Blood and Ash Series
by Jennifer L Armentrout
The Blood and Ash Series follows Poppy, beginning as she strives to fit into her role as The Maiden and not worry too much about her upcoming Ascension, or what that means, or why no one talks about what happens when you Ascend, or what will be expected from her afterward. All in a world where the mortals try to survive the Craven, avoid becoming one of the Cursed, and try to stay on the good side of the Ascended.
For more from Jennifer L Armentrout, check out her website at www.jenniferlarmentrout.com/
Prepare yourself. Penellaphe, known to very few as Poppy, is THE Maiden. As such, she is heavily protected and under the care of the Duke and Duchess of Masadonia. But tonight, she has snuck out of Castle Teerman to go to the Red Pearl, where you can find pleasures of every kind. She’s hiding her identity since being out and alone would get her punished, but there’s no one there who would recognize her face anyway. She hasn’t seen her brother Ian since he ascended and was pushed into an arranged marriage with Claudeya, and her face stays completely covered when she’s in public as the Maiden - even her eyes. As Poppy hears a sensual rhythmic music start to play from behind a closed curtain and moves to see what is happening, she is stopped by a woman who works at the Red Pearl. The woman has surmised who she is (Poppy suspects she’s a seer, and Poppy thought they were all gone!) but the woman doesn’t want to turn Poppy in. The way she speaks makes Poppy suspect the woman is a Descenter, a supporter of Prince Casteel. Casteel is a man from what used to be Atlantia, a kingdom that had fallen at the end of the War of the Two Kings, and who the Descenters believe to be the true heir instead of Queen Ileana and King Jalara. But the woman warns Poppy just before a man comes in who definitely would recognize Poppy, her guard and someone who is more like a father to her. Someone who would recognize her masked or otherwise. Vikter Wardwell. The woman tells Poppy to hide in a room upstairs until it’s safe for her to sneak away, the woman will come get her at that time, and Poppy has no choice but to trust her. But when Poppy enters the specified room, she finds that it is not empty. It’s occupied by Hawke Flynn. Poppy knows Hawke (everybody does) since he’s super tall and ripped. But Poppy also has a gift from the gods, she can feel the pain of others - physical or otherwise. She knows that Hawke is in constant pain although you can’t tell it from the outside. It’s the fact that he doesn’t let that pain overwhelm him that has caught Poppy’s attention. She doesn’t know anyone else like that. Hawke recognizes the cloak that Poppy is wearing. The cloak she “borrowed” from Britta (the castle maid who it turns out Hawke has been discreetly meeting with for trysts). Hawke believes Britta followed him tonight for just that reason and Poppy immediately clocks that a) the bed is still made so he wasn’t already using it that night and b) there are two glasses on the table so while they didn’t use the bed, he was certainly meeting someone. He doesn’t seem happy about the idea of Britta following him, but he isn’t going to talk about it tonight. Instead, Hawke picks her up, carries her to the bed, lays her down, and kisses her. Since the room is dark, Poppy is wearing a mask, and she’s about the same size as Britta, it’s only after he kisses her that Hawke realizes that she is not who he thought she was. He asks who she is (she gives no answer) but he assumes (correctly) that she knows who he is. He asks why she came, and she says it could be for the conversation - so they chat for a minute. Poppy asks why he became a guard of the Rise (which is very dangerous). The Rise is the huge wall that has protected Masadonia since the end of the War of the Two Kings. In fact, every city in Solis is protected by a Rise and even the smaller towns, villages, and communities have their own smaller versions of the wall no matter how small. Hawke tells her that his father was a farmer. He didn’t want to be a farmer and there aren’t many other options open. She admits that’s true. She asks if his father has passed (he has not) and reveals that both of her parents are gone. He gives her heartfelt condolences, and she knows that he’s lost someone important in his life even if it wasn’t his parents. She wonders to herself what more she plans to do tonight. She just had her first kiss and thoroughly enjoyed it. Could she go further if he’s willing? She’s always thought the gods wouldn’t judge her too harshly as the Maiden, even if she did things the Duke and Duchess say are forbidden, but what if she is incorrect. If she’s found wanting by the gods upon her Ascension, she will be exiled. It has happened once before. All records of that person were destroyed when they were deemed unworthy and unfit to live among people. But that knowledge doesn’t stop Poppy, who had already made her decision. And it seems that Hawke is intrigued, and more than willing. Hawke asks her to take her mask off and at first Poppy says no - worried that he will say mean things about her appearance like the duke, but when he asks a second time she thinks about it. But they’re interrupted before she can make a decision (or they get too far). It’s another guard calling for Hawke, telling him that an envoy they’ve been waiting for has just arrived and Hawke needs to meet them. He asks Poppy to stay where she is until he returns and she agrees, but as soon as Hawke leaves the room, she sneaks out too. She’s grateful that Hawke didn’t feel the scars of what the duke has done to her before he was called away, though he did find her expensive and rare dagger that Viktor gifted her. Poppy doesn’t see Viktor as she leaves the Red Pearl. The next day, Poppy speaks to Tawny - a girl about her own age that was given to the court when she was thirteen during the Rite and was subsequently given to Poppy as a companion. It’s not Tawny’s choice to be with Poppy, but they’ve become friends of a sort anyway and Poppy trusts Tawny more than almost anyone else. In fact, Tawny knows that Viktor trains Poppy in weapons fighting but has never tattled. And she also knows that Poppy snuck out the night before - she heard Poppy leave. Poppy tells Tawny where she went but not who she saw or what happened there with Hawke. Tawny wants to go with Poppy next time, but Poppy tells her she doesn’t think there should be a next time. They talk for a while and Tawny reveals that she heard the mist is gathering nearby. The mist is one of the things the Rise protects them from. They also discuss the upcoming Ascension. They will ascend at the same time and Tawny (for one) is excited. She will no longer be under someone else’s command but in charge of her own life, and as beautiful and long living as all Ascended are. But Poppy’s Ascension is not the same. She is to be given to the gods, and she has no idea what that means or what happens afterward. That night, Viktor comes to her room to tell Poppy they’ve been summoned. Within the mists outside of the Rise reside the Craven, who were cursed by the Atlantians and controlled only by the Dark One. It is why working outside of or to protect the Rise is so dangerous. The Craven were once people but now are more beast, if they scratch or bite you, you become Craven yourself. The change can take anywhere from a few hours to two days, but never more than three. And no one survives it - except for Poppy. She was scratched on her face and never turned, which is why she is considered Chosen. It is why she is the Maiden. And it is why the duke thinks her face is ruined. If a Craven turns inside the city, it can cause a massacre since the people do not expect the Craven to be inside of the Rise. If someone has not yet turned but is discovered while the process has started, they are drug out for a public execution. To prevent public execution is treason. But Viktor and Poppy are both part of a group that believes that even the Cursed deserve to die with dignity. Viktor takes Poppy to a house near the Rise that is marked with a handkerchief. The Cursed’s wife, Agnes, tells them that it has been two days since her husband returned from outside the Rise. He had been missing for months when he finally returned, and he started showing symptoms on the night he came back but she had hoped he had only fallen sick with a cold. He tried to kill himself, but the Curse will not allow it. Even though she can’t see Poppy’s face, as soon as Poppy speaks, Agnes knows who she is. People have been talking about her, spreading rumors of her gift. Agnes is relieved that she’s there, but the news of the rumor is not welcomed by either Poppy or Viktor. They have to make sure no one else was tainted with the Curse (the Cursed are prone to uncontrollable rages and a bite from them, even though they are not fully turned, can pass on the Curse) so Viktor checks with Agnes about herself and her child as Poppy sees to Marlowe, the Cursed man. He tells her that he only wanted to say goodbye, and that he wasn’t the only one who was hurt in the attack. His friend Ridley returned to the city with him to say goodbye to his father, but Ridley lives in the huntsmen dorms. This could be very, very bad. Minutes away from Marlowe turning completely, Poppy kills him by stabbing her bloodstone dagger through his brain. The Cursed and the Craven can only be killed with either bloodstone or a stake of wood from the Blood Forest through the heart or the brain, or fire. Marlowe dies immediately, now to find Ridley. They don’t have far to look. She and Viktor go to Ridley’s dad’s house right away and he tells them that he knew what Ridley was and killed him the night before. He even shows them where he buried Ridley’s body. They walk back to the castle through the grove, which almost nobody else uses for fear that it’s haunted. Viktor is worried that stories about Poppy are getting out and he’s concerned that Poppy might want them to. That she wants to be seen as unworthy in the eyes of the gods. But what he doesn’t understand is that the gods would already know what she was doing, she just wants to be able to choose for herself what happens with her life. To be able to choose to show her face to Marlowe, to tell him who she is before he dies, to take some of Agnes’ pain away. To sneak away to the Red Pearl. It is her choice, even if she is punished for her choices afterward. Her other guard, Rylan, arrives to escort Poppy on her walk around the gardens, which she does every night. They are stopped on the way by Lord Mazeen, an Ascended who looks about twenty but is at least a couple of hundred years old and who likes to join the Duke during Poppy’s punishments. Mazeen insists on speaking to Poppy alone, even though as the Maiden she should not linger and shouldn’t be touched by anyone, he does both of those things against her will while threatening punishment from the duke. She’s tempted to stab him with her dagger and even grabs its hilt when a scream rends the air. They both leave the alcove Mazeen forced Poppy into to find a servant woman screaming. She points to a door where inside a woman lies dead, her skirts around her waist, her head twisted to an unnatural angle, and two deep bite wounds at her neck. In Poppy’s rooms with Tawny and Rylan, they discuss what happened as the castle is searched from top to bottom. When the search is complete, Viktor tells them that no other victims were found, neither were there any Craven. But a Craven doesn’t make sense anyway. There would be four bite marks instead of two, and the wound was right over the jugular. A Craven would have made a terrible mess, but there was no blood in the room at all. The duke has announced that it was a Descended that killed the woman, but that also doesn’t make sense. The Descended are only mortals, there would have been blood. Viktor believes, and Poppy agrees, that it was done by an Atlantian. In the early morning, Poppy leaves her room to read one of the books she’s studied in the past as the Maiden. It explains that the Ascended are essentially immortal, not aging from the time of their Blessing during their Ascent. Atlantians are also close to immortal, but their long lives are given to them by drinking the blood of mortals. They have two fangs that they use for that purpose and through those bites, the Craven are created. Poppy wonders why an would Atlantian bite the woman but then snap her neck? In addition, it is believed that the Atlantians used to create a bond with the Wolven, when the Wolven still roamed, but they aren’t sure what that bond entailed. When she leaves, Poppy does not go back to her room but to the room the woman was found in to look around. She finds a jasmine petal under the settee but nothing else out of place. That night, Poppy decides to take her nightly walk with Rylan in the Queen’s Gardens. They make it just in time to see the sun go down and the night blooming roses open up. Right then, a hidden archer shoots Rylan in the chest. Rylan tells Poppy to run. She catches Rylan’s body as he falls to the ground, dead before he finishes falling. A man comes out of the shadows and tells Poppy that if she follows directions, no one else will be hurt. Poppy isn’t having it and as soon as the man is close enough, she stabs him in the side with her dagger. She hits something vital, and the man makes a sound unlike any mortal sound Poppy has ever heard. And he’s not happy. He hits Poppy in the face so hard she nearly falls to the ground. Then he puts his hand over his wound and threatens Poppy with what sounds like a terrible time before a whistle sounds from outside of the garden walls and the man falls quiet. He turns to Poppy and says they aren’t finished yet before leaving. Poppy stumbles out of the garden and is found by a group of guards, Viktor among them. Later, Poppy is being tended to as the duchess asks about what happened. The duchess decides to have the jacaranda trees that hide a portion of the wall that is crumbling be taken out. She also tells Poppy that she will have to report what happened to the queen and the queen may summon Poppy back to the palace because of it. She reveals that the arrow that hit Rylan had the Dark One’s motto on it, a promise to his people that they would rise again, “From blood and ash”. But they don’t think it was a Descended who did it. They think it was an Atlantian, maybe even the Dark One himself who came for Poppy. Poppy finds the last option unlikely, since the man mentioned that someone else wanted her alive. He was definitely taking orders from a higher up. That night Tawny stays the night with Poppy since neither of them can sleep. She asks if Poppy thinks the Queen will summon her back to the capital, but Poppy is more concerned that the Queen will petition that her Ascension be moved up instead, so she can ascend before anything happens to her. The Queen still regrets that Poppy’s mother never ascended, the only person ever to choose not to ascend in order to marry someone not considered fit for the honor. The next day, Poppy attends Rylan’s funeral - even though it is not protocol and the duke will be displeased. Viktor is beckoned to light the pyre but is torn between his duty to protect Poppy and his desire to honor his friend, until Hawke comes up and volunteers to protect her. While they watch the pyre go up in flames, Hawke tells Poppy that she will never be hurt again. While training the next day with Viktor, she broaches the topic of who may replace Rylan. He tells her he wouldn’t be surprised if it were Hawke though he is new to the guards and new to the city. He is one of the best guards they’ve seen. But if Hawke becomes Poppy’s guard, he would hear her speak. And may recognize her voice. Later, she is in the Great Hall as Duke and Duchess Teerman are petitioned by the people of the city. A couple approach, holding their infant son. They explain that he is their third and should be dedicated to the gods and raised in the temple, but their first two sons died, and they were hoping to be excused from the rule since they can have no more children. The Teermans do not grant them the dispensation, and they are ordered to give their son over when he is only a month old. The couple is distraught, and their feelings overwhelm Poppy for a moment, breaking through the wall she has around herself. As she carefully reconstructs the wall, she also feels a blonde man in the audience. She can feel something from him. It feels hot like physical pain and it’s intense, but he doesn’t look as if he’s hurt. Poppy looks at the crowd, which has several angry faces looking at the duke and duchess. Faces that had to give their second sons and daughters to the Court after their Rite, like Tawny, and their third to the gods. And special cases had been excused before. Poppy’s brother was allowed to ascend, simply because he is the brother of the Maiden. Poppy hopes that when she ascends, chosen by the gods themselves, she may be able to help in situations like these. The next day, Poppy is waiting to be escorted to her lesson with Priestess Analia when Viktor tells her she’s been summoned before the duke and duchess instead. They’re going to announce who her next guard will be. It’s no surprise that Poppy enters the room to find Hawke waiting inside as well. He’s her new guard and as such, there will be times that he sees her face. They don’t want him to be surprised when that happens, so they ask Poppy to unveil herself now. She does and shows her full face to Hawke, scars and all, as Duke Teerman makes nasty remarks about how beautiful half of her face is. Hawke retorts that her entire face is beautiful and makes his oath to her, using her name instead of her title. That night, after Tawny demands to know why she’s acting so weird, Poppy reveals that she kissed Hawke that night at the Red Pearl and that he heard her talk. If he’s interested in rising through the ranks, there’s no better way for him to get on the duke’s good side than to tattle on Poppy. The next day, Poppy and Tawny have lunch in the atrium when they are joined by Loren and Davina, two ladies in wait. They should not be there with the Maiden, but they are too focused on looking at Hawke to care. While talking, Loren brings up the murder from the week before. She says that Britta heard that Prince Casteel is quite handsome, which is how he gets into places he should not be allowed in order to do his nefarious deeds. If he were near the castle, it would be… interesting. The callousness of Loren’s words causes Poppy to speak to her, chastising her, which she should not do. After, her gift lashes out and forms a bond with Loren for a moment. Poppy feels something strange, something she shouldn’t. Excitement and fear, Poppy usually only feels pain. She wonders if her gift is acting up for some reason. Soon after, the ladies leave, and Hawke informs Poppy that she’s been summoned before the duke. She freezes; sure that a punishment is coming but unsure of why. Hawke waits for Poppy outside of the duke’s office. When Poppy enters, she sees Lord Mazeen is with him. Again, the duke comments on her face and lets it slip that he knew her mother. This is the first that Poppy has heard of this. The duke berates Poppy for not understanding her place. She was chosen by the gods at birth, one of only two people ever, while the other Ascended are chosen during their Rite. That is the reason the Dark One tried to kill her, ending in the deaths of her parents. She should know better than to associate with ladies in wait. It’s one of several minor transgressions that he