Page 13 of A City of Hearts and Feathers (The Order of Anubis #1)

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Z oe forgot that she had someone in her home until she went into the bathroom the following morning and found bottles of product that weren't her own. They smelled like spice and male, and there was a lingering smell of cedar, frankincense, and black pepper. It was the kind of scent that made a very female part of her sit up and take notice.

It was still taking notice an hour later when Zoe was stuck in a cab next to Kahil's bulk. They were heading to the Grand Bazaar as he had promised, and Zoe tried not to worry about what the day would bring.

"You are suspiciously quiet this morning," Kahil teased, his curls blowing in the salty breeze. They were crossing the Galata Bridge, where men with tall poles were still fishing the morning tides and gossiping together.

"I'm not a great morning person in general," Zoe admitted. She couldn't see Kahil's eyes behind his aviators, but she could feel the amusement radiating off him.

"You don't say. I didn't notice from your grunts this morning."

Zoe stuck her middle finger up at him. "It's been a weird couple of days, okay? I don't think my brain has fully caught up with everything yet."

"It's better to just roll with it, Zoe." He pointed out at the churning blue sea. "Go with the tide."

Zoe sighed. It was a beautiful sight. She loved the water, and it was nice to be living so close to it again. "Yeah, that's not really how I operate. I'm a 'stick to routine, control my environment' sort of person."

"You are doing fine, Zoe. I think your body remembers the magic in your old life, even if your mind doesn't." Kahil toyed with her earring playfully. "As long as I'm around to guide you, nothing is going to mess with you, baby."

Zoe pushed his hand away. "If you say so, Virgil."

Kahil's laughter filled the cab, making her smile. He said something to the cab driver in Turkish and relaxed back into his seat. "I'll make sure he drops us off the right entryway into the Bazaar. Otherwise, everyone hocking cheap jewelry and crap tourist trinkets will try and get you to buy something."

"You think you will be able to find the shop easily? There're thousands of shops in the Bazaar," she said, looking at the picture on her phone that she had taken of her father's organizer entry.

"There's a method to the madness that is the Bazaar. I'll find the shop, don't worry," he assured her.

Despite Zoe's teasing about Kahil being her guide, she was glad to have him once they arrived at the Bazaar itself. The place was packed with shoppers and groups of rowdy tourists. Outside the arched way leading into the Bazaar were food carts selling roasted nuts, grilled corn, and piles of baked simit. It was loud, overwhelming chaos.

Zoe moved behind Kahil automatically to use him as a human shield. Kahil pushed his glasses on the top of his head as they entered the enclosed alleyways. It was brightly lit with white painted walls and filled with the noise of people shopping and bargaining.

"Don't get lost," Kahil said, taking her hand before leading her through the crowds. The stall attendants seemed to take one look at him and not bother to try to sell him anything.

"They know you around here?" she asked.

"Some of them do, but most can recognize if you are a wide-eyed tourist or not," Kahil replied.

Zoe followed him until they were out of the initial crush of crowds and in a whole different section of the Bazaar. It felt and looked older, with less touristy merchandise and more items that were meant for the locals.

"Here it is," Kahil said, pulling up in front of a carpet shop that was barely a doorway. There was a sign hanging in the window that said they imported from local and Egyptian sources written in English, Turkish, and Arabic. "Let me go in first and make sure it's safe."

Zoe dropped her grip on his hand and followed him inside. The shop was tiny and had beautiful carpets and other textiles covering the walls and rolled into corners in stacks. A grizzled, bald man sat behind a counter, reading a paper. He took one look at Kahil and spilled his tea.

"Whatever you are here for, I didn't do it, Mister Reis," the man said quickly.

"Are you Hasan?" Kahil asked.

"I am, sir. What is this about?"

Kahil moved out of the way to reveal Zoe standing behind him. Hasan's dark eyes went wide behind his smudged spectacles.

"This cannot be Oman's sweet baby daughter," Hasan said, his face craking into a wide smile.

"Hello. I'm here because—" Zoe began, but Hasan waved her quiet.

"Don't worry. I know what you're here for. Let me go and find it. Have a look around, hmm? I'll do you a good price on anything that catches your eye." Hasan opened the door to a storeroom and disappeared inside of it.

"You don't think baba left the rest of the codex with him, do you?" Zoe asked.

Kahil shook his head. "Not a chance. If Hasan knew he had part of the codex, he would've sold it by now just to get it out of here."

The man in question appeared again, carrying a package wrapped in brown paper. Kahil took one look at it and moved Zoe behind him again.

"What is it? What's wrong?" she asked.

"I don't know, but it's got an enchantment on it," Kahil replied.

Hasan clucked his tongue. "It's harmless. It only makes sure that this goes to Zoe and no one else. Oman wanted it to be a surprise for her. He paid me to look after it. I just didn't think it was going to take twenty years for you to come and collect it. I've been dying to know what's inside of it."

Kahil passed the package to Zoe. "Did you do a lot of work with Oman?"

"Of course. He would sometimes have items delivered to my warehouse in Cairo, and I would ship them in with some of my stock," Hasan replied. He held his hands up. "Nothing illegal like artefacts, I swear. Just old books and a few boxes of other things. I didn't bother looking. Oman wasn't the type to try and move anything illegal."

