The Kingdom of Copper (The Daevabad Trilogy #2) - S. A. Chakraborty Page 0,113

as Nisreen’s darkened.

“There’s a Nahid hospital?” he asked brightly.

“There’s an ancient ruin soaked in the blood of your ancestors,” Nisreen cut in. She stared at Nahri in shock. “You told Ghassan about your visit?”

“I left that part out, actually,” Nahri said lightly. “But yes, we’re going to restore it. The king agreed.”

“Who exactly is ‘we,’ my lady?” Nisreen asked, though it was clear she already knew the answer.

“The Qahtanis, of course,” Nahri replied, deciding it was best not to be precise.

“You’re going to rebuild the Nahid hospital with the Qahtanis?” Nisreen repeated faintly. “Now?”

Nahri nodded. “We’re hoping to have it open in time for Navasatem.” That seemed wildly optimistic to her, but if that was the price for Ghassan’s blessing, she and Ali would have to find a way to get it done. “I want to change things around here. We’ll rebuild the hospital, hire the freed djinn currently living there, start training apprentices …” She grinned, hopeful in a way she hadn’t been for a very long time. A little happy, even.

“Delay it,” Nisreen said bluntly. “Don’t do this. Not now. Things are too tense.”

Nahri felt some of her spirits drain; she’d hoped her mentor would share at least a touch of her excitement. “I can’t. Ghassan only agreed so we could present it as a tribal unity gesture for the celebrations. And anyway, I don’t want to delay it,” she added, a little hurt. “I thought you’d be thrilled.”

“That all sounds extraordinary,” Jamshid enthused. “I didn’t know about the hospital, but I’d love to see it.”

“I’d like to have you do more,” Nahri replied. “I want to make you my first student.”

His cane clattered to the floor. “What?” he whispered.

Nahri bent to pick it up and then smiled. “You’re smart. You’re excellent with the other patients here, and you’ve been a great help already.” She touched his hand. “Join me, Jamshid. It might not be the way you originally thought to serve our tribe … But I think you’d be a wonderful healer.”

He took a deep breath; he seemed stunned by the offer. “I …” His gaze darted to Nisreen. “If Nisreen does not object …”

Nisreen had the look of a woman wondering what she had done to deserve her current misfortune. “I … Yes. I think Jamshid might have quite the … knack for healing.” She cleared her throat. “Though perhaps he might exercise a bit more caution when putting away ingredients in the apothecary—and when reading old texts.” She returned her gaze to Nahri. “It seems Jamshid came across some of Manizheh’s notes archived in the Temple.”

“Really?” Nahri asked. “I’d love to see them.”

Jamshid paled. “I … I’ll try to find them again.”

Nahri grinned. “Then I think this would be perfect for you! Though it won’t be easy,” she warned. “I don’t have a lot of time, and neither will you. You’ll need to all but take up residence in this place, reading and studying every second you’re not working. You might hate me by the end.”

“Never.” He gripped her hand. “When do I start?”

“There’s one more thing before you say yes.” She glanced at Nisreen. Her assistant looked like she was fighting panic, which Nahri thought a complete overreaction—Nisreen couldn’t hate the Qahtanis so much that she wouldn’t want a hospital. “Nisreen, would you mind leaving us? I’d like to speak with Jamshid alone for a moment.”

Nisreen let out a huffed sound. “Would it matter if I did mind?” She rose to her feet. “A hospital with the Qahtanis before Navasatem … The Creator have mercy …”

“What is this ‘one thing’?” Jamshid asked, pulling her attention back to him. “Not sure I like the sound of it,” he teased.

“It’s a sizable one thing,” she confessed. “And I’ll need you to keep it to yourself for now.” She lowered her voice. “I intend to open the hospital to all. Regardless of their blood.”

Confusion wrinkled Jamshid’s brow. “But … that’s forbidden. You … you can’t mean to heal mixed-bloods, Banu Nahida. You could lose your magic that way.”

The remark—a prejudice she’d heard uttered by many a fearful Daeva—stung no less for having been said in earnest ignorance. “That’s not true,” she said firmly. “I’m proof that it isn’t. I healed humans for years in Egypt before coming to Daevabad, and it never affected my magic.”

He must have heard the heat in her response, for he drew back. “Forgive me. I didn’t mean to doubt you.”

She shook her head. If she couldn’t handle Jamshid’s doubt, she wouldn’t survive