AllFreeNovel
Share Us
She shook her head. “I’m saying that’s what the dragons likely think. I’m certain now that it was this discovery that changed Rekavidur’s attitude toward Merletta. You must remember that many of the dragons—perhaps most—were not yet born when all this occurred. Their understanding of the nature of these abominations is imperfect. But from what you’ve told me—from what I’ve seen—I don’t see how Merletta and her kind could be the result of forfeited magic. The creatures who received that magic were, at their core, fish. Perhaps they could have gained some non-fish features—some capacities fish don’t normally have. But Merletta isn’t a fish with a hint of other abilities. She’s human.”
She chuckled uneasily. “Obviously she’s more than a regular human—there’s a part of her that is sea creature, that belongs in the ocean. But when she wears her legs…”
“She’s just like us,” Heath agreed. “Which seems far beyond the power of this warped magic you’re talking about.” He looked up at her eagerly. “I remember Reka’s surprise when I told him about Merletta’s legs. He was amazed that instead of becoming completely sea creature, she lost the part of her that was fish and became completely land creature. He must have realized that such a capacity didn’t fit with the idea that she was descended from these abominations. Do you think it’s possible to convince the other dragons that they’re wrong about her origins?”
His grandmother hesitated. “I don’t know. They’re not practiced at listening to humans, or taking our perspectives seriously. They think us fleeting and foolish. Rekavidur is an exception—he takes after his father. For the moment, Merletta is safer far away from them.”
“But she’s not safer,” Heath said, anguished. “You don’t understand, Grandmother. Her world has turned against her. She has no refuge in the ocean.”
As he spoke of Merletta, her image flooded his mind. She was curled in the dark, sleeping uneasily. He was glad to see she was resting—presumably in some hidden cave or fissure—but he knew the respite was temporary. She was surrounded by danger behind and ahead, and he couldn’t see a clear path for her.
He shuddered at the memory of the dragon’s rage as the beast had turned its flame on her.
“Poor Reka,” Heath murmured. “No wonder he’s been so strange about it all. I know dragons don’t lie to each other—it must have been eating away at him to be hiding something like this. But he knew it would destroy me if he told the others and they wiped Merletta out. I had no idea of the sacrifice he was making for me.”
“I’m sure he would appreciate hearing that from you,” his grandmother said. “He’ll be eager to know that your injuries aren’t as severe as they first seemed.”
“Is he still here?” Heath asked, surprised.
She nodded. “Last I saw, he was waiting in the courtyard, making all the servants nervous.”
Heath struggled to his feet. “I’ll speak with him now.”
She made no attempt to stop him, but he still paused in the doorway.
“What do you think Father and Percival are going to do? How big a mess are we in?”
“A very big one,” she responded gravely. “Your father even said something about the whole family leaving forever, moving to Kyona. He was already extremely distressed over Laura’s situation. The news of your sufferings on top of that…”
She broke off, a hitch in her voice. Heath could feel her grief over the splintering of her family—it was a potent force, pervading the room.
“We’ll fix this,” he told her softly. “I don’t know how, but we’ll find a way.”
He made his way outside, shaking off the protests of the physician. As his grandmother said, Reka was still there, a motionless statue crouched in the courtyard.
“Reka,” Heath greeted him. “Thank you for saving me yet again.”
The dragon studied him out of unblinking eyes. “You seem better.”
Heath nodded. “The injuries weren’t as severe as they appeared. My back is still in a bad way, but it will heal. The physician has no lasting concerns.” He hesitated, then laid a hand on his friend’s scaled side. The warmth of Reka’s flame radiated through the yellow scales, spreading into Heath’s hand.
“Reka, my grandmother just told me about the history of your colony with…with the abominations.”
Reka gave no visible response.
“I don’t think Merletta can be one of them, though,” Heath said. “I think her people must be something else. I think they came from Vazula, not from this land.”
“I have begun to wonder the same thing,” Reka acknowledged heavily. “It is why I could not countenance her destruction today.”
“Thank you,” Heath said fervently. “But none of that is what I actually wanted to say.” He leaned his head forward against the dragon’s hide, struggling for a moment for words. “I understand now the balance you’ve been walking all this time. I was angry with you when I should have been sympathetic. I’m sorry.”
Reka let out a faint exhale of surprise.
“You are a true friend, Heath,” he said in his gravelly rumble. “I do not have another to match you, even among my own kind.”
Heath lifted his head, the dragon’s warmth still lingering on his forehead.
“What do you wish to do now?” Reka asked. “Do you plan to go after Merletta? To try to protect her from those in her world who wish to destroy her?”
