After Dark

For several hours I lay awake, waiting for the perfect time to slip into Maahad's room to wake him. It was true that the bedroom doors did not lock, but it was also true that the guards, on high alert after the intruder, would be difficult to avoid. Maahad's room was several hallways away from mine.

Determining I should at least check if the coast was clear to jump off the balcony as Kisara had suggested, I slipped off of my new bed and ducked under the curtain that separated the main room from the balcony.

The night air kissed my face as I stepped onto the balcony, letting the curtain drop behind me. Only the faint voices of the guards talking as they patrolled the outer walls and the soft murmuring of the river, visible as a dark, gleaming band cutting through the desert, interrupted the quiet. The stars, spread in a banner above my head, slowly revolved around the guiding star. The night was dark with the new moon, and the torches only cast so much light on their surroundings.

This would be the perfect night to slip out against regulations. I walked to the edge of the balcony, leaning on the beautifully carved railing and looking down. Kisara was right in that it wasn't ludicrously far down, but I still would have to plan my descent to ensure I and Maahad (who I was certain had not trained as strenuously as I had in climbing) would reach the ground safely, and, more importantly, unseen by any guards.

I found what I estimated was Maahad's balcony, which was seven windows down from mine. Thankfully, the size of each balcony meant that the underside was deep in shadow, and the balconies were evenly placed. It would be simple for me to sneak over to Maahad's room unnoticed by hiding under them, even simpler if I used my Duat incantation to hide myself.

Getting the young scholar out of his room and safely to the ground was another matter. I had never tried casting my incantation over multiple people, or, really, anyone besides myself. There was no way of knowing if Maahad knew that particular incantation or not. Mother told me she had created the spell herself while serving the Pharaoh, and had taught no one save me the trick.

I sighed, knowing I would most likely solve that problem when I got there and knew for sure. I braced myself to scramble over the balcony when I saw a flicker of movement.

Seth was standing at his own balcony, and he quickly shook his head and gestured behind me. I looked around, confused as to what he was pointing at, when I saw it.

The massive tower jutting out of the wall at the end of it, a black monolith in the dark. I had seen that tower as I had walked in, and Maahad explained that it was the Pharaoh's private chamber. He would often meditate or access the Millennium Pendant's powers from the top of it, using it to rain plagues on Egypt's enemies, so it was said. While it wasn't his bedchamber, he spent a great deal of time there, especially after the queen had died. Getting into that tower was one of my objectives secondary to finding his bedchamber, given how often he would be there.

The tower had a balcony of its own, rather simple in comparison to the ornate ones in the palace itself, but quite high up. If anyone was up there, they could easily see me slip over the balcony and climb to Maahad's room.

And the tower was occupied. I could vaguely see the outline of the Pharaoh standing on the balcony, looking out. If I had leapt off the balcony to fetch Maahad, he definitely would have seen me.

I nodded to Seth to show him I had gotten the warning.

I'm getting Kisara, he mouthed at me in reply, before disappearing from his balcony into his room.

I leaned against the railing, pretending as if I was only admiring the view. Every so often, I would glance up toward the Pharaoh's tower, preparing to seize my chance when I got it. However, every time, I could still see his silhouette against the night sky.

He appeared to be praying. His head was bowed, and he was muttering under his breath. The Millennium Pendant shone in the starlight, the eye embedded in the center winking at me even from that far away.

Does he know? Can he sense the true reason I am here? Does he realize who I am?

I felt eyes on me, and looked up.

The Pharaoh had turned in my direction, and while I couldn't see his face clearly in the dark, he was clearly looking at me.

I glared back, signaling I wasn't about to be intimidated.

You can't keep me silent the same way you did Mother, Pharaoh.

The Pharaoh held my gaze. I narrowed my eyes.

Finally, he turned away and disappeared from the balcony.

Now was my chance. Before he had time to reappear, I swung over the balcony and slipped down underneath, digging my fingers into the cracks between the brickwork.

"Duat, hide me," I chanted. I felt the familiar tickle of shadows around me, and knew that I was hidden from any guard who happened to look up.

