Page 53 of The Shadows Between Us
Up ahead, the room slopes gently downward, allowing us a view of the scene in the middle: Two men face each other, bouncing on the toes of their bare feet, their sleeves rolled up to their elbows, sweat dripping down their faces.
Coins exchange hands, girls walk about with cups atop trays, men and women shout to the challengers, booing and cheering.
“Let’s get closer,” Leandros says, ushering me toward an empty table. We sit, and a girl dressed similarly to me comes forward, asking if we’d like anything to eat or drink.
“An ale for me,” Leandros says, before looking at me.
“I’ll have the same.” Why not? Just because I have a taste for fine wines doesn’t mean I can’t sample something simpler now and then.
We turn our heads to the scene below, just in time to see the bigger contender catch the smaller one in the chin with a vicious uppercut. The one who was hit flies backward, crashing to the wood floor with an audiblethump. The crowd explodes with a mixture of cheers and groans.
The barmaid returns with our drinks, plopping one down before each of us. Leandros brings the mug to his lips, downing half the contents in one go.
Not to be outdone, I raise my own cup to my lips, trying not to taste the vulgar liquid as it streams down my throat. Bitter and watered down, it’s positively disgusting, but it leaves a warmth in my belly. I drain the whole cup before tossing it back on the table.
“I knew you would appreciate this place,” Leandros says. “You play the dignified daughter of the nobility well, but just under the skin there’s a girl waiting to have some fun.”
My grin isn’t forced. “How often do you come here?”
“Not nearly often enough. My uncle expects a lot of me. If he ever knew I were here—” He cuts off with a shudder.
I let out an unladylike grunt. “No talk of responsibilities tonight. Responsibility is why Kallias claims he can’t spend any time with me. Utter nonsense. If anyone can make anything happen, it’s the king. If he wants a less busy schedule, he should command it.”
“If anyone can bring him out of his shell, it’s you. Give it time. And if he doesn’t ever come around, well, there’s always me.”
Leandros’s cup is now empty as well, and he raises two fingers to the barmaid. Another especially loud exclamation sounds from the crowd as the brutish contender fouls another foe.
“I have to marry a wealthy man,” I say. “My father is greedy, and he won’t let me have anything less.” Oh, wait. No, I suppose that’s not true anymore, is it? In the midst of all the things that aren’t going my way right now, I forgot my father and his situation are no longer a problem.
“Lucky for you, I’m disgustingly rich,” Leandros says.
“And you’re content with being a consolation prize?”
“You get used to it when living in the palace with the king.”
I fold my arms. “I was under the impression that the king didn’t show an interest in any ladies before I came to court.”
“He doesn’t have to. They still want him and have to settle for me. But I’m sure you won’t have that problem.”
The second glass of ale is placed before me. This one manages to taste better than the first.
“He won’t break his rules,” I say. “Not even for me.” The ale must be freeing my tongue a bit, but I can’t seem to care too much.
“The no-touching is a problem?”
I hide my face behind my glass. “Women have needs just as much as men do.”
Leandros’s teeth show as he raises his cup. “Perhaps he only needs you to make the first move.”
“And end up at the gallows? I think not.”
“Then you will have to find someone else to satisfy those needs. At least in the meantime.”
“You’d like that, wouldn’t you?”
“I am a man of base interests. Ale. Sport. Sex. I have want of nothing else.”
“I can’t imagine why you don’t already have a lady of your own.”
