Chapter 30 What the Keres Cannot Touch
What the Keres Cannot Touch
Zahra was led out of the main part of the pr-aa to a building connected to it by a long hall, one bearing tall towers and paintings for Aur’s military. They climbed the stairs of one of the towers, and he shoved Zahra into a room with a window, locking the door behind them.
“I am not afraid of you,” Zahra said, standing tall as he approached.
Waaiz chuckled. “Is that so?” He dug his blade into a crack in the stone floor, watching her with careful eyes. “Show me your weapons, assassin. Let us get straight to the point.”
Zahra’s brow furrowed. “What?”
“Your weapons.” His grip tightened on his khopesh. “The ones you were going to use to kill the King.”
“I’m no assassin,” Zahra stated. “I would never hurt Namir.”
Waaiz frowned. “Where are your comrades?”
Zahra tilted her head, looking into his eyes. His irises sparkled with red, but it was not violence or anger that controlled his actions, but logic. Within his gaze was a selfless worry for Namir’s safety.
Waaiz was not behind the assassins.
The door burst open, a sleepy Namir standing in the doorway, wielding Ramses’s khopesh. He darted forward, forcing his way between Waaiz and Zahra and pushing Waaiz toward the wall with the window. “Stay away from her, or I will kill you myself.”
Waaiz held his hands up, his blade on the ground some distance from him. “Menes, what is the meaning of this?”
“I could ask you the same thing,” Namir growled. “I know what you have done, uncle. You are a traitor to my family and to this kingdom!”
Zahra’s chest tightened. She tried to speak, but a vision battled for her attention. She put her hand to her head. “Namir… I don’t think—”
Waaiz studied Namir’s face. “Menes, I think you are confused.”
“Liar!” Namir gritted his teeth. “Why? Why would you seek to destroy me?”
“I would never do such a thing!” Waaiz’s hands trembled, and sadness filled his face. Anger took over as he turned toward Zahra. “She has filled your head with these lies, hasn’t she?”
“Namir, it isn’t him,” Zahra insisted.
Namir shook his head. “You were right. He’s behind the assassins.”
“How can you say these things of me?” Waaiz cried. “My son was your greatest friend. How could you think I would tarnish his legacy in such a way? I would never let his sacrifice for you be in vain. All I have done was to protect you.”
Zahra nodded to Namir. “He is telling the truth.”
Guilt crept into Namir’s face, and he lowered his sword.
Zahra let the vision come to the forefront of her mind. She saw an assassin in the tower opposite theirs. Pesha’s cold and calculating eyes were watching them, and she launched an arrow straight toward Namir’s heart.
Zahra blinked the vision from her eyes, pushing Namir to the floor. “Look out!”
The arrow shot over their heads, slicing Zahra’s shoulder. She let out a cry of pain.
Waaiz backed up, blocking the window with his arm. “Go!”
Namir lifted Zahra off of him, standing with wide eyes as she placed her hand on her bleeding shoulder.
“Wait,” Zahra cried, as Namir pulled her toward the door. She reached toward Waaiz. “Don’t!”
Waaiz’s scar wrinkled as he smiled, an effort that seemed to pain him. An arrow struck him in the back, and he crumpled to the floor.
Namir closed the door, his hands trembling as he dragged Zahra from the room. He held his khopesh at his side, guiding her down the stairs. “They’re in the building.”
At the bottom of the stairs stood Ramses. Moonlight shone on him from the windows. An assassin was dead on the floor beside him, and his head was bleeding from being struck. He signed with one hand. “Three assassins went toward the throne room.”
Namir gritted his teeth, signing in reply. “We have to warn my mother and sister.”
“There are guards there to protect them,” Ramses signed. “I must protect you.”
Zahra turned toward one of the doors as another vision came to her. “Give me your dagger.”
Confusion filled Ramses’s face, but he took it from his belt and tossed it to her.
Zahra caught it in her hands, motioning toward the door. “They’re coming through there next.”
Namir’s eyes narrowed. “Then we will be there to greet them.”
He traded swords with Ramses, and Ramses smiled and laughed. “They’ll think you did all the work.”
A grin came to Namir’s lips before they moved into position.
Ramses and Namir waited on either side of the door, and Zahra hid by the stairs.
The door flew open, and two of the assassins burst through.
The first one saw the body on the floor and moved to the side, but Ramses was waiting there with his blade at the ready.
The second assassin turned to the other side, his blade clashing with Namir’s khopesh.
