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that was a matter of course.
     
    Istanbul, Turkey
     
    Tomas booked flights with his usual efficiency. The pair chartered a helicopter to ferry them all the way to Bucharest. From there they boarded a direct flight to Istanbul Atatürk Airport.
    The plane thankfully landed in the early evening and Yasmin could walk freely through the terminal.
    A long cab ride through the busy streets of the Sirkeci district took the pair into the older quarter surrounding the great Hagia Sophia. They checked into the five star Anatalia Hotel and made themselves comfortable. Yasmin was still uncomfortable with Tomas using his savings and resolved to improve her financial situation whilst she was in Istanbul.
    Once she had settled in it was around one in the morning. Tomas left to run a small reconnaissance mission in their district. Yasmin found he was exceptionally good at establishing solid connections in a short space of time.
    She sipped on a glass of wine and watched seaside traffic slide past as she waited for Tomas to return. An hour later he hustled in and reported his findings.
    “Local crime lords are beginning to get a handle on the Flux, but don’t have diviners yet,” he said. “City is doing pretty well, considering. Better than some western European cities. Turns out Herr X is fairly well known around these parts. Came here to recruit fairly often. Until we stole Mischa off him.”
    Tomas offered a twisted grin. Yasmin liked the look of it - it didn’t happen often enough these days.
    “Yasmin, I think we need to move tonight,” the doktor continued. “Word is Herr X is meeting with an important underworld figure tonight.”
    “Then we’d better go,” Yasmin said with a smile. “And it’s nice to hear my real name for a change.”
    Tomas grimaced. “Sorry, I’m forgetting myself.”
    Yasmin rolled her eyes good-naturedly. “Just lead on, dear doktor.”
     
    Yasmin followed Tomas out into the sultry spring air of Istanbul. The night breeze carried a number of alluring scents including sandalwood, lamb and garbage. An energetic local band was playing somewhere to rapturous applause. The moon rippled silver across the inky Bosphorous. Yasmin felt a pang of pain at Jack’s absence. To spend a few nights with him in this city would simply be magic…
    The attractive seaside boulevard became less attractive as the pair moved closer to the water. The rocks down at the water’s edge were slick with slime and threw a foul smell for the breeze to catch. Tomas found what he was looking for - a large, circular stormwater drain. It wouldn’t budge to normal human encouragement but it was no match for Tomas’s vampire strength.
    Passing through the opening he created, Yasmin wrinkled her nose at the smell of sewerage.
    “You know how to show a girl a good time,” she quipped.
    “I’m sorry, queen, but this way we should get a good look.”
    “Look at what?”
    “The man Herr X has been reporting to all this time,” Tomas said cryptically.
    Her interest piqued, Yasmin gathered her fur coat around her and glided after her charge.
    “You know, I never thought there would be moments like this,” Tomas said almost happily as he picked his way through piles of refuse. “You know, after losing everything.”
    Tomas had chosen a peculiar time to open up.
    “I think I’ll cherish these moments as long as I live,” he continued, avoiding her gaze. “It’s good to know there is still some color in my life, Yasmin.”
    There he went with her name again. This time Yasmin was certain something was up.
    “You know I’ll always be here for you, Tomas,” Yasmin said truthfully. It was a neutral statement about friendship, nothing more.
    Tomas nodded vigorously as he turned down a narrow side passage, saying no more. The air became much cooler here. Yasmin had an escalating feeling of dread as Tomas led them through a dusty chamber supported by ornate pillars.
    A dark, sinewy tunnel beckoned on the far side. Yasmin