Page 10 of Skysong

What reason would he have to lie to her?

‘In any case,’ Terault continued, pulling Oriane’s attention back to him, ‘there were people – more with every year – who forgot about your existence, or came to deny it altogether. Finally, the day came where our country was made up half of those who did not know and half of those who did not believe that the sun only rises because the skylark wills it. But fortunately, there were a select few in whom the flames of faith lay not dead, but dormant and ripe for stoking. Most fortunately of all, one of those few was our very own queen – King Tomas’s mother.’

Oriane glanced at the king. His eyes were distant once more – staring, it seemed, into that space between the cracks of the world.

‘Before she died, skies rest her soul,’ Terault went on, ‘Queen Heloise had been making plans. She had a vision for the future of her kingdom. And that vision was of you, my lady.’

‘Me,’ Oriane said blankly.

‘You. Our skylark. Our light. Brought back to us again. She wanted to find you. To atone for the misguided actions of her predecessors and steer us back onto the path from which they strayed. To bring you back into the light so that your power might once more be shared with the world.’35

‘It is something special,’ King Tomas put in suddenly. He was on his feet again, standing next to his seneschal. ‘Your power. Something to be celebrated, not hidden away.’

‘I don’t need to be celebrated,’ murmured Oriane, fidgeting in her seat.

The king gave her a benevolent smile. ‘I understand, Oriane. All of this must feel strange to you, after so long living your life out of sight. But this is a chance to show the people that there ismagicamong them. It is part of a ruler’s job, is it not, to give their people hope? Seeing you – knowing that no matter what happens, the lark will be there to give them light tomorrow, and every day after that …’ He let out a little laugh, and shook his head as if he couldn’t believe it himself. ‘Can you imagine any brighter symbol of hope in the world?’

Oriane had never thought of her power that way. It had always been just another part of her, as quietly essential as the blood flowing through her veins. To think that it might be thought of asmagic–that it might inspire hope …

‘Have you never felt that you deserved to be recognised?’ asked the king. ‘For what you do for the world every day?’

‘No,’ Oriane said truthfully. ‘It’s just … It’s who I am, my lord.’

‘Well, I think who you are deserves to be seen, and to be honoured.’ He flashed her his brightest smile yet. ‘We can start small, of course. I wonder … I wonder whether you might care to stay the evening here in the palace, so that we may bear witness to your power in the morning?’

Oriane opened her mouth and closed it again. Who did he mean bywe?

‘Just a select few people,’ he said reassuringly, as if he’d heard her thoughts. ‘Myself. Kitt, who you met just before. Terault here, of course. Oh, and my sister. I think Hana would enjoy seeing you most of all.’36

Oriane looked away. Everything was happening so quickly.She needed a moment to breathe, to gather her thoughts …

Through the large windows beside them, the view beyond was spectacular: the palace gardens spreading out in a riot of colour, the green blanket of the woods. And above it all, the sun, arcing gracefully towards the horizon as the afternoon drew to a close. Soon it would sink entirely, and the night would come. And then, in a few short hours, it would be time to call the light back.

She had never done so with an audience before. Her father had seen her transform countless times, of course. But as she’d settled into her power and grown ever more at ease with her form, she had preferred to do it alone. There was a moment of calm that she always experienced right before she changed. Warmth gathering at her breast; her heart a gently burning star, tucked behind her ribcage. It was a transition, an in-between moment where she felt half-woman, half-bird, and where she felt true balance in the world, as if everything was and had been and always would be well.

Would she still feel that way if she shared that moment with a group of strangers?

Perhaps, said a voice in her head,perhapsyoucouldmakethemfeelthatwaytoo.

Perhaps her song was meant to be shared.

‘Your people are in need of it, my king?’ she asked, turning back towards him. ‘The hope that you say I can give them?’

‘Yes,’ King Tomas said immediately. ‘They need it more than anything.’ The shine of emotion in his eyes as he spoke made him look more like a father than a king.

Her own father’s face flashed before her.

I’vejustbeentrying to keep you safe, Oriane.

Had he lied to her in order to do so?37

Oriane rose from her chair, dipped her head in a bow and raised it again. Both men’s gazes were focused on her: the king’s keen and hopeful, the seneschal’s piercing. They awaited her answer. She was ready to give it.

‘I am grateful for your invitation,’ she said, as the sun descended further and a beam of refracted light set the room aflame. ‘I would be honoured to stay.’

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Chapter 5

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