After a failed attempt to coax her out with a piece of cheese, he sought Eliza’s aid. “Something’s wrong with Belle,” he said to her. “She’s retreated to her dollhouse, and when I try to speak with her, she refuses to emerge. Not even to eat with me at dinner.”
“What did you do to her?” Eliza asked.
James blinked. “I did nothing.”
“Perhaps she is homesick. Give her time, James.”
“Perhaps,” he said, unconvinced. “Just the same, would you speak with her?”
“If she’s mad at you, she’ll hardly speak to me while you’re here.”
“She isn’t mad. Trust me. She’d be bright as an ember. She’s… she’s very sad, and there’s nothing I can do to help her,” he admitted in defeat. “Just speak with her, and I’ll leave.”
It went against everything in his heart to go, but he was at a loss for what to do. What mattered most was that someone could talk to Belle, even if that someone wasn’t him. After squeezing Eliza’s hand, he left the cabin and stepped into the balmy, tropical air.
Outside his room, life seemed so normal. Days among the islanders had rejuvenated the crew, providing the pleasant downtime they’d been denied by having to set sail early from Ankirith. Of the few men who remained aboard the ship, a handful had collected on the deck for drinking games with overflowing cups of ale with small glasses of dark, island rum plunked into the bottom of the mugs.
“Join us for a drink, Cap’n?” a pirate called out.
“Or a game!” called another.
“We’ve ’bout got the stores refreshed.”
“No thanks, Brody.”
Many bewildered stares followed him to the rail, and a single hushed whisper reached his ears. “What’ve they done to the captain? He never turns down a drink.”
And they were right. He should have joined them, but Belle’s misery soured his taste for alcohol and celebration. All he wanted, all he longed for, was to soothe the weeping woman in his room.
“I’m off for a swim and a walk.” Maybe the exertion would help clear his mind and set his worries aside, at least for a time. James kicked off his boots and pulled off his shirt, then set his cutlass and pistol on the pile. It wasn’t a far swim, and the waters in the bay had calmed to a crystalline, glittering plane beneath the sun.
“We’ll keep an ear out for when you come back,” Brody called.
James dived off the side into the cool waters. Without surfacing, he kicked and stroked, putting distance between himself and the Jolly Roger before the need for air forced him upward. It only took a few minutes of swimming before his feet found sand beneath them and he slogged his way through the surf to the wet sand. His pants clung to his legs, heavy with water, but he knew it would only be a matter of time before the sun dried them. Slicking his hair back from his face, he wandered up the beach and considered whether or not he wanted to go into the settlement, but ultimately veered away from the path. With so many heavy thoughts on his mind, he wanted to be alone.
Belle’s sorrow mirrored the turmoil he held in his own heart. With the days of leisure rapidly coming toward an end, he dreaded the day they would reach Cairn Ocland and begin the trip to her home. No matter what he told her or himself, he wasn’t ready to watch her leave.
The only options ahead of him held no appeal. He could leave the Jolly Roger and stay with Belle, but it would mean giving up a life he loved and abandoning the people who relied on him.
But if he remained with the Jolly Roger, he’d lose Belle. It didn’t matter her small stature, he cared for her all the same. Her smiles brightened his days and had renewed the dimming fire within him. When he thought of Rapunzel, he no longer experienced the heartache and remorse, only a quiet regret that he’d never been able to say goodbye and a hope that her life was a good one.
“Hey, wait for me!”
James paused midstep and twisted around to see Peter racing toward him. The boy skidded to a halt and grinned up at him, eyes bright with merriment and cheeks flushed red from exertion.
“Joining me for a walk?” James asked.
“If you don’t mind,” Peter replied as he fell into step beside him. “I was hoping to see you again, but you’ve been so busy.”
“Loading everything back onto the ship is quite the chore,” James said with a quiet laugh. “Why? What did you need to see me about?”
“Well…” Peter wrung his hands together and took a few deep breaths, as though building up his courage. “You’re leaving again soon, right?”
