Page 16 of The Shadows Between Us
At a break in Rhoda’s discourse, I ask her, “Is this why you came to court? For the men?”
“Oh, no. I came to court because the king requested it.”
“He requested it?”
“Yes, many of us were invited to stay. Well, to be honest, it’s almost a bit of a command. I don’t think I could leave if I wanted to, but I’m having such a fun time sizing up all the men at court, I don’t mind one bit.”
A command.
A thought strikes me. “Rhoda, were you in the palace on the night the king’s parents were murdered?”
Sadness shadows her features. “Yes, oh, it was a horrible night.”
“And Hestia was here, too? And Leandros?”
She thinks. “I believe so.”
“And he’s commanded you all to stay at court? He’s commanded everyone here to stay at court?”
She looks up at me suddenly. “Oh, you think—”
“Yes.”
The Shadow King is trying to root out his parents’ murderer. He’s invited everyone who was there the night they died to stay at the palace. He’sorderedtheir indefinite stay so he can keep an eye on them and find the culprit.
But that can’t be why I’m here. I wasn’t here when his parents died. And according to Leandros, the king doesn’t let anyone get close to him. All his social interactions are elusive at best.
So why has he invited me to stay at the palace? Can it truly be simply because my plan is working?
I ponder this as I finish the hem on the skirt I’m working on. I’m fashioning something new, a skirt that hangs down to the floor in the back but rises to above midthigh in the front. I will, of course, be wearing tight pants underneath the outfit. I don’t think even the king could avoid kicking me out of court if I showed off my legs outright.
The finished product is even better than I imagined, but I need to fashion a top to match, and I haven’t thought of the design for that yet. I’d hoped the skirt would inspire me. I hang the garment in my wardrobe for now.
The note arrives just as my stomach grumbles for supper.
My dear Lady Stathos,
I’d be honored to have you join me for dinner tonight.
—KM
ANOTHER SERVANT LEADS MEthrough the palace. I take careful note of all the turns and staircases, trying to acquire a mental map of the place in which I’m now living. Eventually I’m taken through a doorway and led into a large room. I was expecting a parlor, but this is a library. Books span shelves that reach clear up to the twenty-foot ceiling. As far as I can tell, not a speck of dust coats a single tome, despite how old some of them look.
A fire has already been built into the hearth on one wall, and tworather large armchairs stretch out before it, one on either side of a short table. Tea has already been laid out.
The servant holds out one of the chairs for me, and I sit.
“His Majesty will be just a moment.” And with a bow, he leaves me alone in the room.
At a hint of movement on the floor, I snap my neck in that direction. What I’d written off as a fur rug placed between the table and the fireplace, I now realize is Demodocus.
“Hello again,” I say.
Demodocus cracks open one eye for a brief second before resuming his nap in front of the fire.
“Had a busy day, did you? All that fetching got the better of you, I suppose.”
Demodocus rolls over, putting his back to me.
