Page 148 of A Thousand Nights Before Dawn
Zahra smiled. “Is there a memory you wish to share? I feel I have talked enough.”
“You could never,” Namir said with a smile, but still he leaned back in thought. “Most of my memories as a child were of when I was stuck in bed. I longed to be with others my age, so Nubia read me stories from scrolls and my cousin brought me trinkets from his adventures around Aur.”
“Did your parents visit you?” Zahra asked.
Namir shook his head. “No. My mother would visit on my birthday, but she avoided me otherwise. I think she was afraid of the pain she would feel if I died young.”
Zahra stroked her thumb across his palm. “That must have been terrifying, not knowing whether you would live or die.”
Namir shrugged, which caused her head to bob up and down. “It was what it was. Zosar comforted me by sharing stories of Aaru and what would happen to my soul when I died.”
Aaru—the Auran’s word forElysium. Zahra’s heart ached thinking about the grief he had to bear all on his own. “I’m sorry it was him.”
“It was his choice.” He let out a heavy sigh. “I am still coming to terms with it. He was a part of my life for so long.”
His words lingered in her heart. “There are others you can rely on. Me. Your uncle. Your mother.”
“I know, but it will take time. I wasn’t close with my uncle after my cousin’s death. My mother started giving me all of her attention when I recovered, but I was never sure if it was because she was pleased or angry at me.”
“Did your father ever reach out to you? I know you said you did not know him well.”
Namir hesitated. “I think he tried, but I had a hard time seeing him as a father. Zosar had always filled that role, and the Pharaoh King had always been a father only to Nubia.My mother couldn’t have any more children, and I think he thought of me as a failure and not a son. Which is why I was so shocked when he namedmeheir. I was—” He laughed. “Well, I’m sure Ramses could tell you. I was beside myself. I couldn’t stop asking myself, how couldIbe King? When I took his mantle after his death, I did not think I would be able to do it.” His nose touched hers, and his eyes found hers in the moonlight. “Until I met you.”
Zahra’s lips hovered over his, and in that moment she wanted to share her name. It was breaking Auran tradition, but she did not care, for as much as she was Auran, she was Ionian, too. And she desperately wanted him to know her Ionian self.
“You once asked me my name,” Zahra whispered. “It isRhodopis.”
Namir pulled her close and placed a hand on her face. “Call me Sadiki.”
Zahra smiled against his lips, and she pulled him in for a kiss. Namir’s hand moved to her neck and waist, and he tuggedher closer as she dug her fingers into his curls. A joint smile separated them for a moment, and her eyes slipped closed as she felt his warmth. He tasted bittersweet, and she didn’t want to let go.
They pulled away, and she leaned her head on his shoulder. He smiled, brushing her curls behind her ear. “Rhodopis.”
“Sadiki.” She put her hand on his cheek, and he leaned into it. “It suits you.”
Zahra rested her head on his shoulder again, and together they watched the moon over the Sea.
“In the morning, I will have Zosar executed for treason, and I will ensure your father is safe. Tomorrow night, we will end the spell.” He kissed her hand. “And you will be Queen.”
Zahra took his hand in hers, squeezing it. “What will we do about the assassins? They were motivated by survival, not by greed. I think we should honor our promise and give them lighter sentences.”
Namir let out a shaky sigh. “You are right. Though I wish I could punish them further, there might be a chance to make peace with them and their people. We know where they will be, so I will capture them in the morning. We can speak with them more after the Feast.”
Zahra nodded. “I think that’s safest.”
Namir squeezed her hand. “Do you wish me to deal with Bahiti? I can have her executed.”
Zahra shot him a look, and he smiled. She leaned back on his shoulder. “No. I have a plan to stop her. Ahmose is Darius’s scribe, and he will be in Illahun. He may have access to the records that Bahiti submits to her husband. If I let him know about the discrepancy and about what I discovered, he may be able to notify Darius and have him investigate it.”
“But that will take more than a day,” Namir stated. “Are you sure you don’t want my help?”
“I have an eagle friend who can deliver the letters,” Zahra said with a smile, “but I wouldn’t mind if you sent Darius home a little early.”
Namir grinned. “Consider it done.”
They watched the Sea, and Zahra sighed. “I am excited to see a new dawn.”
Namir planted a kiss on her head. “Me, too.”
