Her body electrified, blood rushing to her head.

“Don’t you see? I was your queen from the first moment we met,” she said, leaning in. “The old story between us was right, Tedros. All we have to do is make it new.” She closed her eyes, her lips reaching for—

“Sophie.”

Sophie’s eyes shot open and saw Tedros, milk white, staring past her.

Two flesh-flaking, stitched-up zombies converged towards the path from opposite sides of the dark Woods. One was a stumpy, copper-nosed man with a bushy gray beard, a belly bulging from his half-sized shirt, and a black pirate hat on his bald head. The other was dark and sleek, with an even bigger hat over his swell of black curls.

It was only when he stepped onto the lit path that Sophie saw his big steel hook.

“Here we are looking for Peter Pan and we find Evil’s queen instead,” sneered Captain Hook. “Only I hear you’ve deserted your post, dear queen. Tell her, Smee, what we do to deserters on my ship.”

“Stick their head on the mast ’til the birds done their way with it,” Smee giggled, drawing a slim dagger from his breeches.

“And yet, despite your desertion, I’m afraid the School Master doesn’t want you returned to him at all,” said Hook, eyeing Sophie carefully. “He insists his queen is free to do as she chooses.”

Sophie paled with surprise.

Hook turned to Tedros. “Said nothing about the boy, though.”

The two pirates stalked towards the prince.

Tedros drew Excalibur with one hand and grabbed Sophie with the other. “Stay close to me.”

Sophie gulped, watching the two men slinking towards them, blades shining in the path light.

Once upon a time, Tedros had been in mortal danger during a Trial as she stood by, too scared to fight. That was the exact moment her story had gone wrong. The moment she’d lost her prince to Agatha. This is my chance, thought Sophie—to go back and fix her fairy tale, just like she was asking Tedros to fix his. Fight for her prince and she’d win her kiss at last.

Tedros gripped Sophie tighter, pulling her to his flank, as the two Evil pirates inched within striking distance. As Hook raised his weapon over the prince, Sophie focused on her fear, feeling her fingertip glow hotter, hotter . . .

Then she magically whisked one of Merlin’s white-hot crumbs into Smee’s eye.

Smee shrieked, dropping his dagger, and Sophie tackled him off the path into the Woods.

“Sophie!” Tedros cried in horror—

Hook swung his blade at him and Tedros raised his sword just in time, steel clashing steel.

Sophie had never fought a full-grown man, so she wasn’t prepared for Smee to tackle her back, pinning his fat, hairy belly against her as she kicked and scratched.

“Such a pretty girl,” Smee snarled, the giggly tone gone. “Never any pretty girls in Neverland.”

He sniffed her hair and Sophie slapped him so hard he gaped at her, clutching his cheek. For a moment, she thought she’d defused him, only to see him turn bloodred and seize her by the throat. His filthy nails dug into her larynx, as if she’d triggered something deep within him, a murderous rage consuming him.