The Poppy War

The Federation breaches Sinegard’s walls. Rin makes her first kill; she feels no emotion. She is tempted by the Phoenix’s fury and the poppy seeds in her pocket but decides against calling the god. Rin is attacked while staring at Raban’s dead body, but Nezha saves her. The former enemies team up and effectively cover each other’s weaknesses. A Federation general approaches them but Jiang blocks him.

The general recognizes Jiang, who is radiating with quiet power. A gate appears behind Jiang and beastly cries come from within. Jiang tells Rin and Nezha to run, but a wall comes down around them. Rin wakes under the rubble with Nezha beside her, bleeding profusely. She watches, frozen, as the Federation general climbs out from beneath the rubble and stabs Nezha in the stomach.

Rin swallows the poppy seeds and begs the Phoenix for help. She becomes an unmediated conduit for the Phoenix, who burns the general and everything in the vicinity. Rin loses all sense of time. She hears Niang taking care of her, and she is visited by Daji, who kisses Rin’s forehead and cools her internal fire.

Rin is held in the basement. She learns from Kitay that the Federation retreated in fear of the Speerly: Rin is shocked to realize he means her. The Academy is liquidated: Jiang is missing, Nezha is in the critical care unit, and the students are dispersed among various divisions. Kitay leaves with the Second Division to the wartime capital Golyn Niis.

Irjah—now a general—visits Rin on her sixth day in captivity. He reveals that he raised Altan after the Second Poppy War and that he knows about Speerlies’ powers. Rin is distressed when Irjah tells her she’s being assigned to the Cike. Rin, remembering the Cike’s terrible reputation, is distraught, but Irjah says he recommended Rin to the Cike to save her from being a pawn in the Warlords’ disputes. He calls in the Cike commander, who turns out to be Altan. Altan is astounded that another Speerly lives. He promises to help Rin control her power.

Altan tells her that everyone in the Cike, except their munitions expert and their physician, are shamans. Rin and Altan journey to the port city Khurdalain. Altan reveals that the country hinges on Khurdalain’s fate.

Three weeks later, Rin and Altan arrive at Khurdalain. They meet Qara, one of the Cike, who tells them that the Federation captured three sides of the city and a stretch of beach. Qara says the Warlords’ fighting has been exacerbated by a new general, who turns out to be Jun. Jun appears, dragging a teenaged Cike member, Ramsa, by the ear. Jun mocks and threatens the Cike, infuriating Altan. Altan and Ramsa go to the government complex to meet with the Warlords while Qara takes Rin to Enki, the Cike physician, who carefully metes her out some psychedelics.

At mealtime, Rin is introduced to more Cike members: Baji, a strong man who channels a boar spirit, Aratsha, a river-god initiate who spends his time as a barrel of water, and Unegen, a shape-shifter. Another Cike member, Suni, aggressively enters the mess hall. He is being mentally tormented by his deity, the monkey god. Altan rests his forehead against Suni’s and soothes him until the god exits his mind.

After three days of meeting with the Warlords, Altan summons Rin. He tells her about how commanding the Cike is different than dealing with Sinegardian graduates: They are undisciplined but have immense power when put to the right use. The rest of the Cike arrive and Altan details a plan to sink a fleet of Federation ships. Three days later, the Cike get in position. The boats approach and Ramsa forces them toward the Cike. Aratsha manipulates the tides to ground the fleet. Qara assassinates Federation soldiers with arrows while Suni and Baji smash through the rest. Rin and Altan are meant to take care of the stragglers, but Rin cannot call the Phoenix. Altan pushes her to safety and conjures a pair of fiery wings that incinerate everything in their vicinity. Together, the Cike sink the entire fleet.

Altan leaves to brief the Warlords and the others begin talking about the fall of Speer. Qara says the Speerly queen Mai’rinnen Tearza could have called the Phoenix to save the island, but the price the Phoenix asked for was too great and Tearza refused, dooming her people.

When Altan returns, Rin apologizes for being unable to call the Phoenix. Altan insults Jiang’s cautious instruction. Rin defends Jiang, saying that he wanted to protect her. She asks Altan how, after calling the Phoenix, he makes it stop; he replies, “I don’t.”

After the Cike’s attack, Federation delegates approach with a white flag. The Warlords argue over what to do, then toss the decision to Altan, who decides they should meet in hope of peace. They meet the delegation, and Rin gets a close look at a Mugenese soldier for the first time. She is disappointed to find they look more like Sinegardians than Rin and Altan do.

The delegation proposes a short ceasefire and have brought chests of sugar and salt as a peace offering. While the Militia meets with the delegation in private, Ramsa rushes in, saying the chest of salt is actually saltpeter. Everything explodes. Rin, Altan, and Ramsa survive, but Khurdalain is decimated. Rin helps Enki triage civilians for the rest of the day.

Hours later, Rin leaves the triage center. Qara won’t let Rin see Altan, who is “indisposed.” Time passes, and the Federation army torments nearby cities, causing an influx of refugees to Khurdalain. The populace turns against the Militia and the Warlords scapegoat Altan.

When Altan reemerges, he acts increasingly reckless and irrational. In Rin’s shaman training, the Speerly woman insists that Rin resist the Phoenix. Rin realizes this is the spirit of Tearza, the last Speerly queen.

Finally, 2,000 reinforcements arrive. Rin recognizes Nezha at the front of the ranks.