The captain called orders to the men, who began messing with the sails and ropes and things. Below, Tam pointed something out to Davi. Wendy couldn’t tell what they were looking at, aside from the northeastern edge of Jocestria, thatis. As the ship slowed to navigate around a number of sea stacks that were on the smallish end of the pointy-rocks-sticking-out-of-the-ocean spectrum (but would still ruin a ship’s day), she scanned the shore. Nothing stood out and nobody waited.
The sun dipped below the tree line as they dropped anchor in an inconspicuous inlet. Rocks of varying sizes littered a beach that abruptly fell into deep water, allowing theJolly Rogerto rest close enough for Wendy to worry about the hull scraping against the boulders. Her fears were eased when wicker contraptions attached to ropes were hung over the sides to act as buffers.
“There’s the signal, Cap’n James!” Davi called.
“Thank you.” James nodded to the boy, then told Cooper and Smee to stay on board with Davi. The youngest crew member made a disgruntled face but kept his comments to himself.
“Mücahit, Raghu, Maaka. You three are on Wendy duty. Don’t let any of Sophus’ men too close.”
She reached out to snag his arm. “I thought you trusted this man.”
“I do. To a point.” He covered the hand she had on his sleeve. “But you are a beautiful woman, and I can’t vouch for all of his men.”
His words were matter-of-fact, but Wendy’s face still warmed at the sincerity in his eyes. “Oh. Thank you.”
He nodded. She followed him with her eyes as he clambered down the rope ladder they were using in place of the gangplank. It had wooden rungs and looked easy when he did it, but she was grateful when Maaka went down next, because both men held the ladder from the bottom for her turn. The assurance that either of them could catch her if she slipped buoyed her confidence. She made it safely to the rocks and waited with Maaka as the other men joined them one by one.
The captain led his group across the narrow, stone-strewn beach to the woods that grew close to the water’s edge. Appearing from the gloom settling amongst the trees, a smiling man with a deep tan and a graying beard stepped forward. Several more men hung back at the forest’s edge. Wendy tried not to stare at his substantial nose and ended up gawking at the jagged line on the side of his face.
“Oh, ya like it?” He gestured to the gruesome scar at his temple. “Courtesy of Peter Pan. Just one more thing he needs to answer for.” The man’s grin was gregarious.
Something about him set alarm bells ringing in Wendy’s head. Her intuition screamed at her not to trust this man, though she couldn’t have articulated why if pressed.
“Hook! Are you going to introduce me to this specimen of female perfection?”
James folded his arms, leaving his hook visible atop his bicep. He nodded from Wendy to the contact. “Wendy, this is Sophus. Sophus, Wendy.”
“Captivating,” the man pronounced. Reminiscent of a snake strike, his hand darted out to claim hers. He placed a kiss on the back of her hand before she had time to refuse, then released her promptly, turning to wave his men forward. Any complaints she made now would come off as needlessly whiny. She scrubbed the back of her hand against her dress. Tam hid his smile behind his hand. She winked at him, and he tried to wink back.
“We have a lot to talk about this time.” Sophus beamed at their group. “My men have prepared a table. Let’s eat!”
The crew of theJolly Rogertrailed their captain as he strode confidently after the middle-aged man with thick eyebrows and over-the-top affability. The “table” was a collection of boards supported by a mix of crates and barrels in a clearing surrounded by tall trees. Several lanterns spaced along the setup provided illumination, and a number of long benches lined each side.
“Let me introduce the men I brought with me, your loveliness.” Sophus wagged the thick caterpillars posing as eyebrows on his forehead.
Wendy’s smile was tight.
He clapped a hand on the shoulder of a tall man with squinty eyes. “This is Mergen. Over there, you’ve got Berach.” A pink-faced man nodded. “Min-Jun is the north sentinel. Wave, Min-Jun!”
The rest of the names were lost on her as he pointed out the other two guards and began droning on about who he left on the ship, who had stayed in the town where the food waspurchased, and who he wished was still a part of the crew. Her ears were buzzing, but she thought someone named Karan had left to get married or something safer than pretending to be a Peter loyalist.
During the recitation of every crew member Sophus had ever sailed with, the two groups found seats at the table and began dishing out the food. James and Raghu bracketed Wendy while Maaka and Mücahit sat across from them. Their host sat beside Maaka. In between stories, he praised Wendy’s appearance, decorum, and general existence. When he leaned behind Maaka to address one of his crew further down the table, she shivered, rubbing her hands up and down her arms.
“What’s wrong?” James asked, not turning his head and barely moving his lips.
She followed his lead, keeping her eyes on her plate. “I don’t like him.”
“What’s to dislike about a man who compliments you extravagantly?” he teased.
She gave him a look from under her lashes and pinched his leg. James couldn’t react because Sophus faced them again.
The man set down his utensils and rubbed his hands together. “It’s time.”
James seemed to grasp his meaning. “You think so?”
“I know so,” Sophus stated. “Now is the time to take down Peter Pan.”
“But he just killed another Lost Boy,” Wendy objected. “Isn’t he stronger now?”