will punish her for. He assigns her four lashes, but when she can’t help being snarky, he goes up to seven. He uses a cane to give her the lashes and when he touches her shoulder to keep her still, she feels nothing within him. No emotions. It is what the Blessing of the Gods does to a person, separating the Ascended from the mortals. Poppy doesn’t make a sound as she receives her punishment, Mazeen relishing watching her nearly bare body. When Poppy leaves the office, it is Viktor who is waiting for her. Hawke did not like the reaction either Tawny or Poppy gave when they heard about the summons and sought out Viktor for answers, who took over the guard. He escorts Poppy to her room, expressing concern and asking if she should give up visiting the Cursed with him, but she will not stop protecting her people. For two days she hides, healing, but luckily the cane did not break her skin so the healing process is easier than it could have been. On the second night, she watches the fires burning on the Rise. They’re calm, which is good, but she sees them start to dance as if in the wind. Then she hears the horns warning the city that the Craven are coming. She rushes to get ready, intent on going to the wall and protecting the people with her bow. Tawny tries to dissuade her but is unsuccessful. Instead, Tawny agrees to tell anyone who asks that Poppy has locked herself inside the bathroom in fear. Poppy runs through the old servant’s passage that has a door connected to her room, just barely making it outside before the castle is locked down. She finds a spot on the wall and prepares herself, finding Viktor below preparing to fight as well. She wonders if Hawke is guarding her room or is preparing to fight below. Then she sees the Craven as they attack. Just as they did when she was five years old, the night her parents died. She fires at the Craven, defending the Rise (and not for the first time). She shoots Craven after Craven, her aim impeccable, even saving Viktor from being attacked. Then the Craven break over the wall and start attacking the archers. One does not get close to her, so she stays in her position and continues to pick them off until only a few Craven are left. Only then does she finally turn to leave and sneak back to her room, but she is stopped by Hawke, who (guessing from his clawed armor) was fighting outside the Rise like Viktor - and who noticed the archer and came to investigate. He’s delighted to find out that it’s a woman. Poppy tries to get around him put he stops her, his curiosity is piqued. She turns on him and knocks his feet out from under him before running for the castle, but he quickly catches up to her. So, she puts her dagger to his throat and that’s a mistake, because it’s a dagger he recognizes from the Red Pearl. He knows he’s met her before, and she doesn’t see the point in being silent anymore. They argue a bit before he reveals that he knows EXACTLY who she is. He has known that the Maiden and the girl at the Red Pearl were the same person since she first showed her face to him. But he would never reveal it, because he guards her and needs her to trust him. Soon, another soldier calls up to him and he tells Poppy to get back to her room. She has just enough time to tell Tawny that the Craven breached the Rise before being defeated but that they lost a lot of guards before Hawke arrives to finish their talk. After having to convince Tawny to leave, Hawke and Poppy argue a bit before Poppy gives up and sits in front of the fire. She tells him why she fights, tells him what happened the night her parents died. That no one in that village could fight except the guards and when they were killed, the others had no chance. But Hawke has heard more rumors about Poppy. That she helps the Cursed die with dignity. He won’t tell this secret of hers either, since he does the same thing. The Duke and Duchess Teerman make a public appearance after the attack on the Rise, speaking to the citizens of the city. But it is not the comforting message of rebuilding that you’d expect. In fact, they tell the people that the Craven will come again. The gods are mad at them, the gods told the Teermans so, it’s why so many Craven were present during the attack. They know that some have turned away from the gods, away from the Ascended, to follow the Dark One. But if any good, god-fearing citizen learns of a neighbor who is not as good, not as god-fearing, they would be richly rewarded to turn them in. Poppy listens to this and feels something from the crowd. Again, it is not what she’s supposed to feel. She’s only ever been able to feel pain, but this is panic. Terror. Like when she felt Loren’s emotions. Fear and excitement. She notices a man in the crowd that she’d also noticed during the family’s petition to keep their son. The same man. She notices other people in the crowd that she thinks are acting strange. She points the man out to Viktor and Hawke just as he steps forward - screaming that the duke and duchess are liars, demanding to know what happens to the third and fourth children in a family. He throws something at the duke, the severed hand of a Craven, before he is taken by the guards screaming that from blood and ash, they will rise again. The mantra of the Dark One, Prince Casteel. Viktor leaves to speak to the commander so Hawke walks Poppy back to her room. He points out that he’s not surprised that people feel that way about the children… after the children are given to the priests, they are never seen by their families again. Allowing them occasional visits would do a lot to allay fears. Afterward, Poppy tells Viktor about what she felt during the address to the people of the city. He is one of only a handful of people who know about her gift, including the duke and duchess and Priestess Analia. He recommends she speak to the duchess. Poppy assures Duchess Teerman that she has not been using her gift (she’s not supposed to until her Ascension) and that she rarely loses control but explains that she’s felt a couple emotions other than pain recently. The duchess asks Poppy to read her emotions, but Poppy feels nothing, and the duchess seems relieved. She explains that she believes Poppy’s gift is maturing but warns Poppy not to let the duke know. It would remind him of the first Maiden. The only other Maiden to be Chosen by the gods themselves. Poppy doesn’t know anything about that Maiden and the duchess explains that the gods have forbidden them to talk about her, but she will tell Poppy the story now and ask for forgiveness later in the hopes that it will keep Poppy on the right road. The first Maiden had been found worthy of the gods, or rather, she was not found UNworthy. But she was later killed by the Dark One. During her lesson with Priestess Analia, they study the history of the kingdom and the War of the Two Kings. In the legend, the King of the Gods gave his blood to Jalara and his army, creating the first of the Ascended in order to defeat the Atlantians. Analia is disgusted with how the Atlantians drink the blood of mortals to be strong while Poppy doesn’t think it sounds that much different from drinking the blood of the Gods to Ascend, as the Ascended do. This enrages the priestess, who tries to slap Poppy but is stopped by Hawke, who warns her not to touch Poppy or he will have to treat her as a threat to the Maiden. Poppy is grateful for what Hawke did but knows they will likely both be punished for it. Analia will tell the duke. When they leave, Hawke asks her what the duke will do, It’s not like he would sanction someone hitting the Maiden, but Poppy scoffs. Between that and something the priestess said, Hawke starts to get an idea of what the duke does during Poppy’s punishments. Hawke and Poppy discuss their siblings on their way back to Poppy’s room. Poppy’s brother Ian, who should have become a lord in wait but was allowed to ascend instead, because he is a sibling to the Maiden. Hawke had one brother, and it becomes clear that this is part of where his overwhelming pain stems from. Poppy takes some of that pain away from him with her gift and he is astounded at the relief, although he doesn’t understand why it happened. He assures her that his brother isn’t dead, and Poppy wonders what could have happened for him to hurt so much if his brother still lives. Poppy is bored out of her mind. The Rite is almost here, and Tawny is needed to help with the preparations, so Poppy is alone in her room. After two days, she decides to sneak out to the library in the city to retrieve a diary kept there for historical purposes – a diary that details each of the diary writer’s conquests in illicit and spicy detail. She ducks into an alcove to get a sneak peek at the diary and becomes so engrossed that she doesn’t hear when people approach until they are very close - and then she recognizes the duke’s voice. There’s nowhere to go but out the window, so Poppy stands on a ledge outside the door and overhears the duke as he gets a progress report about the Descendent who threw the hand at the address. The man was not really a Descendent, just a sympathizer who lost his middle brother to death and his youngest to the priests, and who does not believe the Dark One is in the city. He got the Craven hand from a Craven who turned within the city which he helped to kill. It’s clear from this that the duke knows about the “Death with Dignity” group that Poppy is a part of. Duke Teerman asks what the man thinks happens to the children, but the man did not know. Then the duke asks who helped the man get the Craven hand and the guard tells him the man would not give up any names. The duke decides to visit the prisoner himself and alludes that the man will be dead by the time they’re done. After they leave, Poppy hears someone else in the room. Hawke found her after she gave him the slip. He tells her to come in from the ledge and demands to know exactly how she got out of her room. After some cajoling, she tells him that there’s an old passageway that connects to her room. A few of the oldest servants know about it, as well as Viktor, but no one else. It locks from the inside, and she would be prepared if anyone (i.e. the Dark One) tried to use it to get to her. She tells Hawke about overhearing the duke and being concerned that he will kill the man in the dungeons. She doesn’t like the thought of that. Hawke escorts her back to the castle, but not until after teasing her about the book she was retrieving. Poppy asks him how he found her, and Hawke tells her he’s very good at tracking. The next night is the Rite, when second children are made lords/ladies in wait and third children are dedicated to the temples. Everyone who attends wears red and masks, and this is the first time that Poppy is allowed to attend. It’s the only time (outside of her forbidden forays into the city) that she does not have to wear white. When she slips on her gown, she feels bare to the world, but Tawny tells her she looks beautiful. Viktor takes the two of them down to the Rite, saying that Hawke will meet them there. As soon as they arrive, Lord Mazeen approaches and tells Poppy that Priestess Analia tattled on her - that she will be punished. He stands so close she can smell his cologne, and it triggers a memory. That the day the lady was murdered and he stood close to her, he didn’t smell like his cologne. He smelled like jasmine. Just like the jasmine petal that Poppy found in the crime scene. Soon after Mazeen leaves, Poppy is stopped by Agnes (the woman whose husband Poppy killed when he was Cursed). Agnes wanted to warn Poppy that some in the city say the Dark One is looking for her. Viktor thinks Agnes has more information, but Agnes slinks off, refusing to say more. When Poppy focuses on the Rite again, the duke still has not arrived and is very late. Hawke also comes late, saying he had to help with a security sweep, and it took forever. After the Rite is done and the children are dedicated, the attendants dance and socialize. Viktor leaves to speak to the Commander, Tawny goes off to dance, and Poppy should go back to her room since she’s still not supposed to socialize but Hawke convinces her to try a walk in the gardens again. It’s the first time she’s been there since Rylan died. Poppy opens her power to Hawke and feels something she thinks is uncertainty and maybe attraction. Hawke tells her that she needs to take the gardens back. Make new memories in it that eventually will overpower the last, admittedly very bad, memory. He explains that he and his brother (and their best friend) had a special cavern that no one else visited back home. It was a haven for them when the outside world was too hard. It was the last place he saw his brother but one day, he plans to return and reclaim that cavern. Poppy doesn’t think she can go to the night blooming roses, so Hawke takes her to his favorite place - the weeping willow. They sit under the branches where it’s pitch black although Hawke still is able to see okay. Apparently, he has great eyesight as well as superior fighting and tracking skills. While there, they start to do very un-Maidenly things, and Hawke admits that she intrigues him. Hawke starts to prepare to take her back to her room, but she stops him and asks him to kiss her instead. He obliges and they get a little carried away - but don’t do anything but kiss. When they finally get up so she can get to her room, they run into Viktor, who can easily guess what was happening under the willow’s branches. He and Hawke get into an argument that is close to being physical until Poppy convinces them to separate. In a moment, Hawke disappears, and Poppy lets everything spill out to Viktor. She has nothing. She is allowed to do nothing and still gets “lessons” from the duke. Who would want the honor of being the Maiden when it feels like this? It’s no wonder she wants to be found unworthy. She asks to go to her room but as they enter the castle from the gardens, they hear screams from the ballroom where Tawny still dances. Poppy rushes to the room to find that the heavy drapery behind the dais has fallen - to reveal the body of Duke Teerman. Dead, impaled by his own cane, with the sign of the Dark One smeared in the duke’s blood on the wall. Only an Atlantian would have the strength to put a cane with a rounded end through an Ascended like that. Very quickly, the windows of the ballroom are blown in. People fall as they’re injured or killed. Through the now open windows, archers pick off people who are still standing. Viktor tries to herd Poppy (and Tawny) through the door to safety, but the doors are now blocked by people wearing masks made to look like wolves in mockery of the Rite. Wolven. Apparently, they still exist. Those who are still alive in the grand ballroom scream, knowing they are blocked in but a group of royal guards including Viktor lead Poppy, Tawny, the duchess, and Lord Mazeen to safety. The watch as a group of Ascended enter the ballroom and the screaming suddenly stops. Duchess Teerman commands them to barricade themselves in the room, confident that the Wolven and Descenters won’t be able to get to them there, but she is proved entirely wrong when they take a battering ram to the door. Between the Royal Guards - many of whom die - and Poppy, they defeat all the Descenters who storm into the room. Viktor is about to take Poppy elsewhere when an injured Descenter rises in the hallway and stabs Viktor in the chest. Hawke comes from behind with a new group of guards and kills the Descenter, but Viktor does not make it. Before he dies, he asks Poppy to forgive him for not protecting her as he should have. As she grieves for the only father that she has had for years, Mazeen makes a nasty comment about her being too familiar with her guards. She takes Viktor’s sword and cuts off Mazeen’s hands and then his head, continuing to attack his body until Hawke carries her away. She fights back but she soon loses consciousness. Poppy spends several days in a drugged sleep after Hawke incapacitated her using a pressure point. After Hawke removes the sleeping powder from her room, she’s forced to be awake at least part of the day. Poppy learns that more than one hundred people died in the attack. The Descenters had set fire to many of the most opulent homes in the city, drawing guards away from the castle and the Rise (Hawke being one of them). This allowed them to gain easy entry to the city and to the castle. Even though the Ascended had eventually fought in the ballroom, they came too late and many who were in there still died. Poppy does nothing but think that if she had gone to her room instead of the gardens, Viktor could still be alive (but in the back of her head she knows that’s unlikely). Finally, Hawke makes a breakthrough with Poppy and convinces her that he knows how she feels and allows her to grieve openly. He also apologizes and reveals he has the same regrets as she does. If he hadn’t gone to put the fires out, he may have been able to save Viktor, who he respected very much regardless of their last fight. But Hawke also delivers a message - the duchess needs to speak to Poppy. Poppy, Hawke, and Tawny meet with the duchess, who tells them that Poppy has been called back to the capital. When Poppy asks if she’s to be punished for what happened with Mazeen, the duchess responds that she’s sure Poppy had her reasons for doing what she did. She all but confesses that she knew at least some of what the duke and the lord did to Poppy and entreats Poppy not to waste any regrets on them, the duchess certainly won’t be. Hawke and Poppy argue vehemently about bringing Tawny to the capital with them. Unfortunately for Poppy, Hawke gets to decide. He explains that they are going to be traveling as fast as possible with a small contingent of guards. Having Tawny with them would not be safe for her, since the guards would be expected to protect Poppy. To add insult to injury, Tawny says she doesn’t want to go. She wishes she felt differently, but the thought of being outside the Rise is too terrifying for her right now. So, they will go without Tawny. They end up taking six other men with them, a mixture of guards and huntsmen (who regularly travel outside the Rise), including two that Poppy played cards with at the Red Pearl and Kieran, who interrupted her and Hawke that night and who has a slight accent that matches Hawke’s. Poppy can’t ride a horse, so she will sit the same horse as Hawke. Before they leave, Hawke gives Poppy her dagger back. She thought she lost it the night of the attack and was bereft, it was a gift from Viktor and one of her favorites, but Hawke had found it and cleaned it, then saved it to give it to her when he thought it was safe. They travel across the land where people no longer live - although they once did. They pass through areas where barrats hunt (two-hundred-pound rodents) and enter the Blood Forest. An unnatural place where the leaves of the trees don’t fall and the floor is littered with the bones of animals and humans and Craven. Where the Craven roam. Their group will rest there for the night. Hawke lays with her and things escalate between the two of them. In the morning, as they prepare to continue on, Kieran warns Hawke to remember what he’s doing - more than once. They start bright and early the next morning, hoping that they will be able to get out of the Blood Woods before nightfall, and things start off well. Poppy starts to notice groups of rocks on either side of the path, they were laid there on purpose in specific designs, and they make her anxious. She turns to tell Hawke when a barrat springs out of the woods