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“You saw, Porthos.” Her entire demeanor shifted, and the melancholy shroud returned. “He was my one true love. He didn’t deserve to die. Not like that.” She drifted off into thought, and a single tear slid down her face. “I was mourning him when…”
“When James captured you,” I finished for her.
“Yes.”
“Meadow, I’m so sorry. Would you like to talk about it? About Porthos?” I genuinely wanted to help. I couldn’t imagine the pain she was feeling, losing her mate.
“Can you bring him back?” she asked with hope in her eyes.
I slowly shook my head. “I cannot. I don’t possess that kind of power.” My heart broke for her. If I’d lost James, I would die trying to bring him back from the grave.
“What good is talking about it then?” Meadow sighed. She was right. There was nothing I could say that would ease her pain. “Could you possibly bring me outside? I’m fae. I belong in nature. Maybe I’ll feel his presence out by the trees.”
“That I can do. I was planning to collect a few herbs anyway.” I’d been considering concocting a poison to help James finish Pan once and for all. If I could get his attention back to me, we could finally start our happily ever after. I was quickly growing tired of feeling like a second thought. “Maybe you could help me find what I’m looking for?”
“Yes! I can show you where to look. Let me out of this cage, and we’ll fly to the forest together.”
“I’m afraid you’ll have to stay in the cage. I don’t possess the key.”
Her luminescence dimmed at my words. I was all too familiar with that kind of disappointment.
“Besides, I don’t know how to fly,” I admitted sheepishly. James had promised to teach me once we got to Neverland, but we hadn’t had the time. He hadn’t had time for much of anything since we arrived. Anything other than finding Pan.
“Flying is easy.”
“Says the winged pixie,” I teased.
“With my dust and a happy thought, it will be easy for you, too.” Meadow suspended herself in mid-air and spun around like a pirouetting dancer. A cascade of sparkling dust fell to the bottom of her cage. “Scoop some up.”
“Wait, we’re doing this now?”
“No better time than now. I long for the outdoors. Come on, rub some dust on your cheek.”
“Umm…” I considered her words for a moment before I decided she was right. James was off somewhere hunting for Peter. I had no logical reason not to. “Okay, let’s do it.” I smeared the dust across my cheek and waited for further instruction.
“Now, all you have to do is think a happy thought.”
I closed my eyes and envisioned my future with James. Just us, no more obstacles, no more distractions.
“That’s it! See, I told you, flying is easy.”
I opened my eyes to find myself floating effortlessly above the floor. My limbs felt completely weightless, and butterflies were fluttering in my belly. “Meadow! I’m flying!” A giggle spilled from my lips as I glided around the room, getting a feel for being off the ground. It was a truly magical experience. Tucking my knees to my chest, my body tumbled into a mid-air somersault. “I can’t believe I’m actually flying.”
“You’re a natural. It usually takes days to master a flip! Now, grab my cage, and we’ll head into the woods. You should practice without the confines of the room. It’s much more fun without walls to hold you back.”
Meadow, like James, had refused to take me into the Viridianwood. “The Viridianwood is home to the darkest fae,” she had said. “If I take you out there and something happens to you, I’ll meet a fate far worse than living in this cage.” It was true. If something happened to me, James would blame Meadow. I didn’t want to imagine the horrors he could instill upon her.
She had taken me back to the Mysterious River, promising me a varied collection of useful flora within a few feet of the riverbank. Datura, Belladonna, Lily of the Valley, and my personal favorite, Rosary Pea. All species I was pleasantly surprised to find here in Neverland. All lethal and abundantly available. I even collected a few I’d never heard of at Meadow's recommendation.
“These are all highly poisonous choices. What are you planning to use them for?”
I froze. I wasn’t expecting our little pixie to be so observant. I didn’t want her privy to our desires. I had to think quickly. “Just rebuilding my resources. I like a healthy apothecary at my disposal. You never know what one might need. Besides, not all poisons are bad.”
She paused for a moment. “Can we do this again? I’ll show you everything Neverland has to offer.”
I stifled a sigh of relief that she hadn’t tried to pry any further. “I’d like that. I could use some help learning the local flora.” Befriending Meadow was proving to be a valuable commodity. I’d just have to keep her in the dark until James’ obsession was satiated. “Do you know Peter Pan?” I asked, hoping to gain some insight on our nemesis.
“Of course, I know Peter Pan,” she huffed, seemingly offended that I’d ask such a question. “Don’t you?”
