ONCE MORE, ZAINA BARELY FLINCHED as the hot water was poured over her back. She did not seem to care when Khadijah pulled her hair too hard or Naima scrubbed too roughly. The khadimas washed her, careful not to say anything, aware of the events that took place.
"I knew," Lilith whispered as they set her on the bed. "That was why I was so cruel. I was hoping that you would get upset and drop out."
Zaina turned to look at her, her movements robotic. "There is no use in getting angry, there is no way I could have dropped out."
"You could have." She searched under the bed, reaching for the mess of papers. "There's a paper that you sign─ " she paused, realising it was absent. "He did not give it to you."
"Why would he?" Zaina scoffed, shaking her head. She ran her hands over her face, whispering lowly, "You were right Lilith, I am a ghabi."
She dropped the envelope, reaching for Zaina. "No, no, you are no a fool."
"Don't." Zaina flinched, fingers grasping at the skirt of her dress. "Leave."
When they made no move to do so, she lifted her head, eyes cold. "I said leave! Get out!"
The women balked, glancing at each other. They gathered themselves and exited, brushing past Mido who rushed in.
"Oh Zaina," he whispered, looking at the broken girl on the bed. She was no longer the girl he fell in love with, Anubis had made sure of that. Settling down, he gathered her in his arms expecting her to fall apart. But Zaina simply laid her head on his shoulder, her hands weakly clutching at his arms.
In Osiris's chambers, the gods were holding a meeting. Some sat around the table, others stood to the side while a few paced the length of the room. Pakhet and Hathor were remorseful—they had allowed Anubis to toy with the girl's heart.
"Anubis, is it true what Qetesh said?" Amun asked, his gaze trained on the sceptre in his hand.
The young god rolled his eyes, fingers running through his jackal's fur. "Were you not listening the first time I answered the question?"
"How could you do this and appear unbothered?" Amun snapped, seat flying backwards as he stood abruptly.
"Fret not," Anubis' lips split into a wide grin, head cocked to his side as he sent Amun a wink, "it is not an appearance."
Mafdet made a sound at the back of his throat, gesturing to himself and Ma'at. "We tried to warn you."
The god of death pulled a face, mocking his words.
Osiris slammed a fist into a nearby wall. "Shut up!"
Anubis amusedly zipped his lips and threw the 'key' away.
"We cannot let her return to earth like this," Pakhet said, voice soft and gaze trained on the ground.
Ma'at lifted a hand to her chin, face pensive. "I may have a solution for that."
"Let this game run its course," Anubis piped in.
"Osiris," Amun called out, ignoring what the other god had said. "Anubis is not allowed to orchestrate anything or give orders until further notice. For now, he has been demoted to a minor god."
"You cannot do that," Anubis growled, pushing himself up from his seat. His rafiq became alert, letting out a bark.
"Anubis," Osiris started, lifting a hand to his forehead, "do not start now."
Anubis' face grew slack, discomfort rising at the tone of his uncle's voice. "Osiris."
Osiris raised a hand.
"Ma'at turned to Amun, sparing Anubis a dirty glance. "Allow me to fix the mess he created."
The gong sounded three times, breaking the silence in the tent.
"That is not possible," Mido said, arms falling from Zaina as he stood from the bed. "The next trial is not until tomorrow."
The khadimas walked in timidly avoiding eye contact with Zaina.
"It has been pushed forwards. We were sent to get you ready," Naima said, eyes glued to the carpeted floor.
Zaina nodded, rising from the bed. Mido turned his head, as though questioning her actions. She nodded once more. Reluctantly, he sighed and exited, the entrance to the tent flapping in his wake.
She turned to them and spoke, her voice detached and foreign to her own ears. "I want to take a bath before we begin."
The khadimas nodded and undressed her, helping her to the bathroom. When Naima reached for the soap, Zaina stopped her. "I want to do it myself."
They stood in shock, unsure whether to insist or give into her wishes.
"Have you all gone deaf now?" Zaina asked, rolling her eyes and gesturing towards the entrance. Hurriedly, they rushed out.
She roughly rubbed the towel and swabu together before scrubbing herself. She wanted to get rid of every trace of Anubis. She scrubbed the hands that he had touched, the arms that he had caressed and the ears that he had traced but it was not enough. Throwing the towel on the floor with a frustrated growl, she resorted to her nails, scratching and scraping at her skin, unmoved when the water tinged with red.
Lilith rushed in upon hearing the growl, knees almost buckling at the sight. Calling the others, they rushed in and pulled the girl out of the tub. Drying her and putting honey on her skin to heal the cuts, they brought her back to the bed. They had done her make-up and Khadijah was about to style her hair when Zaina spoke up.
"Cut it," she said, looking at Khadijah through the mirror in front of her.
"Your hair?" Khadijah asked, shock evident on her face. She had suggested a cut on numerous occasions but Zaina always refused.
"No, Khadijah, my skin," Zaina quipped, voice monotone.
"Where do you want it up to?" she asked, voice gentle so as not to anger the girl.
"My neck," she answered. Turning her head to the side, she continued, "Naima, bring out the black dress."
Without questioning her decision, Naima did as she was told, returning with the dress their master had sent over. Zaina had been saving it for the last banquet, the night before she went back home.
It was a black sheath dressed that hugged her body and exposed the inner sides of her breasts, complete with a golden pleated cape on her neck for the finishing touch.
"Are you ready to go?" Mido asked as he re-entered the tent.
Zaina grinned, the sharp edges of her teeth glinting in the candlelight. "Yes."
YOU ARE READING
The Death Trials
Fantasy"I wanted to give this to you in person," Anubis said, taking a step closer to the girl who was evidently petrified. He handed her a crisp white envelope that had his name written in a cursive scrawl. With shaky hands, Zaina took the env...
