Chapter 2 - Tale of the NeverHag
Jukes passed through the portal into a brightly lit room. When Hook dropped him, he scrambled back up, looking around the room in fear. It was a lot bigger inside than was possible from how the outside looked. There were books on shelves, comfortable sofas and chairs, and a roaring fireplace. Hook thought that it looked much like his mother’s sitting room when he was a child.
“Do sit down, I’ll be right with you,” came the voice from another room.
Hook removed his hat and took a seat on the couch, and Billy sat on the couch next to him. If something happens, I’d rather be close to him, Jukes thought. He felt the evil in the air, and somehow he knew that he was being watched. It put him on edge and he thought he might faint from fear.
A woman walked in, carrying a tray with a tea service on it. She smiled and set the tray on the coffee table. Billy stared at the lady. She was tall and clad in a simple brown dress. She was very old, but didn’t move like an old lady. She wasn’t ugly, either. Rather, she had the appearance of a very beautiful woman who had lived long past her prime. Her ears had a point to them and they stuck out from beneath her grey hair.
Hook rose to greet her, and smacked Billy on the back of the head when he didn’t follow. Billy jumped to his feet, but instead of running away, he managed to force himself to remain standing by his captain.
“I’m glad to see you made it. It was very entertaining to watch. Here, child, put this on your arm.” She reached into a pocket and handed Billy some cloth, which he looked at with suspicion before he began to wrap it around his wound. “I am Shimi.”
Hook bowed gracefully, “I am Captain James Hook, of the Jolly Roger. This is my gunner, Billy Jukes.”
“You don’t look like a hag,” Billy blurted. The lady laughed hysterically, and Hook smacked him on the head again.
“I apologize for his rudeness, madam,” Hook said cordially.
“No need, no need. It was a compliment. I do love children. So innocent, so sweet,” Shimi sighed. “Sit, sit. You want something from me, yes? I would have killed you for harming my trees, but you came at my invitation so I merely watched.”
“I dreamed of you, and I believe you can help me with a problem I have. I need your knowledge. What do you know of Peter Pan?”
“Ah, yes. Been here since the beginning, I have. I know more than I care to about that child. You want to kill him, yes? I wanted to once, too, but I realize now that would have been a mistake. It could be bad business for us if you succeed. Or maybe it could be for the best if you do. What will you give me for my knowledge? The fee will be double if he hears it, too.”
“What would you be interested in?” Hook replied.
Shimi smiled and gazed at Billy. “I do so love children, especially the little boys. I never had any of my own, though I’ve taken one in from time to time. Give me this child, and I will give you anything you want.”
Billy blanched and hugged the captain’s arm. It was the most childish thing he had done in years, but he didn’t care. This woman – this thing – scared him more than anything else ever had. He’d rather be whipped every day for a year by his captain than spend another minute in her presence. Please, no, please, no! I’ll do anything Cap’n, but please tell her no and let’s LEAVE!
Hook frowned at Billy, but didn’t remove him. He didn’t have any intention of giving up the most competent crewman he had. That’s not saying much but this boy is too smart to throw away. “And what would you do with him?”
Shimi’s face took on a hungry cast. “I’d teach him my wisdom and my arts. I’d grow him a bit more, but not much. He could be powerful. And when he was fully forged, I’d use him for my own ends, which are none of your concern. But if he disappointed me, I’d simply eat him.” She grinned wolfishly, “I do so LOVE children.” She laughed again.
Hook shivered at the hungry look on her face, hoping that she was merely trying to scare his gunner. He heard Billy whimper softly at his side, and felt his grip tighten. “I was merely curious, madam. He’s my crewman, and a useful one. I won’t give him up if I can help it. And I certainly won’t give him up to have his true talents wasted by you. Name something else or I’ll be leaving … with the boy.”
The witch cackled, “Now, now. Don’t be so hasty. Maybe there’s something you can do for me instead. I’ll tell you what you need, and we’ll negotiate at the end. I’ve watched you since you came to this island, and I believewe both have common goals in mind. But what I have to say is for you only.” She glanced at Billy and commanded, “Go to sleep, boy.”
