Sage frowned. “How is that possible?”
“It’s not possible,” Merletta said grimly. “Not if everything we’ve been told about our history is true. I have no idea if anything we’ve been told is true.”
“Let’s not get carried away with the tide,” said Sage. She ran a hand over her braid, in a slightly anxious gesture.
Merletta watched her silently, recognizing in her friend’s eyes the same feeling she had wrestled with when she first discovered the Center’s lies. It was like being adrift on the currents, with no foundation, and no idea who or what to trust. Her heart went out to the other mermaid, and she knew that Sage wasn’t ready for the full extent of Merletta’s discoveries. The information that she could, if she chose, ascend onto land and shed her tail in favor of legs, would be too much right now.
One stroke at a time.
“I was sure, even before what happened after my test, that the instructors, Emil, even Ileana, knew that humans are real,” Merletta said quietly. “And yet, I distinctly remember Ibsen telling us that there are no intelligent creatures on land other than dragons. He lied to us, Sage, even to his own trainees.”
Sage looked troubled. “Well, I suppose it depends on your definition of ‘intelligent’, doesn’t it?”
Merletta gave her a look. “Sage, Heath speaks our language. He’s not a sea turtle.”
Sage was biting her lip. “I understand why they kept the proximity of land quiet from the general populace,” she said. “They must have had reasons for not telling us about humans straight away. And they were never going to keep it from us forever. You heard Instructor Wivell say it. It’s covered in third year.”
“Not everyone makes it to third year,” Merletta pointed out. “Not to mention the rest of the population of the triple kingdoms, who never study in the program. By acknowledging that it’s covered in third year, they’re actually admitting to their deception. Frankly, I was surprised Wivell said as much, but I suppose he felt it was preferable to letting us think he didn’t know something so substantial.”
Sage was silent, again looking deeply troubled.
“Don’t you see, Sage?” Merletta went on earnestly. “If they’re the ones who get to decide what should and shouldn’t be hidden from everyone else, then how can we ever be sure they’re telling us the truth? Who’s to keep them accountable?”
“They’re just trying to protect us,” argued Sage.
Merletta was silent for a moment. “I wish I could believe that,” she whispered. “But there’s too much that doesn’t add up.”
“Why did you stay near the land all this time?” Sage asked suddenly.
Merletta made no attempt to fight the change in direction, understanding that her friend needed time to process it all. “Honestly, I wasn’t sure if I could come back. I thought I might have been attacked on sight. The guards all saw me helping Heath to get out of the water. They knew I’d been fraternizing with a human. And Ileana definitely didn’t intend for me to survive. She left me for dead on the land.”
“Oh Merletta!” Sage’s eyes were as round as pearls. “How did you survive? How did you avoid drying out?”
“A story for another day,” Merletta said firmly.
“I still don’t know what to think,” Sage said distractedly. “I never heard so much as a rumor that Ileana was involved in the incident with the human. I thought it was just the regular guard patrol.”
“Someone is covering for Ileana,” said Merletta, her eyes narrowed thoughtfully. “Or she’s covering for someone. Someone must be giving her instructions, telling her what story to spin. There’s no way she’s the mastermind behind this tale that’s been spread about.” She frowned. “I bet it’s Ibsen.”
“Just because he doesn’t like you doesn’t mean he’s behind some conspiracy,” said Sage reprovingly. “Besides, if someone was trying to cover up about the land, and the humans, why tell people any of it?”
“I imagine the guards had already spread the word about seeing a human,” said Merletta simply. “Once a tale like that is out there…well, you can’t put the ink back in the squid, can you? All they could do was spin it in a way they could control.”
“And then the guards were all taken sick, so no one could get the full details,” Sage said sadly.
“Yes, about this supposed sickness,” Merletta pressed, a crease forming between her brows.
But before Sage could answer, the sound of voices carried to them through the dark water. They looked over and saw a trio of merpeople, drifting past in the direction of a nearby public dining house. The Center might technically be an official complex rather than a city, but it still had its own nightlife. Clearly some of the residents who didn’t have the restrictions of trainees were starting to seek out entertainment.
“We can talk more tomorrow,” Merletta said. She was nervous about someone seeing the two of them hidden away in the garden and guessing that she was telling Sage things neither of them were supposed to know.
It struck her, even as she followed Sage back onto the street, that her current state of anxiety was unsustainable. Incredibly, she had managed to return to the Center, and to her classes, without being attacked or even confronted. But if she was going to be looking over her shoulder, jumping at every change in current, she may as well have stayed on Vazula. She simply couldn’t function that way.
The thought had barely flashed through her mind when she saw a shimmer of dull green in her peripheral vision.
She paused. She knew that tail.
Sage turned, noticing the check in Merletta’s movement. “What is it?”