and pulls one of the huntsmen off his horse. It is killed quickly but they usually hunt in packs, so the group is eager to move on. They aren’t quick enough - but when the pack of barrats emerges, they are running from something and pay no attention to the humans. There’s only one thing that they could be running from, Craven. The mist has already started to roll in. They dismount and prepare to fight but the huntsman that was attacked by the barrat dies when a Craven attacks from nowhere. They all fight, and another huntsman is killed. At first, all Poppy has is her dagger, but soon she starts using the fallen huntsman’s sword. Poppy trips when one of her feet gets caught in the roots, but a guard that she had played cards with at the Red Pearl, Airrick, tackles the Craven that comes after her. Soon after, they’ve dispatched all the Craven, and Poppy sees that no one else has been hurt except for Airrick - who has been clawed and will not survive. She takes his pain away from him as they talk in his last moment, both Hawke and another guard, Phillips, sees her. Phillips realizes that she has the touch. They take a break outside of Three Rivers and get some sleep, then ride through to New Haven. They are greeted by someone named Elijah (who is definitely familiar with Kieran and Hawke) and Poppy is shown to her room by a woman named Magda. She’s told that the lord in charge of New Haven, Lord Halverston, has gone outside of the walls with the guards, making it sound as if it is commonplace. Not something the Teermans would ever have done. Poppy is fed and bathed but does not sleep until Hawke comes to her room. She wants to tell him about her gift. She explains how it works, that the only other person to have the ability was the first Maiden. Apparently, they were both born in “a shroud”. She tells him how her gift has been growing stronger, how she can usually control it but not always, how she was commanded by the queen not to tell anyone else, how other than the Teermans and the queen, only Viktor knew about it. Of how she uses it to ease the pain around her: the Cursed and their families, she would help Viktor with his headaches sometimes, Tawny, and how she has taken Hawke’s pain away for a short while. That she has felt his constant sadness although she tries not to read him. He thanks her for trusting him with this information and decides to leave her room before anything else happens between them, telling Poppy that she is the worthiest person he knows but that he is not. But before he can leave, Poppy asks him to stay with her that night. He tries to talk her out of it and makes sure she understands what she’s asking, but she doesn’t back down. They spend a sweet night together and by the end of it, Poppy is The Maiden but not A maiden. She’s sure she made the right decision, that regardless of what the gods think, she is worthy of happiness and love and compassion and all of the things she wants to be able to have. At the end, Hawke makes Poppy promise that no matter what happens she will remember this moment and that what they had was real. She wakes up in the morning to a light knock on her door, and Hawke answers it wearing just his pants. He tells her she can sleep for a while, but he has to deal with something and leaves the room. Poppy thinks about her future and realizes that she won’t ascend. She will refuse it like her mother did, even if it means exile. Soon, Phillips comes to her room and he’s freaking out. He and some of the other guards looked around last night, there are no Ascended in the whole keep. Two of the guards they brought with them went missing in the night. None of the guards had ever met Kieran until this trip, and they barely knew Hawke. Something is wrong and Phillips is going to get Poppy out. But Poppy trusts Hawke explicitly and thinks that maybe Phillips is a Descenter trying to take her. She wants to get to a more populated place before she tries to escape him, so she decides to go with Phillips, pretending to believe him. On the way, Kieran stops them. Phillips attacks and cuts Kieran’s stomach and thigh with his sword, which causes Kieran to transform from a man into a huge wolf beast. He’s a Wolven! Kieran chases Poppy and Phillips as they run, Phillips leads her to the stables and Poppy doesn’t really want to go there but definitely doesn’t want to stay with the wolf with the glowing blue eyes. Kieran howls and his howl is answered. Poppy and Philips make it to the stables where the last two guards, Luddie and Bryant, are waiting with the horses. They get the door closed just in time and begin to make a plan, but another man steps out from the shadows of the stables. It’s the man that killed Rylan, now missing a hand and showing his glowing eyes. He promised Poppy that the next time he saw her, he would kill her, and he’s here to make good on his promise. But the door blows open and in comes Hawke with a crossbow. He doesn’t kill the man missing a hand, but the three guards with Poppy. Then Hawke turns to the man with the missing hand and tells him he better not touch Poppy, calling him Jericho. Hawke has all of his emotions blocked from Poppy. He says that they need Poppy, and they need her alive. Poppy demands to know what’s happening but deep down, she already knows. Hawke is a Descenter, working with the Dark One and these Wolven. He insists that there is a lot that Poppy doesn’t know but admits that they were behind Rylan’s death, behind the death of the guard before Rylan, all so that Hawke could get close to her. She tries to escape and ends up fighting Hawke, she nails him in the mouth with a fist. When he opens his mouth, she sees two-pointed teeth. The reason he never really smiled - he’s an Atlantian. They detain Poppy and throw her into a prison cell although one of the Wolven, Delano, brings her some food soon after. Hawke comes in and can tell that she’s injured, a wound on her abdomen that could become infected. He forces her to allow him to treat it while telling her what he says is the true history of Solis and Atlantia. The Ascended have always said that the Atlantians created the Craven, that the gods gifted them with immortality to help defeat the Atlantians. But Hawke says that is not true. King Malec of the Atlantians was married to Queen Eloana. But he fell in love with a mortal named Isbeth. When Isbeth was mortally wounded (sources vary on who did the wounding) Malec committed a forbidden act and Ascended her. He drained her blood completely and then fed his blood to her, making her a vampry or what she calls an Ascended. While Atlantians are practically mortal until their early twenties when the Culling happens and they get their fangs and other attributes, they can go out in the daylight, unlike the Ascended. The Ascended have allowed the people to believe that the gods do not go out in the day, so the Ascended follow their example to honor them, but in truth their flesh would melt away and they would die if they went into the sun. Hawke tells Poppy that Atlantians do not feed on mortals, only other Atlantians. But the vampry can become blood thirsty and often drain the mortals they feed upon, creating the Craven. They have the third children dedicated to the priests, but those children are never seen again because the vamprys feed off them and the children die. It is why no one is allowed in the temples other than the priests, priestesses, and Ascended. But a vampry cannot create another vampry. To create more Ascended, they have Atlantians that they hold hostage and use them for the Ascending, since the mortals have to be drained and then drink the Atlantian blood. Hawke knows they do this because he was one of those hostages for years until Prince Malik rescued him, but Malik is held hostage now instead. The plan is to trade Poppy for the prince. Giving her back to the awful people he just told her about. Delano, her resident Wolven jailer, and an Atlantian named Naill come downstairs to take her to a more comfortable room on Hawke’s orders. Just as Poppy’s chains are removed, they are interrupted by Jericho and this time he brought friends, including Mr. Tulis, the man who petitioned the Teermans to be able to keep his third son. Naill, Delano, and Poppy fight for Poppy’s life but soon Naill is knocked unconscious, and Delano is badly injured. Poppy fights but is no match, she’s quickly overtaken by Jericho and Mr. Tulis. She is dying from a stomach wound and can hear Jericho taunting her about all the ways he is going to make her pay, but suddenly he stops talking. She doesn’t understand what’s happening in her state but soon, Kieran is standing over her yelling for Hawke. Hawke arrives and tells Poppy that he will not allow her to die, regardless of the fact that she is, in fact, dying. He uses his teeth to pierce his skin and asks her to drink his blood, but she doesn’t want to. She doesn’t want to become Craven. He has already told her the truth, that she won’t become Craven if she drinks from him. But by doing what he asks, she will have to accept that what Hawke is saying is true. She drinks (partly because he compels her to) and once she starts, she doesn’t want to stop. And true to his word, she does not become Craven. Once the aftereffects of the blood have worn off and Hawke is speaking to her in her room, Poppy realizes one other thing. Kieran tried to stop Hawke because doing what he did is forbidden. It is what Malec did to Isbeth. Kieran also called Hawke Casteel as Poppy drank his blood. Hawke is Prince Casteel, the Dark One, brother to Prince Malik. She becomes enraged again, but this time Hawke is unprepared for what she has, and she manages to stab him in the chest. Then Poppy runs but is wholly unprepared for the grief she feels about killing Hawke. She makes it outside of the city, but she’s quickly caught - by Hawke. He lets her know that Atlantians can be killed with a dagger through the head, but not the heart. Then he feeds on her (she doesn’t consent to it at first, but she definitely likes it). He feeds just a little, not enough to do anything, but he discovers something about her in her blood, saying that he should have known. He should have known since he first met her, since she first took his pain away, why the Ascended wanted her as their Maiden so badly. He explains that he did lie to her, but that everything between them was real - he has felt drawn to her since their first meeting. And now, he’s going to take her back to her room. And later, he’s going to take her to Atlantia. Which she thought had been decimated but is actually found over the Skotos mountains, protected by a mist. Poppy gets to clean up in a bath and really gets to thinking while she’s in there. What Hawke, no, Casteel said about the Ascended is true. They are vamprys. But she can’t believe that her brother Ian is like the others, she refuses to think that of him. She can’t go back to the Ascended now that she knows the truth, but she can’t go to Atlantia either, where everyone will hate her as she is a symbol of the Ascended. She can’t trust Casteel. Sure, he likes her, but he has caused the death of so many that she loved, and plenty that she did not! And she tried to kill him - which he’s still angry about but claims to understand why. And worst of all, she thinks she might be in love with him. Poppy falls asleep, first in the bath where Kieran wakes her, thinking she might be dead, then later on her bed. She wakes up to find Casteel next to her. He tells her she needs to come to dinner, to show the rest of his people that she is not to be trifled with. She says no (out of stubbornness mostly) but eventually relents. What she sees when they go down to dinner shocks her. All the people who attacked her are dead and pinned to the wall except for Jericho, who is pinned to the wall but not yet dead. She confesses to Casteel and anyone else who can overhear, including Kieran, Niall, and Delano, that she does not feel bad that they’re dead but believe they deserved (and still deserve) dignity. Casteel reveals what he figured out when he bit Poppy that she is at least part Atlantian. It makes her powers, and her survival of the Craven attack, make more sense. One of her parents was Atlantian. Normally, they would have a fully mortal child but occasionally, someone like Poppy is born. And now they all need to get to Atlantia, because he and Poppy can’t be married unless they’re standing on Atlantia soil.
Prepare yourself! Poppy is confused. What does Casteel mean that she will be going to Atlantia to marry him? He’s not who she thought he was. He was Hawke, the man that saw her, the man that supported her, protected her. Now he’s a Prince of Atlantia. The Dark One. She asks why he would think that she would ever marry him. There’s a laugh from down the table; she looks to see Elijah laughing. He’s thinking… everyone here is thinking the same thing – why would she marry Cas? Everyone thought the plan was to find and rescue Prince Malik. Now their plans are to change just so Casteel can go back to Atlantia and get married. Elijah quiets down, he’s loyal to Casteel whatever he chooses, but a wolven named Landell pipes up. Poppy uses his distraction to hide her steak knife under the table. She hasn’t had the wolven bone knife that Viktor gave her since the fight in the stables, so this will have to do. Landell says that they’ve all followed Casteel to this awful land where they have pretended to be loyal, where they have been killed, to rescue Malik. They finally have Poppy and can use her to complete their goal. Why would they abandon their Prince so Casteel can marry a woman who doesn’t want him, who will not be able to unite their people, and who no one will accept? She may be half-Atlantian, but she grew up in Solis. Why would his people ever think Poppy would bond Casteel. Poppy doesn’t know what bond Landell is talking about. Casteel points out that he has chosen Poppy and that is what matters right now, Poppy’s traitor heart skips a beat. Landell doesn’t stop though. Casteel will destroy their kingdom; they will not accept that scar-faced bitch. Poppy flinches and Casteel disappears from his chair. He has Landell shoved onto the wall; the knife Landell was holding now placed on the table. The knife Landell may have used on Poppy. Cas doesn’t care if Landell questions his orders. He would have forgiven the first time Landell spoke of Poppy. But he hurt her with that comment and he threatened her - that is not to be tolerated. He rips Landell’s heart out of his chest and throws it on the floor. Kieran asks Poppy if she’d like to return to her room (you mean her cell? she asks) but before they exit, Casteel puts a hand on her arm. Someone is coming. She can fight with him but please, don’t do it in front of this man. When the wolven man walks in, he has a scar down his face. His name is Alastir and Casteel does not want him in the room with Poppy. Kieran explains on the way to her room. Alastir is an advisor to the King and Queen, like an uncle to Cas, but loyal to his parents. As such, there are things Cas won’t want him to know. Poppy passes the body of Mr. Tulis, and she feels sorry for his death. He got a second chance with his son and squandered it. She also passes the not yet dead Jericho but feels no compassion for him. Kieran says not to feel pity for any of them, but compassion for their families is warranted. She’s surprised, she didn’t think wolven were capable of compassion. That was ignorant of her - which she realizes and apologizes for. Once they’re alone, Kieran spins and smells Poppy deeply. She smells different, like Cas but also like… death. He tells her that Cas doesn’t usually go around killing people like he has the last few days. But then, he’s usually not questioned. Kieran asks why Poppy doesn’t read his feelings, or Casteel’s. Cas told him of her ability but probably didn’t tell anyone else. It feels like a breach of privacy to read them, he agrees that maybe it is, but it would undoubtedly help her. She explains that Cas only plans to use her, barter with her for his brother’s freedom, but Kieran doesn’t think that’s true. Kieran asks why Poppy fights to return to the Ascended if she believes what Cas has told her about them - which she does. Why refuse Casteel’s offer of marriage? Why would she accept Cas when he only plans to ransom her? It has nothing to do with the Ascended and everything to do with him lying to her about everything. Kieran doesn’t think Cas would marry someone he planned on ransoming. Yes, he is called the Dark One. Cas hates it, but he has earned the title. But he’s also the one person that Poppy never needs to fear. Casteel locks Poppy inside her room. She thinks of Queen Ileana. The same Queen who cared for her after she was attacked branded Casteel’s thigh. Told lies to her entire country. Then Poppy thinks of her brother Ian. Cas believes that Ian Ascended but Poppy refuses to believe that he is the same as the others. She will go to him and together they will escape and live in some little out of the way town. First, she has to escape though. She takes her bag and puts on a thigh sheath. Donning her cloak and gloves, she takes her steak knife and picks the lock on her door (Ian taught her). She makes her way downstairs. She almost goes to the stables to look for the dagger Viktor gave her but decides it’s too risky. She goes into the woods, thinking she will head to Whitebridge, she doesn’t really have a plan past that. She’s been running for a little while when she hears a twig snap. A gigantic wolf is behind her - Kieran. He doesn’t attack, just stares her down. She tells him he will have to take her back by force, and she will make it difficult. She will fight him. A different voice tells her it won’t be Kieran she fights. Casteel sends Kieran back to town and makes Poppy a deal. If she can beat him in a fight, she can leave. He hands her one of his bloodstone swords. She knows there is no way she will win but she fights him anyway. He should be convincing Alastir to follow his plans for Poppy right now but instead, he had to track her down. During the fight, he asks if he scared her by killing Landell. He’s sorry if he did, but he would do it again. She says she’s not scared of what he did. He is a bit surprised but continues - did she expect to survive this escape attempt? She came into the woods with no food, no water, no money, and no knowledge of the predators she may come across. He’s sure she was heading for Whitebridge; does she have any idea how far away that is on foot? How cold it gets in the forest at night with no fire and no shelter? Did she know there’s a snowstorm coming? She realizes he was scared for her, but she doesn’t understand why. Cas disarms her but she manages to punch him and draw blood. They continue to fight, and argue, and he flirts, when she notices the mists starting to rise. Now they need to stop fighting each other, because the Craven are coming. She didn’t know there was Craven in these woods! There’s a dozen Craven, but Cas and Poppy manage to fight them off. Poppy realizes she definitely would have died tonight. You can’t kill Craven with a steak knife, let alone a dozen of them. She tells Casteel that she was bitten by a Craven when she was attacked as a child. She was told she didn’t turn because she was the Maiden, but she guesses now it’s because of her Atlantian blood. She was told to keep that secret too, along with her gift. Cas tells her if any Descenters had heard she was bitten they would have realized the truth about her. Craven do not turn Atlantians. He asks if she remembers when he told her he felt like