Page 95 of A Thousand Nights Before Dawn
Zahra smiled at Namir’s happy face, and she let her tears fall. “Thank you.”
Namir’s eyes softened, and he pulled her toward him. She collapsed into his chest, soft sobs leaving her body. He held her tightly, rocking her as she cried. He kissed her hair and whispered into her curls, “Anything for you.”
22
A Landowner
Zahra sat at a table covered in scrolls, fiddling with her seashell necklace as she read. She checked her list of discrepancies at the border. She had worked with Nubia to locate most of the foreigners still in Aur. All those that entered had to be sponsored by a member of the royal court or by close servants of the King, such as priests, landowners, or army officials. Most of the foreigners that came in were merchants or nomads looking to trade, but there were a handful of entries from the weeks leading up to the day of the Pa-sekhemty Feast that had never left.
One notable entry was that of a caravan that had entered Aur three weeks before the Feast. There was a discrepancy between the number of people who arrived and the number who left a week later. The same could be said of a smaller caravan two weeks earlier. The discrepancy in numbers totaled seven, the same number of the assassins, but neither of the records indicated who sponsored their visit. All that was recordedwas a small, illegible signature. None of the bordermedjayrecalled who allowed the caravans in, and Zahra had no way of deciphering who the signature belonged to.
Zahra blew her curls out of her face and leaned back in her chair. She attempted to rub the tiredness from her eyes, but the feeling remained no matter how much she rubbed or blinked.
The last time Zahra had visited Katerina in the Duat a few days ago, the cracks in herpsychewere past her wrists. Katerina had confirmed the fatigue was from theapollosspreading on herpsyche, and that she would feel its effects more with each death.
Zahra pushed past the tiredness and stood, collecting the scrolls to add to the pile of ones they did not need. When that was done, she went back to the shelf of scrolls that had been brought from border offices and other buildings for housing records. The table was in a corner of the downstairs, away from the scribes working. A scribe had grabbed a few scrolls, bowing his head to Zahra as a greeting.
Zahra bowed her head in return, casting her gaze downward as she wrung her hands in front of her. Namir had convinced her to wear clothes to match those of the scribes. They were not much different from her own, but the fabric was finer and had sleeves, and she wore a colorful belt. She had still not gotten used to the change in how people interacted with her. She was one of them, and they treated her as such rather than as a servant.
Zahra stopped by the table, plucking a couple of scrolls from the pile. The obelisk tolled two Re. She still had a while more to work, and yet she felt it was not long enough.
“Good Re, Zahra.”
Zahra jumped from the voice. She let out a small laugh and bowed once she saw Nubia standing nearby. “I apologize, Vizier. You surprised me.”
Nubia’s mouth pressed in a thin line. “I wish to ask you a question.”
“Of course.” Zahra picked up another scroll. “What is your question?”
Nubia leaned against the wall, watching Zahra work. “Are you the King’s bride?”
Zahra stiffened. The scroll slipped from her hand, rolling onto the floor. “His bride?”
“Yes.” Nubia knelt down, picked up the scroll, and dusted it off. “This morning, my brother sent a servant to fetch clothes and a necklace from Iunu. He has never spoken of you before, but today you arrived on his horse, wearing his gifts.”
Zahra opened her mouth to respond, but Nubia returned the scroll to the table and continued.
“We have never met, but you knew what meal I enjoy when the servants asked, and you have a clear understanding of what we are doing here, an understanding only the King and I have discussed. So he has either told you what is happening and what progress he has made, or…”
Nubia’s eyes flitted to Zahra’s. “You already know because you have lived this day before.”
Zahra was frozen for a few moments, unsure of what to say. She put the scrolls down. “I am not his bride.”
Nubia studied Zahra’s face. “But you know about the spell.”
Zahra nodded. “Yes.”
Nubia narrowed her eyes, considering Zahra. She stepped forward, lowering her voice. “If you are not his bride, then who are you?”
Zahra took a breath. “I am a servant of Nebthet.”
“Asibyl.” Nubia leaned back in surprise. “I have read about you. I thought your kind were all gone.”
Zahra shook her head. “I am here to help the King. The assassins are a threat to him and this kingdom. They must be found.”
“Who is his bride, then?” Nubia questioned. “He told me this morning he was looking for her. Is she truly lost? Or is he aware of who she is, but he is seeking out the assassins instead?”
“He is searching for her while I work here,” Zahra said. “In this day, the assassins are trapped. Once we find them and who they work for, we can find his bride and end the spell.”
