A Soul of Ash and Blood

While Poppy typically serves as the narrator and primary protagonist in the Blood and Ash novels, she is a static character in A Soul of Ash and Blood. Aside from freeing her father, Ires, Poppy sleeps for the entire present timeline. As Cas retells their love story, he mainly describes Poppy’s physical features, silence, and stubbornness. Introduced as the Maiden, Poppy keeps her thick, red hair tied back into a braid and covers her head with a white veil and gold chains as mandated by her Ascended guardians. Cas is mesmerized by Poppy’s uniquely green eyes and lush curves.

Poppy always keeps a dagger strapped to her thigh, and she often exhibits an aptitude for self-defense and combat. Her desire to protect herself stems from a Craven attack that killed her parents, Coralena and Leopold Balfour, when Poppy was six years old. Though Poppy later learns that these were her adoptive parents, she considers them her mother and father as they showed her unconditional love. The event left Poppy physically and emotionally scarred; consequently, feeling control over her decisions is paramount to Poppy.

In the present timeline, Poppy is Cas’s wife and Queen of Atlantia. She is madly in love with Cas and fiercely protective of him as she grows to be more powerful than him. She is the Primal God of Life and Death (powerful ruler of the gods). Poppy’s biological mother, Isbeth/Queen Ileana, created Poppy as a weapon while seeking revenge on Queen Eloana and King Valyn for killing her family, including her infant son. Poppy killed Isbeth in The War of Two Queens, only to learn of her master plan to wake the god Kolis, destroy all of humanity, and reshape the realms of the known world. Poppy fights for her free will; however, fate and destiny continuously influence her story. For the most part, A Soul of Ash and Blood characterizes Poppy as insecure, politically unaware, and inexperienced, which contrasts significantly with the powerful god and queen into which she develops in the present timeline.

Kieran is Cas’s longtime best friend. A wolven, Kieran can shapeshift into a large, fawn-colored wolf. In his human form, he has dark hair and wintry blue eyes, and he maintains a calm demeanor that counters Cas’s headstrong personality. Kieran is Cas’s bonded wolven until Poppy enters the Culling and develops her powers of the gods. Cas and Kieran grew up together in Atlantia, and Cas recalls the boys sharing a crib as toddlers. Cas trusts Kieran more than any other character; Kieran serves as Cas and Poppy’s official political advisor in the present timeline. Although Kieran’s bond (and the bonds of all wolven) shifts to Poppy as she grows into a Primal god, Kieran and Cas remain as close as brothers. Aside from Cas, Kieran is the only other character who talks to Poppy while in stasis.

Kieran is highly insightful, often intuiting future events before they occur. He recognizes that Cas cares for and falls in love with Poppy before Cas understands his feelings. Kieran also theorizes that Cas and Poppy are heartmates while the couple is in the early stages of their relationship. Kieran prevents Cas from killing Jericho, not because he believes Jericho deserves to live but because Kieran intuits distrust brewing among Cas’s closest allies. Though he is often the voice of reason, Kieran is incredibly dangerous and frequently just as violent as Cas, dismembering his enemies in a gory bloodbath.

Duke Teerman serves as the novel’s primary antagonist. As an Ascended, Duke Teerman is immortal; his eyes are black, and he feeds on the blood of mortals. The Duke is a sadist. Not only does he derive pleasure from caning Poppy, but he also enjoys humiliating her. He exploits Poppy’s insecurities about her physical appearance, weakening her so she will more readily believe the Ascended’s lies and propaganda. Cas recognizes the man as both foolish and a predator, thinking, “His commentary was unnecessary. The Duke was fucking unnecessary” (201). Duke Teerman proves his mercilessness with the Tulis family when he denies their request to keep their third-born infant. Not only does the Duke steal this child from his parents to drink his blood, but he also uses the Tulises’ request to explain away a dangerous Craven attack, another problem he and his fellow Ascended create. The Duke fails to hold himself accountable for the suffering his actions directly cause, revealing himself to be utterly devoid of empathy.

Though Duchess Teerman shows Poppy more kindness and hospitality, she enforces Poppy’s strict restrictions and fails to protect Poppy from her husband’s abuse. Her warm demeanor, like that of Queen Ileana, enables Poppy to believe the Ascended’s lies about the gods, ascension, and the Craven as they build trust with Poppy. Cas observes of the Duchess, “Her voice was always soft, but there was sympathy there now” (198). However, the kindness Duchess Teerman shows Poppy is a farce; she means to pacify Poppy into submissiveness. She smiles and begins “clapping joyfully” while explaining to the Tulis family how their son will be a blessing to the gods, knowing full well she will painfully drain the baby of its blood. The novel shows that her fake benevolence is just as dangerous as the Duke’s abuse.

In the present timeline, Jansen and Alastir are dead. Poppy and Cas killed both men after they betrayed Poppy and Cas, kidnapped Poppy, and nearly killed her. Alastir and Jansen are members of the “Unseen,” a misogynistic terrorist group that considers themselves the “true guardians” of Atlantia and defies direct orders from the King and Queen. Jansen operates undercover, serving as the Commander of the Royal Guard in Solis. He facilitates Cas’s plan to kidnap and ransom Poppy. He has thin lips, a well-defined jaw, and short dark hair. Alastir remains in Atlantia for most of the novel, but he distances King Valyn from Cas’s operation, allowing Cas to carry out his plans unhindered.

As Cas reflects on Jansen and Alastir, he must begin Reconciling Contradictory Beliefs, one of the novel’s central themes. During his time as an operative in Solis, Cas considers Jansen and Alastir family, labeling Alastir a “second father.” His fondness for the men is evident through their interactions and dialogue. Cas doesn’t question Jansen’s loyalties, even when Jansen admits, “[I]t will be a shame to lose one of them” as he discusses killing one of Poppy’s guards, whom he finds to be an admirable man (81). Cas recognizes the moral complexities that make up Alastir and Jansen. He comes to terms with their motivations, though he feels justified in protecting Poppy by killing her henchman.

Poppy’s longtime personal guard, Vikter, is a father figure to Poppy. Having lost his wife and unborn child in childbirth, Vikter cares for Poppy like his own daughter. He is in his forties with sun-aged skin and sandy blonde hair. Although Vikter cares deeply for Poppy’s well-being, he believes the Ascended’s lies and would prevent Poppy from running away. Cas believes Vikter is a “prickly bastard,” but he comes to respect Vikter for his extreme caution with Poppy. Cas feels sorrow when Vikter dies, and he recognizes Poppy’s maladaptive coping mechanisms in the immediate aftermath of Vikter’s death. Cas restrains Poppy from hurting herself, and he stops others from medicating Poppy against her will.

In the present timeline, Vikter is revealed to be a “Viktor,” or a guardian sent by the fates to protect Poppy. Tawny explains seeing Vikter while unconscious and learning his motivations and intentions to keep Poppy safe. Vikter’s status as a Viktor is foreshadowed when Cas trains with him, and Vikter warns, “Nothing more than the length of a heartbeat, given to either arrogance or vengeance, to lose all which truly matters” (76). When a Revenant is attacking Cas near the novel’s close, he hears “Vikter’s voice as if he [is] standing right beside [him] […] All it takes is a second for your enemy to gain the upper hand” (677). Cas realizes there is more to Vikter’s warning than expressing caution about Craven or Descenters, and perhaps Vikter was more clairvoyant than he let on in Solis.