The Dark Bazaar_Division 8

by Melanie Karsak

  The courtyard outside the Blue Mosque was eerily quiet. I was confused. Humans were permitted to leave the zone during the day. The mosque, in its wondrous splendor, had still drawn people for prayer. I had thought I might find Mehmet, the human leader, here. I looked up at the sun. It was between prayer times, but still, there was no one around. Didn’t the humans come to this mosque anymore?

  I crossed the empty courtyard. My footsteps echoed across the space.

  When I reached the entrance of the mosque, I slipped off my boots, pulled up my hood, and headed inside. The place was deserted.

  As always, the beauty of the structure took my breath away. The tiled walls in flowers and geometrical designs, a vast array of blue colors reflected in the sun, through the glass, and under the blue hued light of the dome, made the entire place sparkle. A blue hue engulfed everything. The chandeliers which used to illuminate the place now hung unlit. Only the sun embellished the gold tiles on the walls.

  Reaching out with my senses, I felt for anyone around me. But there was no one. The place was eerily quiet. There was no one nearby. Not vampire, not human, not witch. But still, I had the odd sense of eyes on me.

  Exhaling deeply, I took one last look at the beautiful structure. I thought about the hands that hand painted each blue tile. I thought about the thousand prayers that had once filled the space. Memories of a different world, echoes of a different time, haunted the place.

  The odd sense of being watched did not leave me. Maybe I’d been wrong to come into such a holy place.

  I had turned to go when a presence brushed past my senses.

  Love.

  The soft word echoed through my mind.

  I turned and looked around. There was no one there.

  Trembling, I went back to the entrance of the Blue Mosque and slipped my boots back on. I look back inside the holy place. Illuminated in blue, it was a splendor unlike any other.

  Love.

  Again the word crossed through my mind. My own thought or something else, I wasn’t sure. But with love in my mind, I turned and headed to the human zone. And with love on my mind, it was only natural that every thought I had along the way was about Aydin.

  Chapter 6

  When I arrived at the human zone, the gate was open but guarded. A few people milled around the entrance. It wouldn’t serve me to walk through the crowd in the blue robes of the Order of Umay. Once more, I called upon the mask of the red-haired human girl. In that guise, I passed through the gates. The guards eyed me over but waved me through. On the hill nearby was the fortress of Yedikule. Inside, I hoped to find Mehmet the Wise. But if I was going to meet the human leader, I was going to need a little help. Or, at least, that’s the excuse I told myself.

  I turned and headed in the direction of Aydin’s home.

  On the way there, I found myself passing a morning bazaar. My eyes nearly bulged from their sockets when I saw the bounty of food for sale. At the order, we barely survived on porridge and meager rations. The humans had food. Lots of it. Moving tepidly, trying to wipe the stupid shocked expression off my face, I walked through the bazaar.

  “Abla, some simit for you?” one of the vendors called. The freshly baked simit, which he’d been baking in a clay stove behind his stall, had a gold crust. The round bread, open in the middle, and was covered with toasted sesame seeds.

  “Two, please,” I said.

  The boy wrapped up the rounds of bread and handed them to me.

  In exchange, I placed two coins in his hand.

  The boy looked at the coins then at me, an annoyed expression on his face. I was sure I had paid him the right amount. He pocketed the coins, still looking sour, then called to someone else, ignoring me.

  Shrugging off the odd encounter, I tore off a bite of the bread and popped it into my mouth. The inside was warm and doughy. The crust, slightly salty from the seeds, was crunchy and delicious.

  As I walked through the bazaar, my mouth watered at the cheeses, olives, and fruits. Rows of red tomatoes, purple eggplants, and ropes of garlic were on display. As I made my way through the bazaar, I noticed that the humans were using different coins from mine. Their coins shimmered bronze whereas mine were made of silver. I frowned. When had the humans changed their currency? And why?

  “Abla, abla,” a lady called. “Sweets for you?”