Carefully using the gaps between the stone bricks as handholds, I climbed from one balcony to the next, pausing underneath each one to scope out my surroundings and see if anyone was watching. The illusion would fall if I moved around too much, and it would also fail if anyone was actively looking for me, which, if any guards somehow sensed my presence, they would undoubtedly do.

I climbed to the next balcony, freezing as I saw two guards walking by just beneath me,

"Did you see how many people were in there?" the first asked.

The other nodded. "Incredible turnout for the first tournament of its kind. Perhaps the Pharaoh could make it a regular institution!"

"Hoping you could make it in?"

"Why not? Even if we lose, it's royal treatment for the months of the tournament, and any placement brings honor to our village."

The first guard laughed. "They might need to narrow down who can enter, though. Most of those prospective acolytes look like street waifs who have never so much as transfigured a dead rat in their lives."

"Really? Because I heard there were some good ones in there!"

"Like who?"

"Some little witch with an absurdly powerful ka, for one. Little lady with white hair?"

"Oh, I saw her. She didn't look like much."

"What about that other one?"

"What other one?"

"The one Khnurn invited personally. From what I understand, Khnurn was so impressed with his ability, he's actually rooting for him to win a place!"

"That sour old crocodile? This kid must be something else."

"I know!"

I watched them walk away, laughing. While it did intrigue and alarm me that I was still all the court could talk about, I had to stay focused. I decided it would be best to revise my plan for time. I would need to lie low until the gossip surrounding my name had died down.

I'm sorry, Mother. Your revenge will have to wait a little longer.

But first, I needed to fetch Maahad for this meeting.

It was simple enough to climb across the wall toward Maahad's balcony. Stopping underneath it, I looked around, seeing no guards.

Swinging my leg up, I climbed up the side of the wall. The stone brick, worn down by the desert wind, provided only meager footholds, and several times I was forced to freeze, my heart racing, as my foot slipped with a loud scraping noise.

When I was level with the balcony, I reached over, grabbing the lip of the balcony and pulling myself up and over. For a moment, I sat on the edge, panting and looking down, before I turned and walked over to the blowing curtain separating the balcony from Maahad's bedchamber.

I parted the curtain, and found a splendid room much like my own, except the table devoted to perfumes and makeup had been cleared off, the makeup vessels shunted off to the side in favor of a small stack of scrolls. Maahad's staff leaned against the wall on the opposite side, and a bag stuffed with provisions for his journey in addition to even more scrolls - these carefully lettered in a handwriting I took to be Maahad's - hung from one bedpost.

Maahad himself was, true to his word, fast asleep on his own massive bed, not even having heard my entry. I crept over to his side and shook his shoulder.

"Maahad," I hissed under my breath.

Maahad replied something unintelligible, burrowing his face deeper into the duck-feather pillow.

"Maahad! Wake up! It's time!" I hissed louder.

Maahad jumped at the sound of my voice, flying awake and groping wildly for his magic staff. Panting, he blinked and rubbed his eyes. "Oh, it's just you, Kay," he said.

"It's time. Seth went to fetch Kisara," I replied.

Maahad blinked, confused, before apparently recovering. "Alright, I'm coming."

He followed me to the balcony, and cautiously peered over the side.

"How are we going to get down?"

"I'm thinking about it," I replied.

There was no alternative. I had to try to cast my cloak of shadows over the both of us.

I didn't like the idea. Experimenting with spell formulas was hardly a good idea. At best, it simply wouldn't work. At worst, some kind of penalty could fall upon either of us.

But I didn't have a choice.

"Maahad, come here," I said.

"Yes?" Maahad asked, walking up to the edge of the balcony.

"I have an idea. It might not work, but it's our only choice." I held out my arm. "Hold onto me. Don't let go until I tell you."

Maahad anxiously grabbed my wrist.

"Duat, hide us," I intoned.

"Kay-?" Maahad began.

"Shh," I hissed. "Duat, hide us," I repeated, more pleadingly.

"Kay, what are you-" Maahad began, only to cut off with a yelp.

