Ashlords

Adrian is the last of the competitors to complete his mandatory interview. His interviewer, Cassiopia, is antagonistic toward Adrian, showing a clear bias toward the Ashlord racers and against the Longhands. The crowd boos at Adrian as she introduces him. Adrian contends that he is bigger, stronger, and faster than his opponents. He boldly unbuttons his shirt to show off his physique, impressing the crowd and flustering Cassiopia.

Cassiopia changes the topic and asks what he plans to do if the Madness, the Ashlord god of death, intervenes in the Races as he has done in the past. When the Madness interferes in the Races, “[r]iders pull[] off impossible stunts. People f[a]ll almost at random from their horses” (100). Adrian remains neutral, asserting that everything is a threat in the Races. Cassiopia asks what he thinks about Pippa comparing him to the thunder that comes after her lightning, and Adrian replies, “She knows jack-nothing about storms” (101), pointing out that in the midst of a storm, it is impossible to tell if the lightning or thunder hits first. He concludes by telling the audience to enjoy the storm.

After the interview, Antonio predicts that Adrian’s boldness has made him a bigger target. The Ashlord riders will come after him every night of the Races.

Pippa and the 10 riders are summoned for the Great Display before the Races. Pippa reflects on the other racers’ interviews: Imelda was so nervous that it was painful to watch, while Adrian showed bravado. The presence of a Dividian and Longhand reminds Pippa of her heritage.

The Dividian invaded the Ashlords’ land, but the gods intervened. The Madness opened the gates of the underworld, while the Fury summoned the phoenix horses, the ancestors of the horses that the Ashlords ride to this day. The phoenixes helped the Ashlords subjugate the Dividian invaders and later put down the Longhand rebellion. As the announcer at the Great Display retells the story of the three peoples, Pippa sizes up her competition. She determines that of all of them, Adrian is the most worthy challenger.

The Great Display allows the wealthy and influential to inspect the riders’ horses before the Races, offering a preview of what components and resurrections the riders might use during the Races. A journalist notes that Pippa is using Vibrancy, the same resurrection her father began with on the year he won.

The riders are given 10 clockturns to inspect their opponents’ resurrections. Pippa is impressed by Adrian’s resurrection: a Ravenous rebirth. His horse’s mighty size and predatory qualities will help in the close-quarters racing of the first day. Etzli has chosen a conservative, armored rebirth. Revel has chosen a rebirth focused on speed. Pippa has never heard of Imelda’s resurrection before and learns that Changing Skies can defy gravity. Bravos, a fighter by nature, has chosen a spiked hunting horse. Thyma, Capri, and Darvin have both chosen the same stamina-focused rebirth, suggesting that they will be teaming up. Ashtaki, who has finished last in every amateur race, has chosen a useless rebirth that will make him invisible on the horse. The final rider is Neli, whose horse is built for endurance: She will ride at a slower pace but won’t have to stop for the night and resurrect her phoenix like the rest of them.

Imelda has been training against Zion for six days with little progress. She knows she stands no chance against riders like Bravos or Adrian in a fight and is quickly realizing how ill-prepared she is for the competition. The Great Display opened her eyes to Ashlord society’s inequalities, and she realizes that she is not supposed to win the Races. She has been given a better horse than she has ever ridden, but the Ashlords’ horses are superior. Imagining her family rooting for her and thinking she has a chance makes her angry, and she vows to break the Races.

That night, Adrian waits at the reception before the Unveiling of the course at the Hall of Maps, surrounded by Ashlord nobles. Ben has trained Adrian to memorize minute details of racecourses, but Adrian hopes that the Ashlords will underestimate him, giving him an advantage. He scans the room, and his gaze settles on Pippa. He has been searching for her weakness but has found nothing. The Longhand revolution relies on him “beating her at a game she was born to win” (122)

A Longhand makes his way through the crowd to Adrian and gives him a drink. After some thought, Adrian remembers his name: Lefty Emerson, the unofficial emissary of the Reach. However, Adrian knows that he cannot trust Emerson: He is not one of the 10 people Antonio introduced him to. As Emerson talks, Adrian notices Elizabeth, one of the 10 trusted faces, posing as a server. She subtly shakes her head and drops a tray. The distraction gives Adrian time to swap his drink with Emerson’s.

