Chapter 26: Burning the Roses – Summary & Analysis

⚠️ 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

Green roselight fills the garden where Sam lies on the ground, her foot held by an underground child that has bitten her. She grips the rose stems, feeling thorns drive into her palms, and a surge of power courses through her—the combined energy of the roses and her grandmother’s lingering magic. The underground child is thrown backward and lies still, but more white heads appear in the soil. Sam realises the roses’ protective circle is too small; her mother, Phil, and Gail remain trapped on the roof, with underground children climbing up the eaves.

Desperate, Sam buries her left arm deep in the roses and fully opens herself to the power. She experiences Gran Mae’s presence—a torrent of rage, pain, and loneliness. Sam understands that Gran Mae was an unloved girl who learned magic from her father to win his affection, and later tried to create a “normal” family, only to channel her bitterness into cruelty. Now Gran Mae’s essence lives in the roses. Sam gives one command: Burn. Green whips lash out, charring the underground children and reducing the rose bushes to ash. Sam loses consciousness and awakens to find the creatures dead, the roses burned away, and her hands covered in blisters and thorns.

The group is still trapped in the dark underground space. Gail, leaning on Phil, summons her vulture Hermes, who appears wreathed in golden fire. The bird ascends and bursts into light, opening a way out. Mr. Pressley’s voice is heard from above, asking what happened to the house.

Key Events

Sam uses the roses’ power to push back the underground child holding her foot, but more are emerging.
She sees her mother, Phil, and Gail on the roof, unable to reach her.
Sam plunges her arm into the roses and fully connects with Gran Mae’s magic, experiencing her grandmother’s memories and emotions.
She commands the roses to burn, which destroys the underground children but also incinerates the rose bushes.
Sam is found by Mom and Phil; Gail remains weak but insists she can help.
Gail calls Hermes, who appears as a blazing golden vulture and opens a passage out of the underground space.
Mr. Pressley’s voice signals they have returned to the normal world.

Character Development

Sam undergoes a pivotal transformation. For the first time she actively embraces the rose magic, directly confronting Gran Mae’s legacy. She gains painful empathy for the girl Gran Mae once was—lonely and unloved—yet rejects the cruelty that festered into adult manipulation. Sam’s sacrifice burns out the roses and the grandmother’s influence, leaving her hollow but free.

Gail reveals a hidden depth. Despite her injuries, she demonstrates real power by summoning Hermes in a luminous form, acting as a guide and opening the way home. Her calm authority contrasts with Sam’s violent magic.

Gran Mae’s backstory is fleshed out: she was a bright but neglected girl who tried to use magic to win her father’s love, failed, and then sought solace in an impossible ideal of normalcy. Her loneliness turned to poison, which she poured into the roses.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

Power of Blood and Sacrifice: Sam’s blood from the bites and thorns acts as a conduit, “closing the circuit” for the rose magic. The burning of her hands symbolises the cost of wielding such power.
Legacy of Harm: Gran Mae’s unresolved pain becomes a destructive force passed down through the roses. Sam must recognise and end that cycle.
Light and Fire as Purification: The green roselight (obsessive, unnatural) is supplanted by the golden fire of Hermes (natural, guiding). Burning the roses purges the house of Gran Mae’s influence.
Animal Guides: Hermes, a vulture typically associated with death, becomes a messenger of salvation, reversing its usual symbolism.

Why This Chapter Matters

This is the climax of Sam’s confrontation with the supernatural horror in her grandmother’s house. She successfuly wields the rose magic to destroy the immediate threat, but at the cost of the roses themselves—and her own physical well‑being. More importantly, she gains insight into Gran Mae’s humanity, complicating the villain archetype. Gail’s intervention with Hermes hints at a larger, benevolent magical system beyond the roses. The chapter ends with a return to the mundane world and Mr. Pressley’s comic relief, suggesting the worst may be over.

Study Questions and Answers

Why does Sam decide to fully immerse her arm in the roses, despite the danger?
Answer: She realises the roses’ protective circle is too small to save her mother, Phil, and Gail, who are trapped on the roof with underground children closing in. She has no time for subtlety and chooses to sacrifice herself to gain enough power to destroy the attackers.
What does Sam learn about Gran Mae’s past, and how does it affect her perception of her grandmother?
Answer: Through the magical connection, Sam experiences Gran Mae’s childhood: unloved by her father, desperate for affection, and ultimately failing to attain the “normal” family she craved. Sam does not forgive the cruelty Gran Mae inflicted, but she pities the girl she once was, adding complexity to her view of the villain.
What role does Gail play in the escape from the underground space?
Answer: After the roses are burned and the group is still trapped, Gail summons Hermes, her vulture, who appears wreathed in golden fire. Hermes flies upward and blasts open a passage back to the surface, revealing Gail’s own form of magic or spiritual affinity.