The Devils: Questions and Answers – In-Depth Analysis
1. Why does Brother Diaz accept the horrifying role as vicar of the Chapel of the Holy Expediency?
Answer: Diaz accepts because Cardinal Zizka frames it as a chance for advancement and to “do good,” exploiting his ambition and guilt. Despite his terror of monsters and moral compromise, he cannot say no to a powerful cardinal, revealing his hypocrisy and the Church’s manipulation of weak-willed clergy.
In Chapter 3, “The Thirteenth Virtue,” Zizka tells Diaz the world faces schism, monsters, sorcerers, and the apocalyptic threat of elves. She explains the Chapel fights devils with devils. Diaz protests he is just a bureaucrat, but Zizka’s implicit pressure—and his own longing for importance—forces him to accept. His mother made him join the Church to avoid scandal; here, he again chooses expediency over principle. The chapter establishes that his greatest flaw is not evil but a willingness to compromise for comfort.
2. How does Alex’s sudden identity as Princess Alexia change her survival strategy?
Answer: Alex shifts from a street thief who runs from debts to a political player who accepts that her only options are “empress or death.” She learns to perform royalty while maintaining her con-artist instincts, using deception and pragmatism to survive assassinations and political intrigue.
In Chapter 2, “How It Goes,” Alex is a swindler chased by a debt collector. Duke Michael rescues her by revealing her true lineage. By Chapter 12, “Empress or Death,” she sits among corpses, disguised in a maid’s clothes, and resolves to claim the Serpent Throne because retreat means certain death. The papal binding and duel with her cousins force her to embrace a role she never wanted. Her arc shows that survival sometimes requires adopting a false identity and making ruthless calculations.
Alex (Princess Alexia Pyrogennetos)
3. What does the papal binding reveal about the nature of power and control in the novel?
Answer: The binding is a simple red line on the wrist that compels magicians, vampires, and werewolves to obey. Its power is absolute—even a demon cannot break it. This suggests the Pope’s authority may be divine, but it also raises questions about free will and whether enforced virtue is genuine.
In Chapter 7, “The Start of a Bad Joke,” Pope Benedicta performs the binding ritual on Balthazar, Rikard, and others. Balthazar tries to defy it and becomes violently ill. Later, in Chapter 43, “My Greed Is a Famine,” Balthazar summons the demon Shaxep, Duke of Beneath, who confesses she cannot break the binding. Shaxep’s inability forces Balthazar to consider that the child Pope might truly be the Second Coming. The binding becomes a symbol of how institutions enforce moral behavior through coercion, not choice.
4. How does Vigga’s werewolf curse reflect her struggle with inner violence and redemption?
Answer: Vigga constantly fights the wolf inside, using “nutshells” to discard guilt and claiming she is “clean inside.” But her transformations happen when she loses control, and she kills even when she wants to be good. Her curse represents the impossibility of escaping one’s nature.
In Chapter 11, “The Good Meat,” Vigga-Wolf massacres a yard of hybrids and soldiers in a frenzy of hunger. In Chapter 34, “Bit by a Monk,” she shows Diaz the scar from the werewolf bite and explains how she became what she is. Chapter 58, “Clean Inside,” has a crucial conversation with Baron Rikard: Vigga insists she has collared the beast and is clean, but Rikard mocks her, and she later kills Baptiste despite her humanity. Her arc poses the question of whether redemption is possible when your monstrosity is part of you.
5. What is the significance of the white box the group retrieves from the illusionist’s house in Venice?
Answer: The white box with a star is never opened on-screen. Vigga immediately forgets it after finding it; Jakob calls it a “gift.” It symbolizes the group’s inability to hold onto peace or understanding—each member is haunted by guilt and cannot bear to know the truth inside.
In Chapter 25, “Nothing but the Truth,” the characters suffer guilt-ridden visions in the illusionist’s maze. Vigga finds the box and becomes distracted, then forgets it. Jakob, seeing her forgetfulness, tells her it is a gift. The box is never mentioned again, suggesting that some truths are better left unconfronted. It functions as a McGuffin that reveals character rather than driving plot, highlighting the theme of survival and pragmatism.
6. How does Sunny’s invisibility serve as both a physical and emotional condition?
Answer: Sunny is an elf who can turn invisible, but invisibility also mirrors her emotional isolation. She was a circus exhibit, treated as soulless, and longs to belong. Her stealth protects the group but also keeps her at a distance from human connection.
