Amina al-Sirafi, #1
The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi
by Shannon Chakraborty
Contents
The Third Tale of the Moon of Saba
Overview
The narrator dispels the romantic myth of the Moon of Saba, revealing al-Dabaran as a voyeur trapped by Queen Bilqis and repurposed as her tool. Successors’ misuse brings carnage until a trained family hides the Moon in a perilous island cave. The tale foreshadows Falco’s pursuit intersecting with Amina’s legend.
Summary
The narrator dismantles the cherished legend of a grand romance between al-Dabaran and Bilqis, admitting al-Dabaran was a lecher who tried to seduce—then spy on—the queen by enchanting her washbasin.
Bilqis, vigilant and powerful, traps al-Dabaran in the basin. She harnesses his aspects to quell rivals and nourish her lands, making the Moon a potent instrument under her control rather than a lover’s gift.
After Bilqis, less prudent heirs and opportunists seek the Moon. Some go mad at its sight, while others retain sanity long enough to unleash devastating violence, spreading discord that fulfills al-Dabaran’s darker nature.
To end the chaos, a trained family hunts down the Moon, then binds and conceals it where realms blur: deep within a cave on a remote island, beneath stone hands and behind a veil of water, making access deadly without their rites.
The narrator hints at the present: whispers to a desperate scholar entice a violent foreigner, and their path collides with a famed female nakhudha—signaling how Falco’s quest and Amina’s fate converge upon the Moon’s hidden resting place.
Who Appears
- Amina al-SirafiNarrator correcting the Moon of Saba’s myth, framing history that foreshadows her involvement.
- Al-DabaranLunar aspect who tries to spy on Bilqis; trapped in the washbasin and later bound in a cave.
- BilqisQueen who captures al-Dabaran and wields his power to secure her rule and prosper her lands.
- Guardian familyLine trained to find, bind, and hide the Moon in a perilous island cave.
- Violent foreign manLater seeker lured by promises of the Moon’s power; path intersects with Amina.
- Desperate scholarSource of whispers that set the foreigner on the Moon’s trail.