Chapter 10 Saving the King
Saving the King
Zahra’s arms hung above her head as cool air drifted in from the window.
The fabric that had been nailed there had come loose, showing Zahra the dark blue of the night sky.
She had given up on calling for help hours ago, though she had managed to spit out the fabric in her mouth.
She was in an Ionian village, one of the many scattered throughout Aur, but she was not sure which one.
The closest one to Illahun was more than an hour’s walk away, and she guessed the inhabitants of this village were off in celebration elsewhere, as there were no sounds beyond the chirping of crickets and scampering of rats.
Zahra threw her head against the wall, letting the pain hum down her back and shoulders. Tears soaked her face, but she did not care. Her father was walking right into a trap, and the night would end with Namir’s death. And here she was, bound and gagged by her own people, unable to help.
Her fate was sealed. Her father would die. The King would die. And the keres would come for her eventually.
Why had Katerina led her to Namir if this was the outcome? Why would she have led Zahra to Namir at all?
Namir had trapped her in this loop and called her a servant. He treated her as everyone did. Even if she could save him, why would she?
Zahra took a strangled breath, resting her head against the wall. Despite his rudeness, he had promised to help her. He humored her questions and showed sympathy when she was hurt. In her moments of agony after the commander had wounded her, he had held her. Made her feel she wasn’t alone.
The Ionians’ struggles, though big, were not his fault.
He was a new King, and he had much to learn.
Zahra knew he was more than capable of making change—he had helped her, after all.
If Zahra helped him now, if she betrayed her people, would he reward her as he had promised?
Would he save her and her father’s lives?
Would he better the lives of her people?
The silver light of the moon glittered on the floor. The reality of the rope on her wrists and the bitterness of the cloth in her mouth returned. With the reality came a decision.
Selene had asked that Zahra trust her, and she would. If Zahra’s fate was to die tonight, she would die on her terms.
Zahra lifted her body as much as she could and glanced around the room. The assassins had stripped it bare of anything she could use to cut the ropes. She would have to try to undo the knot.
The light from the moon extended onto the floor as Zahra pulled at her bounds, trying to get the knot loose. A brilliant silver caught Zahra’s eye. The moon was resting on a blanket, and poking out from beneath it lay the head of a broken arrow.
Zahra gasped in surprise, reaching her foot out as far as she could to grab the arrowhead, but she was not long enough. She slipped one of her sandals off and used her toes to push it toward the arrowhead. Even with the extra length, Zahra could still not reach the arrowhead.
Zahra’s head fell back, and she let out a heavy sigh. “Selene, please. If I am to warn him, I need to escape.”
An eagle’s cry came from outside, and Zahra’s gaze shot to the window. Katerina pushed past the loose fabric.
Zahra let out an excited gasp. “Katerina.”
Katerina chirped and landed near Zahra’s feet. She picked up the arrowhead with her foot, flapping her wings and dropping it in one of Zahra’s hands.
“Thank you,” Zahra said, setting to work.
After some time, her bounds came loose, and Zahra stood, slipping her sandal back on her foot and stumbling toward the exit.
The sudden movement caused her to sway, and she collided with the doorway.
Zahra hissed, holding her head as she steadied herself.
Her capture had left her dizzy and weak, but she could do nothing about that now.
Katerina cawed from behind her, flying past Zahra. Gripping her necklace, Zahra said a prayer to Selene and stumbled out into the night.
Katerina guided Zahra out of the village, which was empty as Zahra expected. Zahra came to a stop at the edge of the village. The pr-aa sat in the close distance, and the Iteru river roared between them and it.
Zahra’s heart thundered as the horror set in. The assassins were already in the capital. What if she was too late?
Katerina circled above Zahra, letting out a cry before continuing toward the river.
Zahra summoned her strength and ran after her.
The moon dimmed as Zahra followed Katerina over a wooden bridge.
Aurans heading home from the celebration looked at her in confusion, some yelling at her as she pushed past them.
The obelisk chimed five Atum as they neared the pr-aa. Zahra worked her way through the crowd and celebrations, but it was difficult to keep an eye on Katerina with all the lights and noise.
The moon barely cast any light by the time she arrived at the grounds of the Feast. Katerina had disappeared from the sky. A pair of medjay were casually talking to each other as they watched maidens stand around in boredom.
Zahra let out a relieved breath. The King was still alive.
“Sirs,” Zahra cried, running toward them.
