Page 66 of A Thousand Nights Before Dawn
Zahra sucked in a breath. “Or I could have led them to you.” A servant walking alone in the Pharaohs’ Gardens would look suspicious to anyone. How could she have been so foolish?
“There should be othermedjayclose by,” Namir croaked, grasping the hilt of his blade.
“Then we must reach them.”
She looked at the moon. It was red. She had not realized how much time had passed. She glanced at Namir, but he was not paying attention to her. The moon’s power must have still been in effect.
“We don’t have long before the night ends,” Zahra said. “If we stay here…”
“They will find us eventually,” Namir finished. He unsheathed his blade. “We must run to thepr-aaand get help.”
Namir and Zahra ventured outside the hidden garden. Ramses had been struck from behind, his body sprawled across the entrance. It appeared he had done this on purpose to warn them when they came out. Namir closed Ramses’s eyes, muttering a prayer under his breath. He handed Zahra hiskhopeshand picked up Ramses’s blade. He gripped it tightly, turning to her. “Stay close.”
Music from the Feast and celebrations filled their ears as they worked their way toward the walls of thepr-aa. Dreadoverwhelmed Zahra, and she stumbled forward into Namir. An arrow landed mere inches from her foot.
Namir grabbed her arm and dashed forward through the darkness. She struggled to keep up with his long strides, but adrenaline forced her feet forward.
“Medjay,” Namir heaved. In the distance, on the edge of the Feast, stood a trio ofmedjayfacing the other way. Namir waved his sword.
An assassin leaped from the shadows, thrusting hiskopistoward Namir.
Namir stumbled backward. He threw hiskhopeshout, but the assassin was fast, and Namir was forced to block thekopiswith his blade. The movement pushed him off balance, and his tall frame rammed into Zahra. She tumbled down the small hill.
Zahra clambered in the sand. Themedjayhad seen Namir and were coming, but they were still some distance away. Would they reach him in time?
A glint of light caught Zahra’s eye. Pesha stood several feet from her, watching Namir fight for his life with a raised bow. The other assassin was too close for her to have a good shot, but she was patiently waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
Zahra cautiously leaped forward, silently asking for Selene’s forgiveness as she made her way to Pesha.
Namir’s blade clashed with the assassin’s as they dueled. His movements had slowed, and panic had taken over his features. Even if he could overpower the assassin, Pesha would still have a clear shot. All that Zahra had fought for would be over.
Zahra clutched the blade in her hands and lunged forward. Pesha turned to Zahra in surprise, but she did not have time to change her target. Pesha fell to the ground, blood seeping from a wound on her neck. Zahra gasped. The bloody sword trembled in her hands. Pesha twitched, but after a few moments, she stilled.
Zahra dropped the blade. What had she done?
Themedjayswarmed Namir, throwing the assassin off him. Namir stepped back, clutching his bleeding. He searched for her in the darkness, but themedjaywouldn’t let him pass.
Severalmedjaylocked eyes with her. “Assassin!”
Zahra spun around, flinching when she was met with empty space.
“No,” Namir cried, pushing past themedjaynear him. He reached out, but he was nowhere near her. “Stop!”
Themedjaysurrounded her. Their eyes burned with a fury she could only describe as a blazing fire, one that made them deaf to Namir’s words.
A blade entered her chest, and she was shoved to the ground. Zahra hugged her shoulders, gasping as the world spotted and spun. The taste of blood and sand filled her mouth. She could see nothing but the dark grains and minerals of the ground, which reflected the moon’s strange-colored light.
“You fools!” Namir grabbed her and pulled her against his chest. Blood pooled in her mouth, and she searched for his face as darkness ate at her vision. His hand cradled her neck and cheek, keeping her head from lolling to the side. “I am sorry.”
Zahra’s eyebrows knitted together. She placed a hand on his arm and tried to speak. The world was fading quickly. “Tomorrow.”
Light consumed Zahra’s vision as the obelisk chimed six times, and she was back in her room. She looked up as if she would see Namir above her, but he was no longer there.
15
The Old Pr-aa
Zahra leaned against a tamarisk tree, tucking her fabric and prayer beads back into her bag. She sighed and relaxed, glad for the morning sun on her face. Those traveling to the feast by chariot were filling the roads, and Zahra hugged her bag, waiting for Namir to show.
