Page 30 of A City of Hearts and Feathers (The Order of Anubis #1)
CHAPTER THIRTY
A rslan found them as soon as they stepped into the main chapel of the Order. Zoe had her clothing bag in one hand and her book restoring kit and bag of folios in the other. She didn't like leaving the bookstore. It felt like a retreat somehow. She didn't complain though, not after dealing with Lydia. The Order had more than just Kahil to ensure that she was protected.
"Zoe, my darling, I have been waiting for you," Arslan greeted. He gestured to Kahil. "Take her luggage away. Zoe is coming with me to the library."
"Did you two plan this ahead?" Kahil asked, taking Zoe's bag.
Zoe patted his arm. "No, but great minds think alike. I was actually hoping you would have a spare study desk in the library that I can use to put the codex together."
"You found the final piece?" Arslan said, face lighting up. "That's excellent news. Yes, of course we can find room for you. Kahil can keep himself busy."
"Can he?" the man in question said.
Zoe rose up on tiptoes and kissed his cheek. "Find me later." Kahil grumbled but didn't bother to try and stop them.
Arslan took her kit to carry for her and led her through an office at the back of the chapel.
"No going behind the statue of Anubis this time?" Zoe asked, making Arslan laugh.
"Kahil wanted to be dramatic. The truth is there are many ways in and out of the cisterns." Arslan opened a door at the back of the small office and flicked a switch. Lanterns flickered on, illuminating a staircase leading down.
"Can I ask why put so much underground?" Zoe said as she followed him.
"Istanbul has never been the most politically stable of cities. I wanted to ensure that if the top of the Order was destroyed, the true treasures would be kept safe," Arslan replied. "And we have more room to spread out down here."
"How long have you lived here?" she asked him.
Arslan smiled at her over his shoulder. "Too long."
Zoe took the hint and didn't press him for more details. They entered the main cistern from the opposite side than she had last time. She was glad Arslan was with her, or she would have been hopelessly lost in moments. Other Order members looked at her curiously, but none approached her.
"Why are they staring at me?" she whispered.
"You are the new Kartal. They can't help but be curious. Not only are you going to be the one to deal with the famous Sais Codex, but they also know Kahil is sweet on you."
Zoe's neck burned hot. "How do they know that? And why would they care?"
"The gossip in this city is ridiculous. They know about how overprotective Kahil has been with you as well. He's always kept to himself and been very private about any casual affairs he's had," Arslan explained, leading her through another archway and wooden boardwalk. The pillars in this section of the cisterns were carved with Medusa faces and shedu to ward off evil spirits. "He's in love with you, and that shocks them."
"He's what?" Zoe's foot snagged on a carpet, and she had to grab a wooden railing to stop herself from falling.
Arslan laughed. "You are surprised to hear it? I thought it was obvious."
"He hasn't said anything like that."
Arslan's golden eyes glittered with mischief. "Not to you. He'll build up the courage eventually. It's nothing to be worried about. He's doing the polite thing and letting you come to your own conclusions. Ah, here we are. Welcome to the library, or the Underworld, as we refer to it."
Zoe was still caught up on Kahil being in love with her, so to suddenly find herself standing amongst books almost sent her sprawling again. There was no water flowing in this area, but the same wooden walkways wound up to higher shelves. Rows upon rows of shelves were crowded with leatherbound tomes, jars, scrolls, and artifacts.
Zoe's hand rested on the stone wall, her breath gone from her lungs. There had to be millions of books in that one room. The domed roof above her was a dazzling Byzantine mosaic of male and female figures sitting upon thrones.
"Who are they all?" she asked, staring up.
"They are the guardians of the underworld from multiple mythologies. Some are coupled, some are not. All are judges of the soul," he replied, pointing at the one over the doorway. "Here we have Anubis and his consort Anput. Working in a clockwise direction, there is Hades and Persephone, Christ and Sophia, Erishkigal and Nergal, Hel, Serapis, Dharmaraja, Rashnu…"
Zoe stared in wonder as he named them. It was beautiful, but all their eyes on her made the hair on her arms rise. "They are rather intimidating, aren't they?"
Arslan chuckled. "Only to those scared of dying. I find the gods having their eyes on me rather comforting to be honest. This way." He started walking through the shelves, and Zoe had to hurry to catch up so she didn't get distracted.
They went into another cavernous hall, and this time the murals had changed to gods of knowledge and writing. On the mosaic above her read, "As Above, so Below" next to Hermes and Thoth. She reluctantly tore her eyes away, otherwise she would have been there for hours.
Arslan showed her to an area of study nooks. A few other Order members were there, engrossed in piles of their own research.
"Here we are. Will this be a big enough space for you to work at?" Arslan said, gesturing to a table and placing her kit down on it.
"Yes, thank you." Zoe took out the red leather folders and placed them in a stack. "I was going to ask your thoughts on the preservation enchantment my father placed on these covers. Is there a way to keep the magic on them?"
Arslan picked up the top folio. It was the one they had found at the bathhouse and was far too big for the half an inch of papyrus that was inside of it. Zoe figured it was the cover Oman had made for the completed book.
"I can feel it, but it's not a preservation spell that I am familiar with. It feels like your uncle Zeki's work. Why don't you ask him to look at it once it's all bound back together?" Arslan suggested.
"I will. If he helped baba , I don't see why he wouldn't help me." Zoe nodded at the pile of folios. "I'd let you read it if you wanted to."
"I know, darling, but it's not the time for that. I fear the alchemist in me would get too curious and not be able to part with it. Better to stay away from temptation, don't you think?" Arslan replied with a fond smile. "Thank you for the offer. I'm going to be working in this section over here if you need anything."
"Thank you, Arslan. For everything," Zoe replied, pulling up a chair.
"You're welcome, little one." Arslan headed off into the stacks, leaving her alone with the pile of work in front of her.
Zoe put on her work gloves and opened the first folio. She couldn't read the book, but she figured Oman would have hidden the pieces in the order which they went in. She pulled out her tools, setting them up in their proper place for when she needed them. Her hand paused on the replica book that had been with her jewelry box.She had forgotten about it in all the excitement of the past few days. She put it to one side. She didn't know what to do with it either.
Zoe rummaged in her bag until she found her phone and was surprised she had any reception at all. It was just another miraculous thing about the Order. She found her conversation with Azize and typed out a message.
Zoe: Could you ask your dad if he helped baba with preservation spells on red leather covers? If yes, can you see if he would be willing to help me with something similar?
Zoe didn't wait long before her phone vibrated again.
Azi: He said yes, and how does tomorrow lunchtime sound? Can you come by the shop? All his tools are there. P.S. I am also working that day, and you can tell me all about Kahil. P.P.S Bring Kahil so I can tease him about finally getting laid.
Zoe: You got a deal .
She laughed softly at her cousin's enthusiasm. Maybe she needed to talk to Azize about her feelings for Kahil. They had said a few things the previous night, but Arslan's comment about Kahil being in love with her had thrown her off balance again.
Zoe blew out a long breath and pushed all other thoughts away but the pages in front of her. This was always her quiet, safe place. She picked up her tools and hoped that by the time she was done, she would finally have a plan on what to do with the codex.