A Soul of Ash and Blood

Cas enters Castle Teerman and walks immediately to Poppy’s room, where he finds Tawny making excuses for Poppy. Cas dismisses Tawny, who leaves with some resistance, and then confronts Poppy. She wears a nightgown with her hair unbraided, and Cas’s desire for her instantly grows. He asks Poppy if Vikter taught her self-defense, but he knows she will not answer any of Cas’s questions since he threatened to reveal her to the Duke. She accuses Cas of not knowing or caring about her. Cas sits with Poppy, reassuring her he won’t speak with the Duke. Poppy refuses to tell Cas what violence the Duke has done to her.

Cas inquires about Poppy’s motivations for fighting the Craven. Poppy recalls the night her family was attacked by the Craven, explaining that she never wants to feel helpless or defenseless again. Both acknowledge a familiarity lingering between them as if they’re old friends. Cas compliments Poppy, telling her she is brave and beautiful.

Poppy speaks out against the Atlantians, holding them responsible for the Craven’s existence. Cas changes the subject, asking Poppy about her excursions outside Castle Teerman to help infected mortals die with dignity. Again fearful, Poppy admits to helping the infected die peacefully and quickly, an act of treason. Cas leaves Poppy to rest, requesting she wear sturdier shoes the next time she fights Craven. He realizes he wants to earn Poppy’s trust as much as he needs it for his plans to succeed.

Cas and Vikter have a tense conversation, questioning each other’s motivations regarding Poppy. Vikter deduces that by not turning in Poppy to the Duke, Cas attempts to gain Poppy’s trust. Vikter warns Cas that he “…can be right […] and still be wrong” (302).

The Duke and Duchess call an assembly where they spew lies and propaganda to scare their citizens into complacency. They blame the Tulises for the Craven attack, explaining that their questioning of the Rite ceremony and attempt to retain custody of their third-born child angered the gods. They warn of future attacks and atrocities should the citizens fail to follow orders. Poppy becomes distraught when Lev, a Descenter, marches forward and boldly accuses the royals of lying. He throws a severed Craven hand at Poppy; both Cas and Vikter shield her before it hits her. Cas supports Poppy by the waist as Lev is beaten and arrested. He shouts, “From blood and ash, we will rise!” (308).

Cas escorts Poppy and Tawny to Poppy’s bedchamber; they discuss Lev’s claims about the royals as they walk, specifically those about the third- and fourth-born mortal children being harmed. Poppy believes Lev was reckless in making a claim without evidence. Cas carefully counters Poppy, not wanting to appear misaligned with the Ascended. He suggests that the Ascended should show the families their children as evidence that they are well to bring peace to the kingdom, though he privately knows that the children are dead. Poppy agrees.

Cas leaves Tawny in her room, continuing with Poppy. He insists on searching her bedchamber before Poppy enters, proclaiming that the Dark One might be waiting inside. Poppy enters, and Cas admits he hates talking to Poppy while she wears her veil. Poppy confesses she hates wearing it and prefers to remain unveiled alone in her room. Cas reassures Poppy that she can choose to show her face around him. As he leaves, he realizes his comments have nothing to do with gaining her trust.

Poppy attends a private lesson with a cruel priestess who mispronounces locations in Atlantia and invents reasons to berate Poppy. Cas can’t stand the woman, and he fantasizes about hurting her. When the priestess grabs Poppy by the chin, Cas intervenes, insisting she not touch “the Maiden” and threatening to physically defend her if necessary. The priestess dismisses Poppy, calling her unworthy and making excuses about preparing for the Rite in two days.

Walking to Poppy’s room, Poppy scolds Cas for interfering, revealing her concern that Cas could be punished for threatening the priestess. Poppy believes the priestess will report Cas to the Duke. Cas firmly states that he will never allow anyone to harm Poppy, and he asks if the Duke hits her. Poppy denies it, but Cas can tell she’s lying. Poppy explains that the Duke feels displeased with Poppy’s commitment to being the Maiden. Neither Cas nor Poppy understands how Poppy is supposed to prove her commitment besides following orders, which, as far as the Duke knows, she does. When Cas asks Poppy if she ever considers running away, Poppy doesn’t give a straight answer but confirms that Vikter would stop her.

