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Chapter 1 · One: Of the Donkey
Four starving soldiers—Thomas, Godefroy, the fat one, and Jacquot—find and butcher a lame donkey named Parsnip in a barn during the plague-ravaged Great Death. A local girl approaches them for help bury her dead father. Godefroy sexually threatens her, leading to a confrontation with Thomas. While Jacquot retrieves the girl from hiding, Thomas kills Godefroy and the fat soldier. When Jacquot returns, the girl intervenes, and Thomas spares his life.
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Chapter 2 · Two: Of the Honey and the Broken Cross
Thomas, the girl, and the tied-up Jacquot spend the night in the barn. In the morning, Thomas punches Jacquot for talking too much. The girl has a nightmare about devils. Thomas destroys the crank of Jacquot's crossbow but spares the bow itself. After the girl persuades him, Thomas agrees to bury her father, forcing Jacquot to do the gruesome work. The girl kisses her father's corpse goodbye. Thomas reluctantly agrees to take the girl with him as far as the next town. They sort through her salvaged belongings, including honey, a book by Thomas Aquinas, a bird whistle, and a cross, which Thomas breaks. The girl reveals she can see Thomas's soul and that a devil is always near him.
-
Chapter 2 · Two: Of the Honey and the Broken Cross
Thomas, the girl, and the tied-up Jacquot spend the night in the barn. In the morning, Thomas punches Jacquot for talking too much. The girl has a nightmare about devils. Thomas destroys the crank of Jacquot's crossbow but spares the bow itself. After the girl persuades him, Thomas agrees to bury her father, forcing Jacquot to do the gruesome work. The girl kisses her father's corpse goodbye. Thomas reluctantly agrees to take the girl with him as far as the next town. They sort through her salvaged belongings, including honey, a book by Thomas Aquinas, a bird whistle, and a cross, which Thomas breaks. The girl reveals she can see Thomas's soul and that a devil is always near him.
-
Chapter 3 · Three: Of the Tower and the Looted Church
Thomas and the girl arrive at the town of Fleur-de-Roche, where an old tower overlooks a looted church and plague pit. Thomas recalls leaving Jacquot tied up after catching him stealing, and they take shelter in the empty church. The girl reveals dreams instructing her to go to Paris and then Avignon, claiming the dead priest Père Raoul delivered the message. Thomas considers abandoning her but is unnerved when a devil mask mysteriously appears beside him.
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Chapter 4 · Four: Of the Monastery, and of the Best Wine Had in Seven Years
Thomas and the girl travel for two days, foraging and heading toward Paris. They discover an abandoned monastery where the girl takes a temporary vow of silence, and they gather edible herbs and flowers. Later, they approach the town of St. Martin-le-Preux, where a priest warns them the bridge is burned and a monster inhabits the river. The priest shares his last wine and urges Thomas to kill the monster to regain his honor, revealing Thomas's past as a knight cheated by Le Comte d'Évreux.
-
Chapter 4 · Four: Of the Monastery, and of the Best Wine Had in Seven Years
Thomas and the girl travel for two days, foraging and heading toward Paris. They discover an abandoned monastery where the girl takes a temporary vow of silence, and they gather edible herbs and flowers. Later, they approach the town of St. Martin-le-Preux, where a priest warns them the bridge is burned and a monster inhabits the river. The priest shares his last wine and urges Thomas to kill the monster to regain his honor, revealing Thomas's past as a knight cheated by Le Comte d'Évreux.
-
Chapter 5 · Five: Of the Thing in the Murk
Thomas, the girl, the priest, and two townsmen go to the river to confront the monster. After a confrontation at the seigneur's keep where they are refused help, they reach the river and see the creature. A brutal fight ensues: the bearded man flees, the drunk farmer Sanson is killed and swallowed, and Thomas, despite being wounded by a spine in his groin and nearly drowned, manages to kill the monster before collapsing on the bank.
-
Chapter 6 · Six: Of the Marriage on the Bank and the Visitation in the Stable
A plague-stricken woman named Mathilde stumbles to the river, finds Thomas unconscious on the bank, and in her delirium 'marries' him before dying on his back. Thomas wakes in the priest's house, wounded and sick. The priest reports the monster is dead. In the night, Thomas, half-delirious, sees a mysterious, spined, arrow-riddled man limping toward the stables where the girl is sleeping, and later feels the same man help him back to bed.
-
Chapter 7 · Seven: Of the Battle of Song-of-Angels
The girl insists they travel to the shrine of the Virgin of the White Rock at Rochelle-la-Blanche to heal Thomas of the plague. The priest, Père Matthieu Hanicotte, finds a cart and mule from a dead man and they set out. On the road, they encounter a mob from Chanson-des-Anges intent on stealing back the Virgin statue, which they claim was stolen years before. The girl and priest deter them, but the mob proceeds to Rochelle-la-Blanche, where a battle erupts; the statue is destroyed and all the attackers are killed. The girl uses the Virgin's stone hand to drive a foul presence from Thomas, saving his life. Thomas recovers, and the three leave St. Martin-le-Preux for Paris and Avignon. Meanwhile, the seigneur's men search the priest's empty house, contract the plague, and die, wiping out the castle.
-
Chapter 3 · Three: Of the Tower and the Looted Church
Thomas and the girl arrive at the town of Fleur-de-Roche, where an old tower overlooks a looted church and plague pit. Thomas recalls leaving Jacquot tied up after catching him stealing, and they take shelter in the empty church. The girl reveals dreams instructing her to go to Paris and then Avignon, claiming the dead priest Père Raoul delivered the message. Thomas considers abandoning her but is unnerved when a devil mask mysteriously appears beside him.
-
Chapter 3 · Three: Of the Tower and the Looted Church
Thomas and the girl arrive at the town of Fleur-de-Roche, where an old tower overlooks a looted church and plague pit. Thomas recalls leaving Jacquot tied up after catching him stealing, and they take shelter in the empty church. The girl reveals dreams instructing her to go to Paris and then Avignon, claiming the dead priest Père Raoul delivered the message. Thomas considers abandoning her but is unnerved when a devil mask mysteriously appears beside him.
-
Chapter 3 · Three: Of the Tower and the Looted Church
Thomas and the girl arrive at the town of Fleur-de-Roche, where an old tower overlooks a looted church and plague pit. Thomas recalls leaving Jacquot tied up after catching him stealing, and they take shelter in the empty church. The girl reveals dreams instructing her to go to Paris and then Avignon, claiming the dead priest Père Raoul delivered the message. Thomas considers abandoning her but is unnerved when a devil mask mysteriously appears beside him.
-
Chapter 4 · Four: Of the Monastery, and of the Best Wine Had in Seven Years
Thomas and the girl travel for two days, foraging and heading toward Paris. They discover an abandoned monastery where the girl takes a temporary vow of silence, and they gather edible herbs and flowers. Later, they approach the town of St. Martin-le-Preux, where a priest warns them the bridge is burned and a monster inhabits the river. The priest shares his last wine and urges Thomas to kill the monster to regain his honor, revealing Thomas's past as a knight cheated by Le Comte d'Évreux.
-
Chapter 2 · Two: Of the Honey and the Broken Cross
Thomas, the girl, and the tied-up Jacquot spend the night in the barn. In the morning, Thomas punches Jacquot for talking too much. The girl has a nightmare about devils. Thomas destroys the crank of Jacquot's crossbow but spares the bow itself. After the girl persuades him, Thomas agrees to bury her father, forcing Jacquot to do the gruesome work. The girl kisses her father's corpse goodbye. Thomas reluctantly agrees to take the girl with him as far as the next town. They sort through her salvaged belongings, including honey, a book by Thomas Aquinas, a bird whistle, and a cross, which Thomas breaks. The girl reveals she can see Thomas's soul and that a devil is always near him.
