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“But not you?” Merletta asked, looking sideways at the other mermaid as she kept pace with her. They had left the building and were making their way in the general direction of the tall spire at the center of the Center. “Aren’t you both second years?”
“We are,” confirmed Sage, leading Merletta down a side street in an apparent shortcut. “We’re both seventeen. But Oliver is older than I am. His birthday is only a couple of months away, so he’s preparing for his second year test.”
“The one that will qualify him to become a guard,” mused Merletta. “If he decides to stop there.”
“That’s right,” nodded Sage. “But he won’t stop there. He wants to continue, like Emil.”
“And Ileana,” prompted Merletta.
Sage was silent for the briefest moment before answering, her face more than usually expressionless. “Yes, and Ileana.”
Merletta hid a smile. It was heartening to know she wasn’t the only one who didn’t really like the abrasive older girl.
But the smile quickly dropped away as she flicked her tail, eager to get there as quickly as possible. She had no clue what Instructor Agner was like, and she didn’t want to start off by being late. The home had been brutally harsh on tardiness, and she had no idea what rules there were in the Center about such things. Could Instructor Agner throw her out of the program for that? Instructor Ibsen, at least, would surely be glad of the excuse if she gave him half a chance to use it.
“Thank you, by the way,” she said quietly.
“What?” Sage flicked a glance her way.
“Thank you,” Merletta repeated. “For coming to get me.”
Again Sage hesitated slightly before answering. “It didn’t seem fair,” she said, shrugging one shoulder uncomfortably. “For everyone else to know, and you not to.”
Merletta chuckled. “Well, fair isn’t really the way it works, not when you’re from Tilssted,” she said without rancor. She shot another look at the older mermaid. “So I really do appreciate it.”
Sage nodded, passing through a square entranceway.
Glancing up, Merletta realized they were in the same courtyard where she had taken her physical test. Stone pillars marched along all four sides of the square, and today, a number of sparring matches were taking place in the middle of the space. Merletta watched with interest as she followed Sage around the edge of the courtyard toward the other trainees, who were floating in a group on one side of the square.
Ileana greeted Merletta with her usual scowl. Her head was angled to the side, in Jacobi’s direction, and the scowl turned to a snort of derisive laughter as Jacobi ran a hand across his arm in a convulsive gesture. Merletta stiffened at the memory of Jacobi’s jellyfish prank, but she refused to show any embarrassment. How had she been such a fool, revealing an area of vulnerability in front of the whole class like that? Of course someone had instantly exploited it.
They had reached the group now, and Jacobi sighed audibly.
“You just couldn’t help yourself, could you, Sage?” he drawled.
Merletta narrowed her eyes at him, her gaze encompassing Ileana as well. Even without the jellyfish prank to precede it, she doubted she would have had difficulty guessing who was behind the pufferfish incident.
“That’s enough, Jacobi,” said Emil, his tone as cold and unemotional as ever. Jacobi fell silent, exchanging a resentful glance with Ileana.
Merletta smiled at Emil in thanks, but the fourth year student had already lost interest in the petty exchange. His attention was back on the older guards who were training in the courtyard. Merletta sighed internally as she also watched the guards, who were fighting with long-handled spears. She had a feeling she would miss Emil next year, when Ileana would be the most senior of the trainees.
“Ah, you’re all here, excellent!”
Merletta turned quickly, straightening her posture as a middle-aged merman approached them. Unlike most other mermen, his hair was cut short in a practical style, and he wore no adornment of any kind. He carried a staff in his hand, of a knobbly length of treated driftwood.
“And I am at last meeting the new trainee,” the merman continued brightly.
Merletta blinked, taken aback by his cheerful tone and his friendly smile. Did he not realize she was from Tilssted?
“Merletta, isn’t it?” the merman prompted, when she continued to just float there in stunned silence.
“Yes, sir,” she said, finding her voice at last. “I’m Merletta. I started the program last week.”
“Oh, I know all about that,” he responded, with a slight chuckle. “In fact, I know all about you. I’m Instructor Agner, although you can just call me Agner, and I’m glad to have you in my training.”
“You are?” Merletta asked, unable to help herself.
Agner chuckled again. “Of course I am. I heard about your impressive performance in your physical entry test. I also heard that you passed the literacy and memory tests with the highest score we’ve seen in some years. Very well done, very well done.”
