When they sit, he pulls me down next to him, the two factions facing each other. That’s an odd way for me to think about it—me being part of Hook’s faction. But I suppose I am. I still intend to get that fairy dust and find a way home, but I can admit that I’ve felt more at ease here with this fearsome pirate crew than I have anywhere else. Even … even on the mainland, though that’s hard for me to reconcile.
“Let’s get down to it.” Shiner crosses one leg over the other.
“Shiner’s right.” Tiger Lily settles back against the leather sofa, and Hook slings his arm behind me. Hook begins, “Well, as I see it, Princess, we both have a problem. One that’s gotten so big we can’t ignore it any longer. The island’s magic is being siphoned off by the parasite known as Peter Pan. If we ever want to see the sun rise over Neverland again, we have to stop him. If we work together, I don’t see why we couldn’t bring the fairies, mermaids, and more to our side. But we need to be a solid front on this. I’ve already spoken to Blackbeard and the other pirate captains, kings, and queens. They fear the darkness spreading to all their territories—and they’re right to be afraid. The sun no longer rises over Blackbeard’s Cay. The blight on Neverland has to end,and I’m more than happy to be the one who strikes the killing blow.” His plea ends on a dark note. It’s clear he means to end Peter by any means necessary.
I don’t know how I feel about that. He’s not a good person. There’s no way around that fact—not after what he did to me, and not after what he’s done to the Lost Boys. But does he deserve to die?
Tiger Lily folds her hands in her lap. “I understand your concerns. But you seem to have left out an important part of why the magic here is fading.” She gives him a pointed look. “You are the one who set off the decline. If you recall, you came to me. You asked me for my blessing to enter the sacred cave beneath the NeverTree.”
Hook shifts, his arm draping across my shoulders.
“You heard my refusal, and then you began a fray that led to losses on both sides.”
“Aye.” He nods. “I remember just fine, Tiger Lily. I also remember soon after that you sneaking onto the Jolly Roger with a mind to slit my throat.”
“Becauseyoustill intended to violate the cave despite my decree,” she shoots back. “And then you left me on Marooner’s Rock for the mermaids to devour.” Her ire rises, coloring her throat and cheeks a deep pink. “Petersaved me from that fate.”
His grip on me tightens. “Back then, sure. That Peter probably did something cocky and foolhardy to save you from the death I designed. ButthisPeter?” He shakes his head. “He’s changed, Tiger Lily. You know that.”
“He’s become more like you—taking what he wants, refusing offers of friendship, ignoring the consequences of his own actions.” Her words have bite.
Shiner and I exchange a look, but she gives nothing away. She doesn’t have to. I know she’d defend Tiger Lily to her last breath.
“You blame him for the island’s darkness, butyouare the one who set it in motion.” She tangles her fingers together. “This began because you went into the cave and bargained with the soul of the island. Whatever it gave you created the imbalance. It was a festering wound until Peter committed the same sin. Now, it’s tearing Neverland apart. Make no mistake, Captain, I blame both of you.”
I look at Hook from the corner of my eye. His jaw is tight, his face a grim mask. I don’t know what he’s thinking, but it’s certainly not about reconciliation and finding common ground over a meal. Not anymore.
“I did what I did. I make no apologies for it.” He sounds every bit the fierce pirate of legend, violence dripping from his words. “I will do whatever the island demands of me to repair the damage I’ve caused. You know that. I’ve asked to return to the sacred cave, but you’ve refused your blessing again and again. I will not venture there without it.”
Tiger Lily pins him with an icy glare. “You won’t have it. Not after what you’ve done. I can’t trust you.”
They fall silent, each of them staring daggers at each other. We wait for a long while, the sounds of the violin and someone singing floating in from the back garden. The pirates and the Guardians out there are getting along far better than the ones in this room.
Finally, I clear my throat. “Let me just go over the minutes of the meeting to see if we can move forward, okay?” Shiner nods encouragingly, but Hook and Tiger Lily are still engaged in their standoff. “Hook did a bad thing by going to talk with the island about a request. Is that right?”
“Yes,” Tiger Lily says through tight lips.
“And that was the beginning of the end for the sunshine and maybe some other magical things?”
“Right,” Shiner agrees.
“But then Peter went and did the same bad thing—asking the island for something—and that threw it off even more. Which has now led to the island’s magic fading, missing Guardians and fairies, the creepy shadow children, and the forever night.”
“And the terror at the full moon,” Shiner adds. “It was dangerous before, but each full moon brings the whole island a little closer to …” She looks up, searching for a word.
“The island is going feral. Bit by bit. Soon, it won’t allow Lost Boys, fairies, or even Guardians to survive here.” Tiger Lily sighs.
“I believe your minutes are correct, lass.” Hook squeezes my shoulder, his hand warm against me. “But there are a few things I’d like to add. I think the shadows are entirely Peter’s doing.”
“How so?” Tiger Lily asks.
“It’s a theory, one I can’t prove. But ever since I visited the cave, Peter and the Lost Boys began to age far faster than any of the rest of us here. Tiger Lily, you look the same as the day of our first duel, the time when you tried to carve out my liver.”
Tiger Lily nods. “I would have done it, too, if it weren’t for Smee running through the forest and screaming so shrilly that I thought there might be a child in danger.”
I let out a small snort, then cover my nose with my hand. “Sorry,” I say. “I just kind of hate that guy.”
“Can’t stand him. He looks like he enjoys counting things and arranging them in neat little rows.” Shiner wrinkles her nose. “What sort of person enjoys that?”
