Rebel Witch Summary by Chapter | Kristen Ciccareli

Gideon’s eyes darken with what she perceives as desire, and their fake romance begins to feel dangerously real before they are interrupted by a woman who recognizes Gideon as “Captain Sharpe.”

Chapter 18: Gideon – The Ghost of the Past

Abbie Redfern, a former lover and patriot, confronts Gideon about his “wife.” Rune plays the doting, slightly drunk spouse perfectly, and Gideon suspects Abbie may be the spy Harrow planted.

Back in the cabin, Gideon helps an inebriated Rune undress and puts her to bed, feeling immense guilt for touching her as if she belongs to him when she was meant for Alex.

Chapter 19: Rune – The Heat of the Dream

Rune has a vivid dream of intense passion with Gideon and wakes to find him leaning over her, shirtless in the sweltering cabin. She is mortified to realize she was moaning his name in her sleep and quickly retreats.

Gideon hands her water and returns to his side of the bed, leaving Rune to vow never to drink again and slip away as soon as he falls asleep.

Chapter 20: Rune – The Search for a Way Out

Rune explores the ship’s lower levels looking for a cargo hold to smuggle witches later, but she needs crew access she doesn’t have.

At a trapshooting party, she feels out of place among the revolutionaries and fails repeatedly at hitting targets.

Gideon takes her in his arms to teach her, and Rune finally hits a target under his guidance, feeling a surge of pride and connection that makes her skin catch fire.

Chapter 21: Gideon – The Predator and the Prey

Gideon watches Rune from a distance, feeling a pang of jealousy when she speaks with a young man named William.

He dances with Abbie to question her about being the spy but realizes too late that William, not Abbie, may be the real threat.

When Rune disappears with William, Gideon abandons Abbie and panics, realizing his jealousy may have blinded him to the danger.

Chapter 22: Rune – The Truth in the Steam

William leads Rune to the boiler room, and Gideon bursts in, shoving William and accusing him of taking advantage of his “wife.” After William leaves, Rune and Gideon argue, and Rune finally snaps, confessing that she would have married him in a heartbeat because she desperately wanted to be his.

Her confession lays her heart bare, and Gideon is stunned by the raw honesty of her rage.

Chapter 23: Gideon – The Snare of the Storm

Gideon finds Rune at the party with her illusion spell failing, exposing her true face to the officers in the room. To hide her, he kisses her desperately, and for a moment the world feels right as they move into a dark corner.

But as they touch skin-to-skin, the brand on his chest explodes with sharp, excruciating pain, and the curse activates for the first time during genuine passion.

Chapter 24: Gideon – The Scent of Blood and Roses

Gideon recoils, the scent of Cressida’s magic burning in the air, and he nearly hallucinates that he is kissing the witch queen instead of Rune. He realizes the curse is triggered specifically by physical contact with his true love, a barrier Cressida has placed between them.

Rune, hurt and misinterpreting his withdrawal as disgust for her nature, flees into the crowd, leaving Gideon trembling and hating Cressida more than ever.

Chapter 25: Rune – The Flight of the Moth

Rune hides under a table, believing Gideon pulled away out of revulsion because she is a witch. She feels foolish for loving a man who can never love her back and sees Abbie follow him out, assuming they will rekindle their romance.

Rune decides she cannot kill these feelings so she must run from them, returning to the boiler rooms to complete her mission and leave Gideon forever.

Chapter 26: Gideon – The Assassin Revealed

Gideon stares at his brand, wanting to cut it out. Abbie kisses him, but he feels nothing—no pain, no desire—proving that Rune has utterly ruined him for any other woman. He realizes Abbie is not the spy; William must be the assassin.

He paces the cabin, fearing that William wants Rune in a grave and that he is running out of time to protect her.

Chapter 27: Rune – The Cargo Hold Trap

Rune breaks into the cargo hold, finding it perfect for hiding witches, but William corners her and reveals himself as the New Republic spy sent to kill her. He offers her a vile “deal,” and when she refuses, he aims his pistol at her head.

