Page 97 of Skysong

And before Andala had really thought about it – before she had given proper weight to the fact that, to a child,WillyoucomebackmeantWill you come back to me, meantWill I see you again– she had answered:

‘Yes. Maybe.’

Never mind that she knew not whether such a thing was possible. Never mind that she might never make it to the island in the first place. Never mind that those words, to a child, were as good as a promise, and that the only promise she’d ever made her daughter was the promise that Amie would never know her.

Yes. Maybe.

Some part of her – a part that sometimes spoke with a voice that sounded like Oriane’s – wondered whether she’d said it because she wanted it to be true.

The cart jolted. Andala’s eyes shot open. The others were reclined across from her. Oriane and Kitt seemed to be dozing, and Tomas was staring out over the fields. Andala was grateful for it. She found she could not bear the idea of someone looking at her right now. The weight of a gaze would be enough to split the two halves of her asunder.

Andala closed her eyes again, focused on the feeling of the sun on her face, and tried to sleep.

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Chapter 43

Oriane woke to the sound of gulls in her ears, and the sight of them wheeling above her head. They’d made it to Azura.

She sat bolt upright as the rush of noise and colour flooded in. Awestruck, she took in the sights of the city: the teeming streets, the market stalls, the coloured flags that flickered in the sea breeze. And, of course, the sea itself – visible only in glimpses through the buildings, but there all the same. It was the first time she’d ever seen the ocean. It triggered a strange ache in her chest, some feeling of longing that she could not name.

‘We’re meeting another trader at the square,’ Albert called back to them. ‘We can drop you off, then you’re on your own.’

‘Thank you,’ King Tomas called back. Then he leaned forward, lowering his voice. ‘We need to be on alert. It isn’t safe here.’

Andala, whose eyes had been closed too, seemed suddenly wide awake. ‘What is it?’

‘I’ve been watching. Listening. Terault’s search must have spanned farther than we thought. Some of his people are already here. The rest are sure to be close on our tail.’

‘But how?’ Oriane asked, fear rising in her chest like a wave. ‘How would they know where we’ve gone?’344

‘There are … many of them.’ Tomas looked pained, as if the words were barbs that pierced his throat as he spoke. ‘He has more followers at his disposal than I could have imagined.’

Silence fell for a moment, the tumultuous music of the port city sweeping in to fill it. Oriane’s fists were clenched tight at her sides.

The king seemed to steel himself, his pained expression morphing into one of cool focus. ‘You must stay out of sight,’ he instructed Oriane and Andala. ‘When we stop up ahead, go and wait outside the city – just follow the road out of the square until you get to the woods. Kitt and I will meet you there once we’ve found some horses, and some news.’

Oriane and Andala exchanged a glance. Kitt nodded grimly at them both as the wagon drew to a stop in a busy square filled with other traders.

Tomas had already turned towards the merchant and addressed him brightly. ‘Now, you know who I am, don’t you, my good man?’

Albert threw a look back their way. Oriane saw him swallow nervously before he answered. ‘I-I do, milord.’

‘Excellent,’ Tomas said. ‘I’m going to need you to keep that information to yourself. But I’m also going to need you to get some information forme.’

Oriane and Andala left the king and Kitt with the merchant, who was listening intently to whatever instruction Tomas was giving him. Quietly, they slipped away, heads down and eyes on the ground.

There was another square beyond the one they’d arrived in, a larger one filled with stalls – and people. More than Oriane had ever seen in one place; more even than the bustling streets of Aubrille. She and Andala were immediately swept away in the tide of the crowd.

At first, she marvelled at it. The press of all those different people, the sound of life swelling around her. But all at once, without345warning, it became too much. Too many people. Too much noise. Danger, everywhere. Her skin felt clammy despite the sun. She couldn’t breathe—

‘It’s all right,’ Andala muttered at her side. ‘We just need to make it through to the other side. Blend in. Stay close. Take my hand.’

Oriane did. The contact sent a tiny measure of calm through her, a bolt of warmth that tracked all the way to her chest.

‘Do you think they’ll be all right?’ she murmured as they inched forward. From the corner of her eye, she saw Andala nod.

‘Tomas seems to know what he’s doing. They’ll need to be careful, though. If Terault’s people are moving as fast as he thinks they are …’

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