Zia Rashid

Zia Rashid is a magician and scribe of the House of Life in the First Nome.

Background
Zia lived in a village known as al-Hamrah Makhan with her father and mother. Zia's father was a farmer who, in his spare time, would search for archaeologists and helped them find artifacts. When she was eight years old, her father brought home a small, red statue, unaware that a monster was sealed inside. He unwittingly unleashed it and it destroyed the entire village. The House of Life found her hidden in a fire pit and under some reeds, where her mother had hidden her scared for her daughter; she was the only survivor. Chief Lector Iskandar took her in, but found that Zia had no memory of her life. He provided her with the details of what happened to her, as well as photographs of her village and family, something that Zia later included in a shrine to her family.

Zia then began to train as a magician in the First Nome; when she turned thirteen, she was the only one in her age group to remain in Egypt.

The Red Pyramid
When the House of Life begins to suspect that Julius Kane may try to summon a god, Zia and Michel Desjardins begin to tail him. They follow Julius and his two children, Carter and Sadie, to the British Museum, where Julius releases five gods. Unknown to neither her nor Desjardins, Zia becomes the host for Nephthys. After the explosion, the two find the unconscious bodies of Carter and Sadie and Zia suggests that they be killed, but Desjardins refuses because it is not within their instructions. They return to the First Nome and Iskandar comes to realize that Zia is, in fact, a godling. Fearing for her life, he hides her away and replaces her with a shabti. Not long later, Zia tracks down the Kane siblings in Brooklyn, where she briefly fights Serqet before the three flee to the First Nome. There, Zia brings the siblings to Iskandar, who decides to 'test' them in the morning; Zia then shows the siblings to their quarters.

That night, Zia goes to her shrine, but is spotted by Carter, who follows her. While she is praying, he sees a glowing orb lift from her and float away, but when he mentions it, he is met with confusion. Upon studying her shrine, Carter asks about Zia's family and she explains her past to him. Feeling for her, Carter suggests that they go to the mall sometime and have fun, something that Zia assumes is a date. The next morning, Zia teaches Sadie and Carter the basics of magic and has them duel one another. The training is cut short, however, when Zia hears the news of Iskandar's death and that Desjardins has become the new Chief Lector. Zia advises the siblings to run away, warning them that the next time they met, it would be as enemies.

After their escape, Desjardins, Zia, Mel, and another magician begin to search for the Kane siblings, saving a plummeting airplane in the process. Zia is eventually able to contact Carter in his sleep and asks him to meet her in Las Cruces so they can work together to defeat Set. Upon meeting there, however, they are betrayed by Mel and a fight breaks out. Due to the efforts of Amos Kane, who had recently joined with the Kane siblings, Zia, Sadie, and Carter are able to escape, but Desjardins summons Sekhmet to hunt them down; they are eventually able to convert her into Hathor by tricking her into eating salsa. Zia then helps the siblings animate a coat to drive a car for them and they begin to head toward Phoenix until they encounter Amos once again. Zia, knowing that Sadie intends to defeat Set by speaking his secret name, seems to sense that Set is possessing Amos. She offers to tell Sadie Set's secret name and asks that she use it against Amos. Sadie, however, refuses, and the group continues on to Phoenix where they confront Set. In the battle, however, Set attacks Zia, believing that she is Nephthys and unaware that she is, in reality, a shabti. She is gravely wounded, but manages to tell Sadie Set's secret name. Sadie is able to use Set's name to defeat him, but moments later Zia's shabti disintegrates, much to Carter's grief. Desperate to ensure her safety, Carter vows to find the real Zia.

