Page 95 of The Shadows Between Us
I know who is trying to kill the king. The assassin was a distraction. Something to occupy the king’s mind before the real attempt on his life is made. I cannot divulge the individual’s identity in a letter. They are much too powerful. If this note should be intercepted, I fear for my life. Suffice it to say, the king cannot trust his councilors.
I’m told you are one of the few whom the king trusts. That is enough for me to trust you as well. Meet me at the address listed below in two nights’ time. I will find you then. Wear a flower in your hair, so I may know you.
May the gods bless the king.
“There’s no signature,” I say as I pass the note over to him.
He must read it three times over before focusing on me again. Then he stands abruptly, rushes to the doorway, and calls back for the servant who delivered the letter.
“Who gave this to you?” Kallias demands of him.
“A guard at the palace’s entrance.”
“Which guard?”
The servant coils inward. “Couldn’t say, sire. They all wear hats. He didn’t look up. Your Majesty, I don’t think it would help. I doubt he was the one to initially deliver it. It could have gone through one of the groundsmen first and before that—”
“Enough,” Kallias says. “I understand. Resume your duties.” He shuts the door after him and turns to me. “What do you make of it?”
I take the note from him, looking over its contents again before answering. “Whoever wrote this letter knew I would show it to you.”
“How can you tell?”
“They praise you far too much. You are not well liked among your people. If it were a member of your nobility, he would just come to you himself.”
Kallias bristles at the words, but I continue. “Heor shehopes to lure you out. Either because it’s a trap to do you harm or because they wish to speak with you in person. Since they didn’t outright ask for your presence, I’m inclined to believe the former.”
“They left too much up to coincidence for it to be a trap,” Kallias says.
“Or they did their job well enough to make you think so.”
“Either way, I’m going.”
“You can’t go. Not if it’s an attempt on your life.”
“I’ll go in disguise.”
I eye the shadows swirling about his figure. “You cannot disguise those.”
The shadows disappear in a heartbeat, and Kallias in all of his solid beauty stands before me. The difference really is astonishing.
“And now you’re vulnerable to attack,” I point out.
“Only if I’m recognized. I won’t be by the time I’m done.”
I shake my head. “Don’t be stupid. If they see you with me—”
“You intend to join me?” he asks, cutting off the rest of my sentence. Aboyish hope lingers around his eyes. I don’t know if I can see it because they’re so bright without the shadows, or if it’s the first time he’s shown me such an expression.
“Of course I’m going. I’m not letting you go alone to this—what is this address? Do you know it?”
The hope is instantly replaced with a mischievous raise of his brows. “I know it. I’m rather shocked you don’t.”
“What is it? A public place? A tavern of some sort?”
“Not exactly. It’s a club. A private one. But I can get us in.”
“If it’s private, how are we to get in without our identities being discovered?”
