Page 42 of A Kingdom Restored

“Foolish.” The Record Master spoke dismissively, but still without heat. It was almost chilling, how calmly he was taking her pronouncement about the rapidly approaching end of their world.

“Well, what’s your plan, then?” Merletta demanded, stung. “How do you propose we avoid detection and death?”

He ignored her question.

“You have made your report,” he said. “You may now leave the matter in more capable hands.”

Merletta frowned at him. Did that mean he had a solution? A way out of the nightmare? She could only hope so, little as she would normally want this merman’s plans to succeed.

“Will you try to reason with the dragons?” she pressed. “Do you want me to tell you how to make contact with the ones I encountered? Because I do know a way. Don’t you think that if you tell them the true story of where the triple kingdoms came from, it might change their minds? Surely your secrets aren’t worth keeping at such a cost.”

She wasn’t really surprised when the Record Master failed to answer any of her questions. “As I said,” he responded baldly, “you have made your report. Your role is finished.”

“So what next for Merletta?” Andre asked bluntly, speaking for the first time since the Record Master had arrived.

The silver-haired merman met the young trainee’s eyes blandly. “I believe we may consider our meeting complete,” he said, in the same neutral tone. “It was most enlightening to speak with you all.”

And without another word, he rose into the water, and straight through the waving fronds into the next room, leaving the four of them in tense—and bewildered—silence.

Chapter Thirteen

Is Lord Percival still receiving visitors?

The king’s voice in his ear caused Heath to still. His eyes became unfocused as he let his actual surroundings—the royal training yard—fade away. He drew on his magic impatiently, and his farsight expanded, showing him King Matlock’s grave face as he spoke with the captain of his guard.

That situation cannot be allowed to continue. He is in the dungeons, not an inn.

Yes, Your Majesty, the captain replied.

But Heath was already tuning them out. The conversation was turning to matters of no interest to him.

“Heath, are you even listening?”

“Yes, I’m listening,” Heath said, turning his attention back to his cousin, who’d sought him out in the training yard.

Brody stared at him out of narrowed eyes. “Where did you go just now? If you were calling your dragon to come carry you away again, and leave me standing here like a fool—”

“Will you let that go?” Heath interrupted, rolling his eyes. “You had horses—it wasn’t like you couldn’t get back to the city.”

“How did you get back to the city?” Brody asked. “I didn’t hear any gossip about a dragon sighting in the town square.”

“Reka dropped me off at Bexley Manor,” Heath said absently. “I slept there, and rode back yesterday. So what’s so important, Brody? What’s going on with Max?”

Brody frowned. “He applied for a job as a communications runner for the guards.”

“That’s…” Heath blinked. “Actually a really good idea.”

Max was their cousin, two years younger than Heath, and gifted with the ability to run as fast as a galloping horse.

“It’s an excellent idea,” Brody drawled. “Which the king has flatly prohibited.”

“He has?” Heath frowned. “But it’s such a good way for Max to use his power for the benefit of everyone. Surely if he applied to the king for—”

“That’s precisely what he didn’t do, of course,” said Brody. He scowled. “And he shouldn’t have to.”

“Ah.” Heath leaned his bow on the ground as he comprehended it all. “So King Matlock was put in the ridiculous position of having to intervene to prevent something that wasn’t harmful at all, just to be consistent with his own regulations.” He thought it over. “Which was presumably Max’s aim.”

“Yes, I think it was,” Brody acknowledged. His face creased in another frown. “And if you try to tell me he should have compliantly applied to help the king save face—”

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