I stop pacing in front of Jack and hesitate, knowing that it’s torture for him to wait for my response. As kids, he always hated it when he knew I held a secret. At first it was all in fun, but as we got older I knew he’d do just about anything I asked in exchange for information regarding his father’s death. Information I never had, but he didn’t know that.
“Interesting proposition,” I say. “I’ll tell you what, Jack. I can be reasonable. I will give you what you’re asking for, in exchange for information on where they are headed next and the Lost Boys’ hideout.”
“The Lost Boys?” Jack says in an uncertain tone. “What do you want with them?”
“Collateral,” I say, pacing the dark room. “Tell me where the Lost Boys are and give me the girl’s whereabouts, or I will tear Everland apart bit by bit, piece by piece, and without mercy to anyone I come across, starting with you.”
“No, I swore on my life never to reveal the Lost Boys’ hiding place,” Jack says, shaking his head. “I will tell you where to find Gwen, but I won’t reveal the location of the Lost City.”
I straighten, inspecting my Gatling gun and purposely aiming it in Jack’s direction. “It seems water is thicker than blood, stepbrother. Then again, we were never blood, were we?” My brother and I exchange hardened glares, but neither of us budges. Disgust gurgles up within me. “Kill him.”
I rocket toward the doorway, expecting, waiting for my stepbrother to cave. Glancing back at Jack, I recognize the familiar grimace.
A Marauder aims his weapon at Jack’s forehead, while another shoves him to the ground. He falls hard onto his knees. The gun gives an audible click as the soldier pulls back the hammer. Jack’s gaze darts from me to the gun.
“Fine!” Jack shouts. “I’ll tell you, but promise me that you will not harm them.”
“I promise I will not lay a single finger on any of them,” I say, waggling my gloved fingers in the air.
“And you will provide them with the antidote once you have it,” Jack says.
“Deal.” I spin so he can’t see the smirk I feel tickling the corners of my mouth.
“One more thing,” Jack says.
Aggravated, I steal a passing glance over my shoulder. “What now?”
Jack lifts his chin and swallows hard. “When you and your men leave Everland, I’m coming with you.”
After his betrayal, the fact that he abandoned the Marauders, I had no intention of bringing him with me. Caught off guard, I stumble through my words. “You want to come back? What happened to all that nonsense about the Lost Boys being your family?”
Jack spits and snarls. “Once I give you the location of the Lost City, I can never go back to the Lost Boys. I’m as good as dead if I stay with them.”
Flicking my stare to the officers, I guffaw, trying to cover up the uncertainty brewing within me. I’m not sure that my stepbrother can be trusted. The soldiers join in the laughter, while Jack averts his gaze. I pat Jack’s shoulder, still laughing along with my men.
“Gentlemen, we have a martyr on our hands. Very well, it’s a deal.” I give Jack a brisk slap on the cheek. “I knew you’d make a fine Marauder, Jack. Our mother would be proud.”
The Marauders chuckle among themselves.
“Smeeth, take him outside. Find out where those kids are. Send half of your men to the Lost City and the other half to the girl’s location.”
“Yes, Captain!” Smeeth says, shoving Jack out the door.
I pull a book of matches from the pocket of my black coat. Striking the matches, I drop them on a pile of artwork, lighting it into a bonfire. The fire grows, licking the nearby walls and ceiling.
As the building burns, we move outside. Flames reach toward the night sky from the roof of the National Gallery and ash rains onto the street, blanketing it like powdery gray snow. Soldiers dart between buildings, dousing the structures with kerosene, lighting them all ablaze.
Jack’s eyes shimmer with fear, the orange fire reflecting in their dark, muddy pigment.
“This is it,” I say, excitement evident in my tone. Everland glows, leaving me with a quiet satisfaction, relief washing away the endless months of misery. “A year in this wasteland and tonight it will all come to an end. By the time the sun rises, there will be nothing left, nowhere for Pete and the Lost Boys to hide. We will take the girls and leave Everland forever!”
“It’s been a long time, Captain,” Smeeth says, holding a gun to Jack’s back. “I shall be glad to leave this place.”
I grunt approvingly. With the cure in my hands, I am certain my return to Lohr Castle will not only be welcome, but lauded as heroic. The prize of England is only a grain of sand compared with the vast glory the cure will bring. If the world is in the condition that I expect it’s in, millions will be grateful for my gift. Considering the Professor’s suggestion that girls are on the brink of extinction, I’ll be a world hero and I’ll rule it, starting with the German crown.
I turn to Smeeth. “Did you get the locations?”
“Yes, sir. Girl’s heading to the palace, and you won’t believe it, Captain, but the others have been hiding in the Underground this whole time,” Smeeth says.