“In a few days, yes. I’ve promised to get Belle home. She’s been away for far too long, and her family is certainly worried about her.”
“Was she lost?”
“In a way. Like you, she was captured and put on a ship to be sold.”
Peter frowned. “That’s awful. But at least you saved her.”
“We did, yes. By the way, how’s Tootles? I haven’t been over to Callum’s yet.” The mage and his wife had decided to adopt Tootles into their family.
“He seems happy. Quiet as a mouse, though.”
The description fit, but hearing the boy was adjusting took a load off his heart. “I’ll be sure to stop by and check up on him. I’m also glad you’ll be here to help him out after we leave.”
“Oh, well, um…”
James’s brows drew together. “Is something the matter?”
“I want to join your crew,” Peter said in a rush.
James stopped short. In hindsight, the request shouldn’t have surprised him, but all the same he studied the boy with concern. “Peter, our life isn’t like the fanciful stories you like to tell.”
“I know. It’s a lot of hard work, and it can be dangerous, but I want to be like you. I want to go out there and help other lost boys and girls get away from the monsters.”
“What about the boys and girls here? They all look up to you.”
“Nah, they don’t need me,” Peter said, ducking his head to hide his blush. “Not really. They all have families now, and they all love Tiger Lily.”
“What about the family you stay with?” James asked.
“I live in the tree house.”
“Peter—”
“I’m not bad, I promise,” the boy blurted. “I’m just restless, that’s all. I want to be out there with you on the Jolly Roger. I love the ship, James. Please? I’m only asking for one chance.”
It was on the tip of his tongue to deny him, but then James remembered how he’d been at that age. Young. Eager. Hungry for adventure. Someone had taken a chance on him, so who was he to deny Peter that same chance?
“Pack what you need and tell your family. You can bunk with Smee if he’s not against the idea.”
A huge smile spread across the boy’s face, and he threw his arms around James’s waist, hugging him tight. “Thank you! I promise you won’t be disappointed.”
“I’m sure I won’t, but I want you to think on this in the meantime.” James looked down at the boy and met his gaze. “There’s no turning back once we’ve set sail. If you decide a few days in that you hate it, you’ll be stuck on board until we return here to Neverland.”
“I know, and I promise I won’t start to fuss.”
“Like I said, think on it over the next couple days. If you’re still resolved on joining us for the long voyage to Cairn Ocland, I’ll be glad to have you.”
“You’re the best, James. I mean… aye, aye, Captain Hook.”
Like a flash, Peter was off again, racing up the path to the town center. James watched him and chuckled, already feeling lighter in his heart. He only hoped Belle would soon experience the same.
* * *
Tink strained to eavesdrop on the two humans, but Eliza and James spoke in low voices too soft for even her hearing. It wasn’t until the door shut with a distinctive thump that she dared to draw back the curtains Cook had sewn for her. Instead of finding James, she peered at Eliza’s concerned face. The mage had taken a seat on the floor with he
r arms folded on the trunk where the cage sat.
“Where’s James?” Tink asked. She rubbed her slick cheeks with one wrist. Had he finally recognized her infatuation and sent Eliza to set her straight? Her cheeks burned hot.
“Gone for a walk.”
“Oh.”
“He says you haven’t been eating.”
“I’m not hungry.”
“Sure you don’t have room for your favorite fruit?” Eliza reached down to the satchel clipped to her belt and removed a single star-shaped berry. It glistened in the candlelight, ripe and swollen with sweet juice.
Tink’s belly rumbled. “I’m not hungry,” she lied again.
“Oh?” Eliza tossed the berry into her own mouth, and then the wicked woman removed an identical fruit from the same bag. “Dancing Willow plucked these herself for me, and I thought I’d share them with you, but if you’re not hungry…”
Hunger pains cramped Tink’s stomach, but her willpower endured. If she could turn down cheese, she could down turn anything. “Don’t want any.”
