Page 129 of A Thousand Nights Before Dawn
“Zahra,” Namir said. “Please.”
Zosar reached for her arm, and Zahra gulped as he guided her to the ground. Anxiety buzzed through her body as Zosar knelt over her. “W—Will it hurt?”
Zosar did not answer. Without warning, he grabbed the serpent by the head and pulled.
Zahra gasped, throwing her head back as visions overtook her mind. Thekereswere chasing her as they had chased Asenath. The Iteru dried up before her eyes, and every plant, animal, and person shriveled into dust. There were screams, and Zahra saw Asenath’s hollow eyes as darkness spread over her face.
“Hold her down,” Zosar cried as Zahra’s arms and legs flailed.
Hands secured her limbs, and Zahra shook her head, whimpering.
“Zahra, breathe,” she heard Namir say.
Green light vibrated from Zosar’s hands, wrapping around the snake. It shrieked, its tail growing longer and wrapping around Zahra’s right leg. It seemed to coil around her mind, pressing a fog deep into her memories.
Katerina’s cries faded into the recesses of her mind. Zahra screamed as her memories of the day of the Pa-sekhemty Feast flowed before her eyes. Each image faded into darkness. She couldn’t remember her conversations with Ramses or her time spent learning to ride a horse or use a dagger. She could see Namir, but his eyes were unfamiliar. Then he, too, faded into nothing.
The endless days merged into one, and all she could remember was a stranger in the dark, talking to her as they watched the stars.
The memory faded from her eyes, and Zahra’s limbs fell limp. She wheezed, exhaustion pulling at her eyelids. Everything ached, but she didn’t know why.
A hand landed on her cheek, and she moved away from it. It rested softly on her forehead, while another hand went to her arm.
“I am sorry, my boy,” a gravelly voice said. “There is nothing more I can do. If you do not wish for her to suffer more, then you must end this day.”
The hands on her trembled.
“Oh, Menes,” another voice said. “I am so sorry.”
“There is nothing else I can do, my boy.”
“You must let her go.”
Gentle arms lifted and carried her, setting her on something soft. She tried to focus on the things around her, but she couldn’t make sense of the vivid colors and expensive stone. Her eyelids were heavy, and she could barely move.
A hand brushed her curls from her face, and a soft voice came. “Zahra, I am going to the library. Ramses will be here for you when you wake up.”
Zahra groaned, scrunching her eyelids. “Who?”
“Ramses.” The hand moved to her cheek. “Breathe. You need rest.”
Zahra turned her head, and sunlight shone on her face. She took in a sharp breath, panic filling her thoughts as she tried to sit up. “No, no, no. I am late.”
“Zahra.”
“Femi and Keket need me. I am supposed to go to the Feast with them.”
“What? Zahra, look at me.” The hand rested on her arm, helping her sit upright. “Please. You need sleep.”
Zahra flinched. She looked up, seeing a man with black eyes. She pulled away from his grasp, falling backward on the bed. “Who are you? Where am I?”
His face fell. “Zahra, it’s me. It’s Namir.”
She leaned away from him, her curls falling in front of her tear-filled eyes. “How do you know my name?”
His face contorted in pain. He stood from the bed, stumbling back toward the door. Amedjaywas standing there. He tried to speak to the man, but the man pushed past him.
Themedjayturned toward her, and he signed to her. Zahra’s brow furrowed at the unfamiliar language. When themedjaysaw that she did not understand, he spoke. “Rest. You are safe here.”
