21. Pedro
Pedro
I feel my body on the verge of collapsing as I reach the entrance gate to the city of Mal-El, still carrying Bay and Morlay’s heart with the last bit of strength I have left.
After removing the spear Jocelyn had driven into her abdomen, the wound began to heal slowly on our way here—just like Alin’s injuries did in the past. But Bay still hasn’t regained consciousness.
How much strength do these merfolk have?
I don’t know if I should be envious or terrified by that thought.
“Stop right there!” a guard barks at me, shoving a golden spearhead inches from my face. He lowers it slightly when he recognizes his unconscious princess in my arms. Great, now he’s going to blame me for this?
My muscles ache horribly, but I hold Bay closer, ensuring that no bastard here even thinks about taking her from me.
I have to get her to Alin and Queen Lora as quickly as possible.
The guard, whose spear still hovers threateningly near my face, signals to another guard, who immediately darts into the city like his life depends on it.
I can’t waste time waiting for him to return.
I clutch the shell box containing Morlay’s heart under my arm and show the guard the palm of my hand, making sure he doesn’t miss the cursed crescent mark etched into my skin.
His eyes widen in shock, as if I’ve just told him that a few hours ago I had legs, but he resentfully steps aside, allowing me to enter. Before I can move, he adds with a hint of threat, “The royal family has already been alerted.”
If I weren’t in so much pain, I’d flip him off, but I have to reach the palace.
“Pedro!” The familiar voice I’ve been praying to hear for the past two hours, which felt like an eternity, calls out.
“I swam here as soon as I heard the guard’s report,” she says, her gaze now landing on Bay’s unconscious body. “Is she…?” She swallows hard, unable to finish the question, her gills contracting tightly.
“She’s just unconscious,” I assure her quickly. Her gills relax with a long sigh, and she swims over to me.
“We got Morlay’s heart,” I inform her as she reaches out to take Bay from me, “but Jocelyn wounded her with a spear. I think you need to call your mother.”
“The guard already alerted her that you’re here; she’s waiting for us,” Alin replies, swimming carefully ahead with Bay’s body, not waiting for my response.
We enter the palace and head up to her mother’s office, praying that I won’t have to deal with more bad news or strange marks on my body this time. We’ve passed the dangerous part, and Bay is alive—that’s what mat ters most.
Queen Lora greets us at the entrance to her office. “You returned much faster than I expected—and in one piece,” she confirms with a warm smile, one I’m seeing for the first time. She really is a replica of Alin, especially when she shows her human side.
“In one piece, but Bay is injured. I remembered that Alin’s wounds healed when she was submerged in water, so I pulled the spear from her body on the way here,” I explain as Alin now examines Bay’s body after placing her on the wide coral chair in the room.
“She’ll be fine, the wound is almost healed. She should wake up soon,” Alin says, turning her gaze toward us. “Can you tell us what happened there?”
I take a breath, but it catches in my throat. I’ve never felt so helpless, so terrified. The memory of entering her lair floods back—every moment, every twist of that grotesque encounter. My hands tremble slightly as I grip them tighter, trying to keep the shaking at bay.
“We had a very close encounter with her… pet.” The word slips out harshly, as if even saying it makes my skin crawl. I exhale slowly, letting go of all the shock I’ve been holding in. At this point, I’ve long since abandoned any pretense of keeping my composure.
“You met Psycho, huh?” Alin asks nonchalantly as she swims closer, scanning my body for injuries.
“I’m fine,” I assure her, stopping her from continuing. “It’s just my body aches from the journey back here. I nearly got lost among all the coral reefs.”
Her laughter now fills the room. “You’re the best navigator on land, but you get lost so easily underwater?” she teases, and even Queen Lora chuckles.
“It’s not funny! Try carrying Morlay’s heart in one hand while making sure I don’t worsen Bay’s injury with the other, all while focusing on not getting lost!” I defend myself, but a small smile breaks across my face.
“That’s Morlay’s heart?” Queen Lora swims closer, pointing at the golden seashell box still wedged under my arm. It’s become so much a part of me that I’d almost forgotten it was there. I nod and hand the box to her.
“I can’t believe you managed to get it!” Alin swims toward her mother, curiosity shining in her gem-like eyes as she runs her hand over the box. “What did she ask for in return?” she asks, and now both of them look at me expectantly.
