Page 110 of A Thousand Nights Before Dawn
Zahra’s chest tightened as her hand lingered on the seashell necklace around her neck. The signs were all there, but she had been so focused on her curse and on protecting him that she had not thought what all of his efforts meant, only what they had made her feel.
But she couldn’t marry him.
“I am not Auran.”
“Why would that matter?” Namir balked. “The laws do not say you need to be Auran to be queen.”
“But it’s not just that,” Zahra cried. She did know how to say it. Shecouldn’tsay it without telling him the truth. That she was destined todieand there wasnothingeither of them could do about it.
“What is it then?” he questioned. “Is it Kanefer? Are you still in love with him even after what he did to you?”
Zahra gritted her teeth, her hands trembling. “Ineverloved him!”
“Then why can you not be with me?” There was pain in his voice and written on his face. “If you cannot be happy with me, then say it!”
Zahra’s lip trembled. “I… I can’t.” She couldn’t say it. She could lie about her death every night, but she couldn’t lie about this. She choked down a sob and looked away. “I am sorry, Namir.”
He shook his head, stepping backward into the shadow of a tree. “I am sorry I brought you here.”
The pain in his voice broke her heart, and she reached for him. “Namir?—”
He pointed toward the edge of town. “Have Ramses take you back. Tell him I will see him tomorrow.”
“Don’t go,” Zahra pleaded. “Namir, it’s not safe out there. The assassins?—”
“I do not care.”
Zahra saw a glimpse of a tear on his cheek as he glanced back at her, before he ran into the darkness.
25
A Great Pharaoh
Zahra ran through the celebrations, tears streaming down her cheeks as she searched for Ramses. She saw him standing with the others in the dim light, dancing to the music.
A young boy tapped his shoulder and indicated Zahra. His eyes went wide as Zahra ran toward him.
“Ramses!” she cried. “He is gone. He is gone!”
Ramses grabbed her shoulders, trying to calm her down. “Slow down. What is wrong?”
Zahra choked down a sob. “He is gone. I can’t find him!”
Ramses’s brow furrowed, and he went straight toward his horse. He offered a hand to Zahra, and she jumped up behind him.
“What is going on?” someone asked.
Ramses spoke. “We will return. Please, continue celebrating.”
Lina came to their side. “Where is Namir?”
“He has run off,” Ramses signed. “We are going to find him.”
Lina’s eyebrows knitted together. “Be careful.”
Ramses nodded. He rallied the othermedjay, and Zahra pointed to where she had last seen Namir. “He went this way.”
The group divided, scouring the edge of the village, but Namir was nowhere to be found. The next city was not for some distance, and there was no way he could have made it that far on foot. He was between the cities somewhere, hiding among the grass, trees, and wild animals.
