The Devils Chapter 38: Reverses – Summary & 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 and Baptiste travel through a war‑ravaged region. Balthazar complains bitterly about the discomforts of their journey—lice, poor food, lost paths—while Baptiste offers a philosophical counterpoint: be like water, adapt to circumstances. Their bickering reveals a growing, grudging intimacy. While Balthazar is distracted, they are captured by soldiers of Countess Jovanka. Balthazar’s efforts to explain their mission to the standing stones fail; he denies being a magician or spy. Baptiste mockingly insults the countess, only for the two women to recognize each other as former ladies‑in‑waiting to the Queen of Sicily. Released, Baptiste learns that Jovanka is at war with Count Radosav. The countess shows them the valley where the standing stones stand—directly between the two armies, about to become a battlefield. Balthazar realises his task is all but impossible.
Key Events
- Balthazar’s travel grievances and Baptiste’s advice about flexibility.
- Capture by Countess Jovanka’s soldiers.
- Interrogation: Balthazar denies being a druid, spy, or magician.
- Baptiste insults the countess, sparking a reunion.
- Reveal: Baptiste and Jovanka were ladies‑in‑waiting to the Queen of Sicily.
- Introduction of Father Ignatios, the countess’s priest.
- Tour of the war camp; Jovanka explains her feud with Count Radosav.
- The standing stones are sighted between the two armies, readying for battle.
Character Development
- Balthazar: Begins to question his rigid worldview after Baptiste’s “be like water” counsel. He shows rare empathy (imagining her torture) but still clings to resentment. His frustration with the binding softens into a tentative connection.
- Baptiste: Reveals a past as a spy and as a courtier in Sicily, adding depth to her worldly competence. Her blunt rebuke of the countess is calculated to provoke recognition, not genuine hostility.
- Countess Jovanka: Introduced as a sharp, practical leader—witty, affectionate with her troops, and ruthless toward her enemy. Her easy reunion with Baptiste hints at a shared history of survival and intrigue.
- Father Ignatios: A stern cleric, loyal to Jovanka, who serves as a reminder of institutional power and orthodoxy.
Themes, Symbols, or Motifs
- Flexibility vs. Rigidity: Baptiste’s “be like water” metaphor directly challenges Balthazar’s need for control. The chapter tests whether he can adapt or remain brittle.
- Identity and Misperception: Balthazar is repeatedly mistaken for a spy, druid, or magician. The theme underscores how we are defined both by what we claim and what others assume.
- War as Chaos: The two armies camped near the stones embody the arbitrary destructiveness of conflict. The standing stones—ancient, neutral—become a symbol of a goal that may be unreachable amid human violence.
- Reverses (Fortune): The title echoes military reversals but also personal reverses: Balthazar’s hope of a shortcut, the capture, the reunion, and the final devastating sight of the battlefield.
Why This Chapter Matters
Chapter 38 deepens the bond between Balthazar and Baptiste while raising the stakes for their quest. The revelation of Baptiste’s past as a lady‑in‑waiting and spy adds layers to her character, making her more than a mere jailer. The setup of a battle between two armies places the standing stones in an almost impossible position, turning their journey from a simple trek into a war‑zone rescue mission. The chapter also explores Balthazar’s internal growth—his willingness to consider a different perspective—which foreshadows potential changes in his relationship with the binding.
Study Questions & Answers
1. How does Baptiste’s “be like water” advice affect Balthazar’s mindset in this chapter?
Balthazar initially rejects the idea, clinging to his usual resentment. Yet he later finds himself “grinning back” at Baptiste, imagining a world where he could throw off vanity and rigidity. The advice plants a seed of flexibility that, while resisted, begins to alter his reactions.
2. What does the reunion with Countess Jovanka reveal about Baptiste’s past?
It shows that Baptiste once moved in royal circles as a lady‑in‑waiting to the Queen of Sicily, and that she has a network of high‑status contacts. Her insult to the countess is a calculated gambit to confirm their old friendship, demonstrating her social cunning.
3. In what ways does the chapter’s title “Reverses” apply to both the plot and Balthazar’s personal development?
The plot involves a series of reversals: capture, then unexpected release, and the ultimate reversal of finding the stones between two armies. For Balthazar, his personal reversal is a shift from interpreting every setback as a disaster toward a tentative openness to change, as seen in his brief hope of embracing a new perspective.