Contents
Chapter 37: Dara
Overview
Dara finds a battered Alizayd alive in the sacked palace and learns Ali annihilated his beach assault with marid-like power. While organizing Daevabad’s seizure and searching for Kaveh and Ghassan’s body, Dara nearly executes Ali. Vizaresh pushes to enslave Ali’s soul, but Dara rejects the ifrit, halting the act as a new threat appears.
Summary
Dara confronts a bloodied, disoriented Alizayd in the palace, stunned the once-youthful prince has survived and bears his father’s zulfiqar. Rage and grief surge as Dara recalls Ali killing him and ruining his hopes with Nahri. Laleh’s query pulls Dara back to command, and he orders Vizaresh to hold Ali and disarm him.
Reaching through his conjured beasts, Dara directs his scattered forces: secure the palace, locate Grand Wazir Kaveh and Ghassan’s body, and show no mercy to Royal Guards. He sends Laleh to the harem and Gushtap to the roof pavilion Kaveh named, stressing immediate lethal force against armed men.
When Dara notices Ali’s bite marks, he demands an update from Vizaresh. The ifrit reports the beach is lost, ghouls gone, and Dara’s soldiers—Irtemiz among them—slain. Vizaresh blames Ali’s unprecedented command of the lake, revealing the prince wielded marid-like power to destroy the assault.
Consumed by fury, Dara strikes Ali and prepares to execute him without magic. Vizaresh intervenes, tempting Dara to a crueler vengeance: enslave Ali’s soul with ifrit rings before killing him. As Ali panics, Vizaresh knocks him senseless and begins to fit a ring on his thumb.
Dara recoils, remembering the ifrits’ contempt for djinn and refusing to let them claim another soul. He orders Vizaresh to remove the ring, rejecting enslavement despite his desire for retribution. As the ifrit hesitates, both are distracted by something behind them, leaving the confrontation on a knife’s edge.
Who Appears
- Darayavahoush (Dara)Commander of the assault; captures Ali, orders palace secured, rejects Vizaresh’s plan to enslave Ali’s soul.
- Alizayd al Qahtani (Ali)Wounded and disoriented; admits killing Dara before; revealed to have devastated Dara’s forces with marid-like water magic.
- VizareshIfrit ally; reports loss at the beach, tries to enslave Ali with rings, rebuffed by Dara.
- LalehYoung Daeva recruit; awaits orders and is assigned to search the harem.
- GushtapDaeva warrior; sent to the roof pavilion and warned to kill Royal Guards on sight.
- ManizhehSeparates immediately to head for the infirmary, glimpsed riding a conjured karkadann.