Contents
Chapter 38: Nahri
Overview
Nahri learns Suleiman’s seal is a heart-hidden ring that traps its bearer in Daevabad. She and Muntadhir find Dara resurrected, allied with Manizheh and Kaveh, and holding Ali—now marid-touched. Dara tries to kill Ali; Muntadhir takes the zulfiqar blow and is fatally poisoned. Nahri unleashes palace magic to bury Dara and flees with Ali to retrieve the seal while Muntadhir holds the line.
Summary
Nahri and Muntadhir navigate the dark servants’ passages, encountering victims of the copper poison. Muntadhir reveals Suleiman’s seal is a ring hidden in the king’s heart that must be cut out, burned, and re-formed; the ring cannot leave Daevabad. They glimpse armed Daeva soldiers, confirming a coup.
They find Ali captured by two ifrit—one wearing Daeva uniform and another named Vizaresh—while an emerald slave ring gleams on Ali’s finger. The uniformed ifrit assumes Dara’s face and memories, confessing he has been restored as a daeva free of Suleiman’s curse and aligned with Kaveh and Manizheh. He admits Nahri was meant to be kept away from the Geziris’ poisoning.
Ali’s marid-touched power stirs; Vizaresh refuses to fight him. Dara moves to kill Ali, binding Nahri and advancing through a palace barrier that repels Ali. Muntadhir shields his brother and takes the zulfiqar strike, becoming mortally poisoned. Nahri breaks her binds, channels the palace’s ancient magic, hurls Dara into a wall, and collapses the ceiling onto him.
As rubble stirs and Dara roars back to life, Muntadhir arms himself with a silver bow to hold him off. With no hope of healing the zulfiqar poison, Muntadhir orders Ali and Nahri to retrieve Suleiman’s seal. Nahri drags a devastated Ali away while Muntadhir stays behind to buy them time.
Who Appears
- NahriDiscovers how to retrieve Suleiman’s seal; confronts resurrected Dara; unleashes palace magic, buries him, and escapes with Ali.
- MuntadhirReveals the seal’s secret; shields Ali from Dara’s zulfiqar, is fatally poisoned; stays behind with a bow to buy time.
- Ali (Alizayd)Captured with an emerald ring; marid-touched power manifests; saved by Muntadhir’s sacrifice; flees with Nahri to find the seal.
- Dara (Darayavahoush)Resurrected, free of Suleiman’s curse; allied with Manizheh and Kaveh; attempts to kill Ali; buried by Nahri’s magic but rises again.
- VizareshIfrit ally of Dara; refuses to fight marid-blessed Ali and vanishes, leaving Dara to face Ali alone.