Page 48 of A Kingdom Restored

“Admiring someone is not the same thing as caring about them,” Merletta retorted. She frowned as she studied her friend’s face. It was tempting to give Sage a good hard talking to, but there was every possibility that would do more harm than good. “Just take my word for it, Sage,” she said firmly. “There’s no kind of romantic interest between Emil and me, in either direction. I doubt he cares what I think of Heath, but either way, I’m confident he’s not at risk of being hurt by me. Not like that.”

Sage looked unconvinced, but she didn’t argue. They’d neared familiar waters now, north of Tilssted. Merletta started pointing out landmarks, telling Sage how she’d used this route for her memory journey, in place of the mind palace the program taught trainees to form in order to store information. Sage was fascinated by it all, and the awkwardness of their earlier conversation soon faded.

When the water began to grow shallow, Merletta could sense Sage’s nerves.

“Don’t worry,” she assured her friend. “You can watch from the water until you’re comfortable.”

“What?” Sage looked alarmed. “I was planning to stay in the water.”

Merletta shook her head. “No way. You’ve come all the way here—it’s time for you to find your legs.”

She gave Sage no chance to retort. Her body rippled into motion, her arms at her side as her tail worked up and down, sending her smoothly over the top of the coral ring that surrounded Vazula. When the water was too shallow to swim, she waddled up toward the beach with her hands, flipping her tail around her until she was fully out of the water.

She heard Sage’s gasp as the transformation took place. Pushing herself to her feet, Merletta turned to grin at her friend.

“Pretty impressive, right?”

Sage’s eyes were unnaturally round as she stared back at Merletta, taking in every inch of her new form.

“I don’t think I can do that,” she said, sounding slightly queasy.

“Of course you can,” said Merletta briskly. “I’ll help you, come on.” She waded forward into the water, not far enough to trigger the return of her tail, just far enough to reach for Sage. “I can pull you up.”

“Are you sure about this?” Sage’s voice was nervous, although she swam forward slowly.

“Absolutely sure,” Merletta promised. “August, Eloise, Griffin, Paul, and Tish have all done it successfully—I’ve seen them.”

She gripped Sage’s trembling hands and tugged, pulling her friend from the water.

“It hurts!” Sage gasped, her voice breathless with fear.

“I know,” Merletta told her. “And I’m sorry about that. But it’s just because your body isn’t used to it. After a few times it will feel quite comfortable.”

She hauled Sage up the beach a little, then sat beside her on the sand. The other mermaid flopped onto her back, her breath coming in gasps as her body completed its first, slow transformation. Merletta squeezed her hand reassuringly, remembering her own panic the first time she’d dried out.

“It’s working,” she assured her friend, watching the scales on Sage’s tail ripple frantically. “It will be done soon, and then it won’t hurt.”

With a last shudder, Sage lay still, her tail gone, and two legs sticking out from underneath the coral-colored scaly skirt she now wore.

“That was terrifying,” she whispered. “I thought I was going to die.”

“I know,” Merletta told her sympathetically. “Maybe I should have given you more time to gear yourself up, but I was worried you would just talk yourself out of it.”

“I would have,” Sage said fervently. She pushed herself up into a sitting position, her eyes moving so slowly Merletta suspected she wasn’t entirely sure she wanted to see her new legs.

It was impossible to miss the moment when she caught sight of them. She stilled completely, her mouth falling comically open.

“It’s strange, isn’t it?” Merletta said. “But amazing once you learn to use them.” She sprung eagerly to her feet, extending a hand. “Come on. Let me show you how.”

Sage accepted the offered help, her movements wobbly as she struggled to her feet. She listed immediately to the side, her arms flailing so wildly that she came free of Merletta’s grip and fell promptly onto her backside.

“How in the world can you balance without your fins?” she demanded. “Everything feels so…heavy!”

Merletta couldn’t help laughing. “It is a bit like that, isn’t it? As for balance, you use your feet. Look, you put them forward one at a time, like this.” She walked slowly across the sand and back, exaggerating her movements for Sage’s benefit. “Now you try.”

But before Sage could get up, there was a violent rustling nearby, and someone hurtled out of the jungle.

“Merletta!”

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