Page 15 of A Thousand Nights Before Dawn
A sharp pain hit her head, and she clutched her shawl in her fist as the memories struggled to remain clear. “I saw you outside of the temple as well. You were speaking to someone.” He stood at a distance in her memory, his form bright in the moonlight, and the personage beside him cloaked in shadow.
Namir looked down as he muttered to himself. “That was a while ago. But then?—”
“I want an explanation.” Zahra shook off the feeling in her chest and clenched her fists by her side. “I told you what I know. Now you must do the same.”
He got to his feet, tossing the remainder of the fruit over his shoulder. “All you need to know is that I am trying to stop this day from repeating. To do that, I need to check your chest.”
Zahra’s hands flung to her bosom, her eyes wide. “How dare you!”
Namir winced. “I did not mean?—”
Zahra gritted her teeth. “You are a liar, a thief, and a?—”
“I must check for a mark,” Namir exclaimed, holding his hands up in defense. He lowered one hand, touching the area right below his collarbone. “Here.”
Zahra stared for a moment before pulling at her shawl to check the area on her skin. “There’s nothing there.”
“You cannot see it,” he reasoned, “but I can. If you let me touch you?—”
Zahra dropped her arms. “I refuse! I have no reason to trust you.”
He stepped forward. “It will be quick, I promise.”
She moved away, her feet pointed toward the path away from the well. “No! Don’t forget that I helped you. For all I know, you are a wicked sorcerer with a grudge against the King.”
Namir clenched his jaw. “I assure you, I am not.” He dropped his hand. “Fine, then. What must I do to gain this favor from you?”
Zahra raised her eyebrows in surprise. She did not think that would work. She straightened, holding her head high. “Tell me why I remember and why no one else does.”
Namir sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “There is nothing else I can give you?”
Zahra narrowed her eyes. “No.”
He turned away, his face in a state of agony as he debated with himself. After a few moments, he let out a small curse and turned to her. “You must tell no one. This is the Pharaohs’ most-kept secret, and you would be killed if you were to share it.”
“Fine.” Zahra crossed her arms. “Tell me, then.”
Namir sat against the tree, content to let Zahra stand. “Do you know how Aur was founded?”
“Of course.” She had lived in Aur for ten years, after all. “Re gave the future king and queen the Iteru river, and they became pharaohs over the land. What does that have to do with?—?”
“He gave them more than the river,” Namir explained, moving his hands as he spoke. “The first pharaohs worried that future generations would marry evil influences and corrupt the land, so they asked Re for another gift—something that would ensure they picked a worthy spouse to rule beside them.”
“I don’t understand.” Zahra frowned. “Are there not enough marriageable choices in Aur?”
Namir nodded. “That was the problem. There were too many. While a king or queen can rule alone, he or she cannot be pharaoh—or ruler of all Aur—until there is a queen or king to rule alongside him or her. A pharaoh cannot rule without another pharaoh. Hence the meaning of the Feast’s name.”
“Two crowns,” Zahra whispered. Her father had explained all of this when she arrived in Aur from Ionia as a child. The pharaoh is the king and queen, not only one of them. It was why Aur had mourned the Pharaoh King a year ago when the Pharaoh Queen was still alive and ruling. She would continue to have the final say in all matters—and the only say in religious matters—until her son found a bride and became the next pharaoh king.
“When a king or queen is crowned, he or she must marry before becoming pharaoh and receiving Re’s full protection,” Namir explained. “That is the rule. With so many choices, it would be easy for the king or queen to choose incorrectly, thus dooming Aur to a corrupt ruler endowed with Re’s power.”
Zahra nodded in understanding. “So, what did Re give the pharaohs?”
Namir shut his mouth, studying her with a hesitant expression.
Zahra raised her eyebrows. “I will not tell anyone.”
“You will not forget this conversation, either,” he stated. “This information has never been shared with anyone outside of Aur.”
