When they reached the main building, her face fell. There were broken statues among the rubble, with headless animal figures and piles of debris. Arabic graffiti was painted across ancient stone walls.
She covered her mouth with one hand, horrified. Yusef put his arm around her. She let out a choked sob, her shoulders shaking.
Hud examined the senseless destruction around them. He knew that the Da’esh had destroyed artifacts in Syria and Iraq. They’d bulldozed museums and vandalized historic sites. He hadn’t expected to encounter the evidence of their dark deeds in Turkey. Nor had he expected to be so personally offended by it.
The Da’esh had captured and tortured him. They were his enemies and his targets. He already hated them. What they’d done here ratcheted that feeling up a notch. It was like seeing a swastika scrawled on a synagogue.
The mood was somber as they toured the rest of the site. Most of the damage was limited to one area. Near the top of the fortress, they found the remnants of a fire. Hud crouched down to touch the ashes. They were cold. He had no way of knowing if the vandals had made this fire. Whoever it was, they were long gone now.
Layah glanced around, taking a deep breath. “We should set up camp.”
They continued to a small clearing behind a crumbling stone wall. There was a grassy spot for their tents. Hud collected firewood and made a small pit at the base of the wall. They drank tea and studied the crackling flames.
Although the actions of the Da’esh had put a damper on the evening, they rallied. The Assyrians were a resilient sort, determined to make the best of things. Aram had refilled his liquor bottle with Yazidi moonshine, which he passed around the circle. Hud took a swig and gave it to Layah. She gulped the rest, grimacing. Then she handed the empty bottle to Ashur. Everyone laughed at his disappointment.
Yusef teased Ashur about something related to Hanna and they all laughed again. Hud didn’t understand the words but he understood the context. Ashur shook his head in denial, scrubbing his cheek as if he had girl cooties. Then Layah told a ghost story. Hud watched her animated expressions and graceful gestures, committing the details to memory. He didn’t feel like an outsider anymore, despite the language barrier. He was comfortable among her people. He’d tried to keep his distance, and failed.
Nina sang an Assyrian folk song before they went to bed. Yusef clapped and Oshana danced by firelight, barefoot and lovely. Aram captured his pretty young wife and dragged her into the tent. Nina and Yusef called it a night, as well.
“You should rest,” Layah said to Ashur.
“I’ll take first watch,” Hud said.
Ashur yawned, nodding his agreement. He went to join the others, but stopped short. “I have to sleep in your tent,” he mumbled.
She motioned for him to go ahead. The reason for the change became apparent when breathy feminine sounds emerged from the tent. Hud couldn’t tell if it was Nina or Oshana. Maybe both, on separate ends.
He arched a brow at Layah. “Your cousins do everything together, don’t they?”
She laughed, rising to her feet. “Come. I will take watch with you.”
He jumped at the offer, though he knew better. His commitment to proper conduct had cracked under the stress of the circumstances. He was only human. He’d been held captive for two months. If his worst crime after escaping that hellhole was succumbing to the charms of a beautiful woman, so be it.
Not that he planned on sleeping with her. Not tonight, outdoors, with her cousins near. He also didn’t have any condoms, and he was supposed to be keeping watch. He brought one of the wool blankets, though. Might as well get cozy while he avoided temptation.
They hunkered down on the other side of the fortress wall, away from the firelight. He set the rifle in a safe place and arranged the blanket. She snuggled against him. He stared across the dark, deserted hillside. The river glittered in the moonlight.
“Why are you going to Armenia?” he asked.
“It is my father’s homeland, and we have nowhere else to go. The Da’esh have invaded every Assyrian community in the region.”
“Why do they target Assyrians?”
“Some say it is because of American interference. They want to kill all Christians in retaliation.”
“They kill Muslims, too.”
“Yes. They kill everyone who opposes them. It is sad that we have been forced out instead of them. Parts of Syria, Iraq and Turkey should belong to us. Assyrians have lived here for thousands of years.”
“You can’t stay in Turkey?”
“It is not safe.”
“The Turks won’t protect you from the Da’esh?”
“The Turks are not our allies. They are responsible for the genocide that killed two-thirds of the Assyrian population.”
“When was this?”
“A hundred years ago, but not forgotten. Also, it is rumored that they have joined forces with the Da’esh to defeat the Kurds.”
He nodded his understanding. Like all things in the Middle East, their situation was complicated. Now that he’d seen the evidence of their persecution with his own eyes, he sympathized with her on a deeper level.
“I fled to Syria to escape war,” she continued. “I returned to Iraq for the same reason. I do not wish to settle in another unstable place. Armenia has known many years of peace, and our people are welcome there.”
“Do you speak Armenian?”
“A little.”
“How many other languages?”
“Four or five.”
“Which is it? Four or five?”
“I am fluent in English, Arabic, Assyrian and Kurdish. I also know a bit of Farsi and Armenian.”
He counted on his fingers. “That’s six.”
“But I only speak four well.”
“I only speak one well. If that.”
“You can learn another.”
He turned toward her, studying her face. A week ago, he’d had no interest in learning Arabic. Now he wanted to learn her ways. He wanted to know every inch of her. When he cupped her chin with one hand, she didn’t pull
