Chapter 14 Moonlight Apologies
Moonlight Apologies
Katerina flew overhead as Zahra walked by the pr-aa toward the gardens, her scarf and cloak gone.
She had left them with her father down the hill, telling him she would return before six Atum.
The obelisk rang four Atum behind her. She glanced at the moon; it still shone brightly, but she knew it wouldn’t last. She took a deep breath and continued to the gardens.
Ramses was standing outside the wall of brush. He lowered his hand from his blade’s hilt as she approached. “He did not think you would come.”
Zahra smiled softly. “I did not think I would either.”
Ramses stepped to the side but he did not respond.
He couldn’t hear her, she realized. He used his armored arm to push away the thorny bushes to for her to pass into the space.
Zahra thanked him with a nod, hoping he would understand the gesture.
He nodded in return as she knelt on the ground and crawled into the space.
Zahra stood up on the other side of the wall. The garden had not changed at all since she had last been there. Now that she was not panicked, she could smell the rich flowers and pause to admire the delicate craftsmanship of the wooden walls, bridge, and the garden itself.
The dimmed moon shone down on the stone bench that sat at the end of the garden, casting a silver light on Namir.
His head hung low as he traced the carvings on the bench.
He no longer donned his cloak, and he wore clothes that were comfortable—not lavish or decorative as he had in the past. His curls hid his eyes, but his face looked contemplative, his brows drawn together in concentration.
Katerina sat on the wall above him, creating a vivid image with the moon as its backdrop.
Zahra smiled and stepped forward.
Namir looked up, and his eyes filled with panic upon seeing her such a short distance from him. He leaped to his feet, pulling out a khopesh from his belt. Disbelief took over the fear in his eyes, and he lowered the blade. “Zahra?”
She nodded, suddenly timid beneath his gaze. “It’s me.”
He put the blade away, removing the case from his waist and tossing it aside. “I am sorry. I have been on edge ever since—”
“It’s alright.”
Namir’s posture relaxed. “I… I did not think you would read the letter.”
“I was not going to,” she admitted, stepping toward him, “but I am glad that I did.”
Namir peered behind her, as if expecting someone to be there. “Is your father waiting outside?”
“He is at the celebrations. I wanted to come here alone.” She looked down at her hands clasped in front of her. “I wanted to speak with you about what you said in the letter.”
Namir nodded, rubbing his neck. “Of course. Ramses can take you and your father to one of our military offices in Khem. It is not the most comfortable place, but you will be safe there.”
“Thank you,” Zahra said, “but there was something else I wanted to speak to you about.”
Namir cocked his head, but he stayed silent.
She was quiet a moment, collecting her thoughts.
She had practiced what to say on her walk over, but now that the moment had arrived, all of her words were lost. “I was wrong. I called you a coward, and that’s not true.
What you said took courage, especially to say them as a King to someone like me. ”
“No, you were right.” Namir shied from her gaze. “All that you said was true. There is much that needs to be changed.” He met her gaze. “I promise I will make those changes.”
She smiled softly, looking down. “There’s something else I wish to tell you, my King.”
“Call me Namir.” She looked up in surprise, and he glanced away. “You may call me your King when I have earned that title in your eyes.”
Zahra let out a breathless laugh. “Very well, Namir.” She glanced at Selene’s eagle above him before meeting his eyes. “I want to help you end the spell.”
Namir’s forehead wrinkled. “You needn’t help me to secure my protection.”
“I understand, but it’s one man against thousands of maidens and a band of assassins.
Even a King can’t win against those odds.
At least, with my help, you will not be alone.
” The word came out differently than Zahra intended, but she knew it was right.
Namir and she both had grown tired of being the only ones who remembered.
Despite their differences, the knowledge that someone else remembered brought relief to them both.
Namir looked up and shook his head. “I cannot allow that. It is too dangerous. You are already in enough danger as it is.”
“I can’t escape danger,” she said, “but I can at least help you.”
Namir’s brows snapped together. “What did you say?”
Zahra was not sure what he meant. “I said I want to help.”
“No.” He stepped around the bench. “You said you cannot escape danger. What did you mean by that?”
She looked down. “I did not mean—”
“Zahra.” He was much closer now, and his tall frame cast a shadow on her. She was forced to meet his concerned eyes. “Have my medjay been disobeying my orders? Is that why you went on the river? Have you still been… Every night?”
Zahra swallowed. She was unsure what to say. Would he believe she was cursed? She looked down again and whispered, “They all shared the same anger in their eyes. It was not only your medjay. There were others. I—”
Her voice cut short once she saw his face. His mouth was in a straight line, and the shadow of his curls hid his eyes. Guilt, confusion, and anger marred his features.
“You may help me.” He stepped closer, meeting her gaze. “But I have one condition. You must let me do all that I can to help you. Every night, you will be protected with your father, and you will not leave my side during the day.”
Zahra stared at him in shock. A wave of relief came over her, and she nodded with tears in her eyes.
Namir stepped forward and took her hand. “We will figure this out, Zahra.”
Zahra’s mouth twitched. “Thank you, Namir.”
He smiled. It surprised her. The corners of his mouth were more relaxed, and there was a gentleness in his face. It suited him well.
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 a medjay or a servant in the pr-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.”
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 other medjay close 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 the pr-aa and 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 his khopesh and 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 the pr-aa. Dread overwhelmed 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 of medjay facing the other way. Namir waved his sword.
An assassin leaped from the shadows, thrusting his kopis toward Namir.
Namir stumbled backward. He threw his khopesh out, but the assassin was fast, and Namir was forced to block the kopis with 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. The medjay had 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?
The medjay swarmed Namir, throwing the assassin off him. Namir stepped back, clutching his bleeding. He searched for her in the darkness, but the medjay wouldn’t let him pass.
Several medjay locked eyes with her. “Assassin!”
Zahra spun around, flinching when she was met with empty space.
“No,” Namir cried, pushing past the medjay near him. He reached out, but he was nowhere near her. “Stop!”
The medjay surrounded 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.