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“Is that why you sought me out?” Merletta asked with dry humor. “Are we making some kind of pact of silence?”
“As if I would ever form an agreement with you,” spat Ileana. “You’ll keep quiet if you know what’s good for you. And if you don’t…” Her grim expression made the deep water feel even colder than usual. “Well, so much the better, as far as I’m concerned.”
And yet, she gave no sign of aggression, issued no concrete threat. A memory flashed vividly through Merletta’s mind, of the time Ileana and Jacobi had cornered her in the training yard. Merletta felt the phantom sensation of the shaft of Ileana’s spear pressed against her throat. Whatever Agner had said, it hadn’t been a loss of temper in a heated fight. It had been an unprovoked and deliberate attack, and the other mermaid had intended to kill Merletta, she was sure of it. Yet now—even though Ileana knew Merletta had broken some of the triple kingdoms’ most sacred rules—all she did was glower darkly at her and utter weak threats. Something had definitely changed since then.
Interesting.
Her heart a little lighter, Merletta cocked her head to the side. It was a very dragon-like posture, if Ileana only knew it. Rekavidur did it all the time.
“Well,” Merletta said, her tone light, although she chose her words carefully, “I think I do have a pretty good idea of what’s good for me, actually.”
Ileana’s gaze searched her face, her own expression giving nothing away. After a tense moment, she turned, water swirling around her as she swam away without another word.
Merletta pushed out a long stream of water. Her thoughts and emotions were a veritable maelstrom. She had basically just told Ileana that she wasn’t going to spread the true story of what had happened in the shallows near Vazula. She supposed her decision was made, then. She was going to play along, at least for now.
It didn’t sit entirely comfortably. She had never liked deception, and she would much prefer to face someone like Ileana in a battle with spears than be tangled in a complex net of politics where her very life might be on the line.
Possibly most interesting of all, though, was Ileana’s comments about Merletta getting back to the water. Merletta was almost certain that Ileana had been genuine. She may have already known about the existence of humans, but she truly didn’t know that drying out meant changing to a human form. Merletta had the feeling she would be wise not to let anyone know that she held that information. It was far more dramatic a discovery than any of the rest of it. It was a good thing she hadn’t blurted it out to Sage. A revelation like that shouldn’t be made without careful thought, even to someone she trusted.
She had a great deal to think about, but on the whole, she swam back toward the trainees’ barracks feeling like a weight had been lifted. She would still have to proceed very carefully, but she no longer felt like death might be lurking around every corner. If someone wanted to get rid of her before she had the chance to fully reinsert herself into the life of the Center, they couldn’t have hoped for a better opportunity than the one she’d just given Ileana. And Ileana hadn’t even tried to do her any harm. It seemed Merletta wasn’t the only one who’d decided to play along.
Lorraine was already settled in her hammock for the night, but Sage was waiting for Merletta to arrive. Her face lightened at the sight of her friend—clearly something in Merletta’s demeanor showed her relief.
The various exertions of the day were finally catching up with Merletta. It was almost unbelievable that she’d woken that morning on a bed of leaves in Vazula’s jungle. She sank into her own hammock with an unexpected feeling of homecoming.
Her descent into sleep was interrupted by the sudden memory of the guard patrol who had seen her with Heath. Surely they couldn’t really all be dead. She wished she’d confronted Ileana with their fate, and seen how the other mermaid responded.
But she’d been too distracted by other things to think of it. She felt a little guilty that she had prioritized her own problems over the lives of several merpeople. On the other hand, she’d only been back for one day, and she couldn’t unravel everything all at once. For now, it was enough to know that she’d re-entered the program without anyone showing signs of wanting to get rid of her.
She closed her eyes, letting everything drift from her mind. Within minutes, she achieved what had seemed impossible a short time before—she sank into a deep and dreamless sleep.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Heath cast a glance behind, at the carriage trundling along at the center of the cavalcade. He winced slightly as it hit a rut in the road. Good thing they had almost arrived. Turning his gaze ahead, he saw that the familiar gray walls of Bryford had indeed come into view. They were home.
A heavy sigh from the rider beside him made him raise an eyebrow. “Something wrong?” he asked dryly.
Percival shot him a look. “Can you honestly tell me you’re glad to be back?”
Heath thought about it for a moment. “Yes,” he said, a little surprised by his own answer. “I am glad to be home.”
The truth was that he’d ridden out of Valoria in the midst of a thick fog of his own making, and he was arriving home with a much clearer head. He cast a glance at Percival’s disgruntled expression, and almost sighed himself. A clearer head, but new problems to wrestle.
“We already stayed an extra week in Kynton,” Heath reminded him. “We were only supposed to be there a fortnight. We even missed the annual tournament back home! How long did you want to linger over there?”
“Forever,” muttered Percival, although he said it without conviction. He sighed again. “What would have been the point of coming back for the tournament when I’m not allowed to compete anymore? I’d much rather be training with Prince Theodore than watching from the stands while other people fight.” He cast Heath a meaningful look. “It was just nice, you know? To be…welcome.”
“Welcome?” Heath snorted. “You mean hero-worshiped.”
Percival just grinned, and Heath found he was smiling a little himself. He had suspected that his brother’s desire to extend the visit might have been related to the tournament taking place back in Bryford. Not that he’d objected. The tournament meant nothing to him, and remembering the tension that had cast a shadow over the previous year’s tournament, he’d been inclined to think it might be best for both of them to miss it.
And he couldn’t really blame his brother for enjoying the atmosphere of Kynton, where power-wielders were cheered by the common folk everywhere they went, and treated with respect and admiration within the court. Even Heath had been offered the chance to showcase his skills with a bow and arrow. He had politely declined. He’d never shared Percival’s love of being the center of attention.
“I’m sure no one will mind that we stayed longer,” Percival said comfortably. “Not when Prince Theodore invited us so particularly. Anyway, an extra week was well worth it to be able to escort Grandmother and Grandfather home ourselves.”
Heath rolled his eyes. “They’ve been traveling to and from Kyona every summer for decades without our assistance, Perce. I think they could have managed.” He glanced again at the carriage. “But yes, it is nice to travel back with them. Even if Grandfather says that watching us ride while he’s stuck in the carriage makes him feel old,” he added with a chuckle.
Percival grinned. “Do you think he’ll ever realize that he is old?”