-
Chapter 3 · Three: Of the Tower and the Looted Church
Thomas and the girl arrive at the town of Fleur-de-Roche, where an old tower overlooks a looted church and plague pit. Thomas recalls leaving Jacquot tied up after catching him stealing, and they take shelter in the empty church. The girl reveals dreams instructing her to go to Paris and then Avignon, claiming the dead priest Père Raoul delivered the message. Thomas considers abandoning her but is unnerved when a devil mask mysteriously appears beside him.
-
Chapter 4 · Four: Of the Monastery, and of the Best Wine Had in Seven Years
Thomas and the girl travel for two days, foraging and heading toward Paris. They discover an abandoned monastery where the girl takes a temporary vow of silence, and they gather edible herbs and flowers. Later, they approach the town of St. Martin-le-Preux, where a priest warns them the bridge is burned and a monster inhabits the river. The priest shares his last wine and urges Thomas to kill the monster to regain his honor, revealing Thomas's past as a knight cheated by Le Comte d'Évreux.
-
Chapter 5 · Five: Of the Thing in the Murk
Thomas, the girl, the priest, and two townsmen go to the river to confront the monster. After a confrontation at the seigneur's keep where they are refused help, they reach the river and see the creature. A brutal fight ensues: the bearded man flees, the drunk farmer Sanson is killed and swallowed, and Thomas, despite being wounded by a spine in his groin and nearly drowned, manages to kill the monster before collapsing on the bank.
-
Chapter 6 · Six: Of the Marriage on the Bank and the Visitation in the Stable
A plague-stricken woman named Mathilde stumbles to the river, finds Thomas unconscious on the bank, and in her delirium 'marries' him before dying on his back. Thomas wakes in the priest's house, wounded and sick. The priest reports the monster is dead. In the night, Thomas, half-delirious, sees a mysterious, spined, arrow-riddled man limping toward the stables where the girl is sleeping, and later feels the same man help him back to bed.
-
Chapter 7 · Seven: Of the Battle of Song-of-Angels
The girl insists they travel to the shrine of the Virgin of the White Rock at Rochelle-la-Blanche to heal Thomas of the plague. The priest, Père Matthieu Hanicotte, finds a cart and mule from a dead man and they set out. On the road, they encounter a mob from Chanson-des-Anges intent on stealing back the Virgin statue, which they claim was stolen years before. The girl and priest deter them, but the mob proceeds to Rochelle-la-Blanche, where a battle erupts; the statue is destroyed and all the attackers are killed. The girl uses the Virgin's stone hand to drive a foul presence from Thomas, saving his life. Thomas recovers, and the three leave St. Martin-le-Preux for Paris and Avignon. Meanwhile, the seigneur's men search the priest's empty house, contract the plague, and die, wiping out the castle.
-
Chapter 8 · Eight: Of the Feast, and of the Night Tourney
Thomas, the girl, and the priest approach a castle that seems untouched by plague. They are invited to a feast and a night tourney by a pleasant herald. The girl refuses to enter and stays in a tree. At the feast, Thomas is mocked by a knight named Théobald de Barentin. After a drunken night, Thomas participates in a deadly tourney where he fights Théobald and the seigneur transforms into a lion-devil. At sunrise, the castle and all its inhabitants vanish, revealing an abandoned tower, a common grave, and a cow field. The girl rejoins Thomas, and he agrees to go to Paris.
-
Chapter 7 · Seven: Of the Battle of Song-of-Angels
The girl insists they travel to the shrine of the Virgin of the White Rock at Rochelle-la-Blanche to heal Thomas of the plague. The priest, Père Matthieu Hanicotte, finds a cart and mule from a dead man and they set out. On the road, they encounter a mob from Chanson-des-Anges intent on stealing back the Virgin statue, which they claim was stolen years before. The girl and priest deter them, but the mob proceeds to Rochelle-la-Blanche, where a battle erupts; the statue is destroyed and all the attackers are killed. The girl uses the Virgin's stone hand to drive a foul presence from Thomas, saving his life. Thomas recovers, and the three leave St. Martin-le-Preux for Paris and Avignon. Meanwhile, the seigneur's men search the priest's empty house, contract the plague, and die, wiping out the castle.
-
Chapter 7 · Seven: Of the Battle of Song-of-Angels
The girl insists they travel to the shrine of the Virgin of the White Rock at Rochelle-la-Blanche to heal Thomas of the plague. The priest, Père Matthieu Hanicotte, finds a cart and mule from a dead man and they set out. On the road, they encounter a mob from Chanson-des-Anges intent on stealing back the Virgin statue, which they claim was stolen years before. The girl and priest deter them, but the mob proceeds to Rochelle-la-Blanche, where a battle erupts; the statue is destroyed and all the attackers are killed. The girl uses the Virgin's stone hand to drive a foul presence from Thomas, saving his life. Thomas recovers, and the three leave St. Martin-le-Preux for Paris and Avignon. Meanwhile, the seigneur's men search the priest's empty house, contract the plague, and die, wiping out the castle.
-
Chapter 8 · Eight: Of the Feast, and of the Night Tourney
Thomas, the girl, and the priest approach a castle that seems untouched by plague. They are invited to a feast and a night tourney by a pleasant herald. The girl refuses to enter and stays in a tree. At the feast, Thomas is mocked by a knight named Théobald de Barentin. After a drunken night, Thomas participates in a deadly tourney where he fights Théobald and the seigneur transforms into a lion-devil. At sunrise, the castle and all its inhabitants vanish, revealing an abandoned tower, a common grave, and a cow field. The girl rejoins Thomas, and he agrees to go to Paris.
-
Chapter 9 · Nine: Of the City of Paris
Thomas, the priest, and the girl arrive at plague-ravaged Paris. They are cheated by an old woman selling a filthy room, then find shelter with a Norman woodcarver, Jehan de Rouen, and his wife Annette after the girl sings a song from her childhood. The girl reveals her name is Delphine. Jehan warns of stone creatures that knock at night and kill. Thomas confesses he is excommunicated and considers leaving the group.
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Chapter 10 · Ten: Of the Battle of Crécy
Thomas recalls the Battle of Crécy, where he fought alongside his lord, the Comte de Givras, and was severely wounded by an arrow to the face. He retreated with his dying lord, convalesced in Amiens, and then learned from his squire that his lands had been seized by Le Comte d'Évreux, his wife had betrayed him, and he had been excommunicated. Seeking revenge, he joined Godefroy's brigands in Normandy.
-
Chapter 1 · One: Of the Donkey
Four starving soldiers—Thomas, Godefroy, the fat one, and Jacquot—find and butcher a lame donkey named Parsnip in a barn during the plague-ravaged Great Death. A local girl approaches them for help bury her dead father. Godefroy sexually threatens her, leading to a confrontation with Thomas. While Jacquot retrieves the girl from hiding, Thomas kills Godefroy and the fat soldier. When Jacquot returns, the girl intervenes, and Thomas spares his life.
-
Chapter 2 · Two: Of the Honey and the Broken Cross
Thomas, the girl, and the tied-up Jacquot spend the night in the barn. In the morning, Thomas punches Jacquot for talking too much. The girl has a nightmare about devils. Thomas destroys the crank of Jacquot's crossbow but spares the bow itself. After the girl persuades him, Thomas agrees to bury her father, forcing Jacquot to do the gruesome work. The girl kisses her father's corpse goodbye. Thomas reluctantly agrees to take the girl with him as far as the next town. They sort through her salvaged belongings, including honey, a book by Thomas Aquinas, a bird whistle, and a cross, which Thomas breaks. The girl reveals she can see Thomas's soul and that a devil is always near him.
-
Chapter 3 · Three: Of the Tower and the Looted Church
Thomas and the girl arrive at the town of Fleur-de-Roche, where an old tower overlooks a looted church and plague pit. Thomas recalls leaving Jacquot tied up after catching him stealing, and they take shelter in the empty church. The girl reveals dreams instructing her to go to Paris and then Avignon, claiming the dead priest Père Raoul delivered the message. Thomas considers abandoning her but is unnerved when a devil mask mysteriously appears beside him.
-
Chapter 3 · Three: Of the Tower and the Looted Church
Thomas and the girl arrive at the town of Fleur-de-Roche, where an old tower overlooks a looted church and plague pit. Thomas recalls leaving Jacquot tied up after catching him stealing, and they take shelter in the empty church. The girl reveals dreams instructing her to go to Paris and then Avignon, claiming the dead priest Père Raoul delivered the message. Thomas considers abandoning her but is unnerved when a devil mask mysteriously appears beside him.
-
Chapter 2 · Two: Of the Honey and the Broken Cross
Thomas, the girl, and the tied-up Jacquot spend the night in the barn. In the morning, Thomas punches Jacquot for talking too much. The girl has a nightmare about devils. Thomas destroys the crank of Jacquot's crossbow but spares the bow itself. After the girl persuades him, Thomas agrees to bury her father, forcing Jacquot to do the gruesome work. The girl kisses her father's corpse goodbye. Thomas reluctantly agrees to take the girl with him as far as the next town. They sort through her salvaged belongings, including honey, a book by Thomas Aquinas, a bird whistle, and a cross, which Thomas breaks. The girl reveals she can see Thomas's soul and that a devil is always near him.
-
Chapter 3 · Three: Of the Tower and the Looted Church
Thomas and the girl arrive at the town of Fleur-de-Roche, where an old tower overlooks a looted church and plague pit. Thomas recalls leaving Jacquot tied up after catching him stealing, and they take shelter in the empty church. The girl reveals dreams instructing her to go to Paris and then Avignon, claiming the dead priest Père Raoul delivered the message. Thomas considers abandoning her but is unnerved when a devil mask mysteriously appears beside him.
-
Chapter 4 · Four: Of the Monastery, and of the Best Wine Had in Seven Years
Thomas and the girl travel for two days, foraging and heading toward Paris. They discover an abandoned monastery where the girl takes a temporary vow of silence, and they gather edible herbs and flowers. Later, they approach the town of St. Martin-le-Preux, where a priest warns them the bridge is burned and a monster inhabits the river. The priest shares his last wine and urges Thomas to kill the monster to regain his honor, revealing Thomas's past as a knight cheated by Le Comte d'Évreux.
-
Chapter 5 · Five: Of the Thing in the Murk
Thomas, the girl, the priest, and two townsmen go to the river to confront the monster. After a confrontation at the seigneur's keep where they are refused help, they reach the river and see the creature. A brutal fight ensues: the bearded man flees, the drunk farmer Sanson is killed and swallowed, and Thomas, despite being wounded by a spine in his groin and nearly drowned, manages to kill the monster before collapsing on the bank.
-
Chapter 5 · Five: Of the Thing in the Murk
Thomas, the girl, the priest, and two townsmen go to the river to confront the monster. After a confrontation at the seigneur's keep where they are refused help, they reach the river and see the creature. A brutal fight ensues: the bearded man flees, the drunk farmer Sanson is killed and swallowed, and Thomas, despite being wounded by a spine in his groin and nearly drowned, manages to kill the monster before collapsing on the bank.
-
Chapter 6 · Six: Of the Marriage on the Bank and the Visitation in the Stable
A plague-stricken woman named Mathilde stumbles to the river, finds Thomas unconscious on the bank, and in her delirium 'marries' him before dying on his back. Thomas wakes in the priest's house, wounded and sick. The priest reports the monster is dead. In the night, Thomas, half-delirious, sees a mysterious, spined, arrow-riddled man limping toward the stables where the girl is sleeping, and later feels the same man help him back to bed.
-
Chapter 5 · Five: Of the Thing in the Murk
Thomas, the girl, the priest, and two townsmen go to the river to confront the monster. After a confrontation at the seigneur's keep where they are refused help, they reach the river and see the creature. A brutal fight ensues: the bearded man flees, the drunk farmer Sanson is killed and swallowed, and Thomas, despite being wounded by a spine in his groin and nearly drowned, manages to kill the monster before collapsing on the bank.
-
Chapter 6 · Six: Of the Marriage on the Bank and the Visitation in the Stable
A plague-stricken woman named Mathilde stumbles to the river, finds Thomas unconscious on the bank, and in her delirium 'marries' him before dying on his back. Thomas wakes in the priest's house, wounded and sick. The priest reports the monster is dead. In the night, Thomas, half-delirious, sees a mysterious, spined, arrow-riddled man limping toward the stables where the girl is sleeping, and later feels the same man help him back to bed.
-
Chapter 7 · Seven: Of the Battle of Song-of-Angels
The girl insists they travel to the shrine of the Virgin of the White Rock at Rochelle-la-Blanche to heal Thomas of the plague. The priest, Père Matthieu Hanicotte, finds a cart and mule from a dead man and they set out. On the road, they encounter a mob from Chanson-des-Anges intent on stealing back the Virgin statue, which they claim was stolen years before. The girl and priest deter them, but the mob proceeds to Rochelle-la-Blanche, where a battle erupts; the statue is destroyed and all the attackers are killed. The girl uses the Virgin's stone hand to drive a foul presence from Thomas, saving his life. Thomas recovers, and the three leave St. Martin-le-Preux for Paris and Avignon. Meanwhile, the seigneur's men search the priest's empty house, contract the plague, and die, wiping out the castle.
-
Chapter 8 · Eight: Of the Feast, and of the Night Tourney
Thomas, the girl, and the priest approach a castle that seems untouched by plague. They are invited to a feast and a night tourney by a pleasant herald. The girl refuses to enter and stays in a tree. At the feast, Thomas is mocked by a knight named Théobald de Barentin. After a drunken night, Thomas participates in a deadly tourney where he fights Théobald and the seigneur transforms into a lion-devil. At sunrise, the castle and all its inhabitants vanish, revealing an abandoned tower, a common grave, and a cow field. The girl rejoins Thomas, and he agrees to go to Paris.
-
Chapter 9 · Nine: Of the City of Paris
Thomas, the priest, and the girl arrive at plague-ravaged Paris. They are cheated by an old woman selling a filthy room, then find shelter with a Norman woodcarver, Jehan de Rouen, and his wife Annette after the girl sings a song from her childhood. The girl reveals her name is Delphine. Jehan warns of stone creatures that knock at night and kill. Thomas confesses he is excommunicated and considers leaving the group.
-
Chapter 10 · Ten: Of the Battle of Crécy
Thomas recalls the Battle of Crécy, where he fought alongside his lord, the Comte de Givras, and was severely wounded by an arrow to the face. He retreated with his dying lord, convalesced in Amiens, and then learned from his squire that his lands had been seized by Le Comte d'Évreux, his wife had betrayed him, and he had been excommunicated. Seeking revenge, he joined Godefroy's brigands in Normandy.
-
Chapter 11 · Eleven: Of the Market on Rue Mont-Fetard
Thomas finishes telling his tale to Jehan and the priest. The group goes to the market on rue Mont-Fetard for food, where Delphine becomes fascinated by a relic seller claiming to possess holy artifacts. The seller is accused of being a Jew by a mob, pilloried, and his cart looted. At dinner, Delphine runs back to free him and the spice seller from the pillories using the useless key from the old woman. The Jew gives her a small wooden tube on a rope before Thomas carries her away as knocking sounds approach in the night.
-
Chapter 9 · Nine: Of the City of Paris
Thomas, the priest, and the girl arrive at plague-ravaged Paris. They are cheated by an old woman selling a filthy room, then find shelter with a Norman woodcarver, Jehan de Rouen, and his wife Annette after the girl sings a song from her childhood. The girl reveals her name is Delphine. Jehan warns of stone creatures that knock at night and kill. Thomas confesses he is excommunicated and considers leaving the group.
-
Chapter 10 · Ten: Of the Battle of Crécy
Thomas recalls the Battle of Crécy, where he fought alongside his lord, the Comte de Givras, and was severely wounded by an arrow to the face. He retreated with his dying lord, convalesced in Amiens, and then learned from his squire that his lands had been seized by Le Comte d'Évreux, his wife had betrayed him, and he had been excommunicated. Seeking revenge, he joined Godefroy's brigands in Normandy.
