Chapter 28: Nahri

Nahri arrives at the dazzling hospital celebration, observing nobles, artists, and enchanted spectacles while Muntadhir holds court. She greets Subha, who frets over the facility being used for a party, and briefly speaks with Jamshid, who voices distrust of Ali. As Subha goes to her family, Nahri slips away to explore.

Guided by softly glowing walls, Nahri reaches the library and discovers an unlisted side room crafted like Cairo: mashrabiya screens, Egyptian textiles, and a lotus-lined fountain. She finds Ali there, exhausted. He reveals he created the office for her with Egyptian shafit artisans. Moved and homesick, Nahri thanks him, and they share a quiet moment acknowledging her roots.

Ali warns of a shafit threat against Nahri during Navasatem, which she hasn’t been told about; she insists her security is tight and agrees only to accept Aqisa’s protection for the procession. When pressed about his state, Ali confides that Ghassan is sending him back to Am Gezira permanently, stripping his titles; despite loving Bir Nabat, he doesn’t want to leave Daevabad under his father’s rule.

Alarmed by his resolve to oppose Ghassan, Nahri cautions him that rebellion will doom many, not just Ali. He argues justice demands action; she counters the hospital is a foundation for future peace, not a call to immediate revolt. Fearing for his life, Nahri invokes his life-debt and pleads that he accept exile, marry, and seek happiness. Ali is left torn and silent as she urges him to live.