“Not exactly, no,” I snapped. “I didn’t give a shit about the treasure, only my freedom—and my heart is dead.”
Calypso raised an eyebrow. “Is she?”
I opened my mouth, but it went dry. Could it be true—was Scarlett alive? No… she couldn’t be. She’d have loved Wendy more than life itself and wouldn’t have left her at an orphanage, of all places; not when Scarlett knew I’d never be able to come back for our daughter.
At least… not willingly.
“Missing women only go one place, Cedric Teach, and it isn’t to Davy Jones. Not if they’re not dead.”
For the first time, I met Calypso’s gaze. I hadn’t pulled back my hood, but my face was now visible to her, scars and all. I rose slowly, towering over her while she remained sitting on the stool, and worked hard to control my tone. So she knew my name—not an especially impressive feat, given my history. If she thought she could get under my skin this easily, she was sorely mistaken.
“Who are you?”
“Calypso.”
“That your real name, or the one you give your clients?”
“Both.” She flashed me a smile; for a moment, I could have sworn I noticed a flash of glittering teeth.
My hand went to my pistol. Now that I was paying better attention, I felt a faint charge of magic lingering in the air. With magic came trouble.
Calypso frowned. “No need for that, Cedric—”
“Where do they go, witch? The missing women?”
“Not witch… nymph. But you already knew that.” Calypso slid from her chair with grace, feet making no noise as she glided across the floor, stopping near a set of stairs leading into the basement. Though I was still a good distance away, the air that wafted from the open door chilled me to the bone. The scent of magic was even thicker there.
Curling her finger, she beckoned for me to follow. “Come, but only if you’re ready to face the truth.”
I hesitated; Elvira should be with me. I’d almost turned to summon her before Calypso’s voice froze me in place.
“Alone, Captain Hook. Where you’re going, not even your sister can save you.”
I remembered my promise to Wendy… and stepped into darkness without another word.
The Adventure isn’t over...
Join Wendy, Peter, and Hook in their thrilling sequel - A Sea of Eternal Woe: A Little Mermaid retelling coming in 2022!
As Captain Wendy Maynard…
I have everything I ever dared dream of. A ship all my own. Friends by my side. A purpose—and a home.
I should have known it would all go to shit.
Three days of storms have left The Jolly Serpent battered and broken, and my crew no longer trusts me to pick up the pieces. Just when it looks like Peter and I are about to be thrown overboard, the unlikeliest of saviors shows up…
My father.
I didn’t plan on seeing Captain Hook again so soon, but he needs me, and I need him. The sea witch Ursa is hiding far more than secrets, and if the rumors are to be believed, her realm makes the horrors of Neverland look warm and fuzzy in comparison. Failure simply isn’t an option. If we don’t retrieve what we’ve lost, it’s not our lives Ursa wants.
It’s our very souls.
Preorder Now!
Author’s Note
Dear reader, thank you so much for giving A Land of Never After a chance. I hope it’s obvious by now how much this entire cast means to me. I love all the stories I write, but there are some characters you just fall head over heels for and never truly let go: Cedric, Scarlett, and Elvira have resided in that special place in my heart since 2018, and now Wendy and Peter have joined them.
What was so special about 2018?
Nothing, except that I used to do a lot of writing on online forums. A lover of words stuck in grad school for music at the time, it was my way of getting my creative energy out that didn’t require serious focus on a novel. I eventually wanted to write one, but between lessons, writing theory and history papers, and running back and forth to concert halls, I just needed to let my imagination run absolutely wild with some guilty-pleasure-type stuff that I didn’t need to think too hard about.
Thus, via the online forums, I met Tessa, and The Golden Age was born.
She wanted to write a pirate romance and I really wanted to write a pirate romance, so we hit it off immediately. It didn’t take long for us to come up with the initial framework for our adventure across the high seas. I’d write the (fictional) bastard son of the Pirate King Blackbeard, and Tessa would write the (also fictional) daughter of Blackbeard’s killer: Lieutenant Robert Maynard of the Royal English Navy. We didn’t know much else at the time: just that eventually, these natural enemies would fall in love.
