All This Twisted Glory

In this section, as the narrative approaches its end, the action picks up, and plot devices such as miscommunications and cliffhangers converge to increase the tension. The section opens with Alizeh racing to meet the gathered Jinn despite the warnings of her companions. Alizeh’s yearning to see her people demonstrates that her sense of destiny and heritage informs her decisions; her public duties are so important to her they eclipse her sense of personal safety. Thus, she embodies the characteristics of duty and sacrifice established in the narrative as defining good leaders. In addition, the Jinn’s determination to see her demonstrates that their culture informs her power, reinforcing the theme of Cultural Heritage as a Source of Power and Conflict. However, the magicked vibrating daggers that seek to kill Alizeh indicate that Alizeh’s rise to power will be complicated. Since Alizeh represents a smashing of that same cultural heritage, she is already feared and reviled. Some people are as eager to take her out as others are to lay eyes on her. This plot turn foreshadows trouble against Alizeh’s ascension in the remaining books of the series.

The sequence in which Cyrus glimpses Alizeh and Kamran in a supposed embrace is an instance of the romantic trope of crossed wires or misunderstanding. Instead of immediately sorting out the confusion, the lover—in this case, Cyrus—assumes the worst and operates from that presumption. The misunderstanding is a classic device in romance plots that leads to conflict, delaying the lovers’ union and increasing tension. In Cyrus’s case, the misunderstanding is even more intense due to the political intrigue involved. Having revealed his hand to Kamran early, Cyrus now suspects Kamran and Alizeh will capitalize on his forthcoming death, and his suspicion leads him to behave coldly toward Alizeh in his chambers in Chapter 27.

This scene depicts their first real meeting in the text. Narrated from Alizeh’s perspective, the chapter shows her ardor for Cyrus. While the narrative has often stressed Cyrus’s intense feelings for Alizeh, here Alizeh’s perspective flips the gendered portrayal of the female as the object of affection. In this scene, Cyrus is the recipient of Alizeh’s female gaze, with Alizeh describing him as “breathtaking.” This not only indicates that Alizeh is not just a passive recipient of Cyrus’s love, but that she also actively desires him. Despite Cyrus’s coldness, Alizeh notes that he has never touched in a presumptuous way, “never simply claimed what he wanted […] the way Kamran once had” (332). Cyrus’s restraint around Alizeh contrasts with Kamran’s opportunism in the carriage, when he takes advantage of accident to embrace her. This sequence also again demonstrates Cyrus’s maturity and respect, reinforcing his largely hidden honorability and building the theme of The Redemptive Power of Love. Alizeh’s recognition of Cyrus as a respectful lover positions him as her clear romantic counterpart.

With Cyrus established as the clear love interest for Alizeh, the Kamran-Alizeh bond begun in the first book of the series is officially a thing of the past. However, while the Kamran-Alizeh bond may be over, the text continues to develop the subplot of the romance between Huda and Kamran. While these characters themselves appear to harbor a mutual dislike, others can sense their preoccupation with each other. When Kamran and Huda bicker in Alizeh’s presence, Alizeh wonders aloud: “When did this tender relationship begin?” (308). Huda is embarrassed after Alizeh’s amused observation, while Kamran appears startled, as if “a spell broke” (308).

Building up to the climax of the novel, these chapters also contain watershed moments and important decisions. Alizeh tells Hazan that she has decided to say yes to Cyrus’s marriage proposal and plans to go to the mountains of Arya with the help of the map in her book. Once Alizeh informs Cyrus of her decision to marry him, he decides to perform the blood oath that very night. The quickening pace adds a sense of urgency to the narrative: Cyrus is in a hurry to marry Alizeh because, as he tells her, he only has a few months to pay Iblees’s debt. The ticking clock on Cyrus’s debt adds to the tension in the plot and builds on the theme of The Complicated Cost of the Devil’s Bargain. Even as Cyrus nears completion of his side of the deal, the terms of the deal make it harder for him to do so.