I could feel the cool, oily touch of the shadows on my skin. That, I assumed, was why Maahad had yelped. The touch of the Duat was unnatural and unnerving to someone not used to it.

"Stay, calm, Maahad. We are in the Duat. As long as we are still, and as long as we are quiet, we will be invisible to all eyes."

Maahad was about to speak, before he caught the second half of my statement, and nodded silently.

"Now, follow me over the side of the balcony."

I moved to climb over, only for Maahad, who was still gripping my arm tightly, to yank me back.

"It's okay, you can let go now," I said in annoyance.

Maahad released my wrist and stepped back, cringing in a silent apology.

I silently dropped over the edge of the balcony, using the gaps between the stone bricks as handholds. Maahad bit his lip before following me over the side. He wasn't as silent as I was. I could hear his sandals scraping against the stones each time he slipped.

I put my finger to my lips as a reminder, before I pointed in the direction of the palace's garden wall. I beckoned for him to follow as I crept under the next balcony over.

Maahad scrambled to join me underneath the balcony, and I had to grab his arm as a reminder to be quiet.

The sound of footsteps on stone made me freeze.

"Kay?" Maahad whispered. "What is it-?"

I hurriedly shushed him, and just in time, as a guard rounded the corner and walked right underneath us.

Maahad was panting hard, clearly panicking, his sweat-slick fingers slipping from the handhold he had just grabbed. I grabbed one of his hands, knowing that if he fell, or even slipped, the guard would notice, and closer inspection would force the illusion to drop.

The guard looked right up at us, and I clapped my hand over Maahad's mouth as the other acolyte opened his mouth to scream, only allowing a squeak to emerge.

"Don't. Move," I mouthed at him.

The guard shook his head, murmuring something about having had too much to drink, and walked on. I heard Maahad sigh loudly in relief in response, and I pressed my finger to my lips as a reminder.

Maahad wordlessly nodded, before scrambling to follow as I climbed over to the next balcony.

"H-how are you so good at this, Kay? Do you make a habit of sneaking across castle walls-?" Maahad wanted to know, only for me to abruptly shush him and point to a guard standing below us.

"Don't move, Maahad," I mouthed at him, before slowly, carefully, making my way down to a loose stone in the wall. I plucked it out and tossed it a good distance away.

The guard snapped to attention and hurried away toward the spot, and I grabbed Maahad's arm and pulled him to the next balcony.

The rest of the trip passed without too much incident. Even so, it was a relief when we finally got over to the palace garden wall.

I beckoned Maahad to climb over to where I was, and I lowered him down over the garden wall, before landing with practiced ease on the ground next to him.

"Ra's name, Kay!" Maahad finally panted. "How did you-?"

I let the illusion around us drop. "It pays to know how to do that out in the desert. Now come on."

The others were already huddled under the massive fig tree shading a good portion of the garden. Kisara was easily noticeable with her long silver hair shining in the darkness, and Seth was seated next to her. Mana was sitting on the lowest branch of the tree, but she climbed down when she saw us.

"It's about time you two showed up," Seth said curtly as Maahad and I sat down.

"Sorry…" Maahad panted, still breathless from our stealthy flight from his room. "...Loads of guards…"

"It's fine, Maahad, We're glad you could make it," Kisara said. She sent a sharp look at Seth. "Now, the reason I wanted to have this meeting is because Kay told me something very interesting while we were walking to the feast." She looked knowingly at me.

I supposed I would have to tell the story. An abridged version, anyway.

"I was exploring the east side of the palace, when I came across an unfamiliar hallway. I could sense something strange about it, but I didn't think much of it. It seemed like a normal enough hallway, except, in the middle, there was a massive, grandly decorated door that was heavily bolted and chained shut."

"Go on," Maahad said nervously.

"When I approached the door, I was attacked by some kind of force. I heard a voice, crying and calling for me, and I felt something try to drag me toward and through the door. The lights went out and the room became freezing cold."

"How did you get out?" Mana asked worriedly.

