Chapter 28

Amina is dropped through a vanishing floor by the peri court but is saved mid-fall by Khayzur, a dissenting peri who brings her to safety and offers tea. Shaken, Amina recounts Falco’s pursuit of the Moon of Saba and her need to return to Socotra before the eclipse.

Khayzur explains Transgressions—human-forged talismans that bridge realms—and reveals that by eating and dwelling on the island, Amina herself has been altered into a minor Transgression. He cannot openly defy the court, but he offers to argue for her release if she can help eliminate the Moon.

They return to the court, where Khayzur denounces the attempted “removal.” The dove peri insists Amina is now a Transgression and cannot be trusted. Raksh, sensing advantage, proposes the peris use Amina to hunt multiple Transgressions. Amina rejects lifetime servitude and counters with terms: she will work independently and retire after completing a finite number.

Following tense haggling, the court accepts a bargain: Amina will discreetly live among mortals and recover five Transgressions they choose, beginning with the Moon of Saba, surrendering each immediately for disposal. Khayzur is named her liaison, but the court formally charges him with interference, warning his defiance could prove fatal.

Khayzur hurriedly escorts Amina and Raksh away. Weighing scarce allies and Falco’s likely belief that she is dead, Amina rejects a direct return to the cave. Reclaiming her identity as a pirate, she decides on a surprise, high-risk strike to outwit Falco on Socotra.