Page 33 of Sworn to Revenge
“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, desperation 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.
“I mean, it’s one of the risks of using Bay’s blood, sure, but if there’s another purpose she needs it for, we might be condemning Bay for something she doesn’t deserve,” I explain, and now Queen Lora runs a hand through her hair in frustration. Alin looks at her expectantly, as if hoping my words make sense.
“Just because there may be other uses for her blood doesn’t mean it’s not reason enough to sever her from the lineage,” she responds, but now she starts swimming back and forth in her office, small bubbles forming around her in a white trail every time she turns.
“Pedro’s right, Mom. You can’t do this to her just because something might happen—it’s only speculation. You’re acting like all the lineages are about to die,” Alin says, gripping my arm with her fingers as if silently thanking me and reinforcing my stance.
“The lineages are about to die...” Queen Lora suddenly stops in her tracks and repeats what Alin said, almost whispering to herself. She immediately turns to us, her face now stricken with fear. This is not a ‘good news’ face at all, and Alin’s fingers dig painfully into my arm—I can feel her panic too.
“No, no. How did I not think of this before? How could I have dared to send Bay there?” she mutters, swimming frantically to her chest, throwing its contents out in a panic, mumbling to herself.
“What’s happening to her?” I whisper to Alin, whose expression is just as confused as mine.
“Mom, are you okay?” she swims to Queen Lora, daring to take her hand and stop the panic attack she’s having.
Her body stiffens, and her gaze locks onto Alin’s as if her only hope lies with her. “She can use Bay’s blood to create the Doomsday Elixir.”
“No, Mom, that can’t be. You said it was just a myth—it can’t be real,” Alin responds, but I’m left standing there with a million questions running through my mind.
“I don’t like the words ‘elixir’ and ‘doomsday’ together. Are we talking about something apocalyptic here? Please tell me it’s just the name of a new cocktail,” I ask, swimming closer to join the chaos. After everything they’ve put me through, I don’t even want to imagine what could be worsethan what I’ve already faced.
“It’s an elixir that, once consumed, kills every member of the lineage connected to that blood in one strike. Whether they’re an outcast or not, nothing will save them,” Alin explains, turning her gaze toward me. “But it’s just a myth to scare young merfolk, right?” She looks back at her mother, desperately seeking reassurance.
“It’s not a myth. I need to find a solution,” Queen Lora responds weakly, resuming her frantic search through her chest. But then she stops abruptly. “You two,” she points at us, “take Bay and go back to the surface until I figure this out.”
We look at her, confused. “How is going back to the surface supposed to help? We’re already here. You might as well use us to help,” I plead, unwilling to accept being sent away after everything I’ve been through. I didn’t endure hell only to be sent back empty-handed, especially if it means facing my brother when he finds out that I failed to protect Bay, and it’ll cost him his wife’s life.
“There’s nothing you can do here. You don’t know the ocean, and you have no powers. And you,” she points at Alin, “are carrying our heir. I can’t risk you getting involved in experiments,” she says, making her intentions clear. I think it’s time to reveal that I might not be as useless as she thinks.
“Who said I don’t have powers?” I interject, dropping a piece of information that’s just as shocking as everything else we’ve heard today. “I have no idea how to control it or use it, but apparently, I’ve got ‘electrical powers,’ or at least that’s what the creepy octopus lady called it. I almost tore her entire lair apart with the lightning bolts shooting from my hands.”
“Electrical powers?!” Alin exclaims, her voice so high-pitched it makesmy ears ring. I nod to confirm.
“How is that even possible?” she now asks her mother, who sighs, as if nothing could surprise her anymore.
“I don’t know what’s going on here, but he touched one of our power sources and got marked. He’s the first case I know of where this has happened,” she sighs again. “At least, the first one to survive and stay conscious.”
“The reason the elixir I made for Pedro is so rare and hard to come by is that it requires scales from a deceased merman and the blood of a mermaid from a royal lineage, among other ingredients that could take years for others to find in the ocean,” Queen Lora explains, and Alin and I look at her in confusion.Who the hell did she kill to get this elixir?
“Relax, it has to be from a long-dead merman,” she quickly clarifies with a wave of her hand, as if understanding that we were both too quick to accuse her of murder in our minds. “I used one of Roel’s scales. I kept a few in a jar before his burial ceremony.”
Alin lets out a heavy sigh, relieved that her mother didn’t go on a killing spree just to bring me here. She scans my body with her eyes again. “Is that why he resembles him so much?” she asks, and Queen Lora nods in confirmation.
“Maybe because Roel was part of the royal lineage, it also influenced how Pedro was marked,” she finally reaches the point she seems to have been trying to make all along. I wonder how much dangerous information this queen is hiding in her head, keeping things even from her own daughter.
“Alright, Mom, we’ll head back to the surface, but how much time dowe have?” Alin asks now, as it seems we’re heading home sooner than expected without much of a choice. The heavy sense of uncertainty weighing on my chest grows stronger.
“This is an elixir so complex that even Jocelyn would need at least a month and a half to brew it. It’s so intricate that one mistake would ruin the entire process, and she’d have to start over. So we have some time. I’ll update you when I have more information,” she answers before burying herself back in her chest.
