Page 49 of A Kingdom Restored

Merletta lowered her weapon, her heart’s suddenly escalated beat slowing once more as she took in Griffin’s form.

“Griffin, you scared me half to death. What’s the matter?”

“What are you doing here?” he demanded, ignoring her reproach. “Surely it’s not safe for you to leave the barrier.”

Merletta shrugged. “We decided to take the risk.”

Griffin’s eyes passed to Sage, seeming to see her for the first time. “Who are you?” he asked suspiciously. His expression softened as he watched Sage attempting clumsily to rise. “First time with your legs?”

“Merletta assures me it gets easier, but I’m skeptical,” Sage said ruefully.

Griffin laughed. “It does, I promise. I was just as hopeless when I first found my legs.”

Merletta noted his change of demeanor with a sigh. Most likely he’d suspected her of bringing another human to the island.

“This is Sage,” she told him, waving a hand. “And Sage, this is Griffin, one of the guards from August’s patrol.”

“Glad to meet you,” he said kindly, leaving Merletta to wish he’d show half the same level of politeness to Heath.

She squirmed slightly as she remembered Heath’s claim as to the reason for Griffin’s behavior. She still found it hard to believe. The irony wasn’t lost on her, given the conversation she and Sage had just had.

Another figure stepped out onto the sand, and Merletta smiled at Paul, performing introductions again. She searched the foliage behind the guard.

“Are August and Eloise around? They made it back safely, didn’t they?”

Paul nodded. “They made it back fine. They’re on the other side of the island at the moment. We’re taking turns systematically searching every inch of this place, as instructed.”

“And?” Merletta pressed.

He sighed. “Nothing yet. We’ve found some interesting records, and artifacts from the people who used to live here. But nothing that provides evidence about our own origins.”

“We did find some drawings of merpeople,” Griffin offered. “Etched into the stone of a cave. We even came across a sketch on paper. But that just suggests that the people here knew about us. It doesn’t prove that we somehow came from here.”

Merletta bit her lip, unsurprised, but disappointed all the same.

“I think you’re the one who should be answering questions. What was so important that you risked your life—and ours—to come here?” Griffin asked, his stern tone seeming to reinforce Merletta’s earlier thoughts about attraction and overprotectiveness.

“I need to see Tish,” Merletta said. “She must feel like I’ve abandoned her.”

The two guards exchanged a glance that filled Merletta with foreboding, and neither of them immediately answered.

“What is it?” she demanded.

Paul cleared his throat. “She’s not here, Merletta.”

“What do you mean?” Merletta asked. “Is she still hanging around at the lagoon?”

“No, we mean she’s not on the island,” Griffin supplied. “She left. Two days ago.”

“What do you mean, left?” Merletta said, aghast. “She can’t have left!”

Paul scratched the back of his neck uncomfortably. “But she has. There’s no reason to think it wasn’t voluntary. We’ve checked everywhere on the island she might plausibly go. She must have returned to the ocean.”

“But she’s terrified of the open ocean,” Merletta protested. “And she’s not equipped to survive out there alone.”

“We’ve searched the immediate area multiple times,” Paul said quietly. “She’s not here. We think she might have returned to the triple kingdoms. Or at least, tried to.”

Merletta ran her hands over her face, trying not to panic. If Tish had made it all the way back to the triple kingdoms, she’d done well. But there was no way she would get past the guards at the barrier. She had none of the experience Merletta had in stealth.

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