Page 138 of A Thousand Nights Before Dawn
Pesha’s fearful gaze turned on Zahra as she approached. “What are you?”
“Asibyl.”
Pesha scoffed. “Thesibylsdied with Ionia. I should know. I saw the last one fall to Parsa’s soldiers.”
“Yes, but I am her daughter.”
Pesha scooted back. “But you serve the King of Aur! You have betrayed Selene.”
“I serve Selene and Selene only. She told me to protect the King, and I have done all in my power to save his life. Last night, as with the times before, you have threatened his life.”
Pesha clenched her jaw. “The King is wicked. His kind cast my people out, and we are struggling to survive.”
“He has barely been given the chance to show if he will follow his father’s path, but if he dies tonight, your people will suffer just as much as Aur will.”
Pesha stared at Zahra as she thought about her words. “Are you… Are you really asibyl?”
“Yes.” Zahra stepped forward. “But I need your help to fulfill Selene’s wishes. I cannot protect the King if I don’t know who is after his life.”
Pesha looked down. “If I tell you, will you take me out of this place?”
“Yes, and you and your friends will be given lighter sentences,” Zahra promised. “The King does not wish to make enemies with your people before he has even become Pharaoh.”
Pesha considered Zahra. She nodded. “I will tell you what I know.”
Zahra smiled and inclined her head toward her. “Thank you, Pesha.”
After their conversation ended, Zahra pulled them from the Duat. Pesha gasped, and Zahra wiped blood from her nose. “Thank you.”
Zahra stood and looked at the others. “The rest of you will be given lighter sentences, but I suggest that you talk among yourselves before we return again.”
Namir stared at Zahra with an impressed look before following her out of the prison. “What did you say to her?”
Zahra held a hand up to him as they entered the room above the prison, and she turned to the threemedjaythere. “One of them is hiding a knife, but she will give it to you if you ask.”
Themedjayglanced at each other before going downstairs.
Zahra turned to Namir once they had departed. “I had a conversation with her in the Duat. Once she realized who I was, she answered my questions.”
“Then do we know who sent them?”
“She doesn’t know,” Zahra said. “A messenger came to their camp and offered them part of Aur’s land in exchange for their help.”
“A worthy prize,” Namir agreed. “But she does not know the messenger’s name?”
“They never saw him again after that day. Since coming here, they have interacted with different people. I know for sure one of them is a servant in thepr-aa, but the rest could be anyone.” She hesitated. “There’s more. They attack only at night for a reason. They were instructed to kill you when the blood moon was full.”
“When the moon is weak,” Namir realized. “Do they know what will happen if…?”
Zahra shook her head. “They only know their orders. They aren’t sure why they were asked to kill you during the blood moon, or what will happen once they do.” She thought back on her visions and dreams of Asenath’s death. As usual, when she tried to remember all the details, a sharp pain rushed to her head.
Zahra rubbed her temples. “There is something neither of us is remembering. Something that Iset does not want us to know. I don’t know what it is or why we can’t recall it, but it has been there for some time, holding us back from finding out the truth.”
Namir’s brow furrowed. “I don’t understand what you mean.”
“Remember when I told you about Iset?” Zahra asked. “Just like me, you had read about her, but you weren’t able to remember her until I reminded you. I think whatever kept us from remembering Iset is still in effect, except it’s making us forget something else entirely.”
Namir leaned against a table. “What do we do? If there is some…spell holding us back, how are we supposed to work around it?”
