Blood and Ash, #2
A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire
by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Contents
Chapter Forty-Three
Overview
Poppy is lured by the Skotos mist into a visceral memory of the night of the Craven attack, glimpsing her parents and a hidden cloaked figure. A goddess appears, stopping Poppy from walking into a void and urging her to go home for the truth. After a quake Kieran calls a god’s return, they descend, share how the mist preyed on their fears, regroup at Gold Rock, and arrive at the Pillars of Atlantia, where Casteel welcomes Poppy home.
Summary
Poppy awakens within the Skotos mist, reliving the night of the Craven attack. She hears her father, recognizes details of Leopold and Coralena, and senses a familiar stranger’s voice. As the memory sharpens, a cloaked man appears near her mother, and Poppy follows, desperate to see his face and learn who was there that night.
At the cliff’s edge, a luminous female presence manifests from the mist, telling Poppy to stop, to go home, and to take what is hers to find the truth. Casteel tackles Poppy back from the brink, terrified she nearly stepped into nothingness. Moments later, the mountain rumbles; Kieran interprets the quake as a god returning to rest.
At dawn, the mist lifts as they descend Aios’s golden forest. Casteel and Kieran admit the mist invaded their dreams—Casteel saw Poppy trapped in his former cage, and Kieran woke chased by ghosts—explaining how Poppy slipped away unnoticed. Poppy recalls her father’s “pretty poppy” rhyme, her parents’ names (Leopold and Coralena, “Cora”), and wonders if the goddess was Aios. Casteel believes the gods favor Poppy, fueling hope their people might accept her.
They rendezvous at Gold Rock with Jasper, Emil, Quentyn, and others, who also report strange dreams and felt the night’s shaking. Without revealing the near-tragedy, the group continues through warming lands toward Atlantia.
At last, the Pillars of Atlantia and the immense white wall rise ahead, inscribed with ancient markings. A hum stirs in Poppy, and Casteel softly welcomes her home, signaling their entry into Atlantia and a turning point in their quest for truth and acceptance.
Who Appears
- Poppy (Penellaphe)Sleepwalks into a mist vision of her parents and a cloaked man; saved by a goddess’s warning and Casteel; reaches Atlantia.
- Casteel Da’NeerRescues Poppy from the cliff, admits terror and mist-born nightmare, comforts her, and welcomes her home at the Pillars.
- Kieran ContouTracks Poppy in the mist, senses the quake, identifies it as a god’s return, and gives the couple space to talk.
- Aios (goddess)Manifests in the mist, halts Poppy at the void, instructs her to go home and take what is hers to find truth.
- Leopold (Leo/Lion)Poppy’s father in the memory; calls Coralena “Cora,” uses the ‘pretty poppy’ rhyme, leaves to seek safety.
- Coralena (Cora)Poppy’s mother in the memory; hides Poppy, is pulled away as chaos erupts; her presence deepens Poppy’s recollection.
- JasperMeets the group at Gold Rock, exhausted and affected by strange dreams; helps organize departure.
- EmilGreets Poppy, jokes with Kieran, notes the mountain’s shaking and shared odd dreams.
- QuentynWaves the group in at Gold Rock; part of the contingent regrouping after the night’s disturbances.
- BeckettTravels subdued in mortal form with the group departing Gold Rock toward Atlantia.