Chapter Seven #2
They stop by a jeweler first. Khiran sells a bit of gold in exchange for lira, the local currency, before he leads them down the winding streets in search of food.
At a bakery stall, he purchases a ring of sesame crusted bread called simit.
With it already being late afternoon, it’s a few hours old and no longer warm, but Anna still enjoys the taste of the molasses dipped bread on her tongue and the crunch of sesame seeds between her teeth.
When they sit for coffee, Anna admires the way it pours from the copper kettle. An orange tabby winds between her ankles, purring when she reaches down to scratch beneath its chin. “There are so many cats.”
Khiran sips his coffee, sighing against the rim as the heat curls against his tongue.
“They’re revered in Islamic culture.” He glances down at the tabby, offering his hand.
A trilling meow, and the cat pushes its cheek into his crooked fingers.
“The people of this city care for them—feed them, provide them shelter. They roam freely and are treated with kindness.”
She brings her own cup to her lips. It’s thicker than the coffee she’s had at diners. It proves to be exponentially stronger, too. She swallows, the rich and earthy taste sitting on her tongue. “It’s… bracing.”
He takes another sip, his expression as dark as the coffee over the rim of pale china. “Bracing is exactly what I need at the moment,” he grumbles.
Anna feels herself grow increasingly uncomfortable as they get closer. The grounds are large, the landscaping manicured, but it’s the sprawling villa that makes her hesitate. “This is…”
“Excessive,” Khiran grumbles. “It suits him.”
Anna measures the tension in his shoulders, the hardness of his gaze as he stares ahead. “You’re worried.”
“I don’t like trusting our safety to someone else.”
She shakes her head. “It’s more than that. The moment Silas suggested it, you hated the idea.”
“Cassius is no friend to me,” he grumbles, jaw tight. “I have doubts over whether he will help.”
Anna watches him, noting the way he doesn’t return her stare. “You think he’ll turn on us.”
Khiran’s lips thin. “I think it’s possible.”
“Silas wouldn’t have sent us here if he had doubts,” she reassures, but the words feel like they’re for her as much as they are for him. “That’s his gift, right? Knowing when and where to seek safety?”
“Figured that out, did you?”
She shrugs, her eyes drifting back to the Roman style pillars lining the villa’s entrance like the ivory keys of a piano. “Once I knew he was like you, it wasn’t much of a leap. The way he would stand so still… it was like the swamp itself was speaking to him.”
“That’s part of it,” he admits. “I always believed he was touched by luck as well.”
Anna frowns. “Believed?”
“The gifts we receive don’t come with guidance. I know I can change my appearance, travel to the other side of the world, merely by wishing for it, but I couldn’t tell you how or why.” He shakes his head, looking tired. “The Tree gives, but it does not guide.”
She lets herself process the information, the sound of their footfall filling the silence between them.
Anna hadn’t considered that the others’ gifts were learned and not taught—that Khiran must have fumbled those first few years to discover his capabilities and limitations.
She remembers his confession the night they laid bare beneath her quilt with a storm pelting rain at their windows and a fire crackling in the hearth.
The First wasn’t as pleased with my capabilities as I was. He was hoping for power and was instead delivered a boy with parlor tricks.
How hard—how far—had The First pushed him in order to pull each and every one of Khiran’s gifts to the surface? How long did he continue before he accepted there weren’t more hiding away? Anna swallows, her throat dry and her chest tight.
How long was Khiran punished simply for being different from what The First wanted?
His hand finds her elbow, stopping her. There’s a question in his gaze, threaded with concern. “You’re upset—don’t be. It’s as you said, Silas wouldn’t direct us here if it wasn’t safe. Any concerns I have are rooted more in fear than fact.”
She searches his gaze, unable to bring herself to correct him. To admit it wasn’t the present she was mourning, but his past. Instead, she nods, heart in her throat, and tells him a truth that’s easier to part with. “I believe you.”
Cassius is there to greet them in the courtyard, his clothing as decadent as his marble statues and fountains.
Gold hoops adorn his ears, a metallic glint in a sea of soft golden curls.
His velvet brocade shawl hangs off his shoulders, the ornate trim delicately embroidered with tiny beads and sequins that shine off the rich purple fabric.
His arms outstretch in welcome, his smile blinding. There are dimples playing at the corners of his full mouth. “Brother! What brings you to my corner of paradise?”
Anna falters, but Khiran is already shaking his head. “Not that sort of brother,” he grumbles, as if the title is one he’d rather be without. Voice rising, he addresses the blonde. “I’m sure you already know why I’m here.”
