Page 97 of A Kingdom Restored

“There,” he said, pointing across the clearing to a large, mossy boulder.

Heath covered the distance quickly, squinting down at the stone. There might have been markings there—it was difficult to tell under the moss. He put out one hand, intending to scratch away the green, and a gasp escaped him as his fingers made contact.

The message of the runes flared in his awareness, not words so much as sensations. It was imprecise, but incredibly vivid. He pulled his hand away, a little unnerved as he turned to Reka.

“I don’t know that I’d call it regret,” he said softly. “It’s more complex than that. Sorrow might be closer to the mark.”

“Yes, you might be right,” Reka agreed, seeming pleased at Heath’s understanding.

Heath shook his head, trying to clear the intensity of the experience. “I thought dragons didn’t tend to really feel emotions like humans do.”

“They do not generally experience emotions like humans do,” Elddreki said. “If anything, they experience them more deeply. Further below the surface, I mean. In their core. Not in the way of intense but fleeting human feelings. Dragons’ emotions affect the actions of the moment much less, but affect their inner selves much more.”

That was debatable in Heath’s mind, but he wasn’t about to argue the point with the dragon right now.

“Is this the kind of record you meant?” he said instead, gesturing at the rock.

Reka shook his head. “There are dragon runes under there. They are mere markers, not sealed history. But it is possible that such markers might appear near the location of a more substantial record.”

Heath cast his eyes around, his impatience once again rising. His vision flashed to Merletta, and fear clenched at his heart. All he allowed himself to take in was the flash of scales, the screams cutting through the water, the sleek bodies of dragons moving as smoothly as if they were in air. Then he ruthlessly pulled his attention back to the jungle clearing, where the air hummed with the buzz of insects, and the moisture made Heath’s hair curl against the back of his neck.

“I can’t sense any magical beacon,” he said shortly. “Can either of you?”

Reka shook his head. “I cannot. And I did not on any of my previous explorations.”

Heath ran a hand through his hair. “Were there any other locations you thought might be promising?”

“I can take you to another place where I found dragon runes,” Reka offered. “Although I do not expect a different outcome.”

“We have to try,” Heath said desperately. “We have to try them all.”

“Very well.” Rekavidur once again grasped hold of Heath as he shot up through the branches. This time he glided smoothly through the thick air, making for a spot on the other side of the lagoon where Heath had first met Merletta.

The memory sent a pang through him. She’d fascinated him from that first moment—dark, tangled hair, beautiful features, scandalously bare shoulders…eyes wild with the familiar frustration of being caged.

“Focus,” he told himself, the word coming out in an audible grunt as Reka once again descended.

“There are many runes here,” Elddreki commented once they’d landed on the rocky ground.

They were still surrounded by trees, but some of the taller species were giving way to mangroves just behind them, indicating the proximity of the lagoon.

The older dragon lowered his head to sniff at a nearby rock, his expression keen. “There is a certain theme to the sensation of these. They seem like parting markers. I think they may have departed from this spot.”

“Really?” Rekavidur sounded intrigued. “How can you tell?”

His father launched into what promised to be a detailed and technical explanation of the indicators, but Heath cut across him.

“Perhaps you could discuss that later,” he suggested. “Given you have potentially forever, and the merpeople have minutes to live.”

“A reasonable point,” Elddreki said, nodding sagely.

Heath made an ushering motion with his hands, prodding Reka. “If this is where they left from, they might have left memories here, right? Can’t you look?”

“I have looked,” said Reka simply. “As I told you, I’ve been here before, and I found nothing of the kind.”

“Certainly nothing is immediately obvious,” his father agreed.

Heath let out a groan.

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