Adrian and Emerson toast and take a sip. As they talk, Emerson breaks out in a sweat and looks panicked. Adrian quietly tells him, “What a shame. Only the Ashlords use poison. So you’ll die serving them, using their methods, drinking their poison” (127). He walks away, and Emerson collapses. To Adrian, this means one thing: The Ashlords are afraid of him.

The riders are summoned to the Hall of Maps. On the way, Pippa thinks of the 2-million-legion prize for winning the Races, more than enough for her and Bravos to start their life together. The gambling odds have Pippa first, followed by Adrian, Etzli, and, surprisingly, Imelda. She finds Imelda unsettling; sometimes, the clever racers manage to outwit the favorites. She told Bravos that she wanted him to win, but at first, he didn’t believe her. She instructed him to act as cocky as he can until the Races start.

The Empire Racing Board unveils the map for this year’s Races. Every year, they select a new canyon in the Empire’s vast deserts for the racecourse. Imelda thanks Pippa for supporting her scholarship, and Pippa sizes her up. She knows that the Qualifier position is a formality to give the Dividian someone to root for. The Qualifier gives them hope—but not too much hope.

The Brightness arrives, and everyone present instinctively bows to him. The map is unveiled, and the riders have 10 clockturns to memorize it. Pippa focuses her attention on the map, determining that it will be a five-leg race, meaning that her phoenix will have to die four times. She will have to determine the optimal locations for deaths, as well as the necessary components for four different rebirths.

There are three viable routes that the riders can take. The safest is the slowest, while the fastest involves riding through a cave system, dangerous riding that Pippa has never liked. The narrowness of the course means that the first night will be especially crucial, given the proximity of the other riders. Tainting opponents’ ashes to sabotage their next rebirth is one of the main strategies in modern racing.

Adrian bows and announces his departure after only half the time has elapsed. Annoyed with his arrogance, Pippa returns to the map. She spots an almost invisible trail leading up a plateau at the first leg of the Races, which will provide her and Bravos with safety from the other riders and a crucial chance to rest during the first night.

Back in her hotel room, Imelda is in a panic: She was unable to memorize any of the course. Something about the map seemed familiar to her, and it was so distracting that she could not concentrate. The Ashlords’ ability to maintain their poise under pressure gives them a distinct advantage over Imelda. She needs to figure out a different way to win.

Farian pays Imelda a surprise visit, and for the first time in days, Imelda feels the pressure of the Races leave her. Imelda shows Farian the incomplete map that she had been drawing up. The course must be near the Gravitas Mountains, a region that Imelda once visited and where some of her family live. Farian is impressed with the list of components available to the contestants. Some of them, like Kisspowder, would sell for almost as much as the 100,000-legion entry fee.

Spending time with Farian brightens Imelda’s mood, and, for the first time since coming to Furia, she enjoys herself. Farian mentions that Martial is in the city to help Imelda strategize. That night, Imelda dreams of playing a boardgame with the other riders. They will not explain the rules, so she flips the table, scattering the pieces. She wakes up in the middle of the night, knowing exactly what she must do.

Adrian ruminates over the course, planning his rebirths. When he returns to his room, he is confronted by a figure with a reptilian mask sewn directly into his skin: one of the Ashlords’ gods, the Dread. Adrian is filled with fear. He does not know if this is a priest—a vessel of the Dread—or if the god himself has arrived from the Underworld.

The Dread tells him to sit, and Adrian obeys, though he keeps his hand near a concealed knife. The Dread calls Adrian his warrior, telling him that he appeared to Adrian’s grandfather and father but that his protection was rejected by both. The Dread hopes that Adrian will be wiser, as tonight has shown that the Ashlords will not hesitate to kill him, something that Ben knows well.

