What happens when you grow up

Chapter 4

12 years ago…

Tigerlily struggled with all her strength, but she was no match for the two burly pirates who dragged her inexorably towards Blackbeard's rowboat. Dumping her over the side, one of them snatched her hands before she could try to escape, tying them together with a coil of rope. Tigerlily grimaced as the rope bit into her flesh, but she didn't dignify the pirate with a sound.

"Call the ship," Blackbeard ordered curtly.

One of the pirates dug out mirror and flashed it open three times, sending a beam of light bouncing off into the clouds. Tigerlily looked over the captain's shoulder and out towards the gray sea, but she saw no ship. Blackbeard noticed her confusion and smirked. "All in good time, my dear."

Suddenly, a shadow engulfed the rowboat and its passengers. Startled, Tigerlily glanced up, and her mouth dropped open as she saw a giant Spanish galleon hovering twenty feet overhead. It had sunk through the clouds without a sound. Tigerlily could just make out the name written on the side—Armageddon. Crewmembers dropped ropes over the side, which Blackbeard's men grabbed and attached to two metal rings at the ends of the rowboat. When they were secure, the little craft was slowly lifted from the sea.

"Sailing is so primitive," Blackbeard stated casually as they ascended into space. "I haven't used that as a major means of transportation for centuries."

It didn't take long for the rowboat to be pulled up to the Armageddon, where more pirates fastened it to the side. Blackbeard was helped out first. The pirates came after, pulling Tigerlily along with them.

"Men, I've brought a guest to stay with us for awhile," Blackbeard shouted as his crew gathered around them. "This is Princes Tigerlily. Be sure to make her feel welcome."

Tigerlily glanced around nervously at the leering pirates who were on every side. Staring up at all these rough and wicked men made her feel very small and very vulnerable. Some whistled, some growled, one even licked his lips.

Blackbeard scanned the crowd, obviously looking for someone. "Harrison!" he bellowed. "Where the devil are you?"

The crowd of pirates made way for Blackbeard's second in command. He was a towering African, with skin as dark as the night and a neck as thick as Tigerlily's waist. He easily stood a head taller than most of the pirates, and even Blackbeard, who was a decidedly tall man, had to look up to meet his eye.

"Aye, captain?" Harrison asked, his voice rumbling out from deep in his chest like thunder.

"Meet our royal guest," Blackbeard said, dropping an arm across Tigerlily's shoulders as though they were the best of friends. His very touch made Tigerlily's skin crawl, but she didn't want to do anything to antagonize her captor until she could figure a way out of this mess. "I expect you to keep track of her on the way back."

"Yes, captain," Harrison answered. His eyes flicked to Tigerlily briefly, with no hint of interest in them.

"Keep her at the stern for takeoff," Blackbeard ordered, turning on his heel smartly as he began barking orders at his crew.

Tigerlily peered over the railing and down at the sea twenty feet below her. She tested her ropes… They were pretty tight. Still, if she could just leap over the rail, she could probably survive the fall. She knew the beach dropped off sharply in this area. She just had to sneak over…

"Don't," Harrison rumbled next to her. She glanced his way, guilt written across her face. "You won't make it."

She believed him.

The ship began vibrating underfoot, sending uneasy vibrations through Tigerlily's body. She stepped closer to the rail automatically as objects began to slide across the deck.

"Oh, Princess?" Blackbeard called from the ship's wheel. "You may want to hold on… Takeoff can be a little—intense!"

Tigerlily scowled, turning away from him. Did he think she couldn't stand a little turbulence?

"The captain is right," Harrison intoned, and Tigerlily noticed that he was also clutching the rail. That convinced her, so she followed suit.

It was a good thing she did. The ship suddenly pitched backward and then shot up, through the clouds. If Tigerlily hadn't been holding the rail, she would have been pitched across the deck. Wind whipped against her face as they continued to pick up speed, traveling fast enough that her eyes blurred.

