Page 7 of Music of the Night
“After the performance, I have to sneak out… To see someone?”
She covered her mouth with her hand and wiggled her eyebrows. “Oh, a secret admirer. Do tell.”
“I can’t,” I pressed my hands together and widened my eyes. “But I need a way to get in and out, unseen.”
Madame Blu put her hands on her hips. “You are asking for me to put your life in danger. I don’t like it.”
“It’s for a good reason.” I took a deep breath, hoping I wasn’t wrong to confide in her. “I found an instructor, someone to teach me to sing. My voice isn’t good enough, and I want to gain the lead.” I didn’t mention leaving. It seemed wrong to talk about leaving High Tower Castle when it was her home.
Madame Blu sighed dramatically. “Lady Aria, you have high aspirations. Of course, I want to see you succeed, but…” She shook her head. “You put me in an impossible position. I’ll help you, but if we so much as hear any more rumors about night creatures, no more going out for you.”
I clasped her hand, a shaky laugh escaping my lips. “I promise.”
6
Aria
True to her word, Madame Blu helped me escape unseen that evening. After the performance, she handed me a cloak and led me through a corridor I hadn’t known about. A horse was saddled and once again I raced through the night, a mix of wonder and anxiety twisting in my stomach. Lantern light guided me, and when I arrived, I dismounted and tied the horse to a lone stump. Padding across the dirt path in my slippered feet, I listened for a sound, but tonight the tower was silent.
The double doors swung open, and Uriah appeared like a ghost, candlelight illuminating his silhouette. I took a deep breath for he was just as hauntingly attractive as the evening before, and the halo of light made him look like a dark angel. Clasping my hands together, I whispered a prayer. I was here to learn the magic of music, nothing more, no matter how dark and curious and tormented my instructor was. As I approached, I sensed a new air to him. Instead of pants and an open shirt, he’d dressed in full attire, as though he were one of the lords who attended the theater. His unruly black hair was brushed straight back, but half his face was still covered with the cloth, folded and tied tightly around one eye, a spiderweb of faint scarring peeking out from the edges. I wanted to know what happened to him, but it would be too forward of me to ask during my first lesson.
“You returned,” he observed, standing to the side as I entered, unable to keep my eyes off him.
He did not seem as fearsome as the evening before, yet there was still something about his presence that tantalized me. Even though the tower was bright, he was clad in shadows. A sudden reminder of my dream came to me and my face warmed. Turning away from his piercing gaze, I noticed the room had changed. The roses from the previous night were gone, leaving just candles forming two circles.
The hollow boom of the doors clanging shut made me jump. There was no going back. Even though my heart thumped, I would show him no fear. I’d show him I was ready, no matter what he asked.
“We had a deal,” I said, wondering why I suddenly felt shy.
“That we do,” he said matter-of-factly. “Have you warmed up?”
I shook my head, and my fingers went to my cloak. I hadn’t had a moment to change after the performance and still wore the gown with bells at the waist and sheer silk covering my legs. In the low light of the theater, it was hard to see, yet it was far too inappropriate for my instruction with Uriah.
Still, he held out his hand to take my cloak and hung it on a hook near the door. Moving to a table, he poured a drink. “Here. It is a cool night out. If you wish to become an exceptional singer, you need to protect your voice.”
A drink, a slow way to poison someone, but would Uriah do so to me? During the very first lesson? Shaking off the undesirable thought, I took the cup. My fingers grazed his, sending a thrill through me. The liquid tasted like warm water, with a hint of sweet honey and sour lemon. Warmth replaced the chill of my ride and I offered Uriah a slight smile, hoping to lighten the mood as I returned the cup to him. He ignored it.
“Stand in the middle.” He pointed to the circle in the heart of the tower.
Obediently I glided to it, wondering what the designs carved into the stone meant.
“Sing,” he instructed.
This was not at all how I envisioned it. Clearing my throat, I opened my mouth, and a tune came out. The same song that had been sung at the performance earlier. It was a complicated piece with high thrills and long, drawn out notes. I stumbled over a verse and when I reached the chorus, my voice caught and cracked, then faded away as shame overwhelmed me. What was I thinking? This was folly, wasn’t it? To have a strange man teach me the magic of music in the heart of night?
Before I could blink, he was in front of me, lifting my chin to force me to meet his gaze. “You are still cold.” He touched my neck, massaging my muscles. “You need to warm up properly to let the music flow.”
His proximity and the way he lifted my face to his was akin to the way lovers stood before kissing. A strange flutter in my heart distracted me and arousal pooled deep in my belly. I caught my breath as he continued to knead my neck. Of course, he would not kiss me, he was merely instructing me.
“You must relax, there’s too much tension in your muscles. Now stand tall, proud. You are in control of the sound, the music. Be confident. Only then will the music soar from you. Now, with me.”
He began to hum, a low note which steadily climbed. I copied him and together our voices rose and fell, high and low, just like a dance with two partners.
“Good, now we move to the next phase. Open your mouth.”
I gasped but obeyed as he moved behind me, pressing one hand against my belly.
“Wider.” His rich voice was right next to my ear. “When you sing, your music comes from your chest, but it needs to flow from your belly. It needs to come from the depths of your being if you wish to command the music of the night. Feel it welling up inside you. Now, close your eyes, and sing.”