“Oh, okay,” Eliza said. Her subtle smile remained as she rifled through the sack and found another in a shade of purple, the largest yet. As it rose toward the pirate’s mouth, Tink flailed both hands and darted forward to take it. Eliza smirked. “I didn’t think you would resist for long.”
Tink settled on the edge of the trunk with the berry and bit into it. Juice dribbled down her chin despite her effort to appear ladylike and refined. Wasn’t that how James liked them? Refined and poised like Tiger Lily? Or even Eliza? All the women Tink had met since joining the Jolly Roger appeared to be graceful, whether they were mages, warriors, or the natives of Wai Alei.
“Now then, will you tell me what’s wrong? What troubles you, sweetling?”
Tink plucked the towel hung by the tiny dinner table and dipped it into the small barrel of fresh water to wash her sticky face. “I tried to become big, but… I couldn’t.”
Eliza’s eyes widened. “Why ever would you want that? And how did you try?”
“Doesn’t matter,” Tink mumbled. She kicked at a dust ball and stared at the floor. “I’m always gonna be tiny, and that’s all he’s going to see. His tiny little pet.”
“He? Do you mean James?” Eliza sucked in a sharp breath then leaned down, lowering her voice to a gentle whisper. “Belle, do you like James?”
She continued to stare stubbornly at her feet.
“You do.”
“What’s it matter to you?” Tink snapped. A red glow sparked down her wings, and she hated it, wishing her emotions weren’t always on display. For the first time in her life, she wished with all her tiny soul to be something she wasn’t for more than a passing, impulsive thought. The desire stayed with her and burned through her soul. “I can’t be big, so I’m not a threat.”
“Whoa now. Threat?” Eliza held up both hands, palms out. “What are you talking about?”
“I can’t steal him away from you.” Pressure built in her chest and hot tears gathered in her eyes while she waited for Eliza to begin laughing at her.
“Tinker Bell, James is his own man. You wouldn’t be stealing him from anybody.”
“But aren’t you…?” Tink sniffled and rubbed her cheeks. “I know you spend time with Dancing Willow, but when you came in… I thought… I worried you and James were…”
“James and I were what? Oh no, darling. No, no, no,” Eliza said in a rush. A minor shudder went through her, accompanied by an exaggerated gag. “He’s nothing more than a brother to me. We grew up together, you know.”
“He mentioned that. He said you were close.”
“And we are, but not that close. Not ever.” She offered out her hand and, once Tink hopped on her palm, raised the sprite to her eye level. “Have you told him?”
“What’s the use? I’m tiny. He’s big. The sea witch’s price was too high.” But now she was beginning to have doubts. Wouldn’t being with James make up for not having her wings? Not that it mattered. If what the witch said was true, she’d have to wait a full year for the chance to make the deal again.
Eliza studied her in silence for several moments. Tink paced across her palm, waiting for a lecture or the inevitable laughter. Neither one came. Instead, Eliza smiled.
“You know, there is more magic in this world than the sea witch,” the healer said.
“I know. Our queen is a sorceress, but even she can’t make me big, I’m sure.”
“Have you ever asked her?”
“Well… no.” Tink frowned. “I’ve never wanted to be until now. I’ve never needed to be. But what does it matter? She’s so far away.”
“Powerful your queen may be, but again, she isn’t the only source of magic in this world. In fact, there’s a shaman not far from Tiger Lily’s village. Ghost Hawk lives alone by choice and ventures into the town when it comes time to trade. The locals buy medicines and potions from him, and his price is never as steep as the sea witch. And if it is, it’s because it must be, not because he wants to prosper.”
Tink’s sour mood perked up. “Do you think he can help?”
“It doesn’t hurt to ask. So, what do you say? Will you come out now and stop hiding away in there? James has been distraught.”
“Distraught?” Tink echoed.
“Surely you’ve noticed. He’s been worried sick that you were ill, or even mad at him.”
