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Chapter 8
Vikter escorts Poppy and Tawny back to Poppy’s room. Poppy speculates that the attacker in the garden was acting on the Dark One’s orders rather than being the Dark One himself. Vikter suspects that it was likely a Descenter.
The next morning, Poppy attends Rylan’s funeral despite Vikter’s objections. As Rylan’s closest companion, Vikter is tasked with lighting the pyre, but he hesitates to leave Poppy unprotected. Hawke steps forward and reassures Vikter that Poppy will be safe with him. After a tense exchange between the two men, Vikter leaves.
While Poppy stays silent to prevent Hawke from recognizing her voice, Hawke notices the bruise on her jaw and vows that she will never be hurt again.
Chapter 9
Poppy spars with Vikter. As she playfully declares her victory, Vikter reminds her that it’s not about winning but surviving. They then shift the conversation to Hawke’s potential appointment as her new personal guard. Vikter acknowledges that, while Hawke may be young, his exceptional skills and close relationship with Commander Jansen make a promotion likely.
Later that day, Poppy attends the weekly City Council where the Tulises, a couple who have already lost two sons to illness, desperately plead with the Duke and Duchess to exempt their third and only remaining son from the Rite. However, the Duke and Duchess refuse and cite the established natural order and the fear of incurring the gods’ wrath.
Suddenly, Poppy’s gift spirals out of control and overwhelms her with the Tulises’ grief. She then feels a different, burning sensation from a blond man in the audience. After a moment, Poppy manages to regain control of her emotions.
Chapter 10
Vikter informs Poppy that the Duke and Duchess have summoned her to discuss Rylan’s replacement. In the Duke’s office, Poppy learns that Hawke, recommended by Commander Jansen, will be her new personal guard. After the Commander leaves, the Duke instructs Poppy to reveal her face to Hawke.
Chapter 11
Poppy unveils her face, revealing the scarred left side to the Duke. Unable to help herself, she defiantly stares straight at him and deliberately smiles. Then, she turns fully to face Hawke, bracing herself for his reaction, expecting shock or disgust. But to her surprise, she finds neither expression on his face.
The Duke suddenly comments that one side of Poppy’s face is a masterpiece and the other a nightmare. To Poppy’s shock, Hawke counters by stating that both sides are equally beautiful. He then pledges his protection to Poppy, using her name instead of her title as the Maiden and Chosen.
Back in her room, Poppy confides in Tawny about her encounter with Hawke at the Red Pearl and the kiss they shared. They ponder whether Hawke recognized her that night and if he intends to use the information to advance his career.
Chapter 12
The following day, Poppy and Tawny have brunch in the atrium, and two Ladies in Wait join them. While Poppy doesn’t interact with the women since it’s forbidden, she listens as Tawny, Dafina, and Loren gossip about Hawke’s alleged visits to the Red Pearl. Their unexpected companions also flirt with Poppy’s personal guard.
The conversation shifts to Prince Casteel, also known as the Dark One. Loren claims that he was seen in Three Rivers and linked to Duke Everton‘s death. When Loren shows excitement about a possible attack in the city, Poppy reacts with shock at her callousness. Poppy’s gift suddenly connects with Loren on its own and senses something other than pain. Then, Dafina and Loren leave.
Hawke approaches Poppy and Tawny to inform them that the Duke has summoned Poppy. As he escorts her to the Duke’s office, he wonders why she and Tawny seem uncomfortable at the summons. Poppy finally speaks to Hawke but denies that anything is wrong.
Once they arrive, Hawke stands outside as Poppy enters the Duke’s office, where the Duke and Lord Mazeen are waiting for her. The Duke then expresses his disappointment in Poppy.
Chapter 13
The Duke orders Poppy to remove her veil. He then points out her transgressions: not engaging in conversation with Priestess Analia, not leaving the atrium when the two Ladies in Wait entered, being too familiar with her Lady in Wait, and smirking at the Duke during Hawke’s appointment as her new personal guard.
As punishment, the Duke lashes Poppy’s lower back seven times with his red cane while Lord Mazeen watches. Despite the pain and humiliation, Poppy endures the punishment with stoic resolve.
Chapter 14
After her punishment, Poppy leaves the Duke’s office to find Vikter waiting for her instead of Hawke. Vikter explains that Hawke, concerned about Poppy and Tawny’s distress, had sent for him. Vikter then dismissed Hawke and insisted on escorting Poppy back to her room, which did not sit well with Hawke. Poppy notes that Hawke is very perceptive and intuitive, and this concerns her.
Later that night, unable to sleep due to her nightmares and anxiety, Poppy stares out her window at the Rise. She notices the sudden extinguishing of torches on the Rise and the creeping mist, which signifies that the Craven are about to attack.
Tawny enters Poppy’s room and begs her to stay and not go to the Rise to fight the Craven. But, despite Tawny’s pleas, Poppy grabs her bow and quickly sneaks out through the servant’s access in her room, dressed in only a nightgown, a cloak with the hood up, and bedroom slippers.
