Page 40 of A Kingdom Restored

“It is unusual for a trainee to meet directly with the Record Master,” he said, his voice and face still conveying no particular emotion.

“I can imagine.” Merletta spoke shortly, already losing patience for whatever games he had planned.

“I won’t pretend not to know who you are,” he went on. “I would not have agreed to meet with any trainee. I accepted the meeting in the hope and expectation that you wished to speak candidly.”

“I would like to do so,” Merletta agreed.

He raised one silver eyebrow ever so slightly. “I see you have brought companions with you to this candid meeting.”

Sage squirmed slightly in her seat at the implied rebuke. But a glance to the side showed Merletta that Andre’s brow was creased in a defiant frown, and although Emil’s unexpressive face rivaled the Record Master’s for calm, his posture was taut and unyielding.

Merletta swallowed the instinct to explain or justify her friends’ inclusion. If she wanted to maintain any semblance of control in this conversation, she would do well not to compliantly accept the premise of whatever criticism the Record Master chose to level at her.

“Allow me to introduce my friends,” she said instead. “This is—”

“I have been informed of their identities,” the Record Master cut her off smoothly. “Greetings, Record Holder Emil Waveracer, Record Holder Sage Clearfoam, and Trainee Andre Seawatch.”

Merletta couldn’t help glancing again at Sage, to see how she would take this subtle reminder that not only they, but their families had now been noted in the Record Master’s mental list of troublemakers. But Sage’s expression was steely, her resolve apparently strengthened rather than shaken by the Record Master’s attempt to intimidate.

“Since it was you who requested this irregular meeting, Trainee Merletta, I will leave it to you to clarify its purpose.” The Record Master’s gray eyes bored into Merletta.

She felt an involuntary shudder pass down her scales, but she held her head up. “Of course, sir,” she acknowledged. “I regret to say that the circumstances which prompted me to seek an audience with you are dire. So much so that I could see no way forward but to communicate them to you.”

The Record Master’s face remained blank, giving nothing away.

Refusing to be rattled, Merletta pushed on. “You expressed the hope that I would be frank, so I will. Whatever the official hierarchy of authority, I know as well as you do that the Center actually holds the balance of power in the triple kingdoms.”

She paused, but still he gave no response to her words.

“In light of which,” Merletta continued, “if I want to report something to the highest authority in our civilization, it seems you are the one to speak to.”

“And what is it that you want to report?” he asked calmly.

Merletta shook her head ruefully. “That wasn’t entirely candid,” she corrected herself. “I don’t want to report anything to you. Let me rather say, I feel compelled to report something.” She searched his face, wishing she could read the thoughts and secrets behind those inscrutable eyes. “Given I publicly announced as much, I have no doubt you’re aware that I’ve spent a considerable amount of time outside the barrier in my life. That was, in fact, how I first learned about the various lies the Center has propagated, when I experienced how much less hazardous the open ocean is than what we’ve been indoctrinated to believe.”

She felt Sage tense beside her at this aggressively plain speaking, but the Record Master gave no reaction.

“Unfortunately,” Merletta went on steadily, “I made the mistake of assuming that everything the Center taught was lies. There’s no simple way, you see, for someone discerning enough to recognize the inconsistencies to identify which information can be trusted, and which is pure manipulation.”

The blue-tailed guard shifted ever so slightly, but the motion was the only acknowledgment of Merletta’s blunt accusations. The Record Master continued to watch her in calm silence.

“It was my mistake to make assumptions about such a potentially dangerous topic,” Merletta acknowledged. “And I don’t deny it. There are no words for how deeply I regret the calamity I’ve brought on the triple kingdoms, however unintentionally it was done.”

“And what is the potentially dangerous topic about which you made an assumption?” the Record Master asked, when she paused.

Merletta clasped her hands in her lap. “Dragons,” she informed him. “I thought the Center’s tales of dragon aggression were more lies to keep us away from the surface. I had my own reasons for thinking they couldn’t be as vicious as they were painted.”

She didn’t elaborate on this point. She’d given the matter a great deal of consideration, and had decided that it was too dangerous to tell the Record Master all about the time she’d spent on the island. He must know of the place, but she didn’t think he knew the extent of her discoveries there. To reveal that she’d frequently met Heath and Rekavidur there could compromise Heath, and would certainly endanger Tish, Paul, and Griffin, who still lived on the island. So, candid though she might be about the dragons, she wasn’t going to mention her discovery of her legs.

The Record Master was still waiting, clearly not intending to give her the satisfaction of asking what she meant, or hurrying her along. He was totally master of both himself and the situation, and it rattled Merletta more than she cared to admit.

“The long and the short of it is, I strayed too far from the triple kingdoms, and I encountered a dragon,” she admitted. “Not just one. Several. They attempted to kill me, and I was fortunate to escape with my life. But I have reason to believe that they will not be content to leave the matter there. In fact, I fully expect them to search until they find our civilization, with the intention of destroying us all.”

At last, she received a reaction from the Record Master. He blinked, a slow, controlled movement.

“That is certainly a calamity,” he said blandly.

Merletta scowled, irked that he was still focused on projecting a masterful image in light of the information she’d just told him.

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