Chapter 39 (Chapter 38) 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
Luzia and Santángel begin the chapter in a moment of urgent intimacy wedged against her door. Afterward, lying together, they discuss what it means to be a familiar. Santángel explains that serving Víctor de Paredes gives him nothing in return because Víctor has no magic, whereas Luzia’s power nourishes him. Their conversation drifts to drinking, loneliness, and desire. Santángel leaves before dawn, kissing Luzia goodbye. Later, Luzia wakes and Valentina helps her braid her hair. They walk in the gardens, where they encounter Fortún Donadei and his patron Doña Beatriz. Luzia sees a sketch by Signor Rossi that glorifies her and Fortún as saviors. Fortún warns Luzia that Santángel is cursed and has a history of approaching milagreros who end up destroyed by the Inquisition. He suggests Luzia may be used as a sacrifice. Luzia rejects his call for an alliance, insisting they are both alone.
Key Events
- Luzia and Santángel have a brief, urgent sexual encounter.
- Santángel explains that serving Víctor offers him no strength because Víctor lacks magic, but Luzia’s power does restore him.
- They share a conversation about drunkenness and loneliness.
- Santángel leaves before dawn; Luzia wakes late, feeling his presence in her tangled hair.
- Valentina helps Luzia dress and suggests a walk in the gardens.
- Luzia and Valentina meet Fortún and Doña Beatriz; Rossi’s new sketch depicts Luzia and Fortún as heroic figures fighting a demon.
- Luzia challenges Fortún about his version of the events, calling it fiction.
- Fortún warns Luzia that Santángel is cursed and has been linked to the downfall of other milagreros (Isabel de la Cruz, Piedrola, Lucrecia de León, Cataluña Muñoz, and a lost daughter of Maslama al-Majriti).
- Fortún claims Santángel seeks out milagreros to manipulate them and that Luzia may be a sacrifice for breaking the curse.
- Luzia sees through Fortún’s tactics but is shaken by the information.
- Fortún proposes they ally; Luzia refuses, stating they are alone.
Character Development
- Luzia Cotado: Experiences physical and emotional closeness with Santángel, breaking down her usual guardedness. Her doubts grow after Fortún’s warnings, forcing her to question whom she can trust. She resists the idea of partnership, asserting her independence.
- Santángel: Reveals his vulnerability and centuries of loneliness. He admits that Luzia’s magic is unique because it gives him strength, unlike Víctor’s curse. His desire for connection overrides his caution.
- Fortún Donadei: Shows his manipulative side, using history and fear to undermine Luzia’s trust in Santángel. He reveals his ambition and his belief that they are meant to rise together, but his desperation for an ally is clear.
- Valentina: Acts as a quiet supporter, helping Luzia with her hair and engineering the garden meeting. Her motives remain ambiguous.
- Doña Beatriz: Briefly seen doting on Fortún, a reminder of his hold over her through love.
Themes, Symbols, or Motifs
- The Curse and Sacrifice: Both Santángel’s curse and Fortún’s claims underscore the cost of power. The idea of sacrifice—whether of others or oneself—looms over every relationship.
- The Rewriting of History: Rossi’s sketch literally erases Teoda and reshapes the narrative, mirroring how characters twist events to serve their own ends. Luzia challenges this fiction.
- Loneliness and Connection: The chapter opens with intimacy and closes with Luzia asserting “we are alone.” The contrast highlights the fleeting nature of trust and the human need for belonging.
- Control and Surrender: Luzia and Santángel each give up control in the bedroom; later, Luzia reasserts her control by rejecting Fortún’s offer.
Why This Chapter Matters
This chapter deepens the romantic and emotional bond between Luzia and Santángel while simultaneously introducing the most explicit threat to that bond: Fortún’s accusations about Santángel’s cursed history. Luzia must now reconcile her feelings for Santángel with evidence that he may have been involved in the ruin of other milagreros. The chapter also shows the political maneuvering of the torneo—Fortún’s attempt to isolate Luzia from her ally—and sets up a crucial choice for her before the final trial. The sketch and the garden confrontation emphasize that truth is malleable in this game of power.
Study Questions & Answers
1. What does Santángel say is the difference between serving Víctor and serving Luzia? Santángel explains that because Víctor has no magic himself, his service gives Santángel nothing in return. Luzia’s magic, by contrast, restores Santángel’s strength—she gives him something vital that his curse has never allowed him to receive from a De Paredes.
2. How does Fortún try to turn Luzia against Santángel? Fortún lists several milagreros (Isabel de la Cruz, Piedrola, Lucrecia de León, etc.) who were approached by Santángel and later fell into Inquisition cells or vanished. He claims Santángel and his master have been hunting milagreros for centuries and that Luzia might be the sacrifice needed to break the curse.
3. Why does Luzia reject Fortún’s offer of an alliance? Luzia recognizes that Fortún is using her for his own aims and that he is willing to manipulate her feelings. She also suspects he wants her to drop her guard against Santángel. Her final line—“But we are alone, always”—affirms her unwillingness to trust anyone completely.