“What you are asking of me is incredibly dangerous,” Alvarez said, making sure he locked eyes with her. He knew she was well-aware of this risks, but he wanted to remind her that he would be the one in danger, not her. Maybe if she saw his face, it would at least cause her to pause, to think her plans through. “I shall assemble a team” –
“No.” She did not even shake her head. It was one word, but it came out with such force that Alvarez had to take a step back. Immediately, he hated himself for it, especially since she noticed the gesture of weakness and smirked at it. “No, my sweet, dear, Alvarez, you are to go alone. Should you assemble a team, everyone will be aware of your presence. Your men could die. My men could die. James is a brilliant military man. He’s not familiar with tactics, because, as we know, Vikings just battled and killed, but he knows defense and he would have nothing short of the most brilliant of guards defending his castle.”
“Then how do you expect me to get you Pan?” Alvarez asked. “Especially if I am to do it by myself?”
“Because you are not going to fight, my dear,” she told him. “You are going to go in as quiet as can be, and, if all goes well, no one will even know you are there.”
“How do you intend I pull that off?” Alvarez asked, and he could not stop the doubt if he tried.
“I have faith in your abilities, Alvarez,” The Magistrate said. “Also, it helps that you are not looking for a fight – no matter how badly you might want to.” She walked over to the corner of the room, where the door would hit should someone slam it open. There, she coiled her long fingers around a bow and pulled it to her. Alvarez blinked. How had he not noticed that before? “This will be your weapon of choice. You are to go to The Other World – I will get you a potion you’ll take that will allow you to travel to and from all realms except earth. You will take it. You will head to Hook’s castle. You will look for a young dock master. A boy, no more than fourteen or fifteen years of age. Do you understand?”
Alvarez nodded, taking the weapon in his hand. He had shot a bow and arrow before but not one so fine as this one. It was smooth wood, and seemed to have been made specifically for his hands. He wondered if he would be able to keep it once he was finished with his task.
“Yes, you can keep it,” The Magistrate said with a small grin, as though she could read his mind. And maybe she could. “I’m sure it would look elegant among your collection.”
“It would.” His dark eyes took in the curve, the bow. Looking over at the corner, he realized there was a satchel filled with hand-crafted arrows that went with the bow. He felt his lips twitch up in a small grin. “Why, may I ask, are you bestowing me this weapon for this task?”
“You may,” The Magistrate said, her eyes shining with teasing. “But only you.” She walked toward the satchel. “Because, Alvarez, these arrows are tipped with a special concoction that will render the soul unconscious. You will not kill him by shooting him with this arrow.”
“You expect I’ll have to shoot him?” he asked, surprised.
“I expect you to be prepared, always,” she said. She slid the strap of the satchel through her arm and walked it back over to Alvarez.
“So he’s a dock master,” Alvarez said. “I should find him at the docks?”
The Magistrate nodded once. “You should,” she agreed, “but if you cannot find him, let me give you a piece of advice: look up.”
Chapter 14
It had been a few days since Nick had downed the potion, a few days since Magda had belittled him in front of the crew, a few days since she decided to avoid him and pretend what had transpired between them that day never happened. She did not like conflict resolution when they could both let it go and move forward. Why speak when words were not required?
Unfortunately, Nick did not seem to agree. She had just finished breaking her fast and planned to leave the galley so she could help Giselle with inventory when Nick had commanded her to stay behind. Well, technically he had asked, but because he was her captain, she could not deny the request. As such, she took her seat on the hard, wooden bench, and kept her bowl in front of her instead of disposing of it in the makeshift sink.
“Okay Tink,” Nick said, leaning back in the only chair placed in the galley – that of the captain’s. “We need to talk.”
Magda said nothing in response. Instead, she nodded her head once, her eyes wary. Was he going to reprimand her again? At least this time, there were no witnesses. She found she did not particularly like when Nick reprimanded her at all, much less in front of the crew. Even if she did deserve it.
“I still have no idea why you’re here. It’s been a month, and you haven’t said a word. To be honest, I don’t really think you know why you’re here. I think Hook gave you an order and you followed it. I know you might not be willing to confirm or deny that, but let’s pretend you confirmed it for a second, okay?”
Again, Magda kept quiet and nodded. She found people were more willing to give up secrets if she stayed quiet.
“Thank you.” He paused, his eyes turning to the wall behind her, and Magda could tell he was thinking of his next words carefully. After a moment, he looked back at her, square in the eye. “You and I need to get on the same page, Tink. You’re not an idiot, and neither am I. You know I’m after Remy. But you don’t know why.”
“I know why,” Magda interrupted. “You find yourself in love with her.”
