James knew that wasn’t what was making Smee anxious, and he wasn’t very good at lying, but Peter didn’t seem to notice. The fact was James was having so much fun with his friends he had almost forgotten entirely the cake was laced with a sleeping draft, and within moments they were going to have to act fast so they could capture Tinker Bell and spirit her away to the Many Kingdoms.

“Oh, you don’t have to worry about him. His lagoon is nearby; he’s only come to listen to the music,” said Peter, eating his cake.

“Yes, thank you, Smee, I’m sure the Lost Boys are well acquainted with all manner of creatures who live here, don’t trouble yourself,” said James, wondering where Tinker Bell was. He hadn’t planned to serve the cake until after she arrived, but at the rate the Lost Boys were shoveling cake into their mouths, they’d be asleep before she even got there. Then of course she would realize it was a trap. “Where is your fairy friend?” he asked Peter, who answered with a mouth full of chocolate.

“She is there, with the mermaids,” Peter said, and James saw her glittering light zoom around them as they sang along to the music the men were playing on the Jolly Roger. Mullins, Jukes, Damien Salt, and the other men looked like they were having a wonderful time, too, and he wondered if, like him, they had forgotten their skullduggerous plan.

“She is most welcome to join us, so are the mermaids,” said James.

“Mermaids don’t eat cake,” said Peter, laughing.

“Of course they don’t, how silly of me. Is there something I could offer them? Something more to their taste? I do know, however, that fairies love sweets. Maybe we can tempt Tinker Bell with some of the petit fours; they’re just her size.” James noticed that Peter’s eyes were becoming heavy. Soon he and the Lost Boys would be asleep, and he needed to act fast. He didn’t want to ruin the goodwill he had created this night with his friends, and wished more than ever he could be doing this some other way.

“Oh yes, she loves little cakes. Do you have lemon? That’s her favorite!” Peter asked, and called out to Tinker Bell.

“Tink! Tink! They have little cakes!” he said, then whistled so Tink would fly over. James gave a wink to Smee, his signal to sprinkle a bit of sleeping draft onto Tinker Bell’s cake before he brought it over to her. Tinker Bell was luminescent and feisty as ever. She was such a little thing, small enough to fit into the palm of a hand, and brazen enough to find her way out of it.