Chains Chapter 16 Summary

Sunday, June 23, 1776

  • After the disaster with Ruth's seizure, Isabel finally realizes that there's no way out: She and her sister have to get out of New York, and the plot to kill Washington is powerful enough to help them do it. Isabel breaks into Lockton's library desk and steals the list of names, then sneaks out of the house. She makes her way to the Battery, the fort that serves as headquarters of the Patriots, dodging the authorities along the way. 
  • Once she gains an audience with Colonel Regan, she explains both the list of names and the situation she and Ruth find themselves in.
  • Regan promises to investigate, which is a long way from an actual plan or promise, but it gives Isabel hope anyway. 
  • Regan orders Isabel to put the list back in her master's desk and to go about her business as if nothing happened. He tells her that if she hears of anything else, she must come and report back to him, and gives her the secret password to get into the camp: ad astra, a Latin phrase that means to the stars.