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Merletta shook her head, backing away instinctively. Her heel suddenly hit air, and she realized she was on the edge of the cliff. She stopped, her heart racing but her mind quite clear.
“I can’t tell you that,” she said. “Not if your intention is to kill anyone like me simply for existing.”
“So be it,” said the irate dragon. “There is then no reason to delay.”
A rushing sound filled Merletta’s ears as he once again opened his mouth. For a moment she thought it was death speeding toward her, then her eyes caught a rapidly growing shape in the sky at the dragon’s back. Before she could do more than gasp, Reka had landed behind his father, Heath tumbling from his talons.
“No!” Heath shouted, fury and fear evident in his voice. “Don’t touch her! You have no right to mete out death!”
The dragon pulled up, letting out a roar as he turned to face the new arrivals.
“Rekavidur!” he bellowed. “You bring a human into our realm without leave, and allow him to tell us what rights we have in our own home! Is it not enough that you have already shown yourself a traitor?”
“You are quick to judge,” snarled Elddreki. “But Rekavidur is a member of this colony, and he has the same right to be heard as any of us. The elders have made no ruling on his decisions.”
Reka lashed his tail angrily, rocks splintering under the impact. “Your unprovoked violence toward Merletta confirms my doubts as to the wisdom of the colony’s position,” he said angrily. “I do not regret my decision.”
Merletta stared at him, amazed that he’d not only referred to her by name, but actually defended her. But the other dragon was clearly not impressed.
“Enough!” he cried. His glare encompassed Elddreki as well as Rekavidur. “Do you think you can come here from Vasilisa and change our ways so casually? Humans we tolerate. But abominations are beyond what can be accepted. The law is the law.”
His movement as he turned back to Merletta was so rapid, she realized his intention a second too late. She hadn’t even moved as his jaws opened, but someone else did. A lithe form came flying out of nowhere, pushing her out of the way as flame erupted from the dragon’s mouth. She felt a flicker of heat sear her foot, but the next moment her mind knew nothing but falling, her stomach left behind on the cliff above.
For a heartbeat, time was suspended, the descent seeming endless. Then Merletta hit the water with enough force to knock the air from her lungs. Mercifully she’d dodged any rocks, but her whole body still ached from the impact. She twisted wildly in the water as she felt her tail return, turning so that she could look up toward the surface, half expecting to be followed into the ocean by wrathful dragons. She was winded, but several steadying mouthfuls of water helped restore her balance.
When the imminent shock of her near miss passed, her mind caught up, and panic flared once again. Heath had pushed her out of the way, sending her over the cliff in the process. Where was he? Had he been engulfed in the flame in her place? Had he fallen as well?
She spun back around, her eyes searching the water on all sides, terror rising in her. With a choking cry, she spotted him, his unmoving form sinking slowly into the gloom.
With a mighty flick of her tail, Merletta dove down toward him, her hands outstretched. One of his arms trailed behind him, and she grasped his wrist, pulling him toward her. As she tightened her hold, he suddenly burst into motion, his legs kicking wildly and his eyes wide as he instinctively tried to take in air. His body convulsed horribly as water poured into his mouth.
“Stop!” she cried, her voice cutting clearly through the water. “I’ve got you, Heath, don’t try to breathe. I’ll get you to the surface.”
His eyes fixed on her, silently communicating his understanding, even as his body continued to spasm. A trickle of red crossed Merletta’s vision, and horror washed over her. Heath was bleeding into the water. Had he hit the rocks on the way down?
There was no time for answers now. As gingerly as speed would allow, she wrapped her tail around his torso, holding him securely in place as she moved toward the surface with desperate strokes. A moment before, their depth had seemed a good thing—extra protection from the dragons. Now every inch of water was another agonizing stab of fear that Heath wouldn’t make it. But she could feel Heath gripping her tail, his arm wrapped around it and his skin as hot against her scales as a thermal vent. He was conscious, then.
When they finally broke the surface, Merletta grabbed Heath with her arms, pulling him up to float beside her. With a horrible choking cough, he expelled water from his mouth. Merletta kept her arm under his shoulder, finding no great challenge in keeping their heads above water with the motion of her tail.
“Heath, how badly are you hurt?” she cried.
He shook his head. “I’m…all right,” he said, his voice faint and unconvincing. Even as he spoke, his eyes drifted closed for a moment.
“Heath!” Merletta cried, anguished.
Her eyes scanned his form, and she drew in a sharp breath at the sight of the mangled flesh across his back, his clothes in tatters, and his blood seeping into the water. The fall hadn’t caused that.
“What happened to you?” she demanded.
Heath’s form was limp, but he opened his eyes. “Worth it,” he said thickly. “Laura’s babies…gone too far…”
His words trailed off, and Merletta floated, in an agony of uncertainty. Was he in danger? What should she do?
“I’m so sorry, Heath,” she choked. “I was such a fool to come here. I didn’t know…I never dreamed the Center was right.”
“Not your fault,” Heath grunted. “I didn’t know…how bad it was.” His voice was labored. “I knew the dragons were angry about you…that’s what they…got upset about…at the ceremony. I hid it from everyone.” He winced in pain, and his eyes slid shut again. “I’m sorry, Merletta. I should have told you. But I wanted you…to stay.”
Merletta pulled him more securely into her arms, struggling for words. So that was what had been behind his vague words of caution. She’d never dreamed the danger was to her rather than the humans. What fools they’d both been!
