Page 175 of A Thousand Nights Before Dawn
Namir held the Thoth in his hands, struggling to stand as the ground trembled beneath him.
Finally, Selene caught Iset’s neck in her talons, and she pinned her to the ground. Iset hissed, her venom dripping on Selene’s feet. Selene did not budge. “Pharaoh King, now!”
Namir let out a cry, and the Thoth tumbled to the ground. Blood fell from a cut on his cheek, and he reached for hiskhopesh.
Nubia stood before him, her dagger in hand. “I cannot let you do this. If she falls, she will take me with her!”
Namir clenched his jaw and narrowed his eyes. He gripped the handle of hiskhopesh. She moved forward as if to strike him before he could pull out his weapon, and he grabbed a fistful of sand in his other hand and threw it in her face.
Nubia cried out, stumbling back and closing her eye.
Namir lunged for the Thoth, grabbing it by its sides. His chest glowed with lavender light as he spoke the words to start the spell. The magic inside of the Thoth swirled, and a sandstorm escaped through its glass.
Nubia ran forward, lifting her dagger with a red glow in her eye. “No!”
Zahra narrowed her eyes.No!
The moment of distraction stopped Selene from blocking Iset’s tail from hitting her. Selene cawed, losing grip of Iset’s neck. She latched onto Iset’s body, but Iset’s head could reach Selene. She hissed and snapped her jaws, wrestling with Selene on the ground as the sandstorm grew nearby.
Nubia was thrown back, her dagger slipping from her hand and getting lost in the sand.
Selene let out a loud shriek as Iset sank her teeth into her neck, fire igniting her silver feathers.
Two taloned feet grabbed Iset’s neck, pulling her off of Selene. A hawk made of Re’s golden light flapped his wings hard, lifting Iset into the sky.
Namir.
Selene flew up, grabbing Iset’s wiggling body. Selene and Re carried Iset over the Thoth. The sandstorm coming from it grew, encompassing Iset’s tail. Iset hissed, writhing in their grasp. They released their hold, and she fell into the storm with a scream.
A blast of wind was sent out from the Thoth as the storm swallowed Iset, throwing Selene and Re back.
Selene’s voice rang through Zahra’s mind. “I must ensure she does not escape before it seals itself shut.”
The moonlight from Selene’s feathers disappeared, and Zahra tumbled onto the shore of the Iteru with a gasp. Sand and wind billowed around her as the Thoth pulled her toward it. She turned on her stomach, frantically grabbing at the loose sand for something to hold onto. Her body dragged itself across the ground, and she let out a frightened scream as her torso flew up.
A hand covered in golden feathers grabbed hers. The feathers faded from Namir’s hand as he pulled Zahra toward him, digging hiskhopeshinto the earth to prevent them from being dragged further.
Zahra wrapped her arms around his torso, her wide eyes watching as mirages danced around them, depicting the destruction that had occurred in Aur. They showed Iset’s growth to power and her inevitable defeat. The images repeated themselves over and over again, and Iset’s voice echoed around them. “No!”
Thekeresattacking the city shrieked as they were pulled toward the sandstorm. Hundreds ofkeres, even those far away, were sucked in along with Iset, as Selene said they would be.
A scream came from nearby. “Menes!”
It was Nubia. She was holding onto a nearby tree, the wind yanking on her legs and lifting her into the air. Dark smoke like that of thekereslingered on her form. Her grip was slipping. Tears spilled down her cheeks. “Please, Menes. Help me!”
Namir glanced back at her, noticing the smoke on her. He looked down at Zahra. Grief filled his face as he turned away from Nubia, holding Zahra close. “I am sorry, Nubia.”
Nubia’s eyes went wide. “Menes!” She screamed as her hands slipped from the trunk of the tree, and she was sucked into the storm. Mirages followed her, showing the Pharaoh Queen dying in Nubia’s arms.
A loud, thundering roar shook the earth. Water spilled back into the Iteru, splashing Namir and Zahra. Zahra’s sandals slipped off her feet and were sucked into the storm, along with some animals. Zahra and Namir closed their eyes as the wind whipped around them. The sandstorm tunneled back into the Thoth, cutting off the screams of Iset and her servants. It trembled as the day of the Pa-sekhemty Feast filled its glass spheres, which were obscured by golden sand and lavender light.
All was silent as the darkness left the sky, revealing a bright and brilliant moon.
42
Dawn
Zahra looked at the ruined city of Inebu-hedj in the dark morning. The entire northeast side was in ruins: homes had crumbled, livestock was lost, and there were thousands dead that were being carried toward Deshret to be buried in deep graves of sand. The obelisk had broken in thirds, and its once-brilliant white stone lay scattered on homes and streets. More suffered in the northern cities that Zahra couldn’t see.
