Page 78 of Skysong

Of course. She should have known it would come to this. Why should Terault believe her? Why should anybody?

It was all very well for her to tell them what she was. But to show them would require control over the power. Control she had never had.

She looked from Terault to Kitt, who was staring at her in fear and disbelief. If he, her closest friend, did not believe her, then who would? Did they all think her mad?

‘I thought as much.’ Terault’s voice was deadly quiet. ‘If anybody else wishes to waste my time,’ he added, casting a glance around the cells, ‘I invite you to do so now.’

The room was still. Beside her, she felt the king’s hand twitch, then fall still.

Satisfied, Terault gave a nod, and turned to go – but then he stopped. Straightened.

‘Wait,’ he said suddenly.

His pale eyes flitted over Andala and sought Tomas between the bars. There was a spark in them now, an inhuman gleam that grated shivers down Andala’s spine.279

‘I gave you an hour to provide me with the skylark’s location, Tomas,’ Terault said. ‘I made the penalty for failing to do so quite clear. And youhavefailed to do so. The fact that your inventor here might know something does not change that. And so, I’m afraid, I am going to have to keep my word. I always do, you see.’

A shine of silver at his side. Andala realised suddenly, horribly, that Terault had withdrawn his dagger.

‘One of your people needs to pay for your mistake.’

There was a beat, and then every person crammed into the cells began to scramble backwards, over each other, out of the way. Everyone except Andala and Tomas.

‘Oh, don’t worry,’ Terault called, raising his voice over the noise. ‘It won’t be any of you.’

Andala’s nails cut into her palms. Was this it? Terault did not believe she was the nightingale, but would he cut her heart out anyway, just because he could?

But he was not looking at her. His razor gaze was still on the king. ‘Your sister is a sweet girl, Tomas. It is a shame she could not have been queen.’ The knife in his hand flashed, a threat, a promise. ‘It is a shame she has to pay the price for your mistakes.’

Hana.He meant to hurt Hana.

There was a terrible, anguished cry. Tomas had thrown himself at the bars separating him from Terault. Panic erupted in the dungeon once more. Andala’s knees gave way under her. She grabbed desperately at the bars to heave herself up.

People were shouting, crying. ‘No,’ Tomas was screaming. ‘Terault,NO—’

Through a white haze of pain, Andala thought of Hana, whose mind was mired in such darkness that she had given up her throne. Whose brother had tried so desperately to help her. She thought of280Kitt, who would surely die as well if he did not give up Oriane – and he would not. He would resist for as long as he could.

Andala thought of Oriane, too. The other half of her. The bright sun to her black night.

No. Terault could not have Oriane’s heart.

It would stay here with Andala’s, where it belonged.

She wrenched herself to her feet. The pain in her head was gone. She felt light, free. In control. Sure.

‘Lord Seneschal,’ she shouted over the din. Her voice echoed, filling the corners of the awful dungeon, taking the pockets of darkness and making them darker, as if to help the light burn all the brighter.

Terault’s eyes found hers in the chaos.

And Andala transformed.

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Chapter 38

For the first time since she had become the nightingale, transforming did not hurt.

There was no cold, debilitating ache, no icy spear to puncture her chest. This time, it happened like breathing. One moment she was herself and the next she was a bird, and there was no hatred in the in-between, or afterwards. Perhaps it was because the change was purposeful. Andala had willed it. For the first time, she’dwantedit.

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