Chapter 40 Summary: The Hangover

⚠️ 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 40 opens with Reid in the alley behind the inn, tending to the horses while suffering the worst hangover of his life. He feels as though he has been trampled, and the morning light and smells make him nauseous. He makes a bitter vow to never drink liquor again. After struggling to secure the horses, he returns to the inn room, where the rest of the group is packing slowly and painfully.

Célie, who apparently slept through the previous night's festivities, is full of energy and curiosity. She peppers the group with questions about the whiskey they drank and the game of truth or dare they played, demanding every detail. Beau is miserable, wringing out a shirt that ended up in the washbowl overnight. Célie notices a dark smear of blood on the dressing table; Reid mumbles that he fell doing a cartwheel. Jean Luc, bloodshot and pleading, begs Célie to be quiet.

Coco and Célie then team up to torment the hungover group by speaking loudly, pretending not to understand why everyone is wincing. Lou, however, sits on the floor packing her clothes, seemingly detached from the chaos. When Beau asks her to make the others stop talking, she pulls small pieces of fabric from her ears — earplugs she made from a piece of the innkeeper's quilt. Beau is impressed, calling her an evil genius, but Lou does not laugh.

Lou shifts the conversation to strategy. She suggests sending word to Claud and Blaise about Morgane's movements and about Isla, so they can coordinate some sort of defense. Reid scoffs at the idea that mermaids and werewolves could coordinate anything. Lou fires back that every plan they have coordinated so far has ended in disaster. Coco agrees that they need the allies and says she will send word from the beach after Isla agrees to help them.

The group looks at the ring on Lou's finger — the ring tied to Isla and the waters that prevent falsehood. Lou asks whether they can trust Isla, and Coco reminds her that they held up their end of the agreement. Lou then asks what the conclave is and what it is deliberating. Jean Luc explains that religious leaders from across the kingdom have gathered in Cesarine to elect a new Archbishop, and that they are also eliciting information from Madame Labelle. The word hangs heavy in the air. Lou repeats it, and Jean Luc adds that Hellfire continues to ravage the city. When Coco asks what eliciting means, Jean Luc says she knows.

All eyes turn to Reid. He insists he does not care about Madame Labelle — his mother — even as Lou pushes back, reminding him that she is his mother. Reid snarls that he does not care and turns to leave, but Célie points out that his satchel is moving. Reid throws the bag across the room. Out spill seeds, clothing, weapons, a pastry, and a rat. Célie and Beau leap onto the bed in alarm as the rat bolts through a crack in the wall. Lou snatches up the pastry — a sticky bun — and demands to know if Reid has had it the whole time. He does not remember buying it. They argue over who it belongs to, tearing the bun between them. Célie points out that a rat was just eating it, but Lou is undeterred. As she moves to take a bite, Coco slaps the bun out of her hand, declares they will not be doing that, and tells them to get along like children. Lou and Reid glare at each other.

Key Events

Reid wakes with a severe hangover and vows to never drink again.
Célie and Coco tease the hungover group, speaking loudly on purpose.
Lou reveals she made earplugs from a piece of the innkeeper's quilt.
Lou proposes warning Claud and Blaise about Morgane and Isla; Coco agrees to send word from the beach after Isla helps.
Jean Luc reveals that religious leaders have gathered in Cesarine to elect a new Archbishop and are eliciting information from Madame Labelle.
Hellfire continues to ravage Cesarine.
Reid's satchel moves; he throws it, and a rat and a sticky bun spill out.
Lou and Reid argue over the sticky bun until Coco slaps it away.

Character Development

Reid is at his lowest point in this chapter. His hangover is physical, but his shame is emotional — he remembers daring Lou to kiss him the night before, and the memory haunts him. His reaction to the news about Madame Labelle is telling: he insists he does not care, but his anger and defensiveness suggest otherwise. The fact that he cannot even remember buying the sticky bun shows how far his self-control slipped.

