Chapter 28 A Vision of the Thoth
A Vision of the Thoth
Ahand stroked Zahra’s hair, waking her from her dream. She groaned and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. Her sight was blurred, but she smiled as she blinked. “Namir.”
He smiled, though it did not reach his eyes. “Good morning, Zahra.”
Zahra sat up in her hammock, grunting with effort as she swung her legs over the edge. Namir’s face twisted with worry, and he held his hand out to steady her. “Take it slow.”
Her tired body obeyed, and she rested in the hammock. “What time is it?”
“Almost three Khepri.” He placed the back of his hand on her forehead, his brow furrowing. “You are warm.”
Zahra said nothing.
Namir’s eyes grew sadder when he saw her lack of surprise. He took his hand away. “Perhaps Zosar will know what ails you.”
Zahra’s forehead creased in apprehension.
“I know you do not like him,” Namir said, “but he is knowledgeable in ancient magic.”
“But he doesn’t care for me,” she protested. “What if…” She let the thought go. She had still not told him that Zosar was the one who had hit her all that time ago.
Namir’s eyes narrowed, and he grabbed her hand. “He will care because I care about you. That will be enough.”
Zahra sighed and looked away. Her thoughts went to her dream. She had dreamed of Asenath, of the night of her death. She couldn’t remember much, but she recalled the darkness of the sky and Iset’s snake-like voice that surrounded the place.
Namir was patiently watching her as she thought to herself.
Zahra smiled at him. “Shall we go?”
He nodded. “If you are ready—” He reached out in panic as Zahra jumped up from the hammock.
She ignored the dizziness, even as she stumbled to fetch a dress from her things. “Wait outside. I’ll get changed.”
Namir blinked and nodded. He went to the door.
Zahra closed the door behind him, letting out a heavy sigh. She stared at the dress in her arms. The memories of last night sat in her mind. She had not wanted him to see her like that. She couldn’t imagine what he felt, watching her as she fell asleep, watching her as she…
Zahra shook the thought from her mind, focusing on getting ready. When she finished and stepped out of the room, she was stunned to see Namir standing near the staircase with Bahiti. The room was shockingly empty. Bahiti’s face was laced with fear, which only intensified as she saw Zahra.
Namir followed Bahiti’s gaze, smiling at Zahra. “Are you ready?”
Zahra nodded. “Mistress, I—”
“You are free to leave,” Bahiti said, voice quavering. She turned toward the stairs, giving one last look between the two of them before returning to the main floor.
Namir came up to Zahra, taking her hand in his. “Let us leave this place.”
Zahra looked back at the stairs. “What did you say to her?”
Namir smiled softly. “Nothing you need to worry about.”
Ramses was waiting in Bahiti’s garden, and Zahra’s roommates surrounded him with their baskets of clothes, asking him questions and petting the horses. Ramses looked both overwhelmed and flattered by all the attention.
Jala turned once she heard the door close, her gaze lingering on Namir. “Who is that?”
Zahra smiled. “The King.”
The girls looked at each other in confusion, but Namir simply smiled. He helped Zahra up onto Victory and then sat behind her. The girls asked questions, but Zahra gave them no answers as Namir, Ramses, and she rode off the property.
Zahra looked out at the road. She leaned forward by Namir’s ear. “Do you remember where that necropolis was?”
Namir glanced back at her in confusion. “What?”
“The one outside Inebu-hedj.”
“I could easily find it, I suppose.” He slowed down their pace. “Zahra, what is this about?”
“There’s something I wish to see. Please.”
Namir’s gaze was filled with hesitance, but he turned back to the road. “We can’t take too long.”
Zahra thanked him with a smile. The capital was busy as usual, and Namir and Ramses put their hoods up as they passed medjay that might recognize them. Finally, they came upon the necropolis.
Zahra guided Namir toward the old pr-aa, dismounting Victory once the fallen building was in sight.
Namir looked around with slight disgust as Ramses took the reins for Victory. “This was a pr-aa?”
“A small one.” Zahra stepped onto the crumbling stone steps. Deep vibrations went up her leg, and her eyes shot up. She inhaled a deep, shuddering breath. This place was tied to the Thoth.
Namir stepped up behind her, and Ramses stayed by the horses. “What is it?”
“This is where Asenath died.” She glanced at Namir. “This is where the Thoth was born.”
Namir’s eyebrows raised in surprise, and he followed her up the steps and into the building.
They reached the center of the pr-aa, where the stones in the floor were organized in a swirling pattern.
They appeared to have been painted at some point, but now they were all the same bland shades of gray and brown from hundreds of years of wear.
