We Hunt the Flame

Sharr gets darker, sensing that the intruders have killed some of its kin. When the zumra make camp for the night and eat hares cooked by Kifah, they start bonding over favorite recipes and memories of good food. Zafira chides herself for forgetting she’s traveling with murderers.

Nasir doesn’t participate in the conversation and is starting to realize that he may not be able to, or may not want to, kill his companions anymore. After dinner, Benyamin answers more of Zafira’s questions, as he promised. To everyone’s shock, he reveals that the Silver Witch is one of the Six Sisters—Anadil, the warden of Sharr, which explains why she’s so powerful. She is unable to return to Sharr herself to retrieve the Jawarat because the island’s magic has grown too strong. As the zumra process this new information, Kifah offers some candy to Zafira. She tells her about her life, raised by a father who wanted her to become an erudite when she wanted to be a warrior. When her brother, Tamim, tried to help her, her father had him killed. Kifah now wants to get revenge on her father by freeing magic, which he hates. She also tells Zafira that she’s a miragi (an illusionist) and claims that together, they can achieve their goals.