Blood and Ash, #1
From Blood and Ash
by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Contents
Chapter Eight
Overview
Poppy rejects that her attacker was the Dark One, suspects Descenters, and pushes past protocol to attend Rylan’s funeral. She processes grief, recalls her mother’s forbidden choice, and fears the Queen may hasten her Ascension. At the pyre, Hawke steps in as protector while Vikter honors Rylan, tightening bonds and stakes.
Summary
Walking back to her rooms with Vikter and Tawny, Poppy argues the garden attacker likely wasn’t the Dark One but a Descenter, noting he referenced another’s plans. Court whispers follow her bloodstained passage. Despite warnings about the Duke’s anger, Poppy insists on attending Rylan’s funeral, guilt-ridden she missed Hannes’s.
In her rooms, Vikter checks the locks and shares he hadn’t been told about a suspected group. After he leaves, Poppy bathes, scrubbing away blood and grief. In the mirror, she examines fading bruises and old scars, remembers the Queen’s stories of her mother refusing Ascension for love, and vows the Dark One will never take her. With Tawny, she processes death’s shock and admits she doesn’t believe the attacker was the Dark One, while fearing the Queen could move up her Ascension.
At dawn, veiled and in white, Poppy defies protocol to attend Rylan’s pyre beneath the black Temples. As the High Priest extols Rylan, Commander Griffith Jansen offers the torch to Vikter. Torn between duty to Poppy and honoring Rylan, Vikter hesitates.
Hawke appears, pledging to guard Poppy “with my sword and with my life,” allowing Vikter to proceed. Poppy hides her identity from Hawke, who studies her injuries and vows it won’t happen again. Vikter lights the pyre and kneels, while Poppy’s presence honors the guards and intensifies her connection to Hawke and Vikter, underscoring the danger surrounding her and the mounting pressure around her Ascension.
Who Appears
- Poppy (Penellaphe Balfour)The Maiden; grieves Rylan, defies protocol to attend his funeral, reflects on scars and her mother’s choice, fears early Ascension.
- Vikter WardwellPoppy’s primary guard; counsels her, checks her rooms, lights Rylan’s pyre, balances duty to her and respect for the fallen.
- Hawke FlynnRising guard from the Rise; steps in to protect Poppy at the funeral, vows her safety, notices her injuries.
- Tawny LyonPoppy’s companion; comforts her, discusses fears about the Dark One and Ascension, opts for honesty about her own limits.
- Rylan KealPoppy’s fallen guard; his funeral and pyre galvanize grief, protocol defiance, and renewed protective vows.
- Commander Griffith JansenCommander of the Royal Guard; presents the torch for Rylan’s pyre, acknowledges Hawke’s skill.
- High PriestConducts Rylan’s funeral rites, invoking the gods and eternal life.