The Land Never Lost

Chapter 27

Blink ran through the doors of the tree house, "Nothing! I can't find Peter anywhere.". Brutus walked into the tree house behind his brother, "I have Fin searching the woods and Scale is waiting outside the room of rumination just in case Peter shows up there.". Ramona clutched at her shield, after they left the castle she tried to use her ability to track Hawk, but something was wrong. Her Locus Lotus was not cooperating for some reason and she was at her wits end. "Hawk hasn't returned either, and it's not like him to make me worry." she said. Blink raised his eyebrows, "Make you worry?". Ramona blushed, "US!".

Trinkett paced back and forth, her green leather jacket clutched tight in her hands. Everyone in the room awaited her command, but the princess was too lost in her own thoughts. Out on the porch Bear sat cross legged, and down in the woods below the nemerald construct of a bear searched for Hawk and Peter. In the short time since Bear had demonstrated this ability he had become more adept at releasing his nemerald out in that form. He called it Ursa, and if Bear concentrated he could send Ursa a good distance away from his body. Leif rode atop Ursa, using his Light's Eye to extend the range of his vision. So far the search in Pan, yielded no results. The lost boys and Fallen had not considered their search may extend beyond the land of fairies.

Peter and Hawk appeared in the sky above their old home town. Their respective green and white glows stood out against the dark framework of the night sky. Luckily, most of the townsfolk were asleep, so they ran no serious risk of being spotted. The passage between worlds always seemed to lead to exactly where and when you needed to be, and Peter had found that very curious. It felt like nature was telling a story and setting the scene as needed. Peter followed Hawk as he landed on the roof of an old building.

"So how are we supposed to find Duncan? Do we just wait for glooms to show up and start a fight?" Peter asked. Hawk was looking around cautiously, but he answered, "Look around, captain, a lot of shadows being cast. I have a feeling we can just wait here and he will show soon. He seems to have a general sense of when you are around.". They did not have to wait long. Ten glooms climbed out of the shadows onto the very roof the boys had been on. Peter began to charge his nemerald, but Hawk attacked in a flash of white. He slashed and clawed, his wings whipped as he took down the enemy in a matter of seconds. "You got to save your energy captain, the real fight is yet to come." Hawk reminded Peter.

"If only we didn't have to be sitting ducks. Isn't there a way we can get to them first?" Peter asked. "You can use the shadows." The suggestion came from an unexpected associate, just as Hawk was about to answer. Out of the darkness Belias stepped forward, his hood pulled tightly over his head. Hawk eyed the fairy skeptically, "What are you doing here?".

"Flap alerted me when he saw Peter and you flying into the stars. I told Fox to continue watching Cadman while I followed the both of you. Figured the only reason you would be heading to the human world was to do something stupid, so here I am." Belias said.

"I'm here to challenge Duncan.", said Peter.

"So something stupid." Belias removed his hood, as he walked to the same shadow the glooms crawled out of. Peter followed Belias, "And what is a Flap?". Belias stayed looking into the shadow but pointed at the sky. Peter looked up and saw a large green bird hovering above them. "Forget the bird, what do you mean use the shadows?" Hawk asked.

"Ramona has been working on a theory, guess she didn't tell you." Belias said smugly. Hawk asked through gritted teeth, "Which is?". Belias pulled up the sleeve of his black raincoat and stuck his hand inside the shadow. The hand disappeared up to that wrist and he slowly pulled it back out. "When we go between the fairy and human world, the sky flips, signaling the change between worlds. The glooms use shadows like doorways into the human realm, so Ramona believed the shadows must behave similarly. I tested out her theory and have been scouting the Shade ever since." Belias explained.

"Shade?" Hawk asked, annoyed.

"It's what Ramona calls the realm the glooms reside in." Belias said with a small grin. "But do you want to keep asking questions or are we going?".

With that they jumped into the shadow, one after the other. The process might have been similar to flying at the stars until the sky flipped, but this sensation was different. They fell and fell then, with a violent turn of their world, they hit the ground abruptly. Peter stumbled but Hawk caught his friend before he fell. Peter straightened himself and took in the Shade for the first time. This world was completely monochromatic, but it looked very familiar. There was no color in this world besides various shades of whites, grays, and blacks. It looked like the town he saw in his vision. The same place Reinhold had met his mother, Wendy. Duncan's world was a reminder of the place Wendy had been so eager to escape. A sick joke, Peter thought.

Belias led Hawk and Peter through roads and down alleys, avoiding detection by the numerous glooms wandering about aimlessly. Just as Hawk and Peter figured they were lost, Belias would make the correct turn. "You seem to know your way around." Hawk said in an accusatory tone. "I have been scouting the Shade like I said." Belias shot back defensively.

"You guys want to focus on the mission?" Peter asked. "Where are you leading us Belias?".

Belias stopped suddenly and turned to face the boys. He held a finger to his mouth and pulled his hood over his long black hair. Hawk and Peter watched as the color drained from the fairy until he was barely visible. With Dark Hunt activated Belias whispered, "Look". He pointed to a small point in the distance, a singular wooden cabin that stood out in the empty field. Peter felt such negative energy coming from that small cabin that he understood what they were looking at immediately.

"Duncan's home?" he asked.

"Yes. This is as close as I have ever dared to get to the cabin. Ramona thought maybe we could find something, anything that we could use as a weakness." Belias said.

"We aren't here to spy Belias. I'm going to end the fight now, so no one else has to carry the burden." Peter said as he started to glow. His anger and determination were causing his nemerald to spike.

Hawk put a hand on his friend's shoulder, "Whoa! Hang on captain, we are in Duncan's territory now. We can't just charge in without a plan."

"Kind of too late for that." Belias whispered. Hawk shot him an angry look, and went to continue but he saw what Belias meant. Standing in the entrance of the cabin was a man dressed in all black. He was cloaked in darkness, so he appeared featureless, but he was looking in the direction of their group. His shadowy hand moved up and removed the black hat from atop his head. As the hat came off, the darkness fell off the man like liquid. His blonde hair that fell over his shoulders and his dark deep blue eyes, were a color source that felt lonely in the black and white backdrop of the Shade.

Peter took on his spirit form and immediately began marching towards Duncan. Belias looked at Hawk, shrugged, and they followed behind the boy. Duncan stood with a satisfied smile on his face, confidently waiting as they approached him. Peter's nemerald, normally green, was a soft white glow in the darkness of the Shade. Still, the boy showed no hesitancy or fear, he just glowed and continued forward. Peter, Hawk, and Belias now stood only a hundred feet away from their enemy. "Duncan!" Peter called out to the shadowy man.

Upon hearing his name, Duncan's smile turned into a crooked grin. He extended his arms out wide and said, "I see you were able to bring them Captain.".

"Cap... How do you know that name?" Peter asked.

"I was not talking to you, my boy." Duncan said with a wild smile.

Belias was suddenly struck in the back and fell to the floor in front of Peter. "What?!" he asked, as he spun around and saw Hawk standing with his white wings stretched out widely. He looked from Belias to Peter slowly, pushing his hair back. A scowl came across the boy's face as he walked towards Duncan. The shadow man placed his hand on Hawk's shoulder, and his white wings flapped, rejuvenated with energy. Peter stood shocked, and shattered as he saw his best friend kneel in front of his worst enemy.