Down to Earth~ Sequel to Peter Pan's Dragon Girl

Chapter 29

Back on Neverland

Everything was burning. The trees, the grass, it seemed even the very air around them was filled with fire and smoke. It wasn't supposed to be this way. It wasn't supposed to go this wrong.

Beryl stood alone in the center of the clearing as she watched the forest turn into cinders and ash. Well, she wasn't fully alone, she glared across the space at Muriel the Great Lion Witch, head of the Circle of Greats. Someone she thought to be long dead.

"I don't plan to kill you today, Lion Witch. Today I plan to extend to you an olive branch of temporary truce. Bring back my family and I will explain." Muriel sneered at the hybrid Witch Hunter's words and holds the glass jar higher in her hand in an impending threat to shatter it along with their souls.

"Explain it to me now and then I might give them back, Witch Hunter." Lowly growling, Beryl knew she had no choice but to comply, Muriel was her equal in nearly every aspect and so she knew trying to trick her would be useless and a physical battle would rip the island to shreds.

"Fine, my son is trapped on earth. You are my only hope in getting him back where he belongs. I am willing to bargain for your cooperation." Muriel's pale blue eyes lit with excitement at the word bargain, she loved a good trade- that leaned in her favor of course. Her blood red lips stretched up in a wicked smirk as she lowered the jar but clutched it to her chest for protection from an ambush attack.

"And what are you willing to give me in return for your little demon spawn?" The Dragon female forced back a hiss of rage at Muriel for calling her son a demon spawn.

"Call my child that again and you'll see the devil that created him. My trade for him is me. Once he has returned safely to Neverland and to his family, I will let you take my eyes and my life. As long as you leave Neverland and never return once you have them." A serpentine tongue raked over her ruby lips at the idea of taking the eyes from her greatest enemy. Beryl the Witch Hunter had been the bane of every sister within the fold of the Black Arts. To be the one to defeat such a relic would be perfect beyond compare.

"What's the catch here, Witch Hunter?"

"There is none, just help me bring my son home and then leave with what I bargained with." As she explained, Muriel crouched to the ground and placed the jar on the grass with a clawed hand hovering over the mossy stopper that kept Felix, Riley, and Peter Pan trapped within the transparent confines meant for the Lion Witch above them.

"You know you will die once I take your eyes?"

"Death doesn't scare me, Muriel. Do we have a deal?"

"All of this, for a child? Just make another." Beryl scoffed and rolled her eyes at the female across from her as they stood in the ring of flames and smoke.

"This is Neverland, Lion Witch, things don't work that way. Another thing, this bargain is our secret. Nobody else is to know what happened here. Deal?" Muriel shot into a standing position and lunged forward to grab her hand, claws biting into the hybrid's skin and a wild smirk lifting bloody lips. Beryl formed her own claws and sliced into Muriel's flesh. Blood ran off their hands to pool together in a twisted Blood Oath, their combined blood creating an obsidian set of ribs that was strung together to form bony bracelets for the both of them.

"Happily. I will revel in ripping out your eyes, Witch Hunter. Let's begin this little rescue of the devil child." Beryl couldn't stop the bemused smirk at her ways to skirt using demon spawn. Her smirk also showed her amusement at how Muriel was so eager to take her eyes and powers she didn't even ask the details of the mission itself.

"Hate to break it to you, Lion Witch, but according to Ursula this 'little rescue of the devil child' goes nowhere until the Blood Moon Soltice, an event that happens in three weeks." Her pale eyes widened at the realization that she had been duped into the deal. She was so shocked at being tricked that she didn't move to stop Beryl as she snatched up the jar that held her family. Removing the moss stopper she chanted the release spell as she snapped the dream catcher in a perfect half.

The three souls floated from the confinement and she watched as their bodies retook their forms and they immediately went on the defense against Muriel. Before they could attack, a thick maple trunk riddled with patches of blazing fire fell between the boys and the girls.

"Petey, wait!" Beryl leapt between her lover and her greatest foe, both holding writhing balls of power aiming towards one another.

"Ber, she needs to be contained why are you stopping me?"

"We don't need to fight her, she's agreed to help us." The boys shared a look of confusion before staring over the smoldering tree at Beryl.

"You have a lot of explaining to do, Ber." Peter said lowly before waving his hand to extinguish the flames around them. Once the fires were out and no longer a threat, his gorgeous eyes locked on the female standing between him and the Lion Witch Muriel.

"I thought you said she was ruthless and willing to kill you at every opportunity, why would she suddenly have a change of heart and want to help Beryl the Witch Hunter?"

"Because as revolting the idea may be, I see that this island is our last refuge. If the two of us were to go to war, we would sink the island before either could get close to winning." Spat out Muriel with a glare at Beryl's brunette hair. She hated admitting that Witch Hunter Beryl was her equal in any way but it was the harsh truth.

"And so, she has agreed to keep her space from the Lost Boys and the camp until the Blood Moon Solstice when we can bring Elias home."

"What was her price for such a service? Nothing comes without a price as we've learned." Beryl scrambled to find a suitable lie in the term of prices. If Peter knew that she was trading her life for their son's, he would go berserk and try to kill off their one chance to get their child.

This is one secret that even Peter Pan must never know.

"She told me that once we had finished our arrangement that I can live peacefully in the old Fairy Territory of this island. It seemed to be a fair trade, a sniveling child for an eternity of peace so I agreed. See, already made a Blood Oath on it so there is no backing out." They lifted their arms to show the blackened rib bone bracelets they shared. Peter stared at Beryl in disbelief at her boldness to make a Blood Oath with the cruelest Witch known to mankind and all of history. Maleficent had killed her and by a chance miracle was she brought back, what would happen if she were to let Muriel live undisturbed in the land of the Fairies?

"It was the only way, Petey." She could see he was apprehensive about letting this go, but believed her lies. She knew he would give in to her and let it slip away, he wasn't the true obstacle. Beryl could keep a secret from Peter Pan of Neverland.

The one person she was afraid to keep this from was Alecon Black, King of the Dragons and her father.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Things are finally starting to heat up and get started! Elias is learning the truth of Reine's past as the Red Queen of Hearts and Beryl is keeping secrets about deathly deals with Muriel the Great Lion Witch. And it all leads up to one big moment:

The Blood Moon Solstice.

Vote, comment, and enjoy as you please!

Stay crazy my little demons!

Love, Peace, and Chicken Grease!