-
Chapter 10 · Ten: Of the Battle of Crécy
Thomas recalls the Battle of Crécy, where he fought alongside his lord, the Comte de Givras, and was severely wounded by an arrow to the face. He retreated with his dying lord, convalesced in Amiens, and then learned from his squire that his lands had been seized by Le Comte d'Évreux, his wife had betrayed him, and he had been excommunicated. Seeking revenge, he joined Godefroy's brigands in Normandy.
-
Chapter 11 · Eleven: Of the Market on Rue Mont-Fetard
Thomas finishes telling his tale to Jehan and the priest. The group goes to the market on rue Mont-Fetard for food, where Delphine becomes fascinated by a relic seller claiming to possess holy artifacts. The seller is accused of being a Jew by a mob, pilloried, and his cart looted. At dinner, Delphine runs back to free him and the spice seller from the pillories using the useless key from the old woman. The Jew gives her a small wooden tube on a rope before Thomas carries her away as knocking sounds approach in the night.
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Chapter 12 · Twelve: Of the Ones Who Knock by Night
A stone creature in the form of the Virgin Mary attacks Jehan de Rouen's workshop, killing Jehan and Annette before being driven off by Thomas and the holy spearhead wielded by Père Raoul. The house catches fire and the survivors flee. On their way out of the quarter, they pass a church where stone statues of saints, now animated, hurl psychic abuse at them before dawn silences them.
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Chapter 13 · Thirteen: Of the Rain and the Figure of Death
Thomas, Delphine, and the priest leave Paris in the rain, with Delphine looking back at the smoking city. After days of travel without food, they take shelter in a stone barn, where they encounter a wild, naked man who threatens them with a scythe before fleeing. They build a fire, dry their clothes, and tell stories to pass the time, including a werewolf tale. The naked man returns to peek at them before running off again. Thomas and the priest talk outside in the cold night, where the priest reveals his father was a soldier and he became a priest because he was unfit for arms.
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Chapter 14 · Fourteen: Of the Stained Priest and the Widow’s Revenge
Two months before the plague reached St. Martin-le-Preux, Père Matthieu Hanicotte struggled with his secret love for Michel Hébert, the reeve's son. After a tense Mass, he encountered Michel bathing with a girl and later joined him naked in the river, where they were discovered by the drunken Brotherhood of St. Martin’s Arse. The scandal led to his shunning. When the plague arrived, the brotherhood terrorized the town until the widow, infected, served them beer mixed with her blood, killing them. After Michel and many others died, the priest retreated until a monster in the river forced villagers to seek his help, and he waited for a soldier to arrive.
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Chapter 14 · Fourteen: Of the Stained Priest and the Widow’s Revenge
Two months before the plague reached St. Martin-le-Preux, Père Matthieu Hanicotte struggled with his secret love for Michel Hébert, the reeve's son. After a tense Mass, he encountered Michel bathing with a girl and later joined him naked in the river, where they were discovered by the drunken Brotherhood of St. Martin’s Arse. The scandal led to his shunning. When the plague arrived, the brotherhood terrorized the town until the widow, infected, served them beer mixed with her blood, killing them. After Michel and many others died, the priest retreated until a monster in the river forced villagers to seek his help, and he waited for a soldier to arrive.
-
Chapter 8 · Eight: Of the Feast, and of the Night Tourney
Thomas, the girl, and the priest approach a castle that seems untouched by plague. They are invited to a feast and a night tourney by a pleasant herald. The girl refuses to enter and stays in a tree. At the feast, Thomas is mocked by a knight named Théobald de Barentin. After a drunken night, Thomas participates in a deadly tourney where he fights Théobald and the seigneur transforms into a lion-devil. At sunrise, the castle and all its inhabitants vanish, revealing an abandoned tower, a common grave, and a cow field. The girl rejoins Thomas, and he agrees to go to Paris.
-
Chapter 9 · Nine: Of the City of Paris
Thomas, the priest, and the girl arrive at plague-ravaged Paris. They are cheated by an old woman selling a filthy room, then find shelter with a Norman woodcarver, Jehan de Rouen, and his wife Annette after the girl sings a song from her childhood. The girl reveals her name is Delphine. Jehan warns of stone creatures that knock at night and kill. Thomas confesses he is excommunicated and considers leaving the group.
-
Chapter 10 · Ten: Of the Battle of Crécy
Thomas recalls the Battle of Crécy, where he fought alongside his lord, the Comte de Givras, and was severely wounded by an arrow to the face. He retreated with his dying lord, convalesced in Amiens, and then learned from his squire that his lands had been seized by Le Comte d'Évreux, his wife had betrayed him, and he had been excommunicated. Seeking revenge, he joined Godefroy's brigands in Normandy.
-
Chapter 9 · Nine: Of the City of Paris
Thomas, the priest, and the girl arrive at plague-ravaged Paris. They are cheated by an old woman selling a filthy room, then find shelter with a Norman woodcarver, Jehan de Rouen, and his wife Annette after the girl sings a song from her childhood. The girl reveals her name is Delphine. Jehan warns of stone creatures that knock at night and kill. Thomas confesses he is excommunicated and considers leaving the group.
-
Chapter 10 · Ten: Of the Battle of Crécy
Thomas recalls the Battle of Crécy, where he fought alongside his lord, the Comte de Givras, and was severely wounded by an arrow to the face. He retreated with his dying lord, convalesced in Amiens, and then learned from his squire that his lands had been seized by Le Comte d'Évreux, his wife had betrayed him, and he had been excommunicated. Seeking revenge, he joined Godefroy's brigands in Normandy.
-
Chapter 11 · Eleven: Of the Market on Rue Mont-Fetard
Thomas finishes telling his tale to Jehan and the priest. The group goes to the market on rue Mont-Fetard for food, where Delphine becomes fascinated by a relic seller claiming to possess holy artifacts. The seller is accused of being a Jew by a mob, pilloried, and his cart looted. At dinner, Delphine runs back to free him and the spice seller from the pillories using the useless key from the old woman. The Jew gives her a small wooden tube on a rope before Thomas carries her away as knocking sounds approach in the night.
-
Chapter 12 · Twelve: Of the Ones Who Knock by Night
A stone creature in the form of the Virgin Mary attacks Jehan de Rouen's workshop, killing Jehan and Annette before being driven off by Thomas and the holy spearhead wielded by Père Raoul. The house catches fire and the survivors flee. On their way out of the quarter, they pass a church where stone statues of saints, now animated, hurl psychic abuse at them before dawn silences them.
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Chapter 13 · Thirteen: Of the Rain and the Figure of Death
Thomas, Delphine, and the priest leave Paris in the rain, with Delphine looking back at the smoking city. After days of travel without food, they take shelter in a stone barn, where they encounter a wild, naked man who threatens them with a scythe before fleeing. They build a fire, dry their clothes, and tell stories to pass the time, including a werewolf tale. The naked man returns to peek at them before running off again. Thomas and the priest talk outside in the cold night, where the priest reveals his father was a soldier and he became a priest because he was unfit for arms.
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Chapter 14 · Fourteen: Of the Stained Priest and the Widow’s Revenge
Two months before the plague reached St. Martin-le-Preux, Père Matthieu Hanicotte struggled with his secret love for Michel Hébert, the reeve's son. After a tense Mass, he encountered Michel bathing with a girl and later joined him naked in the river, where they were discovered by the drunken Brotherhood of St. Martin’s Arse. The scandal led to his shunning. When the plague arrived, the brotherhood terrorized the town until the widow, infected, served them beer mixed with her blood, killing them. After Michel and many others died, the priest retreated until a monster in the river forced villagers to seek his help, and he waited for a soldier to arrive.