Gideon steps out from the shadows behind William, his gun drawn and his eyes full of murderous rage, having arrived in time to intervene.

Chapter 28: Gideon – The New Strategy

Gideon forces William to drop his gun and reveals his new plan: they need Rune alive as a bargaining chip against Cressida’s resurrection plot. He threatens William into cooperating, demanding the spy report back to Harrow that Gideon needs one week to deliver results.

Gideon lets William go, knowing he needs the spy’s help to get past the hounds, but struggles with the urge to kill him for threatening Rune.

Chapter 29: Rune – The Last Night at Sea

Rune overhears Gideon’s conversation with William and feels a cold rage at his plan to use her as a “bargaining chip.” She pretends to sleep when he returns to the cabin and lies awake, realizing she must betray him before he can betray her.

At dawn, they stand at the railing, watching the island of Cascadia loom on the horizon, both acknowledging how much they missed home even as they prepare for war.

Part II

Chapter 30: Rune – The Stolen Home

Rune and Gideon disembark to find no hounds in sight, thanks to Gideon’s arrangements. Rune is devastated to learn that Noah Creed has seized Wintersea House, taking her books, her horse, and Nan’s gardens.

With nowhere else to go, Gideon takes her to his sparsely furnished apartment in Old Town, where she finds a wooden deer carved by his father and feels a profound sense of loneliness.

Chapter 31: Gideon – The Commander’s Terms

Palace guards take Gideon into custody, and he hides Rune on the roof before being brought before the new Good Commander, Noah Creed. Gideon proposes using Rune to find the Roseblood heir and trade her to Soren, buying time.

Noah threatens to cut off the hand of Aurelia Kantor’s toddler unless she cooperates, revolting Gideon but securing a two-day deadline to deliver Rune and the heir.

Chapter 32: Rune – The Heist Proposal

Gideon returns in his scarlet uniform and asks for Rune’s help to rescue Aurelia Kantor’s daughter, Meadow, who is being used as leverage. Rune agrees to a heist, thrilled by the mission but wary of Gideon’s motives.

They share chicken pie from a vendor, and Rune is struck by the strange normalcy of the moment despite the danger surrounding them.

Chapter 33: Rune – The Beguiling Mission

Gideon and Rune ride to the city’s east side, stopping for ice cream, a childhood tradition. They arrive at the “yellow house” where Meadow is held, and Rune enchants their jackets with “Witch’s Armor” and draws a “Beguile” spell to manipulate the guards.

Inside, they hide in a library where a confrontation about their jealousy and attraction erupts, and they realize their feelings for each other are not one-sided.

Chapter 34: Rune – The Escape with Meadow

In the library, Gideon confesses he was thinking only of Rune while kissing Abbie, and they share a passionate kiss that triggers his curse’s pain once more. They find the nursery and take Meadow, but a shootout ensues as guards swarm the house.

Rune has a vision of a future with Gideon and three children, but he orders her to use invisibility to escape with Meadow while he holds off the guards alone.

Chapter 35: Gideon – The Surrender

Gideon fires until he is out of ammunition, then surrenders, having bought Rune enough time. He is taken to Blood Guard headquarters, where Laila Creed and Harrow question his loyalty.

Gideon lies, claiming he was using Rune to get the child, and successfully manipulates Laila into releasing him, though his loyalties remain dangerously split.

Chapter 36: Rune – The Choice of Loyalty

Rune waits for Gideon at his apartment with Meadow, and when he returns with Aurelia, a tearful reunion occurs. Aurelia threatens to kill Gideon, but Rune intervenes, pointing her own gun at the sibyl and revealing she knows of Gideon’s plan to betray her.

Rune refuses to let Aurelia kill him, even as she confronts him about his intentions, and she reveals she has her own plans.

Chapter 37: Rune – The Ancient Stones

Rune and Aurelia steal horses and ride to a circle of ancient summoning stones, where they cast a Majora spell using a lock of Cressida’s hair to find the missing heir. The air tingles with primal magic, and they wait in a cave for the summoned person to arrive.

