Chapter 4 The Wandering King #2
But it wasn’t. Her father had stolen something from the Pharaoh Queen—something her soldiers would kill to get back.
Namir studied her face, gauging her reaction. She hid her fear, avoiding his gaze.
“So, it’s the King who is doing this? Does that mean the day could end at any moment, and tomorrow would truly come?”
Her chest filled with panic. If the King selected his bride tonight, that meant that if she and her father were killed, they wouldn’t wake up unharmed in the morning. They wouldn’t wake up at all.
“In theory, yes.” Namir dropped the stick and rubbed the back of his neck, avoiding her eyes. “In practice, no.”
Zahra focused on his face. “What do you mean?”
“The King has chosen a bride already,” Namir clarified, “but he cannot find her.”
A puzzled look crossed her face. “What? Do you mean to say that he lost her? Does he not know what she looks like?”
Namir gritted his teeth. “It is not as simple as that.”
“Simple? Nothing about this is simple.” She turned around and tugged on her curls. “So, the King, in all of his brilliance and glory, lost his bride among the thousands of women in Aur, and now he is making the rest of us pay for his mistake.”
“He did not do it on purpose,” Namir said, his voice low with anger.
Zahra turned on him and pointed an accusing finger at him. “Who are you to know the King’s affairs? If this information is as secret as you claim, how have you, a thief, come to lay hold of it?”
Namir’s eyes narrowed. He sat up straight and raised his head. “Because I am the King.”
Zahra scrutinized him for a moment. Then, she laughed. “First a commander, and now a king! Ha! Do you truly expect me to believe that you are the….”
Her smile vanished. His features were completely serious, except for a small trace of amusement in his eyes.
She swallowed. “You are the King?”
Namir nodded. “I am.”
Zahra stumbled backward into the well, grabbing its edge to steady herself. He was the Pharaohs’ son. He was the King. The King of Aur. “Why were the medjay chasing you?”
“They were following orders.” Namir sighed and looked off into the distance. “My uncle leads the chase whenever I venture too far from home.”
The military official in the marketplace. He was the Pharaoh King’s brother, the Great Overseer of Aur’s armies. That was why he was there today when he had not been yesterday or the days before. He had been following Namir.
“Why did you tell me that they would stop you from fixing this mess?”
Namir rolled his eyes. “They would have brought me back to the pr-aa, forcing me to wait another day. Is that what you want?”
“You lied,” Zahra spat. It shouldn’t have, but the betrayal hurt.
“I exaggerated.” He shrugged. “I could not help it. You would not have listened to me otherwise.”
“You could have told me you were the King!” How could this man—this cocky, arrogant man—be the King of Aur? “This is all because of you! The day repeating is your fault.”
Namir scoffed. “You say that like it is a bad thing.”
“For you, perhaps not,” she said, “but the rest of us are trapped reliving the same day until you pick your bride. Now you have gone and lost her. Will this day ever end?”
His face contorted in anger. “Remember who you speak to. Since no one else remembers, it does not matter how many times the day repeats. You can use this time however you would like, as long as you follow the law. I am sure your mistress would praise you if you would learn a new skill, or you could take a vacation from your work altogether.”
“I can’t!” Tears came to Zahra’s eyes. “Every night, I am accused of a crime I did not commit, and every night I am killed!”
Namir scoffed. “Last night, yes, but surely not every night.”
“Yes, every night.” The confidence in her voice echoed her memories, which came flooding back to her mind as vivid and crisp as the khopesh had been when she was struck down.
Last night was not the first night she had fallen to a medjay’s blade.
They had come for her father before, and she had died every time.
The realization made her legs wobble, and she lowered herself to the ground, her trembling hands grabbing her hair.
Namir’s smile faded as he watched her face, silence filling the space between them. After several minutes, he rubbed the back of his neck and spoke, “I am sorry.”
Zahra’s gaze settled on the crude drawing in the sand. Could the Thoth be why she remembered? She had touched it last night, but that did not explain why he was here. Namir was here for another reason, or else he wouldn’t have told her all that he had.
“Why is it only the two of us?” She lowered her hands to her knees. “You have yet to explain why I remember. Why am I here?”
Namir sighed and dropped his hand. “I started the spell with two marks.” He pulled his vest aside, exposing more of his chest. A faint, black symbol sat below his collarbone.
It was a full circle surrounded by an empty circle with a thick outline.
He covered it as he spoke. “I cannot remember who I gave the other one to. I only know I awoke with one mark missing.” He paused, meeting her gaze.
“I have been searching for my chosen bride ever since.”
Zahra considered his words. “You think that I am your bride.”
“You are the only other person who remembers besides me,” Namir stated.
Zahra stood. “But I never went to the Feast.”
Confusion filled his eyes. “You were invited, were you not? And you were there last night and the night before.”
“I was helping my mistress’s daughters,” Zahra said bitterly. “I never attended the Feast myself.”
Her tone reflected in his face. “Did you not wish to attend?”
Zahra scoffed. “Why would I? My people and I were invited as a second thought. If you truly wished us to be there, you would have invited us weeks ago, along with everyone else. No. I would much rather celebrate with my father than dine with people I know care little for me.”
A scowl formed on Namir’s face, and he stood. “Are all of your people this ungrateful toward their King?”
“I am grateful for many things,” Zahra defended, “but in this matter, I am not grateful. The feast is important, I agree, but I shouldn’t be punished for choosing to worship my goddess instead of attending a party with strangers.”