“Oh no!” She fluttered up from Eliza’s hand, flashing between red and blue. “I don’t want him to think I’m mad at him.”
“Well, since he’s away, why don’t you go and see the shaman? Then you’ll be able to come back and talk to James knowing you tried. No more hiding out and crying in your room. Deal?”
“Deal.”
Chapter
BETWEEN INSTRUCTIONS FROM Eliza and some of the locals, Tink managed to find her way to the western marsh where the shaman had made his home. The house stood on stilts between two large willow trees, contrasting the homes in the main village by its dull exterior. Rocks jutting up from the water provided the only dry passage for anyone on foot, making Tink glad she could fly over the shallow water flooding the area.
“Hello?”
Instead of a door, thick hides hung over the entrance. Tink buzzed around and searched for a way inside, but she didn’t find any windows or chinks small enough for her to pass through.
“Hello,” she called out again. “Is anyone home?”
“I had a feeling you might wander down my way.” The deep, gravelly voice came from behind and below her.
Tink spun around. A thin figure with close-shorn gray hair emerged from the thick ferns a few feet away. He carried a pouch filled to the brim with mushrooms and plants slung over his shoulder.
“You understand me?”
The old man smiled, teeth bright within his dark face. “I understand you just fine. I’ve heard the townsfolk buzzing about the little glowing woman who arrived on Hook’s ship. My dreams told me you’d come my way, and here you are.”
“Really? You dreamed of me?”
His warm laugh put her at ease. “Sometimes the spirits see fit to tell me a thing or two. I see better in my dreams than in my old age.”
Drifting closer placed her at face level with him and revealed his cloudy, blind eyes. “I’m Tinker Bell.”
“Pleasure to meet you. You may call me Ghost Hawk, or simply Hawk if you like.”
Once Hawk moved past her, he ascended the steep ramp leading to the mouth of the hut. One gnarled hand held the wobbling rail while the other protected the overflowing contents of his bag.
“I can carry that up for you if you’d like,” she offered.
“Can you now? A small thing like you.”
“I might be small, but sprites are strong.”
“Then I’ll accept your kind offer.”
The bag was heavier than it appeared, and a peek inside revealed a thick layer of dirt and gnarled plant roots. A quick sprinkle of fairy dust from her beating wings ligh
tened the burden and allowed Tink to carry it to the makeshift door. The old man followed her to the top of the ramp.
“Please come inside,” he invited, sweeping back the heavy hides. “The bag goes on the table, if you would be so kind.”
Inside it was dark, and Tink provided the only light until Hawk clapped his hands, and a dozen candles lit at once. Their flickering luminescence revealed a tidy room filled with clay flasks on shelves, strange and frightening masks on the walls, books, maps, bowls filled with shells, and other odds and ends. Tink drifted over to one mask that reminded her of Conall’s wolven shape.
“Like my totems?”
“What do they do?” she asked.
“Do? Not much except hang there and scare my visitors.” His wide smile made his eyes crinkle at the corners. “But they allow me to focus and commune with the dream spirits.”
“Are they your gods?”
“In a sense, perhaps. Now, tell me, what has brought you to me?”
Tink abandoned the mask and fluttered over to the shaman. “I want to be big.”
“Big like what? A bird? Or perhaps as big as a tree?” he asked.
“No, big like a human. I want to live like them and see what it’s like.”
“Ah, I see.” He dipped his chin. “I have a feeling I’m not the first one you asked for this. What did Caecilia ask for, hmm?”
“Who?”
“The sea witch.”
“Oh… I didn’t know she had a name.”
“She had a whole other life, but that’s a story for another time, I think. So? What price did she give you?”
“She wanted to cut off my wings. You… you won’t ask to cut them off, too, will you?”
“I have no need for sprite wings, so they’re safe from me.”
“Good.” She blew out a relieved breath and ventured closer.
“As a human, however, you’d be without them until the spell wears off.”
“So, you can do it? You can make me big?”
Belle and the Pirate Page 16
