A moment later, the soft orange glow of candlelight filled the room
I gasped. The entire space was dripping with gold. Everywhere I looked, I saw elaborate gold leaf filigree on the walls. Golden sconces held crystal lamps. The furniture within the room was hundreds of years old. The antiques, truly fit for a Sultan, were coated with the precious luster…and dust.
“How did you know about this place?”
“I knew the Sultan. By the time modern rulers came into power, this room was forgotten.” He picked up an intricately decorated egg that dripped with diamonds and sapphires, gently bobbing it around the palm of his hand, then set it back down.
Exhaling deeply, I closed my eyes and cast out my senses. I could feel the vampires hunting us. They were moving through the dark like rats. I felt their rage. And I also felt their frustration. They had been able to sense Erlik before I’d woken. Now, they were hunting their prey blindly. None of them had come near the palace so far.
“What happened?” I whispered.
Erlik shook his head. “Nadjla’s pet tore apart the dome. You repaired it, but then you collapsed. They saw your magical fire and came after us.”
“The barrier was resealed?”
Erlik nodded. “But it looked…different.”
“Different? Different how?”
“Well,” he said carefully, “for a moment, it looked opaque. It was like the sky used to be. The stars were so luminescent, like there was nothing between them and us save the storms above the barrier.”
“Emine and the others…something happened at the order. I need to go to them.”
“Yes, but first we both must rest. We will need your spell to keep hidden, and you are exhausted. And, in truth, you’ve nearly undone my energy supply, which is saying something,” he said with a soft chuckle. “And you must admit, even holding this spell is taxing you.”
He was right. My legs felt weak.
Erlik lifted a cover off a piece of furniture. Dust rose from the drape. He sat down then motioned for me to join him. Exhausted, I nestled under his arm. I set my head on his chest.
“Take from me again. You will need to keep up your strength until morning. We must both rest. We’ll make our way back immediately before dawn.”
I exhaled deeply. “No.” We were in trouble. Holding the spell throughout the night was going to be a problem. By morning, I would be too exhausted. And if I drained Erlik in the process, neither of us would survive.
Sitting back up, I cast a glance around the room. On the walls were many dusty but beautiful crystal and gold sconces. I eyed the blown-glass droplets, blue glass evil eyes, hanging from the lights. Looking around the room, I saw that all the sconces had evil eye charms intermixed in among the gold and crystal.
“I will set up a barrier to protect us for the night. It will not require my energy or yours to sustain it, but the spell is secret.”
Erlik raised an eyebrow.
“Haven’t you ever wondered how we keep the protective barrier around the palace at night?”
“It is not my place to question the ways of your order. But it is curious, I confess.”
I moved to the center of the room.
“Shield yourself until I say. The light will hurt your eyes,” I told Erlik.
He leaned back, his eyes closed.
I took a deep breath and centered myself.
“Mother Umay, I call on you this night to protect your daughter. Protect her companion. Protect us from darkness. Shield us from wickedness. Open your eye so none may see,” I whispered then touched the evil eye pendant I wore. Working my fingers carefully, I pulled magic from within the pendant. The eye itself carried magic, warding the wearer from harm. The thin strands of magic, as sheer and soft as silk, unrolled from within my amulet. Taking hold of the strands, I cast them around the room like an umbrella. The other evil eye charms sparked to life. As if answering a call, they began to glow. The eyes hanging on the crystal wall sconces, the chandelier, and in all the other décor in the room came alive. With a bright flash, the magic within my amulet awoke the magic within the other evil eyes. Blue and silver light filled the room, settling over us in a protective dome. The enchantment sparkled brightly then dimmed to a shimmering glow that was refracted by the crystals hanging on the candelabras and chandelier. Hundreds of rainbows of prismatic light shimmered all around the room.
I gasped at the beautiful sight. “It’s safe now. You can open your eyes,” I said. I let go of the masking spell I had woven. Hidden by the magic of the evil eye amulets, no one would be able to find us here.
Erlik opened his eyes and gazed about the room. He stood slowly, staring at the beautiful wonder. He held out his hand, catching the prisms of light that shone everywhere in colorful blobs. He turned and smiled at me, his fanged teeth looking out of place in the expression. “Such magic,” he said then shook his head. “In all my years, I’ve never met anyone like you.”
“You’re spending too much time with vampiresses,” I said, reaching out to touch the rainbow hues that shimmered everywhere.
“Indeed,” he said darkly.
“Have you ever seen anything like what we witnessed tonight?”
“Yes and no. Blood rites, to be certain, are common. But that girl…”
“She was a witch. And a vampiress.”
“A blood witch. Rare and dangerous.”
“Mehmet the Wise told me that the humans being taken were all gifted with magic. Some in the human safe zone did not reveal their magic to the order. They are the ones being abducted, and they died on the pyres tonight. That blood witch drank their magical blood.”
“But the humans know the law. Those born with magical gifts are ordained to be sent for training, to maintain the barrier. It’s necessary.”
“Mehmet admitted to breaking the law. His people did not want to leave their families, their lives, to join us.”
