“Oh great. You found your girlfriend,” Wendi huffs, sifting through a clothing rack at the shop next to ours.
Back then, Wendi would say the bot loved me—that it was more my girlfriend than her. Ever since, it became a she to all of us. The name Tink stuck, as she would always be meddling with my life, tinkering in my business.
Ignoring Wendi, I shift to Elijah. “Can you fix her?”
“You know it!” he says, grabbing her from me and walking off.
I smile, calling a “Thanks” after him.
Elijah stops at Mateo and whispers to him. Mateo rolls his eyes and nods to the dock. Almost giddily, Elijah darts off.
“Hey kid!” the old, heavyset merchant shouts, pointing to Elijah.
I wave at the man to get his attention. “Sorry, what do you want for that broken piece of junk?”
“He can’t just run off with my goods,” he says, looking back and forth between me and Elijah in the distance.
“A broken security drone has little value. How about you just give it to me?”
He smirks. “I’m not stupid, kid. Electrical parts don’t just grow out of the ocean. Get that kid back here, or I’ll float him myself.”
“Calm down,” Arya insists. “I’m sure we can work something out.”
“Jukes!” the merchant calls to a man in the distance. “These kids are stealing my goods!”
A tall, familiar man with graying hair and two sword handles jutting out from behind his broad shoulders turns to us. He huffs at me as he lumbers over. Large, tattooed arms reach back, hands latching onto the swords and pulling them from their sheaths. He tilts his head to the side, cracking the tension from his neck. This hulking figure is Smeid’s right-hand man.
A crowd has gathered around us, drawn by the commotion.
Mateo steps in front of the beast, his hands extended pacifyingly. “Wait for a second.”
Jukes throws his massive forearm at Mateo’s chest, smashing him with the butt of the sword and knocking him to the ground. Mateo hunches over in agony, clutching at his torso. James rushes to Mateo and kneels beside him before turning to glare at Jukes.
“You want some of this too, kid?” Jukes snarls at James.
My fists tighten. I need to destroy this beast. The gravity dragging on me eases as I disconnect from it. If I can just get him off the trading post, I can fly him into open waters and drop him in, ending this fight.
A familiar voice breaks my lock on Jukes.
“Just a freakin’ minute, Mr. Jukes,” the voice calls. “Take it down a notch.”
I lower to the deck and rotate to where the voice came from.
An older man waddles out from the crowd. He pushes his glasses higher up the bridge of his nose and strokes his gray beard, narrowing his green eyes as he catches sight of us.
“James? Is that you?”
“Hey, Smeid,” James greets him. “Is this how you welcome old friends at your home?”
Smeid jerks his head over his shoulder, ushering Jukes to step back. Jukes’s face transforms into that of a kid who just got his candy taken away. The beast sulks into the crowd and towers over everyone as he looks on from a distance.
“Sorry kid, I didn’t know you ran with such a pathetic crowd now. What are you doing with the Lost Boys?”
James drags Mateo to his feet, agony still etched over his face. Riley and Wendi rush to Mateo, supporting their rattled leader.
“Can we talk about this in private?” James asks, stepping out from the others.
Smeid nods. “Anything for you, son.”
Smeid genuinely appears like he cares for James. He gestures for the crowd to part and let them through. He’s respected on this floating junkyard.
“Hey, what about my merchandise?” the angry shopkeeper shouts.
Smeid turns to him, brow furrowed. “Take your business elsewhere if you have a grievance. Oh, wait, there is nowhere else. Though I’m sure Harris would gladly confiscate your high-traffic location.”
The merchant lowers his eyes and purses his lips. He quietly returns to his shop, tail between his legs.
“Come on now,” Smeid says, waving James forward.
“Settle down,” Arya calls, inching her way to James’s side. “We all need to talk to you.”
Smeid tilts his head at her, then looks over our crew. “I didn’t know the Lost Boys were recruiting more girls. Doesn’t that make the name rather moot?”
“I’m not a Lost Boy. I’m Arya.”