Billy went rigid, his eyes rolled back, and he fell forward, unconscious. Hook caught him as he teetered off the couch and laid him back on it. “What did you do to him?” he growled, concerned.
Shimi merely shrugged. “He sleeps. He’ll have pleasant dreams and wake up feeling better than he did before. Now shall we get to business?” She looked at Hook and smiled.
Hook settled back down and looked at her. “What do you know of Peter Pan?”
“Cute boy, very annoying. Very dangerous. Too bad his mother didn’t miscarry when we brought her over.”
“What?” Hook asked, clearly confused.
“Ahhh, story time. I love telling stories. And I know so much, and I have no-one to talk to but my trees.” She stood and beckoned for the captain to follow. She crossed the room to the fireplace, and motioned for him to sit in one of the two high-backed chairs that faced it. As he settled himself, she pulled a box down from the mantle and removed a thin root from it. “This is how I see things. What was, what is, and what might be. With this I have watched the happenings on this isle since I was banished here. With this I have speculated on the future.” She threw the root into the fire and spat into the flames. “Look to the fire, and hearken to my words.”
Hook did as she commanded, and listened as she began to speak. Then a truly amazing thing happened. As she spoke, he could see the story taking shape within the flames and embers. Soon he was so enmeshed that it was as if he were there – a silent, unseen observer.
She told him what little she knew of the mortal woman named Katherine Leigh Morgan. Hook saw the woman – a young widow, eighteen or so and pregnant, soon to deliver. She looks so much like Pan!
Her husband had disappeared only weeks after their marriage, and she had no family to live with, neither of her blood, nor of his. She had friends, though, and they had taken her in now that her time was so close. They were traveling to her new home when they were set upon by highwaymen. The men she was with fought the bandits, and she defended herself as best as she could, but she was too unwieldy to fight well. She was badly injured, and she ran, fearing for her unborn child. She fled into the forest until, overcome by her wounds, she collapsed. Whether through luck or the guidance of some unseen power, she lay in a fairy ring under the new moon.
As she lay dying, the fey who had been using that fairy ring for their revels watched her and debated what to do. Some said to heal her and send her on her way. Some wished to take her child and let her die. A few would have liked to just ignore her and let things happen the way they were meant to. Since there was such a disagreement, one of the more powerful fey put Kaylee into a magical sleep, so deep it was like death. It was enough to preserve her life until the King could be summoned, and to let him decide her fate.
Oberon, a few other fairies that Hook had never seen but now knew the names of – Tatiana, Matias, Lenathra – and Shimi came at the summons. These High Feyan considered the young mother-to-be. As she slept, she dreamed, and the fey marveled at the power of her dreams. They realized that within her they might find the salvation of their peoples.
Fey creatures – pixies, elves, ogres, mermaids, and the myriads of other fairies – were created when the dreams and imaginings interacted with the magic of the faerie mists. Before mortals, the mists were pure magic, formless and intangible. As humans dreamed and believed in their dreams, from the mists were born the fey, and their existence depended on humans continuing to believe in them. In recent times, men had begun to turn to science to explain their world, and more and more believed less and less in magic or magical creatures. The fey fled from mortals, and congregated in remote places where science did not prevail, and men lived by tradition and superstition. The fey feared that a day would come when no-one believed in them and they would return to the mists, alive but not real – formless and without true thought.
The Feyan conferred, and decided upon a course of action. They could use her to create a land apart from the mortal world. She could dwell in this land, which also would be a haven for the fey. As long as even one mortal believed, they could continue to exist. And with this girl, imbued with the fey magics, dwelling among them, they could be assured of their own continued existence. They spoke to her within her dream, and made her an offer. “We will save you and your unborn son. We will give you a measure of our power, and you will live in health and eternal youth. In return, you must remain with us always. You will make a land for yourself with your power, and give it what creatures you wish. We shall inhabit it with you. It will be our haven from the mortal world, and you will rule it as the Lady.” She agreed for the sake of her son, and the fey filled her with the power they promised so that she could heal herself and begin to create the new land.