  I looked over her lokum—Turkish delight. The woman offered row after row of the sweet candies in a rainbow of pink, green, yellow, and mellow orange. I couldn’t remember the last time I had tasted the sweets. Where had she gotten all the nuts, orange peel, and other ingredients?”

  “Half a kilo. These, please,” I said, pointing to a row made with pistachio. She bundled up the pack for me. I dipped into my pocket for my coins, casting an enchantment on them. I would pay her price, but it seemed to me that witches’ silver must have been the problem for the baker. I would have to ask Aydin what had happened. The enchantment I used gave my coins a bronze sheen. I handed her the coins, took the package of sweets, and then headed up the hill toward Aydin’s apartment building. I arrived after a short walk.

  The complex was three stories tall and housed six families. Aydin’s home—which I’d visited twice in the last month—was on the first floor. The garden outside his window was alive with flowers. Roses of red, pink, yellow, and white covered the walls and an arbor, and filled the air with their sweet scent. From his open window, I heard Aydin singing. The song was sorrowful. The sad tones caught me by surprise. I cast a glance around me then twitched my fingers, summoning some rose petals into reach. With a wave of my hand, I sent the petals dancing on the wind. The red rose petals drifted on a soft breeze through the window, a swirl of magical golden light surrounding them.

  Aydin continued singing for a moment then suddenly went silent.

  Grinning, I waited.

  A second later, he stuck his head out the window.

  He eyed me over. “Red hair?”

  I’d nearly forgotten about the illusion I’d cast to disguise myself. “What, you don’t like it?”

  “It suits you. Your face looks different, but your body looks the same.”

  “My body?”

  He nodded. “Not fooling anyone if you only change the head.”

  “But who else knows my body so well? What, have you been studying me?”

  Aydin smirked. “Coming and going.”

  “Hmm,” I mused. “I brought simit,” I said, lifting the bread.

  “Only one?”

  “I ate the other one.”

  Aydin smiled then waved me to the door. He met me at the entryway.

  As I entered, I noticed that a massive evil eye had been painted on the floor. “That’s new,” I said, stepping over it.

  Aydin eyed me as I passed over the symbol but said nothing. Once the door was closed, I let my enchantment drop. I followed Aydin to the kitchen. Warm air blew in from the open window. The lingering scent of rose petals filled the air.

  “Tea?” he asked.

  I nodded then sat down at his small kitchen table. I loved Aydin’s apartment. There was a peaceful feeling there. Watercolor paintings of roses covered the walls. The apartment, a spacious five rooms, was certainly suitable for two. When I let myself dream, I imagined living there with him. I already knew the impossible, but it was still fun to dream. The barrier had already spoken for my hand. I was married to the dome. But the mere fact that I’d met Aydin and had come to care about him was already pushing the boundaries of destiny. And I loved every minute of it.

  Aydin set a glass of tea in front of me then sat down. “What happened? I thought you were supposed to be with Emine.”

  He broke off a piece of the simit.

  “Emine sent me. I need to see Mehmet. She wants to learn what he knows about the vampires. We need to figure out what Erlik is doing. I told her, and Baran, about what I’ve been seeing at dusk.”

  Aydin nodded, his forehead furrowing. “Emine’s concern and interest is important. It wou
ld be good if the order got involved—for the good of us all. Things are unsettled here.”

  “Unsettled. Unsettled how?”

  “There are rumblings.”

  “About my kind?”

  “Some are questioning your order’s ability to enforce the law. Some feel that the order isn’t keeping us safe anymore.”

  “That explains why the boy didn’t like my witches’ silver.”

  Aydin nodded. “Many feel Emine has abandoned us.”

  “She gives her own life to keep you safe. Given Emine’s mood, I dare say that people shouldn’t question her. She could drop the barrier and be done with us all.”

  At that, Aydin stared at me. He clenched his jaw as he considered.

  Immediately, I regretted my words. Was that what they feared? Did they fear Emine? Surely not. The order was the only thing holding our world in order. But then, if the vampires were breaking the laws, they were right to question.