Zoe placed the package on the counter and unwrapped the brown paper. Inside was a beautiful wooden jewelry box, inlaid with slivers of mother of pearl in a pretty spiral design. There was also a burgundy leather folio. Zoe didn't dare open it in front of Hasan.

"Ah, a book and a trinket. I should have known," Hasan said with a frown. "It's a bit disappointing. I thought it would be some kind of rare manuscript or treasure with that enchantment on it."

"My father loved creating treasure hunts for my birthday when I was a child," Zoe lied smoothly, not liking the gleam that was still in Hasan's eyes. "It's a rare treasure to me because it came from him."

"I understand. Oman was a good man and a better friend. You must miss him. I'm glad there is a Kartal back in the bookstore. It has been empty for too long. If you ever need anything imported, Zoe, please come and see me," Hasan said, passing her a business card.

"Thank you, Hasan. I will," she said. She accepted a shopping bag from him to put the folio and jewelry box inside of. She couldn't wait to get home and figure out what was inside the folio. Would it be another part of the codex? Or something else altogether?

"Zoe, can you wait for me outside for a moment? I need to ask Hasan a few things," Kahil said. He was looking about the shop suspiciously. Zoe gave Hasan a goodbye smile before stepping back out into the Bazaar.

What puzzles did you leave me this time, baba? She clutched the bag closer to her chest, her mind whirling.

Zoe was suddenly feeling too hot, the Bazaar stifling her with people and noise. She walked over to one of the water fountains and wet her hands before placing them on the back of her neck.

Music tinkled through the throngs of people, and Zoe's head tilted towards the sound. It was sweet and lilting like a lullaby, something she'd heard in her childhood and found instantly comforting. She followed the sound, trying to find who was playing it.

Zoe moved through the crowd until she came to another archway leading outside. A woman was playing the guitar, and Zoe stopped to watch her pluck and strum. A man who had been leaning against the hood of a nearby cab came over to her.

"You look like you have had a hard day. Why don't you let me take you home?" he said with a warm smile.

"Okay," Zoe replied, the song still vibrating inside of her. She slipped into the back seat of the cab. She did want to go home, and the man seemed so nice to offer to take her.

"Are you enjoying being back in Istanbul?" the driver asked, his eyes looking in the review mirror at her.

"I really am. I love this city. I hated leaving it," Zoe said. The tune of the song was fading from her mind, and she fought to cling to it.

"Have you found the codex yet, Zoe? We are very interested in taking it off your hands. Such dangerous books like that really should be in the hands of the light, don't you think?" he asked, his eyes flashing orange in the mirror.

Ice cold fear dumped down Zoe's spine. The song was gone, and she was stuck in a cab. Where was Kahil?

"Where are you taking me?" she demanded, trying to open the window and the door. Locked. They were heading for the Galata Bridge again, the heavy lunch time traffic grinding them to a halt halfway.

"There's no need for you to be afraid, Zoe. I'm one of the good guys," he assured her. "I'm going to take you to talk to my boss. She is so lovely. You will like her. We aren't going to force you to give us the book. She only wants a chance to speak with you."

"So she decided to kidnap me? You could have come by the shop and made an appointment!" Zoe tried to wave at the driver in the car next to them. They looked straight through her. She pulled on the cab's other door handle, panic drowning her. "Let me out. Don't do this!

"We aren't going to hurt you. Just relax," the driver said, putting the car in gear as the traffic started to move and began crossing the Galata Bridge.

Zoe dug in her bag for her phone, but the screen was dead. She needed to make a plan to get away as soon as the cab stopped again.

"If you let me go, I promise to meet with your boss at her earliest convenience. You don't have to kidnap me. I don't even have the codex!" she argued, banging on the thick plastic separating her from the driver.

"You know more than what you are saying. Don't worry, we will?—"

A motorbike roared around the cab and stopped on the bridge in front of them. The driver hit his breaks, and Zoe slammed back in the seats. Kahil got off the bike, walked over to the back door, and yanked it clean off its hinges. Zoe scrambled out of the seat, letting Kahil pull her close. "Stay behind me."

Zoe nodded, and Kahil went around to the driver's door, and pulled the cursing driver out by his throat.

"Did you not see the fucking mark on her forehead stating that she belongs to me?" Kahil snarled in the driver's face.

"We weren't going to hurt her, I swear! We just want to talk to her," the man said, clawing at Kahil's grip.

"That mark says you are to go through the Order for any requests, or do you not remember the fucking laws of this city? Everyone seems to be breaking the rules at the moment, and I've had enough," Kahil snarled.

"Let me go or my master will?—"

"Will what? Because I would like to give her a lesson in diplomacy too right now." Kahil pulled the man up onto his toes. "Tell Lydia to go through proper channels and to never touch my things again, or I will pay her a visit she won't enjoy."

With that, Kahil threw the shouting man over the side of the railing and into the churning Bosporus below. Zoe's knees turned to jelly as her furious protector turned on her.

Car horns blared, and people shouted at them to move. Kahil ignored them all, grabbing Zoe by the hand and leading her to the stolen motorbike.

"Get on," he said, hot anger still lacing his voice. Zoe climbed onto the seat behind him and wrapped her shaking arms around him.

"Thank you," she whispered against his jacket, her words lost in the wind as they roared away.