43. Bay
Bay
“Luca,” I say, my voice trembling, “I’m sorry.”
“Sorry for what?” he asks, breathing heavily, his eyes locked on the full Hunters’ pod that’s been sent after us. At least thirty huntresses have arrived.
“You’re going to suffer because of me,” I explain in a shaky voice, already knowing what he’s about to go through if the huntresses decide to hunt him.
The early morning light pierces through the sky, its rays slashing across the water like sharpened blades, highlighting each huntress’s head as they emerge from the waves, a silent army basked in the blood-orange glow of dawn.
“I can stay here, watch from a distance to make sure everything goes as planned.” He doesn’t realize it’s already too late.
I shake my head, my stomach sinking. “It’s too late. They’ve already seen us. There’s nowhere to run.”
His nostrils flare, his heavy breathing matching the fear reflected in my eyes. “I know what to expect. I’ll just try to keep the pain off my face—”
“No!” My voice rises, cutting him off. “If you suppress the pain, you’ll turn into prey.”
His gasp fills the air between us, the weight of his fear palpable. Our heartbeats thunder in sync, a frantic rhythm pulsing through the tension.
“You sent a whole hunting pod after me?” I accuse the stupid dragon, feeling a sharp sting in my arm right away, but there’s no response. “Answer me!” I fire back angrily.
“Bay, this is not the time to zone out,” Luca’s voice pulls me back to the harsh reality in front of us. This could be his last day alive, and because of me, the future king of Mal-El stands on the brink of death or hell of torture.
“The Guardian isn’t answering me. I don’t know what to do,” I say in frustration as tears start to sting the corners of my eyes, anxiety buzzing through every cell of my body.
“We’ll be fine. We can send all seven of them to the huntresses. At least you won’t have to swim all the way,” he suggests, but I shake my head no.
“I have to mark my prey, at least one of them, and send it to the Coral of Life. Otherwise, the Guardian will keep haunting me,” I explain to Luca.
“But he knows you are sending seven of them!” he shoots back, running a hand through his hair as he realizes the situation isn’t improving and we have no clue what’s going to happen once the ‘soul delivery’ arrives.
“Each huntress marks her prey on the forehead. That’s the huntress’s mark, and it shows that she’s hunted during the month, so she isn’t punished.” He looks at me now, his eyes lost as he understands what I need to do, and there’s nothing I can do to help him if they decide to add him to the catch.
“Luca, no matter what happens, you have to make sure you don’t push your pain down.
You can’t deny it; that’s what keeps you alive.
If, even for a second, you feel a relief from the pain, you’re as good as dead.
” I grip his arm, trying to make him understand the consequences of suppressing pain.
For what seems like the first time in his life, he’ll have to face the pain and accept it—he won’t be able to do a thing about it.
“I’m sorry…” I whisper quietly as footsteps sound behind us.
“The hunt has arrived. It’s time,” I tell Luca.
Without hesitation, he leaps onto the rock beside us, steadying himself before offering me a hand to descend onto the sandy beach.
Behind us, the seven grotesque figures we captured trudge silently, their presence a grim reminder of the price of survival.
I glance back at Mariana. Her lifeless eyes tell me she’s already surrendered.
The pain of her past has consumed her, leaving her clinging to the fleeting illusion of freedom I offered.
Should I pity her for her brokenness or curse her for giving in so easily?
Either way, her fate is sealed—by my hand, no less.
Each step forward feels like a march toward Luca’s execution. His carefully maintained facade is slipping, betrayed by the fragile rhythm of his breath. I pinch his arm sharply. “Stop holding back,” I whisper, my voice taut. “You need to let go of your emotions, or they’ll sense it.”
He curses softly, his brow creasing as his gaze locks on the huntresses ahead. They blend seamlessly with the waves, their movements a hypnotic rhythm that speaks of their mastery of the sea.
“They look different from you and Alin,” Luca notes as we approach the waterline, close enough to get a clear view of their faces. I chuckle nervously.
“A huntress isn’t allowed to wear anything that belonged to her in her former life before exile.
They’ll only wear what they’ve hunted or found for themselves after that,” I explain, keeping my gaze fixed on their faces, now glowing with satisfaction as they see the prey behind me—and one at my side. I swallow hard.