  “I’m sorry. I don’t mean that. Emine is sour, but she does do everything she can to protect us all. She sent me because she is concerned.”

  Aydin nodded. “We will talk to Mehmet. People here are scared. Some families are suffering. The abductions…the mood is dark here.”

  I looked at Aydin closely. A shadow of sadness crossed his face. He was telling the truth; things were not good in the human zone. The humans had a right to question us. What were we doing to help them?

  “Aydin, I’m sorry. I’ll do everything I can. Today is a start.”

  He studied my face. His expression softened and then he asked, “Must you…do you need to hurry?”

  I understood his question perfectly well. An ache in my body responded even before I could utter the word, “No.”

  Aydin set down his breakfast then came and knelt before me. Wrapping his arms around my waist, he pulled me close to him. “I missed you,” he whispered, setting his head against my chest.

  “I missed you too,” I replied, kissing the top of his head.

  Aydin inhaled deeply, breathing me in. What had started as an awkward friendship between Aydin and me had blossomed into much more. It was not love, exactly, but it was close.

  He rose and picked me up. I didn’t say a word as he carried me to his bedroom. I hadn’t consciously come here wanting this, expecting this, but I had hoped. My life offered me little by way of pleasure. Only with Aydin was I allowed to be just me, a woman. Giving into my passion felt right.

  Gently, he lay me down on his bed, then he lay beside me, kissing me.

  His hand slid down my body. The feel of him, touching me so closely, sent shivers down my spine. My whole body ached, yearning for his touch. Kissing me eagerly, his hand slid toward my breast. He paused. Setting my hand on his, I guided him forward. The sensation of him touching me sent tingling sensations across my body. I knew then that I was lost to him.

  Sitting up, I dragged off my bulky robe and thin chemise. A moment later, I sat naked in his bed.

  Aydin stroked my shoulder, pushing my long locks back.

  “Is this the body you’ve been studying?” I asked with a smirk.

  He smiled then pulled off his shirt. “Haven’t you studied me? Or am I the only guilty one?”

  “I assure you, we are equally to blame,” I said then reached out and stroked his muscular chest.

  He smirked then rose, pulling off his pants. Modesty encouraged me to look away, but then I realized I was running out of time. Soon, I would have no life outside the order. I let my eyes rove over him, taking in every angle of his form.

  Aydin slipped back into bed beside me. Moving gently, he stroked his hand across my stomach. My skin rose in gooseflesh at his touched. I groaned when his lips found my nipples as he gently kissed and sucked them.

  “Aydin,” I whispered softly.

  He responded by kissing up my chest to my neck. He stroked his hand across my cheek, touching my lips once more with his thumb. Taking his hand away, he leaned in and kissed me.

  Time got away from us. Lost in a blur of flesh and feeling, I gave myself to him wholeheartedly. I rejoiced in the connection and the physical pleasure, but also fell in awe of the magic the act produced. As our bodies moved together, I sought to control the waves of enchantment that wanted to roll out of me. Had I let go, I might have shaken the building to pieces.

  At one point, Aydin looked up at me, his eyes wide. “You’re glowing.”

  I smiled softly.

  “No,” he whispered. “Your magic.”

  I extended my arm to see that blue and golden light was glimmering around my limbs. I remembered, then, how Zeynep had looked, her hair all aflame. When I looked at my hair it was doing the same, as was the large glass evil eye pendant I wore.

  I said nothing, but merely kissed him once more. Chalking it up to a side effect of arousing a witch, there was nothing more to say. Loving a witch would, of course, come with magical consequences.

  We must have fallen asleep because the afternoon call to prayer woke me. The imam’s call echoed across the zone. Aydin woke groggily.

  “I’m sorry. You’re missing prayer,” I whispered, snuggling into his embrace.

  Aydin kissed me on the forehead. “Let me bring you a water.”

