Heath grinned. “My apologies.” After the barest hint of hesitation, he grabbed her hand, pulling her toward the jungle. “Come on, let’s get out of the rain.”
“Why?” Merletta asked, confused, although she allowed him to tug her along without resistance.
Heath just laughed. “You might not mind getting wet, but most humans try to avoid it.”
“Really?” Merletta was fascinated. “But why? I thought getting wet didn’t hurt humans.”
“It doesn’t hurt,” said Heath. “But it’s not exactly pleasant, either.”
“Humans seem very fragile,” Merletta observed.
Heath didn’t reply for a moment, and his grip on her hand tightened. “Mine certainly seem to be,” he muttered.
“What do you mean?” asked Merletta. “What’s wrong?”
“Never mind that,” said Heath lightly. “I want to know what’s happening with you.”
They’d reached the jungle by now, and Merletta sank onto a fallen log that was moderately protected from the rain by the foliage above.
“There’s a lot happening,” she said frankly. “My test is in a week. Sage passed hers. And so did Lorraine, although that’s nothing to get excited about. At least she’s still away on break, so that’s something.”
“Are you nervous about your test?” Heath asked. He had let go of her hand when they sat, and Merletta wondered why. She wished she dared to take hold of it again, but she didn’t, for reasons she couldn’t fully articulate.
“Of course I am!” she said. “If I fail, it will be bad enough. But apparently trainees have actually died during the second year test.”
“What?” Heath demanded, all traces of his smile disappearing. “People have died?”
Merletta shrugged. “Remembering what the practice test was like, it’s not so hard to believe.”
“I don’t like that at all,” said Heath, predictably. “Surely the instructors have a responsibility to protect you.”
Merletta snorted, throwing him a meaningful look.
“Oh yeah,” sighed Heath. “I forgot for a moment.” His frown grew. “It seems like too good an opportunity, Merletta. If someone wants to get rid of you forever, the test is the perfect time to make it seem like an accident. Especially if trainees really have died in the past.”
Merletta let out a sigh of her own. “The thought has occurred to me,” she admitted. “And I’ve taken steps to make sure that if I do die, the things I’ve found out won’t be completely lost.”
She told him about her visit to the widow, and the group of sorts that had formed between her, Sage, Emil, and Andre.
“I know you told me to keep my head down,” she said, half-apologetically. “But you were also the one who told me to be visible. And she had a right to know.”
Heath shook his head. “I wasn’t going to scold you, Merletta. You shouldn’t take my advice, anyway. It turns out I make things worse, not better.”
“Heath, what’s going on?” Merletta demanded, alarmed by the uncharacteristic bitterness in his voice.
“Oh, everything’s falling apart,” he said simply. “The king has banned us from using our magic without supervision, and everyone’s angry with me. The court, the power-wielders. My brother.”
“Your brother’s an idiot,” said Merletta, earning a half-hearted smile. “Why is everyone angry with you? Don’t try to tell me you’re to blame, because I won’t believe a word.”
Heath smiled again. “I won’t try, then.” He hurried on before she could speak. “But we were talking about your test. I don’t like to hear that you’ve made plans in case you don’t survive it. Where’s that fighting spirit that intimidates me so much?”
Merletta punched him lightly on the shoulder. “Take that back! I don’t intimidate you.” She hesitated, feeling suddenly self-conscious. “Do I?”
There was a strange edge to Heath’s smile now, and his eyes took on the dreamy quality that she knew well.
“You do, actually,” he said, reaching forward to flick an unruly strand of hair behind her shoulder. “But not because of your fighting spirit.”
Merletta could find no response. The air was suddenly thick between them, full of something unspoken but tangible. Heath’s hand lingered a few seconds longer than necessary over the bare skin of Merletta’s shoulder, then fell back to his side.