Chapter 7: Nahri

Nahri practices knife throwing under Dara’s tutelage, their banter revealing growing attraction and tension. They make camp, where Dara successfully conjures a rich lentil stew that evokes his late mother. A brief, tender exchange shifts when Dara admits his entire family is dead.

Prompted by Nahri, Dara recounts djinn history: after Suleiman freed and scattered the daevas into six tribes, the Nahid Council ruled from Daevabad, enforcing segregation and collecting shafit. Resentment grew, especially among the Geziri, whose leader Zaydi al Qahtani led an invasion that overthrew the Nahids and seized Suleiman’s seal about 1,400 years ago.

Dara implies he personally witnessed the conquest despite claiming djinn lifespans are short, but refuses to elaborate. He then reveals he will not enter Daevabad, planning to leave Nahri at the city gates for her safety and his own. Nahri feels misled and accuses him of cowardice.

Their argument escalates as Nahri condemns Nahid hypocrisy while Dara describes the Qahtanis’ massacre of Daevas, including his young sister. Grief and anger sever the moment; Dara grabs his gear, tells Nahri to seek a djinn’s help if she trusts them so much, and disappears into the night, leaving her alone by the fire.