"When I escaped the hallway immediately by the door, the force stopped," I replied. "On my way back to my room, I met the Pharaoh-"

"Wait, you what!?" Mana squeaked, only for Seth to shush her.

"You met the Pharaoh?" Maahad asked.

I nodded. "He seemed to notice I was still shaken by what happened and asked. I told him about the attack, and he told me that other people have been attacked in that spot, too. The Court has tried to exorcize it and failed. Seth reported to me that afterwards, the Pharaoh posted guards there to prevent it from happening from any other competitors."

"That was nice of him," Mana commented.

"How could the court fail to exorcize any type of evil spirit? They possess the strongest magic in the country."

"I can't say," I replied. "But Kisara and Seth told me that the locked room has some strange history."

"What? What is it?" Mana asked at the same time Maahad asked, "Why is it locked up?"

"That room was the old nursery, built for Pharaoh Aknamkanon's first born son. And when the time came for her to bear him, the First Queen died in that room."

"I didn't know Pharaoh Aknamkanon had any sons," Mana said.

"The baby either died or went missing when he was only a year old, my father told me," Maahad cut in. "Had he lived, he would have been our age."

"Why the inconsistency?" Mana asked.

"No one knows what really happened. There are rumors, but that's it. I reckon the Pharaoh is deliberately hushing it up," Seth explained.

"Anyway, there are many bad feelings surrounding that room. It's hardly unlikely an evil spirit would choose to nest there," Maahad said.

"One so powerful the Court with their Millennium Items couldn't cleanse it?"

"Like I said, I don't know," I said.

"Anyway, we should all probably stay clear of that room," Kisara said. "Regardless of the reasoning, the Pharaoh has a reason to board that room up and post guards by it." At Seth's look, she added, "Look, I know it's inconvenient, but you shouldn't go poking venomous snakes and expect not to get bitten. Let the Court handle it. We're only apprentices."

"So you dragged us all the way out here to tell us not to investigate?"

"No. I wanted Mana and Maahad brought up to speed, so they don't stumble into it, too," Kisara replied.

"Thank you for the warning, Kisara," Maahad replied.

Mana nodded, for once quiet.

I was thankful, too, that she had included Mana. For some reason, the thought of her running into whatever haunted that hall physically pained me.

"Right. Now, I'm off to bed. The Pharaoh gave us a lot of time to prepare, and I'm not wasting it," Kisara said.

She stood up, and Seth followed her, clearly not happy with her verdict, but apparently too tired to argue.

Maahad nodded to me. "Thank you for coming to fetch me," he said. He inclined his head in a goodbye, before he followed Kisara and Seth.

"Why are you following us?" Seth asked.

"My room is this way," Maahad replied.

"Just let him come, Seth. It won't kill you," Kisara cut in.

Their argument died away as they vanished around the corner.

Only Mana and I were left standing there.

"Thanks for telling me. About the old nursery and everything," Mana said. She shivered. "It's scary to think that there's something in the palace not even the Pharaoh can get rid of."

I nodded slowly. Mana was dressed in a simple sleeping tunic rather than her noblewoman's dress, but she was still strangely mesmerizing, the dim starlight on her face making her look vaguely unearthly.

I ached when I saw her face, drawn, pale, and frightened. She rubbed her eyes, but before she could I saw they were damp with tears. The urge seized me to take my sword and barge into that boarded up room, challenging whatever evil spirit had dared scare her.

I shook away such thoughts. "We should probably go to bed as well. The first contest is in four days. Good luck."

Mana pinkened. "I think I can handle it." When I turned to go, Mana caught my wrist.

"Hey… I wanted to thank you for saving me. O-on the way to the Great City," she said. "M-My father is grateful, too. No matter how this contest goes… if you're ever in his house, just say the word, anything - and he'll gladly give it to you."

"You're welcome," I replied, surprised to find I meant it wholeheartedly. "I will remember that."

Mana giggled. "There's no need to be so formal, is there? You and I are friends now, right?"

I nodded, because I wasn't sure what to say in reply.

