Amina al-Sirafi, #1
The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi
by Shannon Chakraborty
Contents
Chapter 24
Overview
Amina confronts Raksh on the island, unexpectedly injuring him and venting her betrayal. She learns the dunij is destroyed and the island belongs to dangerous unseen beings, including daevas. Raksh panics upon hearing Falco seeks the Moon of Saba before an imminent eclipse. He vows to explain the Moon’s true, dire significance.
Summary
Amina finds Raksh on the island, eating and carefree, and charges him in fury for betraying her to Falco. To their mutual shock, her blows draw his blood, and she momentarily overpowers him before he feeds on her rage and throws her off. She hurls accusations—abandoning the crew, stealing the dunij—and vows to kill him.
Pressed, Raksh claims Falco would have killed them all regardless, then admits the dunij shattered in the surf and its pieces washed away. Amina, crushed at losing a chance to save her people, demands to know where they are and what this place is. Raksh explains the island belongs to inhabitants of the unseen realms, including temperamental daevas, and warns that the island’s court will kill her if they notice her.
Amina insists on returning to Socotra to save her crew and Dunya, rejecting Raksh’s callous suggestions. When she mentions the Moon of Saba, Raksh’s bravado collapses; he is terrified that Falco may gain it, especially with an eclipse only a week away. Amina realizes she has been lost at sea for a fortnight and fears what Falco may have already done.
Raksh confesses he thought Falco only hunted treasure and blames Amina for not revealing the Moon sooner, arguing Dunya should have died with her knowledge. Amina refuses that cruelty and demands the truth. Cornered, Raksh declares the romantic tale about al-Dabaran is a lie and begins to reveal the real nature of the Moon of Saba.
Who Appears
- Amina al-SirafiProtagonist; confronts and physically injures Raksh, learns the dunij is destroyed, and pushes to return for her crew and Dunya.
- RakshAmina’s supernatural husband; panics about the Moon of Saba before an eclipse, admits the dunij shattered, and begins to reveal the Moon’s truth.