Everland(59)

“Mikey! I told you to hide,” a teenager covered in dirt admonishes. His chains rattle as he lurches toward the boy.

I kneel in front of the boy and regard him, scrutinizing him from head to toe. “Perhaps you Lost Boys could be useful.”

I try to snatch Mikey’s wrist, but he bolts and hides behind the bigger boys.

“You leave him alone,” the boy with the dirt-stained face shouts, tugging against his shackles.

Chains clattering, three urchins step in front of Mikey, attempting to intimidate me as they tower over me.

“If you want Mikey,” Justice says, “you’ll have to get through us.”

“It’s just as well. He isn’t vital to my plan,” I say.

“You won’t ever find Bella or Gwen. They’re too smart to get caught by you. Gwen and Pete are probably storming your stinky palace as we speak, and when you get back she’s going to have rescued her sister and Bella and you’ll have no one. Then she’ll come back here for her brother, Mikey, and the rest of us,” one says before sticking out his tongue.

“Gabs!” Justice growls, yanking the boy back. “Dozer, look after him.”

The teenager with the dirty face waves Gabs behind him.

I pick up the stuffed bear and study it, piecing together the bits of information tossing about in my mind. Her sister? Is it possible that the girl the soldiers caught earlier is another sibling of these two? But that can’t be. With the girls dropping dead so quickly, how is it possible two sisters and a brother have survived? Regardless, I need to get my hands on her, and the only way to her is through Pete.

“So my brother was telling the truth. She is headed for the palace,” I murmur, standing and ignoring the three teenage boys still attempting to appear daunting as they hover near. “Well, we should be sure we’re there to welcome her.”

“Captain, what should we do with the Lost Boys?” Smeeth asks.

“Gather them up and bring them along. They may be useful. Especially that boy.” I point my gloved hand toward Mikey, who cowers behind Dozer. What better way to convince Gwen to come out of hiding than to entice her with her little brother.

“No!” Dozer shouts, struggling to keep my men from reaching Mikey.

Turning toward the tunnel to leave the cavernous Lost City, I mull over the details I’ve just learned when a rock whirs past me, striking the stone wall. The low rumble of thunder churns within me, ready to explode. No one attacks me. Not without paying harsh consequences. I storm over to the teenage boy with a stone gripped in his clenched fist, the interim leader, Justice. What a conveniently appropriate name. I grip him by his shirt, my other hand reaching for my pistol, ready to remind him who he’s dealing with, when Mikey wails loudly. An iron fist grips at my chest. He’s just a boy, a child. He’s already seen enough violence in his short life. I turn my gaze back at Justice. He scowls at me, unafraid. I shove him to the ground and leave my pistol holstered.

“You ought to know by now that boys are not immune,” Justice says, bolting to his feet, ripping a glove from his hand with his teeth, and throwing it to the ground. He holds his hand up. Boils cover his fingers from the tips of the pads down to his palms. “You yourself said that you believe immunity lies in the girls. We have nothing to offer you!” Justice shouts.

I’m aware of this truth already, that the boys are not immune, and not just because the Professor has told me. My knuckles pop as I squeeze my fists. Face-to-face, I peer at the boy.

“On the contrary, you may be much more useful than I originally thought,” I say, spittle spraying Justice’s face.

Justice doesn’t budge but stares back, unblinking.

“What do you mean?” Gabs squeaks.

My gaze, fixated on Justice, narrows. “I need Gwen. The entire Lost Boy tribe will surely be enough to entice Pete to make an appearance. Especially if I offer a few of you as snacks to my pets. Tick and Tock aren’t picky. A crocodile’s got to eat.”

“No!” Jack says, his voice echoing from a darkened tunnel. He thrusts forward into the dim light of the Lost City, cuffed and standing between two Marauders. “You promised, Hook! You said you wouldn’t hurt the Lost Boys!”

“Ah, yes, I forgot to introduce my stepbrother. I’m sure you boys know Jack. He’s the one who led me to your hideout.”

Justice’s eyes widen. “Jack? All this time you were one of them?” he says incredulously.

“It’s not what you think,” Jack pleads. “Gwen was all he wanted. He doesn’t want any of us. Just Gwen. Once he has her he’ll let all of you go.”

Gabs’s lower lip quivers. “She’s a Lost Girl. She’s one of us. How could you give her up?”

“Jack is a Marauder now, not a measly Lost Boy,” I spit. I grip Jack’s chin and jerk his head, revealing the Marauder’s mark blistering behind his ear. The Lost Boys gasp collectively and erupt in accusatory shouts and curses.

Jack wrenches his chin from my grasp and looks away. A deep line forms in his brow.

“You’re nothing but a traitorous pirate!” another one of them yells.

The Lost Boys watch Jack in wonder, whispering between themselves. I consider my brother, his rage boiling behind his dark eyes. I could release Jack to the Lost Kids and, with a little encouragement, his punishment would be crueler, more brutal than anything he experienced at Lohr Castle. Perhaps, though, Jack could still be useful.