Page 56 of A Kingdom Threatened (The Vazula Chronicles 3)

“Neither do I,” Heath said quickly.

“But,” the duke held up a hand, not finished, “I don’t want you to think I’m taking this lightly.” His eyes flicked from Heath to Laura, resting finally on little Germain in Laura’s arms. “If someone is going after my family, I’m not going to stand idly by.”

Heath nodded, a lump in his throat.

“Tell me exactly what happened again.”

As his mind ran back over the events, Heath stilled. He looked up at his father, and the duke could clearly read the hesitation in his eyes.

“Perhaps I should give you some time just to recover. We can talk later.”

Heath gave him a grateful nod, although it wasn’t that he needed time. It was that he had no idea how or even whether to tell his father what he’d just remembered. Because the sensation that had danced on his awareness at the time had just solidified in memory. It was the same unidentified magic he’d felt from Percival’s attackers.

Which meant there was absolutely no chance what had just happened was an accident.

Chapter Sixteen

“Are you nervous?” Merletta asked Andre, noting the way his crimson tail flicked back and forth in the water.

“A little.” He flashed her a grin. “Only because if Indigo gets in, I’ll have to put up with her annoying questions every day instead of just on rest days.”

Merletta laughed. “I don’t believe you. I saw how excited you were this morning. It was kind of you to go meet your cousin at the reception hall. She would have been happy to see a friendly face when she was putting in her application.”

Andre gave her a strange look. “Yes.”

“He wasn’t being kind,” Emil said calmly, reaching across Andre to help himself to mussels from the trainees’ basin. “It’s an expectation. Her whole family would have been there.”

“Really?” Merletta asked, equal parts fascinated and embarrassed. She’d once again displayed her ignorance of the customs of her world.

Andre nodded. “I guess…I guess they didn’t do it when you applied. But there’s usually a whole ceremony that happens. My aunt and uncle formally registered their approval of her chosen course, and listed the family history—anyone who’d served in the Center, their own current roles, that kind of thing.”

“Wow.” Merletta didn’t know what else to say.

“It wasn’t quite like that when you applied?” Sage asked delicately.

“Hardly.” Merletta snorted. “I swam in, said I wanted to apply, the mermaid on duty looked at me like I was a sea snail, then reluctantly got the recruit-master who begrudgingly took me across the drop off and dumped me in his lobby. I waited for hours before they got to me, and then it was just me and whoever was testing me at the time.”

“That’s awful,” said Sage indignantly. “No fanfare at all? And no encouragement, clearly. It’s almost like they—”

“Wanted her to fail?” Emil’s voice was dry, although quiet enough Merletta had to strain to hear. “I think we’ve already established that.”

“Well, I didn’t fail,” said Merletta staunchly, not troubling to lower her own voice. “And neither will your cousin, I’m sure,” she added, smiling encouragingly at Andre.

“Indigo will pass,” Andre agreed. “I’m pretty confident.”

“Surely we’ll know soon,” said Sage. “She’s been sitting the entry tests for hours.”

The meal was almost over when Andre glanced up, his face lighting up at something he could see over Merletta’s shoulder.

She spun around in her seat to see the fair-haired young mermaid she’d met at Andre’s house swimming excitedly across the dining hall, a fresh armband affixed to her arm.

“I did it, Andre!” she gushed, as she pulled up next to their table. “I passed!”

“Congratulations!” Andre rose into the water, pulling her into a hug as a grin split his face. “I knew you would.”

“Am I too late to join you for dinner?” Indigo asked brightly, casting a hopeful glance at the octopus tentacles in the middle of the table.

“Not too late,” Andre told her. “But you can’t sit with us here. You need to sit down that end, with the other lowly first years.”