“I’m not entirely sure why, but she just wounded Bay and collected her blood in a glass vial,” I say, not wanting to even think about what that twisted witch might use it for. The bloodshed in this world is far more bizarre than in ours.
“She took what?!” they both shout in perfect sync, and a light current pushes me slightly backward.
I raise an eyebrow at them as they exchange glances, a storm brewing in their eyes... Is that fear?
“Do I need to wait for you again to explain?” I ask when they don’t say a word.
“Bay’s blood is tied to the royal lineage of Mal-El,” Alin begins, as if I’m supposed to understand the implications.
“And the blood of our royal lineage, especially in the hands of Jocelyn, could give her access to the power of the Coral of Life,” Queen Lora continues, noticing the confusion on my face.
“Something, I gather, she didn’t have before?” I ask, trying to grasp the gravity of the situation.
“No one outside of the royal bloodlines has access to the Coral of Life’s powers—they’re too strong and too unpredictable, especially in the wrong hands,” Queen Lora explains, and Alin’s body tenses.
I start to understand what this means—the crazy octopus witch is about to gain powers far greater than she already has. Fuck .
“And judging by the looks on both of your faces, I’m guessing it’s irreversible?” I furrow my brow, already knowing what their answer will be but bracing myself for whatever comes next.
“As long as Bay remains part of the royal lineage, it’s irreversible,” Queen Lora confirms my fears, and my gills flare in a heavy sigh. That’s why she let us go so easily… Fucking octopus.
Queen Lora’s gaze shifts to Bay’s still-unconscious body, her eyes filled with sorrow, as if the hardest part of the news has yet to come.
“Mom… No! You can’t… she’s been through enough,” Alin suddenly grabs her arm, realizing something I don’t, her face flooding with panic.
“We have to, Alin, to maintain balance. Before it’s too late…” she whispers sadly, swimming toward Bay. No… is she planning to kill her? Not on my watch!
I quickly swim to block her path, positioning myself between them and Bay, who’s lying on the coral seat. “Once again, you’re going to hurt your own blood to preserve your damned powers?” I snap in fury, forgetting entirely who I’m standing up to.
Instead of being angry at my outburst, Alin swims beside me, joining my stance.
“Mom, this isn’t the solution. We can’t do this to her!
” she tries to appeal to her mother’s reason, but I can see the storm brewing in Queen Lora’s eyes, the pain in them unmistakable.
She can’t be serious… Bay is her family!
“Is she planning to kill Bay?” I ask Alin, my heart racing as I try to grasp how she could even consider such a thing.
“What? Why would I kill her?” Queen Lora responds, confused, but then immediately furrows her brows in disapproval. “How could you even think I’m capable of something like that?”
Is she trying to manipulate me into stepping aside?
“I have no idea what any of you are truly capable of after everything I’ve seen here, and I’m not letting anyone harm her,” I declare, swimming back a bit, my body tensing defensively.
My hand starts to burn again, along with the anger rising in my chest. Shit.
These electric powers—I haven’t even told them about that part yet.
“She’s going to sever Bay from the royal lineage, strip her of her mark, and turn her into an outcast again,” Alin explains to me, as if she knows exactly how her mother’s mind works without her saying a word.
“She came back here to gain her freedom, and now not only are you denying her that, but you’re also condemning her to a death sentence as an outcast?
No other city will take her!” Alin pleads with her mother, desper ation clear in her voice.
I feel small sparks flicker from my hands as I try to focus on anything else to calm myself down.
I might just fry us all if I lose control.
“She’s not going to gain her freedom anyway, certainly not this month.
She’ll wake up too weak to face the Guardian, and the hunt is almost over.
Pedro won’t have enough time left underwater either…
She’ll have to wait until next month,” Queen Lora states coldly, ignoring Alin’s words without batting an eye.
I glance between the two of them, the tension so thick you could cut it with a knife, but at least I manage to calm the storm within me a bit, realizing she doesn’t intend to kill Bay.
“Let’s try to think clearly for a moment,” I interrupt the staring contest between them, hoping to defuse the situation before someone gets hurt. “What are the chances that this is the only reason she needs Bay’s blood?”
They both turn to look at me. “What do you mean?” Alin asks immediately, her brow furrowed in confusion.