Erlik considered my words. “Something still does not make sense. Why were the magical humans out after curfew?”
“Someone must have sent them.”
“Then Mehmet is either a liar or a fool.”
“Or someone else is involved. Baran and the Order of Tengri…their order is growing increasingly secretive. Emine suspects them of foul deeds. They could be part of all of this.”
Erlik frowned then sat back down. “I failed to see this coming. I did not suspect Nadjla was capable of such madness. My oversight has endangered all of Nazar.”
“You can’t blame yourself. None of us saw, not even Emine.”
“The blood witch…she was able to drink the blood of other witches. It didn’t poison her.”
“Because she is a witch. There is terrible danger here.”
Erlik sighed heavily and leaned back.
Feeling exhausted, I joined him once more. I thought about the scene we had witnessed. There was no sign of the Order of Tengi present. Only vampires, their sacrifices, and the blood witch had been there.
Erlik reached out, letting one of the rainbows cast by the crystals reflect in the palm of his hand. “Beautiful. I have not seen a rainbow, an actual rainbow, since I last saw the sun.”
“When was that? How long ago?”
“The late 1300s.”
Was it possible? “So long.”
“Yes. Too long. I’ve grown weary of my immortal life. Time passed, but in some ways, nothing ever changed. Until the Rift.”
“And then?”
“And then we came out of hiding. And then we had choices to make. I was the oldest among those in Istanbul, so I sought accord with the order. It was a decision that ended my connection to Nadjla.”
“Were you with her long?”
“Long enough. I’m not sure when we met. It was around the time the Rus converted to Christianity—that I remember because the day Nadjla was reborn, her village elders had burned their shrine to the lightning god Perun and threw his effigy into the river,” he said then laughed lightly. “Ah, Pelin of the Order of Uma
y, I have lived long enough to see gods die. Yet I remain. It was on that day when I found Nadjla hiding inside her cold fireplace, covered in ash. She didn’t know what she was. I helped her. But I should have left her to the sun.”
“Did you love her?’
“Then? Yes.”
“What happened?” I asked softly. I was pushing, I knew, but I could not help but wonder.
“She became something I did not recognize. Slowly, over many long years, she started to go mad. The Rift unhinged her. After the Rift, she wanted to take control. I saw there was a better, more peaceful way. We parted, and I let her be out of the echo of love I once had for her. It was a mistake. Now I see she never abandoned her dream to crush Nazar under the heel of our kind.” Erlik touched the silver chain that held my evil eye pendant. “I can feel its magic. It’s making the shield?”
“Yes. It and the others,” I said, motioning around the room. “We are given the amulet when we join the final level of our order. This amulet is enchanted. It is not merely a piece of jewelry or a reminder of our order. It is magic. But all evil eyes carry the power to ward away harm.”
“Ward away harm. They say the evil eye wards off bad spirits, protects the wearer. Its light pains my kind. What does that say about me? Am I a bad spirit?”
I laughed. “What do you think? Look how many work to protect you,” I said, casting my hand around the room.
“You speak of the evil eye like it is alive.”
I reached for one of the shimmering blobs of prismatic light. “It is. See?”
Erlik chuckled then pushed my hair to the side and lay a gentle kiss on my neck. “I’d rather look at you.”
“Hmm,” I mused. “From that angle, I suspect you might make a meal out of me.”
He kissed me again. My body trembled from head to toe. “Nothing would please me more, but not in the way you mean.”
“Is witch blood actually poison to vampires? Have you ever tried it?”
“Everyone knows it is deadly. No one would dare,” he said then drizzled kisses down my neck once more.
“Just like everyone knows that what we are both feeling right now is forbidden? Is dangerous?” I whispered, my voice shaking.
“Yes,” Erlik replied, his hand slipping under my robes until he gently cupped my breast.
I shuddered. “If it is forbidden, then why is the desire so excruciating? In truth, we barely know each other. And I am not a believer in love at first sight.”
Erlick laughed. “Not a romantic? No, you’re far too practical for that. Your smell, your skin, the taste of your lips, the feel of your flesh, nothing has intoxicated me like this before,” Erlik whispered, nuzzling my neck while his fingers worked my nipple.
“Never?” I breathed.
“Not human, or vampire, and certainly, never a witch. Not when I was fully human. And not after I became what I am now.”
“How do I know you’re not lying?” I whispered.
“Because you feel it too.”
I pressed my lips against his. Moving carefully, I crawled onto his lap. I could feel his want, and I so desperately wanted to shed my clothes and under the glow of hundreds of tiny rainbows make love to him.
But I could not.
I should not.
“It’s not permitted,” I whispered.
“Pelin,” he groaned between kisses.
“This can’t be against the will of the gods. I…I feel deeply for you. The old tales can’t be right,” I whispered.
“The witch and vampire who caused the Rift tried to end vampirism. Why? Because they wanted to stop bloodshed or because they fell in love and wanted to be together?”
Tossing my head back, I closed my eyes. “Or both. If we are wrong, everyone dies. Including us.”
He set his face on my chest, his ear to my heart. Sighing in defeat, he lay back once more, pulling me with him. “You’re right,” he whispered.
We lay still, both of us feeling terrible frustration.
Erlik ran a finger up and down the back of my arm as he set soft kisses on the top of my head. “Sleep, Pelin. I’ll wake you if I sense anything wrong.”
I closed my eyes. “Don’t leave the room.”
“I wouldn’t dream of it,” he said with a soft laugh as he pulled me closer.
Against all the odds, I was falling in love with a vampire. And, of course, the world I knew was dying at the same moment. All my life I had been confined to the walls of the palace, bored, stuck. I worried I would never really live. And now, my life was spiraling out of control. My mind tossed and turned with the chaos, but tiredness won out over of my anxieties, and I fell asleep in the arms of a man I was growing to love.
Chapter 25
It was nearly dawn when I woke. Erlik was pacing the room, his hands behind his back, fingers locked together. From the expression on his face, I could tell he was lost in thought.
I cast out my senses. There were no vampires nearby. Then, I cast again, feeling for a different kind of magic. There were neither humans nor witches either.
“Pelin,” Erlik said with a sigh of relief.
“Is the sun up yet?” I asked.
Erlik shook his head. “No, but we need to move as soon as you are ready. They searched the palace last night.”
I gasped. “Why didn’t you wake me?”
“Because you were sleeping too soundly and looked too beautiful.”
I smiled at the compliment. “There is no one nearby now.”
“No, but they will be watching the bridge. I must get back to the bazaar before the sun rises.”
I nodded. “I will leave this shield in place in case we need an escape again,” I said, motioning to the enchantment in the room.
“Very good. Let’s go.”
Moving quietly, we crept out of the hidden room and back into the ruins of the palace. At once, I pulled the masking spell around us. The sky was still dark, but there was gray on the horizon. Moving around the rubble, glass crunching under our feet, we made our way. In the dim light, even with the floors cracked, walls collapsed, and the place looted, the palace was still stunningly beautiful. We quickly exited onto the decapitated courtyard.
“We must be fast. We’re racing the sun,” Erlik said, motioning for me to hold on to him.
Holding tight, I held my breath when Erlik jumped from the ground to a nearby rooftop and up until we were above the city once more. He began on the path back to Galata Bridge. As we moved deeper into the city, I felt the other vampires again. They were vampires everywhere. A virtual army of vampires stood sentinel watching the passages across the Golden Horn. When we reached the roof of Galata Tower, we stopped. The bridge was milling with vampires. Galata Bridge, the gateway into the old city of Constantinople, consisted of two levels. On top was the bridge for vehicle traffic, including rails for an old trolley system. Underneath the bridge, however, were shops, restaurants, and a walkway that had once been a popular place for fisherman. The middle of the bridge had collapsed.
“Is there another way back?”
“Yes, but we don’t have enough time.”
“We’ll evade them. I have us shielded.”
“Nadjla is there. I can feel her.”
“She will not be able to see us. Still, we must go quietly.”
“Then let’s go quietly,” Erlik said with a light chuckle then moved deftly forward. He jumped from the roof of the Medieval Tower which overlooked the city toward Galata Bridge.
Though it was dim, I could see the shadowy shapes on the rooftops nearby. More so, I could feel the vampires everywhere. I could feel their rage, their anger.
“Umay protect us,” I whispered.
I inhaled and worked my hands again, expanding the dome around us to form a complete sphere. It would hide the sound of our movements, mask our scent, and keep us hidden. It would work. It had too.
We moved quickly across the city to the bridge. We were not far away when we reached the end of our path. There were vampires pe
rched on the roofs all around us.
“Ready?” Erlik whispered.
“Let’s go.”
Erlik leaped to the street. Moving with great speed, he rushed across the bridge.
My heart thundered in my chest. There were at least two dozen vampires on the bridge, all of them watching, waiting, but none of them saw us. We moved so close to one that his jacket fluttered due to the speed of our passing. He turned, snarling at the darkness, but saw nothing.
We were about to jump across the gap in the bridge when something shimmering and silver caught my eye. It took me a moment to realize what it was. By then, it was too late. Even though Erlik had jumped the distance, and we were securely on the other side of the bridge, the magical enchantment someone had set up as an alarm sounded, and a flash of bright light erupted like a magical bomb, sending shock waves in a vast ring past us. The moment it did, my spell failed.
I gasped.
“What was that?” Erlik whispered.
“A spell. We’re revealed.”
Turning, Erlik and I looked back at the vampires on the other side of the bridge. From the expressions on their startled faces, whoever they thought had been rushing around Taksim that night, it was not Erlik.
“Pain,” I yelled, casting a crutch. Magic snapped from my fingers like I had lashed them all with a whip. The vampires screamed and fell to their knees in agony.
Then, I felt her. The blood witch and Nadjla appeared on the bridge. They must have been hiding on the passageway below.
The girl held a ball of fire in her hands. She lobbed it toward Erlik with so much strength it shocked me.
“Shield,” I called, sending a massive blue and silver bolt of light that expanded to protect him.
Nadjla, who had been cackling loudly, snarled at me.
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