Jamshid exhaled loudly, his eyes widening as he met Ali’s gaze. An identical thrill was on his face—Ali knew the former captain realized what a lucky victory this was.
“I can’t believe Dara let you leave,” Jamshid breathed. “He led the damn rebellion against Zaydi al Qahtani. How could he make such a mistake?”
“Razu can be very convincing,” Nahri said softly. “And maybe Dara was trying to show some mercy.”
Ali held his tongue on the prospect of the Afshin and “mercy,” opting to pace instead. If he could have, he would have picked Issa up, turned him upside down, and shaken out all he knew. “You said the Geziris and shafit neighborhoods had managed to hold the Daevas off—do you know about the other tribes?”
“Everyone was on their own when I left,” Issa explained. “Your sister was in talks with the Ayaanle and Tukharistanis but wasn’t having much luck. It is utter chaos, and no one trusts anyone else.”
Ali’s heart dropped. “So Manizheh doesn’t control the city? Surely they brought additional soldiers, security.”
“Oh no, not at all,” Issa replied. “Razu said to tell you reports say that the Afshin has less than a dozen men. There are rumors he is training more, but Manizheh only controls the Daeva Quarter for now.”
Jamshid gaped. “How did they overthrow your family with only a dozen warriors?”
Ali didn’t answer. Dara had had more than a dozen soldiers, of course, but it didn’t seem the right moment to tell Jamshid that Ali had personally killed that number with marid magic alone. He glanced at Nahri, but she was stone-faced and quiet. Why wasn’t she reacting to any of this? To Issa’s return? To word of the Afshin? To news of …
Muntadhir. Oh.
Well, Ali supposed it was good he’d held his tongue about his feelings for her.
War. Think about war. It’s simpler. He returned to Jamshid’s question. “They planned to annihilate the Royal Guard and the entire Geziri population. Manizheh is the most powerful Nahid healer in generations. Add two ifrit and whatever the hell the Afshin is now, and they probably thought it was enough to hold the city. And honestly, had Manizheh taken the seal and magic not fallen, I could see the other tribes surrendering. No one would have wanted to follow the example of the Geziris.”
His words chilled the room for a moment, but then Jamshid spoke up again. “What do you mean, what Dara is?”
Nahri twisted the hem of her scarf in one hand. “Dara said Manizheh freed him from Suleiman’s curse. He has the powers of an original daeva now.”
Jamshid paled. “You didn’t tell me that.”
“It’s been a difficult few weeks, all right?” Nahri replied. “You’ll excuse me for not wanting to think about how my old Afshin turns into fire to set giant smoke monsters on his enemies.”
“Oh.” Jamshid looked even greener. “That’s an unfortunate development.”
“Tell me about it.” Ali glanced at Issa. “Ustadh, my ancestors brought back a lot of the Nahids’ old texts. They should be in the archives. I’m hoping we can find a way to defeat him.”
“Defeat him?” Hatset interrupted. “Yesterday your only allies were a band of pirates and a Nahid fugitive. Don’t you think it’s a bit soon to be planning offensive measures?’
“I’m not going anywhere today. We’ll talk to Issa, find out everything we can, and then evaluate our next move.”
“Your position isn’t strong enough to be evaluating any moves; you’re lucky you haven’t been dragged back to Daevabad. Don’t you know there’s a bounty on your head?”
“I’ve been living with a bounty on my head for a very long time, Amma,” Ali said gently. “And I fear Daevabad doesn’t have time for me to get comfortable here. If the city is truly embroiled in a civil war, if Manizheh has cut it off from the rest of the world …” He ran the estimates in his head. “We were preparing for Navasatem crowds, but we were expecting supplies throughout the month. People will be starving, and soon.”
“Then let Manizheh and her Afshin deal with it. She wished to rule.”
Ali stared at his mother in astonishment. “Zaynab is there.”
Hatset’s eyes flashed. “Believe me, I know. But right now, I need you to stop and think. To consider what is best for all of us, not just those in Daevabad.”
Ali strongly suspected he was not going to like where this was going. “Meaning?”
“Meaning our world has been fractured, Alizayd, not just Daevabad. When magic fell, people were hysterical: abandoning their jobs and packing into the mosques, expecting some new Suleiman to sweep in and rip us from our homes and lives. Frightened, leaderless mobs of people do rash things.” Hatset hesitated. “But there’s also a chance to build something new. Someplace secure. We need a new king, a new government. And not one centered around a man in a jail cell.”
Jamshid shot to his feet before Ali could react. “Absolutely not. That is Muntadhir’s position.”
“Alizayd is as eligible for the throne as his brother. He always has been,” Hatset insisted, glaring so fiercely that Jamshid shut up. She stepped closer to Ali, her expression urgent. “So take it, my son. Declare yourself king. You’ll have the backing of our tribes and can establish a court in Ta Ntry, where you’ll be safe.”
“A court in Ta Ntry where you’ll never see Daevabad again.” Nahri sounded no less fierce than his mother. “You might as well speak freely, Hatset. You don’t think we can beat Manizheh, and you don’t want us to try.”
“I don’t want you to die. The two of you have no idea how weak your position is. You think a band of pirates would have laid hands on Ghassan? Mocked him and chained him up?” His mother turned back to Ali. “Do you understand, Alu? You need to establish yourself as a leader to be followed. A leader to be feared. Because if you don’t rule these people as