Offense glistened in Namir’s eyes. He stepped away from the tree, a glare fixated on Zahra. “I have heard the names for your kind. I do not endorse my people comparing you to one of the netjeru of the underworld, but, as of yet, I have found little proof to suggest you deserve anything better.”
Zahra crossed her arms. “Perhaps that’s why none of them came. Think, my King. Have you seen one Ionian at the Feast who was not in service to one of your prospects?”
Namir ground his jaw, but he did not answer. He turned away, his nostrils flaring.
Zahra hugged herself, letting her anger fizzle. Their bickering would get them nowhere. “I apologize, my King. I don’t think I am your bride, but you did give me answers. For that, I am grateful.” She sighed. “What is it you need from me?”
Namir looked at her in surprise. His anger faded, though it still sat in the back of his eyes. “If I chose you, the mark will be on your chest. All I need to do is touch your hand and see if the mark appears.”
Zahra studied him. Despite his tall stature and his title, he was not threatening her. He genuinely wanted her consent. “I have one condition.”
He let out a breathy laugh. “How much more will you ask of me?”
“Grant me this, at least.” She summoned her courage. “If the mark appears, and I am your bride, promise me that I will not be bound by law to marry you.” She doubted she was his bride, but she did not want to be stuck with him if she was. She had no interest in being Queen of Aur.
Namir considered her words. After several moments, he sighed and turned away. “I will grant you that.”
Zahra let out a breath of relief. “Thank you.”
Namir turned to her. She swallowed hard, suddenly squeamish under his gaze.
He walked toward her, and she dropped her arms and looked up at him.
He towered over her, his form sturdy and strong.
He could have easily overpowered her and discovered whether she was his bride without answering her questions. Why had he not?
Zahra averted her gaze as he paused before her. She swallowed, leaning away from him. “Wait.”
Annoyance filled his features. “What is it now?”
“If I have the mark, will the spell end right away?” She had to ensure her father did not steal the Thoth again, and she couldn’t do that if the days continued on as they should.
Namir shook his head. “No. It will not end until we will it to.”
“Good.” Zahra stepped closer to him once more, lifting her shawl and exposing the area by her collarbone. She offered her other hand to him. Her curls fell over her shoulder as she turned her head away. “I am ready.”
Confusion filled his eyes, and he lifted his hand. Gently, Namir picked up her loose curls and brushed them over her shoulder. His fingers hovered over her hand. She held her breath. He took two of her fingers in his, then he pulled his hand away and stepped back. “Nothing is there.”
Zahra stepped away, dropping her shawl and hugging her arms. “I hope you find your bride.”
Namir nodded, pulling his hood over his head. “I hope so, too.”
Namir turned to walk away, but he paused. “What sort of crime were you accused of?”
Zahra stared at him a moment, debating how to respond.
She couldn’t tell him her father had stolen the Thoth and she was accused of being his accomplice.
No, she had to provide another explanation.
“My father works in the city, but each night during our celebrations we are falsely accused of the slaughter of sheep, and your medjay chase us down with the intent of killing us.”
A look of doubt crossed Namir’s face, but he erased it swiftly and turned toward her fully. “Usually such a crime would not demand an immediate execution.”
“Your medjay don’t think so. I have tried to help your soldiers see reason, but each night I perish at their hands.”
Namir tilted his head, crossing his arms and bringing a hand to his chin. “And they do not listen to your pleas of innocence?”
Zahra gritted her teeth. “They make sure not to. They don’t question the word of a shepherd, but they doubt the word of one of the temple’s cleaners.”
Namir dropped his hand. “Your father works at the temple of Inebu-hedj? What’s his name?”
Zahra hesitated, cursing herself in her mind. Did Namir know what was stolen every night? Was it hidden at the temple?
“He is called Omar. He is a wab priest,” she said, “but he works all day, and we don’t have long to talk before the medjay arrive.”
Namir leaned back on his heels, his forehead wrinkled in thought. After several moments, he met her gaze. “I have a proposition for you. If you help me find my bride, I will personally vouch for you and your father and ensure you live until dawn.”
Zahra was surprised. “Surely there are others more capable.”
“There is no one else who remembers,” Namir counters.
“I do not know why you do, but the fact stands that this day won’t end until I find her.
I have checked every maiden at the Feast, and she is not there.
I need another pair of eyes—someone who will remember the day as I do and can tell me if I have missed someone. ”
Zahra considered the King’s words. He was asking for her help, and what he offered was an answer to her troubles.
If she could convince her father to abandon his quest and agree to follow the story she had told the King, she could save them both.
But if Namir found out what crime her father was truly responsible for, he might go back on his word and execute them himself.
Namir stretched his hand out toward her. “Are we in agreement?”
Zahra studied his hand, the consequences of this deal flying through her mind. If she did this, she was bound to help the King until the day was over or he discovered the truth. It was a gamble, to be certain, but she knew she couldn’t do this alone.
Zahra took Namir’s hand and shook it. “Yes.”
Namir smiled, pulling his hand away from hers. “Good. Your mistress will not hunt you down, will she?”
Zahra’s forehead wrinkled. “I thought you wouldn’t need my help until this evening.”
“I want to get an early start. If I am to search all of Aur, there may be something of use to me at the library.”
The Pharaohs’ Library in Inebu-hedj was not far from the temple. Perhaps she could escape Namir’s side for a little while to speak with her father.
Zahra nodded. “Then let us go before my mistress notices I am missing.”
The corner of Namir’s mouth went up. He gestured toward where they had come from. “I trust you know the way back to your mistress’s estate. My horse is waiting near there.”
Zahra sighed, taking the lead. “Yes, my King.”