Page 57 of The Book of Heartbreak
Fate belongs to victors.
Excerpt from The Book of Betrayal, Müneccimbasi Sufi Chelebi’s Journals of Mystical Phenomena
It’s a balmy September morning when Leon asks me to come to Peru with him again.
We’re already planning a trip to the UK, paddling through the bureaucratic swamp of his tourist visa application.
We filled out what feels like a thousand pages of forms, so that I can show him what life in Cambridge was like for me – the cobbled streets, the timeless buildings of the university, the riverbanks where I used to sit all alone.
But more importantly, I need to visit Mum’s grave and lay flowers there, finally, without the weight of the curse pressing down on me.
‘There’s nothing to keep us here,’ Leon says, as if I need convincing. ‘And I wrote to the master in Puerto Maldonado. I told him about you and your five encounters with Death.’
‘You did not,’ I tease him. ‘Did you?’
Across the sea, the Maiden’s Tower stands bright under the morning sun. I might be imagining it, but since the curse has been broken, the gulls seem to cruise more lazily around it, contrary to their usual aggressive, whirling dances.
‘You’re one of a kind, Silverbirch.’ Leon pulls me close. ‘The girl who cheated death five times.’
‘I wouldn’t necessarily call it cheating,’ I say, enjoying the quickening of my heart. ‘I had some help.’
The truth about my parentage didn’t stay a secret between us for too long.
Perhaps one day I’ll forget him, but Five’s shadow still lives in mine, as I too have been blessed – or stained – by a pure eye.
It turns out Leon wasn’t imagining the glow he claimed to see around me.
My presence has a strange effect, amplifying both his and Harika’s abilities.
A ‘catalyst’ they call me. A half-celestial with a human heart.
Perhaps there’s much more about myself I’m yet to discover.
‘I bet you’ll be a master one day,’ Leon says. ‘And teach people how to make bargains with Death.’
I laugh. ‘I hope not.’
‘Come with me to Peru,’ he says.
I consider it, my cheeks flushing with sun rays and the excitement of his company.
‘I’m not sure about Bocek, but Azmi will miss me dearly,’ I say at last.
‘That isn’t the right answer.’ He leans down and whispers in my ear. ‘Say yes.’
I study his face, his faint freckles, his bright dark eyes, his high cheekbones. Good fortune must be loving someone without fear. And finally, for the first time in my life, I feel lucky.
‘You’re so beautiful,’ I tell him. ‘I can’t believe you’re mine.’
‘I guess I can accept “beautiful” as yes too?’ He mocks me.
‘Yes.’ I nod. ‘I’ll come to Peru. I’ll go wherever you go.’
He turns me around in his arms, and we almost collide with a dog-walker who tuts at us disapprovingly.
‘But I have one condition.’ I pause. ‘You must promise me – if it’s anything less than what we have here, I don’t care what your master says, we’ll come back.’
He turns to look at the Bosphorus, the sea, the Maiden’s Tower, and the Istanbul skyline beyond.
‘I promise,’ he says. ‘I love you.’
‘I love you,’ I reply.
And I’m no longer scared.
Communication is classified as Highly Confidential.
Circulation strictly limited to beings of celestial origins.
Subject: A Divine Thank You
Date: 17 September 2025
From : Grey the Compassionate, Head of Curse Assessment and Remediation Panel, Prayer Response and Fulfilment Division, Fate Adjustment Bureau, Mortal Affairs Commission
To : Fate Adjustment Bureau – ALL Angels
CC: Archangel Absolute, Head of Mortal Affairs Commission
Dearest and Holiest Angel superiors,
I pen this missive with my new halo brimming with gratitude.
Thanks to your legacy of neglect and your unparalleled commitment to ignoring the mortals most in need of our grace, I have been fortunate to address such celestial oversights, thereby earning the prestigious Divine Excellence Award.
This honour elevated my position within our sacred hierarchy, and I have only you to thank for my promotions and the blessing of a halo!
I want to repeat what I profoundly believe: you save just one mortal, and you change the world and the realms beyond it.
With sincere appreciation and celestial camaraderie,
Grey the Compassionate
Doctorate of Angelic Scholarship (Hons)
The Esteemed Winner of the Divine Excellence Award