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Chapter 15 · Fifteen: Of the Visitation in the Barn
In the barn, Père Raoul admits to Thomas that his village hated him for his weakness, hinting his affair was with Michel Hébert, not Mélisande Arnaut, though he lies to Thomas about it. Delphine comforts him. That night, a tentacled monster oozes into the barn. Thomas has a feverish dream where he resists a tempting pear and fights shadowy fire-makers; he awakes to find he was sleepwalking and had nearly raped Delphine, but fought off the monster's influence. In the morning, Delphine discovers she has begun menstruating.
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Chapter 16 · Sixteen: Of the Maple Tree
Thomas, Delphine, and the priest travel five days from Paris, hungry and foraging. Delphine, now menstruating, is restless and walks alongside the cart. Thomas teases her, and the priest feels jealous of their playful, father-daughter-like intimacy. They camp by a stream, catch little food, and eat a meager meal. In the morning, Delphine plays an imaginary stew game, and they share a found walnut before leaving. Unnoticed by any, the maple stump Delphine slept against has grown into a tree overnight.
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Chapter 17 · Seventeen: Of St. Lazarus and the Rotten Fruit
Thomas, Delphine, and the priest encounter a troop of knights bound for Avignon; a knight recognizes Thomas from Crécy and offers him a horse to join them, but Thomas refuses. They are barred from entering Nemours and instead find a survivor encampment called St. Lazarus, where they work for food. Later, they discover the hanged corpse of the squire who insulted them, with a sign labeling him a rapist.
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Chapter 18 · Eighteen: Of the Penitents, and of Auxerre
Thomas, Delphine, and Père Raoul encounter a dwarf crucified by the Penitents in Ponchelvert; after a struggle, Thomas re-crucifies him at his own request. They travel toward Auxerre, where Delphine, warned by an angel of devils there, sneaks away to the town. In Auxerre, the Penitents, led by Rutger the Fair and a beautiful dead boy, perform a ritual claiming to raise three plague victims from the dead. Delphine intervenes, kissing the dead and the boy, returning them to death. She is attacked as a witch, but an angel blinds her attackers and topples a building to shield her, telling her to run as a devilish knight arrives.
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Chapter 13 · Thirteen: Of the Rain and the Figure of Death
Thomas, Delphine, and the priest leave Paris in the rain, with Delphine looking back at the smoking city. After days of travel without food, they take shelter in a stone barn, where they encounter a wild, naked man who threatens them with a scythe before fleeing. They build a fire, dry their clothes, and tell stories to pass the time, including a werewolf tale. The naked man returns to peek at them before running off again. Thomas and the priest talk outside in the cold night, where the priest reveals his father was a soldier and he became a priest because he was unfit for arms.
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Chapter 13 · Thirteen: Of the Rain and the Figure of Death
Thomas, Delphine, and the priest leave Paris in the rain, with Delphine looking back at the smoking city. After days of travel without food, they take shelter in a stone barn, where they encounter a wild, naked man who threatens them with a scythe before fleeing. They build a fire, dry their clothes, and tell stories to pass the time, including a werewolf tale. The naked man returns to peek at them before running off again. Thomas and the priest talk outside in the cold night, where the priest reveals his father was a soldier and he became a priest because he was unfit for arms.
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Chapter 14 · Fourteen: Of the Stained Priest and the Widow’s Revenge
Two months before the plague reached St. Martin-le-Preux, Père Matthieu Hanicotte struggled with his secret love for Michel Hébert, the reeve's son. After a tense Mass, he encountered Michel bathing with a girl and later joined him naked in the river, where they were discovered by the drunken Brotherhood of St. Martin’s Arse. The scandal led to his shunning. When the plague arrived, the brotherhood terrorized the town until the widow, infected, served them beer mixed with her blood, killing them. After Michel and many others died, the priest retreated until a monster in the river forced villagers to seek his help, and he waited for a soldier to arrive.
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Chapter 15 · Fifteen: Of the Visitation in the Barn
In the barn, Père Raoul admits to Thomas that his village hated him for his weakness, hinting his affair was with Michel Hébert, not Mélisande Arnaut, though he lies to Thomas about it. Delphine comforts him. That night, a tentacled monster oozes into the barn. Thomas has a feverish dream where he resists a tempting pear and fights shadowy fire-makers; he awakes to find he was sleepwalking and had nearly raped Delphine, but fought off the monster's influence. In the morning, Delphine discovers she has begun menstruating.
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Chapter 16 · Sixteen: Of the Maple Tree
Thomas, Delphine, and the priest travel five days from Paris, hungry and foraging. Delphine, now menstruating, is restless and walks alongside the cart. Thomas teases her, and the priest feels jealous of their playful, father-daughter-like intimacy. They camp by a stream, catch little food, and eat a meager meal. In the morning, Delphine plays an imaginary stew game, and they share a found walnut before leaving. Unnoticed by any, the maple stump Delphine slept against has grown into a tree overnight.
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Chapter 17 · Seventeen: Of St. Lazarus and the Rotten Fruit
Thomas, Delphine, and the priest encounter a troop of knights bound for Avignon; a knight recognizes Thomas from Crécy and offers him a horse to join them, but Thomas refuses. They are barred from entering Nemours and instead find a survivor encampment called St. Lazarus, where they work for food. Later, they discover the hanged corpse of the squire who insulted them, with a sign labeling him a rapist.
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Chapter 17 · Seventeen: Of St. Lazarus and the Rotten Fruit
Thomas, Delphine, and the priest encounter a troop of knights bound for Avignon; a knight recognizes Thomas from Crécy and offers him a horse to join them, but Thomas refuses. They are barred from entering Nemours and instead find a survivor encampment called St. Lazarus, where they work for food. Later, they discover the hanged corpse of the squire who insulted them, with a sign labeling him a rapist.
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Chapter 18 · Eighteen: Of the Penitents, and of Auxerre
Thomas, Delphine, and Père Raoul encounter a dwarf crucified by the Penitents in Ponchelvert; after a struggle, Thomas re-crucifies him at his own request. They travel toward Auxerre, where Delphine, warned by an angel of devils there, sneaks away to the town. In Auxerre, the Penitents, led by Rutger the Fair and a beautiful dead boy, perform a ritual claiming to raise three plague victims from the dead. Delphine intervenes, kissing the dead and the boy, returning them to death. She is attacked as a witch, but an angel blinds her attackers and topples a building to shield her, telling her to run as a devilish knight arrives.
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Chapter 18 · Eighteen: Of the Penitents, and of Auxerre
Thomas, Delphine, and Père Raoul encounter a dwarf crucified by the Penitents in Ponchelvert; after a struggle, Thomas re-crucifies him at his own request. They travel toward Auxerre, where Delphine, warned by an angel of devils there, sneaks away to the town. In Auxerre, the Penitents, led by Rutger the Fair and a beautiful dead boy, perform a ritual claiming to raise three plague victims from the dead. Delphine intervenes, kissing the dead and the boy, returning them to death. She is attacked as a witch, but an angel blinds her attackers and topples a building to shield her, telling her to run as a devilish knight arrives.
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Chapter 19 · Nineteen: Of the War Drawing Near
A massive storm and supernatural battle erupt near Auxerre. Thomas and the priest witness two dark clouds transform into winged devils. The priest, despairing, clings to a tree where he finds Delphine hiding. The six-winged devil uproots their tree; Delphine falls, is briefly caught by an angel, then falls again and is caught by the priest. Thomas watches from a gully as the angel is overpowered and killed by the two devils in a cataclysmic fight. A bloody rain falls as Thomas loses consciousness.
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Chapter 20 · Twenty: Of the Monk in White
After leaving Auxerre with a cask of wine, Thomas, Delphine, and the drunken priest travel south-east. Delphine suggests building a raft to travel faster via rivers to reach Avignon. That night, the priest has a terrifying vision where a Cistercian monk and an apparition of Michel Hébert urge him to kill Delphine with a rusty sword, accusing her of being wicked and her father a Cathar. The priest climbs to the loft with the sword but cannot bring himself to do it. In the morning, Delphine tells him she dreamed Saint Bernard of Clairvaux made him kill her, and she asserts the saint is in Hell. The priest reassures her he would never let anyone hurt her.
