Page 70 of A Kingdom Restored

Sage nodded gravely. “Of course. I never thought we were going to stay here. My family are all back there, not to mention…our friends.” She stumbled over the amendment, apparently still not ready to openly name whatever was happening between her and Emil. “Surely we’re here to regroup and make a strategy.”

Merletta nodded, her eyes apprehensive as she looked at Heath. Clearly she expected him to object.

He raised a hand hopelessly. “I know better than to try to convince you to hide,” he said. He gave her a sad smile. “I’ve been pretty thick about it, but I am capable of learning.”

“I can’t think of any way to change what’s happening in the triple kingdoms without help from those dragons,” mused Sage, clearly not as caught up in their moment as they were. “And if they go back to the triple kingdoms, the rest of the dragons find out where it is, right?”

Merletta pulled her eyes from Heath, looking over at Sage. “Maybe it’s worth that risk at this point. We’ll have to think carefully through all the possibilities.”

“Let me know if you come up with anything revolutionary,” Heath said, pushing to his feet.

“Where are you going?” Merletta asked, just as the door opened, and the duke and duchess entered the room together.

“Good morning Merletta, Sage,” the duchess said politely. “I trust you slept well?”

Heath looked his parents over as Merletta gave the expected polite response. Their faces looked drawn—as was normal since Percival’s arrest. He squared his shoulders. Surely the king would release Percival if Heath could prove that someone from the triple kingdoms had been setting them all up.

Of course, that may not be a great comfort to his parents if the king simply executed Heath instead, for conspiring with enemies of the kingdom, or whatever warped way King Matlock took Heath’s revelations.

“Merletta,” Heath said, as the duke and duchess settled into seats. Edmund, Laura’s husband, was just arriving, looking around for his early-rising wife.

Merletta looked up, and without needing further explanation, she slid from her seat and followed Heath out of the room.

“I feel I need to come clean to the king,” Heath told her. “But that involves breaking the promise I made you, that I wouldn’t tell anyone about the triple kingdoms. And I never wanted to do that.”

Merletta shook her head quickly. “Heath, that was so long ago, before either of us knew…well, anything. I asked you not to tell anyone based on the belief that we were the only point of contact between our worlds. If someone from the triple kingdoms has been coming here and stirring up trouble, that changes everything.” Her voice grew grim. “Besides which, there’s not much point trying to protect our cities from exposure to humans if they’re about to be annihilated by dragons.”

Heath slipped an arm around her waist, squeezing reassuringly. “We’re not done fighting that future, remember.”

Merletta leaned her head against his shoulder for a moment, and he felt her relax slightly. He would have loved nothing more than to put his other arm around her and hold her properly, in the hope that she’d release her burdens at least for a moment. But the sound of someone’s approach made him pull back.

“I’m going to the castle now,” he said, trying to speak normally as a servant bustled past. “You and Sage should be safe enough here.”

Merletta shook her head. “I’m coming with you.”

Heath frowned. “You need to keep a low profile, Merletta. Don’t forget that we can’t let the rest of the dragons find out you’re here.”

“I haven’t forgotten,” Merletta told him dryly. “But your story will be much more credible if I’m there.” Her eyes softened as she studied his face. “I have recent experience of making confessions to those with the power to kill me. I’ve wished you could be at my side to give me strength every time. Don’t deny me this unexpected opportunity to do it for you.”

Heath had nothing that could stand against such an argument. A pair of servants were once again passing, but he ignored them. He slipped his hand into Merletta’s, entwining their fingers as he stepped close. He brought his other hand up to her cheek, searching her eyes for an endless moment. As she gazed back at him unwaveringly, he could almostseeher soul. Her core was all steel and determination and incorruptibility, but it was encased in the softest, kindest frame. He’d never met anyone like her, and he had no doubt he never would again.

“The more I see you, the more beautiful you are,” he said softly. “Almost unbearably so.”

Merletta stilled, clearly surprised by the compliment. Heath could feel her cheek heat under his fingers. She was still searching for a reply when Heath gave her hand another squeeze.

“Come on,” he said, dropping his touch from her face and tugging her toward the manor’s main entrance. “Let’s go to the castle.”

Chapter Twenty-One

In spite of having chosen his course, Heath was in no hurry to get to the castle. He set a slow pace on the much too short walk, his hand still interlinked with Merletta’s as he pointed out anything he thought might interest her. They’d spent so little time in the capital during her last visit, and he’d tried to hide her from anyone of prominence.

Not this time. The pride he felt at walking down the street with Merletta by his side was indescribable. He knew that their two worlds were set for a collision course that might bring both crashing down around them, but he couldn’t help but feel at peace. Everything always felt right when he and Merletta were together, and all wrong when they were at opposite ends of the ocean.

Far too soon, the castle loomed up before them. Heath spared a glance for the large stone basin suspended above the entranceway. It was empty—the Flame of Friendship had not been re-lit at the previous Winter Solstice Festival, and it had gone out. Someone had hung a pennant in Valoria’s royal colors of purple and silver from the basin, but it did little to soften the stark reminder of the tension that had taken the place of the friendship they’d once shared with the dragon colony.

Heath lowered his gaze, sobered. He remembered being awed at his grandmother’s explanations about the value of marking the friendship, given how easily the dragons could wipe the humans out if they turned on them. He’d hoped fervently that nothing would ever ignite their wrath.

And now it looked like he had personally brought the full force of their destruction down, not on his people, but on Merletta’s.

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