Chapter 13 Summary: Death at the Waters
⚠️ 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
Chapter 13 unfolds entirely from the perspective of Nicholina, who currently inhabits the body of the princess (Lou). The chapter opens with Nicholina and the group—including the huntsman (Reid), Morgane, Josephine, Coco, and Beau—preparing to travel toward L'Eau Mélancolique, a body of cursed water that the others believe will help them. Nicholina is bound with ropes that have been treated with bane, a substance meant to weaken or punish her. She notes that while her right hand is numb, her left retains sensation and pain, a detail she keeps hidden from her captors.
Nicholina reflects on the gold magic that the princess once summoned. Although the princess's trapped consciousness pleads with the gold, it cannot respond to her anymore; it now answers only to Nicholina. However, Nicholina senses a "newfound presence" beneath the gold magic—something coiled and protective that she does not fully understand and that frightens her. She suppresses this unease, insisting to herself that she cannot afford to be frightened.
Determined to send a message to her mistress, Nicholina uses the gold magic to carve words into her own back: "THEY KNOW" and "DEATH AT THE WATERS." She anticipates her mistress's disappointment, knowing the order was to kill all except the princesses. Nicholina resolves to drown the others in L'Eau Mélancolique while sparing the princesses, hoping this will prove her worth and loyalty.
As the group moves along a rocky coastal path beneath smoke-darkened skies, the princess's trapped consciousness speaks to Nicholina. She warns that Morgane and Josephine will betray Nicholina, that she failed at the lighthouse, and that she has chosen the losing side. The princess insists that Reid, Coco, and Beau would never allow them near the Chateau and that Nicholina's mistress will sacrifice her for the greater good. Nicholina dismisses these warnings, telling her "mice" (the voices or fragments within her) that the princess knows nothing. She recites a rhyme about the dead not remembering, which the huntsman interrupts by jerking her forward. A three-eyed crow startles from a nearby fir tree—an omen that unsettles the moment.
The princess continues to press against Nicholina's consciousness, offering a final chance to relinquish the body and ally with the group before Morgane and Josephine betray her. Nicholina responds with bitterness, pushing back against the princess's consciousness until it recoils and hardens into a small, hopeless presence. Nicholina declares that she will kill the princess's family and that the princess will forget each one. The chapter ends with Nicholina's cold assertion that the princess is already dead and that her friends will join her soon.
Key Events
- Nicholina, in the princess's body, travels with the group toward L'Eau Mélancolique, bound by bane-treated ropes.
- She uses gold magic to carve a warning into her own back: "THEY KNOW" and "DEATH AT THE WATERS," intended for her mistress.
- Nicholina resolves to drown the others in the cursed waters while sparing the princesses, per her mistress's orders.
- The princess's trapped consciousness warns Nicholina of betrayal by Morgane and Josephine, but Nicholina suppresses her.
- A three-eyed crow startles from a fir tree, serving as a portentous omen.
- Nicholina forcefully compresses the princess's consciousness, declaring her effectively dead.
Character Development
Nicholina emerges as a figure of fanatical devotion and self-delusion. Her internal monologue reveals a being who equates pain with loyalty and who believes that obedience will earn her mistress's love. She is aware of her own fear—of the newfound presence beneath the gold magic—but she actively suppresses it, choosing to project confidence to her "mice." Her decision to carve a warning into her own flesh demonstrates both her desperation and her willingness to endure suffering for her cause. Yet her repeated insistence that she cannot be frightened suggests a fragility beneath her bravado.
The princess's trapped consciousness shows resilience and strategic thinking. Even while imprisoned within her own body, she attempts to reason with Nicholina, pointing out logical flaws in her allegiance and offering an alternative path. Her warnings about Morgane and Josephine are specific and grounded in past events, such as the failure at the lighthouse. Though she is ultimately suppressed, her persistence indicates that she is not passively accepting her fate.
Reid (the huntsman) is observed through Nicholina's eyes as watchful and aggressive. He monitors both Nicholina and the princess, and his frustration with Nicholina's silence is palpable. His promise of violence, muttered under his breath, underscores the tension between them.
Themes, Symbols, or Motifs
Obedience and Betrayal: The chapter is steeped in the tension between loyalty and treachery. Nicholina's devotion to her mistress is absolute, yet the princess's warnings introduce the possibility that this loyalty is misplaced. The motif of the "mouse and trap" recurs, with Nicholina initially viewing the group as mice caught in her trap, only for the princess to invert the metaphor and suggest that Nicholina herself is the mouse.
Memory and Death: The rhyme "The dead should not remember" is a recurring motif. Nicholina uses it to dismiss the princess's consciousness, framing memory as something that should not persist after death. This ties to the broader theme of identity and what remains when a person is stripped of their body and agency.
Fury as Poison: Nicholina describes her fury as a poison that simmers and bubbles, more potent than pain or magic. This imagery positions anger as a corrosive force that drives her actions, even as it clouds her judgment.
Omens and the Supernatural: The three-eyed crow is a striking symbol, appearing at a moment of heightened tension. It suggests that unseen forces are watching and that the group's journey is being observed by something beyond the natural world.
Why This Chapter Matters
Chapter 13 is pivotal because it establishes Nicholina's plan and her psychological state in detail. The reader gains direct access to her motivations, fears, and the internal conflict between her loyalty and the princess's warnings. The chapter also raises the stakes by introducing the specific threat of L'Eau Mélancolique as a place of drowning and death. The three-eyed crow and the "newfound presence" beneath the gold magic hint at larger supernatural forces at play, setting up conflicts that will likely unfold in subsequent chapters. Finally, the suppression of the princess's consciousness raises the question of whether she can be saved, and at what cost.
Study Questions and Answers
1. Why does Nicholina carve a warning into her own back, and what does this reveal about her character?
Nicholina carves "THEY KNOW" and "DEATH AT THE WATERS" into her back to send a message to her mistress, warning that the group has discovered the truth and that death awaits them at L'Eau Mélancolique. This act reveals her extreme devotion and her willingness to endure physical pain for her cause. It also shows her desperation to prove her worth to her mistress, as she anticipates disappointment over her earlier failure at the lighthouse.
2. What arguments does the princess's trapped consciousness use to try to turn Nicholina against her mistress?
The princess argues that Morgane and Josephine will betray Nicholina, pointing to her failure at the lighthouse as evidence that she has broken their trust. She insists that Nicholina has chosen the losing side and that Reid, Coco, and Beau will never allow them near the Chateau. She also warns that Nicholina's mistress will sacrifice her for the greater good, just as her own mother would sacrifice her.
3. How does the three-eyed crow function as an omen in this chapter?
The three-eyed crow startles from a fir tree at a moment of high tension, immediately after the huntsman jerks Nicholina forward. Its unnatural appearance—three eyes instead of two—signals that something is watching the group and that the journey ahead is fraught with supernatural danger. It serves as a visual cue that the events at L'Eau Mélancolique will not unfold as the characters expect.