Chapter 41 A Prophecy Fulfilled
A Prophecy Fulfilled
Zahra and Namir bid goodbye to the people and rode off toward the fires in the northern cities.
Much of the east side of Inebu-hedj was engulfed in flames, and the cities and villages on the northwest bank of the Iteru were similarly ravaged.
People were on the sides of the streets, crying and screaming over their lost loved ones.
Zahra fought back tears, focusing on their task.
It was at the edge of Khem and at the beginning of the Iteru’s delta—where the river split into its offshoots that ran into the Sea—that they found Iset.
She was tossing and turning in the muddy remains of the river.
Her laughter echoed through the air as she feasted on the crocodiles and other beasts that once called the Iteru their home.
Zahra and Namir got off their horse, and Namir handed it to a cloaked woman, who led the horse toward those hiding in the rubble of a fallen home. They stood together and looked up at what Nubia had unleashed.
Iset had grown bigger—her body now spanned half the width of the Iteru.
Namir tore his gaze away from the monster in front of them, resting his hand on Zahra’s cheek. “This is not how I pictured our wedding night would go.”
Zahra laughed tearfully, her lip quivering as she placed her hand on his face. The promise they had made to each other—and to Re and Aur—went through her mind. “In life.”
He smiled, pulling her close. “In death.”
She moved her lips to his. “Always.”
Their chests glowed brighter as they kissed, and the reality of the situation finally rested in Zahra’s chest. They could die tonight.
This could be their end, but somehow she was at peace with it.
They would either live and rule together or die together.
Either way, they would be together, and that was all that mattered.
They pulled away, and Zahra held Namir’s hands, nervousness bubbling in her throat. He squeezed her hands, smiling softly. “Take a breath.”
Zahra obeyed. The cool air entered her lungs and made her chest feel light. She took another and nodded. “Thank you.” She looked at the Thoth, which sat on the ground by them. “You will be the one to utter the words to start the spell, but you must wait until she is weakened.”
“I know.” He caught her gaze. “Are you ready?”
Zahra hugged him. She buried her head in his shoulder, breathing in. “Now I am.” She pulled away, letting her hands fall from his. “I am ready, Selene.”
The mark of the full moon appeared on her head, and Zahra’s eyes glowed with silver moonlight.
Selene inclined her head to Namir, her voice blending with Zahra’s. “Thank you, Pharaoh King.”
Namir swallowed, putting his hand to his chest and bowing. “Thank you for your help, Nebthet.”
Selene turned to the great snake. She stepped forward through the darkness, until her feet touched the edge of the Iteru’s bed.
Iset looked down and let out a guttural laugh. “Have you come to fight, little sibyl? There is nothing you can do.”
Selene’s eyes narrowed. “It is I who has come to stop you, sister.”
Iset shrank back, but still she hissed. “You cannot take this power from me.”
“I have no plans of stealing anything from you, but you will be stopped.”
Silver light swirled from Zahra’s head, wrapping around her body. Within the cocoon it created, she changed. Feathers of moonlight sprouted from her skin, and her frame grew to a size that rivaled Iset’s.
Iset hissed, slamming her tail down toward her, but with mighty wings, Selene dodged and took off into the air.
In the shape of a mighty eagle, Selene dove toward Iset, her talons outstretched.
Iset wriggled to the side. Selene grabbed the end of Iset’s tail with her talons, but Iset lunged for Selene’s side.
Selene cried out, falling to the ground. She tried to wrap her talons around Iset’s neck, but Iset was too fast and slipped from Selene’s grasp.
The ground shook as they battled. People trapped in the rubble were rescued by sibyls made of moonlight, and those who hid were guided to the Ionians by small but powerful eagles. Keres came for the people, but the sibyls protected them.
Namir held the Thoth in his hands, struggling to stand as the ground trembled beneath him.
Finally, Selene caught Iset’s neck in her talons, and she pinned her to the ground. Iset hissed, her venom dripping on Selene’s feet. Selene did not budge. “Pharaoh King, now!”
