Page 32 of Sworn to Revenge
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 matters 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’msupposed 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.
