Page 116 of A Kingdom Restored

They’d reached the entranceway by this time, and Heath could see the dragons through the open front doors. His grandmother had arrived, and seemed to be in conversation with both Elddreki and King Matlock.

“I will of course take any reprieve your father gives gratefully,” Heath said to his cousin. “But I do understand the gravity of what I’ve done, both in terms of the escape and the secrets that came before it. I’m as relieved to have it all behind us as you are. I don’t like keeping secrets, and I don’t want to do it anymore.”

Lachlan met his eyes seriously, his gaze more forgiving than Heath deserved.

“I’m glad to hear you say that,” he said. “I hope we haven’t lost the trust we once had between us.”

“You’ve certainly done nothing to lose mine,” Heath said emphatically. “If you feel the same, it’ll be more than I deserve.” His eyes strayed toward the figure of the king. “And I don’t blame your father if he doesn’t fully trust me. He has reason to argue that I showed my loyalty to Merletta to outweigh my loyalty to the crown of Valoria. I don’t expect him to ever forget that, and I accept that it will likely always stand between us.”

As will the time when he publicly flogged me,he added silently. He knew Lachlan was deeply grieved over that decision of his father’s. There was no need to further distress him when he’d had no hand in the event.

Lachlan looked a little troubled.

“Heath,” he started. “My father…”

“You don’t need to apologize for him,” Heath reassured his cousin.

Lachlan shook his head. “I know,” he said. “In fact, it’s not in my power to do so.”

The unspoken implication hung in the air. Only the king could do that, and he was most likely still too stiff-necked.

“But,” Lachlan continued, “I don’t want you to think he has no regrets.” Lachlan hesitated, and Heath was sure he was weighing up how much of his private conversations with his father he could repeat without disrespecting the king beyond what his own rigid sense of duty and loyalty would allow.

“My father and I have spoken about what passed with the man you call the Record Master, and I have no doubt we will discuss it much more in the days and weeks to come. He is still learning to what extent he was deceived, and I believe he is humbled by the realization that he gave trust where he should not have, and the actions that led him to take.”

“That’s encouraging to hear,” Heath said gravely, recognizing the faith Lachlan was showing in telling him as much.

Lachlan paused for a moment, then seemed to decide to say no more. He offered his good arm, and Heath gripped it, before the two men jogged down the steps to join the others.

“I believe the elders are willing to consider the elimination of this Record Master to close the matter,” Elddreki was saying to King Matlock. “And they now recognize the legitimacy of the group of humans in question, the ones in whom magic has taken a different form from that of the House of Dragonfriend.”

“You mean the…mermaids?” The king stumbled over the word, as if he felt ridiculous even saying it.

“Call them what you will.” Elddreki gave a rippling shrug. “They are ultimately human.”

The king seemed unable to find a response to this, and after a moment, he bowed. “Please convey my greetings and respect to the elders of your colony,” he said formally. “And remind them that they are, as always, most welcome at the Winter Solstice Festival.”

Heath started slightly. He’d forgotten how soon that event was. It was a mere month away—the snow was late this year, not yet having shown up, so it was easy to forget how advanced the winter was.

“I will pass on your message,” Elddreki said regally. With a springing crouch, he took to the sky.

Rekavidur lingered for a moment, his gaze catching Heath.

“Is all well?” he asked.

Heath nodded. “It will be.”

Reka considered him for a moment, then his eyes passed to King Matlock. “I cannot speak for the elders,” he said. “But I believe my father will do his best to convince them to come to your festival. They may be more inclined to bend than you expect, especially if you reconsider your ill-advised restrictions on the exercise of the power-wielders’ magic.”

King Matlock stiffened, clearly trying to hide his displeasure at being lectured by such a junior dragon. But Rekavidur’s next words softened the rebuke.

“I believe none of us should underestimate the impact of my colony learning that even dragons can be gravely wrong.”

The king was silent for a moment, then he bent in what was almost a bow. “I am not too proud to acknowledge the same capacity in humans,” he said stiffly. “Even those who wear crowns. I will hope for a more peaceful and amicable future between our kinds.”

“Let us all hope for that,” Reka agreed.

His eyes again found Heath, and Heath moved forward to say a more private farewell. He was glad that Reka was allowed to go back to Wyvern Islands, but also conscious that he wasn’t sure how long it might be until they next met.

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