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Chapter 17 · Seventeen: Of St. Lazarus and the Rotten Fruit
Thomas, Delphine, and the priest encounter a troop of knights bound for Avignon; a knight recognizes Thomas from Crécy and offers him a horse to join them, but Thomas refuses. They are barred from entering Nemours and instead find a survivor encampment called St. Lazarus, where they work for food. Later, they discover the hanged corpse of the squire who insulted them, with a sign labeling him a rapist.
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Chapter 17 · Seventeen: Of St. Lazarus and the Rotten Fruit
Thomas, Delphine, and the priest encounter a troop of knights bound for Avignon; a knight recognizes Thomas from Crécy and offers him a horse to join them, but Thomas refuses. They are barred from entering Nemours and instead find a survivor encampment called St. Lazarus, where they work for food. Later, they discover the hanged corpse of the squire who insulted them, with a sign labeling him a rapist.
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Chapter 18 · Eighteen: Of the Penitents, and of Auxerre
Thomas, Delphine, and Père Raoul encounter a dwarf crucified by the Penitents in Ponchelvert; after a struggle, Thomas re-crucifies him at his own request. They travel toward Auxerre, where Delphine, warned by an angel of devils there, sneaks away to the town. In Auxerre, the Penitents, led by Rutger the Fair and a beautiful dead boy, perform a ritual claiming to raise three plague victims from the dead. Delphine intervenes, kissing the dead and the boy, returning them to death. She is attacked as a witch, but an angel blinds her attackers and topples a building to shield her, telling her to run as a devilish knight arrives.
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Chapter 19 · Nineteen: Of the War Drawing Near
A massive storm and supernatural battle erupt near Auxerre. Thomas and the priest witness two dark clouds transform into winged devils. The priest, despairing, clings to a tree where he finds Delphine hiding. The six-winged devil uproots their tree; Delphine falls, is briefly caught by an angel, then falls again and is caught by the priest. Thomas watches from a gully as the angel is overpowered and killed by the two devils in a cataclysmic fight. A bloody rain falls as Thomas loses consciousness.
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Chapter 20 · Twenty: Of the Monk in White
After leaving Auxerre with a cask of wine, Thomas, Delphine, and the drunken priest travel south-east. Delphine suggests building a raft to travel faster via rivers to reach Avignon. That night, the priest has a terrifying vision where a Cistercian monk and an apparition of Michel Hébert urge him to kill Delphine with a rusty sword, accusing her of being wicked and her father a Cathar. The priest climbs to the loft with the sword but cannot bring himself to do it. In the morning, Delphine tells him she dreamed Saint Bernard of Clairvaux made him kill her, and she asserts the saint is in Hell. The priest reassures her he would never let anyone hurt her.
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Chapter 20 · Twenty: Of the Monk in White
After leaving Auxerre with a cask of wine, Thomas, Delphine, and the drunken priest travel south-east. Delphine suggests building a raft to travel faster via rivers to reach Avignon. That night, the priest has a terrifying vision where a Cistercian monk and an apparition of Michel Hébert urge him to kill Delphine with a rusty sword, accusing her of being wicked and her father a Cathar. The priest climbs to the loft with the sword but cannot bring himself to do it. In the morning, Delphine tells him she dreamed Saint Bernard of Clairvaux made him kill her, and she asserts the saint is in Hell. The priest reassures her he would never let anyone hurt her.
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Chapter 21 · Twenty-One: Of Monsters, and of Blessings
The trio avoids Beaune but sees evidence of monsters: a tree hung with smoked people and animals, and a dark hole with scattered feet. They find an inn run by a former Franciscan and meet a Tuscan merchant, Rinaldo, heading home. Delphine warns Rinaldo not to accompany them, revealing intimate knowledge of his wife. Thomas and Rinaldo hunt and kill a boar. Rinaldo parts ways with them at Chalon-sur-Saône.
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Chapter 22 · Twenty-Two: Of the Fishers of Men
Thomas, Delphine, and Père Matthieu travel down the Saône and Rhône on a raft crewed by pirates of the Guild of Simon Peter. The pirates board and loot other vessels. After days of travel, the captain decides to murder the passengers for their gold. Guillaume, the first mate and a Crécy veteran loyal to Thomas, betrays the captain by shooting one oarsman. A fight ensues: Thomas kills the captain, Guillaume is wounded, and the other oarsmen are subdued. The raft drifts on with the survivors.
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Chapter 23 · Twenty-Three: Of the Island of the Dead
Thomas, Guillaume, Père Matthieu, and Delphine continue down the Rhône on the raft, discussing sin and God's wrath. They encounter a dam of dead bodies in the river, which is inhabited by gelatinous, stinging creatures with human or animal heads at their centers. The raft is attacked and pulled under; they fall into the river and fight their way to shore using salt, which kills the creatures. Guillaume is stung repeatedly, dies, and his head is taken by the large abomination at the dam's center. Thomas and the priest, shielding Delphine, reach the shore in a fallow field almost in Provence, while the abomination moves south down the river.
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Chapter 24 · Twenty-Four: Of the Cottage, and of the Song
After escaping the river, Thomas carries Delphine and the dying Père Matthieu to a cottage where an old man sick with the plague lets them in. Delphine plays a song on the lute that stirs memories in the men. The priest dies, revealing he had a brother named Robert. Thomas buries the priest and the old man, then sets out with Delphine toward Avignon.
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Chapter 24 · Twenty-Four: Of the Cottage, and of the Song
After escaping the river, Thomas carries Delphine and the dying Père Matthieu to a cottage where an old man sick with the plague lets them in. Delphine plays a song on the lute that stirs memories in the men. The priest dies, revealing he had a brother named Robert. Thomas buries the priest and the old man, then sets out with Delphine toward Avignon.
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Chapter 25 · Twenty-Five: Of Delphine, and of the Scarecrow
Delphine, believing she brings death to those who help her, leaves Thomas while he sleeps and sets out alone for Avignon. After a thirsty journey, she spends a night in an abandoned convent chapel where a scarecrow creature calling itself Sister Broom tries to terrorize her into giving up the holy spearhead. Delphine defies it, drives it away with the spearhead, and sleeps in a tree. In the morning, she dismantles the scarecrow, buries the human remains, and continues toward Avignon.
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Chapter 26 · Twenty-Six: Of Thomas, and of an Oath Long Overdue
Thomas discovers Delphine has left their camp. He sets off south to find her, asking villagers along the way. He is mistaken for an English routier by a mob in a village mourning men killed by long arrows, but after swearing oaths in church that he is a loyal French knight, he is cleansed, fed, and continues toward Orange with renewed bearing.
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Chapter 27 · Twenty-Seven: Of the Routiers
Thomas arrives outside Orange and discovers a band of English routiers carousing at the Stews of the Arch bathhouse. He kills their drunk sentinel and enters intending to slaughter them, but stops himself after hearing voices and remembering the girl's command not to kill. He spares them and sleeps in a church belfry, wrestling with his belief that the girl is holy. The next day, on the crowded road to Avignon, he sees Chrétien d'Évreux leading a military procession, reigniting his hatred and desire for revenge.
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Chapter 28 · Twenty-Eight: Of the Affair of Honor
Thomas catches up with Chrétien d'Évreux and his party at a stream, challenges him to an affair of honor to reclaim his stolen lands and reputation. During the duel, Thomas gains the upper hand, but the fight is interrupted when English routiers ambush the clearing, killing most of the men. Thomas is spared by the routier leader Janus Blount, who recognizes him from the Stews of the Arch. Thomas wakes to find Delphine tending him; she reveals an invitation to dine with the pope taken from the dead comte and performs a ritual where Thomas's reflection changes, but the miracle ends when he refuses to forgive his wife.
