Argo Cycle 6: The Brunhilde Voyage

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VI. Galveston & Joining the Brunhilde

(The Devil Is Dead Opening)

This section covers the opening events of The Devil Is Dead, focusing on Finnegan's initial encounter with Saxon Seaworthy and Anastasia Demetriades in Galveston, establishing the core mystery and setting the stage for the Brunhilde voyage.

Initial Encounter & Amnesia: The novel opens with Finnegan (amnesiac/hungover) meeting Saxon X. Seaworthy in Galveston, sitting on a sidewalk near a graveyard [D:9–11, D:215; M:458]. Finnegan is initially disoriented, unsure of the time or location [D:10]. Seaworthy, appearing equally disheveled, proposes a voyage on his ship, later identified as the Brunhilde [D:11, D:21]. Finnegan retrieves his papers (revealing the name John Solli) but struggles with a fragmented identity ("upper and a lower life") and memory gaps, especially about the night before [D:11, D:18]. Seaworthy identifies a shared mark below the wrist [D:10], linking them, though Finnegan denies having it [D:10].
Introduction of Key Figures: They meet Anastasia Demetriades at a bar [D:12]. She functions as a barmaid but possesses an immediate otherworldly quality ("Reality was too pale a word for this girl") [D:13]. The arrival of Papadiabolous II ("Papa Devil") terrifies Seaworthy, establishing his menacing presence [D:14-15]. Anastasia identifies Papadiabolous as the powerful figure they encounter [D:23].
Waiting Period & Boarding: Finnegan works odd jobs (cleaning bars, washing dishes) while waiting for the Brunhilde to sail [D:19]. He develops a connection with Anastasia, finding her presence both real and unreal ("a conjurer’s trick") [D:13, D:20]. He visits the Brunhilde, meets key crew members Don Lewis, Joe Cross, and Art Emery [D:21-22], but is ordered off by Papa Devil II, who seems to hold authority over the vessel [D:22]. On the night before sailing, Finnegan, sensing danger and having premonitions, drinks heavily and hides ("went underground") [D:27]. Anastasia cannot find him. Papa Devil II finds the unconscious Finnegan after his drinking bout and carries him aboard the Brunhilde just before departure [D:27-28]. The voyage begins under these mysterious and coercive circumstances [D:28].
Early Voyage & Confrontations: Finnegan recovers quickly from his stupor, his inherent resilience noted [D:28]. He immediately confronts the seasick Anastasia [D:28]. He interacts nervously with Seaworthy, who is now controlled and less fearful [D:29]. Finnegan confronts Papa Devil II about the plot against him ("Why didn’t you kill me last night?"), hearing of an apparent killing in his place, later identified by Joe Cross as that of Doppio di Pinne, his fetch; Dopey subsequently says he is not dead [D:29–30, D:64, D:121, D:187–188]. The intense rivalry between Anastasia and Marie Courtois ("Golden Ogress"), another powerful female presence on board, is established [D:32-33].

VII. The Voyage & Unraveling Mysteries

(The Devil Is Dead Mid-Narrative)

This section tracks the Brunhilde's journey and the deepening entanglements and revelations among the core characters as they travel from the Gulf Coast through the Caribbean and across the Atlantic.

Gulf Coast & Caribbean: The Brunhilde travels coastwise, stopping frequently at small ports like Freeport, Palacios, Port O’Connor, Aransas Pass, and Corpus Christi [D:34]. Key events include:

Padre Island Beach Party: Anastasia discusses mermaid lore, revealing details about their nature (island Greek features, boyish form, breathing air, mostly having two feet rather than fishtails, and smelling no stronger to people than people do to them) and history (Cyclades origin, presence in Crete, Red Sea, Persian Gulf, decline in Middle Ages, distinction from sea-cows) [D:34-36]. Marie Courtois, the "Golden Giantess," demonstrates her physical power and contrasting allure [D:37]. Finnegan interacts intensely with both women, temporarily swayed by Marie's "primordial" presence before returning to a jealous Anastasia [D:37-38]. Don Lewis tells significant stories: "The Furtive Man" recounts the disappearance of three soldiers (including himself) on Pulau Petir during WWII after encountering a mysterious Japanese soldier/figure [D:43–48], and "The Big House" details the island where inhabitants live forever by consuming organs of visitors, featuring Ali and the ta'a nut escape [D:48-49]. These stories introduce themes of disappearance, peculiar realities, and hidden dangers. Manuel the stowaway secretly boards the Brunhilde somewhere along this coast [D:41, D:54].
Mexico/Central America: Stops include Campeche, Progreso, Cozumel, Ciudad Chetumal, Belize, Puerto Barrios, La Ceiba, Trujillo, Cabo Gracias a Dios, Blue Fields, Limon, San Cristobal [D:81]. Manuel reveals himself to Anastasia as a spy investigating "evil men" and a mysterious "source" of evil [D:55-56]. Finnegan begins painting the Sindbad murals in the ship's barroom, struggling to depict the roc (finding it aerodynamically impossible and needing "grace and balance" even in evil) and, more tellingly, to capture Papa Devil II's true face, sensing its masked nature [D:59-62]. Joe Cross reports that Papa Devil II apparently murdered Doppio di Pinne in the cabin they now share; no body was found, and Dopey later says he is not dead [D:64, D:187–188]. Saxon Seaworthy recounts his recurring dream of being burdened with a corpse in India, a dream tied to the night he met Finnegan [D:72-74]. This prompts Finnegan's fragmented memory of helping Seaworthy bury a body (Papadiabolous I) in a Galveston graveyard [D:75–76, D:215; M:458]. Anastasia reveals Seaworthy is Sindbad [D:59]. Finnegan begins to grasp the layered identities and hidden histories.