  He rose and went into the kitchen. I couldn’t help but watch his naked form as he went, letting every detail of the view fill my senses. I rolled onto my side and breathed in the perfume of his body that clung to the sheets. Soon I would have to return to the order and live my captive life. These stolen moments were everything to me.

  Aydin returned with two glasses of water, both of which contained a thin slice of lemon. I inhaled the scent of citrus.

  “Lemon. The market was full of food. This lemon, where did it come from?”

  Aydin smiled. “You don’t know?”

  I shook my head.

  “You’ll learn soon enough,” he said then kissed my forehead. “Now, drink. We should dress and be at Yedikule by the time prayer ends.”

  I nodded then sipped the cold water. Aydin took my hand as he drank, and we sat in silence. If I was a human girl, it could be like this all the time. If I was a human girl, I would not have to hide behind enchantments to avoid stares and fear.

  Setting the glass aside, I leaned my head on Aydin’s bare shoulder. I kissed his salty flesh then closed my eyes.

  “I want to stay here,” I whispered.

  He reached out and stroked my hair. “I wish that too. More than you know.”

  Aydin kissed me on the cheek then offered me a hand, helping me out of bed. He lifted my robes and handed them to me.

  It was time to get ready to go. No more dreaming. Nazar was depending on me.

  Chapter 7

  The sun beat down as we headed across the human zone to the ancient fortress of Yedikule. The ancient stone walls had offered shelter to the humans who had fled there in search of a safe place after the Rift. The humans had refashioned the citadel, built from the walls of ancient Constantinople, as their own stronghold.

  Aydin and I walked up the narrow road toward the entrance of the citadel. I’d cast my enchantment once more, taking on the appearance of the red-haired human girl, hiding my true form. Aydin walked close to me, his hand protectively on my back. I had to smile at his protective gesture. I knew he was strong. I knew he wanted to keep me safe. But I also knew that if I wanted, I could have cast a spell that would kill every living thing within twenty feet of me. Perhaps it was better if he didn’t know that.

  To my surprise, the foot traffic back and forth from the citadel was heavy. People riding bicycles, pulling carts, and even a few donkey carts passed by. Many of them carried goods like I’d seen at the bazaar.

  We entered through the narrow passage, wide enough for a cart, into the main courtyard. There, I finally understood the reason why the human zone was thriving. Instead of sparse green turf—such as we had at Topkapi Palace—the massive courtyard had been tilled. Rows of fruit trees had been planted and bore fruits, inclu
ding apples, oranges, lemons, and olives. Every wall of the courtyard, from the ground to the rampart, had been trellised. Cucumbers, peppers, and gourds grew everywhere. The castle had become a living garden. Almost everywhere I looked, food was growing.

  I suppressed a gasp.

  “Don’t gawk like an outsider,” Aydin whispered with a chuckle.

  “When did this happen?” I asked. “How?”

  “We’ve been working for the last year or so building up the soil, growing seeds in nurseries, transplanting trees,” Aydin said then shrugged. “We were starving. We had to do something.”

  We crossed the lawn to a clutch of olive trees. Six trees, their limbs full of wine-colored olives, stood swaying in the breeze. And under the trees, a tall man with thinning white hair stood staring up into the branches, his blue eyes investigating every limb.

  “Sir,” Aydin said as he approached.

  The human leader they called Mehmet the Wise turned and looked at us.

  Aydin quickly kissed Mehmet’s hand. The elder man humbly waved off the show of respect, and patted Aydin on the head like one might do to a child.

  I studied the man. Only twice before had I been in his presence. Once he had come to the order to speak to Emine. Another time I had seen him inside the human zone talking to Aydin. Peace and calm emanated from him. But there was something more to him. His blue eyes seemed to see beyond the material world. It was as if his deep spiritualism had given him a form of magic.

  “I see you’ve brought a visitor,” he said to Aydin.

  I twisted my hands and undid the enchantment. It did not pay to deceive the man I needed to trust me.

  “I didn’t want to alarm anyone,” I explained.

  “Very well, Priestess. Come,” he said, then waved for us to follow him.