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Chapter 28 · Twenty-Eight: Of the Affair of Honor
Thomas catches up with Chrétien d'Évreux and his party at a stream, challenges him to an affair of honor to reclaim his stolen lands and reputation. During the duel, Thomas gains the upper hand, but the fight is interrupted when English routiers ambush the clearing, killing most of the men. Thomas is spared by the routier leader Janus Blount, who recognizes him from the Stews of the Arch. Thomas wakes to find Delphine tending him; she reveals an invitation to dine with the pope taken from the dead comte and performs a ritual where Thomas's reflection changes, but the miracle ends when he refuses to forgive his wife.
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Chapter 28 · Twenty-Eight: Of the Affair of Honor
Thomas catches up with Chrétien d'Évreux and his party at a stream, challenges him to an affair of honor to reclaim his stolen lands and reputation. During the duel, Thomas gains the upper hand, but the fight is interrupted when English routiers ambush the clearing, killing most of the men. Thomas is spared by the routier leader Janus Blount, who recognizes him from the Stews of the Arch. Thomas wakes to find Delphine tending him; she reveals an invitation to dine with the pope taken from the dead comte and performs a ritual where Thomas's reflection changes, but the miracle ends when he refuses to forgive his wife.
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Chapter 24 · Twenty-Four: Of the Cottage, and of the Song
After escaping the river, Thomas carries Delphine and the dying Père Matthieu to a cottage where an old man sick with the plague lets them in. Delphine plays a song on the lute that stirs memories in the men. The priest dies, revealing he had a brother named Robert. Thomas buries the priest and the old man, then sets out with Delphine toward Avignon.
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Chapter 25 · Twenty-Five: Of Delphine, and of the Scarecrow
Delphine, believing she brings death to those who help her, leaves Thomas while he sleeps and sets out alone for Avignon. After a thirsty journey, she spends a night in an abandoned convent chapel where a scarecrow creature calling itself Sister Broom tries to terrorize her into giving up the holy spearhead. Delphine defies it, drives it away with the spearhead, and sleeps in a tree. In the morning, she dismantles the scarecrow, buries the human remains, and continues toward Avignon.
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Chapter 26 · Twenty-Six: Of Thomas, and of an Oath Long Overdue
Thomas discovers Delphine has left their camp. He sets off south to find her, asking villagers along the way. He is mistaken for an English routier by a mob in a village mourning men killed by long arrows, but after swearing oaths in church that he is a loyal French knight, he is cleansed, fed, and continues toward Orange with renewed bearing.
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Chapter 27 · Twenty-Seven: Of the Routiers
Thomas arrives outside Orange and discovers a band of English routiers carousing at the Stews of the Arch bathhouse. He kills their drunk sentinel and enters intending to slaughter them, but stops himself after hearing voices and remembering the girl's command not to kill. He spares them and sleeps in a church belfry, wrestling with his belief that the girl is holy. The next day, on the crowded road to Avignon, he sees Chrétien d'Évreux leading a military procession, reigniting his hatred and desire for revenge.
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Chapter 28 · Twenty-Eight: Of the Affair of Honor
Thomas catches up with Chrétien d'Évreux and his party at a stream, challenges him to an affair of honor to reclaim his stolen lands and reputation. During the duel, Thomas gains the upper hand, but the fight is interrupted when English routiers ambush the clearing, killing most of the men. Thomas is spared by the routier leader Janus Blount, who recognizes him from the Stews of the Arch. Thomas wakes to find Delphine tending him; she reveals an invitation to dine with the pope taken from the dead comte and performs a ritual where Thomas's reflection changes, but the miracle ends when he refuses to forgive his wife.
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Chapter 28 · Twenty-Eight: Of the Affair of Honor
Thomas catches up with Chrétien d'Évreux and his party at a stream, challenges him to an affair of honor to reclaim his stolen lands and reputation. During the duel, Thomas gains the upper hand, but the fight is interrupted when English routiers ambush the clearing, killing most of the men. Thomas is spared by the routier leader Janus Blount, who recognizes him from the Stews of the Arch. Thomas wakes to find Delphine tending him; she reveals an invitation to dine with the pope taken from the dead comte and performs a ritual where Thomas's reflection changes, but the miracle ends when he refuses to forgive his wife.
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Chapter 29 · Twenty-Nine: Of Marguerite of Péronne
The chapter recounts Thomas's marriage to Marguerite de Péronne in 1341, her beauty and wit, and their early happiness. It reveals Thomas's humble origins: his mother was a kitchen worker and the bastard of a Spanish knight, and Thomas was taken on as a page by the Comte de Givras. Marguerite once suggested the Comte was Thomas's father, which Thomas now believes. The chapter ends with Delphine leading Thomas to the stream to wash away his anger.
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Chapter 30 · Thirty: Of the Priest’s Brother
Robert Hanicotte, the cardinal's concubine and brother of the late priest Matthieu, tends to horses in Avignon and is haunted by a nightmare about his brother. He sneaks out to the market, visits a falconer, and attends a grand papal feast where Pope Clement VI announces a crusade to Jerusalem and the imminent revocation of legal protections for Jews. Robert observes the Comte d'Évreux among the honored guests.
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Chapter 31 · Thirty-One: Of the Feast, and of the Hunt of Stags
Thomas and Delphine, disguised as the Comte d'Évreux and his page, attend Pope Clement VI's lavish feast in the Grand Tinel in Avignon. The feast features extravagant food, music, and entertainments, culminating in a 'hunt' where nude women wearing stag masks mingle with guests in a grove of golden trees. Thomas is nearly recognized by a viol player from a previous encounter but escapes notice. He is tempted by one of the women but withdraws, taking a golden ivory comb as a gift. After the feast, Delphine discovers a maggot moving on Thomas's thigh.
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Chapter 32 · Thirty-Two: Of the Night Vintners
Robert Hanicotte discovers Delphine in the cardinal's stables; she reveals his brother died bringing her and convinces him to ride to the pope's vineyards at night. There they witness the dead harvesting grapes and treading wine in silence. They flee from the pursuing corpses. Delphine persuades Robert to arrange a private audience for the Comte d'Évreux with the pope, claiming the stink is coming from the palace. Back at their lodgings, Delphine tells Thomas the pope they saw is an impostor, the devil Baal'Zebuth, who is raising the dead, and that the stag women at the feast were corpses.
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Chapter 33 · Thirty-Three: Of the Pope’s Garden
Robert meets with Pope Clement VI in the papal garden and recounts his dream about the girl pretending to be the Comte d'Évreux's page. The pope suggests the experience might be witchcraft meant to discredit him, praises Robert's loyalty, and elevates him to an undetermined position. Cardinal Cyriac observes the meeting with unease and later notices the pope's two lions are mysteriously in the same cage.
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Chapter 30 · Thirty: Of the Priest’s Brother
Robert Hanicotte, the cardinal's concubine and brother of the late priest Matthieu, tends to horses in Avignon and is haunted by a nightmare about his brother. He sneaks out to the market, visits a falconer, and attends a grand papal feast where Pope Clement VI announces a crusade to Jerusalem and the imminent revocation of legal protections for Jews. Robert observes the Comte d'Évreux among the honored guests.
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Chapter 31 · Thirty-One: Of the Feast, and of the Hunt of Stags
Thomas and Delphine, disguised as the Comte d'Évreux and his page, attend Pope Clement VI's lavish feast in the Grand Tinel in Avignon. The feast features extravagant food, music, and entertainments, culminating in a 'hunt' where nude women wearing stag masks mingle with guests in a grove of golden trees. Thomas is nearly recognized by a viol player from a previous encounter but escapes notice. He is tempted by one of the women but withdraws, taking a golden ivory comb as a gift. After the feast, Delphine discovers a maggot moving on Thomas's thigh.
