A Soul of Ash and Blood

In the present, Cas tells Poppy that the feeling of “rightness” was his first indicator that he and Poppy are heartmates, though he didn’t quite realize it then. Kieran chimes in, teasing that he was aware of Poppy and Cas’s bond before either of them. Cas doesn’t believe that heartmates have a stronger or more valuable love than others; they’re simply a different “breed” of person. He theorizes about Millicent, a Revenant, being Malik’s heartmate, wondering if such a relationship is possible.

Cas returns to thinking about the night of the Rite ceremony. He references killing Atlantians, which was necessary but something he deeply regrets. Cas discusses morality. He says he generally feels he is both on the right and wrong side of things but felt completely wrong the night of the Rite.

The narrative returns to the flashback timeline. Cas enters the great hall to bloody disorder. Bodies of the Ascended, Lords and Ladies in Wait, and Descenters litter the floor. Cas immediately fears for Poppy’s life, knowing the Descenters will kill her if given the opportunity. Cas sees Lieutenant Smyth about to kill a child fighting with the Descenters, and though he doesn’t have time, he stops to kill Smyth and sends the child away from Castle Teerman.

Hearing Poppy scream, Cas runs to find Vikter stabbed and near death. Poppy refuses to believe Vikter is dying as Cas assesses his fatal injuries. Lord Mazeen makes insensitive comments about Vikter just after he dies. Poppy screams wildly and cuts off both of Lord Mazeen’s arms before decapitating him. Her screams continue as she lashes out at anyone who comes near her. Fearing she will harm herself, Cas restrains Poppy, pressing on her jugular vein so she loses consciousness. He carries Poppy to her bedchamber.

Poppy sleeps deeply for a few days. Tawny and Cas remain at her side, and Cas sleeps beside her at night, comforting her. He knows he needs to find a way to sneak Poppy out of the castle and meet Kieran, but he lacks the will to harm Poppy in her current state. He misses Vikter, realizing how much he admired Poppy’s other guard.

Duchess Teerman checks on Poppy while Tawny attends her lessons. Given recent events, the Ascended decide to move Poppy to the capital sooner rather than later, with “Hawke” serving as Poppy’s guard. Cas realizes moving Poppy out of Masadonia creates the perfect opportunity to kidnap her. He fails to develop a plan that doesn’t involve returning Poppy to the Blood Queen while still saving Malik. The Duchess mentions that a healer gave Poppy a sleeping tonic to help her rest.

Cas finds the sleeping tonic and destroys it, enabling Poppy to wake, eat, and drink. He follows her as she sneaks out of the castle, a move Cas finds incredibly reckless. Cas stops Poppy before she reaches town, holding her as she rages. She explains that a woman named Agnes warned Poppy that an attack was coming, and she’s furious with the woman for not providing Poppy with more information sooner. She intended to kill Agnes before Cas intervened. When Cas warns Poppy that she will eventually regret committing murder, Poppy disagrees. Cas recognizes Poppy’s violent tendencies, which excite and trouble him.

Cas meets with Kieran and updates him on the aftermath of the Descenter attack. Kieran grows suspicious of Cas’s motivations, mainly when Cas describes Poppy with awe and admiration. Promoted to “huntsman,” Kieran will officially escort Poppy and Cas to the capital, unofficially deviating to New Haven, a territory in Solis that borders Atlantia. Cas attempts to hide his feelings for Poppy, lying to Kieran about contemplating changing plans for Poppy’s future.

In her grief, Poppy grows angry and attempts to freeze out Cas. He uses his old tactic of irritating her to break her silence. Cas apologizes sincerely for the last words he exchanged with Vikter and for not being able to do more to prevent his death. Poppy attempts to excuse Cas from any responsibility, but privately, Cas knows he is to blame for Vikter’s death; the Descenter who killed Vikter was in Castle Teerman at Cas’s order. When Cas tells Poppy she can be emotionally vulnerable in his presence, Poppy embraces him. He feels content, protectively wrapping himself around her.

Cas escorts Poppy to Duchess Teerman’s quarters, and Poppy worries that she will receive punishment for killing a Lord. Cas reassures Poppy that he would steal Poppy away should anyone try to harm her. He informs Poppy about Queen Ileana’s summons to the capital and Duchess Teerman’s desire to discuss upcoming travel with Poppy.

The narrative returns to the present timeline. Knowing Poppy hasn’t fully recovered from Duke Teerman’s abuse, Cas relates Poppy’s past trauma to his own, specifically his imprisonment and torture. He tells Poppy that she is not responsible for the intrusive thoughts about Duke Teerman that still plague her; he still grows distracted by memories of Isbeth harming him. Cas recounts feeling guilty for his capture and his efforts to convince himself that he is not responsible for the abuse he endured.

