Ashlords

Pippa names her final rebirth Revenge. She leaves her supplies behind, and she and Quinn take off. As she gains on the leaders, Bravos slips to second place, and Revel takes the lead. They make it to the final canyon, the last stretch before the finish line. When Pippa sees Bravos, she takes out her whip and thunders after him, keeping a safe distance from his spiked horse. His eyes widen in surprise when he sees her. Adrian approaches from behind as Pippa passes Bravos.

Revel’s horse collapses 100 paces from the finish line. Bravos slams his horse into Pippa’s, piercing Revenge with a spike. Quinn defends Pippa from a blow from his switch. Pippa lashes out with her whip, breaking Bravos’s wrist and knocking him from the horse.

Revel leaps at Pippa, sending her careening into Adrian. Adrian and Pippa are neck and neck as the finish line approaches. They meet each other’s eyes. Quinn leaps from Pippa’s horse and knocks Adrian onto the ground.

Pippa is the winner of the Races. Revenge collapses and dies as applause erupts. In the distance, she sees Quinn standing over a stunned Adrian. In her head, she hears Quinn say, “Now I begin my own race” (327). They share a wicked grin, and Quinn disappears in a flash of fire. She is free.

At Gig’s Wall, the rebels are beset by Ashlord forces: 50 mounted soldiers and 100 foot soldiers gather to mount the attack. Running would be futile, so Bastian prepares the rebels for battle. He orders Imelda to join him on the ramparts. Imelda offers to give herself up, painfully aware that she has put the rebels in danger. Bastian refuses, telling Imelda that this battle was by design. Imelda does not understand.

The Ashlords advance, and the battle begins. Bastian gives Imelda a pistol. Bastian’s crew rigged explosives that take out a good number of Ashlord soldiers. For Imelda, the battle feels like a horrific nightmare. The Ashlords swarm the fortress. All seems lost until the sudden arrival of hundreds of Longhand soldiers turns the tide. The Ashlords are routed. Imelda knows that the Longhands’ involvement means war.

After the Races, carriages take the racers from the track. Adrian nervously wonders what will happen. His body is badly beaten, and the Ashlords did a poor job of tending to his wounds. He boards a carriage with Pippa and falls asleep.

When he wakes up, Pippa offers to tend to his wounds. Adrian is wary, but Pippa assures him that she will not hurt him—the Races are over. As she stitches his wounds, Pippa explains that this is an ancient tradition: The winner tends the wounds of the person they defeated as a lasting reminder that they beat them and could do it again. Their eyes meet, and for a moment, Adrian feels heat and electricity between them.

Adrian asks about the flash of light that knocked him from his horse. Pippa explains that it was a spirit named Quinn, and he realizes that she cheated. He chides her, claiming that he would have won if the spirit had not intervened. Pippa retorts that she won either way. Adrian replies, “Hard to tell with the gods tipping the scales” (529). Pippa gets angry and replies that the Ashlords ally with the gods to make sure that they will never have to bow to the Dividian or the Longhands. She says, “We rule with iron and fire because it’s the only thing someone like you will respect. So tell me. Is it our fault you’re too afraid to dance with the gods?” (530). Adrian thinks of the cycle of hate that such violence leads to. He tells Pippa that her gods must be excited about the impending violence. For the first time, Pippa understands what is about to happen: The world is going to burn, and they are the ones who will start the fire.

The carriage door opens, and two officials tell Adrian to come with them. They lead him to another carriage, where the Quespo, the question-police, await him. However, Adrian recognizes one of them as Atl, the Ashlord whose name, face, and voice Antonio made him memorize.

Atl announces that Adrian is under arrest for Capri’s death. Adrian plays along, protesting and struggling loudly. He shouts that Capri stole his horse; he knew what would happen. One of the officials strikes him with a switch, and they put him in the carriage.

Adrian hears Atl arguing with the other officials. Atl opens the carriage door and tells Adrian that they are going home; the Reach is going to war. Even though Adrian did not win, everyone saw the flash of light as Quinn knocked Adrian from his horse, the same flash of light that protected Revel the night before. Alt says that it is obvious that Pippa cheated and that Adrian is the living embodiment of the injustice the Longhands have suffered.

The revolution begins. Adrian is not excited; he thinks of the families he saw at the Crossing match and Capri’s accusation that he is just like the Ashlords. Atl explains that they are heading to the eastern front.

A makeup crew gets Pippa ready. She takes no pleasure in her victory; instead, she thinks about Quinn, wondering what happened to her after returning to her world. In the mirror, she sees that the makeup artists have sharpened her features, making her look dark and dangerous rather than delicate and graceful like the champions of previous years.

Another god, the Brightness, arrives and says that he asked them to do it. He dismisses the others in the room and explains that war has begun and that Pippa will be a leader in the army. Etzli, Revel, and Bravos enter the room. Bravos looks embarrassed; the sight of him turns Pippa’s stomach. The Brightness waits for Pippa’s response. Pippa asks a stylist for a real blade, handing them her safeguarded switch. Pippa feels doubt nagging at her but buries it. She says, “We reign,” to which the others reply, “In fire and blood” (541).

Bastian’s crew lost four men at the battle of Gig’s Wall. He helps his men dig graves and mourn.

The Longhands did not come to the Wall for Imelda but because the Reach is ready to rebel; they had already made pacts with the mountain rebels. The Longhand general summons Imelda, and Bastian joins her. It is Antonio Rowan, now second-in-command of the Longhand Legions. He thanks her for providing the perfect excuse to strike the Ashlord forces and then asks her to hand over the components she stole. Imelda protests, and Bastian defends her. Antonio is adamant that during wartime, a 30% tax is applied to all earnings. Imelda agrees to give him the whole belt, knowing that she already gave the real components to Martial. Antonio is furious, but there is nothing he can do. Imelda and Bastian leave.

Bastian is thrilled with her trick, and Imelda’s heart pounds when he puts his arm around her shoulder. He asks her to think about remaining with the rebels rather than going to her uncle’s home. He leaves to help his men make preparations. His offer is tempting, but she knows that a quiet life is the right choice.

Imelda’s cousin Luca watches her prepare for a rebirth. Imelda explains her love for alchemy and the way that small details count. The sun comes up, and it is time to ride.

Farian returns home on the first holy day after the Races. Martial notices that he looks as if he is in mourning. Martial tries to reassure him that Imelda is all right, but he is unsure. News of the war spreads throughout the Empire. Farian says that Imelda breaking the rules makes the Dividian look like cheaters, but Martial tells him to wake up. The Dividian live at the Ashlords’ mercy, never allowed to rise too high. For a moment, Imelda’s defiance united all the Dividian.

Due to the war, Martial was able to sell most of Imelda’s stolen components, and he gives Farian his cut: 25,000 legions. Imelda wants him to use the money to go to school and chase his dreams. After Farian leaves, Martial begins his day. He thinks that one day, Imelda will ride back to them.