Cas suggests Poppy walk in the garden, an activity she has avoided since Rylan’s death. Poppy admits feeling apprehensive about returning to the garden, her former sanctuary. Instead, Poppy asks about Cas’s family. Touching his hand, Poppy comforts Cas when he references his brother. He feels instantly lighter at her touch.

Cas sleeps well for the first time in years. He dreams of Poppy touching his hands and other parts of his body. Britta wakes Cas, who overslept and missed morning training. She offers Cas sex, but Cas reluctantly turns her away. Cas wonders who he is becoming, experiencing the longest dry spell he can remember.

In the present timeline, Kieran sits with Cas, who continues to talk to Poppy while she sleeps. They discuss how Poppy used her magical abilities to soothe Cas when she touched his hand, though Cas was unaware. They admire Poppy’s empathy and kindness. Kieran updates Cas on Atlantia’s invasion into Solis. The Descenters are proving helpful in policing the mortals and securing the Ascended in their homes. Violent Ascended are killed. The Descenters know the tunnels the Ascended use to travel by day, and several Atlantians and wolven plan to investigate soon. Millicent and Malik are still missing, and Kieran believes Cas’s father, Valyn, will arrive soon. Sensing Cas’s apprehension about staying with Poppy while his people fight, Kieran reassures Cas that he is where he needs to be, strategically speaking. Cas returns to his story.

The narrative returns to the flashback timeline. Building a fire in Poppy’s room, Cas comments negatively about how cold and uncomfortable he finds Poppy’s bedchamber. Poppy explains she chose the room. Cas teases Poppy, making sexual innuendos, which Poppy declares irritating. Cas helps Poppy untangle the chains over her veil while he inquires why Poppy felt scared before Lev disrupted the assembly. Poppy explains she looked into the right part of the crowd at the right time, but Cas can sense she is lying. Poppy moves closer to Cas as she asks about Lev, seeming concerned. Distracted and struggling not to kiss Poppy, Cas explains that Lev will likely be questioned and sentenced. He leaves Poppy’s room before his restraint from making sexual advances completely evaporates.

Cas walks in on Kieran having sex with a Descenter at the Red Pearl. The sexual partners invite Cas to join, but he refuses, instead drinking at a neighboring table while they finish. Kieran senses something off with Cas, who explains that Duke Teerman uses a cane to hit Poppy, and Cas plans on killing him for it. Kieran points out that Cas wants revenge, evidence that he cares for Poppy. Cas grows defensive, explaining that the Duke likely harms other women similarly, and for that reason, he deserves to die. Kieran doesn’t seem convinced.

Not for the first time, he declares that Cas’s plan to kidnap Poppy is terrible. Cas disagrees and again expresses his desire for Kieran to return to Atlantia to avoid what will undoubtedly be a dangerous fight. Kieran firmly declines. They briefly talk about Poppy before Cas departs. The men acknowledge that Cas will have Poppy as his prisoner the next time they see each other.

Realizing that Poppy snuck out of her room, Cas hunts her by scent, finding her at the public library. He pities Poppy, realizing how dull her life must be to live in fear of going to the library. However, when he finds her perched on a high ledge, book in hand, with no barrier, he becomes angry with her recklessness. Insisting she retreat inside, Cas helps Poppy climb through a window and then refuses to let her move away from him. He grows aroused when Poppy initially attempts to escape but then reaches her lips close to his. Smelling her arousal, Cas knows that seducing Poppy will significantly advance her trust. Not wanting their sexual relationship to be a lie, Cas forces himself to move away from Poppy. She seems just as disappointed as Cas. Poppy explains how she escaped—through an old servant’s entrance. Cas recognizes this as a security risk, and he fears something might happen to Poppy before he can kidnap her.