Fey magic is wild and unpredictable, even for the fey that use it. They have an innate understanding of how it works, but sometimes their magics intertwine in strange ways, and consequences are not always what are intended. It is rare, but it does happen. Not even the Feyan anticipated what impact Kaylee’s empowerment would have on her unborn child. Kaylee went into labor immediately, and the child almost died. Shimi – then a youthful, beautiful elf – and Tatiana midwifed and saved him. Thus was Peter born, even as Neverland came into being. Created, and imperiled with the sounding of the boy’s birth-cry.
“Amazing,” muttered Hook. He’d never really given a damn about where the brat came from, or how long he had been here. All he cared about was how to catch him and kill him. But he was intrigued now, and wanted to hear more about the boy who had consumed so much of his time and energy. Maybe if I know more about who he really is and where he came from, I can find a weakness to exploit. “So what is so important about the child that this place’s existence hinges on his whim?”
“His mother was infused with the magic before he was born. It became an innate part of him, though he does not know how to use it. It binds him, body and soul, to the weave of magic that holds the mists together, and anchors them to Neverland. His soul is at the center of that weave, and if he were to be removed from it, the weave would come undone. Neverland ceases to exist, and the mists scatter once again around the world. Our existence would depend solely on those few mortal who still believe in us. Many if not most of us would go out, and return to the oblivion of the mists. There might not be enough of us left to recreate what would be lost. Once upon a time we could have, but not now. The other Feyan know this peril exists, but they accept it as a blessing. Peter will never leave this land, it’s too much a part of him. So they didn’t worry that so much depends on that willful boy.
“But I saw the danger as soon as I heard his birth-cry. I glimpsed futures where the boy, playing his damned games, loses finally and dies…taking all of us with him. I saw futures where he left unexpectedly one day, growing up and denying our existence, killing us with his betrayal. I became afraid and I vowed to destroy him before it was too late. Kaylee was the Lady, and as long as she was here, the Neverland looked to her for guidance. She was another pinnacle to the weave, and if Peter were removed, she could repair the damage. I tried many times, in secret, to work against the boy. Many times he almost died by the hand of one of my agents, but somehow someone always saved him. The last time, I tried with my own hand, and I was found out. As punishment, I was stripped of most of my powers and my beauty and banished to these woods. The were-trees are my pets and my jailors. I cannot leave them, they always stop me.”
“I don’t understand why it was acceptable for the girl to wield such power over Neverland, but not for Peter. Would not the same thing happen if she died?”
“Fey magic is complicated. We are the children of that magic, and not even the oldest and wisest of us can fully account for what it can do. We gave Kaylee the power to shape Neverland to her own mind. When she finished creating it, we locked it into place to keep it relatively stable. She became the Neverlady – as long as she lived her and believed, it would exist. Even if she died, her spirit would remain here, in sleep, until the end of time to keep Neverland alive. That was the agreement, those were the rules. Peter’s birth rewrote the rules in ways we still don’t fully understand. He’s not fey, but he’s not completely human either. But he is his mother’s heir, and upon her murder Neverland’s existence rested solely on that wild child. I could accept that, if he weren’t so determined to get himself killed. He is willful, irresponsible, forgetful, arrogant, and –whether he realizes it or not – actually has a death-wish.”
“He is most of those things, I agree. He certainly courts danger daily. But he’s never indicated a desire to die,” Hook’s eyes flashed and he brandished his hook. “Else I’d have killed him long ago and been gone from this place.”
“Oh, that boy has been hurt more times than he will ever remember. He certainly wanted to die once, and nearly succeeded, to the great terror of us all. Look at his wrists if you ever have the chance. Not many children of his age know how to kill, much less kill themselves, but he has learned many horrible things over the years. Look for the scars he gave himself when his mother died.”
Hook frowned. He tried to picture a suicidal Peter Pan and failed utterly. He’d seen Peter happy, of course. He’d seen Peter angry on several occasions. He’d even seen Peter afraid, but rarely. But he’d never seen the boy sad or depressed.
Shimi tossed another root on the flames and explained.
