Chapter Thirty-Three: The Line Between Us

The afternoon sun slanted across the polished stone streets, casting long shadows between the rows of stalls and towering buildings. The market was lively but too clean, the air humming with quiet conversations, hushed trades, and the occasional clink of coins against marble counters.

Landon and Skye stood near the fringes, the tension between them tangible, electric.

They had barely spoken since Skye's little revelation—his not-so-subtle reminder that he knew things about Tara that Landon didn't.

That he had seen her past.

That he had seen her become.

And Landon hated that.

The two of them weren't friends.

Not enemies, exactly, but something close to it.

Opposing forces circling the same sun.

Neither of them had ever really liked the other.

And that was fine.

Because liking each other had never been the point.

Survival had.

⸻

Shade Territory was never silent.

It wasn't like Middle Order, where the city was kept under tight control, where the streets were washed and polished, where law was upheld in broad daylight.

Shade Territory was restless.

Everywhere you turned, there were whispers of rebellion. Deals made in the dark. The clinking of knives, not coins. The city moved like a beast with too many limbs, too many secrets.

Landon had been too clean, too neat, too obvious when he first arrived.

He had tried to blend in, but he stood out like fresh ink on an old page.

And Skye had noticed.

That first night, Skye had watched him fight.

Watched the way he held back.

Watched the way he didn't kill when he had the chance.

And that had told him everything he needed to know.

Landon wasn't like the rest of them.

He wasn't just another Shade.

He had something to lose.

Something he was hiding.

And Skye didn't trust people who had something to lose.

Landon had noticed him long before they ever spoke.

He had seen Skye watching. Assessing. Calculating.

And Landon knew exactly what he was.

Powerful. Dangerous. Otherworldly.

He didn't know how or why, but he had felt it the first time their eyes met.

Like a flicker of static, crawling beneath his skin.

And he had hated it.

Because he didn't know what Skye wanted.

And if there was anything Landon had learned about surviving in Shade Territory, it was that everyone wanted something.

⸻

Back in the Market

Landon exhaled sharply, dragging a hand down his face.

Now wasn't the time for this.

He glanced at Skye, who was watching him with that same unreadable expression, dark eyes sharp beneath the hood of his jacket.

"You want to say something?" Landon muttered.

Skye's lips quirked slightly. "Not particularly."

Landon ground his teeth.

Asshole.

"You've been acting strange," Skye mused. "Since we got here."

Landon folded his arms. "And you haven't?"

Skye's gaze flickered.

Landon noticed the way his fingers twitched, like he was holding back something, like he wasn't quite as collected as he wanted to appear.

Good.

That meant he wasn't the only one losing his mind.

"Something about this place bothers you," Skye murmured.

Landon's jaw clenched. "It should bother you too."

Skye smirked. "Oh, it does."

He glanced toward the towering government buildings in the distance, the pristine banners of the Grand Convocation waving in the wind.

"I just hide it better."

Landon's fingers curled into his sleeves.

He hated the way Skye got under his skin.

Hated the way he picked apart his thoughts before he could even say them.

Hated the way he saw things Landon tried to bury.

He hated a lot of things about Skye.

But most of all—

He hated the way he saw Tara.

Saw her power.

Saw her becoming something bigger than either of them.

Landon had always wanted to protect her.

And Skye just wanted to set her free.

And Landon wasn't sure which of them was right.

"You two done?"

A voice broke the moment like shattered glass.

Lottie.

She was standing a few paces away, arms crossed, her expression flat and unimpressed.

Beside her, Ballad snorted, shooting them both a knowing look. "Honestly, I thought you two were about to start making out."

Landon visibly recoiled.

Skye just smirked.

Lottie sighed. "Come on, geniuses. The Ordies are gone. We need to meet up with the others."

Landon shook his head, trying to shake off the lingering thoughts.

Skye didn't move immediately.

His gaze lingered on the city around them.

The stillness.

The way the market seemed too calm—like something was waiting to happen.

Then, the whispering started.

Ballad picked up on it first, her expression turning sharp.

Lottie frowned. "What are they saying?"

Ballad leaned in, listening.

A beat.

Then—her expression twisted.

"They're saying Bailon's making a big announcement."

Landon stiffened. "When?"

Ballad's lips parted slightly.

"Midnight."

The words settled over them like a heavy fog.

Skye glanced toward the center of the city, toward the looming structures of power.

Something was happening.

Something big.

And if Bailon was making an announcement—it wasn't just for show.

It was a warning.

Landon adjusted his rifle strap.

"We need to tell the others."

Ballad nodded, her usual smirk fading.

Lottie shot one last glance at the thinning market crowd before following them into the shadows.

And Skye—

Skye looked back.

At the city.

At the place that had been built to control people like him.

Like Tara.

He felt something stir inside him.

Something deep.

Something old.

The game had already begun.

And Bailon thought he was playing alone.