No Smiles at the Monastery – Chapter 20 Summary and 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
The Chapel of the Holy Expediency arrives at a former monastery now serving as a crime lord's stronghold. After a heavily locked door is opened by an unsmiling doorman, Marangon leads the group through an anteroom and hallway lined with thugs. Sunny, invisible, trails behind, holding her breath and using her practiced stealth. She reflects on her invisibility—not true magic but a learned trick of remaining unnoticed—and on her past in a circus where she was mocked as a dirty elf bitch.
Inside a converted chapel, they meet Frigo, a baker and crime lord, and his sharp-tongued granddaughter. Baptiste tries her usual charm, but it falls flat. Frigo questions each member, correctly identifying Vigga as a werewolf and Rikard as a vampire. Balthazar announces himself as a top necromancer, but the granddaughter dismisses him as a prick. Sunny scouts the room and spots three hidden men with knives, two archers in the gallery, and three more outside the door. She presses against Jakob's back to whisper a warning.
Frigo demands a service in exchange for passage to Troy: retrieve a white box with a star from a house belonging to an illusionist, from which no one has returned. Despite Balthazar's reluctance, Jakob accepts the deal. Frigo offers a fresh loaf as a bonus. As they leave, Sunny pushes a dropped knife out of harm's way near the altar.
Key Events
- The group enters the heavily guarded monastery and meets Frigo and his granddaughter.
- Sunny uses her invisibility to scout hidden armed men and bows.
- Frigo correctly identifies Vigga as a werewolf and Rikard as a vampire.
- Baptiste's usual charm fails; Frigo refuses to smile or offer easy passage.
- Frigo proposes a deal: retrieve a white box with a star from a cursed illusionist's house.
- Jakob accepts the mission despite its obvious danger; Balthazar objects but is overruled.
- Sunny silently prevents an accident by moving a knife that could have fallen.
Character Development
Sunny: This chapter offers the deepest insight into Sunny's mind. She explains her invisibility as a combination of breath control, positioning, and luck; she is seen by cats but not by most humans. Her internal monologue reveals a desire to belong—she imagines the group as a family, assigning roles to each member. She performs small, unnoticed kindnesses (tucking Alex in, straightening Jakob's laces) to feel useful. Her inability to smile or speak without causing offense is a constant frustration. The chapter reinforces her role as the unseen protector.
Jakob: He remains stoic and pragmatic. He accepts the dangerous retrieval without hesitation, and his body language shows he trusts Sunny's warnings. His one-step-forward gesture during negotiation signals authority.
Baptiste: For the first time, her charm fails. Frigo knows her past and treats her coldly. She still maintains a playful facade, but her power over the situation is diminished.
Frigo & his granddaughter: Frigo is a calculating crime lord who hides ruthlessness behind baker's flour. His granddaughter mirrors Vigga's feral attitude, using foul language and a knife to intimidate. Together they establish that no negotiation comes without a steep price.
Balthazar: His pride is wounded when the granddaughter insults him and when his objections to the mission are ignored. He demands specialised equipment, hinting at magical resources.
Themes, Symbols, or Motifs
Invisibility & Observation: Sunny's ability to go unseen symbolises the overlooked members of any group. Her perspective provides critical intelligence (the hidden ambush) and highlights how much goes unnoticed in plain sight. The motif of seeing vs. not seeing recurs throughout the chapter—Frigo sees through Baptiste's charm, but not through Sunny.
Trust & Deception: The entire negotiation rests on a fragile trust. Frigo will provide passage only if the group retrieves the box, but the group has no guarantee he'll keep his word. Baptiste's reputation as a liar precedes her. The presence of hidden weapons underscores that deception is the default state.
Chosen Family: Sunny explicitly frames the group as a dysfunctional family: Jakob as grumpy grandfather, Baptiste as put-upon mother, etc. Her longing for belonging contrasts with the cold, unsmiling atmosphere of the monastery. The metaphor breaks when she considers her own place—no family has an invisible elf.
Cost of Negotiation: Every deal in this world demands a sacrifice. Frigo's loaf-making is a literal and symbolic act: bread must be scored to rise, just as people must be cut to succeed. The cursed house represents an unknowable price.
Why This Chapter Matters
Chapter 20 marks the transition from travel to a defined mission. It introduces a key antagonist (Frigo) and a concrete objective (the white box) that will drive the next segment of the plot. More importantly, it develops Sunny as a central viewpoint, giving readers her internal logic, her history, and her emotional needs. Her invisibility is no longer a simple trick but a survival strategy born of rejection. The chapter also establishes the tone of the story's underworld: grim, pragmatic, and full of hidden threats.
Study Questions and Answers
1. How does Sunny's invisibility work, and what limitations does it have? Sunny's invisibility is not magical but a skill: she holds her breath and positions herself in shadows or behind obstacles. People fail to notice her, but cats see her clearly. She still makes sound (she once fell off a roof into a pot stall) and she must eventually breathe, so she constantly plans where to take her next breath. The invisibility is a survival mechanism honed through years of abuse.
2. What does Sunny's family metaphor reveal about her relationship with the group? She assigns each member a family role (grumpy grandfather, mysterious uncle, etc.) to feel connected. The metaphor breaks when she cannot place herself—no family has an invisible elf. This shows she wants to belong but knows she remains an outsider. Her small acts of kindness (tucking Alex in, straightening laces) are attempts to earn a place, though the others may not notice.
3. What is the significance of Frigo's statement that "loaves are all about the grooves"? Frigo says loaves won't rise properly without grooves, and people are the same: they won't come out well unless they're cut a bit. This becomes a metaphor for the harshness required to survive in this world. The "grooves" are the trials, betrayals, and scars that shape a person. It also foreshadows the dangerous task ahead—the group will have to endure cuts to reach Troy.