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Chapter 32 · Thirty-Two: Of the Night Vintners
Robert Hanicotte discovers Delphine in the cardinal's stables; she reveals his brother died bringing her and convinces him to ride to the pope's vineyards at night. There they witness the dead harvesting grapes and treading wine in silence. They flee from the pursuing corpses. Delphine persuades Robert to arrange a private audience for the Comte d'Évreux with the pope, claiming the stink is coming from the palace. Back at their lodgings, Delphine tells Thomas the pope they saw is an impostor, the devil Baal'Zebuth, who is raising the dead, and that the stag women at the feast were corpses.
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Chapter 33 · Thirty-Three: Of the Pope’s Garden
Robert meets with Pope Clement VI in the papal garden and recounts his dream about the girl pretending to be the Comte d'Évreux's page. The pope suggests the experience might be witchcraft meant to discredit him, praises Robert's loyalty, and elevates him to an undetermined position. Cardinal Cyriac observes the meeting with unease and later notices the pope's two lions are mysteriously in the same cage.
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Chapter 32 · Thirty-Two: Of the Night Vintners
Robert Hanicotte discovers Delphine in the cardinal's stables; she reveals his brother died bringing her and convinces him to ride to the pope's vineyards at night. There they witness the dead harvesting grapes and treading wine in silence. They flee from the pursuing corpses. Delphine persuades Robert to arrange a private audience for the Comte d'Évreux with the pope, claiming the stink is coming from the palace. Back at their lodgings, Delphine tells Thomas the pope they saw is an impostor, the devil Baal'Zebuth, who is raising the dead, and that the stag women at the feast were corpses.
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Chapter 33 · Thirty-Three: Of the Pope’s Garden
Robert meets with Pope Clement VI in the papal garden and recounts his dream about the girl pretending to be the Comte d'Évreux's page. The pope suggests the experience might be witchcraft meant to discredit him, praises Robert's loyalty, and elevates him to an undetermined position. Cardinal Cyriac observes the meeting with unease and later notices the pope's two lions are mysteriously in the same cage.
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Chapter 34 · Thirty-Four: Of the Arrest
Thomas and Delphine, posing as the Comte d'Évreux and his page, hide in their lodgings at the Elysium House in Avignon, avoiding a feast and fearing exposure. Thomas manages to banter with revelers outside their window to maintain the ruse. Later, papal guards arrive to arrest them. Delphine, after seeing a miraculous transformation of the view outside their window to a riverbank, tells Thomas to let himself be taken, then rolls out the window and escapes. Thomas fights the guards but is overpowered, has his legs broken, and is taken in a cart to the papal palace.
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Chapter 35 · Thirty-Five: Of the Doctor
The pope's physician, Maître de Chauliac, forges a writ to rescue the tortured Comte d'Évreux (Thomas in the comte's body) from the dungeon. He wheels him outside, where Delphine appears. Thomas de Givras's true body emerges from the Rhône, and through a breath-sharing kiss, Thomas's spirit returns to his original body. The dead body of the comte is tipped into the river.
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Chapter 35 · Thirty-Five: Of the Doctor
The pope's physician, Maître de Chauliac, forges a writ to rescue the tortured Comte d'Évreux (Thomas in the comte's body) from the dungeon. He wheels him outside, where Delphine appears. Thomas de Givras's true body emerges from the Rhône, and through a breath-sharing kiss, Thomas's spirit returns to his original body. The dead body of the comte is tipped into the river.
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Chapter 36 · Thirty-Six: Of the Arming, and of the Vigil
Delphine persuades the chamber boy Isnard to let her into Elysium House to retrieve Thomas's armor and horse. Thomas and Delphine ride out of Avignon to a Franciscan monastery, where Brother Albrecht gives Thomas a friar's habit. Delphine anoints Thomas's sword with her blood, and they prepare to attend the feast in the Courtyard of Honor where a new cardinal will be created.
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Chapter 37 · Thirty-Seven: Of the Visitation at Villeneuve
Robert Hanicotte, on the eve of his elevation to high office, spends a troubled night in the cardinal's house in Villeneuve. After being alerted by the serving boy Vincent to intruders, he investigates and witnesses a man-shaped creature with its arm down Cardinal Cyriac's throat, its skin transforming to resemble the cardinal. The creature speaks with the cardinal's voice, ordering Robert back to bed. By morning, Robert convinces himself it was a bad dream, and the cardinal appears normal except that he now sleeps on his back.
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Chapter 38 · Thirty-Eight: Of the Rings of Lazarus, and of the Bathers
At the public feast outside the papal palace, Delphine slips away and enters the wine cellar, where she resurrects the real Pope Clement VI from a wine barrel; he reveals he was murdered months ago by painted figures (the bathers) from a fresco in his private study. Meanwhile, the crowd is disturbed by a plea from Jews reporting a monster attacking their quarter, and Cardinal Cyriac dispatches soldiers.
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Chapter 39 · Thirty-Nine: Of the Gemini, and of the Unmasking
At the feast in the Courtyard of Honor, a second pope in white enters, accusing the seated pope in orange of being a devil. Thomas, disguised as a friar, attacks the false pope and the devil-knights guarding him. He is shot by Jacquot but survives long enough to cleave the false pope's head, revealing it to be Baal'Zebuth. Thomas is then killed, having his arm ripped off. Delphine is speared and killed by the devils after trying to protect the true pope, who is rescued and taken into the palace.
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Chapter 40 · Forty: Of the Coming of the Host
An abomination of stacked corpses enters the Courtyard of Honor, but is destroyed when it tries to assimilate the holy girl Delphine. Through her ruined body, a host of angels, including Zephon, Uriel, and the Archangel Michael, are born into the world. They push back the devils in a one-sided battle, bringing light and hope. Robert Hanicotte is killed when the lion-faced devil, fleeing Michael, topples a building on him. Maître de Chauliac watches from the Tower of Angels, observing the angels' calm victory and a moment of forgiveness as a devil is transformed in the Rhône.
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Chapter 41 · Forty-One: Of the Knight’s Death, and of the Judgment
Thomas dies on the courtyard bricks, his body voiding and his consciousness fading. He finds himself in Hell, appearing as his own young son, and is judged by a hideous, pained clerk-thing that damns him and eats him alive repeatedly. After countless repetitions, when Thomas stops yelling, his tormentors decide he is ready for something worse.
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Chapter 41 · Forty-One: Of the Knight’s Death, and of the Judgment
Thomas dies on the courtyard bricks, his body voiding and his consciousness fading. He finds himself in Hell, appearing as his own young son, and is judged by a hideous, pained clerk-thing that damns him and eats him alive repeatedly. After countless repetitions, when Thomas stops yelling, his tormentors decide he is ready for something worse.
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Chapter 42 · Forty-Two: Of the Harrowing
Thomas endures endless, personalized torments in Hell, forgetting his name and losing all sense of time. He finds himself in an infernal version of Paris on the Île de la Cité, bloated and shot with arrows by devil-guards. The girl (Delphine) arrives driving a cart surrounded by a protective dome of daylight, painlessly heals Thomas, and reveals she is the last one she can save. After Thomas agrees to remember her and their love, she places him in the cart and drives away under a harmless night sky, as he sleeps.
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Chapter 43 · Forty-Three: Of October’s End, and of November
Thomas awakens in a cart of bodies after the battle, is helped out by Isnard, and learns the event is remembered as an earthquake. He searches for the girl but finds no trace. He works clearing rubble in Avignon, sees Pope Clement transformed and benevolent, and eventually leaves north. After months of labor, he travels to Normandy with three friends, where they meet a girl whose parents died of the plague. Thomas helps bury her father, and they depart together, with Thomas revealing he knows her name.
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Chapter 44 · Epilogue
An old Franciscan friar (Thomas) visits the castle of Arpentel, where he receives food, speaks with the blind Lady Marguerite, and shares a coded signal with her. He reveals he is a widower with a daughter who is a nun in Amiens, which he visits monthly. He then leaves the castle to continue his journey to Amiens.
Nothing to recap yet — you haven’t started reading, or no synopses exist for the chapters so far.