Hi fairy family!
It’s day four of our readalong of The Dagger and the Flame by Catherine Doyle! I’ve been SO happy reading all of your comments seeing how much you’re all loving this as much as I am!
Today we’re going to be reading from chapter 28 to the end of chapter 39. When you’ve finished today’s section, catch up with me in the comments down below so we can discuss all of your theories. Happy reading!
Please be warned, the following section will include spoilers for The Dagger and the Flame from chapter 28 to chapter 39. Please only read on if you have finished reading this section!
–!SPOILERS!–
He can’t stop replaying those close moments with her. He’s DOWN BAD fairies!
It was Kipp that Sera turned back into a man. Why does everyone think it’s Seraphine’s body he’s carrying? They’re in for a rude awakening…
Ransom is at risk of looking hella dodgy telling everyone he found Kipp whilst he was out for a walk!
He was seen following Sera to her farm… this is dangerous territory! Ransom is starting to look like he’s copped out.
They know he’s spending a lot of time following and a lot less time killing Sera.
Du Fort has really indoctrinated him, I feel like meeting Sera is what’s triggered him into having second thoughts on all of this. I’m still so confused on why Du Fort sees Sera as such a dangerous being?
Things get much, much worse. Sera now has not one, but two marks on her head. Lark has been told to go after her too, and something tells me he won’t bend as easily as Ransom.
Seraphine tells Theo the lightfire is gone. It’s more important than ever that they find out how to make more.
They need Lucille’s journal but it’s not gonna be easy… we’re heading to the catacombs!
Well, isn’t this a peculiar conversation Sera is having with Fontaine… Not only did she know her mother, she also knew Sera’s father. A statement that has Sera stiffening and arguing that Fontaine doesn’t know her. I don’t want to say what, but something big just clicked into place for me and my god, if it’s true, it explains A LOT!!!
Ransom warns Sera that there’s another player in the game. Yeah, this guy is defecting! No way can he stay in the Daggers and believe in what they do when he’s warning Sera about inside details!
They meet in the cathedral, Ransom tells her of his past. She tells him of her proposition. It takes an argument (because when aren’t these two arguing) but he vows to get her the journal.
When he goes to the crypt, he’s not alone. Sera’s outed by a SNEEZE of all things. I was going to say didn’t she trust him to do it but maybe that’s a silly question!
The irony that she wouldn’t let him do it alone and then ends up being the reason they’ll get caught!
They’re trapped, together. How romantic!
Lisette and Nadia don’t bat an eyelid. They just close the grave over.
“Maybe I want to know what that smart mouth tastes like.” Did it just get really hot in here?
THEY’RE KISSING
FINALLY
What a slow burn!!! It took until section 4 for us to see a kiss???
I’m SCREAMING!
He helps her into her cloak (swoon) and sends her on her way, making sure she gets out safely (seriously, swoon).
Oh god… Nadia saw it all???
Will she rat him out?
He tries to defend himself and explain why he brought Sera into Dagger territory but I don’t think she’s buying it.
She tells him she’s going to do what’s best for him… I’m not sure I like the sound of that.
Whilst things are looking pretty terrible for Ransom, things for Sera are looking up. The journal gives her exactly what they were looking for. Gunpowder and Bloom.
Theo is a genius! He’s not designed a necklace of lightfire, oh no, but a CLOAK of lightfire. This will make her pretty much unstoppable. The darkness hers to destroy, the light hers to wield.
That night, Ransom comes to see her. He’s a fool – he thinks he can reason with Du Fort. OH I KNEW IT! Du Fort is her father! This is what Fontaine meant when she said she knew her dad. That’s why Sera got so mad.
Ransom put too much trust in him. Now, finding it out he put not one, put two hits on his own daughter AND killed the mother of his child? Maybe it’ll make him see differently.
She tells him everything, how her parents met, how slowly hey turned to Shade and Du Fort itched to try it. From there, he yearned for his own dynasty and became a horrible person. He changed even more once he became a dagger.
That was how her mother started her journey in looking for an antidote. When she realised he couldn’t be saved she decided to destroy him instead but Du Fort got to her first.
Ransom agrees to bring Du Fort to her tomorrow. Their plan is falling into place!
Ransom decides to confront Du Fort. He asks him why he wants Sera dead. He doesn’t tell Ransom the truth. I feel like Ransom still trusts Du Fort somehow. He wants to know what he’d do if Sera left Fantome. What would happen is Ransom would be in a whole lot of trouble.
Then Du Fort is telling him he spoke to the King about his family and he’s put his best scouts on the case. My head is in my hands right now. Du Fort has him where he wants him, Ransom won’t turn him in now.
