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The Pagemasters Vol 1 Chapter 12

Author: Literataku

Chapter 12:
Interrupt 1; The Monochrome Blows

There was something to be said about being the most feared pirate of the Seven Seas. Something that made him proud to be who he was. The bo’sun [1. note: Ol’ English slang for boatswain] and self-proclaimed successor of Blackbeard. The only man of whom Barbeque was afraid. Master and Captain of the Jolly Roger.

But for his accomplishment and infamy, there was one troubling thing left on his plate. One simple thing that prevented him from being able to truly revel in his greatness. One tiny annoying thing, that for the life of him, he had been unable to truly conquer. One speck that his perfectionist self could not allow being easy within his soul.

He looked out along the stern of his ship, watching the men swab and polish the deck and mizenmast until they shined the sun reflecting off the sea around them. Even though they were anchored, he was loathed for some reason to go ashore to deal with the native tribes and his rival’s little gang of brats today. Something wasn’t right today, he could feel it in his black soul that something was amiss.

The morning sun was just about to complete its rise from the horizon. It was almost time for that person’s return. Gazing through his spyglass for a moment with his left hand. “Get those cannons ready! I want to fire on him as soon as we draw sight!”

“““Aye aye, Captain!”””

He had to smile to himself. He had the best crew a man could ask for. The first and only blot on their history would be erased eventually, he could see it so close it was just a matter of making it a reality. But this something different was tingling in the back of his mind like a distant memory. What was this strange sensation?

He had plenty of men looking up at the skies, he turned the spyglass to the waters. There were no mermaids, it was still early for them to even be swimming in their lagoon and they didn’t bother with the comings and goings of that person. There was no sight or sound of that hideous monster that had taken his right hand.

Both were good signs to him, but still, something was terribly wrong, he could feel it in every inch of his bone and the feeling was getting stronger. The savage natives were now likely waking up, and the brats would still be sleeping if they weren’t going to sleep right now. Undisciplined ruffians the lot of them.

He took down to below deck, his mind tingling with something that he could barely remember, something that was of great import and couldn’t ignore lest he loses everything. That was what he was telling himself, he was sure of it. And so he began his impromptu inspection, aft to stern he covered every speck of dust, every musket, and cannonball. What was he missing?

“Captain! It’s Him! Port side and coming in quickly!”

There was no more time to figure it out now. Running as fast as he could topside he peered into his spyglass once again, searching the skies. Smiling as he took sight of his mortal foe. “Aim the can-!”

He paused in mid-speech, peering closely through the glass, before pulling away to check if there was something on the other end, and looking through it again. This didn’t make any sense. He checked again, rubbing the glass again his sleeve to try and clean any unseen specks away. And he looked again.

“Mr. Smee! Tell me what you see over there.”

He couldn’t be crazy. It was impossible, men of Eton college did not go insane. Could they?

His first mate looked through his own glass and then repeated the same motions of making sure his glass wasn’t dirty. Heis face in puzzlement just like his captains. They looked at each other and then back toward the flying boy coming down from the clouds.

“Captain… it looks like he is carrying a child-size living biscuit…”

He nodded and bit his upper lip. The thought that had been nagging in the back of his brain finally starting to blossom into a realization. It all came back to him. The years of humiliation and defeat at the hands of those others, the remembrance of those other bratty children that did not exist yet. Or perhaps they did exist once and would again. The robes and colors of those who fought as allies of his enemy.

His hand was shaking while he put away his spyglass. “Mr. Smee, where have you ever heard of a man made of a biscuit before?”

Smee looked at his captain and then back out across the waters. “Only in stories Captain. Until now.”

He nodded and flashed a wicked smile, his mind working in overtime as the crew stood in wait for his orders, the boy already in range of the cannons, but not for much longer. This was the moment he had waited for. Biding his time for something like this, the hidden puzzle piece kept in his cabin under thirty locks divided between him and Smee was finally going to pay off.

“Stow the cannons! Secure all decks and prepare to sail men! I want everything ready to move out in one bell!”

His men looked at him dumbfounded, only a moment, however, even if their captain had snapped he was still the captain and not one man among them was brave enough to challenge his authority.

“Smee! To my cabin.” He ordered and marched as quickly as possible. Shutting the door as soon as Smee was inside, locking it. Though he doubted the crew would spy there was always a chance a random Pixie might show up, even if most of them should be sleeping the morning away after their nightly orgy. He was meticulous in making sure that any opening or window was covered before ordering Smee to move his bed away from its spot on the floor, revealing the safe underneath covered in chains and twenty-five locks holding the secured.

Pulling out his set of keys he began to unlock each and every one of them, glancing around to make sure that no extra eyes were peeking at what he was doing with every click of the lock. Smee looked on, holding the same puzzled look that the captain had just before they had seen the sight of the biscuit man.

As the locks and chains fell he looked to his first mate and posed a question as he worked the dial, turning the combination he only now began to remember. “Mr. Smee. Do you recall any of that person’s companions, any of the more unusual ones?”

Smee paused and squinted his eyes trying to think back on something. “There were those children with the robes…. The colored ones that didn’t quite fit here… they were book something… “

The Captain smiled again, his devious eyes glowing with tiny red specks, the same gleam when he was gutting someone with the hook he possessed as a right hand. He opened the safe and pulled out a box, sealed with the last five locks. “Not book something, Smee. Masters… Pagemasters. Blasted demons that have made sure that person has won every time I ever tried to end our little game. But this time…”

He opened the box and pulled out two simple little books. Laying one down and running his hook across the cover of one of them. “Oh, this time… I’ll have my vengeance.” the light reflected off the cover, a gilded in gold a simple picture of a boy covered in leaves flying through a large window, and at the bottom the title that he stared at with much glee.

PETER PAN

The second book lay facedown and unknown, the worn silver letters on the side completely unreadable from its age. He would leave that one in the box for now. It wasn’t as important as what secrets he could use from this one.
Placing the book on the table, he began to chart out a course. How many years had it been since they tried to leave? How many attempts had gone wrong? But now… Now he had all he needed, and he would start with the one who could change the balance of his private war. Standing up he carried the chart and exited with Smee, standing at the helm with a good laugh as his crew stood at attention awaiting his commend.

“Today we leave Neverland and chase down a new target! Today we start on the path to win and resolve our great conflict with Pan and his lost boys! This will be our chance to change everything fate has thrown at us. For years Pan has had help from outside, powers that are in bad form against a proper sporting fight. We will find the ones who have aided Pan all these years and ensured our losses, we will ensure Pan will fight alone without cheats to aid him. Today we begin the hunt for the Pagemaster!”

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It was only a few hours after they had sailed away that Peter came to see what his nemesis was up too, His return was always a good chance for a game between his boys and the pirates. But to his surprise, there was none to be found.

Pan didn’t actually care about them, they were just something to have fun with. A part of him thought about checking back later in case they were just trying to pull off a surprise attack. His heart leaped with the idea of them trying something new. But nothing happened, and as the days passed on Peter forgot all about the pirates and their captain.

Still, there was a newer game to play with these colorful fairies that called themselves “godmothers”. Stopping evil villains from harming children. Adults he could care less about, but there was talk about helping a girl, maybe she could be a mother for him and the Boys. “Zellandine….”