Issue 14

Issue 14 is the fourteenth issue of Bitter Root and was published June 23, 2021. The fourteenth issue is included in the third collected edition, Bitter Root: Legacy.

Synopsis

“LEGACY,” Part Four The Sangerye family has faced many challenges over the years, but none as deadly as the evil they must now confront. With Dr. Sylvester by their side, the Sangeryes prepare to make a final stand. But can Sylvester be trusted?

Plot Summary

A flashback to 1919 shows Enoch in his erratic state of mind. He has largely become separated from the rest of the Sangerye family and searches for answers about the Jinoo. Specifically, he searches for answers about the numerous other worlds that may be out there. This eventually brings him to his discovery of his "pets", which he is able to bring to Earth through a gateway.

In the present, Blink continues to doubt herself and her role as the head of the Sangerye family; she feels that she has failed and compares herself to the rest of the family around her and her friends.

A further flashback to Barzakh shows Doctor Sylvester as he continues his research on the Jinoo and Inzondo. He quickly realises that he is adept in both science and faith. Through his research, Doctor Sylvester has become somewhat of an expert on Barzakh and now understands how the previous inhabitants became corrupted. They allowed their hatred and emotions rule and as a result became twisted. Now, they run freely on Earth.

At the Sangerye establishment, Ma Etta decides that it is time for her to do something she wants to do; she has had a lifetime of following orders and doing things the way others want her to. She drinks a vial of potion and is transported to another world surrounded by souls of the ones she has lost. Here, she talks with her late husband, who tells her that she should not be there. Nonetheless, Ma Etta has had enough of listening to other people and simply rebukes him. After a brief chat, she is awoken by Blink who for a moment thought she was dead.

Ford, Cullen and Sarah travel further North but find the settlements overrun by trees. Things are becoming increasingly more difficult for the group, however, as the trees are now accompanied by rabid dogs.

Returning to where the previous issue ended, Blink sits at Enoch's grave and tells him that she doubts her leadership and believes that they are losing the war against the Jinoo and Inzondo. Doctor Sylvester arrives and tells her that all hope is not lost; he has returned from Barzakh with ideas on how to defeat the evils that have been unleashed upon them.