Contents
Chapter 3: Nahri
Overview
Nahri confronts Nisreen and Kartir and learns the former Nahid hospital was the first site massacred during Zaydi’s conquest, deepening her understanding of the city’s scars. She then supports an ailing Jamshid before witnessing Royal Guards raid a Daeva household over a tax meeting. Powerless against Ghassan’s edict, Nahri retreats to seek Muntadhir’s help, sharpening her resolve and exposing the regime’s impunity.
Summary
Nahri tells Nisreen and Kartir about the hidden Nahid hospital. Pressed, they reveal Manizheh’s research: the hospital was the first target when Zaydi al Qahtani took Daevabad; shafit, wielding Rumi fire, joined Geziris to slaughter every Nahid inside. The revelation angers Nahri, who resents being shielded from such truths.
Jamshid arrives to escort Nahri back to the palace. As they walk through the crowded Temple during pre-Navasatem fervor, Nahri checks on Jamshid’s lingering injuries. He asks to attempt healing again, troubled that Ghassan forced Muntadhir to appoint a new captain of his guard.
At Dara’s shrine, Nahri and Jamshid confront complicated grief and resentment; a burned crocodile skeleton—mocking the Ayaanle—disgusts Jamshid. Nahri admits the legend on display is not the man she knew, revealing her conflicted memories and the city’s corrosive effect on loved ones.
In the Daeva Quarter, they encounter Royal Guards raiding a prominent home, binding two men and a youth for holding a meeting about a new land tax. A Daeva woman begs for mercy. When Nahri challenges the looting, a hostile officer cites new rules granting the Guard a cut and threatens executions, deriding Jamshid. Recognizing Ghassan’s backing, Jamshid urges retreat so he can alert Muntadhir. Nahri apologizes to the weeping woman, shaken by her own powerlessness.
Who Appears
- Nahri (Banu Nahida)Seeks to revive the Nahid hospital; learns it was massacred; feels powerless as Guards raid Daevas; resolves to inform Muntadhir.
- JamshidWeakened and recovering; asks Nahri to attempt healing again; defends Daevas during the raid but retreats to alert Muntadhir.
- NisreenMentor who reveals the hospital’s brutal fall; protective and wary of political risks to Nahri.
- KartirGrand priest who confirms the massacre and urges caution; mediates between harsh truths and faith.
- Royal Guard officerLeads the raid; cites new rules, insults Jamshid, and threatens executions to enforce Ghassan’s will.
- Daeva womanBeggs Nahri to save her bound husband, brother-in-law, and son after a tax-meeting crackdown.