Unhooked

by Lisa Maxwell

  I don’t want to leave Olivia behind, but I won’t be able to help her if Pan has me. I’m no good to Olivia if I’m dead. With panic fluttering in my chest, my skin cold with fear, I don’t hesitate any longer.

  The moment I feel the orb’s searing cold light on my fingertips, the world tilts. In a flash of blinding pressure, the cavern around me quivers, and then it disappears completely.

  His brother asked if he was ready, and the boy nodded, but it was a lie. “I’m sorry,” he started to say to his brother, knowing that he needed to put everything he meant in those three syllables. But his brother’s expression went hard as he shook his head to stop the boy from speaking. “There’ll be time enough for that after. . . .”

  Chapter 26

  WHEN I COME TO, THE light is gone. It takes me a second to remember what’s just happened, but I have no idea where I am.

  It’s dark—a dense, unnatural darkness that I recognize too well. The scent of moldering leaves is all around me. I hear a whispering rustle somewhere in the distance, and the echo of the metallic sound grates against my nerves. It all marks the unmistakable presence of the Dark Ones.

  The darkness is so thick around me, so deep and dense, it’s easy to imagine that I don’t exist at all. It brushes against my cheek and inches like ice down my spine. It spins me into itself until I am completely lost, until I can’t tell my past from my present, and suddenly, I’m there again, in that mysterious forest. . . .

  The forest surrounding me, the night breathing slow and steady, and my heart racing in my chest with a terrible joy.

  A rustling, a scuttling scrape that sounds like the wind coming alive. And the forest dressed in night, and something is out there, waiting. A voice in my head, dark and sweet, whispering to me. But I can’t make out what it says.

  A wailing moan comes out of the darkness—not the night of that image, but the deep dark night of where I now am. I blink, shaking a little as I come back to myself, but the ghost of the memory is still there, just on the edges of my consciousness. I have the sense that I could almost grasp it and discover what’s hidden there, but . . . I back away instead and let the memory fade into the darkness that inspired it.

  Another moan greets my ears. Shaking, I listen to it reverberate through the spaces around me, and as it echoes, I realize that I’ve heard that moaning wail before—it’s the sound I heard each night I was a prisoner on the Captain’s ship. That can’t be a coincidence.

  I make up my mind to follow the noise, and begin to inch my way forward. I don’t know how long I’ve been moving through the dark when I come up against a wall—a dead end. The screams haven’t come for a few minutes, and I have the sickening feeling I’m lost.

  “Who’s there?” A voice comes out of the darkness and stops me cold. A soft scuttling sounds at my right, and then the voice speaks again with an urgency that conveys fear as much as the demand itself. “I can hear you breathin’. I know you’re there.”

  I recognize that voice. “Will?” I feel for a space in the wall, something that would explain where the voice is coming from.

  There’s no answer at first, and then, cautiously, “Who’s that?”

  I move toward the sound again, following the wall until I come to a small opening, just big enough for my arm to fit into. “It’s me. Gwen.”

  “Gwen?” I hear him shuffle toward me, and then I feel the surprising warmth of a human hand touching mine. “What are you doing here?” He does not sound overly happy, but considering it’s Will, I’m not really surprised.

  “I don’t know,” I tell him honestly.

  “Your friend Pan didn’t send you?” His sarcasm is palpable.

  “No.” I grasp his hand firmly. “He didn’t. He doesn’t know I’m here.” Wherever here is. “At least I hope he doesn’t.” Because after what I saw him do to Olivia, I’m in no hurry to see him again.

  The moan comes out of the darkness again, this time closer than ever before, and the complete desolation in it makes my blood go cold.

  “What is that? Is one of the boys hurt?”

  Before he can answer, the darkness goes blindingly white.

  “Good. You have found them.” Fiona’s voice comes from the source of the light. “You do not have much time.”

  I see then what I’d felt in the darkness. Will’s face looks out at me from a narrow space between jagged rocks that both shoot up from the floor and hang down from the ceiling of the cave to create a cage. It looks like they’re trapped in the jaws of some huge stone beast.

