Straight On Till Morning (Disney Twisted Tales) - Liz Braswell Page 0,105

should move into the jungle,” Wendy said, getting up. Tinker Bell looked skeptical. “Don’t worry! I told the Lost Boys that’s what we would do if Hook came first. We’ll keep an eye on the beach in case they look for us there instead.”

Mollified, Tinker Bell fluttered around Peter’s face, trying to wake him up.

“Tinker Bell?” he asked softly. “I was just dreaming about you.…”

The fairy’s face blushed in surprise—and pleasure—but that didn’t stop her from planting herself on Peter’s chest and gently slapping his chin.

Get up. The pirates are coming. We don’t have reinforcements yet.

“I don’t need no—”

Peter tried to stand up. Instead, he spun on his feet, falling back toward the sand. But Wendy was there to right him.

“No, there you go, easy now,” she said, throwing one of his arms around her shoulders. “Let’s just take it one step at a time.”

Despite his slender build, it was still hard going for the two across the sand. Wendy tried not to imagine baby turtles making their ungainly way to the safety of the sea as predators swooped and salivated overhead. All three of them were terribly exposed—but to what, she wasn’t sure. “If pirates can keep shadows as hostages and bees can steal bits of time,” Wendy murmured to herself, “who knows what other horrible things in Never Land are on the side of evil?”

When the moist air of the jungle finally hit her nose and lungs Wendy nearly collapsed in relief.

“Here, sit down, and we can keep an eye on the beach,” Wendy said, settling Peter on a soft tuffet of ferns which she hoped weren’t carnivorous or itchy. Tinker Bell just hovered back and forth around her beloved Peter, not saying anything, so Wendy assumed they were fine.

There was a rubyfruit bush close by covered in the voluptuous red fruit. They were small and not quite the right color yet, but still fairly juicy. She cracked one open and tried giving a piece to Peter.

“Bleh! It’s not ripe!” he cried, spitting it out.

“Stop being such a baby. It’s all we have right now.”

“Feh.” He opened his mouth reluctantly to be fed more.

“You’re welcome,” Wendy said dryly.

Tinker Bell tugged on her sleeve, pointing into the jungle.

“Is it the Lost Boys?” Wendy asked with excitement.

But bouncing slowly through the bushes with great determination was a strange—and familiar—amber glow. It quickly resolved itself into Thorn, who landed and strode through the leaves like a fearless king and giant.

You came!

“You came!” Wendy cried at the same time. Then she blushed—she wasn’t supposed to have known about the other fairy.

He gave her a knowing smile and the slightest wisp of a bow.

Someone gave the Call of Aid. Only someone with no honor at all would fail to respond.

Tinker Bell looked at the empty air around him and raised an eyebrow skeptically.

None of our kin will reveal themselves near humans, Tinker Bell. You know you are the exception. And you also know the Call is for the aid of fairies—not humans. You don’t seem to be in trouble, so I can only assume it is your friend Peter again, and perhaps this mighty warrior human here?

Wendy didn’t think she had it in her to react to a man’s—no matter how tiny he might be—blandishments. But certainly mighty warrior wasn’t the normal sort of pretty pap fed to girls? And it sounded genuine. That was why she felt a blush, she decided. And exhaustion accounted for her weakened knees.

The pirates are coming for him, Tinker Bell said. In his state, they will surely get him this time.

I believe Peter “got” Hook last time—and left him without a hand, Thorn countered. Turnabout’s fair play, wouldn’t you say?

“Yes, but this time they are coming for all of Never Land,” Wendy interrupted as politely as she could. “No, they really are. It’s not just another one of Peter and Hook’s games. The First confirmed it. Once he has Peter, his plan is to destroy everything as a sort of payback, and then leave.”

What? That’s mad! Thorn jingled, horrified.

“I don’t disagree.”

Peter suddenly crumpled up, whimpering and breathing too quickly to be able to cry out. Wendy grabbed his hand and squeezed. Tinker Bell looked bleakly at Thorn.

See? They have his shadow captured in a strange golden cage on their ship. I think they’re torturing it somehow. Hurting Peter.

Black magic? The warrior fairy frowned. The tips of his long brown ears seemed to quiver in thought, or maybe it was a stray breeze. His hand brushed the hilt