Chapter 60: Baz Faces His Past and His Aunt
⚠️ 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
Baz races to his aunt Fiona’s flat, casting traffic spells along the way. He bursts in to find Fiona with Nicodemus, a vampire she appears to be involved with. Ignoring them, Baz searches Fiona’s room for a tape recorder she gave him years ago—a device meant to steal Simon’s voice. Fiona initially doesn’t remember, then admits the recorder stole Philippa Stainton’s voice instead. The argument escalates: Baz accuses Fiona of using him as a child spy against the Mage. Fiona defends herself, insisting they were at war. Baz retorts that he was only trying to win her approval. He leaves, passing Nico, and decides he no longer cares about being a “good Pitch.” The tape recorder is lost, and Baz is left grappling with guilt and a fractured relationship.
Key Events
- Baz arrives at Fiona’s flat in a panic, using his wand to open the door.
- He searches her room for an old magical tape recorder.
- Fiona reveals the recorder is no longer at the flat—it’s still at Watford.
- Baz and Fiona argue about the recorder’s purpose and the morality of using a child for espionage.
- The argument touches on Baz’s childhood desire for Fiona’s approval and the weight of the Pitch family legacy.
- Baz kicks and breaks Fiona’s bong in frustration.
- He sees Nicodemus on the sofa and internally notes that Fiona is “hooking up with a vampire fuckup” but refuses to open that line of thought.
- Baz leaves, resolving that he’s not a child anymore and that Fiona doesn’t define what being a good Pitch means.
Character Development
- Baz (Basil Pitch): This chapter marks a turning point. He directly confronts his own past misdeeds—stealing Philippa’s voice—and the manipulation he suffered as a child. For the first time, he refuses to let Fiona dictate his identity. His growth from obedient family soldier to independent moral agent is underlined by his final line: “I don’t think I care.”
- Fiona Pitch: Remains unrepentant, clinging to the “war” justification. Her cold laugh (“Hnnh.”) shows her inability to empathize with Baz’s youthful vulnerability. She dismisses the harm done and refuses to apologize, cementing her role as a figure of toxic family loyalty.
- Nicodemus: Briefly observed, he serves as a mirror for Baz’s complicated feelings about vampires and family. Baz consciously avoids contemplating his aunt’s relationship with a vampire, signaling that he has already grown past needing to police her choices.
Themes, Symbols, or Motifs
- Guilt and Responsibility: Baz’s intense distress over stealing a voice that cost an innocent girl her magic embodies the book’s exploration of unintended consequences. The tape recorder symbolizes stolen agency and the lasting damage of reckless magical acts.
- Child Soldiers / War’s Impact on the Young: The core argument—Baz was 15, Simon was 15, the Mage was already weaponizing children—echoes a central theme of the trilogy: children caught in adults’ wars. Fiona’s insistence that “it was children who brought down the Mage” does not absolve the adults who used them.
- Rejecting Family Legacy: Baz’s decision to stop caring about being a “good Pitch” is a symbolic break from the destructive expectations of his vampire-hunting, Mage-hating family. The lamp-bong and the unopened mail reinforce the chaotic, dysfunctional environment he’s trying to escape.
Why This Chapter Matters
Chapter 60 provides the clearest look yet at Baz’s moral self-awareness. It reveals the origin of the voice‑stealing spell that harmed Philippa Stainton—a thread that has lingered since earlier books. More importantly, it shows Baz actively rejecting the indoctrination he received as a child. The confrontation with Fiona forces both characters to face uncomfortable truths: Baz’s complicity as a youth and Fiona’s refusal to take responsibility. This conversation reshapes Baz’s trajectory, moving him away from inherited guilt and toward his own moral compass.
Study Questions and Answers
1. Why does Baz desperately want the tape recorder, and what does its loss mean for him?
Baz wants the recorder because it still holds Philippa Stainton’s voice—a physical piece of the harm he caused. Finding and presumably destroying or returning it would allow him to begin making amends. Its loss (still at Watford) leaves him without that closure, intensifying his guilt and anger.
2. How does Fiona defend her decision to give the recorder to Baz, and does Baz accept her reasoning?
Fiona argues that “we were at war,” and that Baz knew the Mage was using Simon against them. She sees the mission as justified by the larger conflict. Baz rejects this entirely, pointing out that he was only ten years old and acting out of a desire for her attention, not genuine conviction. He insists her defense is hollow.
3. What does Baz mean when he says, “I don’t think I care” at the end of the chapter?
This line signals Baz’s emotional break from the Pitch family’s vendetta. He stops caring about whether Fiona approves of him, whether he fulfills the role of “good Pitch,” or whether his aunt’s relationship with Nico is a problem. He begins to define his values on his own terms, independent of family expectations.
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