Page 84 of A Kingdom Restored

“I am standing right here, you know,” Merletta said mildly.

Percival eyed her. “I’m aware of that. He gestured at her gown. Do you have…scales under there?”

“Not at present,” Merletta informed him, her lips twitching. Heath grinned at her.

“Percival!” Laura scolded her brother. “What a rude question. You can’t ask a lady what’s beneath her gown!” She cast an appraising look between Heath and Merletta. “It is all very strange at first,” she agreed. “But once you adjust to it, it’s not as big a matter as I would have thought. It certainly explains some of Heath’s weirdness around it all.”

She sent him a dark look. “Although I thought you said you were telling me the whole truth.”

“Yes, well…” He smiled sheepishly at her. “I may have left some things out. But I did say her kingdom is in the middle of the ocean.”

“It’s not, though, is it?” Merletta pointed out vaguely. “It’s, you know…at the bottom.”

Sage nodded wisely from beside her, and Merletta hastened to turn to more important topics.

“Speaking of our kingdom, surely your king won’t deny us the right to hold the Record Master to account for his crimes.”

“You don’t have any rights here,” Lachlan informed her brutally. “My father is the king, and the prisoner is in his custody. Besides, the only crime that’s been proved is his plotting against Valoria. Whatever he has or hasn’t done in your kingdom hasn’t really been exposed, has it?”

“All the more reason we need to take him back to face justice,” Merletta argued.

“At least let us speak with him, Lachlan,” Heath pleaded. “Ask questions of our own.”

The prince shook his head. “He’s been moved to a secure location. No one is allowed to approach him.” He cleared his throat. “That’s not what I wished to speak with you about, however.”

Heath raised a questioning eyebrow, and his cousin let out a sigh.

“My father is grateful for the assistance offered by Merletta during the attack in Arinton. However, there can be no denying that she and her companion entered Valoria under false pretenses. As their kingdom is not recognized by our crown, their visit here must be considered to have occurred without royal sanction.”

“What are you saying, Lachlan?” Heath demanded. “Drop the formality and get to the point. Is your father trying to put Merletta back in the dungeons? Because I’m telling you now, I won’t let it happen.”

“He is not,” said Lachlan gravely. “But he has requested that she and her companion leave Valoria immediately.”

“Which is no problem whatsoever,” Merletta cut in. “Provided we can takeourprisoner with us.”

“That will not be possible,” Lachlan said. “My father is not going to change his mind on that matter. You’d do best to drop it.”

“I’m extremely bad at dropping things,” Merletta said dryly. “Especially when those in power particularly want me to.”

“It’s true,” Sage confirmed.

“So he’s kicking them out, is he?” Heath barely had the energy to be angry. He met Merletta’s eye, communicating silently. “We’ll talk more amongst ourselves, decide what’s best to be done.”

She nodded curtly, accepting the request to stand down for now.

The family started filing out of the room, Heath at the rear. He’d almost reached the door when Lachlan held him back.

“I’ve been wanting the chance to speak with you, Heath,” he said. “But in all honesty, I hardly know what to say. So much has changed.”

Heath met his eyes. “I can understand why you feel that way,” he said. “But for what it’s worth, as far as I’m concerned, nothing has changed.”

The prince considered him in silence for a moment, then gave a slow nod. His eyes didn’t hold the openness they once had, but Heath could hardly blame him for needing more time given everything that had just been revealed. As Merletta had said, he’d taken it all remarkably well.

“How’s your arm?” Heath blurted out.

A shadow crossed Lachlan’s face. “Still healing.”

“You can be honest with me, Lachlan,” Heath said. He winced. “As ironic as I realize it is for me to say that.”

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