Page 62 of Lost Starlight
“Mercy? You begmefor mercy? What a codfish you are,” Dominick scoffed. He looked at the crew. “The dreadful Captain Veeto asks for mercy! How do you feel about your cowardly captain?” There were mumbles, but mostly the crew members kept silent. “Oh, your Captain Hook, as he has most recently renamed himself, I see.” Dominick kicked the hook with his boot.
“Wait–” Veeto whined.
“Do not worry. I have an even worse fate waiting for you than that of torture,” Dominick said, turning back to Captain Veeto. “You may have taken my life from me, tried to manipulate me, use me as a tool, but I am not you, and I do not torture or kill, even though it is incredibly warranted in this case.”
“Still weak,” Veeto spat. He seemed to have lost his need for self-preservation.
“Still strong,” Dominick said. Dominick then called out to his ship, which drifted alongside Veeto’s, and his crew came aboard and began tying up the pirates.
Before I could stop it, Captain Veeto pulled a knife from his boot and moved to stab Dominick. As I flew over to help, Dominick was even quicker. He turned and slid his sword straight through Veeto’s chest.
“Or I will end you here,” he growled, picking Veeto up and throwing him over the side of the ship. “So be it then.”
“Dominick!” I said, landing beside him. His chest rose and fell quickly as he stared into the water. Bubbles floated up, and after a few moments, we were sure. The wretched man had met his end once and for all.
“I did not wish to—I tried–not to–” Dominick said with heavy breaths.
“You offered him mercy. I saw it. But you cannot force mercy on someone if they will not take it. He deserves his fate.”
“Were you able to get all the lost boys off the ship?” Dominick asked, still looking into the sea.
“Yes, Meria and all the boys left a while ago. They are all safe.”
He nodded and wiped his sword on the railing of the ship.
“Are you well, brother?” I asked.
“As long as he can never hurt anyone again, I am well enough,” Dominick answered.
“It is over. He is gone,” I said, patting him on the back. “I just have to find that one pesky pixie aboard this ship, and I will meet you back on Pixie Isle.”
“Well done, brother,” Dominick said, placing his arm over my shoulder, giving me a squeeze.
“Well done to you, too. I only annoyed him for a time,” I said, bumping into his shoulder.
“You are really good at that.”
“I am not sure if that is meant as a compliment.”
“In this instance, it is,” he said.
Chapter Thirty
Gwendolyn
Present Day
“Peter!” I climbed off of the rock I had been sitting on while a few of the lost boys showed me the small sea creatures that were stranded in some pools of water after the tide went out. Once I saw the sight of Peter flying toward us, I moved closer. The larger boy, named Bear, came over to watch Peter descend right before me with a pixie beside him.
The pixie with him flew right over to Bear, tinkling.
“Tink! Peter saved you?” Bear asked with a grin.
“She was hidden in the captain's quarters. She couldn't even fly, so I had to give her some of the extra pixie dust I had on me.”
“Peter, Peter hero! Hero! Hero!” The pixie chimed.
“Thank you for rescuing her, Peter,” Bear said softly. Peter smiled. Bear held out his hand, and the small pixie stepped on top of it. I watched for a few moments as Bear walked away toward the water while having a conversation with the pixie.
