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TheJollyRogercreaksbeneath my boots as I stride across the deck, scanning the horizon. In the distance, the misty shores of Neverland peek through the clouds, taunting me like a fading dream. If we don’t get the sails up soon, the ship will get caught in the current and we’ll get sucked right into the reef.
Smee stands at the railing, loose strands from her braid swaying in the wind. I near her and something in her hand catches the light. It’s not until I’m at the rail next to her that I can make out what is. Her long fingers curl around the compass we retrieved from the merchant ship. The one that leads to Pan.
“What are you doing with that?” I ask, resting my arms on the wooden rail.
“Just wanted to make sure I was right.” She sighs, tilting the compass face toward me. “It’s not pointing to the mainland. It’s pointing to Neverland.”
“Maybe it’s out of range. It’s not a typical compass, Smee. Magic has limits. We might not be close enough to the mainland for it to work.”
Smee shrugs, then shakes her head like she’s at war with her own mind. “I don’t know... I looked at it while we waited for you, the day you entered the gauntlet. It wasn’t pointing toward the mainland then, either.”
There's a possibility that Pan left the mainland. If not then, he might’ve after hearing I won the gauntlet. It’s not like we have a tracking device on the god himself. We only knew he was hiding out on the mainland because we did locator spells that put him there. I know I haven’t had Lorian do one since my father died, seeing as we’ve been non-stop going since. I thought it was pointless until we were ready to go after him.
“Watch.” Smee moves to a few different spots on the deck, and each time the compass needle turns to point directly at Neverland.
From here, Neverland is shrouded in mist, with lush forests covering every inch of it. Towering mountains stretch towards the heavens, their jagged peaks daring to pierce the sky. It might look like a magical place, but the things that live there are far from enchanted. They’re monstrous.
“Maybe Pan fled when he heard you were entering the Gauntlet,” Smee suggests, a hint of sarcasm in her voice. “Or maybe someone has tampered with it. You said the witches you killed were with the compass. Maybe they messed with it.”
I narrow my eyes, considering her words. They might've manipulated it somehow, but why? Especially when it seems like the Crocodile wants me to find my shadow for some reason.
Before I can respond, movement on the horizon catches my attention. A blip comes out from behind the island. My heart plummets when I see crimson sails. It’s a ship, but it’s not just any ship. It’s the Crocodile’s.
Panic surges within me, and I whirl around to face Smee, to tell her she has to give orders, to get the men ready. Only she doesn’t appear to be fazed... like she was expecting him.
Slowly, she turns her gaze away from the Crocodile’s ship, empathy and sadness lacing her features. “I called him here with my element. We need his help.”
“Help?” I snarl, incredulous. “You brought our number one enemy to our doorstep for what? Fucking tea? I trusted you with the ship for one day, and this is what you do?”
“Sebastian, listen—” she begins, but I cut her off, my shadows flaring around me with the intensity of my emotions.
“Absolutely not,” I growl. “This is reckless and dangerous. You’ve put us all at risk! For what? What could we possibly need his help for, Smee?”
Smee pulls a piece of paper from her pocket, unfolding it carefully. “I wasn’t the only one to get a note on that merchant ship, Sebastian,” she says, handing it to me.
As I scan the words, my anger grows. According to the note, the Crocodile knows where my shadow is. He’s offering a deal—but at what cost? My grip tightens around the parchment, crumpling it in my fist.
“You don’t truly believe this, do you?” I hiss, rage boiling within me like molten lava. “What did you offer him?”
“I didn’t want to. Not at first, but then I saw the compass point away from the mainland,” Smee suggests, her voice calm despite the tension crackling between us.
“Scarlet,” I whisper, my mind racing with the implications of this twisted bargain. “This will involve her, won’t it?”
“Sebastian, I see the way you look at her,” Smee admits, her eyes softening just a little. “You won’t float her. You can’t. But she’s marked. If she stays, we’ll lose the ship. The men will riot.”
“Then what do you propose?” I snap, fighting the urge to scream at her again.
“Listen,” Smee continues. “The Crocodile might be willing to trade your shadow for Scarlet. She’s a princess, and she’s gifted. He works for her father. She might get to go back to her home in Solaria.”
I shake my head, disbelief coursing through me. “What? You’re just going to hand her over to those blood witches like some bargaining chip? No. Absolutely not.”
“We don’t have a choice. We’re backed into a corner here,” Smee says, tossing her arms up in the air.
“You don’t understand. She’s not a blood witch. Her father tortured her, trying to take that mark off. She’s not going back there or anywhere. End of story,” I protest, my heart aching at the thought of sacrificing Scarlet for any reason, certainly not for my shadow. I’d rather live without it.
“I’m sorry, but she’s marked. There are no mistakes. You know, just as much as I do, that she had to do sacrificial magic for that mark to stick.” Smee shouts in a hushed tone to not alert the others on the deck.