Rune feels haunted by the look in Gideon’s eyes when she left him, even as she completes the spell that will change everything.

Chapter 38: Gideon – The Shocking Reveal

Gideon follows Rune to the stones with a hunting hound and watches as the summoning spell completes. Hundreds of white lights settle on Rune until she is more glow than girl, and Gideon is struck by a horrifying realization.

The spell’s signature is Rune’s own red moth; she herself is the missing Roseblood heir, the very princess Cressida needs to sacrifice.

Chapter 39: Rune – The Failed Summoning

Rune wakes inside the circle, drenched from a storm she doesn’t remember, and Aurelia tells her the spell failed—no one appeared. Unaware that she summoned herself, Rune decides to use Alex’s sailboat to flee the island with the sibyl and child.

She hopes that if she couldn’t summon the heir, Cressida won’t be able to either, and she plans her escape.

Chapter 40: Gideon – The Final Choice

Gideon races back to the capital, realizing that if he tells Noah the truth about Rune, she will be executed immediately, but if he stays silent, Cressida will find and use her. He decides he cannot betray Rune to either side and will sacrifice his life to buy her time to escape.

Gideon goes to find someone he needs to talk to before making his final move.

Chapter 41: Rune – The Theft of Provisions

Rune swims to Dawn’s Aria but realizes she needs food and water for the voyage. She swims back and sneaks into Gideon’s apartment to steal supplies, terrified of being caught but feeling obligated to get the sibyl and child to safety.

She hopes Gideon won’t be home and steels herself for the final part of her plan, knowing she is leaving her heart behind.

Chapter 42: Gideon – The Spymaster’s Scars

Gideon visits his family’s graves and is joined by Harrow, who reveals she was once in love with a witch named Juniper and lost her ear because of it. Harrow warns him not to forget whose side he is on, or there will be worse scars.

Gideon realizes they have both been poisoned by the witches they loved, but he remains committed to protecting Rune.

Chapter 43: Rune – The Wolf’s Goodbye

Rune is caught by Gideon while stealing food, and instead of stopping her, he kisses her one last time with devastating passion, triggering the curse but neither can resist. He hands her his pistol and tells her to shoot anyone who tries to hurt her.

He gives her a twenty-minute head start, effectively committing treason, and Rune runs, knowing she might never see him again.

Chapter 44: Rune – The Clear Path

Rune expects an ambush but finds the streets empty of soldiers. As a platoon approaches, another soldier diverts them to the other side of town per the Captain’s orders, and Rune realizes Gideon has drawn the Blood Guard away from the harbor.

She and Aurelia reach the Aria and sail away, the path to the open sea miraculously clear.

Chapter 45: Gideon – The Traitor’s Arrest

Gideon is packing dynamite to destroy Cressida’s sisters’ bodies when Laila and Harrow confront him. He admits he lied to buy Rune time because he loves her, and they arrest him for sympathizing with witches.

Noah Creed sentences Gideon to public execution, having chosen Rune over his country.

Chapter 46: Rune – The Enchanted Voyage

Rune uses a Tempest spell to fill the sails and propel them away from the Republic. She feels the loss of Gideon as a physical weight, unaware of the price he is paying for her freedom.

She decides that once she reaches the Continent, she will find Seraphine and run to a place where neither side can find them.

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Chapter 47: Rune – The Penny of Cascadia

After five days at sea, Rune anchors near Soren’s estate to retrieve Seraphine, but Aurelia abandons her, sailing away and leaving behind a jewelry box. Inside, Rune finds a note from Gideon and a Cascadia penny necklace.

The note reads: “I hope you find the freedom you’re looking for,” and Rune realizes Gideon called off the guards to save her and is likely facing execution.

Chapter 48: Rune – The Sacrificial Instructions

Rune sneaks into Larkmont Palace and finds Cressida’s spell books, discovering the details of the True Love’s Curse. She learns the curse can only be broken by the blood of the true love spilled in a sacrificial act—her own blood is the key.

