Page 93 of A Thousand Nights Before Dawn
“You did help.” The words came out sharper than intended. The anger at Bahiti—at herself—was bubbling in her chest, along with the shame and embarrassment of having been seen byhim.
Namir’s brow lowered. “Will you not answer my question?”
“What use will the information be to you? You have done what I have asked and more,” she answered. “There’s nothing else you need to do.”
Namir looked at her, dumbfounded. He turned away, focusing on his knotted hands in front of him. “There were other wounds on your back. The physician said some had scarred over years ago, and there were bruises from at least a week ago. The one on your face was from today.” He looked up at her. “So I ask again, Zahra, how long have you worked for Bahiti? How many times has she done this to you?”
Zahra bit her tongue, trying to keep her emotions and tears at bay. The pressure in her chest felt as if it would flood out of her at any moment. “It does not matter.”
“Of course it does.” Namir scooted forward, but Zahra wouldn’t grant him the privilege of looking into her eyes. “I don’t understand you, Zahra. Why do you elude me so? Why do you insist on playing games instead of giving me a straight answer?”
“You are King!” She turned to him, her eyes and chest hot with fury. “You are King, and yet you speak to me as if I am more than I am. You know what I am! A sorceress. A servant. A slave by every right but name!”
Namir sat up straight. “I don’t think of you as those things.”
“Don’t lie.” Her voice cracked as she spoke. “After this night ends, I will be of no use to you. You will not starve for companionship, for another person with freedom and choice. You will have all that you need, and I will havenothingfor you. How can I trust your intentions when we will not speak once this curse has ended?!”
Namir’s eyes went wide. Shame toiled within her heart as she saw, for the first time, tears within Namir’s eyes.
Zahra’s mouth hung open, but she couldn’t take back her words. “I…”
Namir waited, and when she said nothing more, he gritted his teeth and leaned forward. “You are my own. It is my duty as King to help my people in their struggles, and that includes you.” His hands clenched the arms of the chair. “How could you question my intentions after all this time? Are my intentions not clear? Icarefor you, Zahra. I hate to see you in pain. I want to help you because you are important to me!”
Namir’s words echoed in the empty room, leaving them in silence. Their gaze did not leave the other.
Zahra sniffled. “You consider me your own?”
Namir’s features softened, and he leaned forward, grasping her fingers. “Of course. You and your people, though different, are under my protection. You are Aurans, too.”
His words melted her anger, and the small voice in her mind reminded her of what she already knew. Namir was there for her, and he wouldn’t abandon her as so many others had.
Tears spilled down her cheeks. “I have been so foolish.”
Namir stroked her hand as she wiped at her eyes. “I don’t think you are foolish.”
“I am,” she cried. “I am sorry. I should have come to you. Instead, I let this happen, and now you are hurt. It is all my fault.”
He worked his fingers between hers and squeezed her hand. “None of this is your fault.”
She sniffled. “But?—”
“None of it.”
Zahra smiled, wiping at her eyes as she tried to slow her tears. Though she did not believe the words, it felt good in her heart to hear them.
There was a brief silence as they both collected their thoughts. Finally, Namir spoke. “If you don’t wish me to know, I will not ask. But, Zahra, I want to help, if you will let me.”
Zahra quieted a cry, her voice cracking as she let out a bitter half laugh. “It is not a happy story.”
He smiled softly. “I don’t expect it to be.”
Zahra considered his words. She did not want to face him, but something within her wanted desperately to speak—to share the truth that she had for so long buried.
“I was nine when I came to Aur,” she began. “My master, Darius, was one of many who were asked by your father to offer work for my people. My father became interested in serving in the temple, and Darius used his connections to get him a place in Inebu-hedj. This put my father in debt, and he offered my services as collateral to help pay off his debt faster. In exchange for providing my basic needs, I would serve Darius by helpingwith the housework, and any additional work would contribute to paying off my father’s debt.
“The punishments began as soon as my father made permanent residence at the temple. Darius was often busy and left the servants in his wife’s care. Bahiti was not kind like her husband. She worked me harder than any child servant and put costly mistakes under my father’s debt, forcing more debt onto our shoulders. Her punishments, in her mind, were just. I was prone to mistakes as a child, and Bahiti made sure I knew I was in the wrong.”
Namir’s fingers traced over the faded scars on her wrists. “Since you were that young?”