His smile grows sly at the corners, crooked in ways that tease. “I might, but please don’t stop on my account. I’m truly looking forward to hearing it.”
Khiran mutters darkly under his breath. Anna can’t be certain, but she’s fairly sure one of the words uttered was insufferable. “I am seeking shelter and your discretion. The First isn’t pleased with me at the moment.”
“We,” Cassius corrects, his hand flicking between them pointedly. “I assume you don’t intend to leave your lady love out in the cold? Seems wasteful, considering how far you’ve already gone for her.”
Khiran’s expression darkens, clouded with warnings. “I am asking on both our behalfs. Any debt owed will be shouldered by me alone.”
Cassius chuckles, the sound lighter than the storm darkening Khiran’s eyes. “You are ever so careful with your words. I’ve always adored that about you, you know.” His gaze flits over Khiran’s shoulder, meeting Anna’s stare. “Well, don’t be shy. Introduce me to your lovely lady.”
Khiran steps to the side, effectively shielding her from the other man’s view. “Don’t.”
His answering smile is coy. “Surely you wouldn’t come to my door asking for help but deny me the simple pleasure of at least looking at the woman you’re so ready to die for?”
Khiran’s hand twitches against her own, fingers flexing.
“Don’t be so cross, I won’t touch,” Cassius chastises but doesn’t wait for approval.
He circles them, crystalline eyes assessing.
“She is a tiny thing, isn’t she? Like a bird.
” His gaze flits up, meeting Khiran’s bitter glare through impossibly long lashes.
“Marcia would find great pleasure in breaking her. You know how she is with her toys.”
Khiran says nothing, but Anna can hear the grinding of his teeth—see the way the muscle in his jaw spasms.
Cassius must find it to be as telling as she does. “But you know that, don’t you?” He tsks, his stare still entirely too sharp. “That’s why you hid her. That’s why you’re here.”
“The Shepherd’s suggestion,” Khiran grinds out. “I wouldn’t have trusted you otherwise.”
The shift in Cassius is immediate. “Silas sent you?” Lips thinning, he gives a quiet scoff. Somehow it sounds more fond than irritated. “Of course he did. He knows I have a soft spot for star-crossed lovers.”
He crosses his arms over his chest, leaning against the wall at his back. “I’m surprised you listened. I never knew you to be friendly with anyone other than—”
Khiran flinches, the tendons in his hand straining as his hands fist so tightly, Anna wonders if half-mooned bruises will line his palms once she coaxes them open. “I’m not,” he snaps, before Cassius can let Eira’s name slip past his lips.
Cassius looks skeptical, but then his gaze shifts, looking at Anna with new light. “You?”
She tips her chin proudly. “He’s my friend.”
A bark of laughter, so sharp it makes Anna jump. “Friend?” he drawls, the word steeped in a sarcasm so thick, Anna can almost feel it. “You are but a moment to him, Little Bird. Not all of us are so foolish as to hand our affections over to someone so fragile.”
Anna blinks, lips parting. Khiran must see the confusion in her expression, because he whispers her name like a warning.
She doesn’t heed it.
“Fragile?”
Beside her, Khiran curses under his breath as he quickly places himself in front of her—blocking her from Cassius’ view. Anna peeks over his shoulder, standing on her toes, and catches a glimpse just in time to see Cassius’ smile fall.
“Whatever accommodations you can spare would be most appreciated. We—”
Cassius waves a hand as if sweeping the conversation away entirely. “No, no. Forget all that. Bring back your lady friend. I want to speak to her.”
Khiran’s jaw flexes. “No. We need shelter. You will either grant the request or turn us away. There is nothing else to discuss.”
Hands covering over his closed fist, Anna steps out of his shadow and stands at his side. “Silas trusts him,” she says, a quiet reprimand. “We can too.”
He disagrees. She can see it hardening the edges of his gaze, drawing his brows into a furious frown. In her hands, his fist trembles. She gives a gentle squeeze, holding his stare. “Together,” she whispers. A promise and a reminder.
When she turns to face him, it’s clear Cassius has watched the interaction with rapt attention. His blonde brows rise, equal parts invitation and dare. “Who are you?”
“I’m… just Anna.”
“Don’t be coy. As lovely as it looks on you, I’m not in the mood for games. Particularly when you come into my home claiming friendship to someone I hold dear.”
“It’s the truth.”
“Is it? Why should I believe you?”
Anna frowns. “Why wouldn’t you?”