The Throne of Fire
Carter finds the real Zia in a hidden tomb under the Nile. He and Bes free her, and she rejected Nephthys. Zia was too shocked to believe that she knew Carter after he told her that Iskandar was dead. Desjardins and Vlad Menshikov follow Carter, freezing Bes, and Zia believes she and Carter are enemies. Carter is forced to fight against Desjardins and Vlad, but refuses to majorly hurt anyone. Soon Sadie and Walt appear through a portal and unfreeze Bes. Bes scares Desjardins and Vlad, knocking them out. Zia also faints and the four take her away. Zia and Sadie surprisingly become friends, to Carter's dismay. Together they beat Bes and Walt at a game of Senet. Zia agrees to talk to Carter after burning down two previous hotels. Later on in the story, Zia agrees to protect Brooklyn House from Vlad's attackers by talking them out of it. Talking doesn't work, but the house was safe when Carter and Sadie returned. In the end, Zia and Amos return to the First Nome so Amos could take his rightful place as Chief Lector after Desjardins was killed imprisoning Apophis. Also, it hints in the book that Apophis deliberately unleashed the monster on Zia's village. Carter learns this and tries to warn her about it, but she refuses that it is the truth.

Personality Zia is highly intelligent, and is often harsh, determined, and single-minded, making her an excellent fighter and strategist. She is also, however, passionate, holds her dear ones close to her heart, and posseses a warm, soft and more vulnerable side that she rarely allows to show. Carter is likely one of the few to ever have seen it, though indirectly being as it was still only her shabti.

Appearance
Zia is described as being very pretty with 'vaguely Arabic' features and straight, jet black hair cut at her jawline, Cleopatra-style. Her skin is caramel and her eyes are startling amber and lined with kohl. She wears loose linen clothing and Egyptian perfume. She has been described as 'both beautiful and dangerous'. According to Carter Kane, she looks like Queen Nefertiti.

Powers and Abilities
Zia is an extremely skilled magician and specializes in the element of fire. She is skilled in general combat magic as well and seems to be adept in terms of strategy. She may use the spell Seven Ribbons of Hathor once a year, allowing her to banish a god to the Duat. She also uses the spell Pillar of Fire on Desjardins, trapping him. Sometimes, when she begins to lose her temper, her staff begins to smoulder, or ignite. In The Throne of Fire, the real Zia burned down a hotel room and made another one explode before she agreed to calm down.

Relationships
Carter Kane: Although Carter is immediately attracted to Zia, Zia herself does not seem to pay him much mind. It is not until Carter has proved himself upon their entrance into the hidden city of Heliopolis that Zia truly begins to take note of him. She is later touched by Carter's concern for her and his offer of a date. This causes Zia to feel sympathetic with Carter's plight and this, in addition to Nephthys's influence, may be what brought Zia to ally herself with them. Their affection for one another begins to grow to the romantic stage, however Zia's shabti is destroyed, and Carter is distraught by the idea that the real Zia may not know him. It is probable that she somewhat knows him, as it can be inferred that the blue balls of energy her shabti sent were actually memories to the real Zia, meaning that while she doesn't know Carter, she technically does, though her shabti's 'memories, and the shabti acting as she would. In The Throne of Fire, the real Zia is first convinced that Carter and herself are enemies, but after making a fuss, she understands Carter.

Iskandar: Zia describes Iskandar as the only family she has ever known. After her village was destroyed and her memory lost, Iskandar took her in and raised her almost as if she were his own. Iskandar seemed to love her like a father would and this affection led him to hiding her away after discovering that she was hosting Nephthys. Zia is later greatly grieved by Iskandar's death.

Sadie Kane: Initially, Zia often clashes with Sadie, with mutual antagonism toward each other. This is caused by Sadie's stubborness, as well as Zia's short temper (when dealing with Sadie). Sadie still doubted Zia, even after she stood up for them against Desjardins. Only after Carter snaps at her she begins to cooperate. In The Throne of Fire, the real Zia and Sadie become closer as friends (to Carter's dismay).

Trivia

 * Zia's last name, "Rashid," is the Arabic word, "رشيد" meaning, "rightly guided". "Rashid" is also the Egyptian name of the Rosetta Stone.