Chapter summaries A Resistance of Witches Morgan Ryan

Chapter Sixteen: The Grimorium Bellum Refuses to Burn

⚠️ Spoiler Warning: This guide contains detailed spoilers for the entire novel. Proceed only if you've finished reading or are comfortable knowing the plot.

Summary

Rebecca cannot sleep at the château. Her arm itches where Lydia healed it, her head throbs, and the old building unsettles her. She recalls her former life as Rebecca Gaiser and her father Josef, who taught her the Mourner’s Kaddish and gave her chocolate in secret. She remembers finding his crushed glasses after the police took her family. Now the Gestapo has those glasses, along with her pistol and fake papers.

The next morning, Rebecca finds Lydia on the kitchen floor, sobbing. Lydia’s face has changed—the illusion she maintained is gone, revealing her true features. Lydia has tried six times to burn the Grimorium Bellum but failed each time. Rebecca, believing her lack of witch blood makes her immune, throws the book into the fire. She is thrown to her knees, stops breathing, and sees a shadow creature. Henry forces her to breathe again. Lydia decides the book must go to the academy.

Three Gestapo cars approach. The witch who attacked the academy and the farmhouse is tracking Lydia. Rebecca offers to hold them off while Henry and Lydia escape. Lydia instead casts a powerful death spell that kills three soldiers but leaves her convulsing and breathless. A Traveler arrives and teleports Lydia away, but the book remains. Rebecca forces Henry to take the book and run by firing a rifle near his head. She stays behind as the Gestapo breaks down the door.

Key Events

  • Rebecca lies awake, haunted by memories of her father and the loss of her family
  • Lydia attempts to burn the Grimorium Bellum six times without success
  • Rebecca throws the book into the fire but suffers a near-fatal reaction, seeing a shadow creature
  • Lydia reveals her true, un-illusioned face for the first time
  • Gestapo officers surround the château, led by a witch tracking Lydia
  • Lydia casts a lethal spell that kills three attackers but nearly kills her
  • A Traveler arrives and takes Lydia away, leaving the book behind
  • Rebecca forces Henry to flee with the book by threatening to shoot him

Character Development

Rebecca sheds her maquisarde alias and openly identifies as Jewish for the first time in two years. She accepts her probable death with cold resignation but still chooses to fight. Her willingness to sacrifice herself for the book marks a shift from survivor to protector.

Lydia loses control of her illusion, revealing her true appearance. The spell she casts to save the group consumes her strength, and she appears to stop breathing before being rescued. Her desperation to destroy the book shows how deeply it has corrupted her.

Henry refuses to abandon Rebecca, revealing stubborn loyalty. He is forced to choose between her orders and his conscience. When Rebecca fires the rifle, he finally obeys.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

Helplessness versus agency
Rebecca thinks of her past helplessness—family taken, friends killed—and contrasts it with her decision to act. She says the book is “just a book” to her, believing her lack of witch blood gives her freedom from its influence.

The book as malevolent presence
The Grimorium Bellum resists destruction, forces itself back into Rebecca’s hands, and causes her to stop breathing. It appears to have its own will.

Identity and masks
Lydia’s illusion fails, revealing her real face. Rebecca gives up her false name. Both characters shed protective disguises at the same moment of crisis.

Sacrifice for the greater good
Rebecca twice offers to die so others can escape with the book. Henry must choose between protecting her and protecting the book.

Why This Chapter Matters

This chapter marks a turning point in Rebecca’s relationship with the book and with her own identity. She fails to destroy the Grimorium Bellum, confirming its near-indestructibility. The death spell’s cost leaves Lydia incapacitated and separated from the group. The Gestapo now knows their location, and the book remains in Henry’s hands while Rebecca faces what appears to be certain death. The stakes shift from hiding to running, and from survival to sacrifice.

Study Questions and Answers

  1. Why does Rebecca believe she can destroy the book when Lydia cannot?
    Rebecca thinks her lack of witch blood makes the book powerless over her. She calls it “just a book,” arguing that its power only works on those with magic.

  2. What does the shadow creature Rebecca sees represent?
    The creature appears only when she touches the book. Its presence suggests the book can project malevolent visions or exert a supernatural force that breaks even a non-witch’s will.

  3. Why does Rebecca force Henry to leave at gunpoint?
    She believes the book must survive, even if she does not. Henry’s refusal to abandon her would doom both the book and their mission. She uses violence to force him to prioritize the greater good over friendship.

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