he knew her. That’s still true, she feels that way too. He thinks that is their Atlantian blood calling to the other. He tells her it’s time to head back and she knows he’s right. But she won’t return her steak knife (he didn’t expect her too) and she will try to escape again (he would expect nothing less). And she won’t marry him (they’ll talk about that later). When they return to Poppy’s rooms, they find Kieran waiting for them. Knowing that she would be freezing, he drew her a bath to help warm up. She tries not to be too thankful to one of her captors. Kieran and Cas both leave to bury the bodies of the Craven. Cas explains that they do it all the time since the Craven were once mortals and they deserve to be buried. That surprises her. She takes her bath and then she goes to sleep. She’s woken a few hours later when Cas comes in. This is technically his bed chamber, and they’ll be sharing it since all the others are full up. But before he does anything, he needs to take a bath. He tells her she can keep her knife, he knows it makes her feel better to have something to protect herself with. As he cleans himself up, he tells her about Atlantia and how they have hot water and electricity in all the homes. She’s amazed, she didn’t know anything like that existed. But during the War of the Two Kings, the Atlantians retreated and gave up their land and the cities they built on this side of the Skotos Mountains to the Ascended. Now they are running out of space, they don’t have enough room for all of their people. Poppy wants to talk about their proposed marriage, but Cas is getting out of the bath and he’s exhausted. He wants to be fully present for that conversation and asks that she table it till the morning. She says the talk won’t take long; she’s not going to marry him. He asks why she ran tonight, and she doesn’t give a real answer. He wants to tell her why he gave her the name Hawke before. It is a tradition to have a middle name in Atlantia. Usually, it is given in honor of a close friend or family member. He was given the middle name of Hawkethrone after his mother’s brother. Their middle names in general are well-guarded secrets that only people closest to you know. The only people that call him Hawke are his brother and his mom… and now Poppy. Poppy opens up her gift to feel if he’s lying. He explains that he knows it’s important to Poppy that not everything he told her before was a lie. This was not a lie, he is Hawke, but he is also Casteel. She doesn’t think he’s lying, but she does feel discomfort and sadness coming from him. It does matter to her, this possibility that he may have been telling the truth at least part of the time. He insists that he hasn’t lied to her since she learned who he really was. He offers to tell her the truth now if she asks him questions. Keeping her gift open, she asks if he killed the first Maiden, which is what she was told by Duchess Teerman. He’s surprised by this, he’s not even sure that there was a first Maiden. But if that Maiden existed, he did not kill her. He never even met her. He has a lot of blood on his hands; he has killed a lot of people. Basically, any Ascended that he ever had a chance to kill, as well as mortals who helped them, mortals and innocents that were in the way of completing his goals. Like Rylan. And he’s guilty of much more than that. People who were killed in pursuit of his goals, even if they weren’t killed by his hands, he counts all those against himself as well. Like Viktor. But not the first Maiden. He talks more about the first Maiden. If she was real, she conveniently disappeared about the time her abilities started to become more powerful. He tells Poppy that at nineteen, an Atlantian reaches maturity. Abilities may manifest or strengthen at that time, for himself that was when he was able to compel people for the first time (before that he had just been very charismatic, a lesser version of the gift). He wants to know why the Ascended protected Poppy for this long but did not use her to feed their captive Atlantians. He thinks it is because they were waiting for her powers to mature. He suspects that if she had been bitten by an Ascended, she still would’ve been made into a vampry and explains the process to her. A mortal is drained of blood by a vampry (also known as the Ascended) and then fed the blood of an Atlantian making them into a vampry as well. Into an Ascended. But they are uncontrollable at first, and it can sometimes take months for the new Ascended to be able to control their thirst. They need an Atlantian to be able to make new vampry since they need their Atlantian blood. In order to make more Ascended, they need a full-blooded Atlantian. But Atlantians only feed off of those who also have Atlantian blood, but that person doesn’t need to be a full-blooded Atlantian, and they aren’t killed when the Atlantian feeds. In fact, it can be quite pleasant. Ileana is using his brother to create new Ascended now, as she did with Casteel before he was rescued. Cas suspects that Poppy was who they planned to let Malik feed from, to keep him well enough to continue making Ascended. But her blood is useless to them until she matures. Cas swears he had no idea that she was part Atlantian until he tasted her blood. Not even when he learned of her gifts, although maybe he should’ve realized it then. But in his defense, no one has been capable of what she does for hundreds of years, so it didn’t occur to him. He asks her again why she ran. Whether or not she wants to marry him, why would she go back to the Ascended knowing what she knows now? She yells at him, saying he is planning on using her just like the Ascended were. He gets into his bed and invites her to join him but promises that he won’t touch her unless she wants him to. He would never do that. He has never done that to anyone, and that was before he had his own will taken away by the Ascended. But if she wants it, he’s more than willing. She insists that she won’t marry him, and he tells her they will talk about it tomorrow. He thinks that when he explains and she hears his reasons, she might change her mind. Poppy has a nightmare that night. She dreams of the Craven attack that killed her parents. Her mother guides her through bodies, trying to find a place to hide her. Her father is outside with the men who seemed to know him. Her brother went with another woman who had cookies. Her mom hides Poppy in a cupboard, telling her to be as quiet as she can. But Poppy hears someone talk to her mother, hears her mother respond though she can’t quite make out the words, right before her mother is ripped away from her. A voice she recognizes but can’t place tells her a rhyme: what a pretty flower. What a pretty poppy. Pick it and watch it bleed. Not pretty any longer. She wakes up in Casteel’s lap as he holds her, trying to comfort her. He has nightmares too. The King and Queen of Solis would starve him so he could not heal, which is how they branded him. They would kill people in front of him. Starve him so long he would kill who he fed from. They would leave the dead bodies inside his cell, piling them up and leaving them for so long that the bodies would no longer smell. Nightmares are nothing to be ashamed of. They discuss the specifics of what Duke Teerman would do when he punished Poppy. Then Cas tells her she was talking in her sleep and asks about the rhyme, but she’s not sure how much of her dream was real and how much just fantasy or other nightmares layered on top. He tells her after the snowstorm that’s coming, they will go to Spessa’s End on the way to Atlantia. He holds her and eventually she falls back asleep. Cas is gone when Poppy wakes up and her door is being guarded by Delano. He refuses to let her out or even open the door, but at some point, he storms in and asks if she’s okay. He thought he could hear her yelling for him, calling his name and screaming for help. When he realizes it’s not real, he goes back to the hall, blaming it on the wind. She lays down and takes a nap, and when she wakes up, Kieran is watching her. He’s here to take her down to eat if she wants, which she very much does. On the way, Poppy asks if all Atlantians have golden eyes and he says that most have some gold in their eyes, but only elemental bloodlines have pure golden eyes like Cas. The elementals were the first Atlantians, not born but created by their gods. Poppy remembers her mom having brown eyes. He explains that there are many different kinds of Atlantians: mortals, wolven, Atlantians that are fully or partially descended. They’re all just called Atlantians. He also tells her that those who are only part Atlantian do not need to feed on blood. There are many bloodlines other than elementals, but many of them died off naturally or during the war. Then he puts a finger to his mouth, indicating that Poppy should be quiet before he opens the door to find Alastir. There’s another man with him with red wavy hair and golden eyes like Cas. Alastir is told that Cas is with Elijah making plans. Kieran tries to block Poppy from view, but Alastir has already noticed her. He introduces himself as Alastir Davenwell and the other man as Emil Da’Lahr. Casteel has told them a little bit about Poppy. He verifies that her mom was close to the Queen and her dad’s family were friends of the King. Cas is not who told Alastir this information, he heard of the Maiden long ago and did his own research. It’s surprising that she’s Atlantian since her parents were so well connected to the Blood Crown, what they call the Queen and King of Solis. Poppy admits she doesn’t know which of her parents was Atlantian, if either of them. Kieran thinks they may have found her in a field somewhere. She can’t ask them now, they died in a Craven attack. Soon enough, Kieran escorts Poppy away. He tells her that Alastir and Emil are both good and loyal men. When they arrive in the hall, the bodies of the men who attacked Poppy are gone. That includes Jericho, who is now dead. She asks if the people in New Haven will be coming with them to Atlantia and Kieran says yes, if they to. There are several hundred people there and soon enough, when the Queen discovers that the Maiden is missing, they will come to look for her here. She asks Kieran why he always calls her by her full name and he tells her that nicknames are reserved for friends. He doesn’t think she considers them friends. She tells him there’s something else she doesn’t understand. She never remembers herself being referred to as the Maiden before her parents left the capital. But she doesn’t know how they learned what she was, what she could do. Did she have abilities before the attack, is that what made her parents leave the capital? If they weren’t half Atlantian, would they even have known? Were they trying to find someone like Alastir when they left the capital, someone who would be able to get them out of Solis. But if she’s part Atlantian, wouldn’t she have eyes with gold in them. Kieran tells her that not all Atlantians have gold in their eyes, although most of them do. Changelings don’t, and a few of the other bloodlines that died off didn’t have golden eyes either. Maybe she’s one of those. He tells her that some of the lines that died out had heightened mental abilities, like those of an elemental line do. Like she does. She continues asking questions, but then Cas walks in and she’s taken by how attractive he is. Cas smiles as if he knows what she’s thinking, and she realizes that he does. Kieran verifies that elemental lines have heightened physical senses like sight or taste or smell. Cas can likely smell her arousal. The two of them tease Poppy a little bit as she becomes more and more flustered and irritated, until she reminds them that they locked her in her room for the entire day and intend to turn her over to the Ascended, that really dampens the mood. Kieran responds that there are people in the keep who would see her dead, keeping Poppy in her room is actually for her safety. She accuses them of being no better than the Ascended and that’s a step too far. Cas wants to show her something. On their way, he mentions that he spoke to Mrs. Tulis today, that’s where he was. He wanted to explain to Mrs. Tulis why her husband was killed and offer her and her infant son a life in Atlantia. He didn’t mean for Poppy to be in her room for so long, it took longer than he expected. Alastir talked to him, too. He’s like a second father to Cas and his brother, even to Kieran. A more fun second father. Cas takes her to an underground tunnel; it is actually a tomb. The walls of the tunnel are lined with the names of people who have died. As Poppy looks at the names, she realizes that so many of them are children. Children who were taken in the Rites and killed by the Ascended. Most have their birthdays and death days listed, but some are only presumed to be dead or Craven and are missing the date of their death. Cas tells her that most of the people named in this cave are mortals. But in Atlantia, the lists are far longer. He has killed, but the majority of people he has killed deserved it. He loses sleep over the innocents that he killed and the people who got in his way. Yes, the Atlantians have done bad things, but they are not close to the Ascended. He wants her to remember that. They decide to leave the tunnel so that they can talk over his marriage proposal. She asks if he will add her name to the wall once he hands her over to the Ascended. He responds that that’s why they need to get married. It’s the only way that he can get what he wants and ensure that she stays alive. He wants her to live a long free life. He explains what his plan is. The Atlantians are running out of land. It’s not imminent, but the lack of food and other resources is on the horizon. Especially with the several hundred people that could be coming back with them from New Haven. Malik is still captive in the keep, but their father believes that Malik is dead or beyond saving. He wants retribution now, like so many of their people. Plus, many of the Atlantians want a more aggressive stance on taking back land to alleviate shortages. That includes many of the wolven. They believe that Poppy is a symbol of the Ascended. Just like the people of her country believe that she is a symbol of the gods, Atlantians see her as the embodiment of everything that has tried to destroy them. If he marries her, they will see her as their princess instead, or at least they should. It will garner her some protection while they’re in Atlantia, where he must go to soothe some of the tensions that are running high right now. But it’s more than that. Perhaps with their marriage, they can avoid another war. In the last war, Atlantians retreated to save the mortals caught between the two armies and they gave up a lot of land when they did it. If they go to war again, Atlantia will not retreat again. They have been rebuilding and have been prosperous. If they go back to war, which his father wants, they will not retreat and many will die. However, if Poppy marries him and shows that she survived being kissed by an Atlantian without being made into a Craven, as the mortals in Solis believe the Cravens are made, then she will show her people that what they have been told is not true. Cas may be able to use that to his advantage. Her people will want her safe and he may be able to use that to barter for his brother, as well as all of the land east of New Haven. Land that the Ascended do not even use for the most part. It is not an outlandish request, which Poppy can see. If her people believe that the Ascended have lied to them, they might turn against the Ascended. They could put an end to the Rites. Cas will not allow the Blood Crown to live after what they did to him, but the rest of the Ascended could remain as long as they agreed to feed without killing people and to control their bloodlust. Both are things that they are capable of doing, they’ve just never been forced to. So, by marrying him, Poppy could free his brother, get the Atlantians the land that they need, and potentially free her own people. And she would be free. If she did not want to remain married to Cas afterward, he would divorce her - divorces are not common in Atlantia, but they are not illegal. She can see the wisdom in what he’s saying. She can see why he’s doing it and she understands that he would do anything to get his brother back, she would do the same for Ian. That is what she wants in return. If she helps Cas free Malik, Cas has to help her with Ian. Ian may have Ascended, but she cannot believe he is as bad as the other Ascended are. Cas has already said that they can control their bloodlust, maybe Ian doesn’t kill when he feeds. She just can’t see her brother being one of the Ascended that has no problem killing people. And if he is, she wants to see that for herself. If Cas will help her find her brother and potentially save Ian, she will marry him and help save Malik. He tells her they will have to marry when they get to Atlantia, before they see his parents who will want to delay the marriage if they can. They will want to make sure that it is a good match, that they care for each other. They can’t take that chance. The only thing that Poppy can think of in the morning is the fact that she’s agreed to marry Casteel. How are they going to pretend to be in love? How are they going to fool everybody? Will they actually be able to accomplish their goals? Kieran comes and gets her for breakfast and takes her down to the hall, she asks about the snowstorm and if it has stopped. They don’t have much time before Ileana will realize that Poppy is missing and come looking for her. Kieran tells her that Alastir and others will be leaving later that day to check the roads to see if they’re passable. Kieran has a question for Poppy now. How does it feel to be on the verge of becoming a princess? She can’t believe that Cas already told him, but of course he did. Kieran explains that he knew Cas’ plans had changed even before Cas himself did. Well before Cas knew Poppy was an Atlantian, even if Cas didn’t yet realize his plans had changed. She asks Kieran several questions, telling him about reading about a bond between wolven and certain Atlantian classes. Now that she’s learning more about Atlantia, she thinks it’s actually between wolven and elemental bloodlines, which Kieran tells her is correct. Kieran tells her that he and Cas were bonded at birth. She wants more details, but soon Cas comes in and Kieran says that Cas is going to announce their engagement. Poppy starts breathing heavy and gets a little lightheaded, but soon Cas comes up to her to make sure she’s okay. She pulls it together, speaking to Alastir and even getting him to laugh a little bit when he enters the room. Cas takes her to the front of the table, and she sits on his lap, he announces that she accepted his proposal. He admits that his proposal was not well planned, and it wasn’t accepted at first, but he has made his amends. Alastir questions him. He wants to know how the two of them met and Poppy tells them that Cas was her guard, but Cas corrects her. They actually met in a brothel. Alastir would love to know why she was in a brothel. He thought the Maiden was highly guarded. He asks about the Ascensions that are coming up, the ones that were tied to her own. She’s not sure if they’ll be carried out now but hopefully they won’t. She explains to everyone at the table that she did not know what the Ascended really were. She believed what she’d been told. Many in Solis live in fear of the Craven, or displeasing the Ascended and