Rune allows herself to be discovered by Cressida, determined to endure the suffering needed to free Gideon, and the queen slams her head against a window and begins to whip her.

Chapter 49: Rune – The Sister’s Revelation

Cressida drags Rune to a bedroom and whips her mercilessly with an ensorcelled whip, but Rune endures, using her own blood to draw the counterspell symbols. As Cressida prepares for a killing blow, Seraphine bursts in and reveals that Rune is actually Cressida’s sister.

The revelation stops the queen, and Rune collapses, her world collapsing into darkness.

Chapter 50: Rune – The Task of Wisdom

Rune wakes days later on a ship heading to the New Republic, her back a web of scars but mended by Juniper’s spells. Seraphine explains she is Wisdom, an Ancient bound in human form, who faked Rune’s stillbirth to save her from the Roseblood family.

They reach the harbor as Soren’s fleet begins shelling the city, and Rune watches her home being sieged.

Chapter 51: Gideon – The Ghost Army Attack

In his cell awaiting execution, Gideon is freed by Laila as the city comes under attack by a ghost army of invisible soldiers shielded by witches. They reach the harbor and see Soren’s massive fleet and Cressida at the helm, ready to swallow the city whole.

The Republic’s army retreats, unable to fight the magically shielded invaders, and Gideon and Laila flee as the harbor burns.

Chapter 52: Rune – The Queen’s Coronation

Cressida takes the palace and the throne, and Rune is forced to kneel and swear fealty along with the other witches, chanting “Long may she reign.” The executions of Blood Guard members and officials are scheduled to begin at dawn.

Rune realizes she is now trapped in a new hell with different trappings, her sister’s murderous gaze on her.

Part III

Chapter 53: Rune – The Dissident Plan

Under Cressida’s rule, Rune is a high-profile prisoner with witch restraints and constant guards. Seraphine visits and suggests they find and destroy the bodies of Analise and Elowyn to weaken Cressida’s position.

At a banquet, Juniper flees upon seeing the captured Harrow, and Seraphine hints that the guards have been taken care of, giving Rune an opening to act.

Chapter 54: Rune – The End of the Prince

Rune escapes the banquet but is intercepted by Soren, who tries to force himself on her, claiming she belongs to him. Rune grabs his holstered pistol and remembers Gideon’s advice to not think twice.

She shoots Soren Nord in the head, killing him in self-defense and effectively ending the source of Cressida’s military power.

Chapter 55: Rune – The Rescue of the Spy

Using Ghost Walker, Rune sneaks into the prison and frees Harrow, revealing that Juniper helped facilitate the rescue. Rune uses a Picklock spell to release Harrow’s manacles, and they prepare to flee through the Mercy Gate.

Rune realizes her absence will soon be noticed, and every witch in the palace will be hunting for her.

Chapter 56: Rune – The Return to Wintersea

Rune and Harrow steal horses and ride to Wintersea House, which is occupied by Noah Creed and Blood Guard soldiers. Rune climbs to her old casting room and retrieves her spell books, but hears the house creaking as someone enters through the false wall.

She blows out her candle and waits, knife ready, as the wall swings open.

Chapter 57: Gideon – The Clang in the Boiler

At Wintersea House, Gideon is held in chains while Noah plans retreat to the Rookery. He hears a thump from above and convinces Laila to investigate, knowing the house’s secrets.

Gideon enters the dark casting room and is immediately hit over the head by a blunt object—Rune, desperate and defensive.

Chapter 58: Rune – The Reunion of Scars

Rune grapples with the intruder and recognizes Gideon’s voice, overwhelmed with relief that he is alive. Before they can fully reunite, Noah and Laila burst in, and Rune throws a knife at Noah before being pinned down.

Both are taken into custody and dragged into the cold night, their reunion shattered by capture.

Chapter 59: Gideon – The Jailer’s Key

Noah taunts Gideon about his love for a witch and plans to trade him to Cressida. A young soldier named Felix slips Gideon the key to his manacles, and Gideon frees himself, attacking Noah on the stairs.

