The Shadows Between Us

by Tricia Levenseller

I will kill the Shadow King and take his kingdom for myself. Only this time, I won’t have to bury the body. I’ll find a convenient scapegoat and leave the Shadow King for someone to discover. The world will need to know that I’m the last royal left.

She is bad*ss

“Are you mocking my outfit? I designed it myself.” “Quite the opposite. I rather like it.” A pinch of humor lurks at the edges of his lips. I think it might be at my expense, and I don’t like that one bit. I say, “Give me your measurements, and I can have one made for you.” Another grin stretches across the king’s lips, and I can’t help but admire how much more handsome he becomes with the movement.

Why is she such a vibe though...

A faint smile still lingers on his lips. “My name is Kallias. Kallias Maheras.” “Kallias,” I say, letting the syllables drift off my tongue: kuh-LIE-us. I have been entrusted with the name of a king. Now I need him to give me his heart.

That was quick

“At last,” Rhouben says, when he drops my hand. “I’ve been dying to meet the only person at court who dresses better than I do.” “I would argue,” I say, “but I would only do it to be polite.” He laughs. “And honest on top of it all. You are a rare treasure.” “Careful now,” Petros says. “You’re an engaged man, Rhouben. Hands off.”

“My, my,” she says. “The king must be head over heels for you.” Quieter, she adds, “Well done, Alessandra.”

Yes, well done Alessandra

He swallows the bite in his mouth. “Alessandra Stathos, that’s positively despicable.” He says the words like they’re the highest compliment he can give me. “You are an absolute gem, do you know that?” My whole body warms at the praise.

The poets can say whatever they damned like. A woman’s worth is not decided by what’s between her legs but by what is in her mind.

“If attempts to trap the bandit have proved unsuccessful, then perhaps a trap for those whom he’s giving his stolen goods to would help? Then you could find the right individuals to question as to the thief’s identity.” “What would you propose?” Kallias asks. “Melt down some coins. Create a new seal to stamp them with, something that varies only slightly from the current seal. When the money is stolen and used to purchase things in the market, you can arrest whoever is found carrying them.” The room goes silent.

“What if I told you I have a plan to free you from Melita?” Rhouben straightens so quickly I hear his back crack. “Are you serious?” “Very.” “What do you need? Name it and it’s yours.” He can barely get the words out fast enough.

“Unless of course the courtship isn’t real. In which case, the council will start arranging for more ladies to meet with the king, and we will have no use for you.”

Thats very bright of you vasco

“I will compete!” I say. Leandros snaps his neck around, a look of confusion crossing his features, as though someone perhaps threw their voice in my direction.

Gravity claims me, pulling me toward the ground. I can see rows and rows of pant-clad legs from where I land. They’re spinning. No, the whole room is. I feel liquid running down my face. Blood? Tears? Spit? Somewhere distantly I think I hear Leandros’s voice. Then everything goes dark.

But then, I felt the pressure of his glove against my cheek … In the span of a blink, the shadows disappear. All that is left is Kallias. Real, human. Corporeal. Touchable. Beautiful.

“But I reserve the right to see whomever I wish if you start behaving like an ass again.”

“And should I fear you?” I ask. “Never.”

From the basket, Kallias removes a red-and-white-checkered blanket, spreading it beneath the shade of the tree. He settles his lean body atop it, crossing his legs beneath him before rummaging through the other contents.

Oh my god. He's made a picnic

“I’m afraid I have no knowledge of weaponry. Though I do always carry a dagger on me.” The one I used to kill Hektor.

Opp...

“Who says we need suits?” I ask. “Your outfit is constricting, and the overskirt would consume water like a sponge to drown you.” “I hadn’t meant for us to keep our clothes on.” The words are out before I realize they might be too forward. Kallias turns to me, a wicked grin on his face. “Why, Lady Alessandra, the more I learn about you, the more I like you.”

keep my thoughts away from all the critters living in the lake and instead try to imagine what Kallias looks like naked. All that bronze skin and lean muscle.

Why'd you have to take the undergarnments off???

A silence builds, as we both think about the obvious. We’re naked. In a lake. Doing nothing untoward. How is this my life right now?

but then I feel prompted to add, “And then I vowed I would never fall in love again. So every man after Hektor was used and discarded once I became bored with him.”

“Have you ever been in love?” “No,” he says. “Not ever. What’s it like?” “Horrible.”

“We were unprepared for the … um … distraction,” one of the men says. “Am I to understand you failed to protect me because you weren’t paying the lady the respect she deserves?” “You can hardly blame us, sire. She was naked.”

“You’re not frightened? Of me?” “You defended my honor. Why should I fear you?” “Because I killed a man in front of you.” I shrug. “You have to make tough decisions as king. You have to put down those who disobey you. Make an example of them. It’s how you maintain order. You think I don’t know that?” “I still shouldn’t have done it in front of you.” He looks away. “Kallias.” His gaze focuses on me once more. “I do not fear the decisions you have to make as a king, and I would never think lesser of you for them. I’m surprised you killed only one of them, to be honest.”

