The Rebel Witch
by Kristen Ciccarelli
Contents
Fifty-Six. Rune
Overview
After escaping prison with Harrow, Rune learns Gideon has been taken west with the Blood Guard to the Rookery, an abandoned fort where they plan to rearm. Realizing Soren’s death leaves her unsafe no matter who wins the coming conflict, Rune decides to flee the island but first returns to Wintersea House for Nan’s spell books and a last piece of home. She finds her hidden casting room intact, uncovers an old spell to summon an Ancient, and is caught in a new cliffhanger when someone enters the secret room.
Summary
Using Ghost Walker, Rune and Harrow slip out of the prison and through the palace while guards search for Prince Soren’s killer. In the stables, Rune tells Harrow that Soren is dead, making clear why the palace is in chaos. When Rune asks about Gideon, Harrow reveals that the Blood Guard went west to an abandoned coastal fort called the Rookery to rearm, and Rune realizes Gideon is likely still alive because the Blood Guard needs him.
Rune gives Harrow a concealed horse and tells Harrow to leave the city. Rune decides she cannot stay on the island, because if Cressida wins she will kill Rune, and if the Good Commander regains power he will also kill Rune. Before fleeing, Rune chooses to return to Wintersea House for Nan’s spell books, both to rearm herself magically and to keep a final connection to her grandmother. Harrow, reassessing Rune, tells her she was wrong about her.
Rune reaches Wintersea House after dark and finds it heavily guarded by Blood Guard soldiers, apparently because it now belongs to Noah Creed. Knowing Ghost Walker is fading, Rune hurries past the patrols and into the stables, where she reunites with Lady, Nan’s old white horse. Rune swaps Lady for the horse she stole, leaves Lady waiting near Nan’s overgrown labyrinth, and climbs the ivy to the second-story window of her old casting room.
Inside, Rune discovers the room has not been destroyed and that the hidden wall still conceals her illegal materials. She lights a candle, gathers coins and Lady’s whistle from the desk, and begins sorting through the crates of spell books, forced to choose only a few she can carry. While handling one heavy volume, she accidentally drops another book, but the house remains silent.
Rune examines the fallen book and finds an old spell for summoning an Ancient from another world, a discovery she initially treats with skepticism. Then Rune hears creaking outside the false wall, followed by a latch clicking open. Rune extinguishes the candle and stands in darkness as the hidden wall swings wide and an unknown person steps into the room with her.
Who Appears
- RuneEscapes prison, learns Gideon’s location, returns to Wintersea, and searches for Nan’s spell books.
- HarrowEscapes with Rune, reveals the Blood Guard’s destination, and parts from Rune on better terms.
- GideonAbsent but central; Harrow says the Blood Guard likely took him west to the Rookery.
- LadyNan’s old white horse, joyfully recovered by Rune at Wintersea’s stable.
- Unknown intruderUnseen figure who opens the hidden wall and enters Rune’s secret casting room.