Page 109 of A Resistance of Witches

“Sybil, none of this—”

“Ingrid was raised by religious zealots. Her mother suppressed her own powers, and beat Ingrid savagely for using hers. She’s blind in her right eye as a result. Ursula’s mother tried suppressing her powers as well. She went mad before Ursula was five years old. Nearly starved the poor girl to death, then threw herself and her daughter into a river with their pockets full of stones. Ursula only survived because her powers awakened while she was pinned to the bottom of that riverbed.”

Lydia recalled Ursula’s memories from that night they’d battled at the academy—cold water all around her. Her lungs on fire, screaming for air. The terror she had felt.

“And would you like to know what became of my grandmother? What theydid to her, these civilized Britons you fight for with such passion?” There was a quiet venom in Sybil’s voice that Lydia had never heard before. “When I was about your age, a local boy nailed the door to her house shut, and burned it to the ground while she was asleep in her bed. She was an old woman by then. Her power had faded. There was nothing she could do to save herself.”

Sybil looked into Lydia’s eyes. Lydia waited until she couldn’t bear it for one more second, and looked away.

“You see, Lydia. Secrecy is a death sentence for witches. It breedsmadness, and makes us weak. It turns us into nothing more than children’s stories, and emboldens the littlest of men, so that even the best of us aren’t safe in our own homes. Each and every witch in this sisterhood understands firsthand the tragedy that follows a life lived in the shadows. I understand it too. And I will do everything in my power to restore us to our former glory, if doing so means that not one more witch need suffer that fate ever again.”

“But aligning yourself with that monster? Sacrificing millions of innocent lives? British lives, your own people—”

“Witchesare my people. I will do what is best for them. Always.”

Lydia leveled her gaze at Sybil. “What about Isadora? Did you do this for her?”

Sybil looked taken aback. “Igrievedfor Isadora.” Her voice shook. “You have no idea how difficult—”

“Don’t,” Lydia warned.

“It was necessary. For the good of—”

“You allowed an enemy witch inside the academy. You stood by and watched as she cut Isadora’s throat—”

“It’s very difficult to talk to you when you’re hysterical like this,” Sybil snapped. “I did what I did for the academy. Foryou.So you could take your rightful place as grand mistress. Isadora would have ruined us all, she had no vision, no sense of what was possible, butyou, Lydia, with the right guidance, the right mentorship…”

All at once Lydia understood. “You thought you could control me.”

Sybil’s mouth fell open. “No.”

“You did. You thought you could manipulate me. You knew you could never turn Isadora, butme…” Lydia stood, lifted to her feet by a rush of anger and disbelief. “Did you honestly believe I would abandon everything Isadora had worked for? To join you in this…this crusade? Why would I?”

Sybil stood now as well. “Lydia, think. With you leading the academy, and me growing our numbers within the Reich…”

“My God, you did. You thought I would just blindly follow you as you united the witches of Europe behind AdolfbloodyHitler. Why would I do that? Because Ilikedyou? Because you were kind to me?”

“Great Mother, this fixation with Hitler.” Sybil’s tone was calm, infuriatingly so, as if she were trying to soothe an infant. “He doesn’t matter. He’s just a man. A means to an end.”

“But what he’sdone—”

“It doesn’t matter,” Sybil said. And she smiled.

Lydia felt she would go mad if she listened to any more. The room seemed to spin around her, the bright sunlight setting her teeth on edge, making her see auras.

“What do you want from me?”

“Isn’t it obvious?” Sybil gazed at her tenderly. “I want you to join us.”

Lydia stared, stunned at the sheer audacity of Sybil’s words. “You can’t be serious.”

“You don’t need to decide now.” Sybil moved toward the door, her purple frock swishing in the unnatural silence. “Take your time. Think about what I said. I believe once you’ve calmed down, you will begin to understand.” She pressed her palm to the carved panel, and the door opened. She stepped through, then seemed to remember something and reappeared. She looked at Lydia, eyes glinting like a woman with a delicious surprise.

“Oh, darling, I almost forgot to tell you! Your mother is here.”

Thirty

Lydia felt a rush of horrified disbelief.

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