Namir let out a cry, and the Thoth tumbled to the ground. Blood fell from a cut on his cheek, and he reached for his khopesh.
Nubia stood before him, her dagger in hand. “I cannot let you do this. If she falls, she will take me with her!”
Namir clenched his jaw and narrowed his eyes. He gripped the handle of his khopesh. She moved forward as if to strike him before he could pull out his weapon, and he grabbed a fistful of sand in his other hand and threw it in her face.
Nubia cried out, stumbling back and closing her eye.
Namir lunged for the Thoth, grabbing it by its sides. His chest glowed with lavender light as he spoke the words to start the spell. The magic inside of the Thoth swirled, and a sandstorm escaped through its glass.
Nubia ran forward, lifting her dagger with a red glow in her eye. “No!”
Zahra narrowed her eyes. No!
The moment of distraction stopped Selene from blocking Iset’s tail from hitting her. Selene cawed, losing grip of Iset’s neck. She latched onto Iset’s body, but Iset’s head could reach Selene. She hissed and snapped her jaws, wrestling with Selene on the ground as the sandstorm grew nearby.
Nubia was thrown back, her dagger slipping from her hand and getting lost in the sand.
Selene let out a loud shriek as Iset sank her teeth into her neck, fire igniting her silver feathers.
Two taloned feet grabbed Iset’s neck, pulling her off of Selene. A hawk made of Re’s golden light flapped his wings hard, lifting Iset into the sky.
Namir.
Selene flew up, grabbing Iset’s wiggling body. Selene and Re carried Iset over the Thoth. The sandstorm coming from it grew, encompassing Iset’s tail. Iset hissed, writhing in their grasp. They released their hold, and she fell into the storm with a scream.
A blast of wind was sent out from the Thoth as the storm swallowed Iset, throwing Selene and Re back.
Selene’s voice rang through Zahra’s mind. “I must ensure she does not escape before it seals itself shut.”
The moonlight from Selene’s feathers disappeared, and Zahra tumbled onto the shore of the Iteru with a gasp.
Sand and wind billowed around her as the Thoth pulled her toward it.
She turned on her stomach, frantically grabbing at the loose sand for something to hold onto.
Her body dragged itself across the ground, and she let out a frightened scream as her torso flew up.
A hand covered in golden feathers grabbed hers. The feathers faded from Namir’s hand as he pulled Zahra toward him, digging his khopesh into the earth to prevent them from being dragged further.
Zahra wrapped her arms around his torso, her wide eyes watching as mirages danced around them, depicting the destruction that had occurred in Aur.
They showed Iset’s growth to power and her inevitable defeat.
The images repeated themselves over and over again, and Iset’s voice echoed around them. “No!”
The keres attacking the city shrieked as they were pulled toward the sandstorm. Hundreds of keres, even those far away, were sucked in along with Iset, as Selene said they would be.
A scream came from nearby. “Menes!”
It was Nubia. She was holding onto a nearby tree, the wind yanking on her legs and lifting her into the air. Dark smoke like that of the keres lingered on her form. Her grip was slipping. Tears spilled down her cheeks. “Please, Menes. Help me!”
Namir glanced back at her, noticing the smoke on her. He looked down at Zahra. Grief filled his face as he turned away from Nubia, holding Zahra close. “I am sorry, Nubia.”
Nubia’s eyes went wide. “Menes!” She screamed as her hands slipped from the trunk of the tree, and she was sucked into the storm. Mirages followed her, showing the Pharaoh Queen dying in Nubia’s arms.
A loud, thundering roar shook the earth.
Water spilled back into the Iteru, splashing Namir and Zahra.
Zahra’s sandals slipped off her feet and were sucked into the storm, along with some animals.
Zahra and Namir closed their eyes as the wind whipped around them.
The sandstorm tunneled back into the Thoth, cutting off the screams of Iset and her servants.
It trembled as the day of the Pa-sekhemty Feast filled its glass spheres, which were obscured by golden sand and lavender light.
All was silent as the darkness left the sky, revealing a bright and brilliant moon.