“Oh right.” He nods slowly in recognition. “I know you. You’re the girl that nearly killed Commander Thacher. That day changed him. Changed Nerissa, too.”
“It changed all of us,” I say.
Smeid twists to me and his eyes widen. “My crew said you’d boarded the ship, but I didn’t believe them. I told them Pan would have to be stupid to set foot on my boat again. That he knows I banned him and his obsessed quest for what’s-her-name.”
“You know her name,” I say lowly. “But that’s not why we’re here.”
“I’m glad James is here, and, actually, it’s good to see her, too.” Smeid points to Arya. “But you? No, no, no. You’re not welcome. You bring nothing but trouble my way.”
James walks forward, cutting off my view of the portly man. “Smeid, I need your help, and they’re with me. Can we talk in private? Please?”
“Oh, James,” Smeid sighs. “You’re family. If you’re asking, then how can I say no?”
“Thank you,” James says.
“Wendi,” Mateo calls, “go to the Tiger Lily and tell the others to hold hard until we get back.”
“Cyrus is going to be ticked,” she warns, looking at the red tent to the right. “He was hoping for some R and R.”
“Can you tell the Sisters to stay put, too?” Arya asks Wendi.
She offers her a soft smile. “Sure,” she says before heading to the dock ladders.
“Let’s move, children,” Smeid calls, waving us over.
Mateo holds his ribs, but can keep up with us, not taking his eyes off Jukes. We make our way to a rusty stairwell near the back of the vessel’s sprawling deck. Jukes trails a few paces behind us, arms folded over his broad chest. Smeid leads us down the creaky stairs, zigzagging down several flights. A musky scent fills my nose the deeper we descend, and a rattling of footsteps echoes off the walls as we reach the bottom.
Smeid grabs the handle of a metal hatch as we reach the end of a short hall. A lanky man with a small pistol at his hip stands guard outside the entrance. He nods to Smeid and then turns to study us, spending extra time on Arya.
James walks ahead of the guard, towering over him. “You see something you like?”
The man huffs, but returns to his post without saying a word.
“This way kids,” Smeid urges from inside.
We walk in and a cool, dull grey room opens before us. Old, and most likely broken, operation consoles line the back wall. Junk spills over the floor—probably goods for trading. James is the first in, following Smeid to what appears to be a recreation area just to the side of this main space. Dull, torn couches line the back walls, and a pool table fills the center of the room.
Smeid gestures to the couches. “Sit.”
We file in and plop down on the plush seating. I take an end chair furthest from Smeid’s beady gaze. James and Arya sit unnecessarily cozy with each other on their couch. That leaves an opening next to me for Mateo. Just wonderful. He sits and leans on the armrest, trying to remain as far away from me as possible. His wincing as he twists against his injury does give me a fragment of pleasure, though.
Smeid paces in front of the pool table as Jukes leans on the entrance frame, face in full scowl mode. “It’s been far too long,” Smeid says, looking at James. “I heard you’re a lieutenant now?”
“I’m not with the Syndicate anymore,” he replies. “I’m done with them.”
“Well, it’s about damn time. How’s your dad handling that?”
Jame
s sits up, hunching over and resting his elbows on his knees. “I don’t know. It just… happened. It doesn’t matter if they think I defected or have been captured. Nerissa has him on a short leash, so I’m sure she’s hiding it from him.”
Smeid sits on top of the torn felt of the pool table. It creaks as the visible extra pounds he’s added since our last meeting strain the table’s aging legs. He glances over to me and frowns, as if he forgot I was still here.
He nods at me. “Why is this one here? Nothing nice comes when he’s around.”
Arya pulls herself up to perch on the edge of the couch. “He’s here because I want him to be, you understand? Without him, we have considerably lower odds of success.”
“Success in doing what?” Smeid asks, shifting his attention to her.
“Taking out the Sea Witch—making this region of the NeverSea safe again.”