He reaches the gardens as Laila is about to execute Rune, and Laila, remembering her own loss, gives them fifteen seconds to run.

Chapter 60: Rune – The Shelter of Lady

Gideon scoops Rune into his arms and flees into the woods, but he is shot in the shoulder and hip while shielding her. Rune uses her magic to stop the bleeding with his permission, though her hands are still bound.

Surrounded by soldiers, she blows Lady’s whistle, and her white horse emerges from the trees, carrying them away to a summer cottage.

Chapter 61: Rune – The Secret Allies

They break into the Wentholt summer home and find Bart Wentholt with his lover Antonio, an acolyte of the Ancients who heals Gideon. Gideon proposes a “third path” of a unified world, but Rune is paralyzed by fear and the scars on her back.

She storms off, feeling broken by Cressida’s torture, and decides to buy a train ticket to flee the island forever.

Chapter 62: Gideon – The Broken Heart

Gideon wakes alone and finds Harrow has arrived, furious at Juniper’s presence. Rune intervenes, revealing Juniper forced the prison break, and the group shares an awkward breakfast on the terrace.

Gideon notices a new scar on Rune’s neck and prepares to present his plan to unite both sides against the tyrants.

Chapter 63: Rune – The Terror of the Waterfall

Rune sits at the breakfast table, feeling the tension between patriots and witches, and flees when Abbie arrives, unable to watch her look at Gideon with devotion. She goes to a hot spring and breaks down in tears under the waterfall.

She feels hollowed out by fear and unable to believe in Gideon’s vision for a better world.

Chapter 64: Gideon – The Truth of the Scars

Gideon asks where Rune is and learns from Juniper that her back was “flayed to the bone” by Cressida and that she was in a sickbed for the entire voyage. Seraphine adds that Rune is Cressida’s sister, and Gideon realizes Rune endured the whipping specifically to break his curse.

Overcome with rage and guilt, he races to the hot spring to find her, determined to make her see he doesn’t care about her Roseblood blood.

Chapter 65: Gideon – The Waterfall’s Promise

Gideon finds Rune at the waterfall and holds her in the water, kissing her scars and telling her she is the bravest girl he’s ever met. The curse is broken; they touch skin-to-skin without pain, proving her sacrifice worked.

He asks her to stay and fight, but Rune begs him to sail away to the other side of the world. Gideon refuses to abandon their friends, and Rune rides away, leaving him miserably alone.

Chapter 66: Rune – The Final Sunset

Rune returns to the cottage with a shattered heart and prepares to leave for the train station, passing Abbie on the stairs and feeling a pang of jealousy. She retrieves her ticket and tries to harden her heart against the memory of Gideon’s touch.

She believes leaving is the only way to avoid watching him die at Cressida’s hands, and the train station becomes her final destination on the island.

Chapter 67: Gideon – The Dog at the Station

Gideon realizes he cannot let Rune go and learns the station is swarming with Cressida’s soldiers and hounds. He disguises himself and follows her, throwing himself in the way of a dog to block the soldiers’ view and buy her time to board.

He is recognized and taken into custody at gunpoint, but he watches the train pull away, knowing she is safe even if he is captured.

Chapter 68: Rune – The Reflection in the Glass

Rune finds a seat on the train and sees her reflection, realizing she shares no features with Cressida but with the three joyful children from her vision. She questions whether she truly wants to spend her life running and if freedom is worth losing Gideon.

Something wild and bright flickers inside her, but she remains convinced she must leave to survive, leaning against the glass as the train pulls away.

Chapter 69: Gideon – The Rail Yard Execution

The witch leads Gideon to the rail yard to execute him, but as he kneels on the tracks and waits for the shot, a gunshot rings out—and the witch falls dead. Rune stands there with a smoking pistol, having jumped from the train to save him.

She has abandoned her last chance to escape, and Gideon is stunned by her fury and her presence.

Chapter 70: Rune – The Jump for the Train

Rune reveals she leaped from the moving train after seeing Gideon held at gunpoint. They run from soldiers and hounds, and with another train passing through, Gideon directs them to jump onto it.

