us. The captain alone seemed unbothered by the cold, grinning from ear to ear as he all but leaped from the vessel. His medallion glittered in the dim light, on display around his neck like some kind of trophy. Even if I hadn’t already known what the etchings were, I’d have been able to make them out now: a dragon, a wolf, and a serpent, worn by the Crow.

  “They were waiting for you. Even they know this is right.”

  I shot him a glare. This felt a lot of things, but right wasn’t one of them. “Why on earth would they be waiting for me, when Peter is your prize?”

  “That prize wouldn’t be possible without you.” Hook smirked, sending even more chills up my spine.

  To shake my discomfort, I turned instead to Peter as he exited his boat. He still wouldn’t meet my gaze as he staggered onto shore, eyes glazed over as though in some kind of daze.

  I shot Elvira a glare. “Did you drug him?”

  “I didn’t have to. Facing imminent death does all kinds of things to a person.”

  Was that what Peter feared—death? I supposed it made sense, given the fact that Neverland had rendered him immortal—just not the way the pirates believed him to be—but that was where logic ended; in all the time I’d known him, he’d been nothing but reckless and daring, traits certainly not possessed by a person desperate to hold on to their life. No… this was something more.

  This was personal.

  I decided to test my theory as we began walking toward the tunnels I assumed would lead into the heart of Blackbeard’s tomb. Picking up my pace, I darted into the spot directly behind Peter, who followed Hook like an obedient dog. Elvira fell into step behind me, while the rest of the pirates accompanying us followed single file. The Nightstalkers bristled but allowed us to pass unharmed, and it wasn’t long before we were plunged into darkness so deep that had I been free to, I’d have been tempted to turn tail and run.

  Swallowing down my fear, I leaned over Peter’s shoulder, whispering for his ears alone. “Believe what you want, but I never intended—”

  He elbowed my stomach with such force the wind was knocked from me. Dazed, I struggled to catch my breath as Elvira slammed into my back, doubling the agonizing pain.

  “What the devil?” she growled, giving me a merciless shove. “Keep up, or I’ll drag you.”

  So Peter was furious with me. Tears summoned by the blow hovered at the corners of my eyes, but given that we couldn’t see anything anyway, it didn’t hinder my progress. “All right,” I hissed to the back of his head. “Fine. Good to know I’ll be risking my hide to save an ungrateful br—”

  “Will you shut up back there?” Though he hadn’t spoken loudly, Hook’s voice was amplified by the narrowing tunnel. “Keep up your guard, or this place will make short work of you.”

  That honestly sounded preferable to whatever unknowns lay ahead. The small space combined with the seemingly endless void gave the illusion we were descending into the deepest pits of hell—only I hadn’t imagined it would be so cold. Given my bound hands, I couldn’t even hug myself for warmth. My only option was to shiver in silence.

  Time became difficult to track, but my guess was that we’d plodded on for close to an hour when a gentle hum broke the icy silence. I stilled, heart fluttering in my chest. Had my mother come to aid me at last?

  She hadn’t, I decided once the song morphed into words. The timbre was much too low to belong to Scarlett, and it was obvious the others heard it, too. Gentle and lilting, the tune provided a rhythm for us to walk to, and not even Hook protested as Elvira allowed her melody to soar, her voice reaching deep into the crevices of rock surrounding us.

  “Devils, wraiths, and demons

  Lurking in the night

  Men who sleep too soundly

  Feel the Serpent’s bite.

  Simple to seduce them,

  Unable to resist

  I can make them crumple

  Just with a single kiss.

  Dragons roar and wolves howl,

  They think I don’t know how

  Serpents play the long game,

  I’ll have it all, I vow.

  Devils, wraiths, and demons

  Feel the Serpent’s bite.”

  The longer Elvira sang, the more her chosen lyrics felt a little too on-the-nose. Devils and demons I knew were real… would wraiths appear before this all was said and done? We were in a tomb, after all—

  “Stop.”

  I nearly slammed into Peter’s back when Hook’s command, precise and clear, halted our procession in an instant. Dim light had begun filtering through the tunnel ahead, just enough to illuminate an imposing silhouette. A growl rippled along the cavern, deep and menacing enough to rumble the floor beneath our feet.

  Even from where I stood, it was glaringly obvious the creature wasn’t human. Easily twice the size of the largest Nightstalker I’d come across, this behemoth looked similar… yet different. Less rot and more fur covered its bulky and oddly proportioned frame. A pair of long fangs curved down and over its slender snout, and it balanced itself on two hind legs. Most startling by far were its eyes. Bright and piercing, they screamed intelligence.

  No one moved as we waited for Hook’s direction. Had we come across our first obstacle? Or would this monster be as gracious as the Nightstalkers, and simply let us pass?

  “We meet again, Guardian.” Hook’s greeting piqued my curiosity. A guardian of the tomb, or of its treasure?

  We do but should not.

  Gooseflesh erupted down my arms. Like the Nightstalkers, the Guardian’s voice embedded itself into my head, my very thoughts. Though it looked to Hook, judging from the reaction of the others surrounding me, we all heard the Guardian’s voice clear as day.

  You were not meant to reenter this place.

  I stiffened, and very nearly blurted my thoughts aloud; I knew Hook had misinterpreted the curse.

  The captain wasn’t deterred. “I doubt I was meant to damn us all either, yet here I stand. I’ve come to remedy that mistake.”

  By taking the life of another? The Guardian’s illuminated eyes narrowed, flickering between both Peter and Hook. No. Only one may enter this night. One whose blood is of both the fallen and the tainted; one conceived in this land, but not raised in it. She has returned to set us free.

  It
s gaze swiveled, settling on me.

  Her.

  Murmuring broke out among the pirates as my blood turned to ice. I was to enter my grandfather’s tomb—alone? My head spun, and my legs grew weak. What in the gods’ names was I meant to accomplish?

  Fear not, Wendy Maynard. It will only hold you back.

  I huffed. Easy for the creature to say; it could take off any of our heads with a single swipe of its paws, which sported sharp, glittering talons. It would be more than prepared for whatever lay within, while I didn’t even possess the use of my hands at the moment.

  The Guardian took a step toward Hook, who flinched as the ground quivered slightly from its sheer mass. Release and arm her. She will need it for what lies ahead.

  Hook recovered quickly, shaking his head in disbelief. “She’s not going anywhere—”

  “Yes, I am.” I hardly recognized the sound of my own voice but forced it to keep going. “If I can help, I’ll be… happy to.” I grimaced.

  “Absolutely not,” Hook growled, this time drawing his pistol. With his free hand, he snatched Peter’s shoulder, dragging the boy to stand by his side. “Everyone else may remain here, but he and I must—”

  You dare to defy me, Crow?

  Hook glowered. “I am no ‘Crow.’ I am Cedric Teach, and what’s inside there is my birthr—”

  A whip-like tail shot out so fast I was astonished Peter had the foresight to dart out of the way. Hook, on the other hand, was slammed against the wall. Elvira’s shriek drowned out his groan, but though the captain didn’t get up, his twitching told me he was still alive.

  Before any of us could react, a roar flooded the space.

  If I’d thought the Guardian looked imposing before, it was nothing compared to what it swiftly became. Its limbs elongated, its fangs grew to match, and with shocking violence, it slammed down on all fours, frame now taking up the entirety of the path ahead. What I’d assumed to be nothing more than odd lumps on its back quite literally burst, revealing a pair of magnificent, albeit bloody, wings. They didn’t have the room to spread fully, but somehow that made it even more terrifying.