Smeid chuckles like someone is tickling him, his arms wrapping his round belly. He jerks his head back in a cackle then returns his sights to Arya. “This cute little ragtag bunch of misfits is planning to take Nerissa out? And what, you’re here to get me to giveaway the location of Neverland, right?”
“Smeid, how long do you think you have until Nerissa decides your operation here is no longer in her best interest?” James asks. “She had us watching you, keeping tabs on your dealings.”
Smeid’s good humor drains away, leaving him frowning back at us. “Well, that’s not good. You could’ve told me that before I invited you into my home.”
“You’re not going to get a better chance than this,” I tell him. “I would accept it if I were you before she gets bored with you and destroys this place.”
“Quiet, flying pixie-boy!” he snaps, then holds his chin, pondering what he’s hearing.
“He’s right,” Mateo adds, most likely dying a bit inside at having to agree with me. “We took out one of their fleets when they attacked us. They’re not at full strength.”
The room goes quiet. Smeid looks to Jukes, who fidgets at the exit, then slides off the pool table and resumes pacing around it. “This is stupid … but if you can prove to me with your vessel’s logs that her fleet is truly weakened, then I guess we’re in business. She’s been restricting my incoming shipments for weeks. It’s getting harder and harder to live the life I’ve become accustomed to.” He looks at me and furrows his brow. “Maybe it’s time to expand my operation to Neverland under a new management.”
“Thank you, Smeid,” James says. “It’s the human thing to do.”
“Give me a week or so and I’ll get affairs in order,” Smeid replies.
“We don’t have a week,” Arya insists. “She destroyed the Sanctuary. She knows James and the Lost Boys have nowhere to go but here. We must act now.”
I stand and fold my arms, staring directly at Smeid. “You get me there, and I’ll rip the Syndicate apart ship by ship.”
Chapter 17
Arya
Ugh. We’ve been here for hours circling round and around with potential ideas. I drop my chin to my chest and roll my eyes. Hopefully no one saw.
I lift my head to find Peter staring at me. He winks at me. He saw.
“I still think we’d be better off taking out the research vessel,” Mateo argues. “Get Nerissa at the heart.”
“If we knew where that was, then you’d be correct,” Smeid says. “But we don’t. My contact is on Neverland, not the research facility, so I can only get that information. And the longer we give Nerissa an opportunity to regroup, the lower our odds of success become.” He sighs. “As much as I hate to admit it, Peter’s right. Neverland is Nerissa’s baby, so smoking her out through that is our best choice now.”
“Plus,” I say to Mateo, “we can’t waste time with Tug captured.”
The room goes silent at the mention of Tug’s name. I think we've all been avoiding bringing it up until now.
Mateo flops back in his seat, defeated, rubbing at his furrowed brow. “I just worry Pan is only in this for Neverland and his Lily. If the going gets tough, he can hightail it out of there much easier than the rest of us could.”
Peter jumps to his feet. “Look, I’m sorry. I’m sorry for everything. I was a jerk.”
“Yeah, you are,” Mateo mutters under his breath.
“I feel awful about Tug. That’s one great kid, and he doesn’t deserve anything bad happening to him.”
Mateo scoffs. “It doesn’t seem like you feel awful. You come on Smeid’s ship, and you looked more worried about your stupid robot than you did about Tug. I saw you.”
“Tink?” Peter crosses his arms. “How was I supposed to know I'd find her?”
“I just see how easily distracted you are,” Mateo says.
“Mateo,” James says in a calm voice. “Listen, I’m aware you don’t trust me either, but we are all working together. We need to be a team. In the end, we all want the same result: to stop the Syndicate from forcing mutations on people.”
Pride at James’s words swells in my chest. He wants what I want.
“We can do it,” I insist. “The Sisters and I have spent two years tracking her and trying to figure out how to take out her systems, but we weren’t big enough. With the Lost Boys and Smeid’s assistance, I’m confident we can do it, taking the fight to Neverland.”
“Okay,” Mateo relents.
