Page 125 of A Thousand Nights Before Dawn
Namir stepped up behind her, and Ramses stayed by the horses. “What is it?”
“This is where Asenath died.” She glanced at Namir. “This is where the Thoth was born.”
Namir’s eyebrows raised in surprise, and he followed her up the steps and into the building. They reached the center of thepr-aa, where the stones in the floor were organized in a swirling pattern. They appeared to have been painted at some point, but now they were all the same bland shades of gray and brown from hundreds of years of wear.
She approached the one remaining wall. It was barely as tall as her. Her fingers traced the edge of one of the stones. As she did so, the stones glowed. Patterns and symbols long melted away by sun and rain appeared on the ground, and the walls rebuilt themselves, made out of silver moonlight.
Zahra watched the oldpr-aacome to life around her, and the outlines of beautiful artworks and tapestries unfolded before her eyes.
Namir followed her gaze, but it was obvious he couldn’t see what she saw.
Zahra smiled and extended her hand to him. “Come here.”
Namir placed his hand in hers, glancing about as he was brought into the vision. His eyes wandered to her head, where hersibylmark glowed strongly. “What is this place?”
“This is what it looked like over five hundred years ago.”
Zahra was going to say more, but a purple light came from the floor, and she quieted.
Namir looked down, his eyes wide as the light swirled around his legs. “W-What is it?”
“It’s the magic of the Thoth,” Zahra whispered. “It recognizes you.”
The light circled around Namir’s torso, making the mark on his chest glow through his shirt. The light returned to the floor, shooting out toward the edges of the building. From the edge of the building to the center, a replica of the land was created out of light.
Namir gasped, stepping back but still holding firm to Zahra’s hand. “Is… Is that…”
Zahra nodded. “Aur.”
She studied the map, which exactly replicated Aur’s geography, buildings, and roads. Dotted across it were small blue lights. From each light, and from Zahra’s own chest, ran a thick, purple thread that ran into the sky.
“They are people,” Zahra realized. “Everyone in Aur who is under the Thoth’s spell.” She looked toward Namir. His mark continued to glow, but he had no purple thread coming from him. He was not bound as everyone else was.
Namir’s gaze was focused on all the small dots. He pointed toward the map. “What about that one?”
Zahra moved along the wall, careful not to let go of the actual stone and lose the vision. In the capital city, among the other lights, was a light with no purple thread. Instead, a purple symbol floated above it.
“Your bride,” Zahra gasped. “Sheisin Inebu-hedj.”
Namir wrinkled his nose. “I checked everyone in the capital. If she was there, I would have found her.”
“But it says she is,” Zahra insisted. “Look!”
Namir instead turned toward her, looking down at her hand.
Zahra studied the area where his bride was located. She was near thepr-aa. If she was there this whole time, how had she gone unnoticed?
Another light caught her eye. This one was not blue—its shape was cracked and deformed, and a red glow came from it. Its thread hovered above it, unattached and frayed.
A corrupt soul.
Realization gripped her features. “Someone else remembers.”
“Zahra. Zahra!”
Zahra turned toward Namir, who was looking at her with urgency. He lifted her hand so she could see it. Jagged blue lines ran up her hand and arm, stopping just below her elbow.
Namir’s gaze landed on her face. “What is this? You don’t seem surprised.”
