Daughter of Smoke & Bone Chapter 51 Summary

How It All Goes Down

The Serpentine

  • The Serpentine is the main road in Loramendi, the chimaera capital, and it is where a huge dance takes place. It's like one of those exciting elaborate dances from Pride and Prejudice, except that no one wants to dance with Madrigal.
  • They stay away from her because she is assumed to be Thiago's.
  • Did we mention this is a costume party? People of beast aspect wear human masks, and people of human aspect wear beast masks. Fun Fun.
  • This costuming becomes important when a man in a horse-head mask actually has the guts to dance with Madrigal. He's very seductive and secretive. "I know who you are. I came here for you" (51.23), he says.
  • They flirt their way through the dance, she all sugar and sweet and he all "spice and salt" (51.36). Yum.
  • As the dance starts to wind down, Madrigal presses him harder to tell her who he really is.
  • "I came to thank you […] for saving my life" (51.40), he says.
  • Well, Madrigal's a freaking hero. She's saved tons of lives.
  • So who's this pony boy?
  • She leans in and looks into his mask. 
  • When she sees his blazing eyes, she knows exactly who it is.