The Shadow of the Wind

Daniel is filled with remorse and dread, but he decides to straighten out his situation with Bea’s family, or at least her father, immediately. He goes to the Aguilars’ apartment, where he finds only Tomás at home. No one knows where Bea is, and Tomás tells Daniel that Bea is pregnant. He beats Daniel up and throws him down the stairs, swearing that he will kill Daniel if any harm has come to his sister. Daniel walks away, injured, rendered into a “shadow” (452).

Daniel is dragged into a black car that is following him. Believing that it contains Fumero, Daniel expects to have his throat slit, but as he falls unconscious, he sees Fermín’s grin. Don Frederico and Fermín have brought Daniel to the safe place in which Fermín has been hiding. They give him painkillers, and when Daniel awakens, he realizes the only place that Bea could be.

Daniel rushes to the Aldaya mansion, where he does find Bea, safe and warm. Julián has been taking care of her, and he told her that Daniel would come and everything would be all right. He also told her he would bring someone with him, so Bea was to stay upstairs. Daniel recognizes Fumero’s “spidery shadow,” and gun drawn that looks like a “scythe,” approaching the staircase (459). Daniel realizes that Fumero reminds him of Death.

Daniel leaves Bea hidden upstairs and goes to warn Carax. He approaches a photograph of Penélope and Julián attached to the wall by a knife through Carax’s chest. Fumero pounces, shoving his pistol into Daniel’s neck. In turn, Carax attacks Fumero; they struggle, and Carax fixes Fumero’s arm to the wall with a knife through his wrist.

Carax tells Daniel to get Bea and leave—Daniel must take care of her and value her more than his own life. Before Daniel can move, Palacios enters the house, gun drawn. Palacios too tells Daniel to leave. Daniel does not have time to move before Fumero grabs Palacios’ gun and aims it at Carax. Carax, with no shadows to hide in, freezes, awaiting the bullet. Daniel springs in front of Fumero and is shot through the chest. Palacios and Bea run toward Daniel, but Fumero grabs Bea and holds the gun to her head. Carax, now transformed by fury into Laín Coubert, claws Fumero’s eyes, and with an unhuman strength throws him into the ruined fountain, where Fumero’s chest is pierced by the arm of the broken angel resting in the fountain.

Bea holds Daniel and tells him she loves him and will never let him go. Daniel envisions possible futures, including Bea and Daniel walking hand-in-hand as old people, and Nuria and his father placing flowers on his grave. Daniel recalls his mother’s face as he dies.