Page 25 of Sworn to Revenge
“Mom... I think you need to see this...” she says nervously, her eyes fixed on something. My gaze follows hers to my hand she’s now holding in both of hers.What in the ocean’s hells is this?!“What did you do to me?!” I choke out, pulling my hand away from Alin as Queen Lora approaches, her gaze now fixed on the crescent moon mark that decorates my palm like a golden scar.
“Pedro, are you okay?” Bay seems to snap out of whatever power that was holding her, appearing from behind Queen Lora, whose jaw is clenched and whose expression is unreadable. Bay’s eyes have returned to their usual glow, and instead of demanding the answers I need, a sigh of relief escapes me.
“I’m fine. I think I’ll wake up with some serious bruises on my back tomorrow, but the pain’s gone,” I inform them, while the three of them stare at my hand in disbelief.
“I think I missed the memo. Can someone please explain this strange thing on my hand?” I raise my hand in the air, impatience is clear in my voice.
“I don’t know how this is even possible. This has never happened before. That stone doesn’t grant powers; it only restores them. It certainly can’t mark a merman with an affiliation,” Queen Lora says, turning to Alinas if seeking answers. Even she doesn’t know what’s going on?Great. I’m screwed.
“He’s human, not even a merman,” Alin adds, raising up before her mother, discussing me as if I’m not even here.
I glance at Bay, hoping she remembers I’m still in the room and can explain what’s got everyone so shocked. Bay mentioned before that each pod has a distinct mark on their body, and this looks just like the moon beneath her arm.No. No. No.“I don’t belong in this world! How can I possibly be marked as part of a pod?” I rise from the floor and grab Alin’s arms tightly. “Is there a way to remove this from me?” I demand, not giving her a chance to speak, my voice dripping with despair.
I hate feeling so weak here and I certainly hate that pitying look in her eyes, the one that tells me they have no idea how to deal with any of this.
“I’m sorry, Pedro. We’ll figure out what this means after you complete your mission here,” she says, lowering her gaze to the floor, doing nothing to restore my confidence. “I promise we’ll do everything we can to fix this,” she adds, her voice weak, almost trembling. My gills flare open, drawing in a long stream of water, as if I’ve taken a deep breath, and I release it all in a frustrated loud sigh. I’ve come this far and done all of this for Bay—this is not the time to lose my cool.My body is already covered in scars; what’s one more until we figure this out?
“Okay,” I agree, my tone calm, and she gives me a grateful smile.
“Alianna, I think there’s something you need to see...” Queen Lora now turns to Alin, and for the first time, I hear uncertainty in her voice, which I really don’t like.
“Aunt Lora?” Bay grasps the queen’s hand as she closes her eyes, as if a painful memory washes over her.
“Come,” she commands, her eyes snapping open as she swims back behind her desk, stopping in front of the wall behind it, which is covered by a large, strange golden sea plant that looks like long hair swaying gently with the water.
I exchange a quick glance with Bay and Alin, and it’s clear they’re just as lost as I am right now. At least I’m not alone in this sinking ship.
“What is this plant?” I ask as the three of us swim closer to Queen Lora, stopping just beside her.
“It’s a place none of you were ever supposed to know about, but it seems we have no other choice,” Queen Lora whispers, running her hand gently over the plant’s hair-like strands. Suddenly, they emit a soft golden glow, flickering as if the plant is excited by the queen’s touch. In an instant, a passageway hidden within the wall is revealed as the plant moves its long strands aside.
I’m done asking questions; I’m going to need meds just to keep my sanity intact at this point. Sighing to myself, I swim after the three women… or fish, or whatever, as they lead the way into the passage.
I join them, and within moments, a bright blue light floods my vision, revealing a large, open space shaped like a dome, entirely made of stone, as if we’ve stumbled upon an ancient archaeological site.
The sounds of surprise from Bay and Alin follow quickly as they swim curiously into the space, scanning the room, which is empty except for the strange symbols glowing blue along the stone walls.
“I recognize a lot of affiliation marks from other pods, Mom. What is this place?” Alin asks, running her hand over a glowing star symbol on the wall before quickly moving to another with undeniable excitement.
“This. Is. So. Cool!” Bay’s voice chirps from the other side of the room when she touches a mark that resembles a trident head, causing a soft sound to echo through the chamber, like a piano key being struck.
“Ouch,” I mutter as a sharp pain flares in my hand for a second before disappearing. I shake my hand as if that could somehow remove the strange scar.
“What is the name of the oceans?” The moon mark on my hand is now glowing blue, just like the symbols on the wall.
“Why is the moon on my hand glowing?” I ask, holding up my hand. The three of them turn their attention back to me, and Queen Lora gills are opening wide, releasing a long knowing sigh.
“This is the room that preserves the power of the pods,” Queen Lora begins, her voice steady but heavy with gravity. I see Bay’s eyes widen beside me, curiosity evident in her expression. “It draws its energy from the Coral of Life.” The mention of the Coral makes me freeze—wasn’t that the source Bay had been forced to hunt for?
“If a pod is in danger, or if its royal bloodline is cut off, the blue light of their symbol on the wall fades—like this one,” she says, swimming toward a nearby symbol: a two-headed arrow etched deep into the stone. Only now do we notice that the light has completely gone out. “Once the bloodline is severed and doesn’t continue…” her voice grows quieter, almost distant, “…the entire pod is wiped out along with it.”
The weight of her words hangs in the water, and I can see the shock on Alin’s and Bay’s faces—more profound than my own realization.
“Aunt Lora, are you telling me that if Alin hadn’t continued the bloodline, all of us…” Bay swallows hard, “would go extinct?”
She nods in confirmation.Shit.My brother really did donate his sperm for a good cause. I chuckle to myself, trying to calm my nerves.
“That’s why you pushed me to marry Zale’s son? I never understood why you insisted on marrying me off to that monster…” Alin now asks, as if a lightbulb has gone on in her mind, connecting the pieces of the story.
