Total pages in book: 247
Estimated words: 231436 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1157(@200wpm)___ 926(@250wpm)___ 771(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 231436 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1157(@200wpm)___ 926(@250wpm)___ 771(@300wpm)
After being escorted back to her room, Poppy summons the Primal mist. Using it to escape, she meets up with Kieran and Reaver, and they battle their way through the castle. Kieran is wounded, and she cannot completely heal him. She later discovers that the weapon was cursed. When they reach Cas, they find he’s in even worse shape than before and are told that Callum is the cause. She vows to see the bastard dead, and Reaver acknowledges. She’s able to bring Cas back to himself somewhat, and they reunite.
In just the way I hoped they would. No voyeur shame, remember?
When Cas relives his time in the dungeon, he tells Poppy about his interactions with Millie and what he came to realize: Millie is Poppy’s full-blooded sister. The first daughter. Poppy also learns that Callum showed Isbeth how to make Revenants, and Malik mentions something Reaver said a while back. That Poppy is a Primal. The draken then confirms that she is a Primal born of mortal flesh. The first since the Primal God of Life.
Malik goes on to share how Preela, his bonded wolven, was killed. Later, Poppy learns that she was killed in front of Malik and her bones were used to create weapons—one of which Poppy carries on her at all times—the bloodstone and wolven-bone dagger Vikter gave to her on her sixteenth birthday.
Reunited, Poppy and Cas discuss her being the harbinger, her Culling, the prophecy, and the Joining. She then talks through everything she learned with the generals and uncovers information about Malec. As it turns out, he’s buried in the northeast corner of the Blood Forest near some ruins and was entombed in a casket covered in deity bones.
She also learns that I helped Eloana entomb Malec.
Yes, I did.
They decide that Malec and Ires will be returned to Nyktos and the Consort once everything is over, and Poppy leaves to spend some time with Tawny and talk to Kieran about the Joining. During their discussion, Poppy feels things from Kieran and discovers there’s love there. She then realizes she also loves him. It’s not the same as what she feels for Cas, but it’s enough for both of them to make the kind of promise the Joining requires.
They set off to find Malec and encounter some hardships along the way—what else is new?—Craven and Gyrms, both of which they thankfully defeat.
When they return, Poppy, Cas, and Kieran partake in the Joining—which did turn sexual…something I wholeheartedly approved of—and end up with synced breaths and heartbeats and shared feelings. Unfortunately, it doesn’t remove the curse from Kieran as they hoped it would.
Poppy dreams of the woman with the silver hair again and sees someone she feels could be Vikter. She wakes in Cas’s arms with Kieran lying close. After making sure their armies are ready, they set off to meet with the Queen.
It’s here where the actual events vary a little from my Seer visions. I was nearly as shocked by the final outcome as those in attendance.
When they reach the Queen, Poppy delivers an ultimatum that they remove the curse from Kieran before she brings Malec out. Callum does, and they deliver the Queen’s heartmate to her, despite Millie’s warnings to Poppy that something doesn’t feel right.
Thinking Isbeth would bring Malec back, everyone watches raptly, ready to act if needed. And this is where it gets weird. Isbeth shocks them all by apologizing and plunging a shadowstone dagger into her lover’s heart—the one thing that can kill a god. She rambles on about someone waiting for the sacrifice. The balance the Arae always insist on. The one born of mortal flesh on the verge of becoming a great Primal power. And Callum reveals that as long as both Poppy and Millie share the blood of the Primal and are loved, he will be restored. He adds that Isbeth just needed someone of his bloodline to set things in motion.
So, Malec wasn’t the True King of the Realms that everyone was talking about. And Poppy ended up being the bringer of death and destruction anyway since she brought Malec to Isbeth. Putting the prophecy puzzle pieces together, they establish that Isbeth is the harbinger, and Millie is the warning. Callum goes on to say that he needed to be strong so he could wake, and that Poppy’s Ascension freed him. He says that when Malec takes his final breath, he will be at full strength. When Poppy smells stale lilacs, she realizes who he is. It’s Kolis. The Primal who stole his twin brother’s power and Court and unbalanced the realms.
Millie tells Poppy that Malec is still alive and that things can be stopped. When she summons the draken and starts to use eather, they warn her that it will attract the dakkais. She pulls back but can’t sustain it. During her god battle with Isbeth, the dakkais attack, and many die. The Consort comes to her and tells her that it wasn’t supposed to be this way, and Poppy remembers what Reaver said about saying the Consort’s name.