Unhooked

by Lisa Maxwell

“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.”