A Great and Terrible Beauty Chapter 36 Summary

  • In the realms again, Gemma senses something is wrong when she smells an unpleasant smell, like rotting meat, and warns Felicity—but no one wants to believe her. They'd rather believe they can be magical on their own.
  • The huntress sneaks up to them and is happy they made her a sacrifice. 
  • Following her to the Runes of the Oracle, she promises them her mistress will give them magical power—Felicity finally gets that something isn't right.
  • The huntress grows bigger and darker and scarier, and then begins to hiss at them, calling to the girls.
  • The demonic creature grabs Felicity, who is terrified, but Gemma grabs her too. 
  • Pippa runs away, but Ann is with Gemma, who tells her to help get Felicity back to their world.
  • The garden is in chaos: the wind rips every living thing from its roots, the creature grows a bunch of legs and crawls after them, and Gemma almost gets squashed by a tree branch.
  • What else could possibly go wrong? Well here's something: Instead of helping Gemma with Felicity (who is finally coming out of her petrified state), Ann is staring at her reflection in the river. But the image she sees is disgusting, and she begins ripping out her hair. 
  • Out in the river, Pippa is in a boat, stranded in the thrashing waves. 
  • Calling out for help, Pippa reaches for the girls but they certainly can't get to her. The wraith eggs them on to go fetch her, but Gemma says they should go right now and come back for her. 
  • Felicity refuses to leave Pippa there, but what else can they do? 
  • Then Gemma's nightmare vision comes true and Pippa topples into the water, which freezes over, locking her inside. 
  • Immediately the wraith takes off after the other three, and Gemma demands they leave now or be killed. 
  • She whisks the girls away to the caves, and Felicity cries that Gemma left Pippa to die. 
  • On the cave floor, Pippa has a seizure and is lost to them.