Page 136 of A Thousand Nights Before Dawn
31
A Trustworthy Assassin
Zahra opened her eyes as Namir entered her room. She smiled, pushing herself up to greet him. “Namir.”
“Zahra.” He picked her up in his arms and leaned into the hammock with her in his lap.
The hammock groaned at the added weight, and Zahra pushed herself off of him with a laugh. “Don’t break it!”
He held her hands as she stood, letting the dizziness fade. “I have news.”
“Oh?” Zahra grinned. “What better news could there be?”
She was alive. For the first time since this day began, she had hope of a tomorrow.
“It is good news,” he promised. “We have captured the assassins.”
Zahra’s smile faded. “All of them?”
Namir nodded, his grin falling. “Are you not happy?”
“I am, but this does not feel right. Yesterday, they somehow got into thepr-aa. Today, we have finally captured them after they evaded us for so long. It feels planned.”
“Even if it is, we have nothing to worry about. They are under constant observation, and their weapons were confiscated. They can do nothing to us.”
Zahra rubbed her thumbs against his hands. “I still think it’s a trap.”
“But we have the chance to question them now, and I need you there with me. We can finally learn who is behind all of this.”
Zahra’s forehead creased. “Namir…”
“I know,” he said, letting go of her hands and pushing himself out of the hammock. “I know who it could be, but I don’t believe it’s them. You were wrong about Waaiz. Trust me that you are wrong about the others, too.”
Zahra sighed. “What jail are they in?”
“The one in Inebu-hedj,” Namir said, moving toward the door. “Ramses is already waiting for us there.”
Zahra raised her eyebrows. “Your uncle will have that place under lock and key. We will have to get past him.”
Namir smirked and opened the door. “Leave that to me.”
The prison was swamped withmedjaywhen Zahra and Namir arrived. Ramses was hiding behind some trees nearby. He smiled and waved. “Waaiz will be coming out soon.”
“Perfect.” Namir dismounted from the horse and switched his cloak with Ramses.
Ramses grinned, tying the cloak at his neck. “Just like when we were boys.”
Zahra smiled at the thought. She couldn’t wait to hear the stories of their adventures.
Ramses hopped onto Victory’s back, and Namir held the reins to Ramses’s horse. Waaiz left the prison and paused outside, speaking with a couple of themedjay.
Ramses and Namir nodded to each other before Ramses rode off past the prison entrance. Waaiz nearly jumped at the sight of Namir’s horse. “Get me my horse! Now!”
Waaiz and a half a dozenmedjaychased after Ramses. Namir pulled up the hood on his cloak and took Zahra’s hand. They entered the prison.
Goosebumps formed on Zahra’s arms as she recalled the time she was here with her father. Namir squeezed her hand, offering her a comforting glance. She took a deep breath, and they went down the stairs to the prison cell.
The assassins were all chained to the wall, stripped of their weapons and their cloaks, and they avoided looking at Namir and Zahra.