Atlantic Crossing & Africa: Finnegan directly confronts Papadiabolous II about the corpse, the dream, and his masked identity, forcing partial admissions but receiving mostly evasive answers [D:87-89]. In Freetown, Sierra Leone, Finnegan meets Joseph the Haussa Boy, a diamond smuggler, and forms a partnership, receiving a heavy sack of rocks of diamonds [D:93-95]. This establishes an independent economic thread for Finnegan outside the immediate conflicts.
Canaries & Tangier: The ship reaches the Grand Canary [D:98]. Tension escalates among the crew in Tangier [D:101-103]. A "death hunt" atmosphere prevails, with Don Lewis as the target [D:103]. Don Lewis, feeling trapped, is killed by Marie Courtois wielding unnatural strength [D:109–113]. Finnegan finds the body, confronts Papa Devil II (realizing he's not the killer), buries Lewis, and confronts the ecstatic, possibly possessed, Marie [D:109-113]. Marie becomes an outcast, feared by the crew [D:114].
Mediterranean & Naxos Approach: The ship sails towards Greece [D:114]. Finnegan feels increasingly alien as they reach Zakinthos and enter Anastasia's Greek sphere [D:115]. They arrive at Naxos on Passion Sunday, setting the stage for the final act of this voyage [D:115].

VIII. Naxos Climax & Escape

(The Devil Is Dead, Chapters 8–10)

This section details the culmination of the Brunhilde voyage in The Devil Is Dead on the island of Naxos, including Finnegan and Anastasia's preparations, the arrival of external forces, the violent confrontation, and the subsequent escape and revelations.

Preparations: Anticipating danger, Finnegan confesses to a local Capuchin priest, acknowledging his complex identity ("another person inside me") and receiving absolution [D:118-119]. He meets Papa Devil II and Anastasia; they discuss the impending conflict. Papa Devil II cryptically refers to the fetch Dopey, the attacking Seabach boat (a "hawk"), and his own ambiguous plans, hinting at regaining his "tiger stripes" [D:120-123]. Anastasia prepares for a mysterious signaling task on the mountain [D:123].
Island Visit: Finnegan and Anastasia rent a donkey (Papapaleologus) and visit her Grandmother (Gyiagyia) high on the mountain [D:124-126]. The Grandmother confirms Finnegan's connection to the "violent ones, those of the other blood" [A:39, D:128]. They hold vigil on the mountain peak; Anastasia watches for the signal boat [D:127, D:131]. Finnegan dreams of the Oreads (Anemotrephes, Akroreia, Oreibates), who identify themselves as Anastasia’s sisters and warn him away [D:137-139].
The Ambush: Finnegan wakes alone on the mountain [D:141]. He hears distant shots as the Seabach arrives and attacks the Brunhilde at the landing below [D:141]. He descends the mountain rapidly, encountering Anastasia's cousin who warns him off but is ignored [D:144]. At the landing, he finds a scene of carnage: Papa Devil II (Noonan), Joe Cross, and five strangers from the Seabach (Bloke, Black, Clerk, Hack, Haberdasher [D:135]) are dead [D:146-147]. He finds Anastasia shot dead (a single shot) in a nearby house, having apparently fallen from the breakwater [D:147]. An Orthodox priest confirms her death and mentions her Roman rosary [D:147].
Escape & Aftermath: Finnegan escapes the chaotic scene with Manuel, heading back up the mountain [D:148]. Manuel says Marie Courtois insisted that Anastasia be killed and describes Seaworthy’s "double trap" [D:148–150]. They swim to Paros, a distance Manuel estimates at seven miles [D:150–151]. Manuel leaves immediately for Rome to report the events to the Pope [D:151]. Finnegan waits three days in Paros [D:152]. Mr. X arrives unexpectedly [D:152]. He identifies the dead impostor as the Irish cop Noonan or Flaherty and discusses the substitution [D:153–155]. Finnegan then reports that Marie shot Anastasia, that Joe Cross shot Marie and was himself shot, and that Marie is dying aboard the Brunhilde [D:157]. Finnegan undergoes what the narrative calls his "first death," a profound psychological or spiritual break resulting from the trauma and betrayals [D:158]. This concludes the Brunhilde voyage arc of The Devil Is Dead, leaving Finnegan detached and setting up his entry into the next phase of his wandering.