Blood and Ash, #2
A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire
by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Contents
Chapter Forty
Overview
Overrun by Solis soldiers, Poppy and Casteel fight to escape as Poppy’s empathic gift surges, forcing her to threaten her own life to halt the advance. Wolven and Atlantian reinforcements arrive, turning the battle. Poppy then kills Duchess Teerman, concealing the Duchess’s claims about Tawny’s Ascension and Malik’s survival, and she and Casteel reaffirm their bond.
Summary
As the larger Solis division floods the Rise, Casteel insists on getting Poppy out. They push into brutal close-quarters combat, with Poppy overwhelmed by the soldiers’ terror as her senses open. To stop the swarm intent on seizing her and killing Casteel, Poppy drops her sword and threatens to slit her own throat, forcing the soldiers to hesitate.
A rising chorus of howls answers: wolven surge from the woods, mauling the Solis lines. Immediately after, Atlantian cavalry in golden armor thunder from the west under white sun banners, burning war engines and cutting through the enemy. Kieran reaches Poppy and Casteel as the tide decisively turns.
Poppy rushes the crimson carriage and confronts Duchess Teerman. The Duchess claims Tawny has been Ascended and that Malik lives, implying both are leverage. Poppy, refusing to be manipulated, stabs the Duchess with the wolven bone and bloodstone dagger, watching her turn to ash. When Casteel arrives, Poppy lies, saying the Duchess revealed nothing.
In the quiet of the carriage, Casteel rebukes Poppy’s reckless threat yet admits awe at her willingness to sacrifice herself. Shaken by the near loss and the Duchess’s insinuations, Poppy and Casteel yield to their need for each other, reaffirming their fierce bond even as the battle outside wanes and the future remains uncertain.
Who Appears
- Poppy (Penellaphe)Fights through encirclement; empathic gift surges; halts soldiers by threatening suicide; kills Duchess Teerman; conceals the Duchess’s claims; reaffirms bond with Casteel.
- Casteel Da’NeerBattles beside Poppy, determined to extract her; furious yet awed by her sacrifice threat; seeks and shares reassurance in their aftermath.
- Duchess TeermanCaptured in her carriage; claims Tawny Ascended and Malik lives; is executed by Poppy with a bloodstone dagger.
- Kieran ContouArrives with wolven; checks on Poppy and Casteel as the Atlantian-led counterassault turns the battle.
- JasperSeen among the attacking wolven, helping to dismantle Solis forces.
- DelanoRuns with the wolven charge, aiding the rout of Solis soldiers.
- VonettaJoins the wolven assault, helping break the siege.