Two weeks later, the pirate suburb arrives at the Sea of Khazak, a glittering body of water speckled with islands. Their destination is the Black Island, where Airhaven reportedly landed after the damage it took from Grike. The suburb inflates floatation devices to cross the water, and Tom watches apprehensively as it “surge[s] forward across the beach and into the sea” (193).

As the suburb is partway into the water, an airship drops a bomb on it. The mayor recognizes the airship as Anna Fang’s and curses her out as an anti-tractionist. Tom feels betrayed, realizing that Fang took him aboard only to get information, but he doesn’t have time to worry about it because an army of boats is sailing out to meet the suburb. The boats trick the suburb into crashing over rocks, and it starts to sink. Tom, Hester, and a few others take refuge on the mayor’s life raft, which is drawn toward the shore of the Black Island.

Grike reaches the Sea of Khazak and sees the aftermath of the battle. He enters the water and swims toward the Black Island, feeling proud of Hester and “the trail of destruction that she has left behind her” (201).