Page 37
Story: Visions of Flesh and Blood
As they talk more, Poppy warns Millie not to refer to Isbeth as her mother. When Poppy pushes with her powers, Millie blocks her attempts to read her. As she leaves Poppy, she tells her she’ll keep Kieran and Reaver company and comments on how handsome Reaver is.
Everybody has a crush on Reaver, it seems. I can’t stop seeing him as a youngling, though. He will always be that for me since I saw him in my visions during the time of the gods.
Later, while escorting Poppy and the others to the Great Hall, she confirms that Reaver is right when he says the statue in the Hall isn’t Nyktos. Once inside, Millie reminds Poppy to calm herself lest everyone think the harbinger is among them. When the Queen says that Cas, unlike Malik, never learned to make his stay easier, Millie can’t control her anger. She may not particularly like Malik—or at least she pretends not to—but it’s clear she can’t help but be concerned about him.
It greatly amuses Millie when Poppy stabs Callum in the heart. The Queen, however, is not amused and punishes Millie’s impudence by making her clean up the mess.
Once again in the cell with Casteel, he states that Isbeth won’t hurt Poppy; she’ll hurt others to get to Poppy. Millie confirms. Then, pretending to have blood in her hair, she washes it in Cas’s tub, revealing that its natural color is nearly white, not flat black. She then scrubs her face, making her true appearance known and highlighting her likeness to Poppy. When Cas only looks on, she tells him that she has something important to tell him and then informs him that she’s the first daughter. She adds that she was never meant to be, but neither was the second. When he questions that, she confirms that she and Poppy are full-blooded sisters and that Ires sired them both. She explains to Casteel that she is not a god like her father, though. She’s a failure. He tries to argue, and she tells him that, like his brother, he has no idea what is and isn’t possible—like the real history of the realms, for example.
Millie details how everything Isbeth has done has been for a reason: When she took Cas the first time, why she kept Malik…it was all so she’d have someone from a strong Atlantian bloodline to Ascend Poppy and make sure she didn’t fail like Millie did. Once Poppy completes her Culling, she’ll give Isbeth what she’s wanted since her son died: revenge against everyone. And she doesn’t want to remake the realms. She wants to destroy them.
Poppy is destined to do that—to be the harbinger foretold…she won’t have a choice. Millie then reminds Casteel that while Isbeth isn’t strong enough to remake the realms, she created something that is. Thinking about that makes her a bit sad, and she lets some of her emotions slip and show. This is another indicator that Millie is different from other Revenants. It’s clear she has emotions; therefore, she has a soul. Other Revs do not.
Millie knows the Queen will succeed, no matter what anyone does. First, Poppy will complete her Culling, and then her love for Cas will become one of her very, very few weaknesses. He will be the only thing that can stop her. Either way, Millie’s sister won’t survive; she’ll either die by Casteel’s hand or drown the realms in blood.
Adorned with paint at the Bone Temple, Millie is very uneasy and concerned about Malec being brought to Isbeth. She tries to warn Poppy and asks where Reaver is, telling Poppy she should be worried because Isbeth didn’t ask about the draken. She feels that something is very wrong with all of what’s going on and says as much.
After Callum heals Kieran, it buoys Millie when the wolven stabs Callum in the chest. She remarks how seeing him taken down never gets old but makes sure to tell Kieran to go for the head next time if he wants it to last longer.
Millie watches Isbeth kiss Malec in his casket and remarks how it looks like she’s about to climb inside. When she hears her mother say, “It cannot be any other way,” she jerks her head, only to see Isbeth plunge a dagger into Malec’s chest.
Confused and not understanding what exactly is going on, she can only listen as Callum gloats, calling her a failure. She suddenly realizes that it was supposed to be Poppy on the altar, which makes better sense when Callum explains the prophecy to them.
Millie asks who the harbinger is, and Callum tells her that she is—she was the warning. Callum inquires if she really thought Poppy would destroy the realms and says that it would take her eons to be that powerful.
After Casteel rips out Callum’s heart, Millie tells Poppy they still have a chance to stop what’s been set in motion because Malec still breathes. Chaos ensues, and Millie is hit on the head with a rock as the stone explodes. Malik catches her before she hits the ground, and then Delano saves them both from a dakkai.
Millie engages with the other Revenants and screams at Poppy to get the dagger out of Malec’s chest and get to Isbeth. When she can’t, Millie goes. Just as she finally reaches Malec and gets her hand around the dagger’s hilt, Isbeth blasts her with eather and she dies.
She gets up after Poppy calls to the Consort and then watches Poppy take out the dakkais and Isbeth. In the confusion afterward, Millie sneaks away.
We know that Malik went after her.
Eventually, she finds that out, too, because she shows up at Wayfair with him. When she discovers that Poppy is in stasis, she’s concerned. She visits with her for a while but ultimately leaves.
Wait until she discovers what Poppy has turned into…
QUEEN ELOANA DA’NEER
Becomes Queen Mother Eloana Da’Neer
Click here to see an image by art.bymikki of Eloana and Valyn full size.
Hair: Onyx-colored.
Eyes: The color of cool amber honey.
Facial features: Proud jaw.
Personality: Frenetic. Cautious. Strong.
Habits/Mannerisms/Strengths/Weaknesses: Always has what’s best for the kingdom in mind. Finds it hard to talk about her missing son. Calls Casteel “Hawke.” Worries greatly for her people—to the point it sometimes overshadows hope. Doesn’t talk about Malec much. Prone to stabbing Valyn. Has killed to keep Iliseeum’s location a secret. Poisoned Isbeth with belladonna. Entombed Malec.
Background: Elemental Atlantian. Was young when she became Queen. Her bonded wolven died during the war. Was married to Malec.
Family: Ex-husband = Malec. Husband = Valyn. Sons = Malik and Casteel. Brother = Hawkethrone †.
Eloana is not only the Queen Mother of Atlantia’s current King, she is also a pivotal piece of the gears that were set in motion where Isbeth is concerned. Malec had an affair with Isbeth when he was married to Eloana. Eloana thought he hung the moon but soon realized that Isbeth wasn’t like his other mistresses—she was his heartmate.
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