They entered the library, but it wasn’t only books that greeted them. There was a crowd of people, already bickering. Djinn and shafit and Daeva. Representatives from all the tribes, from dozens of towns and all the provinces. From the Grand Temple and ulema, the craft guilds and the army.
To say they were a varied lot was an understatement. Not wanting to interfere, Nahri and Ali had given leeway to groups in choosing their delegates, and it seemed to have already backfired. For starters, no one was sitting. Instead, people were shouting in a dozen different languages over cushions surrounding an enormous table.
Ali gave the crowd an uncertain glance, looking a little overwhelmed. “An auspicious start to a new government.”
But Nahri laughed. “Bargaining, you said?” She surveyed the crowd with the practiced air of a professional, smiling graciously as various arguing delegates glanced their way.
Nahri always smiled at her marks.
CAST OF CHARACTERS
THE ROYAL FAMILY
Daevabad is ruled by the Qahtani family, descendants of Zaydi al Qahtani, the Geziri warrior who led a rebellion to overthrow the Nahid Council and establish equality for the shafit centuries ago.
GHASSAN AL QAHTANI, king of the magical realm, defender of the faith
MUNTADHIR, Ghassan’s eldest son from his Geziri first wife, the king’s designated successor
HATSET, Ghassan’s Ayaanle second wife and queen, hailing from a powerful family in Ta Ntry
ZAYNAB, Ghassan and Hatset’s daughter, princess of Daevabad
ALIZAYD, Ghassan and Hatset’s son, prince of Daevabad
Their Court and Royal Guard
WAJED, the Qaid and leader of the djinn army
ABU NUWAS, a Geziri officer
AQISA and LUBAYD, warriors and trackers from Bir Nabat, a village in Am Gezira
THE MOST HIGH AND BLESSED NAHIDS
The original rulers of Daevabad and descendants of Anahid, the Nahids were a family of extraordinary magical healers hailing from the Daeva tribe.
ANAHID, Suleiman’s chosen and the original founder of Daevabad
RUSTAM, one of the last Nahid healers and a skilled botanist, murdered by the ifrit
MANIZHEH, Rustam’s sister, one of the most powerful Nahid healers in centuries
JAMSHID, Manizheh’s son with Kaveh, and a close confidant of Emir Muntadhir
NAHRI, a Nahid healer of uncertain parentage, left abandoned as a young child in the human land of Egypt
Their Supporters
DARAYAVAHOUSH, the last descendant of the Afshins, a Daeva military caste family that served at the right hand of the Nahid Council; known as the Scourge of Qui-zi for his violent acts during the war and later revolt against Zaydi al Qahtani
KAVEH E-PRAMUKH, the Daeva Grand Wazir
KARTIR, a Daeva high priest
NISREEN, Manizheh’s and Rustam’s former assistant and Nahri’s current mentor
IRTEMIZ, NOSHRAD, GUSHTAP, PIROZ, MARDONIYE, and BAHRAM, soldiers
THE SHAFIT
People of mixed human and djinn heritage forced to live in Daevabad, their rights sharply curtailed.
SHEIKH ANAS, former leader of the Tanzeem and Ali’s mentor, executed by the king for treason
SISTER FATUMAI, Tanzeem leader who oversaw the group’s orphanage and charitable services
SUBHASHINI and PARIMAL SEN, shafit physicians
THE IFRIT
Daevas who refused to submit to Suleiman thousands of years ago and were subsequently cursed; the mortal enemies of the Nahids.
AESHMA, their leader
VIZARESH, the ifrit who first came for Nahri in Cairo
QANDISHA, the ifrit who enslaved and murdered Dara
SAHKR, Vizaresh’s brother, slain by Nahri
THE FREED SLAVES OF THE IFRIT
Reviled and persecuted after Dara’s rampage and death at Prince Alizayd’s hand, only three formerly enslaved djinn remain in Daevabad, freed and resurrected by Nahid healers years ago.
RAZU, a gambler from Tukharistan
ELASHIA, an artist from Qart Sahar
ISSA, a scholar and historian from Ta Ntry
GLOSSARY
Beings of Fire
DAEVA: The ancient term for all fire elementals before the djinn rebellion, as well as the name of the tribe residing in Daevastana, of which Dara and Nahri are both part. Once shape-shifters who lived for millennia, the daevas had their magical abilities sharply curbed by the Prophet Suleiman as a punishment for harming humanity.
DJINN: A human word for “daeva.” After Zaydi al Qahtani’s rebellion, all his followers, and eventually all daevas, began using this term for their race.
IFRIT: The original daevas who defied Suleiman and were stripped of their abilities. Sworn enemies of the Nahid family, the ifrit revenge themselves by enslaving other djinn to cause chaos among humanity.
SIMURGH: Scaled firebirds that the djinn are fond of racing.
ZAHHAK: A large, flying, fire-breathing lizardlike beast.
Beings of Water
MARID: Extremely powerful water elementals. Near mythical to the djinn, the marid supposedly haven’t been seen in centuries, though it’s rumored the lake surrounding Daevabad was once theirs.
Beings of Air
PERI: Air elementals. More powerful than the djinn—and far more secretive—the peris keep resolutely to themselves.
RUKH: Enormous predatory firebirds that the peri can use for hunting.
SHEDU: Mythical winged lions, an emblem of the Nahid family.
Beings of Earth
GHOULS: The reanimated, cannibalistic corpses of humans who have made deals with the ifrit.
ISHTAS: A small, scaled creature obsessed with organization and footwear.
KARKADANN: A magical beast similar to an enormous rhinoceros with a horn as long as a man.
NASNAS: A venomous creature resembling a bisected human that prowls the deserts of Am Gezira and whose bite causes flesh to wither away.
Languages
DIVASTI: The language of the Daeva tribe.
DJINNISTANI: Daevabad’s common tongue, a merchant creole the djinn and shafit use to speak to those outside their tribe.
GEZIRIYYA: The language of the Geziri tribe, which only members of their tribe can speak and understand.
NTARAN: The language of the Ayaanle tribe.
General Terminology
ABAYA: A loose, floor-length, full-sleeved dress worn by women.
ADHAN: The Islamic call to prayer.
AFSHIN: The name of the Daeva warrior family who once served the Nahid Council. Also used as a title.
AKHI: “My brother.”
BAGA NAHID: The proper title for male healers of the Nahid family.
BANU NAHIDA: The proper title for female healers of the Nahid family.
CHADOR: An open cloak made from a semicircular cut of fabric, draped over the head and worn by Daeva women.
DIRHAM/DINAR: A type of currency used in Egypt.
DISHDASHA: A floor-length man’s tunic, popular among the Geziri.
EMIR: The crown prince and designated heir to the Qahtani throne.
FAJR:
