Chapter 14: Dara

Dara oversees two captured Geziri scouts confined in a crude, snow-dampened hut after an earlier escape attempt left two of his warriors injured. He warns the prisoners, then brings food, freeing the older scout, Abu Sayf, for a supervised walk to ease his stiffness, while leaving the irritable younger scout restrained.

In Dara’s sparse tent, he rekindles a fire, conjures hot stew and bread despite the toll on his mortal form, and offers Abu Sayf a cloak. Abu Sayf reveals the younger scout’s distress over a pregnant wife in Daevabad. Their talk turns to Manizheh: Abu Sayf says the Banu Nahida has drawn their blood again and kept a relic, and he shares rumors that she plans cruel experiments that could bind souls.

Dara masks his concern but resolves to curb his men’s harassment and privately questions Manizheh’s secrecy. The conversation shifts personal: Abu Sayf prefers to remain with his comrade; Dara admits a past love he could not honor. They compare postings and wars, with Abu Sayf recalling service under King Khader and the brutal destruction of Sahrayn glass villages, deeds he obeyed but never believed justified.

Challenged by Abu Sayf’s perspective that Daevabad should belong to all, Dara bristles yet does not refute him, revealing his own conflicted loyalties. As this uneasy understanding forms, Mardoniye bursts in, breathless, announcing the arrival of a letter from home, abruptly redirecting Dara’s attention to new, potentially consequential news.