“Well, I can’t get any of this done before I hear back from my contact, anyway,” Smeid says. “And she generally doesn’t get back to me until well after dinner. Once I hear about the next step, I’ll get in touch with each of you. Hopefully we can start out first thing in the morning. In the meantime, you kids might as well get some R and R up top.”
“Can we inform the rest of our crew that they can disembark?” I ask, knowing the girls will be excited to stretch their legs.
Smeid nods and glances over at Jukes, hovering in the doorway. “Yes, but if they plan to do more than browsing, they’ll require credits or a trade. No freeloaders.”
“Hey,” Peter whines, throwing up his hands. “I planned on paying for Tink. Somehow.”
“Yeah,” Mateo scoffs, “by mooching off one of us.”
Peter opens his mouth to speak, but then snaps it shut and shrugs.
“Fine, no problem,” I say to Smeid. “Thank you for your hospitality.”
Part of me is jumping to get going to Neverland, to get this over with. But the other part of me is happy to take a breather. I snap my gaze to James and gesture for him to follow me. I’d like to get away from Peter and the boys for a bit.
James smiles and stands. “Yes, Smeid, we’re grateful you’re willing to help us. And to put everyone up for the night.”
“My pleasure, James.” Smeid walks over and clasps him on the shoulder. “It’s been too long.”
“It has.” James turns to me. “Let’s let the Scylla know what’s happening, then check this place out. See what old Smeid has to offer.”
Smeid thwacks James on the arm with a fake punch and laughs. “You two get outta here.”
“Are you heading up, Peter?” I figured he’d be out of here in a flash as soon as the meeting was over, but for some reason he’s not. Maybe he’s trying to keep an eye on Mateo or something, since he’s still sulking in the corner about not getting his way, even though he knows it’s the right choice.
“I’ll be up in a minute,” he answers.
“Don't forget to tell the boys they can come on board.
“I will,” Mateo and Peter say in unison and immediately throw glares back at each other.
James tugs me on the arm and, for now, I go with it. R&R is pretty rare for me, so I shouldn’t waste the gift.
The two of us race up the stairs to the main deck. At the top, a salty breeze blows over my face. Never have I been so glad to take in a lungful of fresh air. I pull out the band holding back my hair, close my lids, and allow the wind to flow through the strands.
When I open them again, James is staring at me.
“
What?” I ask.
A sweet smile overtakes his face, lighting up his ocean blue eyes. “Nothing,” he laughs. “Now let the Scylla know what’s going on.”
A school of fish flit in my stomach. All I want to do is hang out with James.
“How about if I go fill them in while you steal a look around? I need to do more than filling them in, actually … finding us someplace to eat. I’ll meet you in a few hours.”
“I can stay with you,” James offers, the sparkle in his eyes fading slightly.
My legs get all jelly-like, and my heart shouts please do, but my heart’s not in charge right now.
“No," I say. "I’m their captain, and I should start acting like it.”
James nods. “I’ll see what I can dig up. These ships are always full of information. But what do you say to an early dinner?”
“Yeah, in a bit. That will give me enough time with the Sisters. See you soon.”
I turn to go, and James grabs my hand. At his touch, energy bursts in my chest and I round toward him again.
“Looking forward to it,” he whispers.
I release his grasp, my pulse racing, and return to the Scylla. My mind is on overdrive. The walk back to my ship is a blur, and I’m not really in the mood for the little comments I’ll get from the girls about the daze James has me in.
The Sisters are more receptive to the plan than I thought they might be.
“You know we’re behind you,” Derya assures me.
I flick my eyes to Una. She shakes her head. “Even I knew it was going to come to more than tiny battles. We can’t let Nerissa have the run of this world, and if it takes a war to stop her, then it takes a war.”
Marin and Talise agree. I push off any thoughts that war also means loss. Not only am I risking my own life, but the lives of my Sisters.
“We have to dock here for the night,” I inform them. “Smeid won’t get his intel about Neverland’s location until later, so that means you all can disembark. You know what you can bring to trade.”
NeverSea: Echoes of the Lost (Book One) Page 11
