Page 66
Story: Visions of Flesh and Blood
During their journey, the Dead Bones Clan attacks the group. Delano leads the horses into the woods and then rejoins the fight. One of the clan members remarks that his fur would make a great cloak, and Delano bites him extra hard for the comment. After the battle, he retrieves the horses so they can be on their way again.
In Spessa’s End, Delano offers Poppy some whiskey after dinner and asks her not to stab Casteel, telling her it makes him anxious.
The sky is suddenly ablaze, and Delano leaves to see why. When he returns, he’s injured—shot with arrows. He collapses and passes out. Poppy heals him as she did with Beckett.
After Cas and Poppy’s wedding, Delano travels with Naill and Beckett through the mist in the Skotos Mountains and plans to meet the others at Gold Rock. His group is the last to arrive, but it all worked out fine.
Following Poppy’s attack at the Chambers of Nyktos, Delano arrives with the other wolven. They all encircle and protect Poppy, growling when anyone gets too close.
It soon becomes clear that Poppy is way more than she seems, and Delano joins the others in bowing to her and letting out a howl. Discovering that Beckett was the one who led Poppy to the Chambers, thus leading to her attack, Delano, Emil, and Naill go to find the youngster.
When Poppy is captured and taken to Irelone, Delano joins the group that sets out to rescue her. On their journey later, he discovers that he can feel what Poppy dreams. In response to her thinking she’s a monster in sleep, he tells her that she’s not, she’s meyaah Liessa. Then he orders her to wake up—but not aloud; he tells her telepathically.
Poppy heals Quentyn’s pain when they deliver the news that Beckett was murdered, and Delano’s eyes glow with silvery wisps of light in his irises, just like hers, solidifying that the wolven are bonded to her.
And he will become one of the most closely bonded.
A carriage strikes down a child named Marji in town, and Delano runs to retrieve Cas and Poppy. He shifts and leads them to the little girl, but it’s too late. He can’t help but let out a whimper when she passes but is both relieved and awed when Poppy brings her back to life.
Delano extends an invitation to his King and Liessa to join in on some wolven wedding festivities. He asks his Queen to dance, and she tells him to call her Poppy, not something more formal.
After meeting with Poppy’s brother Ian, Delano joins the group headed to the capital. Once they arrive, he witnesses the transfer of crowns and guards the couple during the Council meeting.
On the journey to Iliseeum, Delano wears double swords on his hips. When Cas starts teasing Poppy about my diary, Delano asks her not to stab his King.
But he likes that book just as much.
Vonetta falls through the tunnel floor on their trip to Iliseeum, and Delano uses a torch to illuminate the situation. His concern triples when he surveys the floor and sees that it won’t hold much longer for any of them.
In the Land of the Gods, skeletons burst from the ground, and Delano asks how they’re supposed to kill already-dead soldiers. After Poppy uses her power to end the fight and she and Cas embrace, while everyone is a bit uncomfortable, Delano remarks that Poppy and Cas kissing is better than them fighting.
Delano takes part in the large planning meeting to discuss Oak Ambler. When they reach the city, he leaves his cloak behind for someone who needs it, absolutely disturbed by the state of the citizens. Dressed as a Solis guard, he’s wary as they enter the underground walkway in Castle Redrock, somehow sensing the Ascended know they’ve arrived. There are no guards at the tunnel entrances, and he imagines there would be, especially since it’d been breached in the past.
When they come across the caged cave cat, he suggests that the Ascended brought it with them to Castle Redrock and remarks that it looks underfed. When Poppy touches it, and it shifts forms to become a man, Delano tells her to stop touching things. He then wonders aloud if it’s a wivern.
Headed off by Millie and her guards, Delano attacks and is taken down in record time, pinned by blades at his stomach and under his chin. When the taunts come about Isbeth, Delano states that it doesn’t matter what the Blood Queen is because Poppy is a god.
After Cas surrenders, and the Blood Crown returns Tawny, Delano takes her to a room in Evaemon and summons the Healers and me.
Delano, Naill, Emil, and Vonetta accompany Poppy back to Oak Ambler to meet with King Jalara and deliver Poppy’s message. Just before she kills the King, Poppy tells him that Delano comes from a line of those given mortal form by Nyktos himself. After she separates the King’s head from his body, Delano drops Jalara’s head at the Revenant’s feet and then takes the dead King’s crown to Poppy.
During their trip to Massene, Delano and Poppy communicate via the Primal notam. He tells her there are twenty Rise Guards at the northern gate and two dozen mortals on the wall. He relays that Emil can take out those on the Rise. Once given the signal and they deal with the guards, he follows Emil to the gate.
Traversing the underground chambers of Cauldra Manor, Delano leads the way with Vonetta and Sage to ensure Poppy’s safety. As Poppy later wanders the ruins outside the manor, he accompanies her as a guard.
Like Poppy, Delano wonders about what Reaver said would happen if someone spoke the Consort’s name in the mortal realm. He says it sounds like she’s just as powerful as Nyktos.
When Poppy goes all Primal after receiving Casteel’s finger from the Blood Queen, Delano protects Perry but then tries to comfort Poppy once she calms down.
During the meeting with the generals, Delano keeps an eye on things in wolven form and growls when Aylard insinuates that Poppy is more concerned about the people of Solis than those of Atlantia—her people.
On their return to Oak Ambler, Poppy alerts Delano that they’re approaching the gate, and he telepathically assures her that she has their support. Then he, Vonetta, Sage, and Arden lead the wolven into the city.
When Perry is injured, Delano sits with him, reading from my journal—good reading material, indeed, and a great way to pass the time. However, I can’t imagine it would lead to much relaxation. Quite the opposite, actually. Poppy checks on them and heals Perry, and Delano thanks her and then kisses his partner.
Later, as they’re discussing the Primal magic they plan to use to locate Malec, Delano reminds everyone they still need a cherished item once they figure out the blood situation.
The group splits and plans to meet in Three Rivers. Delano and his group are forced to go to Padonia first, and Poppy reaches him via the notam there after she, Reaver, Kieran, and Malik leave Carsodonia with Casteel.
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