Zia Rashid

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

Background
Zia lived in a village known as Al-Hamrah Makan (meaning The Place of Red Sands) with her father and mother. Zia's father was a farmer who would search for artifacts in exchange for payment from archaeologists. 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; 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 both her and Desjardins, Zia becomes the host for Nephthys. After the explosion, the two find the unconscious bodies of Carter and Sadie. 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.Sekhmet thinks it is blood,and drinks so much that it puts her to sleep and turns into a gentler cow-headed godess. 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 hotel rooms. 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.

The Serpents Shadow
Zia is taking care of Ra and she learns that he has chosen her to be his host. she also breaks up a lava fight between two senile gods during the story. She is also there with Amos for the battle against Apophis when The Blood of the Pharohs go to war. She also kisses Carter when they are at the mall together.

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, Egyptian-style. Her skin is caramel-colored 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, she looks like Queen Nefertiti with her high cheek bones and red lips.

Powers and Abilities
Zia is an extremely skilled magician of the House of Life and specializes in the element of fire. She is skilled in general combat as well and seems to be adept in terms of strategy. Her position in the House of Life is the scribe, meaning she is just beneath the Chief Lector's ranks. Zia is strong enough to completely destroy two hotels and that's just in half-unconscience and half-confusion. Her power level is on par with that of Blood of the Pharaohs. Zia became the host of Ra in the Serpent's Shadow, changing her fire to a golden colour and handing her the power to use lava along with a special orange fire shield.

Eye of Ra/Khepri
Lava Magic: After becoming the host of Ra, Zia can intesify fire and use lava. However, this element is hard to control and she almost goes on a rampage. Lava can only be cast using the Path of Ra, being the host of Ra, following the path of a god of magic (as lava magic falls into elemental magic) such as Isis or Thoth, or hosting these magecraft gods. Even then, a perfect fusion with the god requires full mastery over lava.

Kephri's Shield: In the battle with the Apis Bull, Zia channels the power of Khepri to produce a shield of orange fire that resembles a scarab shell, absorbing the Bull's sunfire weapon. The same shield is used later to protect herself, Carter, Setne, and Sadie from the effects of the Sea of Chaos.

Other Abilities
Fire Magic: This is Zia's specialty. She is extremely proficient with fire spells. The fact that she can cast the Pillar of Fire, the strongest technique a fire mage could create, to trail Desjardins proves that she is a master of fire. However, Zia collapsed after the incantation, and was powerless the next hours. In The Throne of Fire, the real Zia burned down a hotel room and made another one explode before she calmed down. Due to being the Eye of Ra, Zia's fire changes to a golden colour and shines.

Hieroglyphic Spells: Like the magicians of the House of Life, Zia can use hieroglyphic spells although she doesn't use it as much as fire magic and isn't particularly special with it. When the shabti Zia taught Carter and Sadie, she displayed a satisfactory knowledge of the principles of magic and hieroglyphs. Zia, like Carter, can use the l'mun spell to cast a invisibility cloud around herself. Zia's shabti uses this to send secret messages to the real Zia in the Red Sands.

Seven Ribbons of Hathor: Her most famous and noticeable spell is the Ribbons of Hathor, which she used to cleanse a human host of the scorpion goddess Serqet. However, she can only do this once a year.

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's liking to her but tells him she isn't ready. Towards the end of the Serpent's Shadow, Zia asks if she can stay at Brooklyn House and Carter readily agrees, but only if she is comfortable and doesn't feel awkward about it. In the middle of that speech he was giving, Zia says, "Carter, shut up." After she says that, she leans in and kisses him. Carter stated that she didn't need any magic to shut him up after that.

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).

Ra: Ra wants Zia to host him but she is worried that she is not strong enough.When Ra says Zebras in The Throne of Fire, he means Zia. She goes through many phases of nearly killing people because she can't control it. Khepri is the part of Ra that Zia is hosting.

Trivia

 * Zia's last name, "Rashid," is the Arabic word, "رشيد" meaning, "rightly guided". "Rashid" is also the Egyptian name of the Rosetta Stone.
 * When Ra says Zebras in The Throne of Fire, he means Zia.
 * Since Zia used to host Nephthys, there was a chance she could die due to being a fire mage. This risk is gone as Nephthys left her body.
 * Zia is the only known magician to host two gods - Nephthys (The Red Pyramid and The Throne of Fire) and Ra (The Serpent's Shadow)