He saw a younger Peter than the one he knew, maybe aged six. He had grown a bit in the mortal realm, with a foster family Kaylee had left him with after she got tired of changing diapers and nursing for years. When she judged he was big enough to learn to survive without her constant vigilance, she brought him back. He lived with her again, with dozens of other children. But he was the only child to call her “mother”. The smallest of these children were the first to call her Kaylee, since they had trouble saying “Katie Leigh”. Kaylee went often to the mortal world and would bring back waifs or abused children that she found. Many fey resented this intrusion into their world, but they had given it to her to rule, so they had to accept it.
Most of the fey adored Peter, with Oberon and his wife becoming his Godparents. They had felt his birth, and felt more akin to him than any other mortal. When Peter first laughed, hundreds of fairies were born. First among these had been Tinker Bell, who ever after rarely left his side. But fey are even more diverse than men. Some are good and kind, most are nice enough. Almost all are wild – another kinship they shared with Peter. Some are mean and wicked. There are a few that are downright evil.
When there were many, many children in Neverland, their innocence and life attracted one of the evil ones that lived in the mists. It came to Neverland to feed on that life and become more powerful. One by one, the children disappeared, quietly at first. It would kill them, trapping their souls within itself, becoming more powerful after each victim. Eventually, it grew stronger and bolder, and stopped hiding when it hunted. No one knew how to stop it, it had become too strong. Kaylee and the bigger children fought it, but to no avail. Soon, all of her wards were gone – dead or fled back to the mortal realm. Most of Neverland was ravaged and destroyed. But the one the monster wanted the most was Peter, whose spirit shone bright with his innocence and magic. Mother and son fought desperately in a final battle with the beast, assisted by the fey who were strong enough to face the beast. Kaylee mortally wounded the monster and cut its heart out. She freed the souls trapped within it, and exiled the weakened beast with her powers. It was too much effort, though, and her body was suspended in a deathlike sleep. She and those murdered children sleep in a place set aside, resting from their ordeal. In her dreams she keeps watch for those wicked fey who would invade Neverland and prevents them from attacking it ever again. She will rise again when her children need her.
Peter lived, though hurt deeply in body and mind. His body aged a few years from the effort of recovering from it. He was changed, becoming sad, subdued and fearful. He blamed the fey, for after all wasn’t it one of their own that had killed his mother and his friends? It was their fault he was alone. He couldn’t heal Neverland…he couldn’t even heal himself. He wouldn’t play, and he couldn’t laugh. Neverland suffered, and became a shadow of its former self.
Then he tried to kill himself. He couldn’t stand the loneliness and pain. The memory of what was lost was too much to bear. He thought that if he died, he could be with his mother again. He didn’t care that Neverland would disappear. Just in time, the fey found him with cut wrists, and stopped his bleeding. They put him in a deep sleep and cast a powerful spell on him. They wanted him to forget everything that had happened before. He wouldn’t miss his mother if he never knew he had one. Forget everything, so he would question nothing. Make him as new as the day he was born. But his own power sought to protect him from the intrusion of the spell, and the magics warred within him. The fey won, and his memories were gone. But the spell was damaged and didn’t work quite right. He forgot everything prior to the spell, but he often forgot other things as well. Sometimes he would forget things as soon as they happened. But the fey argued that this was a good thing, too. No matter what might happen to him, Peter would always remain innocent. He’d not remember things that would hurt him. They did fear that one day he would break the spell and remember, and revert to the way he was. Peter could go insane, or grow up. Either way, Neverland would most likely disappear forever.
“They fey made him what he is now,” Shimi said, her voice holding a measure of sadness. “He became what I foresaw because of them. Because he always forgot, he never learned. He became carefree because he never fully understood the consequences of his actions. He affects arrogance to compensate for the incompleteness and inability he senses within himself. He is willful because he has to account to no-one for what he does. He seeks out danger to give his life meaning. He loves to listen to stories about himself, because they substitute for memories he often loses. I wanted him dead once. I pity him now.”
“If you seek to dissuade me from what I plan to do, you have failed,” Hook growled. “Indeed, you have strengthened my resolve to see it through.”
“I know your plan. I knew when you conceived of it and I’ve considered the possible outcomes from your actions. I sent you the dream to come find me. You plan to kidnap Peter Pan and make him into everything he hates and fears. You plan to remove him from Neverland, but first you must remove Neverland from him. To do that, you need my help. I want the boy gone. I don’t hold what he is against him…it’s not his fault. I seek to remove him, and set another child in his place.”
