Serpent & Dove

Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 2019

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Part 1, Chapters 4-6Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Part 1

Part 1, Chapter 4 Summary: “The Heist: Lou”

Lou and Coco live in the attic of a theater named Soleil et Lune (Sun and Moon). They raid the actors’ costumes for disguises and then make their way to Tremblay’s mansion near Brindelle Park. The wooded park used to be a sacred grove for witches, and the trees—which the Church unsuccessfully tried to burn down—still give off the sweet, herbal scent that magic carries in Serpent & Dove. Having performed a ritual of blood magic, Coco tells Lou that something awaits her at the mansion; however, she can’t specify what the danger will be. Bas flippantly wishes he had magic, regretting that it seems to be a talent exclusive to women. Coco points out that being persecuted as a witch isn’t particularly fun.

When they get to the mansion, Coco sedates the dogs while Lou magically breaks the locks. Having not used her magic for two years, she’s rusty. Dame Blanche magic always demands a physical or mental payment, so she must break her fingers to open the locks. To render the guards unconscious, she trades intimate memories of her and Bas’s relationship. When Bas opens the safe, Lou spies Angelica’s Ring and rejoices, knowing that once she possesses it, Morgane will “never find [her]” (55). Coco sounds an alarm, and Bas sees they’re surrounded by the Tremblays, the constables, and the Chasseurs. He asks Lou if she can get them out of their predicament, but using her power has drained her, and she tells him she can’t. He flees without her.

Part 1, Chapter 5 Summary: “A Man’s Name: Reid”

Reid sees his former love interest, Célie Tremblay, who has been crying. As Reid is distracted by her emotion, Jean Luc steps forward to explain to an agitated Mrs. Tremblay that they are acting on a tip. This annoys Reid, who recognizes Jean Luc’s desire to be in command. Reid is surprised to see that Hélène, the redheaded madam of The Bellerose, is talking with Célie’s father. When Hélène approaches to say that the revived guards remember nothing, Mrs. Tremblay snidely wonders why she’s in the neighborhood.

Seeing Lou and Bas in an upstairs window, Reid orders a capture. Jean Luc advocates force or death, but Reid insists Lou and Bas are probably only thieves. When Bas is caught, he cries out to Lou for help, but Lou is struggling on the rooftop, unable to use her broken hand. Reid worries when she almost falls off the roof and orders the Chasseurs to go and retrieve her. Coco has escaped, but not before the constables identify her as a witch. Reid determines to interrogate Lou, but the Chasseurs report that she has disappeared. Bas also manages to slip his bonds, and Reid’s frustration grows.

Part 1, Chapter 6 Summary: “Angelica’s Ring: Lou”

Lou has slipped the magical ring inside her mouth to become invisible. As she hurries from the mansion, she’s upset that Bas revealed her name, knowing the Chasseurs will be able to now track her. Coco slips out of the trees and as the two walk back toward the theater, Lou explains the history of the ring. Her ancestor Angelica was a witch who fell in love with a knight. The knight returned her love and proposed to her with the ring, but he died before they married. Devastated, Angelica cried so much that her tears formed L’Eau Mélancolique (The Wistful Waters), a bay in Belterra. Unable to continue living, Angelica threw the ring into the sea and then drowned herself. When the ring was later retrieved, it had been infused with magic.

After she hears the story, Coco sadly confesses she was spotted doing magic at Tremblay’s. Lou begs her to leave Cesarine as soon as possible for her own protection. Coco urges Lou to come with her to her aunt’s, but Lou knows that the magic of the Dames Rouges is wild and unpredictable. Coco’s aunt, the leader of the Dames Rouges, hates La Dame des Sorcières and could have Lou imprisoned or killed. Tearfully, Coco and Lou agree to part, and Coco disappears into the shadows.

Alone, Lou is ambushed by Andre and Grue. They shove her into an alley and threaten physical harm. Lou does her best to fight them off, but Andre breaks her nose and then holds her at knifepoint. This makes Lou remember leaning over a basin with a knife to her throat, and she fights with all her fury, jamming her fingers into Andre’s eyes. Shoving Andre into Grue, she flees the alley and runs to the theater. Hiding in its rafters, she falls into an uneasy sleep.

Part 1, Chapters 4-6 Analysis

In these chapters, the idea of hiding one’s real self is prominent. There are literal disguises, physical hiding, lies to obfuscate the truth, and buried feelings. Lou, Bas, and Coco disguise themselves in theater costumes to enter the Tremblays’ world, and Lou holds the ring in her mouth to cloak herself in invisibility. The three thieves hide from the Chasseurs after discovering the ring, which is hidden in a safe that is hidden behind a picture.

However, the greater sense of concealment is emotional. Bas hides his cowardice by falsely claiming he’ll always protect Lou, while Tremblay hides his business of selling the ring from his wife so she won’t know the jeopardy in which he placed their daughters. Reid sublimates his feelings for Célie and his anger at Jean Luc’s lack of respect, just as Lou doesn’t reveal her sense of vulnerability. All of this heightens the tension, as characters don’t know whom to trust. Allegiances become blurred, even between witches, as there is distrust between the Dames Blanches and the Dames Rouges despite Coco and Lou’s friendship.

Strengths and weaknesses of magic emerge in these chapters as it’s revealed that Dames Rouges operate differently than Dames Blanches. Both Rouge magic and Blanche magic require payment—by scarring or by physical and mental injury, respectively—which shows that the witches have limitations. Those limitations become increasingly important as the plot goes on. That magical ability is both a blessing and curse is also evident in the history of both Brindelle Park and L’Eau Mélancolique. Brindelle Park’s resurgence shows the resilience of the witches, while the star-crossed love story of Angelica and her knight anticipates Lou and Reid’s relationship and the theme of Opposites Attract.

Reid’s limitations are made clear as he continues to struggle between his emotional responses and his sense of duty as a Chasseur. He is driven to protect Célie and Lou, the first as she emotionally suffers and the second in a physically dangerous situation. Yet he pushes his sympathy away as weakness to return to the rote nature of his job. These chapters also foreshadow that Jean Luc, Reid’s second-in-command, will try to usurp his authority.