  The familiar moan comes again, a soul-chilling sound of pain that has me peering through one of the narrow openings. In the darkness of their cell, I can just make out the Captain on the floor. He’s curled into himself and writhing as though he’s in extraordinary pain.

  “Is he hurt?” He doesn’t seem to be bleeding, but I can’t be sure.

  “No more than he ever is,” William says.

  But Will is hurt. His arm has been tied to his body with a sling made from his own shirt. There’s still blood seeping through the soiled material. Peeking out from the edges of the bandage on his other arm, the one he had back on the ship, a deadly black line creeps up toward his elbow.

  When I look up at him, his jaw goes tight, and he covers the bandaged arm with the one in the sling, as though he knows I understand.

  I look away as the Captain moans again. “Maybe you should try to wake him?” I say, chancing a glance up at Will.

  “Be my guest,” Will says darkly. “Last time I tried to bring him out of it, he nearly took off me head. Bloody wicked left hook he has. Best to let it pass on its own.”

  But whatever it is doesn’t seem to be passing. Even with our talking, even with Fiona’s light, the Captain hasn’t stirred. His skin is sallow and slick with sweat, and the sleeve of his left arm flops listlessly over him in an empty embrace. He no longer looks like the cold, buttoned-up Captain I’m used to. He looks younger and much more human than I’ve ever seen him.

  “What’s wrong with him?”

  Will narrows his eyes at me. “And I should tell you, when it’s your fault we’re in this bloody awful mess?”

  “It’s not exactly like he was honest with me,” I say, but I can’t quite dismiss my guilt.

  Will staggers a bit as he steps forward, his bruised face again illuminated by a beam of light. “He was as honest as the likes of you deserved.”

  “The likes of me?” I blink, outrage stiffening my spine.

  “Yes. You,” he says, poking a grime-covered finger sharply into my chest. “Double-crossing little—”

  “I saved his life,” I cut in.

  “Enough!” Fiona’s voice echoes through the darkness around the halo of her light. “We do not have time for this.” Impatience flares in her eyes.

  I turn to her. “Why did you bring me here?”

  Fiona cocks her head at an unnatural angle and glares at me. It’s a strangely inhuman movement that has me taking a step back. “Did you not call me? Have you not made your choice?”

  “This isn’t what I meant,” I insist. “I needed to get Olivia away from Pan.”

  “It is too late for her,” Fiona says simply.

  “No. Take me back. Now.”

  Fiona’s lip curls to expose the sharp tips of her teeth. “If you have any hope of saving your human friend, or your own miserable existence, there is only one path for you now. It does not run through Pan.”

  “I need to go back,” I demand.

  But before I can finish, the light around Fiona flickers, and we are once more plunged into darkness. I hear Will’s panicked gasp, his frantic shuffling as the air goes heavy with the smell of dampness and decay. The skittering hum of the Dark Ones is still a ways off, but the sound is growing, coming closer with each second that passes. If she leaves us here, in the darkness, they’ll find us.

  “Fine!” I shout, not wanting them to reach me.

  “Fine?” Fiona’s voice buzzes in the darkness.
<
br />   The humming pulse of the Dark Ones is closer now. Louder still.

  I clench my hands at my sides. “What do you want me to do?” I grind out as the rustling buzz of the Dark Ones begins to surround us. But Fiona doesn’t answer. “Whatever you want, I’ll do it. Please—”

  In a flash, the light around Fiona returns to its original brightness, and the swelling buzz in the air falls silent as the Dark Ones retreat back into the darkened corners of the caverns. The Captain is still writhing in his sleep, unaware of what just happened. But Will is huddled back against the wall, his hands up as though ready for a fight.

  Fiona’s mouth is already curved into a viciously satisfied smile, her sharp teeth glinting. “I thought you would see it my way.”

  I glare at her, wishing I could argue. Wishing I had Pan’s dagger.

  “You will get the Captain to safety,” she tells me, as though this is already an established fact. “Rowan knows the way through these tunnels, and with you as his hostage, the one who calls himself Pan will be more cautious.”

