The ancient magical orange trees only release fruit for a suminaire. Jani is shocked to learn that she has magic and that Bel knew but never told her. Alastair takes her to his office and makes her try different artéfacts until she finds one that her magical senses catch on to. Jani’s artéfact is a cosmolabe, a compass-like device used to make maps. Alastair forces her to sign a new contract as a suminaire, and Jani still retains her memories of home.

Alastair shows her a list of the artéfacts he has been looking for, including the signet ring, the power of which is to “[bestow] and [erase] magic” (237). He wants Jani to help him find it.

Alastair takes Jani to the map room. He tells her that the woman in the portrait made all the maps in the atlas, but she is now dead. He wants Jani to use her magic to make a map to the ring. When Jani refuses, he has Des Rêves bring in Zosa and cuts off some of her fingers. He gives Jani three days to complete her task, and she decides to find the ring so that she can use it to void her and her sister’s contracts.