40°49'37.0"N 47°42'45.1"E – Qəbələ International Airport, Qəbələ region

20.05.2024 – 21.45 UTC +04.00

My mind raced as I looked at all the security guards stationed at the airport. This could be good, as a major encounter with anyone from Starling’s coven would be unlikely. The airport should be a relatively safer place. However, this rendered my plan of using my curse to grift people quite moot.

“I have an idea,” Ramin said “Follow me.”

We walked through Qəbələ Airport. It was quite busy, even though it was late for a Monday. There were not many flights left operating for the next few hours, but at this rate, sleeping in an airport would not be the worst outcome.

We walked towards one of the many cafés in the airport.

“Do the thing. How you sensed me, how you sense us Shadows,” he said.

“Are you crazy?” I looked around. There were quite a few policemen in the area.

“They won’t notice. And we need to find a shadow, if my plan is going to work,” he said.

I nodded slightly, unsure why I would trust his plan. But in the end, it was true no one could notice. We sat in one of the cafés. I closed my eyes. Using my cursed senses outside of a ward was possible, just not as powerful. After focusing for a good couple of minutes, I turned to him.

“There is someone. In the kitchen. A shadow.”

Before Ramin could stand up, I grabbed his arm.

“Ramin. Shadow society has changed in the last few years. I… Just don’t mention me.”

He winked at me.

“Not everything could have changed. Do you think using one of your matches is too risky?” He asked tilting his head towards the kitchen.

“Just once,” I responded unsure. We looked around making sure no one was looking towards us.

Stay lit only for us, I whispered and blew on it. Its green flame lit weakly, but now we were warded. We quickly walked towards the kitchen of the café, a messy place with three men frantically cleaning and preparing dishes.

“The eldest,” I said, pointing at a man looking well beyond his sixties.

Ramin exited my ward and headed towards the man. One of the men reacted “You are not supposed to be back there!” but Ramin ignored him. As he stepped next to the middle-aged man, he whispered something at him. The man, startled, jumped up with whatever he heard.

Ramin looked towards my direction and then went into a back room with the man.

“Damn it, Ramin,” I sighed and used another match. I sobbed silently, trying to maintain my focus. Remaining unseen and unnoticed in such a busy place took its toll, second by second. My head felt like it would split open.

I could not hold on to wards like this anymore, it was becoming clear. The men in the badly lit kitchen lifted their heads and quickly glimpsed towards me.

Stay lit only for me, I whispered my prayer. Their attention was diverted once more.

After two minutes that felt like hours, Ramin came back without the cook.

He came towards me, and I let him see me.

“Let’s go. I hopefully have the money for at least a flight out of here,” whispered once close enough to be warded by my match’s light.

He rushed ahead and outside of the café, back into the main corridor of the crowded airport. I put out the match, hoping to preserve some of my willpower; I was sure I would have to light a match a couple more times before we managed to sneak into an airplane.

“How? Why did he give you money?” I asked and I noticed Ramin averting his gaze before he would respond.

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“You would not understand,” he said cryptically. He headed for the nearest ticket counter, which was empty before I could ask more questions.

I could not argue anyway. I barely had the energy to discuss with him. I simply followed him towards a check-in desk. There were no police around and only one employee nearby. I braced myself, as I inevitably would have to use at least one match for one more command.

“The best I can do for you is a flight leaving in twenty minutes, Saudi Arabia. At Red Sea Airport. But you have to hurry,” the clerk said after Ramin explained our hurry to leave.

“Okay, we take it,” he said. I almost wanted to protest, this was not even half the distance to Western Sahara, not even reaching Africa. Ramin sensed my uneasiness.

“Honey, this is for the best. We shouldn’t overextend our stay here any longer,” he said, grabbing me by the shoulder. There was an uneasiness in the way he spoke.

“Okay, Red Sea sounds lovely,” I responded awkwardly.

“Alright, your passports please?”

I lit another match.

“Just book these tickets in your name and your wife,” I suggested “Use your details. And then forget all about it.” Tears rolled down my cheeks. I was severely overextending myself today.

The clerk obeyed and I kept the match lit until he handed us our boarding passes. We left as quickly as we could towards the boarding gate.

We quickly passed the security control, without much hustle.

“Ramin. I need to rest. They will control our passports in Saudi Arabia.” I said once we were past security, trying to catch my breath. I would run out of energy before running out of matches.

“You will sleep in the airplane. We can’t stay here long…” he said.

But I could not hear him anymore, as everything turned black and I fell into his arms.

I was walking outside. The wind was blowing against me making me wince and pushing my dress against my body.

“Ramin!” I yelled as I turned around to look for him, but I was alone, walking outside what looked like an airport.

“Right. Qəbələ airport. That’s where I was when…”

Lighting struck in the distance, catching my attention. Dark thick clouds were gathering in the north.

“Ramin! Where are you?” I yelled, and I could not even hear me scream. I looked down at my hands. I had no matches to light, and I did not remember why I was standing there. Another lightning struck, and this time the wind carried the thunder. The storm was coming closer.

I gazed into the storm, and suddenly I felt its dark cold humidity freezing on my skin, I heard more thunder and a bird’s song. Birds were flying inside the clouds, and their dark feathers iridized with each lighting that lit the sky.

“Starling. She is coming, with the entire coven,” I said to myself, trying to think against the noise of the wind and the coming. I started running towards the airport. Its lights flickered and went dark. I had no idea why I was outside on my own, but I had to find Ramin. That Shadow was all I had close to an ally and a murmuration of Starlings was heading right at me.

I ran, but I could not make the distance, as the airport remained in the same spot. No, it was not the airport – it was me, running but not moving.

“This is farsight,” I finally realized, catching my breath. I was not there; I was only having a vision.

I turned around again to face the storm, now convinced that it was induced and conducted by some kind of Curse. I focused on the clouds again and tried to look for a starling that I would recognize. Hopefully Zephyr. The murmuration started shifting through the clouds, probably warned by my meddling and sensing being watched by a seer.

“Zephyr I know you. You would come,” I whispered. If I could trust anyone in my coven before the events of the last days, it would be him. If there was no way to avoid the incoming clash, I wanted him to at least explain to me why I was imprisoned and subsequently hunted. I let my senses spread and fly among the clouds and the starlings. None of them was him.

“Hökümə. Of course, it’s you,” I said through my teeth. A vicious witch, one of Starling’s top ranks. I tended to avoid working with her, as her willingness to obey any given order without hesitation always bothered me.

As if she heard me even in starling form, she turned towards me. A force pulled me away from the cloud. I tried to grab onto it, as it violently hurled me through my air.

It was a mirror breaking. This made no sense, as Hökümə should not have the means to do this to my farsight. The sky around me was fracturing as if made of glass and something had shattered it. I was hurled back into my position outside the airport, watching the storm approaching. But now, everything around me was breaking into a million pieces.

I heard a commotion, but it was not the commotion of murderous birds or glass shattering. It was people complaining as they stood outside a boarding gate. I was back, inside the airport, with Ramin.

I grabbed his hand, who was now sitting next to me with a look of despair.

“They are coming Ramin. Starling is coming,” I said to him.

“Finally! You scared the crap out of me! What was this?” He responded. He was not only annoyed, but I could see him shifting somehow uncomfortably.

“Ah, did I pass out?”

“No! Well for a moment, but then you stood up and have been by my side for the past ten minutes saying nothing. I thought you had a stroke.”

I snapped my fingers at him.

“Ramin. No time to explain. We need to leave. They are coming to get us.”