Everland(81)

“I’d like to say your men put up a good fight,” Pete says, striding in with a smirk, “but I’d be lying. Turns out they get awfully squirrelly when you tamper with their masks.” Pete holds up a Marauder’s mask before he throws it at Hook’s feet.

Hook reaches down and lifts the mask. “Impossible!” he says with a puzzled stare.

An explosion erupts from the royal gardens beyond the palace walls. The ground shakes, sending a few lanterns falling from the building, spilling gas on their descent and smashing onto the stone. Flames lick the night sky.

“Oh, our engineer, Cogs, wanted me to remind you that you ought not to leave volatile materials around for children to play with. They could start a fire or even blow up a few zeppelins,” Pete says smugly.

Hook’s dark eyes reflect flames as he watches the yellow and orange blaze dance above the limestone walls. He clenches a fist and nods to the building. “Go look into it.”

“Aye, Captain,” a soldier says, running past Pete toward the front of the palace.

“As for you two, I don’t recall inviting you to this party,” Hook growls.

Pete takes a few determined steps toward the leader of the Marauders. “What do you mean, Hook? You’ve been chasing me for months. All this time I’ve evaded you, and now I’m practically within reach and suddenly you don’t want me. I’m hurt,” Pete says with a mocking pout.

“I don’t need you,” Hook says, retrieving his revolver from its holster.

Pete ignores the weapon aimed at him. “Nice brand there, Jack,” Pete says, folding his arms. “The only thing that’s missing is the word traitor across your forehead.”

Hook throws his head back and laughs. “Ah, yes. I forgot that you didn’t know that my prodigal stepbrother has returned. Once a Marauder, always a Marauder.”

Pete snatches his dagger and charges Jack, knocking him to the ground. He holds the blade to Jack’s throat.

“It’s not what you think,” Jack says tersely. “I swear!”

His blade pricks Jack’s neck, releasing a bead of blood. “It ripped me into a thousand shreds to leave you behind. You betrayed us! How could you?”

“No, I told him we’d give him Gwen,” Jack grunts. “He promised he wouldn’t hurt the Lost Kids. Gwen was all he wanted.”

“She’s more of a Lost Kid than you are,” Pete growls through clenched teeth. He digs the knife slightly deeper. Blood leaks down Jack’s neck.

“Pete, stop it!” I shout.

“I thought I was doing the right thing by giving up Gwen. He promised he’d take her and leave Everland. I knew you’d all be mad at me, but I did what I thought was right for the Lost Boys. I didn’t think I could show my face again, so … so I pledged my allegiance to Hook.”

“An honorable Lost Boy wouldn’t have given up his clan, but even if he had, he’d have rather died than pledge his allegiance to a pirate,” Pete snaps.

With Doc’s help, I yank Pete off Jack just as he lifts his dagger, ready to drive it into Jack’s chest.

“Let him go,” Doc says with disgust. “He’s not worth it.”

Pete stands and spits on Jack’s face.

“When I get my hands on you, you’re going to wish you were dead,” Pete growls.

Hook chuckles. “Good form, Lost Boy. Taking vengeance on my double-crossing brother. You’d make an excellent Marauder. It’s a shame I have to kill you.” He aims his gun back at the boys and nods to a soldier. “Take them out to the garden and put them out of their misery. Then feed them to the crocs.”

As the soldiers advance on the boys, Doc pulls a syringe from his back pocket. “If you kill us, you’ll never have this.” Hook stares at the vial in Doc’s hand. Its iridescent tint glitters in the light. “It’s the cure, Hook. This vial is all you will need to reproduce the antidote. You don’t need Gwen or the Professor, but you do need this.”

Hook scowls. “The cure hasn’t been developed yet. I’d know if it had.”

Doc hands the vial to Pete, who grips each end of it, poised to snap it in two.

“Maybe. Maybe not.” Pete shrugs. “But this is the only vial. Are you sure you want to risk finding out?”

Hesitating, Hook stares at the glass container. “What’s your proof?”

Pete nods to Bella. “Show him.”

Bella rips off her gloves. Her tiny fingers reveal the pink tint of new skin where her open sores once were. A hush falls as we stare, astonished at her nearly perfect hands. “Less than an hour ago I was dying. My fingers hurt so bad I thought they were going to fall off. Pete gave me that antidote and now look!” She wiggles her fingers.

“But … how?” my mother says. “Even when we developed the antidote years ago, it never had the ability to heal that quickly. Some trials took years to show improvement.”

“Two things,” Doc says, with raised brows. “Stem cells and lizards.”

My mother stares at Doc, bewildered.

Doc grins. “I’ve always been interested in the study of stem cells, mainly in the area of epimorphic regeneration.”

“What is that?” Mikey asks.

“Good question, Lost Boy. You know how lizards can lose a tail and grow it back?” Doc asks.