Hook frowned. “Another child? I thought Pan was born with this responsibility. Who could take his place? And how?”
Shimi cackled and sat next to the pirate. She patted his arm and explained. “What you must do must be done carefully. Do not be afraid to invest a lot of time in this venture…you have as much time as you need. Peter is a part of Neverland, and the isle won’t allow him to be taken against his will. Matter of fact, you yourself didn’t arrive here by accident. Peter Pan was getting bored, so the magic of the isle brought you here. You can’t leave unless it lets you - unless Peter lets you, or is prevented from stopping you. You have to sever his ties to the magic of Neverland, to sunder the magic in his blood from the magic of the isle. He must become as one dead to the fey who live here, and they must continue to believe in his death. Cut him off, fake his death, and spirit him away. When the fey believe he is gone, they will most likely let you go without a fight. They’ll be too busy to worry about retribution.
But before you do this, you must make him designate an heir. I do wish to continue my existence, so I want Neverland to remain once he is gone. His second, Nibs, is the best choice. He’s not as strong or fast as Peter is now, but once the isle’s magic is within him he will be. He is, however, more level-headed and responsible, playful and adventurous, but cautious. He is a trustworthy child to keep Neverland safe and whole. You must force Peter to name him heir. You also cannot take or harm any of the other children. Most fey do not like them living here, but I myself am fond of them. And, if Nibs turns out to not be the best choice, I can see about passing the trust on to one of the remaining lads. You also must not harm Tinker Bell. She is a fey and kindred to me. Though I resent what they have done to me, there are too few of us being born to begin killing any of them.”
Hook stared into the fire and thought about what the hag had told him. I never thought there could be ties that keep me from removing the boy. If he IS a part of Neverland, then it stands to reason the fairies will come looking for him if I try to take him. But if I can make them think he is dead… Hook looked at the hag and smiled sweetly. “Dear Lady, you have thought this through, and you most certainly know more about the subtleties of Peter Pan’s situation than I. Instruct me: how do I sever his connection to Neverland and its inhabitants?”
“You must make a charm to hold a spell. He must wear this charm and never remove it, else the spell will be lifted. When he wears the charm and it is empowered, the spell will cut the ties between his magic and the fey magic. To every fey in existence it will be as if he died. Remove him from sight and sound, perpetuate the myth, and they will have no choice but to believe that he is gone forever. But…if he ever removes the charm, the connection will be restored and they will know the lie for what it was. Fey magic is forever in his blood, and his progeny will carry it through the generations without fail. If you succeed and one day he is a man with children of his own, perhaps one of them will be a more suitable successor than Nibs.”
“I must make this charm? How? Why can you not do it? You are the one that knows magic. I’m a pirate, not a witch!”
“When the connection is severed, there must be something to take the place of what was lost. In this way, you will bond with the boy. Whoever makes the charm fills the hole that will be left when Neverland is cut out of him. As to the how, I will guide you through the making of it. Take this.” She removed a ring from her finger and handed it to Hook. It was silver with an opal stone. “When you need to know something, think of the question. I can answer you through the ring, but only if you initiate the contact. My powers outside this wood are passive and limited to suggestion. Once you are beyond the mists, it will lose its power completely. Through this link, I can tell you the components you need and how to use them. I can give you the words to say and the actions to take. Wear it, and you will hear my answer.”
Hook gazed at the ring, watching the fires within sparkle. “You were extremely prepared. And you knew for certain that I was coming. Do you also know how this plot will play out?”
“I see possibilities. Some are strong, some weak. And the strong ones do not always come true. There are other outcomes, if you do not follow this path.”
“Like?” Hook prompted.
Shimi cackled and smiled evilly, “Like one day you will push Peter Pan too far. He will kill your crew, and feed you to the crocodile. Then when you are gone and the game is done, he will forget you ever existed, as he forgets everything. You will live on only in children’s fairy tales.”
