Page 53 of A City of Hearts and Feathers

Kahil leaned back in his chair. "I don't like how pushy she has been since Zoe arrived. I worry about meeting with her more than Akamos."

"So does Arslan."

"Akamos said he didn't want to use the codex to raise an undead army but to keep it for his collection. We don't know why she wants it," Zoe said.

"And you two believed him?" Kerem asked, brow going up. "He's the leader of the dark, Zoe. You can't believeanythingthat either side claims."

Kahil shrugged. "I don't know. Akamos did seem sincere. He's held his power base here for over a thousand years. He doesn't have anything to prove. Lydia is ambitious, and that makes me suspicious of her motivations."

Zoe didn't like the uneasiness that was suddenly snaking its way up her spine. She trusted Kahil to get her through the meeting, unscathed, but she was already feeling overwhelmed by it all.

"I don't think I'm cut out for the magical world's politics," she said, getting to her feet.

"Once you deal with this book, you won't have them up in your business so much," Kerem assured her.

Zoe squeezed Kahil's shoulder on her way to the kitchen. "Thank you for cooking."

"Anytime," he replied, with a smile. She was tempted to kiss that grin, so she quickly looked away. So much for not being a heart-eyed teenager. She was a wreck.

Zoe let the boys clean up while she went looking for the chess set where she had left it the night before. She found it downstairs on a bookshelf, not far from where she'd kicked off her shoes. She was surprised she had remembered to grab the set at all with the state she had been in. It was large, heavy, and made of black and white marble tiles.

Upstairs, Zoe placed the chess set down on the cleared table. Kerem's face flashed with emotion before he shut it down.

"What's wrong?" Zoe asked him.

"It's nothing, just memories. I gave Oman this set, that's all. If you pull on that drawer, you'll find the pieces. They are all Egyptian deities," he replied.

Zoe tugged on the small brass knob of the drawer. "Must be stuck or something."

"Enchanted," Kahil and Kerem said at the same time.

Zoe sighed. "I'm going to have to cut my finger again, aren't I?"

"Poor little finger," Kahil said and pulled a knife out of thin air. It made her wonder if he was always armed. He offered it to her, but she shook her head.

"You better do it, or I'll chicken out," she said.

Kahil took her hand and kissed the inside of her wrist. Before her brain could stop fuzzing, there was a sharp pinch on the tip of her index finger.

"That was cheating," she complained.

Kahil let her hand go. "It's called a distraction."

"And gross," Kerem said. "I don't need to see you kissing my goddaughter."

"Then look away."

Zoe ignored their light bickering and ran her cut finger around the seal of the drawer of the chess set. Instead of the drawer sliding out, the marble pieces on the set started to shake.

"Ah, guys?" she said, trying to get their attention. The pieces started to slide about like a puzzle, rearranging themselves into a complex design before splitting apart like a blooming flower. Inside the center was another familiar red leather folio.

"What kind of magic is that?" Zoe asked, unsure whether or not to try and grab the part of the codex.

"I have no idea," Kerem replied, eyes wide. "It's beautiful. Take it, Zoe, before the tiles rearrange themselves again."

Zoe reached in, grabbed the book and a scrap of paper that sat underneath it. "Do you think Akamos knew he had this the whole time?"

"Not a chance, or he would never have given it back," Kahil replied, crossing his arms. "How many more pieces of the codex do you think there are left?"

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