Extra Darling

Chapter 33: The Ugly Truth

"Father." Arthur held his hands out and fluffed up a smile, "This is ridiculous. Ophelia and I aren't keeping any secrets from you."
"No, my son. It is not ridiculous, it is imperative." Hook explained, the reddish locks beneath his massive hat bothering him enough to be pushed away, "A good captain knows when to take precautions. Haven't you learned anything in the time you've watched over my ship?"

Arthur bristled at his words and I grabbed his sleeve before he could take a step forward. Hook caught the move and chuckled, boyish sounding, "I guess not. Because if you did, you'd know that it's really nothing personal. Well, my mistake, it is personal."

The ship rocked hard to the left and I stumbled, only just righting myself as Hook impatiently put his fingers between his lips and whistled sharply.

"Fae." He called again.

The wind blew harshly against the white sails, creating a low rumble that blended in with the chorus of the storm. When the snowflakes hit the water, it sounded like a sizzle. When the waves sprayed water up the side of the ship, it felt like bee stings. And when a blinding, orange ball of light whizzed passed my ear, I inched a step closer to Arthur.

Skye materialized out of the ball of light in the blink of an eye, landing stoically beside Hook.

"Ah." Hook exclaimed, standing straight, and placing a hand on Skye's shoulder, "Finally."
Skye shrugged the hand off, his black wings rustling in the process, "I may be in your service but I am not your sea dog. You cannot just summon me whenever you'd like."
Hook's face twisted into a sadistic grin, "Of course I can. You're indebted to me, Fae-boy, remember? I gave you the means to become so powerful and in return you do whatever I ask. That was our deal."
"But you never-"
"But nothing." Hook interrupted, pointing a finger, "A deal is a deal. Disobey me again, and I'll take that magic right back and you'll be stuck a pathetic outcast again. Alone, weak, and wingless. Is that what you want?"

Skye's eyes moved up to mine. I had latched myself onto Arthur's arm, using him as a barrier between me and the Fae I once called a friend, but he found me all the same. I saw his pointy ears droop, but he made no motion to fight back.

"No." He quietly answered.
"I thought so." Hook finished.

"Now." He continued, clapping his hands loudly and rubbing them together, "You remember my son, don't you? A spitting image of my former self, I'm telling you."

Arthur clenched his jaw and kept an arm protectively around me.

"And this, as I know you've already met, is his lovely companion, Ophelia Darling."

Hook paced back and forth, his hands casually clasped behind his back. "A brilliant girl. A strong one. But, unfortunately, Ophelia shares a bloodline with the very group of children who helped Pan defeat me. So that puts us in a very tricky situation."

He stopped pacing and looked between Arthur and I, "There's my son, who claims to have forgiven me. And then there's Ophelia, who has given me no reason not to trust her, and yet, I feel ill at ease."

The snow had thickened, falling in heavy clumps, but compared to the intensity of the situation it was nearly invisible. I gripped Arthur's sleeve so tightly that my knuckles were white, and I could feel the tightness in his arm as well. Things were not going the way we planned.

"So here is where you come in, Fae-boy." Hook moved a hand between the two of us, his eyes narrowing, "Use your magic and put a spell on our two guests. Make it so that they can only tell the truth when a question is asked of them. I can tell that something is off and I want to know exactly what. That way I'll be able to truly determine their intentions for playing so nicely."