Hook growled and squeezed the ring in his fist. “No, I will never let that come to pass. No cocky child with the mind of a sieve will get the best of James Hook! I will put the boy in his place, do not doubt!”
“Good, good,” Shimi smiled and stood. “Now for my payment.”
“What do you wish, Lady?”
“Two payments you owe me: one for the generous help I am giving you, another for your safe passage through my woods. For my help, I demand nothing. By assisting you in your vengeance, I obtain vengeance of my own.”
“Against Peter Pan?”
“No, against his mother,” She replied in a voice as cold as steel.
“Why would you seek vengeance upon the dead?” Hook asked in surprise.
“I never had children of my own. But once, Kaylee brought a group of children here, a special group of boys and girls. They had been very badly used by those who should have loved them. In pity, she thought to bring them to Neverland and give them the childhood that had been taken from them. But they were damaged, and their innocence was gone forever. A few were quite unbalanced in their minds. They did not fit in, and kept to themselves. They wandered into my forest, drawn by the darkness here. I took them in and taught them my crafts, for they had much potential. They had hate and anger enough to become powerful, and did not shirk from killing. They were my children, and I loved them in my way. But Kaylee accused me of corrupting them, even though they were that way when they came here and she had refused to see it. She sought to take them away from me. We fought a terrible war, and she defeated my wards and me. They were removed from Neverland, and taken I know not where. She took my children from me! Now, I will help you take Peter from her. She will know when he is gone, through her dream-watch she is aware things that happen in Neverland. It will pain her greatly to believe he is dead and I will be satisfied.
“But… I have no malice against the boy now. I care for children, and I miss the ones I loved. Kaylee did not harm mine beyond taking them from me so I will not see hers harmed unnecessarily. You will raise him to be the man you wish, but you will not torture him, and you will not destroy him.”
“If your knowledge gives me the power I need, then Pan will never see this place again,” Hook said sincerely. “I will make him a member of my crew, and he will be treated accordingly. Your vengeance and mine own shall be satisfied at once.”
Shimi gazed at him for a long time. Finally she spoke, “There is much anger and hate within you. Are you man enough to look beyond that and allow Peter to live? You will not leave the mists until I am satisfied that he is safe with you. I suddenly feel that I am endangering his life more that I am willing.”
“He shall not die, especially not by my own hand. I may have to punish him, to make him behave and accept his new life, but it shall not be beyond anything I would not give young Billy here. I am committed to my new course of action. I shall not fail.”
Shimi nodded and smiled, “Well said, Captain. I trust you to do as you promise.”
Hook bowed, “Now, Lady, what do you demand for safe passage?”
Shimi took Hook’s hand in her own and gently pulled him to his feet. Hook gasped as suddenly the room wavered around him and an odd sensation ran through his body. He blinked, and the hag was gone. In her place was a young, beautiful woman. He recognized the elfin woman from the visions – this was Shimi as she had been at the creation of Neverland. She smiled and pressed his hand to her cheek.
“No, James, this isn’t fairy glamour. This is real, but it will not last for more than the night.” She took his other hand. Hook gasped – she was holding his right hand. The hook was gone, and it was as if he had always been whole. She kissed it, and he could feel her warm, soft lips against his skin.
“How?” he gasped.
“I am diminished, but not powerless. I have been conserving my powers for a long while, waiting for you to come find me. I made a wish, but it will not last. I have been very lonely. No one comes to see me, and most of the time I prefer it that way. You and I are alike in many ways – we both suffer, waiting for our vengeance. I want you, James,” she smiled and stepped closer to him. “And I think you want me. Let us enjoy our wholeness while we can. We both have been lonely. In the morning, you will leave. If our plan succeeds, we shall never again meet. This is my payment for your safe passage out.”
Hook looked into her dark eyes, and he felt an overpowering need to be with her growing within him. How long has it been? I don’t remember. How long have we been here? he wondered. He glanced at the unconscious Jukes lying on the couch.
Shimi saw his eyes stray and reassured him, “He will not awaken until morning, no matter what.” She reached up, ran her fingers through his hair, and kissed him. Hook’s mind reeled and he abandoned all other thoughts as he pulled the woman to him and held her close. Together they sank to the floor.