Chapter 22 – Survivors of Fire, Return to the Shadows
The heavy wooden door of the Black Swan Inn creaked softly as it opened.When Balibey and Cafer stepped inside, the warmth of the room felt like a refuge after the windy streets outside.The inn was dimly lit but welcoming.Along its thick stone walls were low couches, tables covered in colorful rugs, and a hearth adorned with painted tiles.Inside, Turks and Greeks sat together—some playing backgammon, others chatting over tea or wine.From one corner came the sound of a zurna, carrying a melancholy melody from distant lands that seemed to cling to the inn's walls.
Balibey took a deep breath.He scanned the room briefly before making his way toward the counter where the innkeeper stood.The man was an elderly Greek with a graying beard and a measured smile.Balibey asked:
"Innkeeper…have two Turks come here?One tall and imposing, the other slim and of medium height?"
The innkeeper tilted his head slightly, studying them carefully.He was about to answer when—
A voice rang out from behind them, familiar and dearly missed:
"Balibey!Thank God you're alive!"
Balibey spun around instantly.There, standing by the entrance, sun-scorched but with eyes shining brightly, was Kasım.A relieved grin spread across Balibey's face.He strode toward him.
"My brother!You're alive too!"
They embraced tightly.The bond between them wasn't just loyalty—it was a brotherhood forged through shared trials.
Kasım turned immediately to Cafer, his gaze catching on the bandaged wound on his leg.
"Cafer...are you alright?"
Cafer leaned on his makeshift cane, his face more worried than pained.
"Forget about me for now, Kasım.Where is our Sultan?Is he with you?Is he safe?"
Kasım hesitated for a heartbeat, then smiled gently.
"He's safe.He was worried about you too.He's upstairs, resting.Come, I'll take you to him."
Cafer leaned heavily on his staff, and Balibey walked closely beside him.Together, the three climbed the stone staircase of the inn.The curved corridor was lit by aged lanterns bearing the marks of time.When they reached the last door at the end of the hall, Kasım stepped forward.He knocked twice.
A strong but weary voice answered from within:
"Enter."
When the door opened, there sat Sultan Murad, his back to the window, a prayer bead in hand, a weary but unyielding expression on his face.His eyes met Balibey's and Cafer's—and for a moment, there was silence.Then Murad closed his eyes, inhaled deeply:
"Thank God..."
He rose to his feet and approached them.All three moved to bow, but Murad lifted a hand, stopping them.
"No.Today, I must stand eye-to-eye with my brothers."
Balibey's eyes glistened.Cafer bowed his head and whispered:
"Glad to see you, my Sultan..."
There was a moment of profound stillness.Within it pulsed the echo of an empire, a journey, and three fates entwined.
As Murad looked at each of them, his gaze held not just gratitude, but the steely resolve of a leader sensing the approaching storm.
"You are weary," he said, his voice soft yet taut."But the time for victory has not yet come.Our journey is just beginning."
Balibey stepped forward and spoke in his deep, steady voice:
"My Sultan...we searched every port and every village for you.By chance—or by fate—we arrived in Kritinia.It seems we chose well."
Murad smiled faintly.
"We trusted Kasım's memory and were not betrayed."
He turned his gaze to Kasım, nodding approvingly.Then his eyes fell on Cafer, leaning heavily on his cane, pale but steadfast.
"Is your injury serious?"
Cafer shook his head.
"It's nothing, my Sultan.What matters is that you're safe."
Murad exhaled deeply and walked to the window, gazing at the shadowed city beyond.
"I feel something," he said quietly.
Silence filled the room.
"Sabbah still lives.And he will come again."
Balibey lifted his head.
"How do you know?"
Murad shook his head slightly.
"I don't.But when the night is this still…some shadows stir too much."
He turned back slowly.
"Tonight, we stay vigilant.Darkness is seeking its moment."
Cafer's hand moved instinctively to his sword.
"They seek the sword...but they'll have to take our souls first."
Murad fixed his gaze on them.
"And we are not men who sell our souls."
A heavy silence fell again—this time carrying the weight of unseen threats.
After a long pause, Murad asked, turning toward Cafer:
"Sabbah...is it truly him?The one from Alamut, Hasan Sabbah?"
Cafer bowed his head, his voice low but sure:
"My Sultan...judging by his command of darkness, his mastery over shadows, and that chilling fear he evokes...it seems likely."
Murad paced slowly, his hand brushing the hilt of Fatih's sword.
"Then..." he said."Every obstacle in our path must be crushed,so that nothing remains to trip us again."
Kasım, Balibey, and Cafer nodded solemnly.
But Cafer stepped forward:
"However, my Sultan...if we are truly facing Sabbah...he is not alone.He may already have eyes within this very inn."
Murad frowned, thinking for a moment.
Then he said calmly:
"You are right, Cafer.We must be cautious."
Just as the tension in the room rose——GROWL!
A loud stomach rumble echoed through the silence.All eyes turned to Kasım.
Embarrassed, he clutched his belly.
"Forgive me, my Sultan...I think it's... hunger..."
For a few seconds, no one spoke.Then Murad, Balibey, and Cafer all burst out laughing.
Murad turned to Kasım with a grin:
"Come, then.Let us eat.I, too, have eaten nothing while waiting anxiously for you."
Still sheepish but smiling, Kasım followed.Balibey led the way, and Cafer leaned on his staff.As they left the room, they carried with them the warmth of brotherhood—and the unshakable will to face the darkness yet to come.