Alex Stern, #2
Hell Bent
by Leigh Bardugo
Contents
Chapter 3
Overview
After Book and Snake’s necromancy, Jacob Yeshevsky’s corpse deteriorates into spelling “Milky Way,” which Dawes interprets as Galaxias—a deliberate signal from Darlington. Pressed by time and a looming Praetor, Alex and Dawes abandon the fruitless Gauntlet search and choose a bolder plan: open a hell-portal using Scroll and Key’s table.
Alex vows to gain access without violence, accepting rising risks and the consequences if Darlington condemns her.
Summary
After hours of dictation, Book and Snake’s ritual concludes at 2 a.m. Alex watches as Jacob Yeshevsky’s reanimated body keeps moving, frantically spelling new words no one records. Calista shrugs it off as “mother’s milk” or “Milky Way,” and the high priest calls it a glitch. Alex, unsettled, leaves the tomb.
Back at the Hutch, Alex debriefs Dawes, joking about containing the corpse, then admits the ending disturbed her. They confirm Dawes has postponed meeting the incoming Praetor, but only for a week, and doubt he’ll approve any risky operations.
Reviewing their sole lead—an entry about a Gauntlet hidden on “hallowed ground”—they acknowledge that months of searching churches and cemeteries yielded nothing. Alex floats retrying Sandow’s hound-dog casting despite its past near-disaster, arguing Sandow never intended to help.
When Alex mentions the corpse’s “Milky Way” message, Dawes connects it to the Greek “Galaxias,” suggesting the corpse tried to reach them—likely Darlington signaling from beyond the Veil. Accepting the implication, Dawes proposes a new approach: use Scroll and Key’s table to open a portal to hell.
Alex agrees, promising to secure entry politely. She reflects on maintaining a low profile with Lethe, the danger if Darlington accuses her, and the tightening constraints from Eitan. With the Gauntlet search stalled and time short, they commit to the high-risk portal plan.
Who Appears
- Alex SternVirgil; oversees necromancy, notes the corpse’s “Milky Way” message, agrees to open a portal, promises discreet access to Scroll and Key.
- Pamela DawesOculus; interprets “Milky Way” as Galaxias, proposes opening a portal at Scroll and Key, postpones meeting with the new Praetor.
- CalistaBook and Snake delegation president; debriefs Alex and dismisses the corpse’s final messages.
- High priest of Book and SnakeLeads the ritual; labels the corpse’s last words a glitch due to lack of freshness.
- Jacob YeshevskyMurder victim; reanimated body spells out messages, ending with “Milky Way,” prompting new interpretation.
- Darlington (Daniel Arlington)Missing; possibly sends the Galaxias signal, motivating the new portal plan.
- AnselmLethe administrator; informed about delaying the meeting with the incoming Praetor.
- New PraetorImminent overseer; expected to oppose risky operations, adding urgency to Alex and Dawes’s plan.