Jocelyn approached the captive, whom Nubbins held rather gently by the arm, and, trying to salvage the moment, declared, “You are our prisoner now! You have been shanghaied into service upon the Hook’s Revenge!”

“Never!” the girl replied. “I’d rather die first!” She giggled, making a smattering of freckles dance across her slightly upturned nose. “This is exciting!”

The wolf pup clearly agreed. It ran circles around the girl’s feet, yapping with unbridled joy.

Jocelyn huffed. “It’s not supposed to be exciting! It’s supposed to be terrifying!”

“Oh. Right. Terrifying! I can be terrified.” She made her dancing eyes go wide. “How’s this? Do I look frightened?”

Roger snorted. Jocelyn shook her head, a feeling of shame growing inside her. Before she could think of a new, more terror-inducing tactic, Tiger Lily returned with her braves. The little wolf stopped barking, her eyes fixed on her mistress.

“Come, Snow,” Tiger Lily commanded solemnly. The puppy ran and leaped into her arms. In a blink, the warrior was gone, replaced with a laughing girl. “Stop that, you,” she said as the little wolf endeavored to lick every inch of her face. “I know. I know. I missed you, too!” She hugged the wriggling ball of fur tight before placing her on the ground. The pup stood on her hind legs and did a funny little hopping dance. Tiger Lily laughed, then commanded the wolf to follow as she approached Jocelyn and her crew.

“I thank you for your help in reclaiming my little Snow. I am Tiger Lily.”

Jocelyn nodded. “I thought as much. I’m Jocelyn Hook.”

“You are the daughter of the Captain Hook who once took me captive and attempted to drown me.” It was not a question. “Are you also in the habit of doing such things?”

“Me? No! I would never!”

Tiger Lily looked pointedly at Nubbins, still holding the arm of Peter’s mother. “Oh?” she asked, one eyebrow arched.

Jocelyn found she couldn’t quite look Tiger Lily in the eye. She pretended to be very interested in a patch of grass near her feet. “Right. Well. This is different. We’re not going to drown her—”

“I’m a good swimmer anyway,” Peter’s mother said, flashing a pair of dimples.

Jocelyn ignored the girl. “We were simply going to invite her back to our ship and…er…keep her there until Peter tells me where he put the Jolly Roger.”

“And how do you feel about this?” Tiger Lily asked the girl.

“I think it sounds like a grand adventure. Who wouldn’t want to be captured by pirates? It’s thrilling! Unless they were planning to drown you, I mean.”

“As long as you are in agreement, then.” Tiger Lily turned to Jocelyn and continued. “Young Hook, your involvement in this battle was a service to me. I will not free your captive.” Snow barked, prompting a smile from the princess. “I must say, I take some pleasure in Peter Pan losing something important to him—as important as any of his endless parade of mothers may be, that is. Come. Return with us to our village and share our fire tonight. There will be feasting and dancing as we celebrate our victory!”

On the one hand, Jocelyn was eager to get back to her ship and quickly ransom her prisoner. On the other, she was fascinated by Tiger Lily and the way she made leading her warriors look so easy. And it was close to dinnertime….

“We would be honored,” she said.

Her captive seemed to be in complete agreement. “Today has turned out to be absolutely delightful!”

Jocelyn determined that her first order of business, once they returned to the ship, would be to teach this girl how to be a proper prisoner. This was embarrassing, for both of them.

Jocelyn and Roger flanked Peter’s mother, following Tiger Lily and her people over grassy plains. The rest of the crew trailed behind, trading war stories. Jocelyn was certain that before dinner’s end, each of her men would be claiming to have been half killed, or more, in the day’s nonbattle. At least they had enjoyed themselves.

They weren’t the only ones. Their prisoner was still obviously beside herself with glee, chattering on about how exciting it was to be kidnapped by pirates. Jocelyn rolled her eyes, but Roger shrugged and grinned. Turning to the girl, he held out his hand and said, “We haven’t been properly introduced, have we? I’m Roger, navigator of the Hook’s Revenge under Captain Jocelyn Hook.”

“Pleased to meet you,” the girl replied. She dropped into a brief curtsy, somehow managing to do so while continuing to walk along. “Then you must be Jocelyn. What a lovely name! I’m Evie. You look impressively young to be a pirate captain. How old are you?”

“Thirteen,” Jocelyn said, with no small amount of pride. “How old are you?”

“Fifteen,” Evie replied. “Or at least I will be in only ten and a half months.” She stooped to pick a large yellow daisy from a clump of snow and tucked it behind her ear. “Isn’t it lovely here?”

“It’s all right,” Jocelyn replied, unsure why she felt so irritated with Evie. Was it her unflagging optimism? The way that flower in her hair was a perfect match to the color of her dress? Or the fact that Roger seemed to look at the girl far more than was necessary? Whatever the reason, Jocelyn found herself anxious to be rid of her. Besides, she was eager to find out where the Jolly Roger had been abandoned and get the key to decoding the treasure map.

“I’m sure Peter will ransom you soon,” she said to the girl, “in case you were wondering.”

“Oh,” Evie said, “how silly of me. A ransom hadn’t occurred to me. I’m having far too much fun to be concerned about going back to Peter and the boys just yet.”

Roger was definitely staring. Jocelyn resolved to write a ransom note to Peter and be rid of this girl as soon as she got back to her ship.