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From Blood and Ash Chapters 8–20 Summary
This chapter-by-chapter summary of From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout contains spoilers.
From Blood and Ash Chapter 8
Poppy tells Vikter she doesn’t think her attacker was the Dark One. The man spoke about someone else’s plans, which suggests he was just a subordinate. Vikter suspects a Descenter but is more focused on Poppy’s safety. Poppy insists on attending Rylan’s funeral despite breaking every rule for the Maiden, and Vikter eventually backs down.
At the funeral, Vikter is chosen to light the pyre, but he won’t leave Poppy alone in a crowd of soldiers. Hawke offers to stand in. Vikter questions him, and Hawke says that he’ll guard Poppy with his life. Vikter trusts him and moves to start the ceremony.
Poppy stays silent, afraid Hawke will recognize her voice from the Red Pearl. After the pyre is lit, Hawke tells Poppy that her presence honors the guards. He notices the bruise on her face and promises no one will hurt her again.
From Blood and Ash Chapter 9
Poppy and Vikter spar in the morning. Vikter tells her that winning matters less than surviving. They discuss who will replace Rylan, and Vikter mentions that Hawke is talented enough to get the promotion. The news makes Poppy nervous. If Hawke is around her that much, he’ll eventually recognize her.
That night, the Great Hall hosts the weekly City Council. Poppy stands near the Duchess, restless and unable to focus on anything but Hawke in the crowd.
The mood shifts when a couple named the Tulises comes forward with their baby son. They have buried two children already, and this baby, their third, is fated for the Rite. They beg the Duke and Duchess to let them keep him. The Teermans refuse and say the boy is a gift to the gods.
The couple’s grief breaks through Poppy’s mental defenses and hits her like a physical weight. She notices a blond man in the crowd with a strange, bitter energy. The scene makes clear that the Ascended have lost whatever sympathy they once had for the people they rule.
From Blood and Ash Chapter 10
Tawny helps Poppy get ready while her mind races through the recent deaths and the heartbreak from the council meeting. Poppy wonders if her position as the Maiden could ever change the kingdom’s harsh rules, though she knows her guardians would never allow it.
Vikter brings Poppy to a meeting with the Duke and Duchess. Commander Jansen and Hawke are already there. The Duke announces that Hawke will replace Rylan as Poppy’s personal guard because he’s new to the city and less likely to miss threats that long-serving guards might overlook.
The Duchess adds that a guard who can handle dangerous travel is essential in case Poppy needs to leave for the capital early. Poppy is terrified that Hawke will recognize her from the Red Pearl. Then the Duke orders the Commander out and tells Poppy to remove her veil so Hawke can see her face.
From Blood and Ash Chapter 11
The Duke mocks Poppy’s scars. Hawke tells her she’s beautiful. When Hawke takes his oath, he uses Poppy’s real name instead of her title, which infuriates the Duke.
Back in her room, Poppy tells Tawny about the Red Pearl and admits she and Hawke kissed. Both worry about the secret getting out and wonder if Hawke already knows who she is. Poppy fears he might report her to the Duke. Tawny is just excited about the drama.
From Blood and Ash Chapter 12
Poppy has brunch with Tawny and two other Ladies in Wait. Loren mentions Prince Casteel and says she finds the idea of a local rebellion intriguing. Poppy scolds her for treating the potential loss of human life like entertainment.
Hawke arrives to escort Poppy to the Duke’s office. Poppy stays quiet to avoid being recognized from the Red Pearl. Hawke doesn’t seem to know who she is, but he mentions he noticed her watching him from the castle balconies. He’s been paying attention all along.
At the Duke’s quarters, Lord Mazeen is already there. The Duke tells Poppy he’s deeply disappointed in her. She knows she’s in trouble but isn’t sure which of her secrets has been discovered.
From Blood and Ash Chapter 13
The Duke forces Poppy to remove her veil and mocks her scars, saying Hawke only called her beautiful out of politeness. He lists her failures. She daydreamed during prayers, spent time with the Ladies in Wait, and grew too close to Tawny.
Poppy stays silent until the Duke gets Rylan’s name wrong. She snaps at him, and the Duke raises her punishment to seven lashes. Poppy endures it to protect her relationship with the Queen, her only true ally, and vows to expose the Duke’s cruelty the moment she returns to the capital. He carries out the sentence with a red cane while Lord Mazeen watches.
