Page 129 of A Resistance of Witches

“How?” asked Henry.

But Rebecca knew. “She’s going to use the book.”

Henry looked from Rebecca to Lydia, disbelieving. “On who? The Nazis?”

“All of them,” Lydia whispered.

“All of who? Lydia—”

But then he stopped, and Rebecca saw that he finally understood. The book didn’t want the Nazis.

It wanted everyone.

Lydia swayed where she stood as the silence filled the room.

Henry reached for her. “Lydia—”

“I can end the war!” Lydia screamed, her voices now a legion.

“Not like this.” Rebecca kept her voice low, reasonable. “Not like this.”

It was pointless, Rebecca knew. It wasn’t Lydia she was fighting now. It was the book. And the book demanded to fulfill its purpose.

A rictus grin spread across Lydia’s face, painful to look at. Her damp skin glowed in the firelight. Rebecca watched a shudder run through Henry as he realized that the thing he was looking at wasn’t Lydia, not anymore. She was just a shell for the evil thing coiled inside.

Rebecca was stronger than Lydia. On any other day, she could have wrestled her to the ground in seconds, taken what she wanted and been off and running, but this wasn’t any normal day. Rebecca was weak and hungry, and every cell in Lydia’s body pulsed with black magic. Rebecca knew, she could feel it; Lydia could kill Rebecca with a word.

Lydia stood motionless in the circle of ash, muscles and tendons taut, teeth bared, but Rebecca looked only at Henry. She stared at him until he felt her eyes and turned. She looked into his eyes for a long moment, then very slowly, she turned and looked into the fire. When she turned back, she saw that Henry understood. He nodded once, a gesture so small she nearly missed it.

Rebecca looked at Lydia. “What will it be like?”

Lydia cocked her head. The grimace eased, just a little.

“When you’ve completed the ritual and the world is cleansed. What will it be like?” She took a step forward. Lydia did not retreat.

“Quiet.” Lydia’s smile was transcendent. “Peaceful.”

Henry stepped closer, too, his gaze steady.

“An end to the war.” Rebecca took another step. “I didn’t understand before. Now I think I do.”

Tears welled in Lydia’s eyes and rolled down her cheeks. “I knew you would.”

“An end toallwar, yes?” Rebecca stepped over Ursula’s body. Standing this close, she could see the blacks of Lydia’s eyes, how the pupils seemed to pulse like a beating heart.

“Yes!” Lydia whispered, elated. “Yes, exactly.”

Rebecca watched as Henry placed himself just behind Lydia, so close they nearly touched.

“Yes. Yes, I understand now.”

Henry looked into her eyes and nodded.

Rebecca grabbed the book with both hands and yanked as hard as she could, just as Henry wrapped both arms around Lydia from behind, holding her tight. Lydia’s mouth fell open in a silent howl as the book was wrenched free. The knife clattered to the ground.

“Cover her mouth!”

Henry did, stifling the spell that was forming on her tongue.

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