His mind wandered from his reading to the memory of her lips. It had been several days since the incident, and as if they had a silent accord, they had not spoken a word to each other since then.

Renier sat at his usual spot in the east garden. The light autumn breeze was a welcome respite from the afternoon sun. The sound of the fig tree’s leaves rustling and the water running in the nearby fountain helped to calm his otherwise restless mind.

What did her reaction mean? He had expected some evasion after he caught her spying, but this was beyond his understanding. The three-thousand-year-old Keeper could teach him many things, but relations between men and women were not one of them.

One of the servant girls came with a fresh pot of tea. What was her name? His train of thought was interrupted as he watched her pour another cup and contemplated the answer. “Thank you,” he said as she handed him the cup. I’ll have to ask Harun her name again.

His mind wandered back to his introspection. I’ll have to protect the door with a ward before I leave. He was ambivalent about leaving the next day for Üsküdar and preparing the way for the Prince.

He was close to getting his revenge. But Skandar was almost ready to be awakened, which had to be done in Ombre Island. A trip would mean a delay of several months. Also, the Ebon were significantly stronger now, and he needed to work on his advancement.

Then there was Penumbra. The comet would pass with its deadly spores in about three years. And although this pass would be worthwhile, he wanted Skandar to be ready. That was just barely enough time for him to train in Aymbria with the Keeper.

He would take Viper. Her meditation and weaves showed significant progress. It was a shame her age didn’t allow her to enter Aymbria, but he figured she would be a formidable stage three on par with the Sect’s standard in one more year.

The arguments for delaying his revenge kept on piling up.

His thoughts returned to Meryem. She’s the enemy, Renier! He told himself. But he felt kinship and attraction, and he was ill-equipped to deal with either. I’ve already revealed too much. But she had helped him, came the counter-argument. It wasn’t her that really worried him; it was the people behind her.

With the last sip of his tea, he came to a decision and left to set the ward before leaving for Üsküdar.

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“As I said, Master, I was making good progress in gaining his confidence, but this mishap might have set me back,” her tone was sharp, her jaw tightened, and she clenched her fists. If the old hag thought it was that easy, she should do it herself.

She was silent as the talisman projected the other party’s voice into her mind.

She softened her tone; the woman was, after all, the only mother she had ever known. “I’m sure I’ll be able to get what we want. I understand its importance,” she reassured her master.

Her eyes rolled. She jumped out of her bed and paced back and forth. The bedside oil lamp projected the shadow of her frantic pacing on the wall.

“No! Absolutely not. How could you even ask me to seduce him?” She countered while shaking her head. Her voice raised once again.

“I know how important his knowledge is to us, but I absolutely refuse. Send someone else, mother!” She continued with a sharp tone, barely able to contain her anger. She had changed to the familiar address to make a point. She should be protecting me, not pushing me into this man’s bed!

The communication ended, and she put the talisman away. Still pacing back and forth, she took a deep breath and sat on her bed. The rustling of the soft linen sheets and a slight creak of the frame broke the silence.

She picked up a heavy leather tome she had set by her pillow and started to read, hoping to distract her mind from the jumble of thoughts that assailed it. How could she ask that of me? Her brow furrowed, her jaw tightened again, and her heart pounded. I’ve never thought of myself as someone who would marry, but still, I have my propriety. Besides, what had happened to her real mother would not occur to her!

“Aargh!" She hurled the book across the room. Some of its velum pages tearing as it hit a nearby chair.

I need to calm down! She told herself, taking deep breaths.

Minutes passed, and she finally laid her head on the pillow and closed her eyes. She remembered the smoothness of his lips. His overpowering manly aroma. The heat from their closeness. What would it be like? She wondered as she fell asleep.

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Skandar smiled. His brow furrowed with speculation as he walked down the corridor. What did the old man want? Uncharacteristically, he had been summoned that evening and had yet to learn why. He didn’t like not knowing what his master wanted.

A curious look drew on his face as he entered the study; he saw the… gardener? What was the mysterious lady gardener doing there? His master was seated behind his desk while she stood beside him, listening to his instructions. She was good-looking for an older woman. Well, older than Dalia Hanim. His heart fluttered when he thought of the red-headed beauty.

The gardener had an air of authority he had not noticed before. She was athletic and well-muscled. Her penetrating dark eyes turned toward him as he approached.

“You can start —“ His master stopped mid-sentence and turned to him.

“Ah, Skandar. You finally made it,” then turning to Viper, “As I was saying, you can start training him.”

“Skandar, mistress Leyla will start training you in combat and meditation every afternoon while I’m gone. You will obey every command she gives you. I understand you think she’s a gardener, but she’s not!”

I have to listen to the gardener? Who is she? “Leyla Hanim, I will do my best.” Viper acknowledged him with a nod. Has she always been this scary?

“You will keep these on you always,” his master said as he took out two pendants. Each had a flat translucent stone with an intricate design carved on its surface, held by a soft leather cord. It seemed like an ordinary stone, not worth very much. It was smooth and cool to the touch and extremely lightweight. Why do I have to wear this thing?

