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His grandmother regarded him thoughtfully, saying nothing until a passing servant had rounded the corner out of sight. “You certainly don’t seem as disheartened as you were when you visited us in the summer. I gather that you took my advice, but you never told me how your voyage went.”
Heath’s steps faltered, his mouth falling slightly open.
“You’re not the only grandchild who likes to take tea with me,” the elderly princess said with a smile. “And really, it’s a bit much to expect anyone to keep such a thrilling tale secret.”
“Bianca,” said Heath grimly.
But after a moment’s consideration, he realized he wasn’t annoyed with his cousin. He’d expected a great deal of the twins, asking them to keep the whole expedition silent. And Bianca knew as well as he did how safe a confidant their grandmother was.
“Yes, Bianca,” the princess acknowledged. A slight frown creased her already wrinkled forehead. “I’m not sure you quite know what you started there, but never mind that.”
Heath opened his mouth to ask what she meant, but before he could do so, his grandmother, with surprising strength, whisked him out an open door and into one of the castle’s internal courtyards. Obeying the pressure of her hand on his arm, he found himself helping her to sink onto a stone seat underneath an arbor. Winter was upon them, and the air was biting. But the gardeners had done their work well, and enough of the foliage was evergreen for them to still feel like they were in a garden.
“Did you reach your island?” his grandmother asked eagerly, before he was properly seated. “In the rowboat?”
Heath hesitated for only a moment before answering. “I did.”
“And?” His grandmother was unusually impatient. “Merletta?”
Again a strange thrill went over Heath at hearing Merletta’s name on someone else’s lips. It so often felt like she lived only in his mind. This time he hesitated longer, but it would truly be a relief to tell someone.
“She’s alive,” he said, unable to help the grin that spread across his face. “And more than that.”
His grandmother actually clapped her hands. “I’m so pleased! She didn’t dry out, then?”
“Actually…” Heath took a breath, and turned to face her properly. “She did. And it turns out she’d been taught a lie when they said that drying out was fatal. Its effect is something altogether different.”
He was silent for a moment, but his grandmother didn’t press him again. She clearly knew he would continue when he was ready.
“She has legs,” he blurted out at last. “She becomes…well, human, when she’s fully out of the water.”
His grandmother started so dramatically, the bench wobbled.
“Human?” Her mouth had fallen open. “But that’s impossible!”
“That’s what I thought,” said Heath, still smiling. “Until I saw it with my own eyes. She showed me the transformation back and forth. I’ve never seen such magic. I don’t think even you have.”
“I don’t doubt you,” his companion said quickly. “It’s clearly possible. What I meant was that it’s not possible for my guess about the cause of Merletta’s existence to be correct. Not if she can change into a human.” She frowned to herself. “Surely not even a dragon’s magic could do that.”
“What do you mean?” Heath pressed. “What was your guess about the cause?”
His grandmother shook her head slowly. “Ask Rekavidur,” she said. “If I’m wrong, I don’t want to plant the idea, even in your mind. For all they claim that humans are the hasty ones, I’ve known dragons to attack first and ask questions later. If they knew what I suspect…” She trailed off, then shook her head decisively. “It’s best for me to say no more.”
“That’s very frustrating, you know, Grandmother,” Heath scolded.
She chuckled. “I know it is, but you’ll have to forgive the eccentricities of old age.” She bent a sharp eye upon him. “What did Rekavidur make of the discovery?”
“I haven’t told him,” shrugged Heath. “I’ve tried, but he still won’t come when I ask him to.”
“Hm.” She frowned. “I think you should tell him, whatever it takes. If he takes the same view of it as I do, it might allay his concerns.”
Heath was silent for a moment. “What am I supposed to do? I can’t just stroll over to his colony on Wyvern Islands, can I?”
His grandmother smiled. “Try harder to get him to listen, I suppose. Dragons are supposed to be invincible, but it’s not true of all of them, you know.”
“What do you mean?” Heath asked, startled. “There’s a way for humans to kill dragons?”
“Who said anything about killing?” protested the princess, half laughing. “All my life, people have thought my friendship with Elddreki shows that I’m something special, because dragons are usually aloof, and uninterested in humans. But the truth is, it’s not me who’s special. It’s Elddreki. He was never like the other dragons. His fondness for humans began long before my lifetime. And from what I’ve observed of Rekavidur, he’s inherited that trait from his father.”
