“I’m not sure how experiencing the illness firsthand gives you more information on how it came about,” interjected Sage dryly.
Emil clearly wasn’t listening to her, his eyes on Merletta, but his gaze unfocused. “If you didn’t get stung, then I wonder…” He trailed off, then rose from the hammock where he was sitting. “I’ll research further.”
Voices floated in to them from the next room, and Emil dropped his voice. “If I were you, I wouldn’t linger here now you’re awake. Get out, be seen, go about your life.”
There was no time for more. A medic was drifting into the room, and with a curt nod, Emil moved toward the door in a leisurely fashion.
“Be seen?” Merletta asked Sage, bemused.
“I imagine he’s referring to your admirers,” Sage said quietly. “After you passed out, there was a bit of a scene. You may have noticed that the Tilssted attendees had recognized you.”
Merletta nodded. “Our trainee, they called me.”
Sage nodded as well, smiling faintly. “Well, they got very worked up about you collapsing, and about what they clearly considered a lackluster response from the others in our stand.”
Merletta raised an eyebrow. “That would have been worth seeing,” she said, amused. Her smile dropped. “I’m sorry to have disrupted the memorial, though.”
Sage shrugged. “You couldn’t exactly help it.”
The medic had reached them now, and Sage fell silent while the other mermaid checked Merletta over and asked her some basic questions. To Merletta’s relief, she was released within minutes, and told to take it easy until she felt back to her full strength.
Merletta wasted no time in pushing herself out of her hammock. She shook her arms out and flicked her tail back and forth, finding that the movement helped reduce the stiffness.
“So what day is it?” she asked, as they swam out of the building. She felt disoriented by the discovery that she’d been unconscious for so long.
“It’s the first training day for the week,” Sage said. “They would have started a couple of hours ago, but I’m sure Agner will be understanding.”
“Well, that’s something,” said Merletta cheerfully. “It’s almost worth being violently ill to escape Ibsen’s class and skip straight to training.” Her smile slipped away as they swam, however, and she found herself chewing her lip anxiously.
“What’s the matter?” Sage asked quietly. “Are you worried about how you caught the illness or whatever it was?”
“No,” sighed Merletta. “Well, yes, of course I am. But I was thinking about the medics who treated me. I don’t know how much they did, and I’m not going to be able to pay for it. To tell the truth, I have no idea what will happen when they charge me.”
“Charge you?” Sage repeated in astonishment. “You don’t have to pay for that. You’re a trainee, the program covers it.”
“Really?” Merletta was amazed. She’d never been looked at by a trained physician before. “Even for me?”
“Especially for you,” laughed Sage. “They wouldn’t be able to get away with less.” She shook her head ruefully. “Your admirers would have stormed the gates otherwise. I was a bit distracted checking you were still alive, but I heard that some of them actually did try to follow us back here, to make sure you were all right.”
Merletta said nothing, dazed by this information. Most of her life she’d had no one on her side, just her own determination, and the moral support provided by Tish’s friendship. It was surreal to think of strangers being willing to vehemently fight her cause.
And speaking of unexpected allies…
“Was it really Emil who said I shouldn’t be left alone?” she asked.
“It was,” said Sage, shooting her a sideways glance. “He insisted on sharing the load himself. He obviously thinks highly of you.”
“He doesn’t seem to want me dead, anyway,” said Merletta. “So that’s something. And I’m starting to warm to him as well,” she added fairly. “I must say, it’s nice to have someone we can trust among the record holders.” She threw Sage an apologetic glance. “He’s right, you know, about it being dangerous for me to drag you into this. You’re only a trainee, like me, and more vulnerable than someone like Emil.”
“He’s not right,” Sage snapped, with unexpected heat. “I’m not as fragile as you both seem to think. I have just as much right as either of you to make my own choice about taking the risk.”
Merletta stared at her friend, surprised. “I’m sorry, Sage,” she said tentatively. “I didn’t mean—”
“It’s fine,” said Sage with dignity. And without another word, she put on a spurt of speed that left Merletta blinking in her wake.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Taking Emil’s advice to heart, Merletta did her best to be visible after her return to classes. The other trainees had all greeted her with interest when she and Sage joined them at training the day she awoke. Andre was so pleased at her recovery, he even wrung her hand. She was a little touched by his response. She’d wondered if he would be offended that she had disrupted the memorial.