Page 88 of Sworn to My Heart
Now that I look at her, I realize the little mermaid princess is closer to Bay’s description than mine. Her long, flowing red hair, amethyst-like sparkling purple eyes, and greenish scales illuminate the cave entrance along with my glow like a giant rainbow.
“I’ve been exiled. I’m part of the hunters’ pod now,” she says, her voice embarrassed, and my head fills with questions as she confirms what I couldn’t believe.
“What did you do, Bay?” I sigh, my tone judging in despair.
“I cut one of the castle guards’ fins...” she says almost casually, as if telling me about her breakfast, avoiding my eyes.She did what now?
“I’m sorry, I’m not following. I leave home for a few months, and you become an assassin?” I ask in shock. What the hell happened here while I was gone?
“When you swam to the surface, I tried to follow you. But when I did, I had to fight off one of the guards. Part of his tail got cut off in the process... they saw it as betrayal and sent me here,” she explains, her face now looking haunted.
She’s been stuck with the hunters’ pod for months because of me?
Guilt quickly floods over me. She ran away to join me.What have I done?
“It’s not your fault, Alin. Don’t worry about me. I’m fine here,” she says, finally meeting my eyes, probably seeing how hard it is for me to process all of this information. But I can see through her lie immediately; she’s far from fine.
“Why are you here?” she asks again before I can push for more information, reminding me why I came in the first place.
“I need venom from the sea wasp,” I admit honestly. This time, I’m the one embarrassed to ask my cousin instead of the monster I expected to meet. Her eyes widen in shock.It’s a day full of surprises.
“I don’t even want to ask why,” she says, raising her finger to stop me from speaking further and swims back into the cave, emerging after a minute with a small vial in her hand.
“Thank you, Bay,” I exhale in relief as I reach out to take the vial from her, but she pulls it away before I can touch it.
“I’m sorry, Alin. There’s a price. It’s not up to me; it’s the pod’s...” she announces, and the hope of getting this for free swims away.
“What’s the price?” I ask impatiently now. It seems nothing can be easy.
“Your necklace,” she declares, and I immediately clutch the necklace I got at the antique shop possessively. I’ve grown used to its presence on my neck.
“Please no, it’s so important to me. Bay, please. Take something else.” I plead desperately, knowing that when the hunters’ pod demands payment, you can’t refuse.
But she shakes her head.
“The emblem is your mother’s royal symbol. The necklace can pardon me and give me my freedom from the pod,” she informs me, and I immediately understand what it means to her. For me, it’s a warm memory and a precious gift; for her, it’s life. Royal property given by a royal to a traitor grants them pardon from any punishment. She’s right.
I reach up to my neck, take off the necklace, and hand it over to Bay, as she places the vial in my hands.
My neck suddenly feels bare, but I know I made the right choice. I quickly hide the vial in my small bag, and she swims toward me, hugging me tightly as the sounds of her sobbing fill my ears.
She endured months under the hunters’ curse, and I shudder to think of the horrors she witnessed. The souls of sailors taken by the hunters feed the Great Coral of Life, sustaining our royal bloodlines, while their bodies are discarded to the sharks. In times of desperate hunger, the hunters even resort to consuming the sailors’ flesh. Bay’s parents were always distant, but how could they abandon their own daughter to such a fate?
I stroke her long hair as she continues to unload all the pain she’s suffered into my embrace, realizing that we are going back to the city together.
I need to figure out how to explain that my mother pardoned her without actually knowing it. Two traitors heading to the city of Mal-El’s royal lineage. We might have to share the necklace, I sigh as new worries flood my chest.
Once we reach the current, we’ll swim through it together.
Alin
The city gate opens as Bay and I swim toward it, the guards stunned by our arrival. It’s not every day they open the gate for a fugitive princess accompanied by a hunter. Bay raises the necklace, displaying the emblem to the guards. “I’ve been pardoned,” she announces confidently, and I silently hope they don’t question us.
The guard in front of us examines the necklace, his jaw dropping as he understands its significance. They let us pass without another word, but one of them swims quickly toward the castle.A snitch. In less than a minute, the whole pod will know we’re back.
“Great, there’s no turning back now,” I sigh in frustration. Bay laughs nervously, sharing my anxiety about my parents’ reaction. She grabs my hand, and we swim inside together, bracing ourselves for whatever blow may come.
The place is exactly as I remember it, with luxurious shell houses and giant, pointed conch shells resembling decorated cypress trees. Ondine’s fish egg stall remains lively, with everyone gathering around excitedly for fresh goods. I silently thank the stars that everyone’s attention is on her stall, allowing us to pass quietly through the main path to the castle and reach the familiar giant golden door. The place that was my belovedhome just a few months ago.