The first assassin fell to the floor, badly injured in his side by Ramses’s blade. He swiped his knife at Ramses.
Namir backed up as the assassin pushed hard against his blade.
Zahra came out of hiding, holding her dagger close to her chest. The assassin saw her approaching and slid his blade off of Namir’s to hit her.
Zahra ducked, and he completely missed her.
She swiped at his side with the dagger, digging it deep in his skin.
The assassin cried out, and Namir kicked him backward. He sank his blade into the assassin’s chest as Ramses dispatched the other assassin. They turned to each other, heaving.
Zahra stepped back, looking out of one of the high windows. The blood moon was full. She signed as best she could with one hand. “We don’t have much time until the night ends. If we—”
She stumbled backward as Ramses stepped toward her, his form cast in shadow and his eyes glowing red. Namir sprinted forward, catching Ramses’s blade with his own.
Zahra moved to the side. “Don’t hurt him!”
Namir forced the blade from Ramses’s hand, and he dropped his khopesh to shove Ramses up against the wall. Ramses pushed against him, reaching for his dagger, which wasn’t there. His voice was deep and animal-like as he pointed at her. “Assassin.”
Namir shook his head. “She isn’t.”
“He doesn’t see me,” Zahra said. “He sees a threat.”
Ramses kneed Namir in the ribs, and Namir cried out, stumbling backward. Ramses ran forward, reaching for his blade, but Namir tackled him.
Zahra stumbled backward into the moonlight, watching with stunned eyes. Even though Namir was in the darkness, he was still fighting Ramses. Why was he not affected, too?
“Pull him into the moonlight,” Zahra cried.
Namir grunted. He threw Ramses toward Zahra. Ramses caught himself, but he froze as the moonlight chased the red from his eyes. He looked up in confusion at Namir, then back at Zahra as he realized his actions.
Namir signed to Ramses, and Zahra stepped away.
“I’m sorry,” she heard Ramses speak.
“It’s not your fault,” Namir said.
“I shouldn’t be here.” Zahra turned back to face them.
Ramses avoided her gaze, looking ashamed at the ground. Namir’s brow furrowed, and he shook his head. “I can’t let you go out there alone.”
“Ramses and your medjay will better be able to protect you if I am not there.”
“We will stay in the moonlight,” Namir said, walking toward her.
“The moonlight only does so much this late in the night, and they’ll be able to see you better that way,” Zahra cried. “If they hit you even once—”
Namir wrapped his arms around her, silencing her and holding her against his chest. “I will not let you be out there alone.”
Zahra gripped her dagger by her side. “What if—”
“I won’t.” He kissed her head, then gestured for Ramses to get up. “We need some place to hide.”
Ramses’s face grew stoic, and he nodded, grabbing his blade.
Namir used his shirt to wrap around Zahra’s wound, and they followed Ramses down the hall.
He led them toward the main part of the pr-aa.
The halls were quiet. Two medjay standing in the hallway raised their weapons when they saw Ramses and Namir approaching. “Where are the assassins?”
“Somewhere in the building,” Namir said.
The medjay’s gaze turned on Zahra. Red flickered in their eyes.
Namir kept Zahra in the moonlight. “She is with me. Go warn the others.”
One medjay stepped toward them. He blinked slowly once he was in the moonlight, and the red was chased from his eyes. “My King… One of us should stay with you.”
Namir pulled Zahra closer to him with his arm. “I have all I need.”
The medjay turned to his comrade, leading him away from them to go warn the other medjay.
Zahra let out a long breath, and Namir squeezed Zahra’s hand. “Let us keep moving.”
Ramses guided them to the second floor. “There’s a room with a heavy lock. You will be safe there.”
Three assassins leaped out from the shadows. One of them had been in Namir’s room. Two raised their weapons, and Pesha stepped back, lifting her bow.
Ramses pushed Namir and Zahra back the other direction, tossing a key to Namir. He stayed behind, readying his sword.
Namir slid to a stop. “Ramses!”
Ramses signed to Namir. “Go.”
“Namir, we can’t fight all of them!” Zahra tugged on his hand. “Please.”
Namir gritted his teeth, shaking his head as he followed her down the hall. They were about to turn a corner when moonlight danced in Zahra’s eyes, showing her what was ahead of them. She shoved her foot in Namir’s path, causing them both to fall.
Namir sat up with confused eyes as an assassin emerged from the darkness, slashing his swords where he had anticipated them to be.