She approached the one remaining wall. It was barely as tall as her. Her fingers traced the edge of one of the stones. As she did so, the stones glowed. Patterns and symbols long melted away by sun and rain appeared on the ground, and the walls rebuilt themselves, made out of silver moonlight.
Zahra watched the old pr-aa come to life around her, and the outlines of beautiful artworks and tapestries unfolded before her eyes.
Namir followed her gaze, but it was obvious he couldn’t see what she saw.
Zahra smiled and extended her hand to him. “Come here.”
Namir placed his hand in hers, glancing about as he was brought into the vision. His eyes wandered to her head, where her sibyl mark glowed strongly. “What is this place?”
“This is what it looked like over five hundred years ago.”
Zahra was going to say more, but a purple light came from the floor, and she quieted.
Namir looked down, his eyes wide as the light swirled around his legs. “W-What is it?”
“It’s the magic of the Thoth,” Zahra whispered. “It recognizes you.”
The light circled around Namir’s torso, making the mark on his chest glow through his shirt. The light returned to the floor, shooting out toward the edges of the building. From the edge of the building to the center, a replica of the land was created out of light.
Namir gasped, stepping back but still holding firm to Zahra’s hand. “Is… Is that…”
Zahra nodded. “Aur.”
She studied the map, which exactly replicated Aur’s geography, buildings, and roads. Dotted across it were small blue lights. From each light, and from Zahra’s own chest, ran a thick, purple thread that ran into the sky.
“They are people,” Zahra realized. “Everyone in Aur who is under the Thoth’s spell.” She looked toward Namir. His mark continued to glow, but he had no purple thread coming from him. He was not bound as everyone else was.
Namir’s gaze was focused on all the small dots. He pointed toward the map. “What about that one?”
Zahra moved along the wall, careful not to let go of the actual stone and lose the vision. In the capital city, among the other lights, was a light with no purple thread. Instead, a purple symbol floated above it.
“Your bride,” Zahra gasped. “She is in Inebu-hedj.”
Namir wrinkled his nose. “I checked everyone in the capital. If she was there, I would have found her.”
“But it says she is,” Zahra insisted. “Look!”
Namir instead turned toward her, looking down at her hand.
Zahra studied the area where his bride was located. She was near the pr-aa. If she was there this whole time, how had she gone unnoticed?
Another light caught her eye. This one was not blue—its shape was cracked and deformed, and a red glow came from it. Its thread hovered above it, unattached and frayed.
A corrupt soul.
Realization gripped her features. “Someone else remembers.”
“Zahra. Zahra!”
Zahra turned toward Namir, who was looking at her with urgency. He lifted her hand so she could see it. Jagged blue lines ran up her hand and arm, stopping just below her elbow.
Namir’s gaze landed on her face. “What is this? You don’t seem surprised.”
Zahra swallowed. “It is apollos.”
Namir raised his eyebrows. “Is that the name of your curse?”
Zahra shook her head. “It is a sickness on my soul, on my ka. It is because of the strain the keres and death has had on my soul.” She indicated the map. “Now please, look. Someone else can remember.”
Namir’s brow furrowed. “Is that why you are always tired?”
Zahra’s brow wrinkled. “Namir, please.”
His eyes softened, and he let go of her hand. The glow from his chest and the glowing city disappeared from before her eyes. She sighed and let go of the wall, allowing the vision of the pr-aa fade.
Namir stepped back. “We need to get you to Zosar.”
“But Namir,” Zahra said, following him as he left the remains of the building. “Don’t you know what this means? Whoever is against you can also remember. It’s why the assassins keep escaping us. It may be why we can’t find your bride.”
“I can’t think about that now,” Namir said, walking up to Ramses. “We need to go to the temple.”
Zahra planted her feet into the ground. “Namir, this is serious. Your life is in danger!”
“And so is yours.” Namir turned toward her. “We have lasted this long, and whoever remembers has not caught up with us. I will look into it later, but I will not delay visiting Zosar any longer.”
Zahra let out a frustrated sigh before joining Namir’s side.
The temple was quiet when they finally arrived. Several of the priests came out to greet Namir. Her father was not among them, having been sent somewhere else by Namir that morning.
Namir dismounted from Victory, offering his hand to Zahra. He spoke to the priests. “Please announce my presence to Zosar.”
The priests glanced at each other as Namir lowered Zahra from the horse. One stepped forward. “He has gone to the pr-aa.”
Zahra’s eyes narrowed.
Namir held her hand as he turned toward them. “For what purpose?”
“The Pharaoh Queen called upon him,” a priest responded.
Namir clenched his jaw.