Constantinople (Istanbul)
Present day
Exhausted, they left Ayia Sophia for a deserved rest before the next part of their task early the next day. They speculated on the inscription, but decided to wait and see the second part on the next day at dawn.
As they exited the church, it was dark and chilly, and they sought a cosy place for refuge. They walked towards the Topkapi and the neighbourhood next to the Golden Horn and they sat at a coffee shop in one of the best-preserved pedestrianized alleys of the Old City. They called over the owner and ordered a strong Turkish coffee each and tried to regain their strength.
‘What on earth was that thing?’
‘That was a Murtif, the helper, one of the most dangerous of the Ruinand fighters.’
‘If that’s the helper, I don’t think I want to see one of the Ruinands themselves and what they are capable of, but I’m afraid I will have to before too soon, won’t I?’
‘I’m afraid so. We are on a course with no return to complete this mission and encountering Ruinands at some point is inevitable.’
‘We are very closely watched. We have to be even more careful. That was a close call. The only way they could have known where we were is if they had followed us. They are very good at blending in with the shadows.’
Privately Aristo knew they must have been watched by members of the Order and wondered why they had not intervened to help them. Had they been incapacitated or even killed by Ruinands or was there another reason, a traitor in their midst, perhaps?
A comfortable silence descended and they both breathed in the life of the street and were briefly envious of a simple life. In their minds they let themselves be transported to their beloved place, be it Limassol or Athens or Constantinople or even Mount Ellothon, Aristo’s mother’s private island retreat and the Order’s secret base and refuge, a magical place.
Lost in his thoughts, Aristo almost didn’t, at first, notice the person that walked briskly past them, but it registered in the corner of his eye. Three seconds later, when it had sunk in, he did a double-take. Was that Iraklios passing by? It couldn’t have been him surely, could it? He let the thought go and turned to Katerina.
‘Let’s go back to the hotel and get a rest. Remember we need it and we need to get up early tomorrow morning and be at the church before dawn.’
They paid the bill and left. It was a pleasant barmy evening. They decided to walk the short distance to the Pera Quarter.