Dinner was just as successful as lunch had been. Some of the crewmembers had started to worry that someone had died, or that they themselves were going to be walking the plank soon. Why else would they have food that wasn't practically a punishment? They'd been almost stunned at the idea that this was a standard of food that they might have just because.

After dinner, Alaina had expected to be led back to her cell in the hull of the ship. But apparently, the food onboard had taken such a dramatic turn that not a single crew member wanted her locked up. Cole leaned over and whispered that there may have been a rumor that if she spent another night in that cell, the cooking standards would slip back down to where they'd been the day before.

"Oh? And who would have started that rumor?" Alaina asked, even though she thought she might already know the answer.

"Actually, Jophiel." Cole told her.

"Really?" Alaina asked, surprised. She wouldn't have thought the angel would have wanted to be part of a lie like that. Although when she thought about it, she wasn't actually sure that it was a lie after all; she didn't particularly want to cook for people who'd lock her up like that.

"I wanted to tell them that tomorrow's slop might just be poisoned, but Jophiel wouldn't have it." he admitted. Alaina nodded to herself. Now that she could believe.

"You didn't come see me." Alaina said. "When I was in the hull. Neither of you did."

"I'm sorry. I wanted to, but they were suspicious enough that we'd brought you onboard in the first place."

Alaina didn't say anything. She guessed she could understand it, but she still felt a little abandoned.

"It was a good plan of yours to get on the kitchen staff." Cole told her. "I'm proud of you."

"Really?" Alaina asked, allowing herself a small smile.

Cole nodded. He looked like he was about to say something else when his eye caught sight of something and he turned to look out among the men. Alaina followed suit.

A pirate with long black curls falling from under a ridiculous burgundy hat walked purposefully towards her. He raised his arm up, showing a large silver hook instead of a hand. He used the hook to scratch his mustache thoughtfully.

"So you're the one who's drastically improved the cooking skills onboard this ship." he said, regarding her.

"I am." Alaina nodded, standing up. She didn't like having that hook so close to eye level.

"A druid and a cook... Well, I think we might have a use for you after all."

"Doing what?" Alaina wasn't sure she wanted to help a bunch of pirates, especially ones who'd been more than happy to lock her up for two days. But if it would keep her out of that cell, she'd have to seriously consider going along with their plans, at least for now.

"We've been stuck off the coast of this infernal elven kingdom for almost six months now – we can't keep the supplies we need. Every time we raid a ship or plunder a village, we lose half of our loot to that infernal kid."

"What kid?" Alaina asked. Was it the one the elven queen had been talking about? The never-aging one?

"He comes every night with his band of boys." the man in the red had told her.

"Quite right, Mr. Smee." the captain nodded. "We've tried setting countless traps for him, but he simply flies away."

"He flies away?" Alaina asked. "What kind of child is this?"

"A demon child." the captain told her.

"Hey!" Cole cut in, sounding incensed.

"He's taunted us for years, never aging. Which means, unfortunately for us, that he'll be able to torment us for all eternity."

"Well, if he's a demon, we should be able to take care of him, right?" Alaina asked, looking towards Cole. After all, they'd already successfully delt with one demon child, how hard could a second one be?

"Oh, no." the captain said. "I couldn't let our newest crew members do something so dangerous!"

Really? Alaina had the feeling that's exactly who any self-respecting pirate would give the task to. But before she could voice any objections, the captain seemed to do an abrupt about-face.

"But if you and your friends are volunteering to put your lives on the line for your dear, old captain, well then who am I to object?" he asked, sounding overly melodramatic about it.

"Well, I don't know about putting our lives on the line..." Cole started.

"Oh, yes, your very lives." Mr. Smee nodded enthusiastically as the captain continued.

"But don't worry – I have a plan that just might work." the captain said. "We'll stack all of our loot from the last two nights into a pile at the front of the ship. And when that boy comes, you'll be hiding there, waiting to catch him."

The crew erupted into cheers, but Alaina and Cole exchanged looks. He seemed to think the plan was as stupid as she did.

Still, she wasn't about to argue with a hooked captain in the middle of his crew. So that night, Alaina, Cole, and Jophiel hid themselves on the deck of the ship, while all of the pirates went to bed.

"What do you think of the captain's plan?" Alaina asked.

"I think that if we're really looking for a demon, his plan will never work." Cole told her.

"I agree." Jophiel said. "No demon I've ever met would fall for such an obvious trap."

"Then why are we here?" Alaina asked.

"Well, maybe I can talk to him." Cole said. "Demon-to-demon."

"Has that ever worked for you before?" Jophiel scoffed. "I'd be better off trying to get him to see the light."

Cole laughed aloud at that. "Oh, you're more than welcome to try."

"I'll have you know that I've brought more than my fair share to our side." Jophiel said indignantly.

"Human?" Cole rolled his eyes.

"Well, yes, but—"

"Not the same as a demon." Cole informed him. "Humans are much more—"

"Shhh!" Alaina hissed. She thought she heard something near the sails.

The boys quieted down, listening along with her. Then, they followed her out to the main deck, where the captain and his crew had placed their treasure. Standing on the deck, peeking under the tarp, was a boy dressed in green with a feather in his cap. Clearly, the boy wasn't any more a demon than Alaina was.

"I'll handle this." Jophiel said. He threw his shoulders back and unfurled his wings before stepping out of the shadows. "Young man, what do you think you're doing?"

"Who me? Nothing. I..." the boy started. But he stopped dead when he saw Jophiel's wings. "Who are you?"

"I'm Jophiel."

"What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to set you down the right path." Jophiel said.

Cole laughed loudly. Jophiel narrowed his eyes but continued on.

"Do you really want to be stealing from pirates? Where will that get you?"

"Well, I got a pretty nice scepter last week." The boy said proudly. "Goes real good with the crown I found the week before."

The boy didn't seem to have even the slightest problem admitting thievery to an angel. Jophiel looked flabbergasted at that. Cole sighed and, horns showing, stepped up next to Jophiel.

"It's alright, kid, I understand completely." Cole said.

The kid looked at Cole skeptically, and Alaina knew just where this was going. She was going to have to put a stop to it before everything got completely out of hand. She walked up to the group, an idea forming in her head.

"What's your name?" Alaina asked the boy.

"Peter." came the reply.

"Well, Peter," she said, "You know you can't keep doing this, right?"

"Actually, I think I can." the boy said, grinning.

Alaina sighed. She knew what would happen if this continued. Either he'd manage to kill the captain, or the captain would kill him – the boy would either be a murderer or dead. She'd have to make sure neither of those happened.

"You like treasure, right?" she asked.

"Well, that's part of it." the boy shrugged. "But mostly, it's the adventure."

"What if I gave you something that would lead to the greatest adventure you've ever had?"

"...I'm listening." the boy said slowly.

"But if I give it to you, you have to promise you'll leave the captain and his crew alone for good."

"Deal." the boy grinned.

Alaina nodded. Slowly, she took that strange red gem out of her pocket, ready to change the fates of everyone on this ship, that strange boy included.