angering the gods. Not to mention that they are more worried about keeping their families safe than questioning the Ascended. They may have had doubts about what was happening, but there are not many ways to act on them. They have been told for generations that it is an honor for their children to serve the gods and be given in the Rites. Why would they not believe that? Atlantians believe in their gods, even though most have never seen them for themselves. Why is it so different for the people of Solis to believe the same. Alastir is amazed that she is not afraid of speaking to him knowing what he and the people at the table are capable of, knowing what they are. She tells him that she’s not so foolish that she does not fear what they’re capable of. But that doesn’t mean that she fears them. Alastir announces that he likes her and she opens her senses to see for sure. She doesn’t sense hatred or anger from him, but she does sense a little sadness and wonders what that’s from. Going back to how she met Cas, she explains how she wasn’t allowed to travel freely or walk by herself. Most of the time she was locked in her rooms and kept away from other people, not even allowed to speak to them. Many at the table look stunned at how she was forced to live. Alastir questions how, and why, she snuck out so often. I must’ve been extremely risky. Someone could’ve taken her. Cas pipes up, somebody did take her. He did. And he plans on keeping her. Alastir keeps referring to Poppy as the Maiden and Casteel feels the need to correct him. Cas tells the older wolven that if he says calls Poppy the Maiden again, they will have a problem. Later, when Alastir tells the men to prepare the horses to check the roads, Cas feels the need to correct him again. He is in charge here, not Alastir. For a moment it felt like Alastir forgot that. But Alastir does have things to say, things he doesn’t want to stay in front of Poppy, but Cas reveals that Poppy already knows more than Alastir thinks. He need not worry about her hearing. Alastir wonders what has changed. Casteel has wanted to rescue his brother for years. Decades. And suddenly all of that has changed. Neither one of his parents wanted him to leave Atlantia, yet he did so to save Malik, and now suddenly he has changed his mind. Alastir hopes that this engagement is not just another ploy to get to his brother. Maybe Cas is thinking he can use Poppy as a bargaining chip. But Cas only says that maybe she’ll help them bargain for a lot of things, but he has accepted that his brother is beyond his reach. Alastir hopes that’s true - for his sake. He asks about Cas’ obligations, and what was expected from him before he left Atlantia, obligations that Poppy knows nothing about. Cas comments that he has been gone for two years; things may have changed in that time. Cas says that he wants to potentially avoid war. Does Alastir not want that as well? He does, he’s just concerned about the unrest with the young wolven in particular, unrest that Cas’ father also feels. Alastir has one other thing he needs to know, and he wants to talk to Poppy alone. Cas leaves it up to Poppy, and Poppy agrees to speak to him. As they walk out, Cas gives Alistair a warning. She is more than capable of protecting herself, but that is his future that Alastir is walking with. Guard her well. Alastir asks if it’s true that she can defend herself and she says it is, both with weapons and hand to hand. She explains that after she was attacked by the Craven when she was young, she never wanted to feel helpless like that again. Her mother had not been able to fight back. She may have survived if she could, at least she would’ve had a chance. Poppy’s guard Viktor taught her to fight in secret, which was very dangerous for both of them. She misses him, he was killed by the Descenters. Alastir wonders how she’ll get over his death, and she’s not sure she will. But how she feels about Cas has nothing to do with Viktor, and she understands what the Descenters fight for. Cas knows he’s responsible for Viktor’s death and it eats at him. She started falling for Cas well before Viktor died. Words that are dangerously close to the truth, Poppy realizes. Alastir says that he has known Cas since he was born, he’s known his parents for even longer. He knew the Queen when she was married to a different man. Cas could’ve been a son to him if things had been different. He asks if Poppy knows that Cas was in love before, which she does. What she didn’t know is that he’d been engaged to that woman. Alastir is not surprised, Cas doesn’t talk about it very often, not even to Alastir. He would probably be upset to know that Alastir spoke of Shea now, but Alastir feels like Poppy needs to know that part of the reason he was surprised to hear of their engagement is because he didn’t think Cas would ever allow himself to fall in love again. It’s part of the reason he thought that this may have just been an effort to get his brother back. Shea was his daughter, and Poppy reminds him of her. But Shea was unable to ask for help when she needed it, he hopes that that’s not true for Poppy as well. He doesn’t tell her how Shea died, that’s Casteel’s story. But he does hope that Cas eventually speaks to Poppy about it. Alastir will not standby and allow a young woman to be used against her will, and he wants to make sure that Poppy is not being forced into this marriage. She assures him that she is not and promises to tell him if ever she needs his help. Alastir reminds her of Viktor, and she reminds Alastir of Shea. Once their conversation is done, she spontaneously gives him a hug. He hugs her back before she apologizes. But he tells her there’s never a reason to apologize for a hug, it’s been too long since he was hugged. Before they returned to the keep, she asks him a question. She’s been thinking about her parents and why they left the capital. She wonders if they knew that one of them was an Atlantian descendant or if they knew what the Ascended had planned for Poppy. She asked if they were others that helped move Atlantians and their descendants from Solis to Atlantia. He says there were but many of them did not come back. They were assumed to be captured or killed. She doesn’t remember much about the night she was attacked. Only that her father was quieter than usual, as was her mother, they seemed nervous and she thinks that her dad met with someone. Alastir asked what her parents’ names were, and she responds that they were named Coralena and Leopold. They called each other Cora and Leo. Coralena is a unique name. Although those looking for sanctuary often used false last names to try to make sure they were not caught, he will ask around to see if anybody who did return to Atlantia remembers the name Coralena. It’s a long shot, but they might as well take it. Alastir takes her to the library keep where Cas and Kieran wait. They ask if he offered to spirit her away, she tells them yes, but she didn’t take him up of his offer. She asks about something else Alastir mentioned, is Cas supposed to become king? Technically yes. Atlantian royals only rule for four hundred years before passing the throne to their heir. If a child doesn’t assume the throne, anyone can challenge for it. It has already been more than four hundred years, and his parents and many others believe Cas should ascend since they believe Malik will never return. But the throne should be Malik’s, Cas has no desire or intention to take it. He didn’t tell Poppy because he didn’t want her to freak out. Cas has to leave to see Alastir off, he’s going to check if the roads are clear, and he leaves Poppy and Kieran in the library. Before he leaves, he thanks Poppy. For not leaving, for choosing him. She finds a very old book containing a census of Atlantians who used to live in New Haven. She sees a number of words she doesn’t recognize. Kieran comes to look and brushes against her arm. She feels nothing, but he gets a hard jolt like electricity. When Cas comes back in, Kieran tells him to answer Poppy’s questions so he can leave. Cas explains that even harmless electrical currents can cause wolven to lose control of their form if they come in contact with it. The jolt probably made Kieran nervous. The words she found that she doesn’t recognize are different lines of Atlantians, like wolven or elementals. Wivern was a line that could take the form of big cats that was killed off in the war. Draken could turn to dragons, and they’ve been gone since before the vampry were made - although legend says they’re sleeping. The ceeren were half mortal half sea creature. But senturion is the most interesting listed. A generic term for bloodlines of warriors with special talents. Many of them died out when elemental lines rose up against the deities who ruled before them, children of the gods and created the elementals. The primordial line of senturions could summon the elements in battle. Pyro could summon fire. Cimmerian line could call shadows. But most feared were the empaths - and he thinks Poppy may be descended from them. They could read the emotions of others and even turn them into a weapon. They had no distinguishing features so they wouldn’t have golden eyes. Cas also tells Poppy that some of the warrior lines sided with the elementals and some with the deities in the war over the throne. It was a short but destructive war. Nearly all the deities were killed, bloodlines wiped out, but one deity stayed on the throne until he was killed - after he created the first vampry. King Malec. Naill walks in Ascended and tells them that were spotted. Poppy hides the book, and Cas leads her through the keep as Naill leaves them. They go to the kitchen and tell the workers to warn the others and hide the youngest in the keep. Do not antagonize the Ascended. Cas leads Poppy to the woods; he needs to see what’s happening. The Ascended are already in the courtyard and they’ve forced everyone in the keep to come outside - even the children without cloaks in the frigid temperatures. Poppy can see a carriage bearing the Royal crest. These are not regular Royal guards; they are the Royal knights. Cas turns to her and asks her what she’s going to do. The Ascended are right there. Is she going to run to them like she tried to do the other night? It’s time she realized that her chances against the Ascended were always next to zero. She doesn’t understand why he’s asking this; she’s already accepted his proposal. But he wants to impress upon her how dangerous the Ascended are. He knows that she believes what he’s told her, but seeing it is different. Seeing it makes it real. One of the knights asks where the Lord of the keep is. Elijah steps forward and says that the Lord is on a hunting trip, but the Knight already checked his hunting lodge, and it doesn’t look like anybody’s been there in a while. Elijah stands his ground; he must be camping somewhere instead. Poppy is worried for him, Elijah’s mouth is going to get him killed. A man steps out of the carriage, and Poppy recognizes him as Lord Chaney. But she doesn’t understand why he’s here unless he’s looking for her. He has no business with the Lord of New Haven. Chaney tells the residents of the keep the real reason he’s there. There was a group that came in a few days ago, he wants to know if there was a girl with them. Is the Maiden in the keep? Both Elijah and Magda tell him no. Chaney pulls a woman out of the carriage - Mrs. Tulis. She tells him the Maiden was here, but Elijah continues to say she was not. Chaney snaps Mrs. Tulis’ neck. They’re saying Mrs. Tulis was lying; she deserved to be punished for that. The keep residents refuse to tell Chaney what he wants to hear so with a nod of Chaney’s head, one of the knights takes his sword and stabs a man standing in the line. He pulls the sword out of the man’s stomach, but the man just looks up at him and spits on the knight’s face. The knight swings his sword again and beheads the man. Then they pull one of the children from the line. Cas looks at Poppy and tells her that he’s sorry that she had to see this. He never wanted her to see any of this. And he leaves her in the woods as he runs to the edge of the courtyard and steps into the clearing. Where he was kneeling sits the dagger that Viktor gave her. The dagger that can kill an Ascended. Poppy sees Kieran prowling behind the Ascended, next to one of the buildings. She wonders if she can get behind Chaney and use her dagger before she’s spotted. Another wolven comes up next to her, this one white. It’s Delano - the same wolven who howled when he thought she was dead in her cell. She watches as Cas tells the Ascended that the Maiden was here. The Maiden is here. He is the Dark One and he took her, but he has no intention of giving her back. Poppy watches as Chaney changes, his fangs coming out, and she knows without a doubt that everything Cas said was true. But then she watches as at least half of the knights change as well. That is unheard of. They’ve always been told only Royals Ascended… yet another lie. She realizes that no one was meant to leave the courtyard alive tonight. The fight starts. The Ascended fight with their teeth more than their blades while the Descenters and Atlantians fight with whatever they can. She sees Naill and Kieran, she sees Cas tear a knight’s throat out, Delano knocks her out of her stupor when he joins the fray. She watches as one of the knights holds a child hostage, dragging him toward a building. She sneaks up on them and when the knight sees her and recognizes her scar, she throws her knife in his eye. Another knight comes up from behind her, and she tells the boy to run. This knight she stabs in the chest as he runs towards her. She notices that the knights do not have fangs like Ascended; they have four instead of two. More like the Craven. Chaney steps out with the boy who ran pinned to his chest, and Chaney recognizes Poppy. She plays dumb - she didn’t realize the guards were here to save her; she didn’t think anyone was coming! She drops her dagger to convince Chaney to let the boy go and is hit from behind by one of the knights. She wakes up in the carriage. They’re on the road at top speeds with knights surrounding them, and Chaney tells her they've been riding for an hour. She figures her best chance is to play the dutiful Maiden until sunrise and escape then. The Ascended cannot go out in the sunlight. The problem is, Chaney has spotted the bite marks on her neck, and the fact that she wasn’t shocked at the way the Ascended looked. He knows she’s been compromised. She recognizes that he isn’t doing well. He was stabbed in the chest with a bloodstone dagger, and it is not healing quickly. He’d like a taste of her blood to help speed it along; no one needs to know. He explains that he was sent because he knows what she is, probably even better than she does. She is meant to usher in a whole new era of Ascended, but she will understand soon enough. She tells him she knows more than he thinks, and she knows they need her alive to either feed the Atlantian or make new Ascended. Yes, alive - but that’s about all she for right. He can’t believe the Teermans were able to avoid biting her; her blood is potent even if she’s only half-Atlantian. She decides she would rather jump out of the carriage and take her chances of being trampled then to stay with Chaney, but he attacks her before she can open the door. She fights back but he sinks his teeth into her arm. Chaney drinks and it hurts like a Craven’s bite, then he bites again and drinks more. When the carriage slams to a halt and he raises his head, she strikes with her steak knife, which she keeps in her thigh sheath. It won’t do much, but she just keeps stabbing him wherever she can reach. She doesn’t notice when sounds of fighting come from outside, she doesn’t notice a bang from the top of the carriage, she doesn’t notice anything until Cas opens the door and grabs her arm. She calls him Hawke. He sees her injuries and asks if she was bit elsewhere, she says no. She explains that he had the boy. She didn’t want to go with them, but she had to try to save the boy. She passes out. When she wakes up, Cas is watching over her. He must’ve given her his blood because she’s not in pain and her wounds are gone. She tells him that Chaney had been following them when he found Mrs. Tulis walking in the cold; he already knows. He questioned Chaney before killing him. She repeats what Chaney said about her potent blood, and he explains that Atlantian blood would be a real treat for the Ascended, even half-Atlantian blood. She tells what Chaney said about what the Ascended wanted her for, but Cas thinks he was lying. He would’ve wanted to win her trust back, wanted her meek and willing when they got to the capital, but then was overtaken by his bloodlust. Usually, it takes another vampry to stop a vampry from feeding; Cas wasn’t sure he would find her alive. She asks if he has her bloodstone dagger; he does. She asks if he will be in trouble for sharing his blood. It is technically forbidden to give his blood to anyone who is not full blooded Atlantian but no one who saw him do it will tattle, and even if they did, he like wouldn’t be punished since he’s the prince. But there is a chance if she got enough that she would Ascend. There’s also a chance his blood might make her Atlantian gifts more powerful, at least temporarily. He tells Poppy that only four were killed in the attack on their side but six were injured. The boy she tried to save is one of the dead. Poppy knows that Mrs. Tulis’ son is also dead. They will have to stay until Cas knows for certain there are no more immediate threats, so Poppy decides to visit the wounded and help them with her gift. He holds her hand on their way downstairs and tells her he wants to show her something before she visits the injured. When he takes her hand, she shocks him slightly. He’s surprised. In the courtyard, where she faced Lord Chaney and her blood dripped to the ground, there is a new tree. Not a fledgling, but a full-grown blood tree like in the Blood Forest. Some say it is a message from the gods that change is coming. They meet Alastir on their way inside. He and his men got back in time to dispatch the remaining knights the night before. Poppy makes her way to some of the patients, easing their pain and the pain of their visitors. It’s easier to access her gift; she wonders if that is thanks to Cas’ blood. A woman whose daughter is dying tells Poppy that she traveled there from Masadonia, where Poppy lived with the Teermans. She’d heard rumors from others that the Maiden would help those bitten die with their dignity intact, but she didn’t believe it, not until now. Poppy makes her way to an Atlantian man who refuses to be touched by her and Cas leads her away. A wolven man tells her she needn’t bother with him, he will heal quicker than some of the others, but she insists that he doesn’t need to hurt any more than they do. She helps with his pain and the wolven meets Cas’ eyes. Jasper will be interested in this. When she is finished and exits the room, she is overwhelmed and Alastir is amazed. Cas tells him his theory about her being an empath. They both tell Poppy that some won’t be comfortable with her because she was raised in Solis, or because she has empath powers and they haven’t been seen in so long, or because some empaths were so powerful they could siphon off and use the emotions of others. Those that did that were called Soul Eaters. Poppy insists she can’t do that, and both Cas and Alastir tell her that as people realize she cannot, they will not be as fearful. But