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Merletta raised an eyebrow at Emil, not sure whether to be pleased or exasperated at the close tabs he seemed to be keeping on her. Sage’s expression showed an equally mixed response.
Andre, however, expressed only enthusiasm. “Of course we don’t mind!” he said. For a moment, he seemed to forget the somber nature of their mission in his excitement at the company of the junior record holder.
“Where are we going?” Emil asked, easily keeping pace with Sage.
“Merletta and Sage want to pay their respects to one of the widows from the recent guard patrol,” said Andre. “August was a family friend, so I know his wife.”
“Is that so?” Emil’s eyes were on Merletta, their expression challenging.
She gave a defiant half-shrug. She knew they were working together now, but opportunities to speak to Emil privately were so impossible to come by, he couldn’t really blame her for not clearing her plans with him first.
“It’s likely to be a…confronting conversation,” she said meaningfully. “You may not want to be part of it.”
Emil’s eyes flicked between her and Sage. “I’m coming,” he said firmly.
They had entered Skulssted by now, and Andre directed them toward his own neighborhood. The streets were busy, full of merrymakers heading to their own, smaller, Founders’ Day dinners. The three trainees and the junior record holder slid between the throngs, attracting no especial attention.
Before long, Andre pulled up in front of a large, well-carved home. “This is it,” he said, gesturing.
“Thanks Andre,” said Merletta. “I’m guessing the feast is just starting, so once you introduce us—”
“Oh, I’m not going back,” Andre interrupted her. “I’ll stay. I’d like to speak with her as well.”
Merletta hesitated. She hadn’t counted on Andre witnessing what she wanted to say to August’s widow. Her eyes were drawn irresistibly to Emil, and she could see from his furrowed brow that he had grasped her intention enough to understand her dilemma. He gave a tiny shake of his head, but Merletta wasn’t so sure. Emil didn’t know Andre, but she and Sage had spent months with him. She had more reason to trust him than the stranger she was about to approach. Still, he should be warned, as far as was possible.
“Andre,” she said slowly. “I want to talk to her about…about something that might be dangerous. It would be safer for you not to hear it.”
She knew long before she finished speaking that she’d been out of her mind to think her warning would make him less determined to join them. His face was alight with curiosity, and he puffed his chest out in an apparently unconscious gesture as he responded.
“I’m not afraid to take risks. And you can trust me.”
His words sent a strange shiver over Merletta, drawing her thoughts irresistibly back to her last conversation with Heath, and their interrupted moment. But she shook the thought off.
“If you’re sure,” she said quietly.
Andre swam forward boldly, and knocked on the door. Merletta immediately recognized the woman who answered as the widow from the memorial. The older mermaid looked surprised but not unhappy to receive a visit from Andre. Merletta and the others had hung back, so they couldn’t hear her words. But they saw Andre gesture toward them, and the mermaid, looking more surprised than ever, nodded and moved to let them all inside.
Although Merletta felt awkward as she swam through the doorway, she couldn’t help looking around in fascination. She’d never been in a home like this before. The charity home had been every inch the institution, and although the trainees’ barracks were more pleasant, they certainly weren’t a family home. This place was nicely set up, everything neat and the furniture in good condition. The decorations were fresh, and clearly replaced regularly. But there was a hushed feeling that was hard to articulate, an emptiness to the house that had nothing to do with its material contents.
Andre performed introductions, and the middle-aged mermaid greeted them all politely.
“Glad to meet some of Andre’s friends,” she said in a stately way, as she gestured them to seats. “Are you all in the program, then?”
“Emil has graduated,” said Andre quickly. “He’s a record holder.”
“Congratulations,” she said, her eyes resting shrewdly on the pale-haired young merman.
Emil inclined his head in acknowledgment. Merletta could tell he was tense, and she wondered if he regretted inserting himself into a situation he hadn’t planned and couldn’t control. She was still unsure why he’d done it.
“So what brings you here, Andre?” their hostess asked.
“Merletta asked me to,” said Andre frankly. “She wanted to pay her respects. She didn’t get the chance at the memorial.”
The widow’s eyes passed to Merletta, her expression thoughtful. “I recognize you, of course,” she said. “Your unfortunate collapse was memorable. I hope you’re well now?”
“Perfectly well,” said Merletta. “I don’t wish to waste your time, ma’am. I’m glad you remember what happened to me at the memorial, because it makes my errand easier to explain.” She drew in a deep pull of water. “I wasn’t entirely honest with Andre.” She threw him a glance, and saw that he was watching her intently. “The truth is, I didn’t just come to express my sympathy. I came to tell you what I know, and what I’ve suspected for some time. I think you have a right to know, but I also want to make sure I’m not the only one who knows that we haven’t been told the truth about the guards’ deaths.”
The widow was frozen now, watching Merletta unblinkingly.
