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With a gasp, Merletta looked up, her heart lifting at the sight of Reka descending with Heath gripped in his talons. She had only the briefest instant to enjoy her anticipation before a cry of warning rang out, and something hit her forcefully from the side. The next thing she knew, she was pinned to the ground, trapped under the protective weight of Griffin’s body.
“Hey!” Heath’s familiar voice was the only way she could tell that the pair had landed. “Get off her!”
Merletta struggled out from underneath Griffin, throwing him an incredulous look. “What is wrong with you? Why did you tackle me?”
“There’s a dragon!” Griffin shouted, as if his reaction had been the most natural thing in the world.
Movement caught Merletta’s eye, and she realized that Paul had seized his weapon and was edging around behind Reka, as if attempting to surround the dragon.
“Reka isn’t our enemy,” said Merletta, trying to swallow her irritation at having just been slammed to the ground unnecessarily. She rubbed her hip, and saw Heath’s eyes narrow as he followed the motion. “I appreciate the sentiment, but I don’t need your protection, Griffin! Especially not from Reka.”
“Reka?” Griffin repeated incredulously. He was half crouched with his spear gripped in his hand, and his eyes had been riveted on Rekavidur. But as he spoke, they passed accusingly to Heath. “You said that name last time. This is your friend who came to the island with you?”
“I should have explained properly,” said Merletta. As her initial shock at Griffin’s attack faded, she realized the misunderstanding was her fault more than anyone’s. “Rekavidur is a friend of Heath’s, and…” She looked hesitantly at the dragon. “And mine.”
Reka narrowed his eyes slightly, but didn’t speak. Merletta felt relieved—she’d been afraid he would deny her words outright. For a moment Merletta was distracted, wondering what his problem with her was. He’d been friendly enough when they first met, but it had been more than a year since he’d begun to behave strangely toward her.
“He’s the one who flies here, bringing Heath with him. I’ve known him for almost two years. He won’t hurt you.”
“You speak for me?” Rekavidur asked, his voice a little cold.
“Reka,” said Heath, sounding exasperated. “Don’t be difficult.”
Griffin and Paul both looked extremely taken aback at Heath’s casual manner, but Merletta realized that she was once again to blame.
“I apologize, Rekavidur,” she said solemnly. “I should have introduced you properly and allowed you to speak for yourself. These are others from the triple kingdoms. Griffin,” she gestured to him, “and Paul. Paul, come over here. It’s not polite to skulk behind them like that.”
Paul, looking extremely apprehensive, moved to Griffin’s side, his eyes never leaving the dragon.
“And there’s another, August,” Merletta went on, speaking again to Reka. “He’s currently hunting underwater in his merman form. Paul, Griffin, this is Rekavidur. He comes from the dragon colony situated in Heath’s kingdom.”
None of the three subjects looked in the least pleased with the introduction. Reka was holding himself more tensely than Merletta had ever seen, and the two guards maintained their defensive positions.
“Merletta,” Griffin managed through clenched teeth. “Can I have a word in private?”
Merletta noticed that Heath’s eyes were once again narrowed as they rested on the young guard, and she sent him a silent plea for help to defuse the situation. Catching her gaze, he seemed to snap out of it, giving a swift nod.
“We haven’t met,” she heard him saying quietly to Paul. “I’m Heath.”
He offered his hand. Paul didn’t take it.
“I have no desire to fight with you, or your companion,” the other guard said tensely. “But I cannot trust anyone who is allied with a dragon. My people have suffered too much loss to allow it.”
Merletta groaned quietly. It wasn’t a promising beginning. Heath looked confused, his eyes darting to Merletta’s as he dropped his rejected hand. But before she could respond, Griffin tugged on her arm.
“Merletta? A word?”
Reluctantly, she followed him a short distance across the sand. When he stopped and pinned her with a hard stare, she met it in exasperation.
“Dragons have much better hearing than we do, you know. Reka will probably hear every word.”
“Then I’ll speak quietly,” said Griffin, dropping his voice. “Merletta, what are you thinking? How could you lead one of his kind so close to our home?”
Merletta frowned. “First of all, I didn’t lead him anywhere. I met him and Heath by chance just after I discovered this place. They were exploring themselves.”
“You mean they were looking for us?” Griffin’s face paled. “Is it too late, then? Are the triple kingdoms lost?”
“Don’t be absurd,” Merletta said, losing patience. “There’s really no call to be so dramatic. They weren’t looking for us. They were looking for the island. They were both as amazed to find me as I was to find them. Mermaids are considered a myth in the human world.”
