Page 112 of A Thousand Nights Before Dawn
Namir grunted. “You shouldn’t be here.”
Ramses took off his shirt, and Namir let out a cry as Ramses forced it against his wound.
“I couldn’t leave you,” Zahra whispered, brushing his curls from his sweaty forehead.
Namir pushed weakly on Ramses’s shoulder, trying to sign with his other hand.
Ramses shook his head, focusing on his task.
Zahra took Namir’s hand and squeezed it. “Breathe, Namir. It will be okay.”
“You both should go,” he rasped. “T—There is no saving me. If you leave, you will be safe. I will be here in the morning…”
“No,” Zahra said, stroking his head. “Where is this coming from?”
“I failed as King.” He drew in a long, quivering breath. “As long as they don’t kill me during the blood moon, then you will be safe, and this day will finally end.”
“It will not end like this,” Zahra stated. “You made me a promise. You made your people a promise. You cannot die. I forbid it.”
Namir smiled wearily. “And I must do what you say?”
Zahra smiled softly. “You know you must,o méli.”
Ramses waved at Zahra in the darkness, and she flinched. There was a glint of red in his eyes. He blinked the glow away, motioning for her to take over for him. She let go of Namir’s hand and applied pressure to his wound, all while watchingRamses out of the corner of her eye. Thekereswere clearly working within him, but he was fighting it.How?
Ramses pulled Namir to the back of the room and propped him up. There were farming tools everywhere, and Ramses used these to create a small shelter of sorts, so they were hidden from view of the stairs.
When he was finished, he put his hand on Namir’s shoulder. “I am going to get help.”
Namir shook his head, wheezing. “It is dangerous.”
Ramses turned to Zahra. “Take care of him.”
Zahra swallowed and nodded.
Namir reached out for Ramses. “Ramses, no.”
Ramses smiled, thumping his chest with his fist and bowing his head. Then he left them in the darkness.
Zahra turned toward Namir. She could barely see his eyes, let alone tell if they were open. “We have less than an hour, Namir. We can do this.”
Namir turned his head toward her, breathing heavily. “I am sorry.”
Zahra’s heart ached. “Don’t be sorry. Please.”
“I should not have left.” He groaned as he tried to move. “I ensured we were not followed, but I was foolish to think the assassins wouldn’t be waiting for me.”
“You did not know they would find us,” Zahra said, keeping pressure on his wound. “The important thing is that you are alive.”
“I should have let them finish the job.” His brow furrowed after he said it, and he turned away from her.
“Namir…”
“I have trapped you here.” He gritted his teeth. “If I was a better King, I would have ended the spell by now.”
Zahra shook her head. “That’s not true. There’s so much that’s beyond your control.”
“Like what?” he asked, turning to her. Tears were in his eyes, and his voice was hoarse as he spoke. “I chose someone on the first day of this spell, and I do not even remember her. Now, we are trapped in this day, and my people hate me enough to take my life. I have failed as King, and I am not fit to be Pharaoh.”