Lou is quiet and withdrawn, packing her clothes without engaging. Her earplugs show her resourcefulness and her tendency to emotionally check out when overwhelmed. But she is also the one pushing the group forward strategically, thinking about Claud, Blaise, and Isla. Her sharp retort about their plans being disasters reveals her frustration and her pragmatic view of their situation.

Coco balances teasing with authority. She torments the hungover group but also cuts through the childish squabbling over the sticky bun, firmly ending the argument. Her willingness to contact Claud and Blaise shows her commitment to the alliance.

Jean Luc is visibly uncomfortable when discussing Madame Labelle. He hesitates, clears his throat, and avoids eye contact, suggesting he knows more than he wants to share about what is happening to Reid's mother.

Célie provides comic relief, but her curiosity about the truth or dare game also highlights how much happened off-page the night before — and how the group's dynamics have shifted.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

Shame and consequences. Reid's hangover is a physical manifestation of his regret. His vow to abstain from liquor is less about the alcohol itself and more about the loss of control it caused. The memory of kissing Lou — and daring her to do it — fuels his shame.

Mothers and loyalty. The chapter is bookended by maternal figures: Madame Labelle being questioned in Cesarine, Isla as Coco's mother, and Morgane as Lou's mother. Each relationship is fraught. Reid claims not to care about his mother, but his reaction suggests otherwise. Coco's trust in Isla is conditional, tied to the waters that prevent falsehood.

Trust and alliance. The group's discussion of Claud, Blaise, and Isla centers on whether they can rely on their allies. Lou's ring — tied to Isla and the truth-telling waters — becomes a symbol of the fragile trust holding their coalition together.

Levity amid gravity. The sticky bun argument is absurd — two people fighting over a stale pastry a rat was eating — but it shows how the group copes with the weight of their situation. Coco's intervention, telling them to act like children, is both a rebuke and a reminder that they are, in fact, still young people under enormous pressure.

Why This Chapter Matters

This chapter serves as a bridge between the aftermath of the truth or dare night and the next phase of the group's mission. It establishes the conclave as a major plot point — religious leaders electing a new Archbishop while Hellfire ravages Cesarine — and raises the stakes for Madame Labelle, whose fate is now tied to the political machinations of the Church.

The chapter also reinforces the group's internal dynamics. Reid and Lou's tension is palpable, and their argument over the sticky bun is a microcosm of their larger conflict: two strong-willed people who cannot quite align. Coco's role as the voice of reason, Jean Luc's reluctance to share information, and Lou's strategic focus all set up the decisions the group will need to make next.

Finally, the chapter reminds readers that even in the midst of war, the characters are still human — hungover, squabbling, and trying to find moments of normalcy.

Study Questions and Answers

1. Why does Reid react so strongly to the news about Madame Labelle being questioned?

Reid insists he does not care about his mother's fate, but his physical reaction — the heat in his neck and face, his snarl, his attempt to leave — betrays his true feelings. His anger is likely a defense mechanism. Madame Labelle is a complicated figure in his life, and the news that religious leaders are eliciting information from her forces him to confront feelings he would rather suppress. His claim that he does not care is contradicted by his behavior.

2. What does the argument over the sticky bun reveal about Lou and Reid's relationship?

The argument is childish and petty — neither will let the other have the bun, even after Célie points out a rat was eating it. This reveals that Lou and Reid are still locked in a dynamic of rivalry and stubbornness. Neither is willing to back down, even over something trivial. At the same time, the fact that they are arguing over something so small suggests a level of comfort and familiarity with each other — they are comfortable enough to bicker.

3. How does the chapter balance humor with serious plot developments?

The chapter opens with Reid's miserable hangover and the group's teasing, which provides comic relief. But the humor is undercut by the serious revelations about the conclave, Madame Labelle, and Hellfire ravaging Cesarine. The sticky bun argument is funny, but it happens in the same scene where the group discusses whether they can trust Isla and whether their allies can coordinate a defense. The juxtaposition shows how the characters cope with constant danger — they find moments of levity because the stakes are so high.