tensions are high right now, especially with the blood tree - which Alastir calls a bad omen. Cas tells him not to be so superstitious. Alastir is leaving with a group to Spessa’s End. After talking with Emil, Cas decided they should travel in smaller groups to avoid detection. They tell Alastir goodbye and prepare to head back upstairs, but Cas pulls Poppy into a storage closet. He just needed a minute to tell her that he knows using her power could not have been easy on her. And that he is in awe of her, all of the time. And there’s one other thing he needs… it’s her. Just for a moment, in this closet, could they pretend that what has happened and is going to happen doesn’t exist. Could they just be Hawke and Poppy again. Could he kiss her? She shouldn’t for a million reasons, but she says yes anyway. They kiss until Cas backs away; they should probably stop though neither of them actually want to. Poppy continues to tell herself they’re just pretending. He has another gift for her; he leads her to the dungeon where they find Kieran guarding a very badly injured Chaney. He’s not talking now, Kieran reveals he ripped the Ascended’s tongue out. Kieran asks how Poppy is, how Cas is, and when Poppy asks if Cas was injured, Cas only tells her that Kieran has a penchant for worrying too much. Cas gives Poppy her wolven dagger back to keep, Chaney’s life is hers if she wants it. Otherwise, he will kill the Ascended. Poppy kills him herself. Later in the library with Kieran, she asks more about his bond with Cas. They can feel the emotions of the other and can tell if they’ve been injured. When Cas was taken by the Ascended, Kieran could tell Cas was badly injured because he grew very ill himself. He was sick the entire time Cas was captive: fifty years. Malik and the Atlantian King and Queen were all bonded at one time but their wolven died (Malik when the wolven tried to free him, the others in the war). Alastir was also bonded but outlived who he was bonded to. But wolven are not required to bond, and many choose not to - Delano for example. The bonds started when the children of the gods, the deities, were born into a land they did not know. The gods summoned wild wolves and gave them mortal forms to protect and guide the deities. Poppy has something she wants to do. She goes to the tunnel of names and sees the name of the boy that she tried to save: Renfern Octis. She chisels three names herself: Mrs. Tulis, Tobias Tulis, and Mr. Tulis. She has another nightmare that night, she sees her mother with blood dripping down from her chest. But not from Craven bites. Cas helps calm her and she tries to sleep again but she keeps thinking about the dream. How the mist was more like smoke, how she doesn’t remember seeing any Craven - at least not in her dreams. Cas offers to distract her, and she takes him up in the offer. She tells herself they’re pretending still. The next morning, they leave for Spessa’s End, which they hope to reach by week’s end. Kieran, Naill, and Delano are in their party and Poppy will ride with Cas. Elijah says the next group will hopefully leave the next morning, and Cas says he will wait in Spessa’s End for the other groups before moving on. Elijah will not leave until everyone else has gone. He thinks that it should be in a couple of days. He thanks Poppy for helping the injured with their pain and their group sets out. Cas helps Poppy into the saddle, getting another quick shock. Cas is worried that Poppy is so quiet, but she’s nervous that she’s now headed for Atlantia. She’s nervous about how to act with their arrangement. Cas continues to ask her about what’s wrong until she comes clean. She’s nervous about how to act once there. He tells her to act like herself; that’s all he’s asking for. She doesn’t need to be silent, she’s not the Maiden any longer. They discuss what she went through as the Maiden, and she admits that she feels complicit in the crimes of the Ascended. But he points out that she does not blame Viktor though he played a similar role. She’s doing what is right now, if she feels guilty about what happened before, remind herself that the Ascended are far more guilty. He explains that all relationships are different, and no one would expect him to choose someone meek to marry. He wants someone with passion. And should she leave one day, she would have a different kind of relationship with whomever else she found. The thought of her not being with him but with someone else makes her want to cry. She mentions his previous relationship, and he tells her that that woman is gone. He’s swimming in grief but asks her not to take it away. He wants to keep it; let it serve as a reminder. She wonders if Shea was the best friend he lost that he’d once mentioned, as well as the woman he intended to marry. He’s quiet for the rest of the day and for the two days after, although he always sleeps next to her and wakes her from her nightmares. On the fourth day, she sees a rope design hanging from the trees. It’s like the design of rocks she saw in the Blood Forest. Cas tells her the sigils are courtesy of the Dead Bones Clan, a group of people who live outside of the Rise. They try to avoid the group whenever possible, but he hands Poppy a loaded crossbow just in case. Soon, they are attacked. Cas tries to ride in the opposite direction while shielding Poppy, he is hit and thrown from the horse. She screams his name as Cas falls to the ground, two arrows in his back. He is shot a third time as she watches, but he’s soon back on his feet. The horse rears, throwing Poppy, but Cas catches her before she touches the ground and Delano manages to wrangle their horse and take it and his own to safety in the woods. Poppy takes cover as the others prepare to fight. Poppy watches and when she sees something in the woods, she shoots and hits it. Cas jumps into the trees, pulling men down for the wolven and Naill to dispatch. Poppy makes several shots but is grazed in the arm. She takes cover behind a tree but is found by a mortal. He swings a club at Poppy but only hits the crossbow, breaking it. When she has a chance, Poppy takes her wolven dagger and stabs the man in the chin. She’s found by Cas once the fighting is done. He prepares to bandage her arm with a piece of his cloak as Delano grabs the horses. When Cas sees her bloodied arm, his pupils blow wide and he becomes distracted until a naked Kieran back in mortal form distracts him. He tells Poppy not to worry; he has more clothes in his saddle bags. Her arm is wrapped, and the arrows are removed from Cas’ back; he heals very quickly, and they’re back on the move. The group explains that the Dead Bones Clan hates everybody and the Ascended don’t bother with them, probably because it’s not worth their time. That evening they reach Pompay, the last Atlantian stronghold, on the Stygian Sea (where the god Rainn purportedly sleeps). Cas tells her that when the Atlantians retreated, Descenters stayed here because it was far enough away that none of the Ascended wanted to rule it. But the Ascended didn’t want to leave it to become a Descenter stronghold. So, they brought a bunch of Ascended out and razed the town. Anyone who didn’t die was turned Craven and escaped into the surrounding woods. But most of the people there died, and their bodies were left to rot wherever they laid. Atlantians came and buried them, though it took a long time to cover all six hundred and fifty bodies. When they arrive in Spessa’s End, the others explain to Poppy that they’ve slowly been rebuilding the city. It wasn’t too hard, most of the rise had been fairly intact, and the Ascended had left the keep mostly alone, but some of the rooms still need to be repaired. They’ve redone the bottom level and plan to do the second floor soon, so that citizens can lie there while their homes are built. There are about one hundred people that live there now, most hand selected because even though no one usually comes this far east, it is not without risk that they will be discovered. But they are greeted by a young Atlantian, Quentyn DaLahr, and Alastir’s equally young nephew, the wolven Beckett Davenwell. Poppy’s party is surprised and unnerved; they were not aware such young people would be here. They should not be. Quentyn just went through the culling, when an Atlantian matures. Even so, Quentyn takes them to their rooms. Cas wants to check Poppy’s wound but as soon as it’s unwrapped, he backs away and leaves the room. Poppy falls asleep alone, but wakes entangled with Cas and watches him as he sleeps. She’s thinking about how inconvenient it is that she’s not really pretending, when he suddenly rolls on top of her, his eyes completely dark. She thinks he’s having a nightmare but nothing she does wakes him up. She starts to feel scared and opens herself up to his feelings; she realizes that he’s starving. He prowls down her body, and she remembers what it was like to have him bite her, how much she liked it. He goes down on her without saying anything and she screams out in pleasure, causing Kieran to storm in. He thinks he has really misread the situation, but when Cas looks up and Kieran sees his eyes, he realizes that this is bad. He tells Poppy that as soon as Cas lunges at him, she needs to run and get either Naill or Delano. She calls Cas’ name once, twice, with no answer. Then she puts all her power into him as she lays her hand on his arm and calls him Hawke. He immediately comes to and leans into her for a moment as he realizes what he’s done. Ashamed and sad, he apologizes and leaves the room. She asks Kieran what just happened, and he confirms that Cas needs to feed. That’s not why he attacked Kieran though; that was him being protective and possessive while already in that state. But he still has time to feed. If he were already at the edge of starvation, Poppy would either be dead or Ascending at this very moment. That she’s not says that Cas still has time to fix this. Kieran asks if she wants to see the bay and she does. She asks what Malik was like. If you can believe it, Cas was the serious one. When he’s with Poppy, he’s easier going, more alive than normal. But Malik was kind and generous and always playing jokes. He was the soul of his family. Was, because he will not be the same now even if he’s still alive. Kieran believes he is still alive; he’s too big of a prize for the Ascended to allow him to die. He tells Poppy a story of the first time he came to Spessa’s End. A little girl fell into the bay. Mortals do not go into these waters and survive, they believe the god Rhain’s sentries pull them to the deeps. But Cas jumped in without hesitation and found the girl below the surface. Malik and another friend were able to pull the girl out and clear the water from her lungs; she lived. Poppy connects some dots, was the friend Shea? Kieran is surprised but guesses that Alastir told her about Shea. Yes, it was Shea, but Kieran gives her some advice. Do not bring her up to Cas ever. Why does it matter to Poppy anyway? This marriage is only temporary. Why does she care who used to be important to Cas? Kieran explains that Cas probably hasn’t fed since they were in Masadonia. Since that time, he has given Poppy blood twice and been injured, all of that has cost him. She points out that Kieran once said Cas was the only person she didn’t need to worry about, and he says that that’s true. She is safe with Cas, except for when he doesn’t feed. When an Atlantian doesn’t feed, no one is safe, not even the people they care about or love. She refuses to believe that Cas cares about her, but Kieran basically tells her to stop being stupid. He wouldn’t have given her blood if he didn’t, wouldn’t have cared if she were in pain, wouldn’t be concerned about her comfort as they traveled. He had a new cloak made for her after the Craven destroyed hers! He wouldn’t risk marrying her and having his entire kingdom, as well as both of his parents, angry if he didn’t care for her. He wouldn’t give up his plan to save his brother. What’s going to be more annoying for her, Kieran says, is that she cares for Cas too. It’s why she shared her secrets with him when she was the Maiden, why she didn’t stab him when he woke up this morning, why she’s concerned about his not feeding. She admits that she did care for him and even wanted to be with him, but that was before. Caring for him means forgiving him what he’s done. It would only lead to heartache. Kieran doesn’t think so, but even if it did, sometimes the heartache is worth it. When an Atlantian cares for someone, the idea of feeding from another becomes repellent. The act is too intimate for someone else. But especially when the other person is a mortal, they need to initiate. That is why Cas has not fed, because he cannot feed from her without her initiating it, but he refuses to feed from anyone else. She tells Kieran about what Cas said about feeling like he knew her from the beginning, how it was their Atlantian blood recognizing each other. Kieran thinks it’s more than that; something rare and powerful enough to usher in great change. He thinks that Poppy and Cas are heartmates. Kieran and Poppy head to breakfast and she makes a decision. She doesn’t know if what Kieran said about heartmates is true, she doesn’t even know what those are, but she is going to make sure he’s fed. And since it would be weird for him to feed from anyone but his fiancée, she is going to be the one to do it. She heads up to her room to wait for him, but Alastir finds her first. He wants to check on her after her eventful journey. He asks if Cas has told her any of his plans for Spessa’s End - he wants to move hundreds of people here. It was his idea and he’s quite passionate about it; he even convinced his parents to do it. It was probably just an oversight that he didn’t mention it - it’s not that Cas doesn’t trust her. He also brings up that Cas may need to feed, Alastir isn’t sure how familiar she is with Atlantian customs or the Joining, so he thought he’d mention it. She knows and he needs to feed, but she wants to know more about the Joining - which Alastir very much does not want to discuss with her. But Poppy is persistent. The Joining is an old custom, one not done very often anymore, but it could be beneficial to her since her lifespan will be much reduced to Cas’, since she is half-mortal. When a bonded elemental takes a partner, the bond can be extended to their wolven, or to both wolven if they are both bonded. It’s usually very intimate and leads to sex, but it also would tie Poppy’s life to the wolven’s. She realizes that Cas never brought this up because, whatever Kieran might think, he doesn’t intend for them to remain married. Her lifespan will be no concern of his. She asks why King Malec didn’t just do the Joining with his mistress if he didn’t want to lose her. Alastir tells her that Malec often outlived his wolven, he ended up being bonded to several over the years, but none of them would have taken part in the Joining with his mistress and insulted his wife that way. He is over eight hundred years old, and he knows this for a fact, because he was Malec’s last bonded wolven. He told the Queen about Elspeth and broke his bond to the King. Cas comes in some time after Alastir leaves, and he apologizes for what happened that morning almost immediately, taking Poppy off guard. He also thanks her for knowing how to reach him. She asks why he refuses to allow anyone to call her the Maiden. Because the less they think of her that way, the more they will think of her as the woman who stole Cas’ heart and the less likely they will want to hurt her. Plus, she was never really the Maiden. She tells him that Alastir mentioned the Joining. He laughs hysterically. To clarify, he doesn’t think it is something anyone would expect it but if it did happen, it doesn’t have to be sexual. Alastir is just a bit of a prude and overdramatic. He’s not sure she would have her lifespan lengthened anyway; he doesn’t know any elementals that have married someone who was part mortal. But it can also change the wolven’s lifespan. If the partner dies, so does the wolven. Now she brings up his hunger. He insists that he knows what it’s like to tip over the edge, and he’s not there yet. She asks what it’s like, and he tells her. Once they’re past that point, feedings only make an Atlantian stronger, but they are dead inside. Like a Craven - violent, bloodthirsty, and mad. A disease of the mind and no better than a rabid animal. Very few are able to come back from it. But he did. He didn’t think he would, but he went past that point when he was captive, and he came back. Not the same, but he has found parts of who he used to be. Poppy says that she felt his hunger and he needs to feed. That he cannot guarantee he won’t lose control again while he’s like this. He cannot guarantee her safety. And she cares about him; she doesn’t want him to feel like this if she has any way to stop it. So please take what she is offering. He agrees but he doesn’t want to do it alone, he doesn’t want to take any chances. She agrees with his terms. Casteel calls Kieran in and it feels intimate, especially after finding out about the Joining, but Poppy doesn’t change her mind. Kieran stands behind her to monitor her pulse with one hand as Cas stands in front of her. He tells her it will only hurt for a second and gives her the chance to stop before he bites her neck. He’s not taking much until both Kieran and Poppy demand that he take more. So he does, pushing them against the wall with Poppy sandwiched between himself and Kieran. The experience of his feeding is very pleasurable for Poppy. Her head leans on Kieran’s chest as she gets swept away. When Kieran tells Cas he’s had enough, she has both legs around Cas’ waist. Kieran must tell Cas twice but then Cas lets go and takes Poppy towards the bed. Kieran checks that they’re both okay before leaving the room. Cas asks to return the favor to Poppy, and she gladly accepts, but she’s not willing to take her pleasure alone. After he cleans himself up, he comes back to bed and asks if he can just hold her. He has things he should be doing, its barely noon, but she says yes and the two of them just lay in bed entwined. After a few hours of napping, Cas asks if she will go on a field trip with him, just as Poppy and Hawke, and she agrees; they seal their agreement with a kiss. He decides it’s a good time to learn to ride and takes Poppy to the stables. She meets a wolven stablemaster named Coulton who feels a shock when he is near her. He says she must be from a powerful line if she’s giving off this much energy and brings out a gentle horse for her named Molly. Cas takes her to see the town of Spessa’s End. On the way they pass the training grounds, and she sees a group of female warriors. They are training others, outnumbered by three or four times but still end up winning the bout. Cas explains that they are the Guardians of the Atlantian Armies, a very powerful line of female warriors. They and Poppy are the only warrior lines left. Poppy wonders if that’s true; they didn’t know she existed until recently either. But Cas reveals that when he was captive, he was fed by those with Atlantian blood. Between him and Malik, he has to think there are not many left in Solis with Atlantian blood. Poppy thinks about how long it has been since an Ascension happened; she wonders if Malik is still alive. Before Ian‘s, which was about three years ago, they had Ascensions every year. On the way to the town, Cas explains that Spessa’s End was his and Kieran’s idea. They understood how lucky it was that both the keep and the Rise were