  “And then what? There’s nowhere to go,” I say, remembering the monster-filled sea, the dangers that lurk on the ever-changing island.

  Fiona’s eyes go dark, the pupils glossy and fathomless. “And then, Young One, you will free my Queen.”

  I gape at her. “Your Queen is gone. She was defeated by the Dark Ones.”

  “Defeated, yes, but not yet destroyed,” Fiona says, her voice buzzing with a dangerous satisfaction. “My Queen created this world, and is the source of all within it. Without her, this world—the island, the seas, and everything in them—would have already ceased to be. The one who calls himself Pan knew this.

  “When he and his Dark Ones rose up against her, they did not destroy her. Until now the one who calls himself Pan has been able to do no more than hold my Queen as his prisoner, keeping my people hostage to his demands and the dagger he stole from her. But she grows weak, and as her power fades, so does this world. Find where Pan has hidden her and free her, or you shall die along with Neverland.”

  “Find her?” I ask Fiona. “You’re not going to tell me where she is, at least?”

  “She don’t know,” Will says with a smirk.

  Fiona glares at him, but doesn’t dispute what he said. “You will have all you need once the Captain is free. He knows more about the one who calls himself Pan than any other.” Fiona smiles her sharp-toothed sneer. “They are great friends, you see.”

  “Were,” Will corrects quickly, glaring at the Fey. “They were friends. Before.”

  “And they’re not now?” I ask, glancing between Fiona and Will, trying to determine who is telling me the truth.

  “No,” the two answer almost in unison. At least they agree on that much. . . . Not that it makes me feel any better. But at least now I understand why Fiona was so anxious for me to free the Captain.

  Fiona lets out an angry hiss. “I may need your Captain, but do not forget you are expendable, boy.”

  “You only need him because he knows where your fairy godmother is,” Will says with a sneer. “The Cap’n knows well enough that the minute he tells you, there won’t be a single reason for you to keep any of us alive. It’s the only thing that’s kept you honest with him.” He scowls. “Well, as honest as any of your kind can be.”

  Fiona gives Will a disgusted look before she turns to me again. “The time has come for action, Young One. As long as you are in this world, there is the risk that Pan could take what power you possess and destroy the Queen. If that happens, nothing would be able to stop him from doing or taking what he wants—not even the boundaries between the worlds.” Fiona stalks toward me, letting the implications of an unstoppable Pan sink in. “You will go from this place, and you will free my Queen.”

  “And then what?” I ask, my skin crawling as she advances.

  Fiona’s mouth curves back into a dangerous smile. “And then I will kill the one who calls himself Pan and free my people.”

  “But what about us?”

  Her lip curls. “I’m sure my Queen will show favor on the ones who have freed her.” She tosses the bag at my feet. “You will have need of these.”

  I bend down to look in the package, and find it contains a couple of blades and the Captain’s mechanical arm. I narrow my eyes as I look up at her. “That’s it? I’m just supposed to take your word for it?”

  Will snorts and, for once, we’re in agreement.

  “You no longer have a choice, Young One. Pan knows what you’ve seen, and if he discovers you here, the time for pretty stories will be over.”

  “You told me yourself that he can’t take my power, whatever power that may be.”

  Fiona continues to smile dangerously. “True. But you are not completely immune to the dangers of this world, Young One. Your human blood makes you susceptible to Neverland’s charms. How long do you think it would take before your feeble memories of that other world disappear completely? Until you are no different than your empty-headed friend? How long did it take for her to abandon herself to this world?”

  Days. It only took days for Olivia to lose herself. And my own memories are not much better. Fiona’s right. I have to find another way home. Because if Pan gets me, I doubt he’ll try plying me with his charm this time.

  “I’ll help you free your Queen because I want to get home, but I’m not leaving here without Olivia,” I tell Fiona. “Not after I’ve seen what Pan’s capable of.”

  “She is not necessary,” Fiona hisses in a voice as sharp as her teeth.

  “Necessary or not, I won’t go anywhere without her.”

