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“I’m sick to death of it all, Reka,” he said frankly. “I don’t want to be here.”
“Where do you want to be?” Reka asked. His head was back on his taloned front feet, but he tilted it curiously in Heath’s direction.
Heath didn’t have to think hard about his answer. “I want to be on Vazula,” he said, “with Merletta.” He shot the dragon a defiant look. “But I suppose you won’t approve of that.”
Reka let out a long, smoky sigh. “It troubles me,” he acknowledged, “but I understand it.”
Heath stared at him. “You do?”
“Of course,” said the dragon, nodding placidly. “You are different when you are on the island. Free, unburdened.” He threw a sidelong look at Heath. “Although I hesitate to acknowledge it, you are at your happiest when with the mermaid.” He paused, tilting his head to the side. “Even when you are not engaging in that somewhat revolting combining of mouths humans do, she brings out a side of you that seems like it’s been desperate to be free, waiting for you to return to your island.”
Heath said nothing, stunned—and a little embarrassed—by this candid outburst.
“But it is complicated,” the dragon sighed. “And, as I said, troubling.”
“Why?” Heath pressed. “Are you ever going to tell me what your problem with Merletta is?”
“Perhaps,” said Reka, maddeningly unconcerned. “But not today. Nor tomorrow, I imagine.”
Heath rolled his eyes, his tone turning slightly sulky. “Well, it doesn’t matter if I want to be there. I don’t think she’s there right now.”
He closed his eyes, focusing hard on Merletta. At once, her image popped into his mind, crystal clear. Or at least, as clear as it ever was when she was deep underwater.
“No, she’s not,” he said. He frowned. “I wonder why she’s so easy to see now. I tried just a few minutes ago, and I couldn’t even catch a glimpse of her.”
He sighed, returning to the topic at hand. “Even if she was there, I can’t just leave, not when things are such a mess.” He flicked a small rock off the edge, sending it careening into the water below. “I feel like I’m constantly torn in two, Reka,” he admitted. “I want to be with Merletta, but I owe it to my family to be in Valoria. And I’m useless in both places. I can’t protect Merletta, and I can’t hold the two camps together here.” He grunted in frustration. “Even when I decide Valoria is where my loyalty lies, I’m still torn in two. And it’s only going to get worse as the crown and the power-wielders move further from each other. Divided loyalties are a terrible thing.”
“Indeed they are,” said the dragon, with even more than his usual solemnity. Heath had the definite impression that Reka spoke from personal experience. “I think I know, by the way, why you were able to see the mermaid clearly just now.”
“Why?” Heath demanded, turning to him.
“Because I am here,” said Reka simply. “The presence of additional magic—powerful magic, in fact—helps yours. I believe that your magic is strong enough that you don’t need external help. But reaching your full potential will take time, and a little more faith in your power than you currently have, I think.”
Heath thought it over. It made sense. He thought of times when his sight had been clearest, such as on Vazula, within the magical ring surrounding the island, or in Reka’s company. It had even flared to life at the clandestine gathering with multiple other power-wielders present.
“If you want my opinion,” said Reka comfortably, “I think you should follow your inclination to forget the sorry affairs of your kingdom, and spend your time and attention with me. You are torn between Valoria and Vazula—perhaps you should chart a new path, away from either. Come to Wyvern Islands with me. I can help you train your magic, become one of us.”
“One of you?” Heath repeated, startled by the suggestion. “What do you mean?”
Rekavidur smiled in an excess of humor. “Well, you have farsight—an astonishing development in a non-dragon—and you can tell when humans are deceiving you, or hiding something.”
“No I can’t,” said Heath. “Not reliably, at least.”
“We are speaking now of dragon powers,” said Reka loftily. “I am the more knowledgeable, so do not contradict me. As I say, you have dragon-like powers. Who better to train you than dragons?”
Heath laughed in spite of his surprise. “I can’t just become a dragon, Reka.”
“Why not?” Reka asked flippantly. “If Merletta can be a mermaid and a human, why can’t you be a human and a dragon?”
Heath was silent, noting that Reka had at least used Merletta’s name instead of calling her the mermaid. It seemed like progress.
“All right,” he said at last. “I’m convinced.”
Reka lifted his head, looking like a dog who’d been offered a bone. “You wish to train with me?”
“I do,” said Heath, his own excitement starting to rise. “Teach me to be a dragon, Reka.”
