Page 62 of A Thousand Nights Before Dawn
“We are going somewhere better,” Zahra promised, beckoning for him to follow.
The sun grew closer to the horizon as they traveled back to the capital city. They had not wandered far, but Zahra was stillcautious of themedjay, though she did not see Ramses hiding among them.
The sun had been gone from the sky for an hour by the time they approached the Pharaohs’ Library. There were twomedjayat the front entrance, but Zahra remembered a side entrance she had seen the last time she was there, on the east side of the building.
Zahra placed her palm on the door, surprised it was loose. The door could only be unlocked from the inside, meaning someone had failed to lock it. Zahra pushed the door open and beckoned her father through.
The library was dark and quiet, the soft howl of the wind the only sound to be heard. Zahra shivered as she thought of thekeresthat had chased her in the Duat.
Omar lit an oil lamp. He followed Zahra to the third floor and watched her with curiosity as she retrieved the key and papyrus. “What will we find here that will help us?”
“Some information.” She put the papyri back in place on the shelf and led him downstairs. With his help, she found the keyhole and moved the pieces of stone in place.
Omar’s eyes grew wide as the wall opened. “What is this place?”
“History and artifacts of the Pharaohs,” Zahra answered. “There are hundreds of years of knowledge in this place.”
“All the way back to Aur’s founding,” Omar remarked, amazed, as he carefully lifted a papyrus from its hiding place. “It’s no wonder they keep this place so safely guarded.”
A pang of guilt formed in Zahra’s chest. Namir had made it seem as if it was a great honor that she had come here, and now she had brought another without his knowledge. She pushed the feeling away, turning her attention back to her task. She did not have long before thekereswould start hunting her. She wasalready in danger by being in this place of shadow. She had to work quickly.
Zahra knelt before one of the shelves and began sorting through it. Omar remained by the table with the lamp, studying a papyrus. Zahra used the light to study each papyrus she found. Most of them were in Badari, and though some had translations, most did not. She came across the papyrus about the Thoth, and she rubbed her finger over the old text and illustrations.
“What exactly are we looking for?”
Zahra startled, surprised to see her father standing directly behind her, holding the lamp. She rolled up the papyrus and put it away. “I need to learn more about a woman named Asenath, but I don’t know where to start, or if there will be anything written on her.”
Omar’s brow creased. “Asenath? Do you mean Queen Asenath?”
Queen?
“You know of her?”
“She is a frequent subject of my studies,” Omar began, guiding her back to the table to sit. “She was the daughter of the first Pharaohs. She was going to be Pharaoh Queen, but she was killed during her Pa-sekhemty Feast. Her death spurred the beginnings of the war that would divide Aur’s people in two and create the Naqada.”
Zahra sat at the table beside him. “Who killed her?”
“The sources differ on that,” Omar replied. “Some say it was one of her people. Others say it was a foreigner who had come to attend the Feast. Either way, most are in agreement that one of her suitors killed her in cold blood.”
Or it was the keres who poisoned their hearts and minds against her.
“Is there more written about her?” she asked.
“There’s plenty, but none of them are firsthand accounts,” Omar answered. “Most of them are here in the Pharaohs’ Library. I came here once to help fetch some records for the Hem-netjer and saw a section about her.” His eyes narrowed. “Where did you hear of her?”
Zahra swallowed. She couldn’t tell him of her visions. He had not believed her before. He wouldn’t believe her now.
Zahra turned her head away and moved to stand. “When I was in the presence of the King, he mentioned her name.” She stood in front of the shelves, surveying them with her hands on her hips. If there was information about Asenath in the main part of the library, there was unlikely to be any here. Besides, she could actually read Hieratic. She turned back to Omar. “Do you remember where the section about her was?”
Omar raised his eyebrows in surprise, but he nodded and grabbed the oil lamp. Zahra followed Omar to the third floor, holding the lamp as he browsed the selection of papyri.
Zahra set the lamp on a table nearby and sat in a chair, watching her father work. The papyrus in her bag shifted as she sat, and she moved the bag and pulled the papyrus out.
It had crumbled a little since Namir had given it to her that morning. The unmarked honey seal was still intact. Zahra rubbed the edge of the seal with her thumb, thinking back on their conversation. She had taken the letter, as he had asked, and he had done his part and let her go, but she still was uncertain why.
Zahra bit her lip, turning away with a huff. She did not want to read it. Though she had said she would, she had never intended to open it. But she was curious. She couldn’t understand why Namir had chased her down, why he hadn’t told the Pharaoh Queen about her and her father, and why he had let her go when he had the opportunity to imprison her. She wanted answers, but she did not want to admit it.
But he would never know if she read it, and she did not have to tell him.