Poppy explains that she entered the private room in the library to read without being seen but escaped to the outer ledge when Duke Teerman and an advisor approached. She eavesdropped on the Duke’s conversation about Lev, who apparently “revealed” that the Dark One is no longer in Solis. Poppy dislikes that Lev will be executed in the city’s dungeon, believing that indicates the Ascended hide their actions. Intrigued by Poppy’s moral compass, Cas changes the subject by grabbing Poppy’s book.

The book is a sex diary by Ms. Willa Colyns. Cas teases Poppy relentlessly, reading passages from the book and explaining slang terms while Poppy begs Cas to stop. She threatens to throw her dagger at Cas, who happily returns the diary to Poppy and escorts her to Castle Teerman.

On the return walk through the Wisher’s Grove woods to Castle Teerman, Cas asks Poppy more about her interests and reading material. Realizing how desperately he hates Poppy’s restrained life, Cas realizes his plan will entail liberating and educating her about the true nature of Solis’s Ascended only to return her to those who harm and control her. He wonders if Poppy might stay with him once Malik is free, though he believes the Atlantian people will refuse to accept “the Maiden.” He tries not to think about the future in too much detail.

Poppy points out that Cas referred to her as “Poppy,” not “Penellaphe,” in the library. Cas attempts to establish that he and Poppy are friends, but Poppy resists.

In the present timeline, Cas tells Poppy that Willa’s diary is responsible for so much more than the sexual pleasure it inspires. He pinpoints the moment at the library as the time when his plans for Poppy changed and his desire to always give Poppy a choice was born. He acknowledges that Kieran sensed this shift in Cas’s priorities before Cas did. Cas then recalls how much pleasure he took in slowly killing the Duke, wishing he would have made the Duke’s death longer and more painful.

In the flashback timeline, Cas kills Duke Teerman’s guard after he uses compulsion (his magical ability that forces others to do precisely as Cas says, including speaking honestly) to confirm the Duke hits Poppy with a cane. With his feet propped on the Duke’s desk, Cas waits for the Duke, who enters his chamber in outrage. Cas reveals he is “the Dark One” (89), or Casteel Da’Neer, Prince of Atlantia. Although the Duke pretends to have known Cas’s plan, his ignorance becomes apparent.

Cas reveals he will kidnap Poppy, mistakenly using her nickname when she discusses her. The Duke begins to taunt Cas for developing a relationship with the Maiden, and he speaks about Poppy in a way that enrages Cas. Cas flies at the Duke and begins breaking his limbs. He viciously beats the Duke with the cane, drawing blood and causing the Duke to urinate. Duke Teerman warns that Poppy will hate Cas when she learns of his plans, declaring that Poppy will always belong to him. Cas labels the Duke a “sick bastard” before plunging the cane—made of a Blood Forest tree—into his chest. The cane, poisonous to Ascended, nicks the Duke’s heart, causing his agonizingly slow death.

The Ascended enjoy a party before the Rite ceremony, during which the mortals will surrender their third- and fourth-born children. Cas approaches Vikter, Tawny, and Poppy, who is allowed to wear a mask instead of a veil for the occasion. Cas balks at the sight of Poppy in a beautiful gown that accentuates her figure. Slightly uneasy about her husband’s absence, Duchess Teerman approaches and reminds Poppy not to mingle with the other partygoers. Poppy encourages Tawny to partake in the fun even though she cannot. Cas recognizes Poppy’s pleasure in witnessing Tawny’s pleasure; he feels devastated for Poppy, who cannot enjoy the evening.

Poppy asks to return to her room, and Cas realizes he has a few hours alone with her before Kieran arrives at Castle Teerman to steal her away. Cas encourages Poppy to walk in the garden with him. He wants to create a happy memory with her in the place that once brought her peace. Poppy reluctantly agrees.