“Give me a dagger, and I’ll show you.”
He looked her up and down, the rounded edge of his hook tapping against his chin. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
Laughter and joyful squeals rolled across the calm swells to their rowboat, a sharp contrast to the crack of lightning at their backs. Tink kept looking over her shoulder, expecting the storm to draw closer, but it never moved, as if an invisible wall held itat bay. An element of the merfolk’s curse, Hook said, protecting their lagoon from the effects of their own wrath.
Crystal blue, clear skies stretched above, with the sun shining down bright and hot on their backs. As they edged around an outcropping of rock, the merfolk came into view—lounging on the rocks, playing in the water. A few leaned on the wooden dock that thrust out from the beach, where several humans gathered with them. Crew members of theSiren,no doubt.
A mermaid, or possibly a merman—it was hard to tell the difference, with so much of them hidden under the water—popped their head out of the water near the boat. Pale-pink hair decorated with small shells trailed down over dark shoulders. A high-pitched giggle chimed out between pointed fangs. “Come to play?”
Hook stood up and edged to the side of the boat. “Captain Hook.” He tipped his hat to the mermaid. “Come to see Queen Titania.”
Tink blinked away her surprise. Hook wasted no time.
The mermaid let out a dramatic sigh. “We shall see.” Without another word, they vanished into the sea, barely a ripple in their wake.
Sailors gathered near the end of the pier as the rowboat approached carrying Hook, Tink, Smee, and a handful of Hook’s crew.
“Captain Hook!” a woman bellowed from the end of the pier. She wore a wide-brimmed hat with dark curls billowing down around her shoulders. A few streaks of silver colored her hair, but the woman stood with all the strength and confidence of youth. “I hear it’s you we have to thank for this storm.”
“Happy to oblige, Cressida.” Hook thumped a booted foot onto the edge of the boat and swept a dramatic bow in her direction.
“That’s Captain Cressida. Don’t forget it.” Her reminder wasn’t a true threat, more a good-natured jab. It was clear Hook hada reputation with this other crew, and not all of it bad. Even without the title, her stance and lavish attire marked Cressida’s rank on theSiren. Her boots shone with polish and her breeches lacked any holes or patches. Even the jacket she wore over a billowing shirt cut a flattering shape, as if it had been tailored specifically for her—gold buttons, silver stitching, and all.
“Wouldn’t dream of it, love,” Hook said with a grin.
Tink frowned. Just as quickly, she shook the expression away. Who cared if he called every woman in Neverland “love”? He didn’t mean it. Not when he said it to her, and likely not to anyone else.
Cressida’s crew lounged in the sun or flirted with the merfolk, mermaids and mermen alike. A few others lingered onshore. Common behavior, she supposed, though one thing struck her as out of the ordinary.
“Is all her crew women?” she asked.
Smee smiled, a wistful, faraway look in his eyes. “Aye. TheSirenboasts the fairest crew on the seas.”
Hook turned away from the dock as they neared and lowered his voice. “Do trynotto get too friendly with them this time.”
“And the merfolk?” Smee gazed toward mermaids at play. Both male and female dressed alike—no clothes to speak of other than shells or seaweed as decorations. The mermaids often chose not to cover their chests as many races did.
Hook slid a narrow-eyed look at Sage. “I do believe last time two mermen got a little upset…”
Sage messed with the end of her brown braid. “Don’t look at me.”
He let out a dramatic sigh.
“Captain?” Smee asked again, a note of pleading in his voice.
“Fine. If you must.”
Smee’s countenance brightened considerably.
Cressida appraised Tink as she climbed onto the dock. “Adding more women to your crew.” She smiled. “About time.”
Hook edged in front of her. “Don’t go trying to recruit her away from me now.”
Cressida laughed and tossed her curly, dark locks behind her. “Protective. How…unlike you.”
The mermaid who’d met their boat popped their head back out of the water. “She’ll meet you.”
Tink’s gaze traveled across the lagoon to a lone outcropping of rock in shallow water. Bright-colored coral in pinks and oranges clung to its base, peeking out from the water each time the tide receded—Queen Titania’s audience rock. Tink had met her there weeks ago to deliver the necklace she’d stolen from Hook. An odd fluttering filled her chest. How many pixies could say they’d met the merfolk’s queen at all, much less twice? Perhaps they’d write about her in the pixie histories, if she could ever get the scale of Leviathan, return it to the merfolk, use the enchanted pearl they offered, and fix her bracelet so she could return home and tell the tale.
