Alif, NewQuarter, and Sheikh Bilal need a plan to stay ahead of State. There is a mirage of a lake in the distance. Alif wanders toward it and is surprised when a man comes out of the lake to converse with them. The man is a jinn. The Empty Quarter truly is jinn territory. Alif talks the jinn into helping them find Vikram. The jinn is reluctant but takes them to Irem (the City of Pillars), a place perpetually on the verge of dusk, “giving the impression of a day that had never begun or a night that had never ended” (307).

In the city, the jinn takes them to a bar/inn and then goes to see about finding Sakina. The three have a good meal and sleep. Alif wakes to Sakina in their room. She confirms Vikram’s death and that the girls may be somewhere in the Empty Quarter. They visit another jinn in hopes of getting answers. They get nowhere until Alif sees a door and is “possessed by a wild idea” (336). When the opportunity presents itself, he charges the door, managing to get inside right before the jinn stops him.