“I don’t…I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she managed.
Pull yourself together! shouted a voice in her head. Could she seem any more guilty?
“Are you connected with a shellsmith apprentice named Letitia?” the guard asked, his voice still much louder than necessary. Everyone within range had fallen silent, all of them watching, rapt, as the drama unfolded. “Our information is that you grew up in the same charity home in Tilssted.”
“That’s right,” said Merletta, proud to hear that her voice was now steady.
“And you consider her a friend?” the guard pressed.
Merletta swallowed. Tish had wanted to be separated from her, but clearly it was too late for that. In which case, Merletta would never disown her.
“I certainly do,” Merletta said.
“Are you aware that this Letitia has been found in possession of confidential Center records?” the guard challenged. “Records which had been copied to appear official, but with contents substantially changed?”
“That’s a lie,” said Merletta furiously. “She would never do any of that. She doesn’t want anything to do with the Center.”
“So you admit that she is hostile toward the Center?”
“No!” Merletta cried. She looked around for aid, but Sage and Andre were both as helplessly horrified as she was, and there was no one else to turn to.
“Surely this matter can be handled more privately.”
The mild voice belonged to Agner. The combat instructor swam up alongside the guard, looking exasperated more than anything.
“It’s not Center policy to conduct matters in secrecy,” the guard informed him. “We conduct our affairs in the open, for transparency.”
Merletta didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
The guard turned to her again. “Do you have any idea of how this Letitia would have gotten her hands on the original records?”
Muttering was spreading around Merletta on all sides, but she ignored it. She didn’t care what these people thought of her. She cared about Tish.
“Information to report.”
The voice made Merletta turn in confusion. Sage’s mother had swum forward, and was floating to attention before the guard.
“Speak,” he invited the record holder.
“At my superiors’ request, I provided Trainee Merletta with houseroom during her most recent break from classes. I can report that she traveled to Tilssted more than once during that time to visit a friend from her childhood. She always took a satchel with her.”
Merletta heard a strangled noise from Sage behind her, but she was too terrified for Tish to dwell on the twisting pain in her gut at this betrayal by her former hostess. Still, it was a heavy weight to swim under—first Indigo, now Rowena. Both mermaids who’d been kind to her—both close family of friends she trusted. It shouldn’t be a surprise that if a new trainee like Indigo had been asked to spy on her, a fully qualified record holder had been given the same instructions.
The muttering had escalated to shocked whispers, which Merletta continued to ignore.
“Where is she?” she demanded of the guard. “What have you done to her?”
The merman raised an eyebrow in dignified surprise. “As a matter of fact, she’s gone. When guards attempted to apprehend her, she fled across the barrier. She was pursued, but not located. Our view is that she is unlikely to return to the triple kingdoms, where she must know severe sanctions await her.”
“No.”
Merletta’s voice was little more than a whisper. She had a horrible feeling she knew what that meant. But surely not. Surely they wouldn’t kill sweet, gentle Tish, who’d always kept her head down and never scratched anyone’s scales the wrong way. Surely they wouldn’t be so vicious.
Unbidden, Merletta’s thoughts flew to the two murdered members of August’s patrol, and the story of betrayal and violence the three survivors had to tell.
Yes, they would. They wouldn’t even hesitate.
“No!” The word came out more loudly now. “If she’s gone, it’s because you killed her! Tish would never cross the barrier! She’s terrified of the open ocean.”