Page 65 of A Thousand Nights Before Dawn
Namir dropped her hand and stepped back, rubbing his neck. “Let us sit. I want to know what has happened since we last spoke.”
Zahra’s gaze remained on her hand, feeling the warmth leave her palm. Her hand fell by her side, and she sat beside Namir on the bench. The moon shone down on them, and Katerina circled them above. Namir rested his elbows on his knees, listening intently as she spoke.
Zahra finished sharing her experiences. When she said them out loud, she realized how long it had been since they had last seen each other. She had not expected their time apart to be so long. In this spell, time blended together, and days could feel like eons or minutes compared to the amount of time that truly passed.
Silence fell between them. Namir was deep in thought. She hated to see him so focused, especially on her tales of woe.
“What of you?” she asked. “What has been your progress in finding your bride? Have you discovered who has stolen the Thoth?”
Namir’s shoulders tensed at the change of topic, but he did not look up. “I have hidden the Thoth in the hidden library and told no one. So far, that has kept it safe.”
Was that why the door was unlocked?
Namir continued. “As for my search, I have checked every maiden at the Feast once again, but none bear the mark. I started searching in the city with Ramses, but progress has been slow because of the assassins’ threat. When I realized you had not been receiving my letters, I started searching for you instead.” He pinched his brow, shutting his eyes. “I will have to enlist my family’s help. I fear my mistake has cursed us for good.”
“There may be another answer,” Zahra said. “Have you spoken to the people in the village where I saw the assassins? They may know something.”
“If they do, they will not share it with me,” Namir said, defeated. “The assassins are never there by the time I arrive, regardless of how early I am.”
“Someone is warning them,” Zahra realized.
Namir nodded, lifting his head and dropping his hand. “I don’t know if it is amedjayor a servant in thepr-aa.If only the people would talk to me, I could figure out who is betraying me.” He glanced at Zahra. “Perhaps they would listen to you.”
Zahra scoffed. “Me?”
Namir nodded. “They are your people. They will naturally trust you better than I.”
Zahra wasn’t sure about that. Though they may trust her more than Namir, if they were letting the assassins stay there because they were Ionian, then they wouldn’t tell her anything either. She was a stranger to them.
“I don’t think they would listen to me,” Zahra confessed, “but I know someone they might trust.”
“Who?”
“My cousin,” Zahra answered. “I can visit him tomorrow and ask for his help.”
“I shall come with you. I should be there to thank him if he agrees to help.”
Zahra hesitated at the idea, but she nodded. “Then we shall try there next.”
Shame filled Namir’s features for a moment as silence fell between them. Zahra knew it was a feeling she couldn’t erase.
Namir stood. “We should head inside for the night.”
Zahra nodded. Namir helped move the bushes for her, and she crawled out of the space. Warm liquid soaked her palm. Through the brambles and thorns were Ramses’s dreadlocks. Zahra clapped her other hand over her mouth, scurrying back.
“What is it?” Namir asked, pulling her out.
“They… They…” She held out her blood-covered hand.
Namir’s face lost its color, and he pushed her aside. “Ramses!”
Zahra grabbed his arm, tears slipping down her cheeks. “He is already gone.”
Namir cursed to himself, stumbling backward with his hands on his head.
Zahra looked up. Katerina was gone. “How did they find us?”
“They have never come by any other night.” Namir’s hands trembled by his side. “I must have done something wrong to alert them to my whereabouts.”
