From Blood and Ash

Penellaphe and Tawny must part ways. Despite fighting for Tawny to join their journey to the capital, Tawny agrees that it’s too dangerous. As she leaves the castle, Penellaphe thinks, “I could only hope that I would see her again. […] But I wouldn’t pray. The gods had never answered my prayers before.” (328). This statement illuminates her movement away from finding hope and strength in the gods to believing in her own capabilities. Penellaphe reflects on her desire to be found unworthy. The other guards who are to escort her arrive, and she recognizes them as the guards she encountered at the Red Pearl. As they leave, Penellaphe watches the Castle Teerman disappear behind her.

Penellaphe, Hawke, and the other guards ride through plains destroyed by Craven. The group talks about barrats, large dangerous rats that even the Craven won’t eat. Hawke teases Penellaphe once more about reading The Diary of Lady Willa Colyns, revealing that he brought the diary along.

Finally, they reach the Blood Forest. Penellaphe takes in the view of crimson-lined treetops, only to look down and realize they are riding over bones. The guards tell Penellaphe that this forest is anything but natural and that they must keep their wits about them. The sun sets, and the horses require rest, forcing the group to spend the night in Blood Forest.

Penellaphe struggles to fall asleep in the cold, and Hawke decides to share a sleeping bag. The two begin talking about their inappropriate behavior, prompting Hawke to ask how Penellaphe feels about being the Maiden. She responds, “I don’t want it. I don’t want to be given to the gods and then, after that, if there is an after part, I don’t want to be married off to someone I’ve never met” (343). Penellaphe has grown in her apprehension towards her title, stating outright that she does not want to Ascend. As she speaks on her dislike of the Rite and her Ascension, she tastes ash. Hawke tells her the gods are archaic anyway. The two speculate on the unknown nature of the Ascension, wondering how it is that the Ascended stop aging, avoid illness, and live for practically an eternity.

Hawke says that he can calm Penellaphe of her anxieties. They fool around under the blankets. Hawke guides Penellaphe through the experience in a way that liberates her and aids in her self-expression. The pair stops short of Penellaphe losing her virginity.

Hawke thanks Penellaphe for last night, admitting that what they share is a risk but that that he appreciates her willingness to be herself with him. Penellaphe uses her powers on him and tastes lemon, meaning Hawke is experiencing internal conflict and confusion. As they ride, Penellaphe further fantasizes about renouncing her status, stating that her and Hawke’s story, “sounded like the kind of epic love my mother had felt for my father” (355).

Suddenly, a mist begins to form. The group prepares to fight as Craven rush from the depths of the forest. The mist thickens, and Penellaphe trips over the roots of a tree. Airrick intervenes, taking down the Craven and saving her life. The mist finally recedes only to reveal Airrick’s fatally wounded body. She rushes over to provide Airrick relief and peace as he dies. Phillips and Hawke are shocked that the rumors are true: Penellaphe has the touch.

Hawke refuses to speak with Penellaphe, and she assumes it’s due to the shock of her gift. The group comes to a small town called New Haven. The citizens instantly begin to stir and appear infatuated with Penellaphe. They ride to Haven Keep, the small estate where they will stay the night. Penellaphe finds it odd that Kieran and Hawke appear to know the men who greet them, Delano and Elijah. Even stranger, there appear to be no Ascended in this town. Hawke leaves to join the other guards, while Magda, a servant of the estate, takes Penellaphe to her room. Magda relays that Lord Halverston has gone hunting with the men of the town. Penellaphe wonders if she’s ever met an Ascended who hunted or who even walked in the sunlight. As Penellaphe surveys her room, she realizes that she has yet to see a Royal Crest.

Hawke enters her room and the two talk about her gift. He asks if she has ever felt his emotions or eased his pain. She responds yes, telling him that it “felt like going against nature to deny it and keep it locked down, it was stifling. Just like the veil and all the rules and the expectations and…the future I never chose for myself” (372). Penellaphe tells Hawke that she wants to use her gift to help others. Assuring Hawke that he is more than deserving of her, Penellaphe asks him to stay the night. 

Hawke reassures Penellaphe that she will not walk out of this room the Maiden if he is to stay the night. This realization excites Penellaphe, who feels empowered by her newfound autonomy. She finally sees her past as the accumulation of actions aimed at reclaiming her own life. She demanded Vikter teach her how to fight, she took part in death with dignity, and she visited the Red Pearl. She thinks, “and when I sliced Lord Mazeen’s arm and hand and head from his body, I’d been cutting through the chains I never chose to wear” (378). She realizes that “Hawke wasn’t the catalyst. He was the reward” (378).

Penellaphe disrobes, revealing her scars. Hawke tells her she is beautiful and kisses her. Hawke also has scars, and Penellaphe feels even more connected. Hawke makes her promise that no matter what happens, she won’t forget that this was real.

Penellaphe reflects on their night together and thinks, “I was no longer the Maiden” (389). She tells herself that she cannot Ascend because it’s not in her nature. She tries to imagine a way out of her Ascension and decides that she must talk to Hawke.

Phillips rushes in and demands to know where Hawke has gone. He is convinced that Hawke and Kieran have led them into a trap, stating that they must leave at once. Penellaphe decides to go with Phillips, believing that Kieran could be dangerous but surely not Hawke. Just as the two step out into the corridor, they lock eyes with Kieran. The two witness Kieran change form, “His skin seemed to thin and darken. His jaw popped up, elongating along his nose. Bones cracked […]” (394). Penellaphe realizes Kieran is a wolven, the species recorded to be extinct since the War of Two Kings. Phillips and Penellaphe take off running for the stables.

In the stables, Penellaphe finds herself surrounded by Descenters. She watches in awe as Hawke shoots an arrow through Phillips’ mouth. Hawke forbids anyone from murdering Penellaphe and says that they need her alive.