From Blood and Ash Chapter 14
After her punishment, Poppy tells Vikter what happened but leaves out Lord Mazeen. She’s surprised to learn Hawke asked Vikter to check on her. For the next two days, she stays in her room while Tawny tends to her injuries.
The quiet ends when the torches outside the city walls go dark. Poppy grabs her bow, asks Tawny to cover for her, and slips out through a servant’s passage. On the battlements, she gathers bloodstone arrows and looks for Vikter below. The mist reaches the walls, and the first wave of Craven appears.
From Blood and Ash Chapter 15
Poppy holds her post through the Craven attack, covering the guards and pulling Vikter out of trouble just in time.
Hawke appears on the battlements after the fighting, fascinated despite Poppy’s hood.
Poppy sweeps Hawke’s legs and runs for the stairs, but her silk slippers has no grip on the stone. Hawke catches up and makes a pointed comment about her shoes. She presses her dagger to his throat. Hawke isn’t bothered. He recognizes the blade and calls her Princess. He knows exactly who she is.
From Blood and Ash Chapter 16
Cornered on the wall, Hawke admits he’s known Poppy’s secret for a while. The bone dagger confirmed it. He says his life would be simpler if he turned her in. Poppy tells him to go ahead. Hawke backs off and sends her to her room.
Poppy tells Tawny the Craven were stronger than usual and made it over the Rise. The city is in far more danger than anyone realizes.
Then Hawke walks in, shuts the door, and tells Poppy they’re going to have a real talk.
From Blood and Ash Chapter 17
Hawke sends Tawny out so he and Poppy can talk privately. He promises not to tell the Duke about the Red Pearl or the Rise and asks why she hid for two days. Poppy doesn’t answer, but the conversation shifts to the Craven.
Poppy opens up about the night her parents were murdered. She watched them die helplessly and refuses to ever be in that position again. Hawke admits he also performs illegal mercy killings for the cursed. They share the same values, even if it’s treason. On his way out, he tells her to wear more practical shoes next time.
From Blood and Ash Chapter 18
Vikter scolds Poppy for getting caught on the battlements. Poppy says she trusts Hawke. Vikter admits Hawke seems like a good guard and tells her he thinks of her like his own daughter.
That night, the Duke and Duchess address the citizens from a balcony. The Duke blames the Craven attack on the people’s lack of faith and warns that Descenters could be anywhere. The crowd’s terror overwhelms Poppy. Hawke cuts through it with a dry comment.
Poppy spots a blond man in the crowd who stays oddly calm. Hawke has already noticed him. As the speech ends, the man shouts that the Ascended are liars, throws a severed Craven hand at the Duke, and is tackled by guards. The Duke calls it proof that the gods have exposed a traitor.
From Blood and Ash Chapter 19
On the walk back, Hawke and Tawny debate rumors about missing third children. Hawke argues that if parents could occasionally see their children, the Descenter rebellion would lose momentum. Poppy worries it would only cause more unrest.
Later, Hawke checks Poppy’s room and asks if she’s alright. Poppy brushes it off. The conversation turns to the veil. Hawke admits he hates talking to fabric instead of her face. Poppy says it feels suffocating, but it offers protection she’s not ready to give up.
Troubled by changes in her gift, Poppy seeks out the Duchess. Poppy is now sensing complex emotions, not just physical pain. The Duchess tests her, and Poppy finds nothing but a hollow, cold emptiness.
The Duchess says the changes are normal but warns Poppy to keep them from the Duke. The previous Maiden experienced the same thing, and it ended badly. Her actions put her in the path of the Dark One, who killed her.
From Blood and Ash Chapter 20
Poppy spends the afternoon reading while Priestess Analia nitpicks her. Hawke corrects the Priestess on her pronunciation and mocks her ignorance of the local dialect. The tension leads to an argument about the gods. Poppy points out that the Ascended drinking divine blood sounds like the way Atlantians used to feed on mortals. The Priestess tries to slap her, but Hawke catches her arm.
On the walk back, Poppy lets slip that the Duke uses a cane to punish her. Hawke is bothered and tells her that her supposed honor is just a cage. The conversation turns personal when he mentions his brother. Poppy senses deep pain and touches his hand to lift his grief. Hawke is baffled by the change in his mood. Poppy realizes her powers are growing and ends the conversation quickly.