Spirit Prophecy’s usurper who makes Dolores Umbridge look like a saint

You can argue Dolores Umbridge was more sinister than Lord Voldemort, but another book series out there boasts an even greater tyrant.

I recently mentioned that Spirit Prophecy is my favorite book in the Gateway Trilogy, and I’d call it my third-favorite book in the entire World of the Gateway, which includes the Gateway Trackers. Only Soul of the Sentinel and Gift of Darkness, Books Six and Seven in the Gateway Trackers, supersede it.

In what was once upon a time the final two books in World of the Gateway, you’ll find out that the Durupinen will go further to conceal a lie than maybe even the Intelligence Community itself. So much, that even spirits who know of these lies remain imprisoned in the bowels of some of the most notorious places on Earth.

But in Spirit Prophecy, E.E. Holmes plants the seeds. And early in the book, you’ll meet the main architect behind the corruption. Enter Marion of Clan Gonach’d. She’s around Jess and Hannah’s Aunt Karen’s age—and just for the record, if Holmes could go back and have used the name Karen for Marion, and Marion for Karen, that would’ve been great. If only this book was published a few years later…

Trust me, you won’t meet a bigger ‘Karen’ in any other book than Marion, and she’s one in the most toxic ways. Anyway, I’m getting off-track. Let’s just say Marion’s “poisoned honey” personality grows more aggressive as the novel continues. But she’s such a snake that it’s not until the end of the book do you realize that even Dolores Umbridge herself would look like an innocent saint next to the woman.

Like Mother, Like Daughter

In the third chapter of Spirit Prophecy, Jess has a rather unpleasant encounter with another Durupinen Apprentice, and this inciting incident sets the story in motion. The Apprentice is none other than Marion’s daughter, Peyton.

If you’ve ever watched a Lifetime flick that takes place in a high school and the antagonist is that rich, spoiled head cheerleader who’s so psychotic that she’d poison her own family to maintain her popularity and perfect reputation, that’s Peyton. And it doesn’t take someone born with half a brain to know where she’d gotten her personality.

Yep, her “good” old, but supermodel-looking mother whose favorite hobbies include shopping for designer fashion and leeching aether from spirits to maintain that youthful glow. And Marion isn’t shy about, in the most poisonous way possible, letting Karen, Jess, and Hannah know that they’re not welcome at Fairhaven Hall.

Guilt-Tripping Girls Who Committed No Crime

Her reasoning is simple: The way Jess and Hannah’s mother, Lizzy (also known as Elizabeth), left the Durupinen hanging nearly two decades before, which wreaked havoc on the Gateway. Never mind the constant fear Hannah lived in since she started chatting it up with spirits from her first memories, or the fact Jess basically acted as Lizzy’s caretaker since birth.

Nope, Marion held Lizzy’s blunder against Jess and Hannah the same way those demanding reparations like to pretend every one of us of Western European (I’m also of Northern) descent should be collectively guilty for the “financial effects of slavery and/or racial discrimination.” Makes no sense when you think deeply about it, especially since I can prove via documentation my own ancestors who originally settled in the Middle Colonies were Quakers. And per Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom, Quakers were no fans of slavery.

Anyway, Marion’s demeanor turns more sinister as you dive deeper into Spirit Prophecy. Once Hannah’s rare, special powers come to the forefront, it sends select Durupinen into a panicked frenzy. Fueled by Marion, of course.

Yep, this woman loves to use the old fear-mongering tool to cloud her allies’ judgment. But guess what? The High Priestess, Finvarra, is having none of it, letting Marion know that the woman’s takes are nothing but ‘biased speculation.’

It’s actually never fully revealed whether Marion was also fearful of Hannah or if she used the girl’s ability as a lever. But nevertheless, she had her allies right where she wanted them, allowing her to call for a vote of ‘no confidence’ regarding the way Finvarra handled the situation regarding Hannah’s powers.

What’s the Big Deal?

See, Hannah possesses an ability that could spell the end for the Durupinen Sisterhood, via a prophecy created centuries before her birth. Instead of facing that prophecy head-on, the Durupinen spent centuries trying to thwart that prophecy, which, of course, led to a few unnecessary deaths.

Since Finvarra made not a single move to try and rein in Hannah simply for the fact the girl possessed such an ability, the frightened Durupinen unseated her and inserted Marion as the new High Priestess. For Jess, Hannah, and their small band of allies, one of whom being Marion’s nephew, Finn Carey, it was a guaranteed prison sentence in the dungeons without due process.

But like all good books, it led to an epic climax, which contained quite an epic escape scene. Thanks to Marion, Jess and Hannah became fugitives, as the prophecy also pointed to Jess since it referred to a set of twins born to a Durupinen and Caomhnoir.

See, the Durupinen and Caomhnoir are forbidden from any kind of romantic relationship and are, by extension, fear-mongered into distrusting one another. Even if they’re forced to work together, as Caomhnoir are tasked with protecting the Durupinen from hostile spirits.

Yeah, that would suck, right? Anyway, at this point, they only fit the description of the girls mentioned in this prophecy, one Jess and Hannah’s own ancestor, Agnes Isherwood, concocted.

You can probably guess that yes, they are indeed the subjects of that prophecy, as this is genre fiction. It’s something you’ll discover in Spirit Ascendency. But, as you could probably also guess, Jess and Hannah never destroyed the Durupinen Sisterhood, even if the actions of Marion and her minions on the Council nearly led to its destruction.

A Better Approach Would’ve Saved Some Heartache

As I said earlier, it’s unclear whether Marion feared this prophecy or if she was using such speculation as a mere lever to gain more power. Throughout the book, Holmes makes it sound like Marion does fear this. But given the woman’s personality, she could’ve easily used the Isherwood Prophecy as a lever to further her own ambitions.

I’ve read Spirit Prophecy a few times, but it’s been nearly three years since I’ve last “picked it up,” having listened to the work once in late 2022. That said, as I make my way through this current read, I want to dig deep and conclude whether Marion did, indeed, sway one way or another.

Either way, a better approach, such as studying the prophecy and utilizing the girls’ strengths to combat it, would’ve saved some heartache. And yes, there was a way to do just that. Unfortunately, Marion and the Durupinen, or at least the Northern Clans, weren’t having it.

But, that’s not to say another group had the answer, and it’s one I’ll reveal later this year when I trek through Spirit Ascendency.