Chapter 25 Summary, Themes, and Discussion Questions
⚠️ Spoiler Warning: This guide contains detailed spoilers for the entire novel. Proceed only if you've finished reading or are comfortable knowing the plot.
Summary
The chapter opens with the Marawati departing Mogadishu, now carrying Majed, who has rejoined the crew. Rather than following the conventional coastal route, Amina charts a course north along the Somali coast for ten days, then turns east-northeast into open ocean. This path deliberately avoids the busier straits between Ras Asir and Socotra's western isles, but it means sailing against the prevailing season—a risky decision that most experienced navigators would avoid. Amina is glad to have Majed aboard, both for his deep-sea experience and for the comfort his presence brings to the mostly Muslim crew.
Against all expectations, the crossing is unnaturally smooth. The winds hold steady, the skies stay clear, and the crew enjoys perfect sailing conditions for the remainder of the voyage. Schools of fish practically leap into their firebox, and heavy dew allows them to refill their water supplies each morning. Amina, however, is deeply unsettled by this run of good fortune. Tinbu chides her for glaring at the horizon, but she privately recalls that the last time she experienced luck like this, it cost her a comrade.
On the dawn of the sixteenth day, the lookout spots land. Socotra rises from the sea—a lush, craggy island with a misty plateau, famous for its myths and its reputation as a haunt of pirates. Amina approaches cautiously, keeping archers and lookouts ready, and anchors a safe distance offshore. She, Tinbu, and Dalila take the small boat (the dunij) to shore, leaving Majed in charge of the ship. Majed protests, insisting he should accompany them, but Amina argues that a small party of two women and one man is less likely to draw attention than a band of armed sailors. She promises to return within a week; Majed vows to come looking for her if she does not.
On the beach, the trio discovers a shipwreck—a large, deep-water vessel, at least three times the size of the Marawati, snapped in half and beached among the waves. Amina finds the cause: two enormous serrated teeth embedded in the hull, curved like fangs and the color of rust. The ship appears to have been bitten in half. Tinbu and Dalila examine the teeth, and the three speculate that this may have been Falco's ship—the kind of grand vessel a wealthy man would have purchased. Tinbu notes that such a ship would have sunk quickly, leaving little chance for survivors. Amina, though shaken, insists they cannot be certain it was Falco's ship and pushes them onward.
The group climbs the steep dunes to the island's plateau, then hikes through rugged terrain marked by thorny vines, fig and frankincense trees, and stunning views. They encounter their first dragon's blood tree—a strange, mushroom-shaped specimen with a dense canopy of bark veins. Dalila immediately stabs one with her knife to collect its red sap, while Tinbu nervously addresses the tree's canopy, worried about offending a tree spirit. Amina has to physically separate them and continue the march.
As the sun sets, the trio notices an eerie silence: no insects, no birds, no rustling creatures. Nature itself seems to be holding its breath. They find a small creek and make camp, huddling together for warmth without daring to light a fire. After a simple meal, Amina takes the first watch.
Gazing at the stars, Amina recalls her father's stories about the lunar manazil—the spirits said to embody each lunar station. She remembers al-Dabaran, the fearsome figure who wore scaled armor and rode a horse that breathed typhoon winds, and the tale of how al-Dabaran took the form of a pearl to join Bilqis (the Queen of Sheba). She reflects on her childhood dreams of being a hidden princess or a warrior from a tribe of women who flew on winged horses—dreams that faded as she learned that magic, if it exists, can be as brutal as any fairy-tale monster.
She wonders what sort of magic the Moon of Saba might be, and why Falco would risk such a dangerous journey for it. She regrets not taking more of the documents from Dunya's desk, remembering only the almanac left open to pages about an approaching eclipse—now only a few weeks away. She tries to dismiss her worries, but she knows the task ahead will not be easy, neither for rescuing Dunya nor for forgetting the tales buried deep inside her.
Key Events
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Majed rejoins the crew, and the Marawati departs Mogadishu on a risky, out-of-season route.
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The crossing is unnaturally smooth, and Amina grows suspicious of the good fortune.
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On the sixteenth day, the crew sights Socotra and anchors offshore.
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Amina, Tinbu, and Dalila go ashore, leaving Majed in charge of the ship.
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The trio discovers a large shipwreck with two enormous serrated teeth embedded in its hull, possibly Falco's ship.
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They climb to the island's plateau and hike through rugged terrain, passing dragon's blood trees.
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They camp by a creek, where Amina reflects on her father's stories, the Moon of Saba, and the approaching eclipse.
Character Development
Amina is the emotional center of this chapter. Her distrust of the perfect sailing conditions reveals a deep-seated wariness born from past loss—she privately recalls that the last time she had such luck, it cost her a comrade. This moment connects her present caution to a history of trauma that the narrative has not yet fully explored. Her leadership is also on display: she makes the strategic call to send a small, inconspicuous party ashore, and she keeps the group moving even after the unsettling discovery of the shipwreck.
The night-watch scene deepens her interiority. Her father's stories about the lunar manazil and her childhood fantasies of magic and hidden royalty contrast sharply with the hardened, pragmatic captain she has become. Her regret over not taking more documents from Dunya's desk shows that her earlier haste—driven by despair and rage over Salima's threat—has consequences she now must live with.
Majed, though left aboard the ship, is characterized through his insistence on accompanying the shore party and his vow to come looking for Amina if she does not return. His loyalty and stubbornness are clear, as is his role as a steadying presence for the crew.
Tinbu provides both comic relief and genuine concern. His superstition—yelling at the dragon's blood tree, worrying about tree spirits—contrasts with his practical assessment of the shipwreck, where he is the first to voice the grim likelihood that the vessel sank quickly with few survivors.
Dalila remains practical and curious, examining the tooth and collecting the dragon's blood sap for its rumored properties. Her actions show a mind focused on useful knowledge, even in the face of the strange and the threatening.
Themes, Symbols, or Motifs
Distrust of Fortune: Amina's reaction to the perfect sailing conditions is the chapter's central tension. She cannot accept good luck at face value, and her private recollection of a past cost tied to similar luck suggests that fortune, in this world, is not benevolent but transactional—or worse, a trap.
Childhood Dreams vs. Harsh Reality: Amina's night-watch reflection contrasts her youthful belief in magic and hidden destiny with the adult knowledge that magic, when it exists, can be as cruel as any monster. This theme underscores her reluctance to fully engage with the Moon of Saba's mystery.
The Eerie Silence of Nature: The absence of animal sounds on Socotra creates an atmosphere of foreboding. The description of nature