“It’s more than just that,” Nick said, and Magda noted he did not deny it. “She took a beating for me. She must have been within an inch of her life because of me. Yeah, I saved her, but she saved me, and she paid for it. I don’t know your captain well. Only through folklore and myth. I know he’ll patch her up, especially if he needs her for whatever plan he has. But she’s still my responsibility unless she chooses otherwise. Are we clear?”
Magda paused, thinking.
“I’m not asking you to agree with my decisions,” Nick told her, “but I need you to understand that these are my decisions to make because I’m captain of this ship. Since you’re now part of my crew, you need to understand and respect that.”
“I… understand.” Magda nodded her head once in order to emphasize her point.
Nick’s lips turned up. “I knew you would,” he said. “You understand what it’s like on a ship.” He crossed his arms over his chest, looking back at the wall. It appeared as though he was looking something that he did not quite see, but a soft smile touched his lips nonetheless. “Remy never did, see? She still thinks she’s back in Port George, in her fancy house. She doesn’t get that not everyone can just snap their fingers and whatever it is they desire just pops up.”
“Nick,” Magda began but caught herself. “Captain. I would appreciate if you did not compare me to Remy, or compare her to me. We are two completely different women.”
“Ah, of course.” He gave her a grin.
Magda stood. “Was there anything else?” she asked. She wanted to head back to her room and wipe the blush off of her face. She was ashamed of her behavior and wanted to sit in the pile of it by herself so no one else could see.
“Actually, yes.” Nick nodded at her seat. “Sit. You’re in such a rush to leave my company.”
“You sound oddly surprised,” she muttered with a quirk of her brow.
“You aren’t charmed by me, are you?” he asked, genuinely curious.
“Is this entire discussion going to be about you and your charm?” Magda asked. “Because if so, I have much work I need to get to.”
He gave her a droll look. “Such as?” he asked. “I don’t remember assigning you a task while aboard my ship, but now that you mention it, I have the perfect position. Considering your spritely heritage” – he gave her another grin, as though she were supposed to be amused by his cleverness – “I think you would be perfect for watchman. Though clearly you are not a man. Watch girl. Woman. It’s a tricky position, one that requires a whole lot of faith in you. A lot of trust. I’m putting that in you. Do
you think my decision wise?”
Magda gave him an odd look. “Why would you ask me a question like that?” she asked. “Surely I’ll tell you things to ensure you trust me whether I’m trustworthy or not.”
“I like to think I know how to read people,” he told her, leaning forward. “I’m not good at a lot of things – it’s why I’m a pirate after all – but I’m good at observation. It was how I picked up on the fact that you’re a” – the look on Magda’s face caused him to stop, mid-sentence – “Okay, I get it. You don’t want anyone to know. Sheesh. I want to make out the type of person you are, Tink. And I think I know. But I’m giving you the opportunity to tell me yourself. Make sense?”
Magdalena took a deep breath. She found she rather liked Nick's response to that and her respect for him start to grow little by little. Her eyes took in the sight of Nick. The look on his face was open, ready to hear her response without judgment. His features looked soft and boyish, but not young. His eyes were dark and pensive, but there was a glimmer in there that seemed to light his entire face up. His arms were crossed over his chest - he seemed to do that a lot, as though it was natural for him - and his hair fell across his face in such a sloppy manner that she wanted to reach out and push the locks from his face. She had been feeling that a lot - ever since meeting Nick - and the close proximity between them the act would require caused Magda's heart to thump a little bit louder. Besides training with James, she had never willingly been that close to a man before, and the desire to be that close was Nick was unexpected. It made her blush.
"To answer your question," she said, rolling her shoulders back. She wanted to sound much more confident than she was because she had never been confronted with such a personal question before. "I find I am one of the most trustworthy people you will meet. I am quiet and perhaps come across as snobbish due to my lack of conversation, but that is because I believe if talking us not required if be, I will not speak. I'm not one to make small talk simply to make small talk. People who force themselves to speak say more than they intend to. Usually, they talk too much and reveal things they wanted to keep secret."
"And you being quiet makes you trustworthy?" Nick asked, and he sounded somewhat skeptical.
"You asked if I think I'm trustworthy," Magda said. "I'm telling you I know I am. What you choose to do with that information is up to you."
"Would you consider yourself loyal?"
"I would."
"Tell me, then, Tink. You're in a unique position right now. You have two captains you are loyal to. There's a good chance one captain is plotting to do something that clashes with the other." He took a step toward Magda, towering over her, crowding her personal space. She could feel her body tense up. "I want to trust you. Really, I do. I believe you're trustworthy, but only after you've decided who you're going to align yourself with. If I tell you my plan, I need to know you're not going to run off and tell Hook."
Though he did not ask a question, Nick still looked at Magda with an expectation of a response.
Magda did not respond right away. Nick made a good point, and good points usually deserved a moment of peace so clarity could wash over her and open her mind. She inhaled deeply, released her breath slowly. Repeated the action. After another three breaths, Magda looked up at Nick.