For nearly two years, Tessa and I wrote alternating chapters of their tale. We devised Blackbeard’s curse, the fearsome half-siblings, the animal nicknames, intricate backstory, and more. Cedric and Scarlett faced witches, Elvira (a terrifying antagonist who had a serious vendetta against Scarlett at the time), another sadistic and murderous captain by the name of Markus Compton, and of course, the Royal Navy—but with the help of some friends (Adrian Hayes being one), they got through it, together.
In addition to allowing me to scream about characters for hours on end, Tessa was also responsible for awakening my inner composer by encouraging me to come up with music for our tale. Chasing Destiny (originally titled Scarlett’s Destiny) and Serpent’s Bite were two of those pieces, and I plan to include even more music in A Sea of Eternal Woe. Stepping into the world we created, so rich and real and full of music, was my comfort for so long during what was otherwise one of the most stressful periods in my life. I will never forget how much seeing a new message from Tessa made my day, nor what this entire experience meant to me.
I only wish the real-life story had a happier ending than me losing touch with Tessa. We communicated solely via the site our forum was on, and to my intense dismay, it appears as though she left and hasn’t come back. It’s been quite a while, but I still check in every now and again, holding out hope she might one day return. I can’t wait to tell her all about A Land of Never After, and Wendy in particular. We always hoped and dreamed of becoming published authors, so I know without a doubt Tessa would be proud (and hopefully cry—revenge for all the times you did that to me, Tess!).
So how did Peter Pan come into the mix? A Land of Never After was only ever intended to be a Peter Pan retelling. But the further I got into writing it, the more Wendy reminded me of a certain pair of pirates… and the more it became obvious who my Captain Hook could really be. No, Ced wasn’t missing a hand in The Golden Age, but it was an easy enough change, especially given his scars and questionable past. With Cedric came Elvira, and with them came Blackbeard; the rest is history. It really is eerie how perfectly it all fits together—I’d like to think it was meant to be.
If you’ve made it this far, thank you so much for listening to me gush about my bloodthirsty pirates. It’s only thanks to readers like you and the platform I’ve built that any of this is even possible, and I’m insanely grateful every single day for all the love and support that’s thrown my way.
If you enjoyed this retelling, I’ve got another one out right now: Dragon Lake, a reimagining of Swan Lake! It’s short, but packs a mean punch, and features a heroine quite like Wendy. And of course, keep on the lookout for A Sea of Eternal Woe, a Little Mermaid retelling, which will be out sooner rather than later if A Land of Never After goes over well (so hint, hint: leave a review and tell your friends!).
The absolute best way to keep informed about what I’m publishing next is by signing up for my newsletter. You’ll even get a free short story (a prequel to Dragon Lake) just for signing up! Make sure to follow me on social media for daily posts about everything from my pets, my photography and modeling, and of course, writing excerpts! I’m on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. I’m al
so on Patreon if you’d like even more behind-the-scenes content and want to support me monthly.
Enjoy my music? My compositions can be heard for free on my YouTube and SoundCloud.
I’m of course on Goodreads and have a Facebook reader group here! We chat about books, dragons, songs, and share our highs and lows in life. It’s a close-knit group, and a great time!
Finally, thank you so much once again. If you enjoyed your stay in Neverland, it would mean the world to me if you would consider leaving a review or recommending to a friend.
Sincerely,
Raelynn Davennor
About the Author
Raelynn Davennor is an author of fantasy and science fiction, a musician and composer, and a creature of the night.
Nestled among her fictional worlds full of darkness, dragons, and sassy heroines, you’ll often find a musical number or two. An accomplished performer, she’s made appearances with artists such as The Who, Weird Al, and Hugh Jackman on many of the largest stages in the United States.
Raelynn is usually lost in her head, dressing up in costume, or humming a tune she can’t wait to scribble down. When not obsessing over her latest idea, she enjoys pampering her menagerie of pets and pretending she isn’t an adult. Her home base is https://rldavennor.com where you’ll find more information, her newsletter, and links to social media.
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