“Are those... bones in their hair?” Luca asks nervously, this time unable to hide his horror.
“Some hunters’ pods adorn themselves with the bones of their prey, using them as decorations to make others fear messing with them—both within and outside the pod.” I answer his questions as if we’re not waiting for his suffering.
“The more I learn about your world, the less I understand why Alin missed coming back to it so much…” he says, and I scoff at his statement, biting my lips as the huntresses swim closer to us.
“That’s because you haven’t visited our city yet,” I reply quickly. “Enough with the questions—they’re here.”
His body tenses, and I take a step forward to meet them, careful not to let my legs touch the water.
Some of them have scars across their faces, with bones braided into their hair.
Others have adorned their chests with the rib bones of their prey.
Their eyes know no mercy—I’ve been there, I know there’s no coming back from those kinds of traumas.
“They’re already under my influence,” I inform the huntresses aloud, trying to prevent them from using their screech while Luca is here.
“So, you’re the Guardian’s chosen one…” an older huntress speaks as she stops just close enough to the waterline. “I don’t see what’s so special about you,” she scoffs. “A young, foolish mermaid. Seems like his taste has gone downhill with all those years being locked away.”
A sharp sting radiates in my arm, and I can already guess that it means the Guardian is angered by her words. Great, he’s listening to everything but won’t respond to me. Stupid dragon. Another sting follows my curse.
Fine. Fine. I’ll apologize if you help me get out of this mess successfully. Silence again. He’s doing this on purpose. I sigh heavily.
“I’d happily hand over the crown to you, but he won’t let me go,” I reply with a jab, but it’s not a lie. If only he would leave me alone already.
“Ugh, can you stop hurting me?” I yell as another sting is accompanied by the purple glow of my mark.
“Bay?” Luca asks, not understanding who I’m talking to, and I immediately turn my face to him, panicked. Why the hell are you talking? I shift my gaze back to the huntresses in front of me, and it seems they’ve already caught on.
“So we have one here who hasn’t been captured yet, I see,” a younger huntress remarks with a smirk, still without any bones on her body, as she sets her eyes on her new prey.
“He’s not part of today’s catch,” I say firmly, spreading my arms in front of Luca like a shield, daring them to even think about getting close to him.
“A huntress protecting a human? That’s who the Guardian chose?” the older huntress laughs again. Her voice drips with disdain, and it takes everything in me not to snap back with words that would only dig us both deeper into this death trap.
I furrow my brows in anger. “Then you know what defying the Guardian’s word means, don’t you?”
She chuckles arrogantly. “I know I can’t harm you, but him?” She points to Luca beside me. “The Guardian would be thrilled if I brought him in.”
“I’d love to prove you wrong,” I glare at her. “But he’s protected by The Huntress’s Kiss. There’s no point in even trying.”
I smirk at the surprise in her eyes, accompanied by whispers from the other huntresses behind her. The tension in the air is palpable, and I just hope she doesn’t test the theory.
“Get in the water,” I command the six men behind me, “You stay with me,” I order Mariana as she starts to move with them. She immediately stops, turning to me, awaiting further instructions.
The men walk deeper into the water with every step, and six huntresses have already claimed them as their own—judging by the fact that their bodies are covered in bones, it seems no one dares challenge them once they declare a prey.
They swim after the men, and as only their heads remain above the water, each huntress faces her prey, pressing her thumb to their forehead.
A bright light glows from their foreheads for a few moments before the huntresses drag them under. The blood trails from their wounds are the only remnants left on the surface of the sea.
I quickly advance toward Mariana and mark her the same way, placing my thumb on her forehead—a bluish glow shines from it for a few seconds and then fades away.
“All of you can go back. There’s nothing left for you here,” I inform the remaining pod, which still seems to be waiting for prey. The older huntress is still there, and it’s clear she’s not in a strong enough position to claim any prey without a fight. Yet, she’s got her sights set on Luca.
“Luca, put your earplugs in and cover your ears as tightly as you can,” I instruct him, and without question, he pulls the earplugs from his pocket.
“This probably won’t work against their call, but it’s worth a shot to try and lessen your pain.
” He nods as he puts in the second earplug and covers his ears.