"I understand your concern," she told him. "I understand your hesitation. It's important for you to understand that James and I have a history. Not a romantic one." She paused, tilting her head. "It's much more complicated than that. He took me in when no one else would. To this day, I'm not sure why, but he did. He took me under his wing, he taught me more than I could ever hope to know. I'll never be able to repay him. Because of that, my loyalty to him is infinite. It cannot be broken unless he betrays me in some way." She paused to take a breath. She wanted to make sure her voice was strong and clear, her breathing even. "I want you to know that just because I'm sailing on your ship, underneath your flag, does not make me loyal to you. I do not know you very well, and I will admit that James sent me here to keep an eye on you, though he did not specify to what purpose."
Nick looked as though he wanted to interrupt, but Magda kept speaking, forcing him to remain silent.
"However," she said, "whether I want to admit it or not, you have earned my loyalty. You are a good captain, and, more than that, you are a good man, if a bit misguided. If you ask me to choose between you and James, at this moment, you will not win. But the choice would make me hesitate when before, I would not even blink."
Nick seemed to accept this answer without offense. He grinned. "I appreciate your honesty, Tink," he said.
"Perhaps I would choose you the moment you stopped referring me by that awful name," she remarked.
"Don't think I can do that," he said. "In fact, you should take my nickname for you as a compliment. I only refer to women as 'love' or 'darling.' You get an actual name."
"Stop," Magda said, though a chuckle skipped out of her mouth and past her defenses.
Nick suddenly turned serious, and she wondered what had happened that changed his demeanor so drastically. He was studying her so intently, his dark brown eyes vivid and sharp, that she felt a blush crawl slowly into her skin. She tried to decipher how he was looking at her - he did not seem angry or annoyed, nor frustrated or confused. He could not possibly be looking at her lustfully, either, not when he was in love with somebody else. The fact that she could not put a name to it made her heartbeat increase its pace, and she had to breathe in deep once more in hopes to slow it down. She shifted, uncomfortable with such blatant scrutiny, and bit the inside of her bottom lip.
Finally, she could not take it anymore and all but shouted, "What?"
Nick blinked, and shook his head like he was shaking himself out of some stupor. "I apologize," he said. "I was thinking of something else."
"Oh."
Magda did not know why she felt disappointment run through her veins. It was flat and tight and empty. She did not like it. Which just silly, because she should not care about what Nick was thinking. In fact, the fact that she did care was completely unexpected and she immediately banished the thought from her head. The feeling, however, still lingered.
“So,” he said, clapping his hands together and then rubbing his palms. “Let me tell you my plan, then.”
“Let’s hear it,” Magda agreed.
“You already know I intend to get Remy back,” he said. “However, I cannot leave my duty while I go off on a selfish endeavor. As such, you and I are going to pick up a small boat on Tenedor – the very reason why we are here, in fact – and leave Giselle captain of The Black Star. She and the rest of the crew will be headed to The Crossroads, depositing souls to their final resting place. You and I will be heading to The Alley, so I can pick up a few souls to take to The Other World.”
“Why do you need more souls?” Magda asked.
“I need souls for me,” Nick told her. “For us. If I have more than a few souls with us, we would be able to blend in. Think about it. Has there ever been just one soul deposited to The Other World?”
Magda shrugged. “I would not know,” she replied. Nick gave her a dry look. “Why not use some of the souls you already picked up? Why go immediately back to transporting them to The Crossroads when you could have used them for your own purposes? In fact, why stop off at Tenedor before dropping those souls off when there is risk of losing some…” Her eyes flashed. “You wanted to lose some. So you wouldn’t have to go back to The Alley.”
Nick grinned. “Perhaps,“ he admitted. “Tenedor is on the way to The Crossroads. If I don’t have to double-back and pick up more, I should not have to. Less work for me, fewer questions.”
“Is that the reason why you jumped back into work?”
“I did that because with another price for my head at yet another port, the safest thing for me to do is jump into work to show The Magistrate, Esmeralda, The Creator, and anyone else that I still take my job seriously.”
Magda nodded
, looked out at the water. “So we came back to the Black Star to…” She pushed her brow up.
“To pick up supplies.” He gestured to a small, pitiful thing Magda could not even call a sailboat. “That’s where you and I will call home in a few hours.”
“You have got to be joking,” she commented, then shut her eyes. If she wanted to learn more about his plan, she needed to watch her mouth. “So we get to The Other World. Then what?”
“What do you mean, then what?” Nick asked, strolling over to her and leaning against the side of the ship.
“Certainly you have a plan on how to infiltrate James’s castle, grab Remy, and leave without any repercussions, correct?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.
Love in Neverland: Book 2 in The Neverland Trilogy Page 11
