Page 26 of A Thousand Nights Before Dawn
A shadow drifted over her. Zahra lifted her hand to her eyes as dark, smoke-like clouds covered the sun and moon. The ground beneath her cracked and grew brittle. Dead roots shot from it, shriveling and wheezing as they touched the air.
Zahra stumbled back, but the cracks followed her, turning the golden sand into a dry and colorless land. The dead roots trembled and grew longer, swaying and falling onto the ground. Zahra’s eyebrows raised as the roots changed form. They grew long and flexible like vipers, ones with red eyes and fangs as long as her fingers.
The vipers moved toward her, hissing. Zahra turned and ran, but the snakes moved fast behind her. One of the jackals had escaped the eagle and joined the chase, snapping at her ankles. A viper wrapped around her leg, forcing her to a halt.
Zahra screamed as she fell face-first into the sand. The animals swarmed her, going for her face and neck. The jackal lunged for her cheek. She lifted her arm to stop it, and it bit hard into her arm.
All at once, the animals shrieked as Zahra was lifted off the ground with incredible force. Her hair obscured her vision, but she watched as the animals released her limbs and tumbled to the ground, which was moving away at an increasing speed.
Talons had hold of her upper arms, and the eagle’s feathers flapped in the wind. Blood dripped down her right arm from where the jackal had bitten her, and her left leg ached.
Zahra turned her gaze to the land below. The animals that had attacked her had given up chase, diving back into the sand. The desert was limitless. Endless sand stretched before her eyes. The library sat in the distance, and she could make out through the eagle’s feathers what could only be the temple of Re some distance beyond it. The homes and lights that once occupied the city were gone, as well as thepr-aaitself. It was as if the people of Aur did not exist in this world.
Zahra fought a scream as the eagle began to land. The eagle flapped its powerful wings, lowering her to the ground. Zahra cried out as weight was put on her leg. She fell into the sand, which was golden once more.
The eagle landed a few feet from her. Zahra scrambled backward, holding her injured arm against her chest.
The eagle settled its wings by its side, tilting its head at Zahra. It opened its beak, and the voice of a woman came from it. “There is no need to be frightened.”
Zahra gasped, fighting the urge to crawl away. “Are—Are you Selene?”
The eagle’s head raised, and she laughed. Her voice was powerful, shaking the ground. “No. I am but one of her servants.”
Zahra blinked hard. “That’s why you are not affected by the Thoth. You have been helping me. You led me to the King.”
“You would not have found each other on your own.” The eagle stepped to the side, and Zahra flinched as the eagle studied her. “Let me see your injuries.”
Zahra trembled as she stretched her legs out. Both were scratched, but her left one had a snake bite. The eagle leaned close, and Zahra closed her mouth as a great gust came from the bird’s nostrils. After a moment, the eagle leaned away. Using her beak, she plucked a feather from her own wing and dropped it on Zahra’s arm. The feather was soft to the touch, and it wrapped itself around Zahra’s skin. The eagle plucked three more, which landed with precision on her other wounds.
Zahra moved her arm. Already, the pain had lessened. “Thank you.”
“Your injuries will not heal immediately.” The eagle stepped back. “But give them some time, and they will.”
Zahra swallowed, trying to suppress the anxiety rising in her chest. “Do you have a name?”
“I have many, as most creatures do.” She fluffed her feathers, adjusting to the feeling of those missing. “You may call me Katerina.”
“Thank you for saving me, Katerina.” Zahra hesitated. “But where am I? What is this place? Who were those creatures? How do I get home? What?—”
“One question at a time, little one,” the eagle cooed. “You are in the space between where the mortals and the long-lasting ones dwell. It has many names. Those of Aur know this place asthe Duat. It is home to many, but usually it houses the servants of what you call thetheosornetjeru.”
“Like you,” Zahra said in realization. “Were those jackals servants of thetheos? Or the vipers that came from the dust?”
“They are creations of evil,” Katerina said. “They are here for you.”
Zahra’s brow furrowed. “What do you mean?”
“They are calledkeres, and they are creatures of rage. They are summoned by a curse, one that follows a person for the rest of their days. The minds of the people and animals near the cursed are corrupted with a violent rage and a desire to kill the one thekeresfollow. Their job is only completed when the person cursed is dead.” She paused. “Truly dead.”
The eagle’s words echoed in Zahra’s mind. She stared at the eagle, as if the words would find a different meaning if she waited. When they did not, she shook her head. “That can’t be true.”
“It is,” Katerina said solemnly. “They are responsible for your death every night.”
“No!” Zahra pushed herself to her knees. Tears threatened to fall down her cheeks. “I was only killed because of my father’s crime. If what you say is true, then thekereswould have already come for me today.”
“Thekerescan only come out in the shadows of night,” Katerina clarified. “Or when Selene’s power is weakened in the mortal plane.”
Zahra fell back.The blood moon.
