the marid’s curse on your appearance.” Ali seemed stunned. “So that’s how he knew. You have Suleiman’s seal marked on your face.”
Ghassan’s words from that night came back to her. They all bear it. Every single Nahid. “Your father said that to me once. He claimed all Nahids had it.”
Including Jamshid. But Nahri didn’t mention her brother. No matter her and Ali’s growing closeness, Jamshid’s identity wasn’t her secret to divulge.
Ali fell back against the column, visibly worn out. “I didn’t know that.” He rubbed his chest. “By the Most High, it feels like a city worth’s of magic just burned through me.”
Nahri hesitated, torn between wanting to know more and wanting to change the subject. “What else did you see?”
“What do you mean?”
Was there anything this man wasn’t obtuse about? “The curse, Ali, the one that makes me appear human. How do I look without it?”
He inclined his head. “I think you had the glow to your skin, but I was more focused on Suleiman’s mark.” He must have picked up on her disappointment. “Don’t tell me that’s something you fret over.”
She was immediately annoyed. “Maybe it seems shallow to a pureblood prince, but you might have noticed the rest of our world is obsessed with whether or not one looks shafit. I had an entire fleet of servants whose job was to cover me in magical powders. Yes, I fret over it.”
Ali winced. “I’m sorry.” He glanced around and then nodded at the water. “Tomorrow when the light is better, let’s try this again in a place where you can see your reflection.”
“I don’t need you to do that.”
“Who says you need anything? Maybe I want to study my own reflection. After all, I hear I’m well-formed.”
Equal parts embarrassment and warmth stole through her. “Did you just make a joke? Surely you would have needed the permission of at least three clerics.”
Ali smiled. “I’ll be sure to check with the appropriate authorities when we get to Ta Ntry.” But then he flinched, again, kneading the spot over his heart. “I wish I could cut this out of me.”
Nahri bit her lip, recalling her own impression. “I’m not sure the ring bonded with you the same way it did with your father. Muntadhir said the heart needs to be burned, and the ring reforms from the ash, but I’m telling you, I can sense that thing intact and clear as day, just below the heart muscle.”
“But you put it on my finger before we left Daevabad. Why wouldn’t it have bonded?”
“I don’t know.” Nahri found herself drawn to the spot on his chest, an ache in her own heart. “It feels like it’s right there. Like I could just pluck it out.”
“Want to try?” Ali nodded at the ruined pomegranate. “I promise I’ll be a better patient.” Despite the jest, there was a genuine plea in his voice.
“No,” Nahri said, aghast. “I’d have to cut into your heart.”
“You cut into a child’s skull.”
“That was different!”
But Ali looked grim. “I feel like I’m not meant to have this. I remember the way my father’s heart burned in your hands. I can feel mine burning when you touch me. It wants you.”
“It doesn’t want anything. It’s a ring. And we’ve already discussed this. You know what Manizheh said about my being a shafit. If I took the seal, it would have killed me.”
“She was lying, Nahri. She was trying to get under your skin.” His expression softened. “Listen, I can’t imagine how difficult—”
“No, you can’t.” Nahri rose to her feet, stalking into the shadows of the ruin.
There was a moment of silence before Ali spoke again. “Then tell me. God knows you’ve listened to enough of my family’s problems. Let me return the favor.”
“I wouldn’t know what to tell you. No one bothers to keep me in the loop. They didn’t even tell me my own mother was alive.”
“Do you have any idea who your father might be?”
“No,” Nahri replied, checking the ache in her voice. “And I can’t imagine the kind of man Manizheh would have fallen for. He probably murders kittens to relax. Not that it matters. If he’s shafit, that’s all the Daevas are going to care about.”
“You don’t know that,” Ali argued. “I’ve seen you with your people. They love you. If you told people who you really were—”
“They would turn on me.”
“Or maybe you’d bring everyone together. In a way no one else can.”
For a moment, Nahri imagined it. Declaring her true identity to the world,