Page 13 of A City of Hearts and Feathers

Zoe's stomach rumbled at the smell of the hot pretzel. Pastry was her weakness. "If you give me one, I'll show you the hidden writing I found onbaba'sletter."

Kahil's dark brows shot up. "What writing? And what do you mean by hidden?"

Zoe took a deep breath and stepped out from beneath the shop's wards. She had to go with him that day, so a small step of trust wouldn't hurt her. She hoped. Kahil's eyes lit up, knowing exactly what she was doing.

She fanned herself with the letter. "Simit first, then I'll let you look at it."

"Better be a good hidden message," Kahil replied and passed her one of the bread rings covered with sesame seeds. She gave him the letter.

"Hold it up to the sun," she said and bit into the ring. God, nothing beat hot bread. "It looks Greek or Coptic."

Kahil lifted the letter up and hissed out something in Turkish. "This is not only using the Coptic alphabet, but the language too, and I can't read it. I'm better with Ancient Greek."

Zoe stopped chewing. "You know Ancient Greek?"

"Don't you?" Kahil replied with a deceptively innocent smile. "What? You thought I was just good in a fight and a pretty face?"

"Definitely the good in a fight part. I'm surprised, that's all. You don't seem the type to nerd out over languages," Zoe admitted. She kind of hated that it made him instantly moreattractive. He didn't need any help in that department, but now he was getting interesting.

"Just you wait,balim. You are going to find out all sorts of fascinating things about me today. Arslan wants to see you as soon as you're ready." Kahil folded up the letter and passed it back to her. "Bring that with you. He will know what it says and if it is important."

Zoe took a deep breath and said, "Is there any chance Arslan could be involved inbaba'sdeath?"

"What? No. Certainly not. Arslan mourned your father. None of the Order would have wanted to hurt him." Kahil frowned down at her. "Why would you even ask such a thing?"

"Because you spent last night telling me how everyone wanted the book! Your Order protects the balance, right? If the book was upsetting that balance and was going to mess it up even more, why wouldn't you want to take out the man responsible for that?" Zoe replied, refusing to back down.

"Because he was one of us! If we were going to destroy anything it would have been the book itself. Oman was innocent. We don't kill the innocent," Kahil said, voice dropping to a growl. She backed away from him, and he swore. "I'm sorry. My temper gets the better of me."

His voice was softer when he continued, "I know this all seems crazy, but you can trust us, Zoe. Your father stated that in the letter, didn't he? If he had suspected one of our Order, do you really think he would have told you to come to us? He cared about you more than any book."

"You're right, he wouldn't have sent me to you. I'm sorry, but I had to ask," she said, tucking the letter into her pocket.

"You were smart to ask. I'm a bit sensitive, but in your position, I would suspect everyone too," he replied and took out another pastry. "There are a lot of things you should fear in this city,balim. We aren't one of them."

"I really hope that's true," Zoe said and stepped closer to him once more. "My curiosity is outweighing my fear right now. I know I need help. I just…"

"You can't trust us fully yet." Kahil smiled, and the intensity of it made her stomach flip. "You are wise not to trust anyone, but I promise you after today, you will trust me so much that you'll let me in that bookstore."

Zoe munched on her simit. "It's going to take a lot to convince me of that."

"I'm not worried. Arslan could convince the moon to sing to him if he wanted to," Kahil replied. For some reason, Zoe knew he meant it literally.

Ten minutes later,Zoe grabbed her bag and shoes and met Kahil on the street outside of the bookstore. She was wearing her platform Doc Marten sandals and was still dwarfed by him.

Kahil lowered his aviators to stare at her feet. "Can you walk okay in those?"

"Yes. Why?"

"Because we are going on foot to the Order, and they look ready to break your ankles."

Zoe waved him on. "They are comfortable. Lead the way. I didn't realize that the Order was so close." Though it did explain why Kahil's long hair was still damp when he knocked on her door that morning.

"This is one of the oldest parts of the city. We were here when the Greeks still called it Lygos. The Order just renovated it as they needed to," Kahil explained as they walked. He led her around the row of small bollards that lined the paved footpathsand stayed between her and the street. It took her a few moments to realize that he was guarding her.

"Are we in some kind of danger?" she asked, looking about nervously.

"If anyone decides to attack you with me by your side, they are going to be the ones in danger," Kahil replied. "The fact that thealukahdared to jump you last night in our neighborhood tells us how desperate everyone still is for the Sais Codex to be found."

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