Poppy makes it to the Rise and prepares to join the defense. She takes in the scale of the attack and spots Vikter among the guards. Then, she sees the Craven emerge from the mist—the creatures who killed her parents and nearly killed her over a decade ago.
Chapter 15
Poppy demonstrates her archery prowess by taking down multiple Craven and even saving Vikter’s life. When Hawke arrives, he witnesses her in action and can’t help but comment on how magnificent and beautiful she is. Poppy attempts to flee, but Hawke blocks her path. She manages to disarm him and knock him down with a swift kick, but he quickly recovers. Then, she throws a dagger at him, which he catches effortlessly.
As Hawke pulls Poppy close, she presses her dagger against his neck. He notices the bloodstone dagger with its wolven bone handle and calls her “Princess.”
Chapter 16
Hawke subdues Poppy by pinning her against a wall. He reminds her about their encounter at the Red Pearl, but she downplays the few kisses they shared. He reveals that he returned to the Red Pearl that night, but she wasn’t there. Then, he tells her that he has known she is Penellaphe the Maiden ever since she removed her veil. Their confrontation is abruptly cut short when someone calls for Hawke.
Poppy returns to her room and finds Tawny waiting for her. As she tells Tawny about the attack, Hawke knocks and barges in, not believing Tawny when she says Poppy is sleeping. He tells Poppy that it’s time to continue their conversation earlier.
Chapter 17
Hawke dismisses Tawny. He then questions Poppy about what the Duke would have done if he had known about her recent activities and why she stayed in her room for almost two days after the Duke summoned her.
Poppy avoids answering Hawke’s questions about the Duke, but when Hawke asks why she was on the Rise, she opens up about a traumatic childhood memory. She describes the Craven attack that took her parents’ lives and left her with lasting scars. She explains that her drive to fight the Craven comes from that night and a fear of being helpless like her mother.
Hawke then reveals he’s heard rumors about Poppy helping those cursed by the Craven and admits that he has secretly done the same. Before he leaves, Hawke advises Poppy to wear better shoes and clothing the next time she goes out to fight.
Chapter 18
The next morning, Poppy and Vikter practice hand-to-hand combat. Although Hawke didn’t inform the Duke, he did tell Vikter that he caught Poppy on the Rise. As a result, Vikter insists that Poppy work on her hand-to-hand fighting skills.
While in the middle of their session, Poppy confides in Vikter that she trusts Hawke. They share a tender moment as Vikter tells her that she’s important to him and that he worries about her. Poppy then hugs Vikter.
That evening, the Duke and Duchess address the public about the Craven attack on the Rise. They attribute the near-breach to the people’s waning faith in the gods. The Duke reveals the presence of Descenters within the crowd, which creates tension and fear.
Poppy suddenly experiences another strange sensory overload when she feels the fear and anger of the people in the crowd. As she struggles to rebuild her mental defenses, Hawke’s dry remark snaps her out of her panic. This brings her senses back under control. Poppy then spots the blond man from the City Council meeting, his hard expression fixed on the Duke and Duchess. She points him out to Vikter and Hawke.
As the Duchess continues her speech, the blond man suddenly shouts and demands to know where their children really are. Without warning, the man, who turns out to be a Descenter, hurls a severed Craven’s hand at the Duke and Duchess.
Chapter 19
The next evening, Poppy meets with Duchess Teerman to talk about her gift, which seems to be changing. The Duchess asks Poppy to use her gift on her, but Poppy doesn’t feel anything, just as she usually doesn’t with the Ascended.
Duchess Teerman explains that Poppy’s gift is maturing because she’s nearing her Ascension, similar to what happened with the first Maiden. The Duchess then reveals that the first Maiden’s actions eventually led to her death at the hands of the Dark One.
Chapter 20
The next day, Poppy is reading a history book out loud when Priestess Analia corrects her pronunciation of “Skotos.” Hawke interrupts the Priestess and mentions that his family lived near Pompay, close to the Skotos Mountains. He assures Poppy that her pronunciation is actually correct.
As Poppy reads a section of the book about the Ascension, she shudders. The Priestess notices and asks her why. Poppy shares her concerns about how similar the Atlantians’ blood-drinking is to the gods’ Blessing. This leads to a tense moment between them. Poppy then questions why her Ascension is really necessary and wonders out loud what would happen if she refused.
The Priestess raises her hand to slap Poppy, but Hawke quickly grabs the Priestess’s wrist to stop her. He then threatens the Priestess for trying to harm Poppy. Furious, the Priestess stands up and declares the session over.
As Poppy and Hawke walk back to her room, they discuss what happened with the Priestess. Poppy inadvertently hints that the Duke has hit her before, but when Hawke asks for more details, she denies it. They then shift the conversation to their brothers. Poppy reaches out and squeezes Hawke’s hand to ease his emotional pain.