"You should see your face. Be glad it's dark, or the water horses on the Nile would be able to see how red you are right now," Mana teased. "Well, see you tomorrow, Kay! Bye!"

I was left staring after her as she slipped off into the darkness.

Mana was a puzzle. I was still confused as to why she made me feel this way, why she seemed so different from other girls I had met, even different from Kisara.

We're friends, aren't we?

I had never even considered the possibility of having a friend. On principle, an assassin couldn't afford to have them. Ties to anyone but family were a burden, a weakness.

But now… Mana had only met me twice now, once on our journey and again here at the Great City, and yet she had made the assumption we were friends.

I couldn't decide if it was brave or foolish or impetuous that she felt that way, but as much as I recoiled, as I had been trained to do, at the prospect of being and having a friend, part of me felt euphorically joyful, as if I had won a great victory.

The sound of leaves rustling made me jump. Immediately on the forefront of my mind was the report about the armed intruder. Up in the fig tree, perched on the wall, was a figure in a dark cloak. The gleam of a dagger shone at their hip.

I reached for my knife, preparing to draw it if I needed to-

"Oh, child, please, there's no need for that."

I froze at the familiar voice.

With the strength and agility of a woman half her age, she slipped down from the wall and pulled her hood down.

"Mother?"

"Hello, dear," Mother replied. "I was wondering how I could get a message past all the guards to you, but I suppose the gods have smiled brightly on me tonight." She frowned. "What's the matter, child? Are you not happy to see me?"

"N-no, Mother, I am!" I finally sputtered. "But- the guards are on high alert after that intrusion earlier! If they catch you-!"

"The guards are simple enough to fool, child, you know that. Didn't you just slip past them a moment ago?"

"Only with the use of the Duat, and I was nearly caught even then-"

"Remember who taught you that little trick in the first place, child," Mother said, waving her hand. Her face faded from view, and I was looking at empty air, from which her voice emanated. "Besides, I think the only reason you were nearly caught was because you took that little magician along with you."

"Maahad has obviously not trained as rigorously as I have at stealth," I replied.

"Why were you meeting with them, anyway?"

"I met them during the time the Pharaoh gave us to mingle and make alliances. Earlier today the Pharaoh posted a double guard on this one hallway on the palace's east side. Kisara - the girl with the white hair - wanted to tell some of the other competitors we had met at the feast the reason why, and warn them to stay away."

Mother pursed her lips. "Who are they?"

"Well, there's Seth. I don't know where he comes from, but I think he is from a small village like ours. Kisara is a friend of his. I met Mana briefly on my journey here, and I met Maahad earlier today when we were mingling. Mana is the daughter of a noble who is considered a friend of the Pharaoh, and Maahad seems to come from a line of powerful mage-nobles as well."

"And they trust you?"

"I have given them no reason not to."

"Good. Perhaps they can help us. Unknowingly, of course," Mother said. She smiled widely. "You are doing so well, my child. Already, you have slipped into the court unnoticed. I expect to hear the best news soon." She squeezed me tightly. "Now, hurry back. The night grows older as we speak, and there is still much to do."

"Mother?" I asked as she turned to climb back over the wall.

"Yes, child?"

"When should I do it?"

Mother's smile turned oddly sinister.

"As soon as you can muster. The Pharaoh has dodged the consequences of his actions for long enough."

I frowned. "It will still take time. The Pharaoh seems to like me, but I will need to ingratiate myself to him more before everything can proceed. The Court itself is too powerful to take over by force. I will need to be trusted enough no one will question me being the Pharaoh's replacement."

Mother's smile faded. "How long will that be?"

"I can't say, Mother. I wish I could do it now, but as it stands, I am not trusted enough to be next in line."

"Do what you must to earn this good fellowship," Mother said, visibly disappointed. "And remember, do not dawdle on what needs to be done. You cannot afford to hesitate, not now, not when my- our revenge is so close."

I lowered my head in a bow. "I won't let you down, Mother."

"Good. I must go," Mother said. She quickly climbed up and over the wall, leaving me staring into the darkness where she had gone.