The Legacy of Villains

Copyright © 2023 Juliet GouletThe characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the publisher.Cover design by: MiblArtExcerpt from "Never Give it all the Heart" by William Butler YeatsPublic Domain For Ms. Darby, who might not remember me.And for my mum. Happy birthday. Chapter 1“Never step aboard the Jolly Roger unless it’s to pledge allegiance to the fearsome Captain Hook.”- The Mostly Accurate Traveler’s Guide to the Ancient World of NeverlandThe men hiding in her bedroom had been sent by her father to kidnap her. She should have realized it had been too long—a full week by her count—without an attempt on her life. She’d clearly grown sloppy.Sloppier still when they managed to wrestle her to the ground, wrap thick rope around her wrists, and march her above deck. She hadn’t even had time to reach for the knife that she always kept in her boot.All the while, there was something crawling under her skin.Her father had always told her that she had star-stuff in her veins, but this felt more like…anticipation. Nerves, maybe. It clawed at her first with tiny pincers of fear, and then with shame at the fact that she’d even deign to feel fear in the first place.The daughter of Captain Hook did not feel fear.Not even when she stood with her toes hanging off the edge of the gangplank. Jo steeled her emotions into fierce points and faced the dark, unyielding water below as it lapped at the ship’s belly like a starving dog. She knew that when it got its hands on her it would be with icy fingers, and wished they were nearer to the lagoons where the water was always warm and inviting—although dealing with the Merfolk would not be a very even trade off.Behind her, jeers from the pirate crew who had tied the rope on her wrists so tight that they had begun to lose circulation. She wanted to look back, catch any of their eyes and show them her fiery determination, but she was afraid she’d lose her balance on the wobbling plank. And falling was worse than jumping. She’d always been told a move made with purpose was a hundred times better than one made by accident.So, with an intake of air that filled her lungs to the brim, she leapt, her elegant dive captivating her audience for only a moment before she disappeared beneath the waves.Dust that’s cold! Jo thought, pumping her legs to keep from sinking like a stone into the sea. No one knew what manner of beasts slumbered on the ocean floor, and she wasn’t eager to find out any time soon.Jo swung her arms beneath her legs, fighting both the current trying to drag her down and the pain in her shoulders, so that her wrists were in front of her. She set her teeth into one of the rope's frayed edges and pulled until it gave way, freeing her arms at the final moment before she ran out of air.She kicked upwards towards the beckoning sun and broke her head over the waves with a tremendous gasp. She reached blindly for a net she knew was floating nearby.Shaking, cold fingers latched onto the ropes and she was hauled up. Then: strong hands at her arms pulling her back onto the ship.“You did it, Jo!”“Heck of a performance kid! Sorry for tying the rope so tight, Capn’s orders.”“You might have even beat your Pa’s time!”She grinned at her crew—pirates all, and more loyal than anyone else in Neverland by far. Some short, some tall, some fair, and some weathered. Grizzled men and hardened women who had worked for the captain for ages, though she never knew quite how long. Time worked differently in Neverland. She did know that some had been with her father since the beginning, since before the Merfolk War, which could’ve been five, ten, or one hundred years past. They had all aged slowly and carefully, like rum in a barrel. Those under 18, such as Jo herself, always aged at what seemed to be a normal pace until they reached adulthood; it was then that Neverland’s magic would leach into them and slow everything down.There was only one group on the island that didn’t age at all, and they sure as dust weren’t on her ship.“Move aside!” barked a familiar voice as the thump of leather boots on wooden steps cut through the excited chatter. “Let me see her!”The crowd parted without question for Captain Hook. Tall, broad of shoulder, with dark curls looped into a ponytail at the nape of his neck, the captain was always as put together as one could be while living at sea. His greatcoat and feathered hat set him apart from his crew, with their simple trousers and tunics, but it was his hand that truly gave him the most ferocious, well-known appearance in all of Neverland.Or, really, his lack of hand.He swung his silver hook wide as he approached.“So, you got free.”“Of course,” she answered, tilting her chin up.“But they caught you unaware, they managed to tie you up in the first place.”She grimaced. “A minor error. It won’t happen again.”He hummed, looking over her sopping wet form and taking in the straight posture of her back, the unflinching look in her eye.“Well done, Jolie,” he said finally, lips quirking ever so slightly upwards.“I passed your test?”He nodded, “Like any good Hook should. I’ll have to think of something more challenging for your next one.”She rolled her eyes at that. Of course there would be a next one. There always was with him. “You’ll miss the retirement boat if you dally any longer on naming me your successor,” she murmured, too quiet