They each took one and put it on. “They have some minor shielding,” he continued talking to Viper, “and serve as keys.”

Shielding? Skandar had no idea what was going on. First, the gardener was going to train him. Now, he had a pendant with shielding. Whatever that meant, and it was a key. To what?

“Viper, place the talisman here,” his master told the gardener, pointing to a small, almost undetectable notch on the bookcase. Viper? Is the old man nuts?

When Viper, the gardener, mistress Leyla - Skandar didn’t know what to call her - pressed the stone to the notch, a soft click was heard, and the bookcase slid to the left, revealing a downward spiraling passageway. There was a secret passage!

“What is this?” Asked Skandar, almost yelling

Every couple of paces, soft glowing white cubes illuminated the way, “Follow me down. Keep the talisman on you at all times.” His question ignored, Skandar could only follow. How was this lit without torches?

As they moved downward, the temperature grew cooler. The faint smell of wet earth reached Skandar. The floor was mostly handpicked earth, and the walls were lined with a dark grayish stone.

The spiraling passage ended in a long corridor with various plain wooden doors on either side. They entered the third door on the left into a large, well-lit room with four intricate mandala carvings on the stone floor. A faint white glow emanated from the grooves that made the designs. Skandar shivered. Who built all this? His master had just purchased this estate. He was sure of that. Was he now part of a cult?

“Viper, each one is a gathering array for meditation. It should give you about three times more Mu than normal.” What was Mu?

“Yes, master, I can feel the difference.”

“You will be in charge while I’m gone. I’ve already informed Captain Ferid and Harun of your status. But I suggest you keep your current job for the sake of our guest.” The gardener was in charge? Skandar’s head snapped toward his master, a perplexed look on his face.

“The gardener is in charge, master?” Ask Skandar, surprised at the revelation. Again, his master ignored him.

“Yes, master. You need not worry. The Estates’ ward and shield are complete and tuned for Ebon. I will work with the Captain to change the patrol patterns and to increase the number of guards, and I’ll keep an eye on our guest,” Answered Viper. Ward, shield, Ebon what was she talking about?

“On my return, we will leave for the Sect. Be ready. I have not decided on the matter of the guest yet,” said his master. They had a guest? Was it her tutor?

Skandar had a dumbfounded look. The wheels in his mind spun with every word he heard.

“Skandar…” coming out of his daze, he turned to look at his master.

“Yes… master,” he said in an apologetic tone.

“I’m sure you have many questions. I’ll answer them once I return and we leave for Ombre Island.”

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With the stolen Talisman in sweaty hand, she exited Skandar’s room and, hugging the wall, made her way to Renier’s study. The chirping of crickets was the only sound that broke the night's silence. Her heart was racing as she approached the room. I have to do this! She repeated for the umpteenth time.

She opened the warded door unimpeded, thanks to the talisman. She took a step in shivering. It’s the cold of the night, she reassured herself.

The moon’s reflection from an east window dimly lit the dark room. She could perceive his lingering smell, furthering the turmoil in her heart. The last time she was here, she had, in desperation, kissed him. Gently, she closed the door behind her and proceeded to the bookshelf.

It had been relatively easy to get the information from the trusting boy. Feeling with her fingers after a few minutes, she found the indentation he had described. Yet, her hand did not move; the final act delayed.

Mother will be disappointed if I don’t do this, she thought, encouraging herself. Once she took this step, her relationship with Renier and the boy would forever change. Meryem, you have to do this! The feeling of betrayal was paralyzing. She had started to think of these people as friends, in the case of Renier, perhaps even more. Would mother know if I reported there was nothing? The fleeting thought was discarded. Mother would know.

Besides, she had a mission, a duty, and she firmly believed in it. Resigned, she pushed the amulet into the indentation and stepped back.

With a soft click, the bookshelf slid to reveal a passageway. She had to cover her eyes against the brightness of the cubes lighting the way. A cool, inviting breeze flowed out of the passage.

Stepping boldly, she followed the spiral and reached the bottom. Suddenly, something hit her on the side of the head. She felt excruciating pain and slumped to the floor. Her eyes watered. Her vision blurred. She tried to push herself up, barely maintaining consciousness.

Strong hands grabbed her and turned her face down. Painfully, her hands and feet were tied behind her. “Ah!” She yelped, surprised by the sharp pain of the hair on the back of her head being pulled as she was dragged across the rough stone floor. Her face was a finger’s width away from the ground.

“Yendeci bitch, did you think kissing my master would fool us?” A female voice said. Was that jealousy she detected?

“You’re not dead because my master is soft,” her captor continued as she was thrown and her body slammed against the back wall. Definitely jealous. Perhaps she could use this to escape, thought Meryem, her training taking over despite the pain.

“You can wait here for his return,” Meryem was finally able to look up. She was in a small room lit by a single cube. The one door closed slowly. Her eyes opened wide as she saw her captor. Shock and disbelief plastered on her face. It was the gardener!