I need your huntress’ screech, now!His command is clear, and for once, I don’t question him. I open my mouth and follow through. The glow from the mark on my chest rises to my throat, shooting out of my mouth like a laser, and the Guardian soaks it into his body, as if he’s been waiting for this moment his whole life.
What’s happening?I ask, still screeching, as I see light blue familiar lights swirling above us in the air.
Yes, these are the souls of these weak humans,the Guardian confirms my thoughts, and instead of asking more questions, I grin victoriously, stopping my screech just as the dragon absorbs all the floating souls into his mouth.
I rush over to Pedro’s body lying on the ground. “Are you okay?” I rasp, brushing sand from his face with trembling hands.
“That’s the dragon?” Pedro asks hardly, his voice raspy in shock, and I nod.
“That massive thing was inside your body?” He asks again, and I laugh tiredly as I rise to my feet, heading toward Alin.
“Need a little help here!” I clear my throat toward the dragon, who’s still hovering above us, looking up. I can almost hear him rolling his eyes in my head. His long, coiling body lowers carefully onto the beach, and his enormous arm stretches out, picking up both Alin and Pedro like they were tiny pieces of debris. Their bodies look so small in his hand, and with surprising gentleness, he places them into the water. I breathe a sigh of relief. The water will break the effects of the drug quickly.
“Miguel too,” I tell him, turning to look at my wounded childhood friend who saved me just moments ago. But my breath catches in my throat.
There’s nothing to save.The Guardian’s voice echoes in my head as he returns to my chest. The stab of reality in my heart makes the burning in my chest feel insignificant. Tears stream down my face.
What have I done? I should’ve saved him earlier! I knew he was weak…
You couldn’t have saved him, even if you’d tried sooner. His internal injuries were too severe.
No. The water would have healed him!I scream at him in my mind.
Bay, he knew there was no turning back. His body wasn’t strong like the royals. You know that.
I can’t breathe. What was Miguel even doing here? How did they catch him? I have so many questions. The tears sting my eyes, and my heart clenches in pain.
I’m sorry.The Guardian’s voice is soft, almost choked.
He’s sorry?‘Your pain is my pain.’I remember his words. He’s suffering just like I am now?
“Bay! Where are Alin and Pedro?” Luca’s familiar voice suddenly appears behind me, panting heavily as if he ran all the way from home. Just in time, I sigh.
“They’re fine. They’re in the water. Give them a few minutes, they’ll be out.” I reply dryly, the heavy emptiness filling my chest as I rise to look at him, wiping away the tears with the back of my hand.A heavy sigh escapes Luca’s lips, and a relieved smile spreads across his face when he sees Alin and Pedro’s heads surface above the water.
I can’t smile right now. I’ve taken another life unjustly. Miguel is dead. And I couldn’t do anything about it, just like Elyr… It’s hard to breathe.
Get a grip! We can’t lose focus now!The urgency in his voice tells me this isn’t all.
What now? Please give me a break.I beg.
Bay
We’re finally on our way home from the familiar New York beach. Mariano’s driving, and Luca’s next to him, constantly throwing questioning glances back at us, mostly at his wife. As usual, he doesn’t like not getting answers right away. Alin and I are both mentally drained from everything that happened, and Miguel’s face before he died is etched into my mind as if someone carved it into my brain with a knife.
It’s been years since I’ve seen him. Why did he come to the surface? How did he get legs—someone gave him something forbidden. I glance at Alin, knowing it’s not the right time for either of us, but when is it ever the right time with everything going on around us?
“Why was Miguel on land? How did he get legs?” My questions come out more like an accusation, but I know I’m the only one to blame here. I should have found a way to get him into the water first before anything else. A tear escapes down my cheek before Alin sighs heavily and answers,“he had the Mal-El’s pendant.” I gasp.
“Do you remember the necklace my father gave me as a gift on the day of the celebrations when he brought me back to the ocean?” she asks, avoids looking at me.
“Why would you give him something like that? Unless—” I choke on my words. “No... Alin...”
She finally dares to look directly at me and nods in confirmation.
“Why didn’t I know about this? Why did you hide it from me?” I swallow hard. How many things has my cousin kept from me over the years? She gave him the pendant because he was the one she ran away to land with when she wanted to see her adoptive parents. He was her anchor—not me.
I want to see him again; I want to talk to him. I have so many questions. Another tear slips down my other cheek, and Pedro places his hand on my thigh from my left, saying nothing. This man beside me is my family—he’s the only one who’s ever put me first— for the first time in my life. I place my hand on his, quietly thanking him for the gesture.