Blood and Ash, #2
A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire
by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Contents
Chapter Twenty-One
Overview
The Dead Bones Clan ambushes the group, wounding Casteel, but Poppy holds her own and kills a masked leader. After routing the attackers, they ride on, discussing the clan’s history and the Ascended’s reach. Reaching Pompay, they discover a razed Atlantian stronghold and mass graves, deepening Poppy’s grasp of Ascended brutality.
Summary
The ambush erupts as Casteel is shot from his horse, arrows lodged in his back. Poppy steadies, takes cover, and uses her bow to drop attackers while Delano and Kieran, in wolven coordination, tear through the trees. Casteel shields Poppy, joking about his ruined cloak even as more arrows hit, calming her enough to fight effectively.
When a masked clansman charges, Poppy loses her bow but lures him close and kills him with a dagger thrust under his jaw. Casteel returns, more concerned with her grazed arm than his own wounds, which he removes and rapidly heals from due to his Atlantian lineage. Brief tension rises as his pupils dilate, then recedes as he binds Poppy’s arm and the group confirms the remaining attackers have fled.
With Delano retrieving the horses and Kieran resuming human form, they regroup and ride on. Along the road, they discuss the Dead Bones Clan—its unpredictable assaults, knowledge of Atlantians and wolven, and likely origins as remnants from when Atlantia once ruled. They note the Ascended rarely travel this far east, hinting at dangers ahead.
After camping and continuing at dawn, night brings them to Stygian Bay, which Casteel describes as bordering Pompay and tied to the god Rhain. Entering Pompay, they find a shattered Rise, burned buildings, and a lifeless city. The road ends at countless stone mounds: graves.
Casteel, Kieran, and Delano explain that some forty years earlier, Ascended razed Pompay, slaughtering hundreds and turning others Craven. The Atlantians later buried 656 victims. Confronted with the scale of atrocity, Poppy’s shock hardens her understanding of the Ascended’s cruelty as they near Spessa’s End.
Who Appears
- PoppyProtagonist; fights through panic, proves her skill, and kills a masked attacker with a dagger.
- CasteelAtlantian prince; takes multiple arrows, protects Poppy, heals, and guides the group toward Spessa’s End.
- KieranWolven ally; shifts forms during the battle, scouts, and discusses the Dead Bones Clan and Pompay.
- DelanoWolven; brutally dispatches attackers, retrieves horses, and adds context about the Ascended’s presence.
- NaillAtlantian warrior; wounded early, scouts ahead afterward, and comments on the clan and moral shock.
- Dead Bones Clan leaderMasked attacker who taunts Poppy; she kills him with a dagger during the ambush.