Page 86 of Sworn to My Heart
“Executing an assassination plan on the head of the pod would be like planning a mass suicide,” I conclude, and Pedro and Mariano nod in agreement as pure fear rises in their eyes.
“I’m sorry, all this talk of powers and tails is new to me, and I’m accepting it slowly, but I have no intention of fighting something like that,” Mariano leans back in his chair, making it clear to Luca that he doesn’t intend to take part.
Luca narrows his eyes at his brother but doesn’t push the issue. Instead, he turns to me, his determination unwavering. “He’ll do as I say. We’ll find a way, Alin. I promise you that.”
I look at him, torn between hope and fear. Luca has always been relentless, but this is a whole new level of danger. Still, if anyone can pull off the impossible, it’s him. Maybe, just maybe, there’s a chance for us.
“He’s right, Luca. You have no chance against him. You’ve seen what I can do, so just think about what he’s capable of. The odds are not in your favor, and I’m not willing to risk any of you because of me,” I reinforce Mariano’s stance.
Luca’s expression shifts, and it seems he’s recalculating, trying to think. There goes the tiny spark of hope that had built up inside me without me even noticing.
“Wait, I remember you mentioned a wedding ceremony, right?” Luca suddenly asks. “Tell me about it,” he demands.
“Yes, the couple and the parents of both sides gather around a table. Then, each couple takes a turn drinking sweet river water from the tip of a shell, like a straw. It’s a blessing for happiness. There’s a specific order though. First, it’s the male’s parents, then the female’s, and finally the betrothed couple. But, during their turn, they each have to pluck a scale from the other’s skin, just above their heart, and a drop of their blood must mix with each of their water. Only then do they drink together, and the union is sealed.” I explain, detailing every aspect of the ceremony.
“You spill blood at a wedding and drink it? Alright, I think I understand why you ran away,” Pedro seems amused now.Mariano chuckles in response.
Luca puts his hand to his face in frustration. “Can anyone in this room be serious? We have a problem to solve,” he implores them.
They seem to be the only two men capable of behaving like this around Luca, even when he’s hot-headed. I envy the brotherhood they have.
Luca needs to lighten up a bit. After all, we don’t know how long I can keep running or if we’ll find a solution, so at least some of us should laugh.
“Luca, it seems I’ll have to bring you to my wedding day after all. A little water with a blessing for happiness will surely do wonders for your stress lines,” I wrinkle my nose at him in a playful jab, trying to lighten his mood.
Pedro and Mariano’s laughter grows louder now.
“I love this girl, Luca. She fits our family like a glove,” Mariano declares, his laughter calming down.
Even Luca seems to chuckle a bit. I’m sure he’s holding back his laughter. How does he not see this whole situation as absurd? A mermaid sitting with a crime family, planning an assassination on terror pods.
Suddenly, his smile disappears, and he stands up.
“Alin, you can control liquids. What about poison? Can you slip it into the head of the pod’s shell during the ceremony without him noticing?” he asks, surprising me with his sudden inspiration.
“I hadn’t thought of that before, but in the sea, there’s a high risk the poison would disperse. The sweet water in the shells always mixes with the saltwater after the first sip. I won’t risk my parents. Besides, to really kill us with poison, it would need to be something really strong,” I reply, my mind trying to develop the idea. It’s not a bad plan if we can find a way to execute it.
“It doesn’t have to be in the sea. Declare that you want a fair setting for both sides at the ceremony, and we’ll do it on land. Then, we can be a part of it,” he continues to suggest, and his idea starts to spark hope in me again. This could work.
“I’ll need to return home and declare my intentions to marry. From the moment I do that, they won’t take their eyes off me for a second. I’ll be under constant surveillance and won’t be able to return to the surface until the wedding day itself. That’s assuming I can convince them to hold the ceremony on land...” I explain to Luca the next step, and we both understand that we have to take this risk for my freedom, for our freedom. Hope ignites within me as I start thinking of all the ways I can sell the idea of a land ceremony to my parents.
“I won’t let anything happen to you. We’ll need to have an escape plan in case this doesn’t work,” he declares with a voice full of confidence, but this time, I can sense he’s faking it. I’ve come to know him well enough to recognize the helplessness in his eyes. Yet, I’m comforted by the knowledge that he’s doing everything he can to help me. Sooner or later, I’d have to face this problem anyway.
It’s better to let him think I have an easy escape route if things don’t go as planned. It will hurt to leave him, but I won’t survive knowing something happened to him.
“We need to find a poison, a very potent one. There needs to be no chance of survival after drinking it.” Mariano joins the brainstorming.
“I know exactly what poison we need. More precisely, venom. The sea wasp,” I announce, and my hope for the plan’s success only grows.
“The venom from one sea wasp is enough to kill about eight humans instantly, so imagine what it will do to one merman,” I add, showcasing my extensive knowledge. It seems my survivaltraining in the sea is truly paying off on land.
I’m glad we have a plan, but to obtain this venom, I’ll have to deal with the hunters’ pod, or I’ll have to extract it from the sea wasp myself, which is a suicide mission in and of itself. But I keep this to myself, they’re already worried enough.
“How exactly will you get this venom?” Luca asks suspiciously, as if reading my thoughts.
“It won’t be easy, but there’s a way,” I declare with a firm face, preferring to keep these details from him.
I avert my gaze from his eyes and relax when he doesn’t press for more information.