Underneath them, the familiar green foliage quickly gave way to bleached and lifeless rocks as they passed the Cliffs of Mohaer and traveled farther inland than Tigerlily or her people ventured. Tigerlily noticed the change with a dark sense of dread. She knew exactly where they were heading. While her tribe had claimed and nurtured most of Neverland's sprawling island, there was one place that no native dared go: Hob's Quarry.

Eons ago, Neverland's fae folk had buried their precious pixie dust in the cavernous limestone ruins, which continued miles underground. They had hidden vast amounts of dust before Blackbeard had appeared and forced them from the site. While Tigerlily's tribe fought gallantly to defend the fairies they had sworn to guard, they were no match for gunpowder and bullets. Once Blackbeard's men broke through, the fairies disappeared into the cracks along the quarry's walls, burrowing deeper and deeper into the earth until they settled into the very center of Neverland itself. Neither fairies nor Indians ever returned to the site, which many believed was haunted by the unquiet spirits of those Blackbeard had murdered.

The ship crested the last rise, and Tigerlily saw all of Hob's Quarry spilled out underneath her. The rocks were swarming with thousands of toiling people; after a closer glance, she realized they were little boys. Her heart broke for them.

"Magnificent, isn't it?" Blackbeard said behind her, and Tigerlily couldn't help startling. The pirate leaned forward on the rail, one hand on each side of her. He learned closer, until they were nearly cheek-to-cheek, and added, "Your people may have a nation, and the fairies may have their kingdom, but I have an empire."

"An empire of rocks," Tigerlily replied scornfully.

Blackbeard chuckled. "Things are not always as they seem, Princess."

The ship lurched again, this time as its anchor connected with the ground and caught. Surprised, Tigerlily stumbled backwards, into Blackbeard. He caught her with another dry chuckle.

"Now that we're home, we can talk business," he announced. "Follow me!"

He left as abruptly as he had appeared. Harrison pushed Tigerlily along behind him, and the three of them crossed the deck and entered the captain's stateroom. It was opulently furnished, with a massive oak desk set in front of ceiling-to-floor bookshelves. One wall was almost entirely taken up by a giant window, partly obscured behind a thick red velvet curtain. An ornate multi-colored Persian rug lay across half the floor, and a gilded end table was topped with several bottles of spirits.

Blackbeard dropped into the high-backed chair behind the desk, motioning for Tigerlily to take a seat in the equally elegant chair on the other side of him. She knew Harrison would force her to sit if she refused, so she took the path of least resistance and just sat down.

"I don't think there's any need for the ropes anymore," Blackbeard noted. "Our pretty bird didn't try to fly away."

Without a word, Harrison pulled out a blade and sliced Tigerlily's ropes. Painful sensation needled her wrists as the blood started to flow easily once more.

Now that her binds were off, Tigerlily felt a little bolder. "Just what are your intentions, pirate?"

"Ah, straight to the point," Blackbeard said with a wry smile. "I appreciate that." He learned over his desk, lacing his fingers together. He looked for all the world as though he was in a negotiations meeting, not conversing with someone he had just kidnapped. "My intentions are simple, my dear. I plan on ransoming you back to your native tribe in exchange for as much pixie dust as I can possibly extract."

"We don't just have access to unlimited pixie dust," Tigerlily protested. "Only the fairies have it."

"My dear girl, please give me credit," Blackbeard replied. "I know your tribe considers itself the guardians of those maddeningly elusive pixies. Surely, they'll be able to spread the word. You'd be amazed what people are able to accomplish given the right motivation." Blackbeard stood up, trailing a hand along his desk as he walked towards the window. "Of course, that will all take place after I've extracted whatever I can from you."

Tigerlily's stomach twisted. "What do you mean?"

"The chief's own daughter onboard my ship… You can't expect me to let that resource go untapped."

"I don't have anything to share," Tigerlily insisted. "I'm… I'm just a kid."

Blackbeard grinned darkly. "Oh, I think you're far more than that, Princess. I think you have your fair share of secrets—and I promise you, I'll uncover every single one."