The Familiar

Luzia is astonished that she bested the demons and wonders if she faced Satan. She is sent to her room, and Santángel says he will learn what he can, then come to her. She sees that the demons killed a man and a horse, and she wonders who created the shadows. Santángel reports that he doesn’t know who is responsible. Luzia tells him she had wished they might run away together.

Santángel explains that he can’t run away because he is bound to the De Parades family. Luzia asks him to help her undress and comb her hair while she takes a bath. Santángel tells her a story of a young man—Luzia calls him a prince—who was very lucky and had everything. He had a trusted friend, Tello. When his father died, the prince began to fear death, so he went on a quest for eternal life. A stranger offered him a bargain: He could have eternal life if his friend gave up the thing he valued most, and the prince gave up the thing he valued least. The prince woke to find he had lost his luck, which he had never realized “was a kind of magic” (225), and that Tello had gained it instead.