Chapter 39 The Pharaohs’ Plight
The Pharaohs’ Plight
Namir helped prop Zahra up as Heba brought her some water. Zahra drank gratefully. She was still weak, but she felt a strength she had not possessed in some time. A few rushlights lit up the space, and Zahra was glad for their light.
Zahra gritted her teeth as another wave hit her body. Namir winced beside her.
Namir met her eyes, looking away once the pain had left. “The Pharaohs’ plight—I know.”
Zahra swallowed, listening to the world outside. Though Inebu-hedj was distant, she could still hear the cries of their people. “What are we to do, Namir? Re and Selene are in Tartarus.”
Namir took her hand in his, avoiding her gaze. “I don’t know. What does the prophecy say?”
Zahra recalled the last line of the prophecy. “The children of the eclipse will decide Aur’s fate.”
Namir nodded. “Of course. It is up to us to decide what Aur becomes after this.”
“After this?” Zahra asked. “Iset will devour everything. Aur will be no more after this.”
Namir tightened his grip on her hand. “I know.”
Waaiz appeared in the doorway, blood caked on his head and his arm in a sling. He bowed his head to them. “Pharaohs, you may want to see this.”
Zahra and Namir glanced at each other.
Namir stood. “I will go.”
Zahra pulled on his hand. “I am coming with you.”
Namir did not fight her. He wrapped his arm around her waist, helping her walk.
Zahra looked up in awe as she left Heba’s house. Around the village was a dome of silver light.
“There were others we passed on our way here,” Namir said, watching Zahra’s face. “Only we can see them.”
“It is Selene’s promise to my people.” Like Zahra’s sibyl mark in the Duat, Selene’s power still existed in her servants and in those she protected.
Zahra’s gaze shifted to a crowd of people coming into the dome. Among them were injured Aurans or those seeking shelter from the smoke that hung in the air. She froze as she recognized a face in the crowd, pulling Namir to a stop.
Pesha was carrying a child in her arms. She handed the child off to an Ionian, glancing at Zahra.
Namir stepped back. “Is that…?”
Pesha motioned for those next to her to follow, and she approached Namir and Zahra with the other Naqada Ionians. Waaiz stepped up beside Zahra and Namir, but Zahra raised her hand toward him. “Wait.”
Pesha stopped in front of them, looking between Zahra and Namir.
Zahra’s eyes widened as Pesha bowed. The other four with her followed her example. “We are at your service, sibyl.”
“Who is that?” an Auran asked.
“It is the King!”
“The King! The King is here!”
Pesha and her comrades stood as a crowd began to form around Namir and Zahra.
Zahra removed her arm from Namir, doing her best to stand on her own. She looked up at Namir hesitantly, who watched the crowd grow around them with cautious eyes.
“My King, what are we to do?” one of the Aurans asked. “That monster is consuming our homes with fire and ash!”
“Yes, what should we do?!” another wailed.
Namir and Zahra shared a hesitant look. Namir turned to the crowd. “For now, take care of the wounded. We have limited resources here, so help those that need it the most first. I will confer with my Queen and advisors to determine our next steps.”
Shouts of protest came from the crowd as Namir turned away. Waaiz stepped in front of the crowd. “We have our orders! Let us get the wounded taken care of.”
Namir led Zahra toward one of the houses. Ramses was inside. Bandages were on his bloody leg, and he was gray and covered in sweat. He smiled at Namir and Zahra. He put his hand on his chest, leaning forward to bow, though the effort pained him. “My Pharaohs.”
Zahra took a seat as Namir came to Ramses’s side, putting his hand on his shoulder before signing. “How is your leg?”
“The bleeding has slowed,” Ramses signed in the dim light from the rushlight.
Namir’s forehead creased.
Ramses glanced at Zahra before looking back at Namir. “How long will we remain here?”
Namir let out a heavy sigh. “As long as we can, but we must leave at some point. Iset will come this way eventually.”
Zahra clutched her chest as another wave of pain hit her and Namir. She pulled her hand away from her chest, the soft golden glow hitting her fingers. She considered the dome of light that surrounded the village.
“But where will we go?” Ramses asked. “The land is hers now, and we don’t have enough boats to take all of the people out to Sea.”
“We may not have to go far,” Zahra signed. “I don’t know how, but we still have some of the netjeru’s power with us.”
Namir looked down at the glow emanating from his chest. “My father once told me about his promise with Re. I had asked why he could not control the sun. He told me that his promise did not work like that. He protected the land of Aur and the people within, and in return, Re gave him a portion of his power.” He looked between Zahra and Ramses.
“Iset may have taken the sun and sky through my bloodline’s connection to Re, but she can’t take the part which was already promised to us. ”
“Selene made my people a promise as well,” Zahra signed. “That’s why this place is safe from the keres—for now.”
Ramses looked out through the open door before he turned back to them. “You protected me with that light before. Is there a way we can do the same here?”
Zahra nodded. “We can try. It might protect us from Iset if—when—she comes.”
“We can’t remain here,” Namir insisted. “Iset will find a way past our defenses, and she will kill us all. We must leave this land—even if we can only take a few with us.”
Zahra thought of the vision she and Namir had shared. “No.” She shook her head. “We cannot abandon our people.”
“We will start anew,” Namir promised. “We will take boats out on the Sea, and we will find a new land. With this power, we can protect our new home.”
“Our people were gifted this land,” Zahra signed. “In my vision of us, we stood over Aur. Our future cannot happen if we abandon this place.”
“I saw it, too, but we have no choice but to leave.” Namir gestured to her. “Your people were forced to leave their home, Zahra. We must do the same.”
“I was forced to leave my home because it was fate that our people would become one,” Zahra stated. “Our duty is to protect and unite our people on this land.”
“But Re is gone. Nebthet—Selene—is gone. Only darkness and the netjeru’s promises to us remain.”
Zahra’s heart faltered, and she gritted her teeth. “But this is our home.”
“I know.” Namir took her hand, signing with the other. “But we must come to an agreement.”
Zahra looked past Namir to Ramses.
Ramses nodded with sad eyes. “Leaving Aur is our best chance.”
Zahra let out a heavy sigh, covering her eyes. After several moments, she pulled her hand away, summoning strength with a breath. “If we are to do this, we must do two things: send messengers to other cities and villages to tell them of our plan and retrieve the Thoth.”
Namir’s eyes narrowed. “What good will the Thoth be? We can’t very well use it in these circumstances.”
“But we will find a use for it. At the very least, it’s a powerful artifact that holds Re’s power. We need all the help we can get against Iset’s servants.”
Namir considered her words, looking at Ramses before nodding. “Very well. I will speak with Waaiz on the matter and see who we should send to retrieve it.”
“We will retrieve it ourselves,” Zahra signed. “We can warn people on our way.”
Hesitancy filled Ramses’s face. “You are the Pharaohs. You should stay here.”
“No, she is right,” Namir signed. “Our people need their leaders to show them the way, and only I know where the Thoth is hidden.”
Ramses’s jaw clenched. “Then I will join you.” He tried to stand, but he cried out, falling back into his seat.
Namir put his hand on Ramses’s shoulder. “Rest, friend. We will return shortly.” He offered his hand to Zahra, pulling her to her feet. “Let us go.”
Zahra and Namir rode on Victory. Pesha and the other Naqada Ionians walked behind them, along a few common people.
Waaiz and a couple medjay also rode on horses on the sides and back of the group.
As they passed by villages or homes, the medjay went and explained the plan.
Waaiz had sent others to ride north to see what boats were there.
It would be impossible to transport any boats from the Iteru to the Sea now that it was dried up.
A lump formed in Zahra’s throat as they entered the capital city once more. It was exactly as she had seen it in her visions—fire and ash were everywhere. She turned away from those that had perished from the attack, praying to Selene for their psyches.
Zahra’s heart fell as they entered the road leading up to the temple and pr-aa.
The road was filled with people making their way away from the fires and toward the temple.
Among them, Zahra noticed some of the maidens that had been at the Feast, all walking in the opposite direction of Namir, Zahra, and their small army.
Femi and Keket were there as well, helping their injured father walk. Keket looked up and saw Zahra sitting behind Namir, but her face only grew more heavy at seeing the blood and smoke on Zahra.
Zahra turned back to the road, looking up toward the pr-aa. It was still burning, but the flames were only on the northeast side. Iset had taken her attack north, wreaking havoc on that part of the city.
Re’s temple, too, had been attacked, though only a few parts still burned; the rest had been reduced to ash and ruins. The temple stable house still stood, though Zahra was not sure if any of the horses were still inside.
People were gathering outside the temple, praying and begging for Re’s mercy. Zahra’s stomach churned, and she turned away from them, knowing they would find no reprieve from the destruction.