Page 52 of The Shadows Between Us
I step onto his cupped hands and swing one leg over the horse. The fabric of my skirt rises up my legs, and Leandros helps to right it, positioning the material so I’m covered.
But as he does so, a finger brushes my bare calf.
I draw in a breath. It’s been weeks since I’ve been touched. Longer than I’ve gone in years.
“Forgive me,” he says. “I didn’t mean—”
“No need,” I say. “Lead on. I’m ready for this promised entertainment.”
Leandros leaps onto his own horse. “Then let’s be off.”
Down stone-paved lanes and past candlelit lanterns we travel, Leandros’s horse ahead of mine. We curve down the streets of the mountain, layer after layer of quiet neighborhoods, run-down inns, and even a bawdy house.
There aren’t many out on the streets, not this late at night when it’s far too dark for the merchants to sell their wares. Part of me feels guiltier and guiltier the farther we travel from the palace, as though I’m abandoning my entire purpose. But that’s not so. I need a night out. An escape. And tonight is not without its purpose.
“Tell me,” I say as the horses turn onto another road. “What were you like as a younger man?”
“Ignorant. Hopeful. Carefree.”
“More carefree than you are now?”
He grins, his teeth shining in the moonlight. “A great deal more.”
“You were friends with the future king. What sort of mischief did the two of you get up to?” I hope the question is a good transition, hiding the fact that I’m hungry for information about Kallias.
He thinks a moment. “We once caught frogs from the lake and put them in his tutor’s bed.”
“I’m sure she deserved it.”
“She had a dreadfully stoic voice, and Kallias wondered if he could do anything to prompt a change in the tone.”
I laugh. “And you were all too eager to help him.”
“He was my only friend for a while. We did so much together. Fencing. Riding. Gaming. Kallias loves competition. He loves winning. But then, what man doesn’t?”
“Whatpersondoesn’t?” I amend for him.
“Do you love competition, Alessandra?”
“Of course.”
“Good. Now I’m even more convinced you will enjoy tonight’s entertainment.”
We come to a stop at an unassuming building, all straight walls and quiet darkness. Leandros ties the horses to a nearby post. I fear they might not still be there when we return, but I’m not about to let that ruin the evening.
Somehow, Leandros finds a staircase. I suppose one must know to look for it in order to find it. He takes my arm and leads me downward, until we’re encased in blackness, unable to see a thing.
“I should tell you, I told my maids who I went out with tonight. If I don’t return, they’ll know you murdered me.”
I can hear his smile in the dark. “You won’t be dying at my hands. It’s only a little farther.”
A creak of hinges and rush of air later, we enter through a basement door. A lonely torch sends a flicker of light about the corridor. Distantly, I hear the low rumble of what might be shouting.
As we traverse the new corridor, Leandros says, “Whatever you do, stay close to me the entire time.”
We round a corner, travel down a smaller set of stairs, and then finally—finally—we plunge into a doorway spilling out light and noise and the stench of ale.
“Boxing?” I say when I take in the scene before me.