For the first time, Adrian begins to doubt his father’s motives, wondering if his father is willing to sacrifice his life. The Dread explains that war is coming, whether Adrian accepts the Dread’s help or not, and that the Ashlords will be aided by the full power of their gods. Adrian still does not trust him, so the Dread offers him protection for free. He unleashes a powder that coats Adrain, a boon that offers swift healing. The Dread is patient—he can wait years for Adrian to accept his help. Angered by this unasked-for gift, Adrian throws his knife at the god, and the Dread vanishes instantly.

Pippa and Bravos have a fake conversation on their public line, knowing that hackers will post it to an online platform called “the Chats” in five minutes. Meanwhile, on their private line, they discuss their plan. Pippa wants Bravos to startle his phoenix out of the gate to let the other riders take an early lead. Safely away from the pack, they will take the secret route she discovered.

Pippa’s mother, Prama, wakes her in the middle of the night and leads her through parts of their house that Pippa has never seen. Prama stops at the end of the corridor and cuts her hand open with an obsidian blade. The blood sacrifice opens a passage, and she leads Pippa into a secret room, where the Madness, the three-eyed, wolf-headed god of death, is waiting. Prama asks the god for the same gift he gave her, and the Madness demands blood from Pippa. Prama asks Pippa to trust her. Pippa cuts her palm and encircles the Madness with her blood. The god’s howling reaches a peak and then stops. A spirit appears, caged in by blue light from the encircling blood. Pippa faints.

Pippa regains consciousness in her room. Prama explains the relationship between the Ashlords and the gods: The gods gain power in the underworld through the Ashlord blood sacrifice and grant boons in return. The Madness has given Pippa a spirit to aid her in the Races.

Pippa is filled with a horrible realization: Her mother cheated to win the Races. Pippa realizes that this gift could ruin her plan with Bravos. She calls her mother a fool, but Prama points out that the Madness will never help Adrian. The realization that Prama did not think Pippa could beat the Longhand on her own hurts. There is nothing Pippa can do. To use the spirit, she must promise it freedom in exchange for winning the Races.

Imelda spends the day enjoying Furia with Farian and Martial and then sits down with Martial and Ayala for one final strategizing session. She humors their good ideas but plans to win her way. Just before she is due to leave, Martial takes her to the bathroom and turns on the taps to prevent eavesdropping.

Imelda’s one advantage is knowing the Gravitas Mountains from traveling to her cousin’s wedding. She gives Martial a paper outlining her real plan, asking for his help. He is shocked, but Imelda assures him that he won’t be implicated in the crime she is planning to commit. Martial thinks that if anyone can pull this off, it is Imelda. He memorizes her instructions.

Ayala escorts Imelda to the Longest Ride, the traditional opening of the Races. The Longest Ride is the one part of the Races where cameras are not allowed, offering a chance for the riders to size each other up. Imelda joins the other riders in front of the massive, opulent chariot waiting for them in the square. Pippa looks tired and disheveled. Ayala whispers encouragement to Imelda. One by one, the riders are called to board the chariot.

In the chariot, Adrian’s competitors glare at him, but he smiles, satisfied by getting under their skin. He sizes them all up in turn. Pippa looks tired, and Adrian thinks that Revel will burn out early. The press describes Etzli as consistent; her apparent calmness worries him. Three of the riders seem to be conspiring: Capri, Thyma, and a boy whose name Adrian cannot remember. Riders in the Races often form alliances. Trios are uncommon, and groups of four are shameful. He dismisses Capri, who has not done anything of note since he was a child. Violent Thyma worries him. He remembers the Dread’s warning that the Ashlords are going to kill him.

When they exit the carriage, officials show them to the facilities they will occupy during this final day before the Races. Each rider gets a room, a stable to arrange their ashes, and access to the powder room, where they will select their components. Any attempt to smuggle other components out of the powder room will disqualify them.

Adrian inspects his riding gear and then gets to work arranging his ashes. He discovers shards of powdered glass in his ashes—someone, likely an official, has tried to sabotage his first rebirth. He spends an hour picking out each crystal. This second attempted sabotage gives Adrian confidence: The Ashlords are actually scared that he will win.