Serpent & Dove

Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 2019

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Part 3, Chapters 39-41Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Part 3

art 3, Chapter 39 Summary: “The Pattern: Reid”

Reid goes to clutch his dying mother. Morgane holds a knife to his throat, but he overcomes her. She ties him with invisible bonds as Lou cries for her to stop. Morgane magically brings the now undisguised Ansel and Beau to the stage, calling them Hélène’s coconspirators. She then slams Lou onto the altar as Reid tries desperately to escape. Lou whispers to Reid that she loves him. Morgane raises the knife, but suddenly Coco leaps forward and stabs Morgane. This breaks Reid’s bonds, and he runs to Lou. Chaos erupts.

In an attempt to distract the audience, Beau strips his clothes off and dances while singing the pub song “Big Titty Liddy.” The witches are momentarily bewildered, allowing Reid to get close enough to kill Morgane. However, he’s stopped as Manon brings the Archbishop in. Manon tells Reid to let Morgane go or she’ll kill the Archbishop. As Reid hesitates, Morgane grabs his knife and slashes Lou’s throat. The sight plunges Reid into a world of darkness. There, he sees a golden cord between Lou and the Archbishop. He knows what to do and kills the Archbishop before anyone can stop him. This exchange revives Lou. As Morgane tries to open Lou’s throat again, a Chasseur’s arrow lodges in her chest. The Chasseurs attack the witches, but Jean Luc sees Reid with the knife and aims for him as well.

Part 3, Chapter 40 Summary: “La Forêt des Yeux: Reid”

Reid grabs Lou. Along with Ansel and Beau, who is holding Coco, he ducks behind the altar as the fight continues. Coco says that there’s another exit, and Reid tells Beau to get the others out. Reid then returns for Hélène’s body, but as he carries her, he realizes she’s still alive.

Coco casts a small bit of magic to get Hélène to camp, knitting the wound back together. There, Coco mixes her blood with honey to heal Hélène fully. Reid asks if she can heal Lou, but she tells him he has healed her already by killing the Archbishop. Coco then mixes blood with sage and anoints all of them for protection. They leave camp as soon as possible but must continually hide from both witches and Chasseurs. Reid holds Lou, determined to never let her go again.

Hélène wakes and Reid explains to her how they escaped and how he killed the Archbishop. Hélène presses him, and he reveals he knew Lou would live because of the golden thread. Surprised he saw a “pattern,” she deduces that Reid has magic, which the potential loss of Lou triggered. Hélène notes that other sons of witches might have magic too. Reid is stunned.

Hélène points out that many will hunt Reid now and that his father will surely hear about the events at the witches’ castle. Hélène says the king will likely want to kill Lou before Morgane can sacrifice her, neutralizing the threat her existence poses to the royal line. Reid swears out loud, frustrated by this turn of events. Coco steps from the trees, saying that everyone must come with her to her aunt’s coven. Lou is in her arms, now awake, looking like she doesn’t know Reid. She asks if Reid just really swore and then vomits into the dirt.

Part 3, Chapter 41 Summary: “La Voisin: Lou”

Despite feeling physically horrible, Lou is grateful to be alone with Reid, who she now knows is also a witch. He wonders why Lou isn’t angry with him for not protecting her. She tells him she loves him despite his shortcomings. When her own mother tried to kill her, it complicated her simplistic view of good and evil. The couple confess their love for and understanding of one another.

They return to the others. Ansel and Lou embrace, and she teases Beau about them both going to the same pubs. Lou tells them they can’t stay in the forest because they all have marks on their heads. Lou notes that everything they did will make Morgane more savage. Coco tells them they must all come to her coven. Lou says that the Dames Rouges might kill them, but Coco says they will be protected. Her aunt is as powerful as Morgane. She is La Voison, the head witch of the Dames Rouge.

Part 3, Chapters 39-41 Analysis

When Lou faces death a second time, her love of Reid helps her cope with the cruelty of her hypocritical parents. Although she knows she may not survive, she also gives her love to Reid unconditionally. When she receives reciprocation, she is thrilled. Humbled by her friends’ sacrifice, she learns to willingly accept their love. Rejecting false love and friendship allows Lou to fully become herself and embrace a future with Reid.

Reid’s acceptance of both the crown and magic is shown in the moment he saves Lou’s life. By saving Lou with his own magic, Reid embraces the world of witches, breaking his oath to always kill a witch. However, he still acts as a Chasseur and nobly protects the monarchy, of which he is now part, as Auguste’s son and Beau’s brother. In this way, all his conflicting allegiances are integrated and Reid comes into his own. Saving his mother is a bonus, and Reid is grateful that he and Hélène can make up for lost time. Hélène, given a second chance, encourages Reid to accept his identity with her support.

Ever one to show Loyalty Within Friendship, Coco solves the problem of protection by suggesting the group seek safety with her coven. However, the discussion of her aunt is ominous since La Voison is the powerful leader of the Dames Rouges, suggesting that the second leg of our heroes’ journey—to be explored in Blood & Honey—might be filled with conflict.