Page 9 of Skysong

TheMessengerofDay.A wave of cold panic washed through her, head to toe.

He knows.

Oriane stood abruptly, her legs threatening to buckle beneath her even as they itched to carry her to the door. But ofcoursehe knew. She would have been stupid to think otherwise. Why else would she be here?

The king had risen with her, hands held out in a placating gesture.

‘Please, Oriane,’ he said. ‘On my word as king, I will not hurt you.’

And though her instincts still cried out for her to run, Oriane believed him. There was no lie in his gaze, no malice that she could see, no dangerous agenda – just sincerity and warmth, and a bright-burning spark of fascination.

King Tomas resumed his seat. ‘My mother believed in the skylark, you know,’ he went on.

Believed in me?Oriane sank into her chair. What did he mean by that?

But a shadow seemed to pass across the king’s face as he focused on something beyond her. ‘I never got the chance to speak to her about it, before she …’32

The room lapsed into silence. King Tomas’s eyes had misted over, as if he were staring into some other realm.

‘Might you allow me to expand, my lord?’

Oriane jumped. It was the other man. She had entirely forgotten he was there. He crossed the room smoothly, his movements and the cool calmness of his expression putting Oriane in mind of a cat.

‘Of course,’ King Tomas said, snapping out of his reverie. His regal demeanour had returned, an air of easy, comfortable power. ‘Oriane, this is Terault, my seneschal. He’s my right-hand man, if you will. Manages all manner of things that keep the palace and the country running smoothly.’

Terault bent in a graceful bow towards Oriane. She dipped her head awkwardly in response, unsure what else to do.

‘Go on, Terault,’ Tomas prompted.

Hands clasped behind his back, the seneschal regarded Oriane. Just as she was starting to feel uncomfortable under his scrutiny, he began to speak.

‘There was a time when faith was at the centre of life here in Cielore. Faith, and belief, and hope – those were the tenets of our citizens’ existence, the cornerstones of our kingdom. Did you know, my lady, that the skylark was once worshipped by our people?’

Oriane started. ‘Worshipped?’ The word was unfamiliar on her tongue.

Terault gave a nod. ‘And rightly so. It wasrightthat the Messengers of Day be exalted. It wasrightthat they be afforded the deference and devotion of the people for whom they lit the world. But there came a time when that reverence began to fade. Our king’s ancestors …’ He cast an apologetic look the king’s way. ‘Well, they made a mistake. They believed – for what reason, we can only guess – that it was time to move towards a new way of living, one in which god-worship33was … no longer encouraged. Records from that time are somewhat patchy, but the last word we have of a skylark who lived among her people was—’

‘Elidia,’ Oriane breathed, unable to help herself.

Terault’s brow creased briefly, then smoothed. ‘You have heard her tale before, my lady?’ he asked politely.

Oriane nodded. She knew who he meant. The last skylark to have lived out in the open – the one her father had told her about. The one who had—

‘Died,’ she said aloud. ‘She died, didn’t she? Trying to escape the people?’Herworshippers, she realised. Her father hadn’t called them that, but that must have been what they were. ‘And her child, the new skylark – she was taken by her father, and they fled. They – we – have been in hiding ever since. To keep ourselves safe.’

Terault was giving her a strange look now – almost pitying. ‘My lady,’ he said carefully, ‘may I ask you who passed on that tale to you?’

‘My father.’

He nodded, his expression understanding. ‘I’m afraid that what he told you – through no fault of his own, I am sure – is not entirely accurate. The skylark in question – she lived. And though she and her family indeed went into hiding, it was not the people who caused them to do so, but the Meridean ruler of the time – thefirstMeridean ruler, a queen named Helateia.’

Oriane blinked. Her mind was working furiously, trying to understand what he was telling her. ‘Elidia didn’t die? She was …forcedinto hiding?’

Terault winced visibly at her last words. His eyes flicked briefly sideways to the king, who shifted uncomfortably in his chair. ‘As I said, our records are incomplete. We do not know exactly what transpired.Forcedmay be a strong word …’34

But even as he said it, Oriane could tell he didn’t believe it. Perhaps he pretended to, for the king’s sake, to avoid speaking ill of his family. But speak ill he should, if what he implied were true. The skylarks had once been beloved by the people – and the first Meridean queen had taken them away, banished them, perhaps, to make room for the new way of life she had in mind for Cielore.

Had her father known the truth about Elidia? About why she and all the larks after her had stayed hidden away from the world, from their people?

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