The Devils
by Joe Abercrombie
Contents
Least Worst Choices
Overview
Jakob abandons the plan to sail from Ancona after concluding that Marcian’s knowledge of their route means their enemies may already be waiting there. After ruling out other ports, he chooses Venice as the safest option precisely because it is the last place anyone would expect a papal mission to hide.
Brother Diaz objects and tries to assert his authority, but Alexia backs Jakob and frames Venice as the “least worst choice,” showing both Diaz’s weakness and Alexia’s growing decisiveness. The chapter ends with the group entering a filthy, corrupt pilgrimage camp near Spoleto, where they prepare to disguise themselves as pilgrims and walk to Venice.
Summary
As the company struggles through hours of rain on back roads, Brother Diaz complains bitterly while Princess Alexia, Vigga, and the others endure the weather with varying good humor. When Diaz asks how far it is to Ancona, Jakob reveals that they are no longer heading there. Because Marcian knew their previous plan, Jakob assumes their intended route may be compromised, so he decides they must abandon Cardinal Zizka’s original destination and find another port.
The group talks through their options. Naples is rejected, western ports would force them past pirate-filled Sicily, and the Papal States’ Adriatic ports would likely be watched and carefully documented. Jakob concludes that Venice is the best remaining choice precisely because it is hostile to the Papacy, vice-ridden, and controlled by organized criminals; no one would expect a pope-backed princess to hide there. Brother Diaz is horrified by the idea and tries to invoke his authority as vicar, but Alexia cuts him off and supports Jakob’s judgment, calling Venice the “least worst choice.”
Alexia then offers a practical way to reach Venice without attracting attention. She knows of a pilgrimage gathering point near Spoleto where large groups regularly assemble before traveling onward, including toward Venice for passage east. By dressing in pilgrims’ hoods and blending into one of those groups, the company can move more safely. Jakob agrees, preferring to arrive late rather than risk Alexia being captured or killed, while Diaz is left humiliated by how completely his authority has been ignored.
When they reach the pilgrim encampment, Diaz finds not holiness but chaos: mud, filth, smoke, drunkenness, preaching, prostitution, and open bodily misery. The scene exposes the gap between the ideals of pilgrimage and the reality of the crowd, and the others react with amusement or practical interest rather than shock. Diaz is disgusted to discover that even this supposedly sacred staging ground has become another pit of vice.
Jakob moves quickly from disgust to logistics. He stops at a stall selling pilgrims’ habits and sends Baptiste to find a suitable group to join: large enough to hide in, small enough to move quickly, made up of able-bodied travelers, and leaving soon. Jakob then decides they must sell the horses as well, because to pass as true pilgrims they will have to continue the journey to Venice on foot.
Who Appears
- Brother DiazMiserable in the rain, horrified by Venice, and repeatedly undermined as his authority fails.
- Jakob of ThornTakes command of strategy, rejects Ancona, chooses Venice, and organizes the pilgrim disguise.
- Princess AlexiaSupports Jakob’s plan, proposes hiding among pilgrims, and firmly dismisses Diaz’s objections.
- BaptisteJokes through the debate, offers contacts, and is sent to find a suitable pilgrim group.
- ViggaRevels in the rain, makes dark jokes, and reacts eagerly to the camp’s sinful atmosphere.
- Baron RikardMocks piety and offers sardonic commentary on the Church, Venice, and the pilgrims’ corruption.
- SunnyAppears and disappears unnervingly, notes Venice’s organized criminals, and follows the new plan.
- BalthazarContributes cynical observations during the route debate and banters about reputation and excommunication.