Did you guess what Du Fort is to Sera?
What do you think Ransom will do? I can’t see him letting Du Fort die now that he might have a trace back to his family.
If you were a cloak, how would you use your abilities?
I really don’t want this book to end! It’s SO GOOD!
I can’t wait to dive into our last section with you tomorrow fairies!
Love,
Shannon
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1. Did you guess what Du Fort is to Sera?
Yes, I kinda expected he was her dad from the beginning. It explained why her mother was so angry at him and hated him so much and also why she wouldn’t smuggle to him.
2. What do you think Ransom will do? I can’t see him letting Du Fort die now that he might have a trace back to his family.
He stands at a crossroad with this choice, but I do believe he will pick his family who he has longed for for so long. But he might also kill Du Fort and become the leader, who can then talk to the king himself about his family. That would be a win-win situation
3. If you were a cloak, how would you use your abilities?
Probably to sneak in and out of places unseen haha
I so called it that it was her dad! I honestly thought it was just a hope when I posted yesterday, but as I was reading I shouted “yes!” aloud!
I think that Ransom will slightly betray Sera but then will get burned by Du Fort and then will support Sera.
I think the Cloaks are interesting because I wish there was more about their jobs. After all, right now they seem so petty like stealing the crown for someone, but I would like to see how the whole infrastructure works. I get the assassins, but theives for hire is not something explored much.
I had an inkling too but wasn’t 100% sure – such a good twist! 💜
1. I think Sera lost her father, and Du Fort has become her biggest enemy. Du Fort abandoned them, killed her mother, and now wants to kill his own daughter. So, I don’t think there is any father-daughter love between them anymore.
2. He’ll try to buy some time before Sera wants to kill Du Fort, but if Ransom has to choose between Du Fort and Sera in a life-or-death situation, he’ll choose Sera, even if he has to sacrifice the information about his family.
3. If I were a cloak… hmm… I don’t know if the bright cloak can heal everyone or just those infected by the shade. Because if it can heal everyone, no matter what, I would use the cloak for that. But also, I would constantly carry it with me, because I’m always freezing.😂
Having a cosy cloak always would never be a bad thing 😂
For the 1st question: Of course I suspected, that Du Fort is Sera’s father, so when I wrote that she lost her father, I meant, the “lovely father”, so I wouldn’t say Du Fort as her father anymore, after what he done.
Did you guess what Du Fort is to Sera? To be honest I knew there had to be something and when Sera said she doesn’t really remember her father I thought yeah maybe but then when the old woman Fontaine said about him coming to the cloaks and she refused him, i thought then wouldn’t he go to the daggers after being refused, can see the clues to it.
What do you think Ransom will do? I think Ransom is stuck with this and also finding out that he’s Sera only family left does he want to damage there relationship? I mean I would just get rid of him, I think Ransom with Sera can find his family without him and they have there own found families with the friends they have.
If you were a cloak, how would you use your abilities? I would use it to help those in need but who feel like they can’t ask for help, for example leaving supplies for homeless or rescuing those abused using the shade to help conceal without a trace but also let be honest i would have some fun as well and sneak in to places and stay put like hello anyone else want to sneak into the libraries and stay all night reading.
I upset the book coming to the end as I really don’t want it to end but i’m also excited to see what happens next.
Okay so the romance really is top notch, and I feel so entranced by the whole book. 1. I guessed it at one point in the book but then something threw me off, although it’s a pretty common trope for the father of the MC to be the enemy I think it added so much sense to the story and why Sera’s mum was making lightfire. 2. I think he might go to Sera and tell her that he can’t do it, but Sera will most likely find Du Fort anyway 3. I would probably just enjoy stealing things like nice clothes, I’d have a whole wardrobe of expensive stolen clothes (I’d be best dressed in the whole of Fantome).
Ooh I guessed the Dufort reveal! Now he just needs to die lol.
And Ransom is really in a tough spot! He’s wavering… I feel like he might betray Sera? I really hope not, he loves her too much!! But I also don’t think he’ll give up on his family. Maybe they’ll figure out a third way. Ahh I’m so nervous about how this is gonna end!
Honestly, if I was a Cloak I’d just troll people. I’d go around haunted houses tapping people’s shoulders or stealing food 😂
That’s such a good use of the cloak, I love it 😂
Weirdly I did not see that coming. I’m really NOT theorizing about what comes next haha. It makes so much sense in hindsight. And Dufort so perfectly timing his info about Ransom’s family makes me think he knows more about what Ransom is up to than he let on. If I was a cloak I would eavesdrop on people because I’m nosy like that.