mostly intact. She sees the rows of houses lined up with lots of room in between them for gardens and grass to grow. In Solis, the houses are practically on top of each other and only the richest have any sort of garden. Cas explains that they had master gardeners decide what to plant, and each person who agreed to come to Spessa’s End learns how to garden correctly and how to safeguard plants against disease. It makes things so much easier when they can grow enough to feed the whole town. Poppy sees how the people react to Cas. He is a wonderful prince, none of them call him by his title, and he is always friendly and asking questions and introducing her as his fiancé. The people see her and they still distrust her, but she starts to see Cas in a different way. She’s still pretending, but it’s no longer Hawke and Poppy. Now it’s Casteel and Poppy. Cas wants to introduce Poppy to someone; he leads her through the streets where houses are being built. She sees the young wolven Beckett frolicking around near some of the workers, and Kieran meets them at a house. Poppy is alone with him for a moment, and she’s suddenly awkward about when she fed Cas. Kieran says it was completely normal, but if she’s concerned, Cas can also feed from her wrist. A woman comes out of one of the houses and she’s introduced as Vonetta, Kieran’s sister who is one of the Rise guards. Kieran and Cas call her Netta. She and Poppy like each other immediately and when Poppy reads her emotions, all she feels is curiosity. When Vonetta shakes Poppy’s hand, there’s another shock. The others reveal they’ve felt it too, but Poppy has only felt it on her end with Cas. She and Cas spend the afternoon with Kieran and Netta. Netta asks to touch her again, but this time there is no shock. Suddenly they hear a crash from outside and rush towards it. Alastir reveals that Beckett has been injured by a piece of falling roof. They call for the healer but she’s at the training grounds and it will be a minute before she can get there. It appears that Beckett has broken his two back legs while in wolven form, and it would be best if he switched to his human body before the bones start to heal incorrectly. But it will be incredibly painful, and the wolven is too young to control his shift through the pain. Poppy steps forward to help and is directed to stand at Beckett’s back; his teeth are dangerous even this young and especially so when he’s in so much pain. Poppy puts her hand in the wolven’s fur and opens herself up to his pain. She works with him, taking what pain she can, and her hands start to glow. Everyone is amazed and shocked: Emil, Alastir, Kieran, Netta, even Cas. Pretty soon, as she continues to open herself up to Beckett, her whole body is glowing. She feels Beckett’s fur thin as he shifts into his human form; Netta quickly covers him with a cloak. But not before they see that his legs are straight. She did more than take his pain away, Poppy healed him. Emil helps Beckett stand as Alastir prepares to take him to the training field to see the healer. Poppy opens up to the crowd and feels their shock, their awe. And from some of them, their fear. When everyone has dispersed except her, Cas, Kieran, and Netta, Netta guesses that she is an empath. Empaths could heal too. It was easier for Poppy to reach her power with Beckett than it ever has been before. It’s unclear if that’s because of the culling, Cas’ blood running through her, or because she’s on Atlantian souls. This just means people will be even more afraid that she’s a Soul Eater. Cas asks Kieran and his sister to check on Beckett and leads Poppy back to the horses. He thinks what she did is amazing and is upset that the whole Soul Eater thing may overshadow it. Beckett probably would not have shifted fast enough and would have needed his legs removed without Poppy’s help. She saved Beckett, and Cas is so grateful. He puts her on his horse and rides behind her back to the keep - they need to discuss something, and he thinks it’s going to freak her out. He originally planned to marry her in Saion’s Cove, the first Atlantian city over the Skotos Mountains, and then travel to Evaemon to introduce her to her parents. He wants to be married before they get to Evaemon so his parents won’t try to delay their wedding, his mother in particular will be suspicious. But now, he thinks they should marry here at Spessa’s End. He believes that with time, people will learn not to fear her. But he wants to make sure they don’t get any ideas before then. There’s only one element missing to have a wedding: an officiant. The head of any bloodline can do it, and there is one on his way. He will be there tomorrow; they can be married as early as tomorrow night. Then they will continue to meet his parents so Poppy can be crowned. It’s not important to her to be crowned, but it will be important politically. She has authority in Atlantia as their princess but only if she’s crowned. She knows Cas is lying and tells him so, about how concerned he is about the Soul Eater thing and about his parents’ reactions. He asks if she’s reading him, but she doesn’t need to. But she will marry him in Spessa’s End anyway. Alastir doesn’t like this new plan and tries to talk them out of it but is unsuccessful. Cas tells him that his parents may be upset at first, but he has no doubt they will soon love Poppy as fiercely as he does. She doesn’t think he meant to say that last part out loud. Once Alastir leaves, he explains that his parents will be angry and disappointed he didn’t bring her home first, but not at her. They will be angry at him. Then he asks to take her somewhere. They ride together this time, and he shows her first the poppy fields they grow for medicinal purposes (they’re guarded against anyone with nefarious ideas) and then further to a tunnel. He explains that the tunnel he explored with his brother, and the cove that was the happiest place for him, is a big tunnel system. This tunnel is part of it; he actually thinks it’s the best part. Inside is a warm pool; he gives her some privacy to strip and get in but joins her soon after. She can see the hunger in his eyes that has nothing to do with blood. He gets closer to her, explaining that the area of a bite becomes an erogenous zone until it’s fully healed - she wants him to show her. More than that, he has a proposition for her. They can pretend again. He changes his prior statement. She can pretend that she doesn’t need him. She can pretend that she doesn’t want him. She can pretend that this is all just an act. They can be Hawke and Poppy again. But Poppy doesn’t think so. What if Kieran was right? She kind of wants Kieran to be right. It’s important to be honest and she’s done lying to herself. She doesn’t want to pretend. He is Casteel and she is Poppy and what is about to happen between them is real. They have sex in the pool, Cas holding her up against the wall of the cavern. It’s real, between the two of them, but anytime Cas tries to talk about how he feels, she tells him not to lie. When they are done and finished cuddling, he towels her off and she prepares to tell him something. He assures her that he understands this stays in the tunnels. And that he’s protected. He would not risk having a child. For all her insistence that it was just the sex that was real, she’s hurt. That wasn’t what she was going to say. That evening, she has dinner with the rest of the keep and it’s uncomfortable, the people don’t like her. Alastir sits near her and insists that it is because the people don’t know her yet. Anyone who has gotten familiar with her does not fear or dislike her. But it may take some time to get used to it. No one understands how the plan went from kidnapping and ransom to marriage, especially when Cas was supposed to marry someone else when he returned to Atlantia. That’s news that Poppy didn’t know. Poppy’s face snaps to Cas, who knows exactly what they’re discussing. He insists that he never agreed to a marriage with the wolven Gianna, something which Alastir concedes is true. But Poppy is already mad and Cas and Alastir are arguing when Cas announces that he left Atlantia with a plan to free his brother, that plan changed when he met Penellaphe (he does not use her nicknames in public) and fell in love with her, probably earlier than he even realizes. She is the reason he’s returning to Atlantia now, without her he would still be in Solis trying to save Malik. She can’t believe he said he loved her; it rang of truth. Then an Atlantian named Dante says that Poppy is not a good choice. She’s done with this bullshit. She states, unequivocally, that she is not “one of them” meaning the Ascended. She was the Maiden. Chosen by the gods, a blessing to her a people. And as such, not allowed to do anything. She enumerates the things she was not allowed to do: including but not limited to looking people in the eye, speaking to anyone, touching anyone. She had begun to have her doubts about being the Maiden, but she still believed what the Ascended told her, at least until she met Casteel, and he showed her the truth. He gained access to her as her guard, gained her trust, and then broke it when he kidnapped her, but she had already begun to have feelings for him. But she had been angry enough when she learned the truth to stab him in the chest - thinking it would kill him. But when he explained himself, she understood. She was still angry, she refused his proposal the first time he asked, but she understood why he’d done it. And the feelings were already there, and she has since forgiven him. What they have is real. At some point, the wolven Jasper, who is supposed to marry them, entered and took the seat next to Cas looking highly amused. Poppy sits again but still feels the emotions around her. Somehow, even after the speech, she feels that they still hate her. She leaves the room to go outside and is quickly followed by Cas. He apologizes for the way his people have treated her and wants to talk more but is interrupted by Kieran telling him that Jasper is asking to talk. Jasper, who also happens to be Kieran’s dad and who speaks for the wolven as a community, a job he got after so many of the wolven were killed in the war. Kieran escorts Poppy to her room where she cries. What she said was true; she is in love with Casteel. But she knows he does not feel the same, not when he is hiding so much from her. She finally goes to sleep, slipping her dagger under her pillow, which she unconsciously pulls on Cas when he finally joins her in bed. He grabs her wrist and eventually gets out of bed. But only when she asks if he was really engaged. He gets out of bed because he’s really upset. How could she ask him that when they have done the things they’ve done. When he already told her at dinner that the marriage was not something that he had agreed to. His father had proposed it, even picked out his future bride, but it was not something that Casteel ever agreed to. But she doesn’t know what to believe with his litany of lies and half-truths. He points out that she never asks questions, even when he can tell she wants to, so she asks him. She wants to hear about the conversations that drove him and Malik to the caves, why he refuses to take the throne even though he knows Malik probably won’t be able to, why he thought it was okay to kidnap and ransom her in the first place, why he didn’t mention the Joining, about Gianna and if they care for each other at all, why he never told her he was instrumental in the rebuilding of Spessa’s End, about the woman he loved. He will tell her something real. The real reason he came tonight is because he wants to know if what she said at dinner was real. That he was the first thing she ever chose for herself. That she chose Hawke and when the truth was revealed, she chose him again as Casteel. That she feels like it’s a betrayal of Rylan and Viktor. Is that real or was she just pretending? She asks him what he wants from her and the answer is everything. He wants everything. He had a plan and those plans made a lot more sense than what’s happening now, but the truth is that those plans changed the second he saw her. The more he got to know her, the more he realized that when he’s with Poppy, he can stop thinking for a moment about everything else. About his obligations and all the people counting on him, about his brother and the atrocities being done to him. He can just be with her and forget. His mind is quiet. Shea never did that for him. He doesn’t like to speak her name but it’s not for the reason Poppy thinks. And here’s more truth for her; he doesn’t understand how Poppy can bear to touch him at all after his lies. He didn’t plan any of this; he didn’t plan on wanting her or risking everything to keep her. He didn’t plan on… he’s interrupted by Emil who really wishes he didn’t have to interrupt but the sky outside is on fire. Casteel whispers that their conversation isn’t over as all three of them run to the Rise outside. It’s not the sky that’s on fire, but it’s something big. Delano and Dante have already gone to investigate, all there is to do is wait. Cas sends one of the Guardians, Nova, to make sure the people don’t panic. Jasper makes his way to Poppy, and they are officially introduced. He comments on the surprising wedding he is supposed to officiate, but Poppy isn’t sure that’s going to happen anymore. Jasper is pretty sure it will. But what’s surprising to Jasper isn’t the bride, but that the groom is willing to marry at all. He never showed the smallest inclination to do so before. This pleases Poppy and lends credence to what Cas told her about Gianna. He agrees with Cas that marrying a wolven would do little to mend any rifts between their people, and King Valyn is smart enough to know that too, but if you hear enough lies whispered, you begin to think they’re the truth. She wonders if Alastir is the one who is whispering. Jasper also mentions what Poppy did for Beckett, but he doesn’t think she’s of the empath line. He never knew any of them that could actually heal with their touch. And he agrees with his kids that she smells different. Kieran has said she smells like death and Vonetta said it was more like something old. Jasper agrees with Vonetta. Once he leaves and Cas joins her, Cas says empath is the only thing that makes any sense. Unless she is of two different lines, that would make her parents half-Atlantian. She asks why it was Jasper and not Alastir who speaks for the wolven. It could have been Alastir but Jasper seems to read people a better - a trait his son inherited. Kieran claims he has a seer somewhere in his lineage and got a watered-down version of the gift. But Poppy wonders why Alastir believed that Cas would marry a wolven when Jasper did not. Cas thinks that Alastir is where the idea originated. More than that, Gianna is his niece. He tries to get Poppy to rest, but she doesn’t want to leave the Rise so instead he wraps her in his arms for warmth until Delano returns. When he does, he is bloody and alone, Dante is nowhere to be found. They run from the Rise to meet him, Kieran and Jasper as well, and Poppy heals Delano so he can tell them that the Ascended are coming and they’re burning everything in their path. Delano saw them at Pompay. Guards, an army almost a thousand strong, but he didn’t see any Ascended. There were covered carriages but it’s probably mostly mortals. There are two groups, one will probably be there by the end of the next day, and the larger group will be maybe two days after. He hadn’t seen any sign of the people coming from New Haven. Kieran points out that doesn’t mean they aren’t safe; they could have taken a different route. But the fact that the Ascended are coming in force, that indicates that someone talked about Spessa’s End. Could it have been one of the New Haven citizens? They have fewer than one hundred people in Spessa’s End who can fight and maybe twenty or so archers in addition to that. But they don’t have enough. Cas sends Alastir over the Skotos mountains to the next two towns with orders to ask them to send as many fighters as they think can arrive in the next two days. He sends Kieran with Alastir. Kieran is faster than anyone but Delano, and Delano cannot do that trek right now. And he wants to keep Kieran safe knowing that his bonded wolven would die keeping Cas safe. But that’s not all. He wants Kieran to take Poppy with him. Hell no. She will be needed to fight - she’s good with the bow and sword, but she can also heal people which they will need. Everyone tries to tell Cas to leave for safety, and he tries to tell Poppy the same thing, but at the end of the day they both stay and Kieran goes. It’s only when Cas tells Kieran that it isn’t only to keep him safe that Kieran relents. Poppy tells him to be safe (her being nice weirds him out) and he asks Poppy to keep Cas safe. They’re friends now, he used her nickname. Cas goes out and does all the things a prince needs to do right before a battle while Poppy gets some training time in and joins him for a strategy meeting. She sleeps for a while but wakes up to find him sitting up in bed next to her. He wants to finish their conversation; it can’t wait any longer. The first thing he wants her to know is that he is full of shame. He’s ashamed that he was ever willing to kidnap her and ransom her, that he was willing to do anything to gain her trust. He didn’t plan on enjoying her company or looking forward to spending time with her. The night he took her to the willow, Kieran was waiting with others. They were supposed to take her then, but Cas didn’t want Poppy to stop looking at him like Hawke. He wasn’t ready for that. He didn’t know the Descenters would attack. In the Blood Forest, he knew he shouldn’t have touched her, but he wanted to be her first everything. The first night they had sex, if he was a better man he would not have done it, and he’s ashamed that he did without having her know the full truth. He’s ashamed of all the things he put her through. He’s not worthy of her, but it doesn’t stop him from wanting her. From wanting everything with her. From wanting everything between them to be real. From wishing that he was bringing home a wife that loved him and that he was no longer obsessed with saving his brother. She tells him that she has never regretted what they did that first night in New Haven. She asks about Shea and he tells her the truth. They grew up together and their friendship turned into love. He thought he’d spend his life with her. When he was captured, Shea and Malik tried to rescue him dozens of times. When they finally got to him, there were Ascended waiting for them. The Ascended knew a rescue would be attempted that night. Shea had been caught alone by them while looking for Cas and had sold Malik to the Ascended in exchange for her own life. An older, more powerful Atlantian than Cas was a windfall. They figured she would leave Cas in the fight, and they’d get two for one, but Malik fought so hard that Shea could drag Cas away. But Shea and Cas got trapped on their way out, which is when Cas found out the truth, and Shea tried to trade for her life again, offering to give Cas back to them. Cas lost it. He killed the Ascended and then he killed her. That’s why he doesn’t like talking about her. He loved her once, and he hates her now, and she must never have loved him at all if she was willing to give him back to them. He’s only ever told Kieran the truth and Alastir must never know, it would kill him to learn what Shea did. She wonders how it doesn’t bother Alastir to put his great-niece forward to marry Cas when his daughter