  Her eyes narrow. “If I assure her safety?”

  I’m about to argue it’s not enough, but Will stops me. “Have her swear on the life of her Queen. Iffen she does that, the girl will be safe until we can get back to her. Maybe even safer if Olivia comes with us. Fiona’s type—they can’t break their oaths. It’s the only reason there’s any Dark Ones still doing Pan’s bidding.”

  “But they help the Captain,” I point out.

  “Because the one who calls himself Pan made an oath with only a small assembly of the Dark Fey,” Fiona explains. “The rest were content to assist in defeating my Queen, but they are not bound to him. And even those who made the oath promised obedience, not loyalty.” She gives me another sharp-toothed smile, as though she finds it amusing the Dark Ones have managed to exploit this loophole. “But the boy is not wrong. My kind cannot break oaths without being unmade by them. If you do as I require, I will make sure the human girl comes to no harm.”

  “That’s not enough,” Will says, glancing at me. “Make her swear it on her Queen’s life, and then let’s be on with it. Because I don’t want to be here when Pan realizes that you’re against him now.”

  “And that’s it?” I ask, doubtful.

  Will starts to answer, but Fiona interrupts him.

  “Pan may already be coming for you,” she taunts. “If he finds you here, I will not protect you.”

  I glare at her. I don’t like the idea of leaving Olivia behind again, but I’m not sure I have a choice. “Fine. Swear on the life of your Queen that Olivia will come to no harm while I am freeing your Queen—not from Pan, not from you, not from anything in this world.”

  Fiona narrows her eyes with each clause and additional word, but she makes the oath. The words are no sooner out of her mouth when, in a flash, she’s gone, leaving us only a swiftly dimming orb behind for light.

  “Do they always do that?” I ask Will, rubbing at my eyes.

  “If you’re lucky, that’s all they do,” Will mutters.

  We stare at each other uneasily. “I still don’t know how I’m supposed to get you out of there.” The bars of their prison are made from solid rock. I run my hands across them, trying to find some weakness or hidden opening, but I don’t see one. “Maybe you should wake your Captain first? He might have some idea of what to do.”

  As predicted, waking the Captain’s not easy. The
second Will touches his shoulder, the once-aimless writhing turns violent. As the Captain thrashes, his fist connects with Will’s face with a sickening crunch.

  Will barely acknowledges the blow. “It’s time to go, Cap’n.” Blood dripping from his nose, he gives the Captain a hard slap across the face.

  The Captain blinks awake, muttering a string of curses. “William?” He pushes Will off his chest and props himself up, squinting into the light. “Did Fiona come for us?”

  “She left,” I say dryly.

  It takes him a moment before he notices me. “Gwendolyn?” I can hear the confusion in his voice. “Why is she here?” He doesn’t exactly sound pleased.

  “Apparently, she has seen the error of her ways,” Will tells him with no small amount of irony. “Come on, then.” Will is already pulling the Captain up onto unsteady legs.

  “Has she?” The Captain frowns, not looking at all convinced as he staggers to his feet. I can’t exactly blame him, considering it’s partially my fault he’s stuck in there. Still, it could be worse. He could have fallen to his death. Or Pan could have run him through with his own blade.

  “Can we blame me for everything later? We need to figure out how to get you out of there before Pan figures out where I am and comes for me.” I’m still feeling the rocky bars, looking for some weakness. “I don’t even see a place for a key.”

  “There’s no key that’ll open this cage, lass. You’ll have to use what you are,” the Captain says.

  I go still when the meaning of his words registers. “Not you too,” I say, shaking my head in denial. It is one thing for Fiona to believe I’m part Fey, but for the Captain to?

  And then something occurs to me. “When did you know?”

  He hesitates and his mouth goes tight, but then he seems to realize there’s no way out of telling me. “When you were on my ship. Fiona told me of the girl Pan had captured, but when Pan’s boys attacked my ship, I knew she’d been mistaken,” he says, never looking away from me.

  “Why didn’t you tell me?” I charge. “You could have warned me. I never would have gone with Pan.”