Short Fiction · Chapter
V: The Rout of the Witches explained
The coven attacks Jaeger's home, but Jaeger and Wickett fight back, killing or wounding seven of the eleven attackers.
What happens
The coven attacks Jaeger's home, but Jaeger and Wickett fight back, killing or wounding seven of the eleven attackers. Jaeger reveals the witches' charms are ineffective against them, and after interrogating a survivor named Splain, Jaeger gives Wickett a silver-loaded revolver to face the Flying Horned One.
Free preview opens on this chapter — companions, themes, and character notes appear beside the text.
Narrative arc
Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Rising action.
- Setup
- Escalation
- Breaking point
- Aftermath
- Closing
This is the dramatic climax because it marks the protagonist’s psychological and emotional peak of self-discov…
Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.
Follow the arc while readingThemes in this chapter
- Supernatural Evil and Occultism
The coven's rituals, the 'Flying Horned One,' and enchanted weapons embody occult evil.
- The Power of Belief and Ritual
Jaeger counters the witches' charms with Christian faith and practical tactics, showing belief as a weapon.
- Evil and Moral Corruption
The witches' mock baptism and murderous intent illustrate deliberate moral inversion and corruption.
Characters to notice
- Cole Wickett
Narrator and fighter; kills two witches with a saber and assists Jaeger in the rout.
- Reverend Mr. Jaeger
Leads the defense, shoots three witches, interrogates Splain, and arms Wickett with silver bullets.
- Susan Gird
Present during the attack; the tall witch tries to induct her into the coven, but Jaeger's shot interrupts.
- Peter Dole
Mentioned as the dead 'Dirt Fire,' the renegade witch whose death reduced the coven to eleven.
- Jake Switz
Mentioned as 'Sigrid Holgar' in the context of the coven's membership; not directly present.
Key passages
“I knew an instant of terror more complete and sickening than any that had been mine in the war, a worse chill than at Murfreesboro, Selma or Shiloh itself.”
The narrator felt a terror surpassing any he experienced in the Civil War battles of Murfreesboro, Selma, or Shiloh.
Highlights the supernatural dread compared to wartime horrors.
“They had a belief, even a form of travestied worship, that claimed them as ever pure religion claimed saints or martyrs.”
The witches held a perverted faith as strong as any true religion.
Emphasizes the theme of corrupted belief.
“The hand of glory, cut from a hanged murderer's arm, is supposed to shed light and strike victims numb. Having no hanged murderer convenient, these made a dummy of wax.”
The witches used a wax imitation of the 'hand of glory' because they lacked a real one from a hanged murderer.
Explains the occult object and its ineffectiveness.
