We Hunt the Flame

Moral struggles are at the heart of the protagonists’ character development in We Hunt the Flame. Both Zafira and Nasir face dilemmas that initially stem from opposite moral stances, but their parallel trajectories hint at their upcoming relationship. When their objectives finally align, Zafira and Nasir are able to reconcile their identities as the Hunter and the Prince of Death with their morality.

When Nasir is introduced, he believes he is beyond redemption because of his role as a hashashin (assassin): “At some point, his heart had ceased to register the monstrosity of his deeds, and it had nothing to do with the darkness tainting the lands” (20). However, Nasir doesn’t kill out of cruelty, even stating that “if he were truly his father’s son, he would have basked in [his victims’] fear, but [...] it only sickened him” (41). He kills to gain his father’s approval, willing to “become a monster without bounds” (99) despite the toll this takes on his sense of self. Because he believes “darkness is [his] destiny” (v, 339, 379, 423), Nasir resents but ultimately accepts people’s fear of him. The only person he’s ever bonded with is Kulsum, a servant who became his lover, and whom the Sultan punished as a result. Nasir vowed to never let himself get close to anyone for fear of his father’s retribution—that is, until he slowly opens up to Altair and Zafira.

This reluctance to form close connections is shared with Zafira, who witnessed her parents’ loving relationship end in tragedy. She is motivated by compassion and willing to sacrifice her own safety and morality to ensure other people’s well-being. The story begins by stating that “People lived because she killed. And if that meant braving the Arz where even the sun was afraid to glimpse, then so be it” (3). However, Zafira doesn’t find her actions brave, because she resents the secret freedom that being the Hunter affords her (due to this identity being fleeting and isolating). She also struggles to come to terms with her inner darkness.

Zafira’s morality is challenged once she embraces her darkness and falls into the clutches of the Lion of the Night. At first, she is almost swayed by the Lion’s words and starts to doubt her friendships when he calls the zumra “exploiters” (353). Her ambivalent mental state eventually enables her to find the lost Jawarat, as it can only be found by someone “pure of heart [and] dark of intent” (434, 439). In a way, this stipulation is meant to reward those who are honest with themselves, regardless of their past.

In light of Zafira and Nasir’s moral dilemmas, Benyamin repeatedly states that “everything and everyone has the capacity for both evil and benevolence” (322). He aims to bring back balance to Arawiya and argues that “one wrong does not make evil” (280). Nasir eventually comes to embrace Benyamin’s views on redemption, while Zafira realizes that balance is a constant but necessary struggle.