I’m beginning to realize there is nothing I care to keep from you anymore.”

“I lied. You’re the most stunning thing to ever set foot in my palace.”

“Do you know how I was able to catch the king’s attention?” She shakes her head. “By being myself. By discussing what I wished to discuss and behaving how I wished to behave and wearing what I wished to wear. It is not conforming to a standard that drew His Majesty’s attention. If you wish to make a happy match, I think you should do the same. Don’t be afraid of who you are. Say what you wish. Be who you wish. Don’t try to be someone else. You don’t want to catch a man who wants me. You want to catch a man who wants you.”

Once, there was another boy who made me feel this way. One who made me feel full and seen and loved. Now the bugs of the earth have feasted on his flesh.

He takes one glance at me on the ground, at the red outline of a handprint on my cheek, before turning back to the assassin. “You’ll die for that,” Kallias says, his voice a deep rumble.

After such an encounter, some find it difficult to sleep. Damn the old crone!

Logically, I know there’s nothing in the room. I know I’m alone. I know no one can get in without breaking down the door or shattering the glass of a window. But I can’t seem to get my body to relax enough for sleep.

Literally me

You’re not helpless,” Kallias says emphatically. “You stabbed the assailant with a dagger to the thigh, for gods’ sake. You’re very capable.” He places a comforting hand on my thigh.

Kallias wipes a shadowed tear of mirth from his eyes. “How could you keep this treasure from me?” He reads, “Your voice could command the world to stop spinning, the plants to stop growing, the wind to cease blowing, the bugs to stop chirping.” The king erupts into a fit of laughter.

“Tell me this isn’t his first letter. Oh, please say there’s more!” “There isn’t,” I assure him. “A pity. Oh, I haven’t laughed that hard in—well, at least a year. Alessandra, are you blushing!”

“And I suppose you could do better?” “I most certainly could.” He looks sadly upon the torn scraps at the floor. “Did you have to destroy it? I could have framed it and saved it for whenever I’m having a bad day.”

I laugh a little before pulling the mask from my pocket. “We don’t need to do that.” Kallias rises from his chair so fast it almost tips over. He startles Demodocus into taking a few steps to the side. The king strides over and takes the mask from my fingers. “Where did you get this?” “From Orrin’s room.” “Eliades?” Kallias says with disbelief. “This is the incriminating evidence you found? How could you not tell me straightaway?”

“Actually, I want to talk about that later.” My head snaps in his direction so fast my neck cracks. “When we’re alone,” he clarifies. “Come.” He gently tugs me toward our seats. I somehow manage to make my feet move, despite the way my head is spinning. First elation, then disappointment, take turns occupying my thoughts. He’s going to propose.

Equal power. Rule the kingdom … with him? That means— I wouldn’t have to kill him. He’ll give me everything I want, and I won’t have to get rid of him. My friend and companion.

Kallias laughs so loudly and abruptly, I nearly topple out of the armchair. He has his hands on his knees while his whole body shakes from the force of the laughter. What the devils? Did I break the king?

“My little hellion. Quite the force to be reckoned with, aren’t you? Oh, say you’ll marry me, Alessandra!” I swallow, thoroughly confused. “You’re not going to hang me?” “Hang you?” he repeats, letting his hands fall to his sides. “The man did you wrong, Alessandra. Honestly, you’ve saved me the trouble of tracking him down and killing him myself.”

“I think that when you care enough for someone, you reach a point where it’s far more painful not to have him at all than to have him and risk losing him. You realize the risk is worth it. Because happiness, however short-lived, is always worth it.”

“Lady Alessandra Stathos, will you be my queen? My equal in all things? A protector and ruler of Naxos and the conquered realms? Will you marry me?” “Yes.”

“There were two of them,” she says. “That man, the one who announced the toast to the king and queen. And the lady.” “What lady?” I ask. There’s a woman involved? “The one who’s always wearing black. But tonight she’s in green.”

“Kallias Maheras, don’t you dare leave me right now.” He pauses and manages to find my eyes. “Tell me,” I say. “You don’t need to read a letter. Just tell me.” He closes his hands into fists at his sides. “I want you.” I wait for him to say more. When he doesn’t, I say, “Surely you can do better than that.”

swear it, Alessandra. You’re not going anywhere. You’re mine.”

Not a dream. A beautiful reality. My Shadow King.

“No gloves.” And he grabs my fingers with his, lacing them together. “You’ve suddenly become so much more demanding.” “And I think you love it,” he says, pulling me close, running his nose along my neck. Oh, but I do.

Kallias looks up from his meal. “You’re pursuing your manservant? Romantically?”

Kallias’s hand slides higher. Oh, that wicked man.

“Kallias—” “You are suspected of treason,” he bites out. “And you will address me as Your Majesty for these proceedings.” Something in my heart twists, breaks, dissolves away. Leaving a gaping wound in its place. I need a lie. A convincing one. Fast. Now.