Wings Of Starlight -

"So you may know he is well enough to carry your memory," the bird answered. "Knowing is a kind of return. You hold him differently now."

"Remember," it said, as if it spoke the simplest thing in the world, "some things return the moment you have the courage to ask for truth instead of possession." Wings of Starlight

Wings of Starlight is a young adult fantasy novel by Allison Saft "So you may know he is well enough