Chapter 12 Malec
Malec
Mom was right to be worried. More than ten merfolk have disappeared in the last six months.
I swam over to Mal-El City, hoping a visit with Grandma and Grandpa might fill in the gaps about what Father had been working on. But the truth hit harder than I expected.
Most of the missing weren’t royals. But two were—Sur-El, Aquan—and the thought knotted my stomach. That’s not just bad. That’s a warning I can’t ignore.
Not for me. Not for the fragile balance of the pods. My uncle, my grandparents, my cousin, and my sister are still royals. I can’t let a single ripple of danger reach them.
“One of the Royals belongs to Sur-El. Their princess has gone missing,” Grandma says, swimming beside me in Grandpa’s blinding office.
I still can’t get used to all the gold and gems everywhere. It’s too much for my taste.
The pod marks stretching over my long silver tail and body catch the light and gleam softly whenever I’m in here—making the brightness of the room even harder to deal with. Irritating. Distracting even.
But I force myself to focus on what matters. Stakes this high don't leave room for distraction. Not here. Not now.
The pods’ messengers swim in one by one, each bringing an update for another victim—because they all know Queen Lora will reach out to me.
They need me.
The Coral of Life me—to fix this. To protect them.
“Is she dead?” I ask, even though I know I’d feel it if she were. But I’ve been so hungry lately I might’ve missed it.
I haven’t been using my soul vision much, either. I usually keep it sheathed until I need it, so now I can’t tell if I’m getting weaker—or just hungrier. One thing’s for sure: even if she’s not dead, I’m struggling. And I have no idea why Myko didn’t warn me.
“Because I’m feeling exactly what you feel. I had to confirm it with the huntresses after your father brought that to you.” His clearly annoyed growl echoes in my mind, making sure I know he’s near.
I roll my eyes and turn my focus back to Grandma beside me, ignoring him.
“We don’t know. But we need to get to the bottom of it as soon as possible,” she says, her gills flaring wide before closing again.
“Many hated the change your birth caused. But they can’t deny the fact that you are the Coral of Life now. They obey you—even if they hate it. So I don’t think this is coming from the pods...”
I tilt my head, raising an eyebrow as I process her words.
“I’m just trying to follow your line of thought,” I murmur, tapping my chin as the wheels start turning in my head.
“You mean... we’re looking for a new, unknown Black Blooded causing chaos?” I finally ask, scared of the infinite possibilities.
“You would've told me if there was a Black Blooded causing chaos in the oceans, right?” I ask Myko accusingly, but he only answers with one of his irritating huffs—like I’ve somehow offended him just by asking.
“I'm sorry. I have too much on my plate with balancing everything,” I find myself apologizing this time. It’s not his fault.
“You’re sharp. Just like your mother,” Grandma’s voice cuts through, interrupting my apology.
Her smile always cracks when she talks about Mom. She can see her whenever she wants—but Mom could never rule Mal-El. Never take the birthright we all know she deserved. She could’ve been the greatest queen this city has ever known.
“This is the most logical explanation,” Grandma continues. “The Guardian killed Jocelyn before you were born—so I have no idea what kind of chaos that alone could stir.”
She swims over to Grandpa’s seat and settles into it, letting the water slowly lower her body into the pointed shell chair.
I drift closer to his golden desk, where a large, flattened scroll-stone rests—carved with the oceans just like the map my dad had.
“Did you fill him in?” Grandpa’s voice booms as he enters the office. We both turn toward him. “He should leave as soon as possible.”
Grandma’s heavy sigh stirs the water around us. I glance back at her, waiting for her explanation.
They have a plan?
“I’m just about to do so,” she replies, gesturing toward him before her finger lands on the star-shaped mark etched into the map—Sur-El bloodline.
“Your father already told you which pods to check on first. Start with Sur-El,” she instructs, dragging her finger across the carving to a mark shaped like three waves. “Then you’ll go to Aquan.”
But I have a feeling it won’t be that simple. If they knew anything, they would’ve already sent updates through their messengers to my grandparents.
Because they need me.
“I’ll do what I can to figure out what’s happening,” I say, offering the most diplomatic answer I can come up with—because I have no confidence in this mission. But my family is on the line, so I’ll do whatever it takes.
She nods.
And just as I turn to swim out of the room, that familiar distant screech slices through my ears, calling to me.
The Huntresses.
“Finally! It’s the hunt time of this month! Let’s go, I’m starving,” I say to Myko, and this time he answers fast. He’s as hungry as I am. I know it. I feel it.
“Me and your aunt are waiting for you outside the city gates.” I smirk to myself and wave goodbye to my grandparents as I leave the office.
I still don’t get why Bay and Myko always avoid coming into the city.
Sure, we’re Black Blooded—but we’re anchored. That means we’re not going to go full lunatic on everyone around us. We’re in full control.
Well… mostly.
Being anchored to each other keeps things stable, but it’s a double-edged sword. One slip, one flare of power, and the destruction doesn’t just hit me—it hits both of us. Control is everything. Balance is everything.
On one side, there are the bearers—what Myko calls himself and my mom—that have the power to completely block their anchors.
Being the anchor has its perks, though. When I push, I can reach into Mom’s power and shape water like it’s an extension of my own body. Bay can tap into Myko’s abilities too, though he hides them behind riddles and smug grins, as if saving our skins isn’t urgent at all.
So far, I know she can vanish into thin air, conjure a black mist that burns everything it touches to the core, and turn her body into an unbreakable shield. Everyone in the family fears her. Everyone but me.
Me and Mom? We can’t speak freely in our heads like Bay and Myko, thankfully. But I can sense her emotions, a pulse of warning or anger. She responds the same. It’s… enough.
“Took you long enough,” Bay swims toward me as I pass through the city gates. “I had to entertain this annoying new guard who wouldn’t stop asking me questions about Myko.” Her gills flare open and shut with irritation, eyes rolling.
I grin, shaking my head. Some things never change.
“Keep complaining, and next time we come here, I’ll stay overnight. You’re gonna have to start entering your city eventually,” I jab back with a smirk, pushing her buttons.
“It’s not my city—”
“Cut that ‘I don’t belong’ shit. Myko updated you?” I cut in before she launches into the speech again.
She still holds grudges like no one I know, even after two decades of everything changing because of us.
Her eyes flash wide at my sharp tone, but she gets herself together fast, shakes her head, and answers, “Yes.”
“Good. We need to go to Sur-El. I have no idea what’s happening, but we need answers before we lose another pod.”
I pause. Let it sink in. “But not before we consume the next hunt.”
“Your tone’s starting to sound like your mom’s,” she mutters, jabbing a finger into my chest—right where a few silver scales shimmer.
“And here I thought I raised you…”
She swims back toward the guard at the entrance before I can hit her with my tail.
I snort as she ducks behind the poor merguard, playing the helpless princess again.
The guard looks at me, then at her, clearly confused. “You want me to fight the Coral of Life?” he asks, eyebrows raised. “Are you insane?”
Then he drops the act and chuckles, stepping aside with a bow. “She’s all yours,” he says, gesturing for me to pass.
I can’t help but laugh. “You see? Entering the city comes with perks like this. You should reconsider,” I tease, my mouth quirking into a mischievous grin.
She flips me off.
That right there? She got it from Uncle Pedro. Alessio’s even worse.
“You really need to feed quickly,” she snaps. “You and Myko are getting on my nerves way too often lately.”