Chapter summaries The Devils Joe Abercrombie

Chapter 22: The Magic of Deportment – 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

Balthazar meticulously prepares a ritual circle using silver screws, calibrated circles, and genuine Eritrean myrrh candles, inscribing heavenly verses in ancient languages. He is secretly planning to break the Pope’s binding rather than simply assist the group’s burglary. Meanwhile, Brother Diaz encourages Princess Alexia’s writing practice, but Baron Rikard interrupts to teach her deportment: he instructs her in posture, walk, and expression, transforming her demeanor from gutter to royal. Alexia practices and briefly embodies a convincing princess. Jakob of Thorn, Marangon, Vigga Ullasdottr, and Baptiste return carrying two shrouded corpses—the Visentin twins. Balthazar eagerly examines the bodies, praises their condition, and requests decapitation to make them easier to carry into the cursed house. Vigga remarks that the mood has killed her earlier sexual interest.

Key Events

  • Balthazar calibrates conjurer’s circles with compass and callipers, using silver screws cast at midnight.
  • He lights genuine Eritrean myrrh candles at the seven stations and inscribes Punic and ancient Greek verses.
  • Balthazar secretly aims to break the Pope’s binding, not merely to aid the burglary.
  • Alexia struggles with writing; Brother Diaz retrieves her crumpled paper and praises her.
  • Baron Rikard criticizes Alexia’s lack of pride and begins a deportment lesson, adjusting her posture, walk, and smile.
  • Alexia successfully mimics a gracious princess, surprising Balthazar and Brother Diaz.
  • Jakob, Marangon, Vigga, and Baptiste return with two corpse-shaped bundles.
  • Alexia briefly attempts her new regal manner on the returning party, but they are baffled.
  • Balthazar unwraps the bodies, identifies them as the Visentin twins, and praises their condition.
  • He asks Jakob to decapitate the corpses for easier transport into the cursed house.
  • Vigga comments that the sight has killed her libido.

Character Development

  • Balthazar: His dedication to arcane precision is evident; he relishes the ritual work and secretly plots to free himself from the Pope’s binding. His necromantic expertise is on display as he evaluates the corpses.
  • Alexia Pyrogennetos: Under Baron Rikard’s tutelage, she shows a capacity for transformation, adopting a regal posture and voice. Yet she quickly slips back when the reaction is not what she hoped, revealing her insecurity.
  • Baron Rikard: He acts as a mentor in courtly grace, demonstrating patience and theatrical flair. His lesson emphasizes that royalty is a performance learned through constant practice.
  • Brother Diaz: Remains supportive but naive; he sees only Alexia’s progress in writing, blind to the larger arcane and political schemes.
  • Jakob of Thorn, Marangon, Vigga Ullasdottr, Baptiste: They function as the group’s muscle and scavengers, returning with the required corpses. Vigga’s crude humor contrasts with the formal deportment lesson.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

  • Magic vs. Sorcery: Balthazar distinguishes true magic (with proper apparatus) from mere sorcery, emphasizing ritual precision and forbidden knowledge.
  • Identity as Performance: Baron Rikard’s deportment lesson presents royalty as a constructed act—posture, smile, voice—that can be learned and performed regardless of birth.
  • Decay and Mortality: The arrival of the Visentin twins’ corpses, with their greenish skin and marbling, brings the physical reality of death and necromancy to the forefront.
  • Transformation and Pretence: Both Balthazar’s secret plan and Alexia’s new demeanor involve hiding true intentions behind a convincing facade.

Why This Chapter Matters

Chapter 22 advances the plot by completing two preparations: the ritual circle for entering the illusionist’s house, and Alexia’s initial training in behaving like a princess. The arrival of the Visentin twins provides Balthazar with necromantic material for the upcoming heist. The chapter also deepens the theme of deception—Balthazar’s hidden agenda and Alexia’s manufactured royalty both point to the layers of falsehood within the group’s mission.

Study Questions and Answers

  1. What does Balthazar’s reaction to the Visentin twins’ corpses reveal about his true intentions?
    Balthazar’s eagerness to examine the bodies and his specific request for decapitation indicate that he plans to use them for necromancy, not just to transport them. His satisfaction with their condition suggests he is preparing for a ritual that may serve his own escape rather than the group’s stated goal.

  2. How does Baron Rikard’s deportment lesson change Alexia’s self-presentation?
    Rikard teaches Alexia to stand tall, walk on the balls of her feet, smile with her eyes, and speak in a higher, clearer voice. By the end of the lesson, she briefly achieves a convincing regal demeanor, but the effect falters when the returning party does not recognize her performance.

  3. Why does Vigga’s comment about the corpses “killing the mood” matter thematically?
    Her crude remark juxtaposes violence and decay against the earlier elegance of the deportment lesson. It underscores how the group’s mundane bodily functions and mortality constantly undercut any attempt at refined identity or high purpose.

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