Page 19 of A Descent Into Darkness

“I haven’t heard that name in a long time. It’d be best to keep my given name quiet, or you may attract visitors that neither of us are prepared to deal with, my friend,” Teach cautioned.

“The last time we spoke, I made it abundantly clear that you and I are no longer friends.”

“I think I know where it is, Mor.”

The woman’s palms slammed on the table as she pushed herself up from her seat. “You haven’t changed. And I told you before, I want nothing to do with it.”

Teach grabbed her wrist in his iron grip. “As I see it, you still owe me a favor and I am here to collect. Or does your bond mean nothing?” The two stared at each other in a tense stand-off until Mor finally took her seat. They both seemed to be oblivious to my presence. But I couldn’t let this opportunity pass me by.

“Captain, I… uh.” I’d meant to confront him. Finally call him out as a fae, but the words stuck in my throat. Teach and Mor turned to stare at me.

“This is new,” Mor started. “A human companion? Maybe I’ve misjudged you, Éadbard. Maybe you have changed. Never in all my years would I have expected you to bring a human into your confidences.”

“He may be human, but believe me, he is more than what he seems. He’s been beyond the veil.” A wave of panic washed over me. How had Teach known? I’d made it a point to keepa tight grip on my secrets. The truth of Neverland and Peter Pan hadn’t passed my lips. He’d alluded to the fact that he knew I was more than what I proclaimed to be, but the fact that he knew my secrets had alarm bells going off in my head. What else did he know? While my mind was in turmoil, Mor turned to look at me, her amber eyes boring into my soul with new curiosity.

“And yet you keep him in the dark?”

“Times may have changed, but trust is still something that requires blood, sweat, tears and absolute loyalty. That will never change. James here has finally proven himself. He also shares my desire to leave this miserable realm behind.”

“You know that’s not possible for you, Éadbard.”

Teach slammed his glass of rum on the table. “Yes, it is! And that, my dear friend, is where you come in. The Heart of the Divine is within my grasp. I only need an invitation to Mag Mell, and I want you to arrange it for me.”

The beautiful woman stared at Teach for a moment before she burst into a full-blown laugh. “This realm has affected you more than I realized! You have absolutely lost your mind.”

“You owe me a favor and I need an audience with Manann. He knows where the ruby is.”

“No, no. It’ll never happen. Even if I get you an invitation, why would he tell you where it is?”

“That is for me to figure out. All I need is for you to return the favor I am owed, and I will gladly leave yourshores. Never to return.” Mor’s gaze stared off into the fire, her jaw flexing as she contemplated his words.

I leaned over to Teach, trying to catch up on the entire situation. “What is Mag Mell?”

“Not what, butwhere. Mag Mell is the fae Otherworld. A place both of this realm and not of this realm,” he said, doling out a ridiculously vague explanation.

“And by Manann, you can’t mean the sea god?”

Teach chuckled, “One and the same. Manann is the king of Mag Mell. No one may enter without an invitation.”

“Two days,” Mor said coldly, interrupting my question-and-answer session. “In two days’ time, sail into the western horizon. I will arrange the invitation. Go at your own peril. With any luck, Manann will keep you in the everlasting realm for eternity. Then your shadow will never again darken my doorstep.”

I swirledthe rum in my glass, not entirely sure where to begin. The moment they had set the deal, Mor snapped her fingers and vanished before my eyes, leaving Teach and I to glare at each other in silence. Years of questions I’d been desperate to ask were now stuck in my throat. I’d been right. My pathway back to Neverland had been within arm’s reach this whole time. And the worst part is that he’d known all along. I let the anger of that revelation simmer in my chest. I’d become complacent… And I knew the reason why.

Love.

I’d been falling in love with Kat for years. It had been so easy to immerse myself in her sweet distraction, and I’d let my ultimate goal slip out of my sights. Now I was finally seeing clearly. I had to focus because until I fed the demon within me, I couldn’t move forward. As much as I hated to admit it, Peter Pan had broken me. I would never be able to give myself to Kat completely until the shattered pieces of my soul had been reforged.

“Don’t act surprised, James. You’ve always known.” Teach’s words pulled me from my thoughts. He studied me as he stroked his beard.

“Suspected. That’s very different from knowing.”

“Indulge me. I know you’ve been across the veil. I know you’re seeking a way back. Tell me, which realm holds sway over your heart?”

“I thought you knew everything?” I quipped before taking another swig of my rum.

Teach glared at me, crossing his arms over his chest, silently commanding me to answer.

“Neverland,” I whispered. I hadn’t said the word aloud in so long and it sounded like home as it rolled off my tongue.

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