Blood and Ash, #1
From Blood and Ash
by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Contents
Chapter Fourteen
Overview
After suffering the Duke’s caning, Poppy confides in Vikter and resolves to remain cautious. Days later, as Tawny tends her wounds, the torches beyond the Rise go dark and the mist advances. Defying orders, Poppy arms herself, slips through secret passages, and reaches the battlements, where she witnesses the Craven arrive and Vikter preparing for battle.
Summary
Leaving the Duke’s suite after seven lashes, Poppy meets Vikter, who immediately recognizes her pain. They quietly acknowledge the injustice of the punishment and the risk surrounding her secret training. Vikter admits Hawke noticed her distress and summoned him, but Poppy deflects, determined to remain vigilant.
Over the next two days, Tawny tends Poppy’s back with ointment as Poppy isolates herself, haunted by nightmares and uneasy thoughts about Hawke’s possible recognition from the Red Pearl. She watches the torches beyond the Rise, reflecting on the Duke’s strange references to her mother and on her yearning to be useful rather than confined.
When the torches outside begin to sputter and die, fiery arrows ignite trenches and the mist thickens. Horns blare across Masadonia, signaling imminent danger. Poppy locks her window and prepares to move before the castle seals, gathering bow, quivers, cloak, and blades.
Tawny bursts in, begging Poppy to stay, warning of the Duke and the Dark One. Poppy refuses, citing past trauma and the possibility of the Rise failing. Tawny agrees to cover for her while arming herself if necessary. Veiled and hooded, Poppy slips into the old servants’ passages and outruns the descending iron doors to escape.
Poppy crosses the bridge to the Rise, finds an unmanned battlement, and stocks bloodstone arrows. As volleys light the sky and screams cut the mist, she spots Vikter assembling with guards below. The fog parts to reveal pale, hollow-faced creatures with claws and serrated teeth. The Craven, source of her childhood nightmares, surge toward the city.
Who Appears
- Poppy (Penellaphe Balfour)The Maiden; endures caning, defies lockdown, arms herself, and secretly reaches the Rise to face the Craven.
- Vikter WardellMentor-guard; confronts Poppy about her injuries, supports her, later seen mustering below the Rise.
- Tawny LyonLady’s maid and friend; treats Poppy’s wounds, argues against her leaving, agrees to cover and arm herself.
- Duke TeermanPunishes Poppy with seven lashes; his cruelty and comments about her mother linger in her thoughts.
- The CravenMonstrous attackers emerging from the mist; their arrival triggers the city’s alarm and Poppy’s confrontation.
- Hawke FlynnGuard; off-page but noted for sensing Poppy’s distress and alerting Vikter.