Namir gripped his blade and jumped to his feet. He swung the khopesh at the assassin.
The assassin dodged, blocking Namir’s attacks with his weapons. The two danced, each failing to land a blow.
Pesha came around the corner, lifting her makhaira. Zahra jumped to the side just in time, slicing at Pesha’s side. Pesha cried out, falling forward and gripping her bleeding side. She turned on Zahra with glowing eyes, grunting as she ran toward her.
Zahra let out a yelp as she barely dodged Pesha’s attack. Her visions came sporadically, helping her anticipate Pesha’s moves before Pesha enacted them. But she was not fast enough.
Pesha nicked her arm, and Zahra cried out, falling to the ground. The dagger fell from her hand and skidded across the floor. She looked up as Pesha lifted her blade.
“Zahra,” Namir screamed, trying to get past the assassin he was fighting. The assassin struck his shoulder, and Namir let out a cry, stumbling back.
Zahra threw her hand up as Pesha brought her blade down on her. The mark of the sibyl appeared on Zahra’s face, and her soul intercepted the weapon, catching Pesha’s blade and forcing her back.
Pesha fell backward, a bewildered look in her eyes as her weapon clattered to the ground.
Zahra’s eyes narrowed slightly, and she focused, her teeth gritting from the effort. She pulled them both into the Duat.
Pesha cried out, falling back into the golden sands. “What have you done to me?!”
Zahra stepped back, and Pesha scrambled to her feet.
Zahra’s forehead wrinkled as her vision blurred. “I’m sorry.”
The color drained from Pesha’s face. “No.” She ran forward. “No!”
Zahra gasped as she left the Duat, her head lolling back against the wall. Her sight was blurry, and she lifted her fingers to her nose, where blood was flowing.
Namir appeared in front of her. “Are you hurt?”
Zahra blinked, looking down at her hand. Namir placed his blade in it. “Hold my khopesh.”
Zahra looked up, her eyes narrowing in worry at his bleeding shoulder. “You are hurt.”
“I will survive, but we must keep moving.” He used his good arm to lift her up, supporting her as they ran down the hall.
Zahra looked down at Pesha as they passed. Her eyes were wide, but her gaze vacant as she stared up at the ceiling. She was breathing, but it was quick and labored, as if she was running.
They stepped over the assassin Namir had killed. “The room Ramses was talking about is over here.”
Sounds of approaching footsteps came from behind them.
Namir cursed to himself, rushing to the door and pushing it open.
He shoved Zahra through, securing it behind him.
They ran up a small flight of stairs, revealing a small room with no windows.
A small oil lamp was already lit, but whoever had last been in there was gone.
Zahra helped Namir push furniture, shelves, and whatever else they could find down the stairs to further block the door. The door was made of stone, but Zahra could hear the assassins chipping away at it and pushing against it.
Namir clutched his bleeding shoulder.
Zahra found a small cloth that had been holding some scrolls together. She took it and stuffed the fabric into his wound.
He sucked in a breath. “Are you hurt?”
“Not as badly as you,” she said, trying to take her shawl to give to him. She winced from the wound on her shoulder. Zahra looked up and gasped, stumbling back.
Namir’s eyes glowed with a warm hue. His eyebrows lifted, and he stepped back, dropping his blade. The light from the lamp moved from his face, and one of his eyes became dark once more.
Zahra gasped in disbelief. Even in the darkness, the keres couldn’t claim him. Why?
Zahra stepped forward. Namir stepped back, uncertain of her movements. She took his hand—the one that had been holding his blade—and held it. When he did nothing, she lifted a hand to his face.
The warmth in his eyes was yellow, not red. The glow was only a reflection from the lamp.
Zahra laughed in disbelief. “The keres cannot touch you.”
Namir’s eyes went wide. He placed his other hand on her face, grunting at the effort. “How?”
It was the same reason her father had never sought her life when they were in the darkness of night.
It was why Ramses had fought the keres’ influence when Namir was badly wounded.
It was why Waaiz sought answers rather than her death.
Though the keres thrived on hatred, there was something they all had in those moments that kept the keres from affecting them.
Love.
The chimes from the obelisk vibrated the walls, and Zahra kissed Namir, laughing against his lips.
He held her tight and pulled her close. The medjay could be heard outside the door, fighting the assassins.
The sixth chime came, and they rested their foreheads against each other, smiling as rays of light consumed their forms.