Thirteen: Of the Rain and the Figure of Death

Leaving Paris through the Port St. Bernard under a column of smoke and tolling bells, Delphine looks back despite herself, grieving Annette and fearing for Thomas and Père Matthieu. Cold rain turns to a deluge that douses fires but floods the lowlands, and the trio trudges on hungry and wet.

On the third rain-soaked day, they find a cottage and barn. Hoping for shelter, they enter the barn and discover a naked, wild-eyed old man eating hay. He snatches a broken scythe, then bolts into the fields when Thomas appears. The men joke about seeing Death without robes, briefly easing their dread.

They build a fire, dry their clothes, and collect rainwater to soothe their hunger. Delphine grows sniffly and aches but shows no fever. To pass the night, they debate music and trade tales; Père Matthieu recounts a half-remembered werewolf story, which Delphine completes with a sharper, bloodier ending, teasing Thomas for interruptions. The feral owner reappears, claims “MY BARN,” and flees again into the rain.

Later, Thomas wakes from nightmares and steps outside under a cold, broken sky. Père Matthieu joins him; they share uneasy dreams and talk. The priest admits he was pushed into orders by a soldier father, jokes darkly about his family, and contrasts his weakness with his brother’s. Thomas remains curt, but listens as thunder signals more rain.

The chapter ends with quiet tension: Delphine sickening, hunger gnawing, and the road ahead uncertain. Père Matthieu, burdened by unspoken guilt, tells Thomas he has no one else to confess to, pressing their fragile fellowship toward deeper truths.