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)
Hawke trains in the courtyard and sees the Maiden. While sparring with Vikter, he gets hell for being distracted. While Hawke denies it, Vikter tells him he has some sage advice. He says it only takes a heartbeat to lose all that truly matters.
Hawke feels like it’s an omen.
He meets with Jansen, Kieran, and Jericho at the Red Pearl. Jansen mentions the guards are good men and says he doesn’t like what they have to do.
I’m certain none of them particularly did.
They discuss the Maiden’s habits and talk about where best to get to her, and Hawke tells Jericho that no harm should come to the Maiden.
With Hawke as Poppy’s personal guard and Kieran still working as a City Guard, the plan is to take the Maiden the night of the Rite. The Descenters are supposed to create a distraction by setting some fires.
After the others leave, Hawke and Kieran talk about the Maiden’s ancestry and why the Ascended value her so much. They can’t figure it out. Hawke says they’ll likely get more out of the Ascended they befriend. Kieran agrees and then leaves to check on their other resources.
Meanwhile, Poppy wanders into the Red Pearl downstairs, and I work a little of my matchmaker magic to get her and Casteel in the same room. After that, I knew nature would run its course.
Thinking that Poppy is a maid named Britta, whom Casteel has dallied with in the past, he welcomes the intrusion to his room at the Pearl but is still wary since the woman doesn’t smell like Britta, she doesn’t feel like Britta, and she makes him feel things Britta never has. But she’s a welcome distraction, nonetheless, and he takes her to the bed, kissing her deeply and exploring as much of her as he can with her still cloaked.
When he finally lowers her hood and takes in her face, he’s shocked. She may be masked like most are wont to do at the Pearl, but he knows exactly who he has beneath him. It’s Penellaphe. The Chosen. The Maiden. They spend an intriguing span of time together before Kieran interrupts with important news, forcing Casteel to leave.
Sometime later, Kieran and Hawke meet Emil and Delano in Wisher’s Grove. Cas greets them both, and Emil gives him shit—as usual. Kieran tells the Atlantian he has a death wish.
He really does.
Emil relays that the King and Queen are worried, and Alastir hasn’t helped assuage their anxiety. After they talk a bit more, Cas feeds from Emil and sees the Atlantian’s memories, which interestingly enough are of Vonetta.
Very interesting, indeed.
Emil offers to stay close in case he’s needed, but Cas tells him to go to Evaemon and watch Alastir to run interference.
As they leave the Grove, Cas tells Kieran he doesn’t plan to kill the Maiden like his parents do—or would if they got their hands on her. Kieran just takes it in.
When Casteel returns to the room at the Red Pearl, he finds that Poppy didn’t wait for him. He trails her through the Grove and finds an Ascended stalking her. He tears the vampry’s heart out and leaves him hanging over the branch of a tree. Either he’ll be discovered, and it will cause talk, or the sun will take care of him when it rises.
Either way, win-win.
He takes a bath and gets turned on by thoughts of the Maiden, which both confuses him and makes him a little angry. He’s conflicted. He pleasures himself to thoughts of her but then thinks about his time in captivity—the assault, his trauma, his healing. Steeling his resolve, he reestablishes his goal in his mind.
Hawke wonders what’s going on when Poppy doesn’t visit the garden like she usually does. He catches sight of Lord Mazeen with the Duchess and finds out they’re looking for a Descenter. He overhears talk about puncture wounds on a body, and then Mazeen mentions Lord Preston—the vampry Hawke strung up for stalking the Maiden.
Good. Then he served as the message intended.
When the Lord walks by, Hawke realizes he smells of jasmine and…something else. When he realizes it’s the Maiden’s scent, it bothers him more than it probably should.
Britta comes to say hello, and Hawke asks her what happened, indicating what’s going on in the castle. She tells him that Malessa Axton, a Lady in Wait, was killed and left in the castle. After some prompting about the Lord, Hawke learns that Mazeen is, indeed, a bit too friendly.
His people make things happen to advance their plot and take out Poppy’s guard Rylan Keal, thus opening a Royal Guard position at Poppy’s side. However, when Jansen comes to Hawke on the Rise to tell him the guard had been taken care of, Hawke finds out Jericho tried to take the Maiden, and she fought back. Even cut him. In retaliation, the wolven hit her.