“Then, if he fails, change time in this place. I’m not leaving without him.”
Whisper’s eyes narrowed, and she lifted a perfectly manicured hand. “I won’t accept that.” Her grin bared. “Fine. I will paint this picture you have in your mind, but you may not help him, and if he fails…I will take the memory of him from you. Your destiny is too important to be held here. How strong is your belief now?”
I trembled but took a breath. I believed in Bay. He wasn’t his father. If he thought it was real, he wouldn’t carve his way through in the name of his greed. “Strong enough.”
Whisper sighed, smiling kindly, almost like my real friend would. “See, Lyly? This is fearless.”
With those words, she, and the tunnel, disappeared, replaced by a cavern with a single entrance. Behind me, a dry fountain sat in the center of the plateau. Light rained through cracks in the ceiling. I stood before the tiered fountain, no longer myself.
Dark skin encased my small body, white robes hung to my bare feet. I felt my hair and found it silver. Something weighed against my back, and I looked over my shoulder to see wings. I was a young siren. And I was not alone in my head.
We have been here before you, child.
Or perhaps after.
Time is as it must be, confusing.
“You knew,” I whispered, keeping my gaze on the only entrance, waiting for Bay.
We have always known.
And that’s why they warned me.
“Finally,” Bay’s voice reached me from the entrance. “We finally made it, Skye.”
“Let’s get this over with.” Skye zipped in before Bay, met my gaze, nodded, and zipped back to his side beyond where I could see. “Lyric and Whisper are counting on us to bring the power of the fountain back to them in Skyla before Hook attacks.”
“We won’t fail them. Or Mom.” Bay appeared at the entrance, awe in his eyes. “I’ve never felt magic like this before. We’re here.”
“Welcome,” I said, raising my arms. My voice throbbed with the voices of those before me, and my heart raced in my chest. “Welcome, Bay Darling.”
His brows rose when he met my gaze, and he looked me over, glancing behind me at the empty fountain.
“I have been waiting for you.” Though I couldn’t see my smile, I knew it was as chilling as the sirens’. “My sisters have guided you to this moment. We are sorry to keep you from this for so long, but for the sake of the world…”
His lips parted. “You… You don’t mean they’ve known all this time where the Fountain was?”
I closed my eyes. “We see everything. The war. The pain. The suffering. The answer.”
“I don’t understand. Why keep this from me? I’ve been looking for years! My mother—”
I raised my hand, cringing internally when I saw the pain in his eyes. “The price of this power is one of blood and sacrifice, our Bay. It appears only for a short time after that price is met. Only now, when you must use it to save the world, may we allow you access.”
“Blood and sacrifice?” He approached me, crouching to my height. “What do you mean?”
My gentle Bay . “I have known my fate from the moment I was born. Please, don’t worry. You must take this power with you and for yourself, or everyone will perish.”
Horror filled his eyes, but he didn’t move away. “You aren’t saying…”
“I am.”
He shook his head, rising. “No. Peter Pan wouldn’t have done this. You can’t be telling me the truth.”
Wendy’s memories of the world in her time flooded me, and I saw the words to say. “Peter Pan did what he had to in ages past, in a time when war also brewed over the land. We needed him to be our hero then. Now it is your turn.”
“Lyric won’t be able to fend off the pirates for long unless we do something. She needs the fountain’s magic.” Skye’s fists clenched. “Would any sacrifice work?”
“Any precious life,” I said, repeating what the voices echoed for me to say.
Skye pressed a hand against his chest and looked at Bay. “Then let me.”
“No,” Bay growled. “What do you think I’m going to do without you? I can’t fly without you. I wouldn’t even be able to get the water to her.”
There were other pixies still on Neverland. My brows furrowed, and I almost spoke, but Skye’s own voice murmured in my skull, Bay can’t fly using any dust. Only mine. He only trusts me.
Bay winced, pacing and running his fingers through his hair. His short braid came undone, and he cursed as the tie fell, before glancing at me again.
I smiled, though my heart hammered. “It is all right. I am a small price to pay for the world. I have already seen what I may miss.”
“That doesn’t matter,” he spat. Anger boiled in his expression. “Your sisters, your family, how can I possibly take you from them? I know what that does to someone.”
“But Lyric—” Skye began.
Bay snatched a dagger off his belt and flipped it in his hand. “Yeah. I know. She needs this.”
“What are you—” I bit my tongue when the voices hissed at me. A siren would have no question.
Bay didn’t seem to notice as he positioned the blade at his chest. “Make sure it gets to both her and my mother, Skye.” His gaze flicked to me. “Tell your sisters thanks for everything.”
