No.
Where was theJolly Roger?
A high-pitched groan snagged her attention as Lily escaped the grasp of the sea and flew back into the air—straight for Tink.
“Lily, stop! Let’s talk about—”
A boom rang through the night. Something whistled through the air.
The cannonball clipped Lily’s wings before sailing past and crashing into the side of theKraken. The pixie screeched in pain as she spiraled toward the sea.
“Lily!” Tink yelled and dove through the air toward her cousin, but stopped short just above the water. When Lily didn’t immediately re-emerge, her stomach dropped. Her skin tingled as bile rose in her throat.
Her cousin had done awful, terrible things, but part of her still remembered the young pixie she’d grown up with—her best friend, her favorite cousin. She filled almost all her memories. To lose her to something as horrid as the sea…
Lily’s head broke the surface. Tink’s heart leaped. A pale hand reached toward her. And then she was gone again, lost in the depths.
“Shit. Boys!” Tink screeched.
“Row, row, row!” the one in charge yelled. But they fought against the current in their little dinghy. They wouldn’t make it, not in time.
Tink swallowed.Now or never. Without a second thought, she dove toward the water.
Lily surfaced again, and this time, Tink was there to grab her. Her wings strained and screamed in pain as Tink tried to haul Lily back into the air. Her cousin was barely conscious, her eyes opening and closing as her head lolled to the side.
“Up! Don’t die here!”
The sea wouldn’t relinquish its hold. It was all she could do to keep Lily’s head above water.
Cannons boomed. One missed theKrakenand crashed into the sea nearby, sending a wave that tugged them down until Tink’s legs were caught in the deadly water.
“Boys!”
Close, so close, just another minute—
One boy jumped into the water and swam toward Lily. Together, they hauled her into the boat and laid her near Peter. She’d fallen completely unconscious. And her poor wings… The sight nearly had Tink spilling her stomach over the side. They’d heal, but it would take time.
“Take them and go.” Tink perched on the edge of the boat, giving her wings a brief rest. Everything ached, but she couldn’t stop. Not now. “Get out of here!”
“What about you?” the littlest asked.
She glanced back at theKraken. “I have someone else to save. Now row! You have to get them to safety.” Tink pointed to Lily and Peter.
Before they could protest, Tink launched into the sky.
Chapter 42
Hook
Hook stared past the blade an inch from his face at the captain looming over him. The boat rocked, but not enough to unsteady the sure-footed man.
“Say hello ta’ Marianna for me.”
Hook bared his teeth. “How dare you speak her name!”
Blackbeard cocked his head to the side, his sword arm never wavering. “I loved her first.”
“You killed her!” He hadn’t swung the sword, but it was Blackbeard’s fault his mother died. Every ounce of his body vibrated with rage. He couldn’t fail now, not before he avenged her.