Cas recounts leaving Masadonia with Poppy, still shocked that Isbeth failed to foresee Cas’s plans to capture her daughter. Still, Isbeth chose to execute her heartmate (Malec) over either of her daughters to summon Kolis. Cas considers parental love and how it can overpower a person’s morality.

In the flashback timeline, Cas watches Poppy enjoy the sunshine on her face and realizes how much he wants Poppy to enjoy whatever freedom he can give her. He rides with Poppy on Setti, Cas’s horse from Atlantia. Cas returns Poppy’s dagger to her, a meaningful gesture as the weapon was a gift from Vikter. Several others approach, and Cas introduces Poppy to her escort, including Kieran. They begin their journey.

Cas presents Poppy with Ms. Willa Colyns’s diary when Poppy struggles to find a comfortable seat on Setti. Though Cas embarrasses Poppy, he feels enchanted by her unrestrained, natural smile. Kieran and the other escorts remain on high alert as they travel through the Blood Forest, filled with Craven. Poppy recognizes that the blood-red leaves on the trees don’t fall to the forest floor. The others believe the location is “unnatural.” Sensing her unease, Cas recognizes that Poppy isn’t terrified and is prepared to fight if necessary.

The group rests at night. Kieran notices a stream with red water nearby. He and Cas discuss the possibility of a Craven attack and agree they cannot stay in one location too long. Noticing Poppy shivering with cold, Cas slides under her blanket to warm her. She protests, but their banter turns reminiscent of their intimate moments. Poppy admits she doesn’t want to be the Maiden or to Ascend. She discusses her parents’ love for each other and their resistance to Ascending. She believes she will meet the gods during her Ascension. Poppy reacts to other misinformation the Teermans taught her, and Cas must restrain himself from telling Poppy the truth: She will be drained of her blood and force-fed the blood of an Atlantian. Still, Cas is fascinated by Poppy’s curiosity.

Talk turns to Poppy’s motivations for going to the Red Pearl the night she met Cas. She admits wanting to live and make choices for herself while still mortal. Cas encourages Poppy to sleep, but she’s too tense and worried about Craven potentially being nearby. Cas manually stimulates Poppy until she achieves her first orgasm. She falls asleep smiling, and Cas feels entirely satisfied, though he receives no reciprocal sexual pleasure.

Cas wakes conflicted, frozen with indecision about his next move. He has risked much to get to this moment; many have died for Cas to kidnap Poppy to be used as ransom for Malik. However, Cas now knows that Poppy is empathetic and pure of heart and doesn’t want to Ascend. Reluctantly, Cas leaves Poppy to speak with Kieran and tend to his hygiene. Kieran identifies that Cas slept better next to Poppy than he has in years.

Kieran accuses Cas of forgetting his purpose, calling him “Hawke” instead of Cas. He asserts Cas is unprepared for the next, more vital part of their plan to secure Poppy as their prisoner. Cas wants to punch Kieran and declares he will do what is necessary.

Cas wakes Poppy and prepares her for more travel. He thanks her for taking a risk with him the previous evening.

A horde of barrats (giant rats) attacks the group, followed by a large group of Craven. Poppy fights the Craven alongside her escorts. While slaughtering Craven, Cas watches Poppy in awe as she masterfully maneuvers her dagger. Cas sees a child Craven approach. Furious, he stabs the child, knowing the memory of doing so will haunt him.

After the Craven are killed and the barrats disperse, Poppy kneels by Airrick, one of her escorts, who is fatally wounded. As Poppy holds his hand, a calm settles over him. He smiles and talks with Poppy as he dies, recalling a game of cards he played with her once. Poppy confirms this is true, and Airrick admits he recognized Poppy by her eyes. Cas and the others realize Poppy has “the touch.”

Kieran and Cas theorize about Poppy’s magical abilities and how she isn’t mortal. They believe she could be half-Atlantian, but too much evidence points to the contrary. Cas mistakenly refers to the Maiden as “Poppy.” Kieran angrily asks Cas if he deflowered the Maiden. He also elaborates on his worries about Cas’s emotional state after he returns Poppy to the Blood Crown.

The group camps for the night, and Cas sleeps beside Poppy again. He wonders if the Blood Crown knows about Poppy’s abilities and how Queen Ileana might use Poppy against the Atlantians.

Poppy peppers Kieran with questions, and Cas observes his best friend grow fond of Poppy. Kieran asks Poppy what she would do with her life if given the freedom to choose. Admitting she’s never traveled anywhere and doesn’t know her options, she declares that she would want to continue riding out in the open with Cas and Kieran, eating cheese. Though the Blood Forest is dangerous, Cas, Kieran, and Poppy all believe that walls can harm as much as they protect people.