Page 160 of A Thousand Nights Before Dawn
The Pharaoh Queen’s face grew ashen-colored. “What prophecy?”
Zahra summoned a breath, repeating the prophecy once more. “It is happening. I thought we could stop it, but we can’t.”
“Don’t be so sure,” Namir said. He looked at his mother. “Do we know how much longer the blood moon will last?”
The Pharaoh Queen did not respond, instead staring at the ground with shocked eyes.
Namir looked at Ramses, who was dressing his leg. “Ramses.”
After a few more calls, Ramses looked up. Namir used one hand to sign.
Ramses looked up at the sky, signing in reply. “Another half hour, at least.”
Zahra’s heart faltered as Ramses returned to his task. “Why did Nubia not follow us?”
Namir’s brow furrowed, pain in his eyes as he put pressure on her wound. “I don’t know. Nubia was…speakingto her. We did not stay to hear what they were saying.”
Tears came from Zahra’s eyes as she blinked.The third line of the prophecy.
Worry filled Namir’s eyes as he wiped her tear away. “Zahra?”
The Pharaoh Queen interrupted, looking up with solemn eyes. “Nubia has opened Tartarus’s gate. With Zosar gone, Iset had no vessel, so she was forced from this world. But the gates can be opened and she can return if someone gives themselves to be her vessel.”
Namir gritted his teeth. “No. We just have to outlast the blood moon.”
“Menes.” The Pharaoh Queen placed her hand on his arm, her eyes ashamed. “The day you were born, the sky turned dark and the sun was gone. Your father thought it was a bad omen, and when you became ill, I thought he was right.” She hesitated. “Until asibylcame to our door.”
Zahra swallowed. “My grandmother—Doris.”
The Pharaoh Queen nodded. “She told us this prophecy, saying that one of our children would be the doom of the other. Your father and I thought she was a servant of chaos, and we banished her to death in the desert.”
Namir’s jaw flexed. “Why did you never tell me this?”
“Because we did not believe the words of the prophecy,” the Pharaoh Queen cried. “We thought it was a lie, but in your father’s final moments, he saw something I did not. He told me that we were wrong about you. I thought he meant that you should rule, but I see now it was more than that—youwere meant to save us.”
Namir pulled away from her, his eyes angry. “You ignored thesibyl’swarning, and now you have doomed us all!”
The Pharaoh Queen and Zahra locked eyes. Grief bubbled up in Zahra’s chest. Her grandmother, her mother, and all of her ancestors had suffered because of the Pharaohs’ ignorance. Now, the night of the prophecy had come, and Zahra was not sure what to do next.
The Pharaoh Queen turned to Namir. “Sadiki, is she your choice?”
Namir blinked in surprise, but he smiled and nodded. “She is.”
“And you.” She turned to Zahra. “Rhodopis. Do you love my son and my kingdom? Do you swear to do all in your power to protect them both?”
Zahra smiled through the pain in her head. “I swear it.”
The Pharaoh Queen nodded, looking between them both. “Then I will wed you now.”
Namir’s eyes widened. “Mwt.”
“It must be done.” She pulled in a long breath. “The Pharaoh is made of two crowns. You are stronger together. Re’s promise protects you from all of thenetjeru. It will protect you from Iset.”
“But then Nubia will be heir,” Namir said.
The Pharaoh Queen shook her head. “She forsook her heritage when she joined forces with Iset.”
Namir considered her words, glancing at Ramses. Ramses had finished wrapping his leg and was watching their exchange with confused eyes. Zahra raised her hands and explained. When he understood, he nodded. “It will keep you both safe.”