In Chapter 20, “No Smiles at the Monastery,” Sunny reflects on her circus past and her longing to be part of a family. She scouts danger while invisible, yet feels unnoticed. In Chapter 35, “The Current Set of Enemies,” she sabotages an enemy camp and reunites with Alex, but her self-doubt surfaces: she worries about being unable to connect. Her invisibility is both a tactical advantage and a metaphor for the elven condition—perceived as soulless, she struggles to prove her humanity. Sunny
7. Contrast Duke Michael’s initial protective role with his later betrayal of Alex.
Answer: Early on, Michael rescues Alex from debt collectors and claims to be her loving uncle who wants to restore her throne. Later, he confesses he used her as a decoy and planned to kill her once she served his purpose. His betrayal reveals that the quest was never about bloodright but about political manipulation.
In Chapter 2, “How It Goes,” Michael pays off Bostro and introduces Alex as princess. In Chapter 6, “Born in the Flame,” he presents her pendant half-coin as proof of identity, appearing devoted. But in Chapter 64, “The Language of Violence,” Alex discovers a letter proving Michael conspired with Cardinal Zizka. He admits he used her as bait to draw out the Trojan dukes, and he intended to eliminate her. His shift from savior to villain exposes the theme of power and corruption within the imperial family.
8. Why does Jakob of Thorn refuse the sword and command of a crusade in Chapter 70?
Answer: Jakob refuses because his oath to the Pope binds him, but more deeply because he is tired of violence and death. He knows he cannot be redeemed through more fighting; his century of slaughter has taught him that crusades only breed more war.
In Chapter 70, “Another Man’s Poison,” Empress Alexia offers Jakob the legendary sword of John of Antioch and command of a new crusade against the elves. Jakob declines, citing his oath to the Pope and his history of betrayal and massacre. He says he does not want to be a hero anymore. The chapter directly contrasts the younger, idealistic knight who carved his name in the Pharos (Chapter 56, “Tomorrow’s Ghosts”) with the weary, guilt-ridden man who would rather die quietly. Redemption and Guilt
9. How does the relationship between Brother Diaz and Vigga evolve from fear to intimacy, and what does it mean for Diaz’s vows?
Answer: Diaz initially fears Vigga’s werewolf nature, but after she saves him repeatedly, he sees her humanity. Their sexual encounter in an abandoned abbey violates his monastic vows, which he rationalizes as a “loophole” because Vigga is technically neither woman nor animal. This moment shows how the journey erodes moral absolutes.
In Chapter 34, “Bit by a Monk,” Vigga tells Diaz how she became a werewolf, and he confesses his past: he got a girl pregnant and took vows to avoid scandal. In Chapter 40, “Loophole,” she propositions him, arguing that a werewolf falls outside vows against women and animals. He initially refuses but then kisses her, casting away his holy relic. Chapter 47, “Vows,” shows them sleeping together in the Abbey of Saint Demetrius; Alex discovers them and offers sardonic forgiveness. Their relationship illustrates survival and pragmatism overriding religious rules.
10. What does the failed demon summoning in Chapter 43 imply about Pope Benedicta’s true nature?
Answer: When the demon Shaxep admits she cannot break the papal binding, it suggests the binding has divine origin. Balthazar and the others are forced to consider that the ten-year-old Pope might be the Second Coming, shaking their skepticism and redefining the nature of faith in the story.
In Chapter 43, “My Greed Is a Famine,” Balthazar summons Shaxep at a ley line convergence, hoping to break free. Shaxep manifests but confesses the binding is beyond her. The group is traumatized; even Balthazar, a committed skeptic, is stunned into silence. The chapter challenges the theme of religious hypocrisy and moral compromise by suggesting that institutional power may indeed be backed by something real. It also foreshadows that the binding—and thus the mission—carries weight even Balthazar cannot dismiss.
11. How does the recurring symbol of “fire” connect Alex’s identity as “born in the flame” to the elven threat and the apocalyptic blue flame?
Answer: Fire appears at Alex’s beginning (oracles say “fire at her beginning”) and at her end (blue flame as elf invasion signal). It links her imperial legitimacy to destruction: the same fire that made her empress also heralds the elves. This dual symbolism suggests that power and apocalypse are inseparable.
