The Devils
by Joe Abercrombie
Contents
Greed
Overview
During a rare lull at sea, Alex grows more confident in her identity as Troy's claimant while the Chapel briefly settles into rough companionship. That calm is shattered when Duke Constans ambushes their ship, revealing that the Papal bull naming Alex has already been leaked and that their enemies were waiting for them.
Constans demands Alex's surrender and rams the vessel, leaving Jakob to organize a desperate, outmatched defense. The chapter raises the stakes by proving their mission is compromised and by ending with a new supernatural attacker boarding the wrecked ship.
Summary
As the ship nears the Trojan coast, Alex practices writing "The Empress of Troy" and enjoys Brother Diaz's approval. Jakob remains suspicious despite several quiet days at sea and points out that the coastline is a lawless, war-torn borderland. The group's deck talk mixes Alex's growing confidence about ruling, Rikard's cool skepticism, Vigga's crude philosophy about desire and survival, and Diaz's discomfort, showing a brief moment of uneasy calm before danger returns.
Below deck, Balthazar lies sick, humiliated by his failed attempt to break the papal binding and by Alex having punched him. Baptiste comes to change his bandage, mocks him, but also tends him competently. Their conversation softens into a rare moment of mutual respect: Baptiste admits he impressed her by trying, and Balthazar awkwardly acknowledges her skill and begins to see her differently.
The calm ends when a huge ballista bolt smashes through the ceiling. A Trojan war galley is bearing down on them, and the crew realizes they cannot outrun it. Because of the binding and their vows, Jakob, Rikard, and the others cannot simply surrender, so Jakob orders wet straw burned on deck to create smoke and confusion. The captain panics, tries to turn away, and the galley rams them hard at the waterline, wrecking the smaller vessel and throwing the crew into chaos.
After the collision, the attacker introduces himself as Duke Constans, Eudoxia's third son. He reveals he already has a copy of the supposedly secret Papal bull naming Alexia, proving their mission has been compromised, and demands that Alex be handed over. Alex bitterly recognizes yet another hostile relative, while Constans cheerfully learns that his brother Marcian is dead and treats that as good news. Jakob weighs the hopeless odds, hears from Sunny that archers cover the enemy ship, and prepares to fight anyway. As smoke rises and sailors begin abandoning ship, the threat suddenly changes again when a fish-like woman in Constans's colors slithers over the rail, ending the chapter with a new monstrous boarding attack.
Who Appears
- AlexPractices writing her imperial title, grows bolder about ruling Troy, then faces Constans's ambush.
- JakobStays vigilant, assesses the tactical disaster, orders smoke on deck, and prepares the defense.
- Duke ConstansEudoxia's third son; ambushes the ship, exposes the leaked Papal bull, and demands Alex's surrender.
- BalthazarLies seasick and humiliated below deck, then is interrupted by the attack.
- BaptisteChanges Balthazar's bandage, teases him, and later joins the shipboard crisis.
- Brother DiazEncourages Alex's lessons, panics during the ambush, and clings to prayer.
- ViggaProvides bawdy talk, shrugs off danger, and readies herself for the coming fight.
- Baron RikardComments dryly on Alex's fitness to rule and coolly manages the frightened captain.
- SunnyBriefly appears to warn Jakob about the enemy archers covering Constans.
- Fish-like warriorAn unidentified aquatic-looking woman in Constans's colors who boards at the chapter's end.