The Shadow (Second Book in the Neverland Bound Series)

Chapter 5 (Peter)

The next morning, I wake up to the calls of different birds as they flit about the forest. The sun's rays are already penetrating the canopy of the forest and I can't help but feel a sense of peace that washes over me at the sight.

I sit up to find that Nolan is already awake and also has breakfast ready for us. It appears as if he has already eaten because he is once again whittling away at that stick.

He senses my gaze on him so he looks up and nods to me in greeting. He then gestures to the food that is lying on a make-shift wooden plate by the now extinguished fire.

"Thanks," I say as I reach for it and begin to eat.

Unsurprisingly, he says nothing to me as he returns to his work, patiently waiting for me to finish. Once I do, he stands, pockets his knife, and pulls up the hood of his cloak to cover his sandy-blonde hair. He gestures for me to follow him and we set off into the forest.

"Is this the way to Morgana's palace?" I ask after a long silence.

He nods without even glancing my way.

Since he obviously isn't much of one for conversation, I take the traveling time to examine our new recruit. Most times I devote a day or two to getting to know each and every one of my men. When Nolan first came, however, I never was able to find time to do that with him.

He looks to be about 15 or 16 years old with a sure stride and an air about him that suggests that he has had to bear a weight that no one his age should have to. He seems confident, but also humble and thankfully, he seems to know where he is going.

Through appearances, he seems just like any other boy other than the fact that he doesn't speak. That is, until you get to his eyes. His eyes, a light brown color, are dull yet so filled with emotion that I have a hard time deciphering how he really feels.

And then, of course, there is his ever present stick. The stick that he whittles at whenever he gets a spare moment, that he carries everywhere with him like some sort of companion, and that he is using right now to help him hike through this cursed forest. I wonder about his strong dependence on that stick when suddenly, he stops walking.

I look at him curiously, my guard slightly rising, when I ask him, "What's wrong?"

He says nothing, instead grabbing me roughly by the arm and dragging me into a clump of bushes nearby.

"What the he-" I start, but he quickly clamps a hand over my mouth. Once he's sure that I'll stay quiet, he moves a finger to his lips and then points to an area a little ways away from where we were standing.

Now, emerging through the trees, are four men entirely clad in black, a quiver of arrows and a bow strapped to the backs of each. I roll my eyes. I could take these guys easily.

As if reading my thoughts, Nolan turns his piercing gaze on me, daring me to make a move.

So we sit there in silence, not daring to move a muscle in fear of detection, until the men are long out of sight.

We both finally stand up and start moving again, Nolan providing no explanation as to who the men were and why he wouldn't let me obliterate them. And so we trek on in unsurprising silence.

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It is almost nightfall by the time we arrive at a little cottage just outside the reaches of a village called Ronoque. I expect for the two of us to push on and stop just outside the town line for the night so that we remain undetected, but I see that I am sorely mistaken in this regard when Nolan goes on up and knocks on the door.