He makes it aboard first, and Rune grabs the railing of the last car at the last second, pulling herself up as the dogs snap at her heels. They are carried away to safety.

Chapter 71: Rune – The Sleeper Car Vows

Inside the dark train car, Rune confesses she wants three children and to be Gideon’s wife. Gideon says being married to her would be the honor of his life, and they make love for the second time, this time without the curse’s pain.

They vow to stay and fight together, feeling on the cusp of something new, and their bond feels like a fiery spell.

Chapter 72: Gideon – The Prisoner in the Boiler

Gideon and Rune return to Wintersea House to retrieve more spell books and hear a metallic clang from the basement. Gideon investigates and finds Laila Creed manacled to a pipe, left for dead by her brother Noah.

Rune frees her with Picklock, and Laila’s loyalty solidifies, giving them an unexpected ally for the final strike against Cressida.

Chapter 73: Rune – The Last Party

At the cottage, a platoon of Blood Guard soldiers defected from Noah joins Gideon. Harrow and Juniper return with the news that Cressida is heading to the Crossroads to renew the preservation spell on her sisters’ bodies.

Before they leave, they hold a “Riffraff Party” where witches and patriots dance together, demonstrating that the world they want to forge already exists, and Rune feels completely herself for the first time.

Chapter 74: Rune – The Crossroads Trap

The group arrives at the Crossroads, and Rune and Gideon cross a rickety rope bridge to the island where the sisters’ bodies lie in a still pool, protected by powerful enchantments. They turn to see Seraphine and Antonio held at gunpoint by Cressida’s army.

Cressida reveals that Harrow betrayed them to save Juniper, and Rune realizes they are completely trapped and that Cressida needs her alive for the resurrection.

Chapter 75: Rune – The Final Sacrifice

Rune asks Gideon to shoot her, knowing her death is the only way to stop the resurrection. With hot tears, he pulls the trigger, and Rune falls, drawing magical marks on his cheeks with her final strength to reverse the curse so Cressida can never touch him again.

She whispers for him to find her in the next world and passes away in his arms, seemingly ending the rebellion in tragedy.

Chapter 76: Gideon – The Ancient’s Judgment

Gideon is consumed by grief, but he is protected by Rune’s “Everlasting” shield. Seraphine reveals herself as Wisdom, an Ancient, and uses Cressida’s own blood in a life-for-life spell, plunging Rune’s knife into the queen’s heart.

Rune inhales a sharp breath and comes back to life, the resurrection complete, and Cressida falls dead.

Chapter 77: Rune – The Return of Wisdom

Rune wakes to see Gideon staring down at her with love and delight. She tells him Alex’s spirit loved him, and they watch as Seraphine and Antonio burn the bodies of Cressida and her sisters to ash.

Seraphine transforms into a glowing being of moonlight and departs with six other moonlit figures, leaving Rune and Gideon together on the island, finally free of the tyrants and curses.

Chapter 78: Laila – The New Orders

At the Rookery, Laila and the Cascadian Army seize control from her brother Noah and announce new orders: no one is to be hunted for being a witch, and all purgings are outlawed by order of Commander Gideon Sharpe.

The soldiers are given the choice to join the new army, go home, or rot in prison with Noah, and the Blood Guard’s reign of terror officially ends as the sun rises.

Epilogue: Three Months Later

Rune and Gideon host a celebration at Wintersea House for Rune’s election as a parliamentarian in the new House of Commons.

The government consists of six witches and seven non-witches working together, and Gideon reties her cravat, kissing her wedding scar.

They plan a naked swim in the sea once the aristocrats leave, and they face their friends and their future as equals in a world they built together.

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Conclusion

Rebel Witch takes you from an assassin’s hesitation to a world reborn from sacrifice, and every chapter tightens the bond between Rune and Gideon even as it threatens to sever it forever.

Now that you’ve caught up on the plot, explore our full Rebel Witch summary, themes, and ending analysis for a deeper dive into the magic system, the role of the Ancients, and the political revolution.

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