was with him once. Cas doesn’t know, but it’s part of the reason he never accepted Gianna. He never thought of her in a romantic way, but also, she looks similar to Shea. It’s weird to him too. He reveals that the final reason he sent Kieran with Alastir is because Alastir will go to the towns and do as commanded, but he will go directly to Cas’ parents after that and express his doubts about Cas’ marriage. This is a huge step; Poppy knows how hard it is for Cas to speak about Shea and especially to trust her with a truth he’s only told one other person. It’s her turn. She tells him that everything she said at dinner was true. Everything. That she chose him repeatedly. The guilt that she has felt about that, but she thinks she’s moved past that now. And she’s scared about how she feels about him and the fact that they have a chance to make real change not only for Atlantians but in Solis as well. She’s done lying and pretending; she’s falling in love with him. She has been. He doesn’t say it back, but he asks her to look for herself and she feels love flowing from him as well. He proposes to her for real and she accepts. She prepares for the wedding that will happen that night and Vonetta comes in. It’s customary for an Atlantian bride to wear a red or yellow veil, but since veils are a no go for Poppy, she has brought a red dress instead. She does Poppy’s hair and brings her a diamond necklace to wear. Diamonds are important, they symbolize that the gods are still in favor of this match even if they still sleep. Poppy asks her about the Joining, and Netta doesn’t think it’s weird or gross, but she doesn’t think anyone would expect it from Poppy. It’s never been done with a half-mortal. It’s not illegal; it’s just never been done. She also explains that the wedding will happen outside, and she and Casteel will both be barefoot on Atlantian soil. Before she leaves Poppy, they decide they’re friends and will use each other’s nicknames. Netta agrees to come to the wedding. It’s weird that Kieran won’t be there, but Netta’s glad he will miss the fighting. Not many Atlantians would have protected their bonded that way. The last thing Poppy puts on is Viktor’s dagger. At least part of him will be with her for this. Poppy sees everyone gathered for the wedding as Netta passes her a ring for the ceremony. Cas had the blacksmith make them. They hold their right hands and place their rings in a stack in the dirt. Then their left hands are cut and their mingled blood dripped on the rings as well. When she looks at her hand, the cut is gone, replaced by a swirly gold mark. They place the rings on their spouse’s pointer finger, and Jasper proclaims them married. The instant the words are said, the sky goes black. An omen from the King of Gods, Nyktos, that hasn’t been given since Cas’ parents were married and even then, not one this dark. A powerful omen and a good one, that the gods are aware and in favor of this marriage. Cas takes Poppy back to their room, and Poppy asks what heartmates are. It’s a real thing, but something that happens so rarely now that it seems like a myth. When one of the deities fell in love with a mortal, he asked the gods to gift her with a long life. They refused, year after year until the mortal died. The deity then wasted away from grief until they too turned to dust. The gods could not fix what they’d done, but the next time one of their children petitioned for the same thing, they gave it to her. But both she and her heartmate would have to go through trials, and her heartmate would have to drink her blood to maintain their life. Their heartmate was the first Atlantian. Overtime, more Atlantians were created, and they also had heartmates at times. It’s believed this is how the different lineages were created. When heartmates are found, they usher in big changes. Some believe that Malek and Elspeth were heartmates, which drove his desperation to keep her alive, leading to the first vampry being made. Poppy asks why some heartmates became Atlantians but Elspeth became vampry. By the time of Malek, the gods had already gone to sleep and could not give them their trials. And Malek drained Elspeth of her blood before giving his own to her. But if the gods are asleep, does it matter if she and Cas are heartmates? They will not receive trials. But Cas responds that the gods are clearly watching them. First, they had the blood tree (still unclear if this was a good or bad portent) and now Nyktos’ blessing. There is one more tradition Cas would like to take part in if Poppy is willing. If they don’t do it, it won’t change anything about their actual marriage. But it is a show of trust and important to him. When Poppy agrees, they both drink the blood of the other and enjoy all the sensual pleasures that come with it. Once they’re done and have rested for a time, they hear a birdsong signal and response. The Ascended have arrived. Delano meets Cas at the door with his weapons, and Emil comes with news. It is the smallest group of the Ascended’s army that has arrived (good news) but they’ve got three catapults (bad) and waited for nightfall to arrive meaning there are Ascended in the group (bad), and the larger group may catch up to them in a few hours (very bad). But, since the army waited, hopefully there will be time for their own reinforcements to arrive (good, if it happens). They have one hundred twenty-six people to fight with Cas’ party and Alastir’s party added to the residents. The archers are hidden on the Rise and ready, the wolven are hiding in the fields - not even the Ascended will see them, and those that can fight with a sword are waiting in the courtyard. The Guardians are waiting for Cas’ signal. Cas asks Poppy to stay on the Rise with her hood up, so she doesn’t become a target. And if he gets hurt, run to the caverns where Kieran will know to find her. She can’t promise that last part and she doesn’t have to because the Ascended arrive. Only Cas can be seen from where they stand below; he’s standing on the Rise and waiting for them. Poppy sees bags being transported, but she can’t tell what they are. There are knights in the party. Duchess Teerman steps out to speak. Cas introduces himself and the duchess, Jacinda, is surprised to hear that The Dark One and Prince Casteel are the same person. She doesn’t know that Spessa’s End is more than just ruins either, which is nice, but she definitely knows what the King and Queen did to Cas. They’re missing their favorite pet. She assumes that Cas took Poppy to barter for his brother, but that’s not going to happen. The Maiden belongs to the Queen. Give it back. It. So much for staying hidden, Poppy comes out and announces that she does not belong to anyone. The Duchess tells Poppy she doesn’t understand. She and the first Maiden both belonged to the Queen. The first Maiden was very real, and she belonged to the Queen just like Poppy does, just like Poppy‘s mother did. She promises to tell Poppy all about her mother if she gives herself up. She claims that the Queen is her grandmother. Her mother’s mother. That’s not possible; the Ascended cannot have children, but the Duchess asks who said the Queen was an Ascended. The history books tell a lie that was designed to protect the truth, to protect Poppy and her mother. Poppy doesn’t put much stock in the protection of the Ascended. They certainly didn’t protect her when Duke Teerman would beat her with a cane, or touch her, or let others touch her, or lock her in her room, or forbid her from speaking. Poppy tells Jacinda she better shut up before the same thing that happened to Lord Chaney happens to her. So, the Duchess gives the gifts that she’s brought for them. The catapults swing forward and the bags open. Inside are the decapitated heads of the people who were at New Haven. Cas tells Poppy to kill as many as possible before jumping from the Rise to the courtyard below. That’s the Guardians’ cue. They stand with their twin swords, clanging them together above their heads and lighting them on fire before descending into the fray below. The archers start shooting as the wolven come out of their places. Poppy stays on the Rise, Quentyn takes a place next to her with his own bow and a shield to protect them from incoming arrows. Poppy starts by picking off knights before shooting at anything she sees and then the Rise is breached. She tells Quentyn (who’s a very good shot) to cover her, and she fights her way from the Rise to the courtyard. It becomes clear that the Ascended army is under orders not to kill her and she makes them pay. She kills a knight that is about to attack a wolven she thinks is Netta; Netta returns the favor. She sees Delano, then who may be Jasper, and finally Cas. She makes her way over to him, and he confirms that the Duchess is in the carriage. Just then, arrows rain down on them. But these ones are on fire. The larger army has come, and the Atlantians are completely overwhelmed. Cas takes Poppy’s hand. He must get her to safety, and he is willing to leave the battle to do that, but they will have to fight their way out. The others will do the same and there are plans in place, the people who couldn’t fight will evacuate. They fight together toward the woods, and she can feel the fear of the soldiers around her. She can feel it pouring into her and she’s unable to fight it off. She and Cas are circled by enemies, so Poppy stops and holds a dagger to her own neck. Back off or she will kill herself. Her magic vibrates around her. She asks what the soldiers think will happen to them if she dies right now? They don’t have to find out; wolven come out of the woods by the hundreds, followed by Atlantians on horseback. Kieran sees them and nudges her hand, checking to see if they’re married yet, and then turns toward the Royal carriage. Poppy storms over and rips the door open. Jacinda starts talking. Poppy wants to know where Ian is, and the Duchess tells her that she can take her to him. Prince Malik is with him. And Malik is alive; that’s how they were able to let Tawny Ascend. The Queen wanted Poppy to be comfortable when she returned home as her blooded granddaughter. So, the Duchess petitioned the gods for an exception to allow Tawny to Ascend early, and it was granted. But then the Duchess sees Poppy’s hand and realizes that she’s married. Instead of being upset, she’s delighted. The Queen will be so happy to hear that Poppy, born of flesh and fire, has done what she never could, taken Atlantia right out from under them. Right out from under her. Poppy has had enough, and she stabs the Duchess in her chest, killing her. When Cas shows up, she tells him that Jacinda didn’t say anything. He pushes her into the carriage, and they have rough, quick sex inside, desperate to feel each other after believing they were going to die. The Atlantians lose about twenty people, both Atlantian and Descended, but the Ascended are completely wiped out except one soldier - who is sent back to Solis with a message. Poppy spends the next hours healing as many people as will accept her help. One of those she heals, one of the oldest wolven she’s met, says he’s never seen an empath that healed or glowed, and he’s old enough to remember them though he was young. They were rare even then. He gives her a warning. Still many Atlantians do not accept her. Before she married the prince, the King had his own plan for her. She assumes that it involves her dead body. The wolven tells her that many of those plans have not changed. And though Cas is their prince and they love him, Valyn is their king. That night when Cas comes to their room, he tells her something strange. When she had a knife to her throat, Kieran said he could hear her yelling for help. It directed the wolven straight to her and Cas. Other wolven, including Jasper, said the same thing, but none of them know what it means. She remembers the night Delano comes into her room because he thought he heard her screaming for help. Poppy tells Cas that she lied before; the Duchess did speak to her before dying. She said that Ian and Malik are together, and Tawny is either about to Ascend or already has. She also tells him about what Jacinda said about their marriage. Same as with the Queen being Poppy’s grandmother, it’s so strange that it sounds unbelievable, but that makes Poppy worry that some of it may be true. Cas tells her they leave the next day to travel toward Saion’s Cove. She still needs to be crowned. They prepare to go over the Skotos mountains, taking some of Alastir’s group with them. Alastir himself didn’t return to Spessa’s End with Kieran and the others. When they get into the mountains themselves, they separate into smaller groups. Atlantia is protected by the mountains and the thick mist that covers them. A gift from the sleeping gods. But the mist does strange things. You cannot travel in groups larger than three, and it can cause you to see or hear things that are not there. Poppy travels with Cas and Kieran; Delano, Naill, and Beckett go through right before them with Jasper, Emil, and Quentyn coming behind them. They plan to meet again at Gold Rock and Cas reminds them not to go off by themselves and not to answer any calls for help. As night falls, the mist gets thicker, so Poppy’s group stops for the night. Kieran gets wood while Cas takes care of their horse, Poppy stays sitting next to a tree with their blankets. She plays with the mist; it dances around her fingers. When the others return, she realizes they are going to sleep side by side. They’ll need to; it gets very cold once it gets dark, but Poppy is still a little weird about it. As she tries to sleep, she asks about where the other gods sleep until Kieran begs her to stop talking. She finally does and when she wakes up, she is sandwiched between the two sleeping men. She starts to fall asleep again and there, in the land between sleeping and awake, she hears someone say her name. She is taken back to the night of the Craven attack, and she sees her father, hears his voice. She had forgotten what it sounded like. That night, she had followed him to a meeting, but he asked her to go back to her mother and protect her mom and her brother. He told the man he was meeting that Poppy didn’t know – she doesn’t know what he meant. He said the poppy rhyme to her, but only the beginning. Not the weird end. She experiences again her mom hiding her and telling her to be quiet, her mother being ripped away, but this time she hears her mother say, “how could you?”. There’s a man, she can almost see him. If only she got a little bit closer, she could see his face. She hears the full rhyme again. But then she hears somebody tell her to stop, stop, stop. A woman appears in front of her. She says that what Poppy is looking for is not to be found here. She tells Poppy not to go any further. To go home, take what is hers, and then she will find what she seeks. The truth. Then Poppy is woken up as Cas grabs her around the waist. She notices that she is on the edge of a cliff about to walk over. The woman stopped her. Kieran and Cas explain that the mist got into her head; it happens to many people. But Poppy insists that the woman was real. And as they walked back to the campsite, the ground shakes beneath them. Cas and Kieran begin to think that maybe the woman was more than just the mist, that was the feeling of a god going back to sleep. This just happens to be the resting place of the goddess, Aios. They continue riding through the mountains; but now they get to go downhill. Cas explains to Poppy that the mist got into her head, it’s why she was walking off a cliff, but that does not mean that what she saw wasn’t real - and that includes the parts of her dream. She explains what she saw, and he asks about her parents’ names; she tells him that her mom called her dad Leo or Lion. He tells her that it seems the gods have really taken a liking to her. They make it to Gold Rock, and they are second to last group to arrive. Naill and Delano still haven’t arrived with Beckett even though they left ahead of Poppy. It seems that everybody that was in the mountains felt the goddess go back to sleep. They begin to ride once Delano and Naill arrive, and she finally comes to Atlantia proper. She sees the Pillars of Atlantia where the twin gods Theon and Lailah sleep. Two pillars that go so far into the sky, you can’t see the ends. There is a large Rise that goes between them and then past the pillars on either side. The pillars are covered in markings of a language that she has never seen. Cas welcomes her home. Alastir greets them as they ride into the city with the news that Cas’ parents are here, and he needs to speak to Cas alone. He’s shocked and a little dismayed to see their wedding rings. Poppy has always thought that Alastir sounded like Viktor but this time when she hears him speak, she gets a prickle at the back of her neck. Cas doesn’t want to be separated from Poppy, but she says it’s okay, and Beckett offers to take her to the Chambers of Nyktos. Nyktos doesn’t sleep there; no one knows where he rests, but this is where the tombs of the deities are. Inside, she looks around and sees statues of the gods. Beckett thanks her again for healing his legs and she tells him there is no thanks necessary. He doesn’t answer. She turns around to see a line of armed people, Atlantians and morals alike, blocking the only exit. Beckett led her into a trap. They tell her she doesn’t belong there. She is a whore who has brainwashed their prince with her empath powers. She quickly wonders how they know she’s an empath; no one outside of Spessa’s End was aware. They tell her she won’t take Atlantia out from under them, a scarred whore sent in by the Ascended. She tries to deescalate the situation and defend herself, but they aren’t allowing it. They throw rocks at her, stoning her. She is knocked on her knees and begins to bleed from where the rocks have cut her. Her blood falls to the floor and seeps into the spaces between the tiles. The floor cracks as roots sprout up. Then hers is not the only blood on the floor; the sky is bleeding. Her attackers take the blood as an omen that the gods want her dead, but Poppy has had quite enough. Her magic vibrates around her and she is furious. She felt this way when she held the dagger to her own throat before the wolven arrived, but this time help does not arrive in time. She connects with her attackers. The cords that she uses to read people’s emotions - she pinpoints each one and takes all their hatred and shoves it down the cord back to them. Her eyes glow and they seem to realize their mistake, but it’s too late. She throws out her arm and the hate flowing to them triples, making them go mad and choking them all to death. She turns around to find that where her blood first dripped on the floor and the roots came through, a full-grown blood tree now stands above her. Her face swings to the entrance as wolven come in. Did they respond to her again? Delano, Kieran, Jasper; dozens of them come in and circle her. Cas comes next, astounded by what he sees, but she is soon distracted as the wolven around her growl to protect her. Others come in, more dressed as her attackers were, but two others that she recognizes as the King and Queen. And Alastir, who tries to tell Queen Eloana that it’s not too late, but he’s wrong. Poppy looks at Cas as he; she finally recognizes him as her heartmate, bows to her. The wolven do the same. Eloana announces for everyone to lower their swords and bow to their new queen as she also goes down on one knee. The last descendant of the most ancient ones, with the blood of Nyktos in her veins.
