Blood Brothers Chapters 16–17 Summary & Analysis

Summary: Chapter 16

The next morning, Cal, Fox, and Gage gather at Cal’s house. Gage tells them that, while in the Czech Republic, he learned about a demon that could take on different forms and rob the humanity from people around it, causing them to lose their minds and do things they normally wouldn’t do. Gage explains that the demon, called Tmavy, or “The Dark,” spent centuries in Europe before battling with a wizard whom he left for dead in a forest. However, a boy found the wizard, and the wizard passed on his powers to the boy. The powers eventually passed on to Giles Dent and now reside in Cal, Fox, and Gage. Cal, Fox, and Gage agree they need to show their bloodstones to Quinn, Layla, and Cybil. Cal goes to see Quinn at the rental house and explains to her that he never expected to fall in love. Cybil, Layla, and Quinn then go to the community center, hoping to find some more of Ann Hawkins’s journals. While they’re looking, Quinn has a vision of Ann Hawkins and feels her intense longing for Giles Dent. The three women then decide to head back to the rental house.

Summary: Chapter 17

The next day, the weather report predicts that a blizzard will hit the area over the weekend. Cal invites Fox, Gage, Quinn, Layla, and Cybil to ride out the storm at his house. Quinn says that her grandmother has tracked down the family Bible, and she plans to send Quinn copies of the pages with her ancestors’ names on them. After dinner, Cal decides the time has arrived to tell the women about the bloodstone.

Cal, Fox, and Gage explain how they each found themselves holding one part of the stone after the ground shook on their tenth birthday. They have tried putting the pieces of stone together in several different ways, but nothing has worked to prevent the Seven. While they are talking, the power goes out, and Cal hears Lump howling outside. Cal and the rest of the group go outside to find Lump, and they hear a child’s laughter. They see a boy floating in the air, holding Lump down in the snow so that he is almost buried. Cal manages to rescue Lump, and they bring him back into the house. They all agree that the demon was showing them how much evil it is capable of, and they decide that they must get revenge.

Analysis: Chapters 16–17

Though Gage has been away from Hawkins Hollow, he’s as dedicated to ending the Seven as Cal and Fox. In the Czech Republic, Gage learns that a demon eerily similar to the one in Hawkins Hollow plagued Europe for centuries. He also learns that this demon was hunted by a wizard, who may be one of their ancestors. In the conversation about Gage’s demon research, the characters learn that the roots of the evil that haunts them goes back much further than they thought. Cal, Fox, and Gage begin to understand that they are dealing with an ancient evil. They also learn they may have gotten power from a powerful wizard.

The bloodstone seems to be a physical representation of the powers that have been passed on to Cal, Fox, and Gage. However, in the past 21 years, they have not been able to figure out its use or significance. As they explain to Quinn, Layla, and Cybil, they don’t know how to put the bloodstone back together or to leverage the power they suspect flows through it. This magic talisman seems to have the power to help them on their quest, but that power remains a mystery that isn’t solved within the book.

The scene in which Lump almost drowns in the snow illustrates that the demon is growing even more powerful. The demon is coming closer and closer to the characters, and each time threatening them or someone they love. The act of violence may serve a dual purpose: both to prove to the six how powerful the demon is and to give the demon information about how the six would fight back. These tests seem to be setting the stage for the greater battle to come.

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