In Chapter 6, “Born in the Flame,” the Oracles chant of fire at her beginning and end. The blue flame of Saint Natalia, shown in Chapter 63, “Evil Friends,” is the signal for a city-wide elf attack. Alex is crowned with wheat and spear, but her reign begins with chaos. Fire recurs in battles—the pyromancer in Chapter 10, “Wrath,” and the burning ship in Chapter 29, “You Did It Now.” The motif ties power and corruption to elemental destruction, implying that Alex’s throne is built on a foundation of terror.
12. Compare the two battles at inns (Chapters 9 and 10-11): How do the group’s tactics and understanding of each other evolve?
Answer: In the first inn battle, the group is scattered and reactive: Jakob defends alone, Alex hides, Balthazar fails. By the second (the Rolling Bear inn massacre), they coordinate: Balthazar uses necromancy, Vigga-Wolf rampages, and Baptiste supports. The difference shows growing trust and adaptation under pressure.
In Chapter 9, “No Room at the Inn,” Jakob barricades the door while the others cower; the goat-giant breaches the gates. In Chapters 10-11, “Wrath” and “The Good Meat,” Balthazar reanimates corpses to defeat the pyromancer, Vigga-Wolf kills the creature, and Jakob dies fighting but is later revealed alive. The second battle demonstrates that the group has learned to use their monstrous abilities (necromancy, wolf, vampire) as weapons, moving from terror to tactical violence. This evolution mirrors the identity and deception theme, as they embrace their true natures.
13. What is the significance of Vigga’s “loophole” argument when she propositions Brother Diaz in Chapter 40?
Answer: Vigga claims that since she is a werewolf, she is neither woman nor animal, so monastic vows against sex with women or animals do not apply. This clever rationalization reveals how the group constantly bends moral rules for survival and comfort, blurring the line between virtue and hypocrisy.
In Chapter 40, “Loophole,” Vigga kisses Diaz in a dark warehouse and says the wolf creates a loophole: “I’m not a woman, not an animal.” Diaz, horrified yet tempted, eventually gives in. The scene echoes Cardinal Zizka’s earlier logic (Chapter 3) that to fight devils you must use devils. By applying the same expedient reasoning to his own vow, Diaz becomes what he once condemned—a man who uses “the devil’s tools” for personal pleasure. This moment deepens the theme of religious hypocrisy and moral compromise.
14. How does the relationship between Balthazar and Baptiste change over the course of the novel, and what does Baptiste’s death mean for Balthazar?
Answer: Baptiste starts as a flamboyant colleague who mocks Balthazar, but over time she becomes his closest ally—binding his wounds, scolding him, and saving him from a phrenomancer. Her death by Vigga’s hand shatters Balthazar, leaving him isolated and screaming, stripping away his pride.
In Chapter 5, “A Flock of Black Sheep,” Baptiste teases Balthazar and treats him with amused contempt. By Chapter 33, “Prone to Turmoil,” she helps him loot corpses and supports his divination ritual. In Chapter 30, “A Draw Is Enough,” she stabs a sorcerer who was attacking Balthazar. In Chapter 68, “Unacceptable Behaviour,” Vigga kills Baptiste; Balthazar returns to find her body and screams in horror. Their arc shows how even the most cynical can forge deep bonds. Baptiste’s loss removes Balthazar’s last human connection, pushing him toward despair. Balthazar Sham Ivam Draxi
15. How does Alex’s confession to Sunny that she is not the real princess change their dynamic, and why does Sunny refuse to run away?
Answer: Alex admits her true identity—that the real Alexia died and she assumed the role—to Sunny in private, trusting her completely. Sunny refuses to run away because she chooses duty over love, saying the throne needs her. This moment transforms their bond from tentative friendship to painful, adult sacrifice.
In Chapter 60, “Not Nothing,” Alex confesses in a secret passage that she is a cheesenear’s daughter who stole the princess’s identity. Sunny refuses to flee with her, staying to serve the empire. Later, in Chapter 55, “Before You Ask,” Sunny joins Alex in the bath and they share a tender kiss, but the earlier confession haunts their intimacy. Sunny’s choice forces Alex to accept that leadership requires personal loss, echoing the theme of survival and pragmatism. Their relationship is a rare moment of vulnerability in a world of betrayal.