Page 5 of A Thousand Nights Before Dawn
She felt the bends of the papyrus in her hands, and she stopped rolling it. Her breath hitched in her throat, a deep sense of familiarity rushing through her. The invitation… She had received one in her dream.
She had been there, at the Feast.
Vibrant images of wealthy Aurans danced through her mind. She imagined the tall, white pillars of thepr-aa’soutdoor room and the King that would occupy it. She couldn’t imagine herself among the thousands of women present, but she could see them from afar as themedjaychased her down.
The papyrus fell from Zahra’s hands as the images replayed in her mind. A letter had come from her father in her dream,warning her to leave the kingdom of Aur that night. She had not listened, and death had greeted her at the Pa-sekhemty Feast.
“Zahra!”
Zahra buried the letter within the folds of the gown, hopping to her feet as the door opened. One of her other roommates stood beside a nervous-looking gentleman who wore the clothes of a temple messenger. Her roommate glanced at the gown in Zahra’s hands before turning to the messenger. “This is she.” She said nothing more before leaving the two alone.
The messenger breathed heavily, sweat trickling down his forehead. “Are you Zahra, daughter of Omar?”
Zahra abandoned the gown on the chest. “Yes.”
He dug in his bag and handed her a rolled papyrus. “Your father sent a letter for you.”
Zahra sucked in a breath as she took the letter.
The messenger put his hands on his bag’s strap. “He said it was urgent.”
Urgent—another word from her dream. Zahra’s hands trembled as she unrolled the papyrus, and her features paled as she read the letter’s contents. “Flee Aur,” her father wrote in scribbled Ionic, “and never return.”
Zahra swallowed, her mouth suddenly dry. Her dream was coming true.
2
The Sixth Chime
“How much longer until we are there, Mwt?” Femi whined. “We have been traveling for hours.”
Bahiti huffed, waving her hand to dismiss her eldest daughter’s complaints. The chariot hit a rock, jostling Zahra and the other passengers as it rode up the hill, away from the Iteru river, where they had spent the last few hours sailing. Zahra leaned forward to see if the center of the capital city was in sight, but the line of chariots ahead of them blocked her view. She sighed and hugged herself. Her father’s letter burned in the back of her mind. Soon she would find him and put this matter to rest.
“Mwt?” Femi asked. “How far away are we? The future queen should not have to endure this wait.”
Bahiti’s youngest daughter, Keket, scoffed from beside Zahra. “He will not even look at you, Femi. He will be looking atme.”
“You?” Femi barred her teeth. “The King wouldn’t dance with someone like you.”
“Hush.” Bahiti pinched the bridge of her nose. “The King will not want to hear you prattling on and on.”
Keket crossed her arms, letting out a huff. Femi watched her mother out of the corner of her eye. When she was sure Bahiti was distracted once more, she smirked and leaned toward Keket. “Fish brains.”
Keket’s lip formed a tight line. “Rotten pig.”
Bahiti smacked both of their hands. “Enough! We are here.”
Keket and Femi shoved each other as they both stood at the front of the chariot. Zahra leaned over the edge. Thepr-aa—where the royal family and important officials lived—came into view. It glowed a brilliant white, lighting up the early night. Below thepr-aaand by the temple stood the obelisk, which soared over the surrounding buildings.
Zahra recalled her father’s fascination with the obelisks, which allowed each city to tell time. During the day, the obelisks cast shadows on the ground to mark the sunnetjer’sjourney across the sky. At night, the moon cast similar shadows. An hour priest resided inside the obelisk during the day, and the priest would ring a large, bronze bell when the shadows reached certain markers. During special times of the year, such as during a lunar eclipse, an hour priest also manned the obelisk at night.
The obelisk chimed twice. The Pa-sekhemty Feast had begun.
Bahiti moved her head, blocking Zahra’s view. “When we stop, you must stay near me. If anything about my daughters’ appearances goes awry, you will fix it in a timely manner. Understood?”
Zahra swallowed. “Yes, Mistress.”
Their chariot followed the procession, winding up the hill and past the festivities the locals were hosting, until it reached the glorious fountain in front of thepr-aa. Water flowed througha pillar covered in carvings of the sunnetjer, trickling down until it rested in a circular basin.
