Page 78 of A Kingdom Restored

“It’s not quite like that,” Heath said quickly. “I—”

“Your Highness.” One of the guards cut Heath off. “Perhaps we should ride separately from Lord Heath.”

The other guard grunted. “I agree, Your Highness. Our orders are to protect you from exposure to magic. And Lord Heath has just admitted to wielding fully untested magic.”

Heath looked quickly at his cousin—Merletta had the impression he expected the prince to disagree. But Prince Lachlan merely gave a curt nod, turning his horse’s head away.

“We will speak more of this,” he told Heath, his words icy.

Merletta felt Heath deflate slightly as the prince rode away from him. “And my cousins have been asking why I kept my magic hidden so long,” he muttered.

“All things considered, I think he took it well. It’s possible he’s more upset about you hiding it than he is about the magic,” Merletta pointed out fairly. “Not that I mean to criticize,” she added. “It’s just that I have a world of experience with keeping far more than I should from my friends.”

Heath didn’t respond, and she said no more. Within minutes they were riding up the town’s main street, heading toward a central square visible up ahead.

The prince’s retinue had gone before them, and was now out of sight. While Merletta could sense that Heath was as impatient as she was, they both endured the necessary delay as the group secured rooms at the town’s largest inn, both for themselves and the occupants of the carriages which arrived a bit more than an hour later, having made good time.

“Merletta!” Sage literally fell from the carriage, only prevented from tumbling face first onto the cobblestones by Merletta, who darted forward to catch her. “These legs are impossible,” Sage muttered, quietly enough that no one else could hear.

Or at least, that’s what Merletta thought, until she heard Heath’s low chuckle.

“You poor thing, you must be exhausted,” Merletta said, feeling repentant at how she’d abandoned her friend.

Sage shook her head in determination. “Not too exhausted to find out which of our kind has known about this kingdom for decades.” Her face was grim, and Merletta understood. The deceptions had become personal for Sage as much as for Merletta by now.

“I agree,” said Merletta. “But I’m guessing it will be a while before—”

“Lachlan was sent to the edge of town to speak with the king,” Heath interrupted.

“How do you know?” Merletta demanded.

Heath nodded toward his own father, who was listening intently to a guard who’d ridden from the capital with their group. “Father’s receiving a report right now.”

Sage raised her eyebrows as she looked between Heath and the distant pair. “Is your hearing enhanced as well as your sight? Or do humans just hear better than we do?”

Heath grinned. “Not most humans. But I wasn’t listening with my ears. I was listening with my magic.” He must have seen Merletta’s surprise, because he shrugged. “It doesn’t only work from across kingdoms. Closer distances are just as good. And my father is easy for me to follow.”

“That’s very handy,” Merletta said, feeling like she was only just grasping the full possibilities of Heath’s magic.

“Blast,” Heath muttered.

Merletta followed his gaze to see the duke watching them with narrowed eyes. The older man gave a curt nod to the guard, then strode toward them.

“I forgot how good he is at sensing it when I use my magic,” Heath said sheepishly. “No slipping off, I guess.”

Chapter Twenty-Three

To Merletta’s relief, the duke made no attempt to stop them. When he heard that his son was determined to seek the king out immediately, he instructed the group at large to fall in line.

“If you’re right that someone is using lies to turn the king against us, the more witnesses to the coming confrontation, the better,” he told Heath. “Lies and half-truths thrive best in secrecy. They tend to fall apart quickly in the light.”

“Your father is very wise, I think,” Merletta told Heath, as the group set out in the direction indicated by the guard.

Heath smiled, slinging his bow and quiver over his shoulder as he walked. “He is. He also has a lifetime of experience dealing with deception, thanks to the form of his magic.”

“Shame he can’t come sort out the Center,” Merletta said grimly. She sighed. “Maybe that’s why their lies are so successful—not enough light penetrates to the depth of the ocean.”

Heath and Sage both chuckled at the joke, but Merletta’s mind was already on the coming confrontation. Would it truly be one of the Record Master’s personal guards meeting with King Matlock? What would they do when they saw her? From Heath’s account, it seemed clear that one purpose in coming to Valoria was to see her killed. Whether out of fear of her exposing the triple kingdoms to the Valorians or just out of spite she wasn’t sure.

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