They turned to her in alarm. One medjay held his hand up. “What is it?”
“You have to warn the King,” Zahra gasped. “There are assassins seeking his life.”
The medjay glanced at each other and laughed.
“Is that so?” the other medjay asked. “Do you think he will thank you for saving his life by making you his queen?”
Zahra gritted her teeth. “I am telling the truth.” She showed them her wrists. “They held me captive because I overheard their plans. They plan to kill him.”
The first medjay cast a more serious glance at Zahra’s wrists as his partner’s laugh settled into a grin. The other medjay laughed. “Do you believe her?”
“How else would she have gotten these wounds?” The medjay stepped closer, and Zahra allowed him to take her wrists in his hands and study them.
He released Zahra and nodded to her. “We will tell the other medjay, but we will not bother the King with this news tonight. Thank you for informing us. Please, get your wounds treated, and enjoy the rest of the celebrations.”
Zahra’s heart sank as the medjay walked away. She thought of previous nights as she wandered toward the Feast. Namir had not mentioned the assassins. What if they were not a threat?
She shook her head. Just because he had not seen them yet did not mean he wouldn’t run into them.
From her memory, she knew he was in a different place every night.
If the assassins planned to kill him at the Feast, he may not have stayed in one spot long enough for them to succeed, or for him to notice.
She had to warn him.
The pr-aa glowed with life. Though many of the maidens were standing with expectant gazes on the outdoor room, many were sitting, eating, or dancing with care only for each other’s company. Most did not think the King would choose them.
Zahra searched for Eshe, but she was nowhere to be seen. Namir was nowhere in sight either. Had they already danced together?
Zahra began to panic. What if he was dead? What if she was too late?
Two medjay tackled Zahra as she neared the Pharaohs’ Gardens.
“Hey!” she cried.
One of them grabbed her head, studying the ear with her debt tag. “It is her.”
The other nodded. “Let’s take her to the prison.”
“No! You don’t understand.” Zahra thrashed in their hold. “The King is in danger! There are assassins—”
“Quiet!” The medjay pushed her to the ground.
The maidens behind them gasped. Zahra cried out, his grip tight on her raw wrists.
“Please!” They dragged her away from the Feast and toward the gardens. “I am telling the truth!”
“Guards.”
Zahra gasped in pain as the medjay suddenly stopped. Beneath the shadow of a wooden structure covered in plants and vines stood Namir. His head raised.
“Release her.”
“My King.” Zahra fell to her knees as the medjay let go of her. She rubbed her wrists and ran toward him. “You are alive. Thank Selene, I thought—”
He stepped out of her reach. “Where have you been?”
Zahra was alarmed by his tone, pausing some feet from him. “I was taken by assassins. They wanted information.”
“Did you give it to them?”
“Of course not.” Her voice quieted, her confidence slipping. Why had she thought he would be happy to see her? “I came to warn you. They’re coming to kill you.”
An eerie laugh emanated from him, so startling that Zahra flinched at the sound. “Is that so?”
“Yes.” Her chest tightened. “I… I don’t understand.”
“Enough lies.” Namir stepped out from beneath the shadows, his glare fixated on her face. His features dripped with hatred. “I know the truth.”
Zahra’s blood ran cold. “I can explain.”
“I am sure you can.” He clenched his fists at his side. “Your father was captured and brought before me. I know you lied about the crime he committed and your role in it.”
“He did not commit it,” Zahra cried. “I—I mean…”
“I trusted you against my better judgment,” he seethed. “I should have listened to Zosar.”
“You can trust me.” Her voice cracked in desperation. “Namir—”
Namir stepped forward, swinging his arm. “I am your King!”
Zahra’s mouth clamped shut, hot tears streaming down her cheeks.
Namir clenched his jaw. “You and your father are thieves. You are a sorceress, and Re cursed you to remember each day because of your wicked acts. I will not keep my promise. At sunup, you will die for Re and all of Aur to watch!”
“No!” The medjay grabbed her arms once more, and she cried out in pain. “My King, please—”
“Do not beg,” he spat, turning away from her. “To think I almost doomed Aur by trusting a sobki.”
Zahra gritted her teeth, rage bubbling in her chest. “I am no thief.” She stood tall. “I lied, yes, but I did so to protect my father.”
“You did so because you could not trust your King,” Namir corrected. “If you had told me the truth, you would have been guilty by law.”