From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout

I shouldn’t be comforted. If anyything, both of us being reminded of
our duties was veryy badlyy needed, but I wasn’t just relieved. I was thrilled
and hopeful.
But what could I be hopeful for? There was no future for us. I mayy be
Poppyy now, but I was still the Maiden, and even if I was found to be
unworthyy upon the Ascension, that didn’t mean there’d be a happilyy ever
after for me with Hawke. I’d most likelyy be exiled, and I would never
expect anyyone else to suffer that.
It wasn’t like I thought that what we were or what we meant to one
another had grown to a place where Hawke would go into exile with me.
That was sillyy. That was…
That sounded like the kind of epic love myy mother had felt for myy
father.
Either wayy, last night had felt like a dream. That was the onlyy wayy I
could describe it. And I wasn’t going to let the what-ifs or the
consequences ruin the memoryy and what it had meant to me. I’d cross that
bridge when it came time to do so.
Right now, all I could reallyy focus on was not falling off Setti.
Myy cheeks stung from the icyy wind as we traveled through the Blood
Forest, the red maple leaves and grayy-crimson bark a blur.
We had moved into the heart of the forest, where the trees were less
dense, allowing more light rayys to come through. The sun didn’t warm the
air, though. If anyything, it got cooler the farther in we went, the trees even
odder.
Trunks and branches twisted, spiraling upward, their boughs tangling.
It couldn’t be the wind. All the trees stood straight, and the bark…it
seemed wet, almost as if the sap was leaking.
I’d been right earlier about snow falling if it rained. A few hours into
the ride, flurries swirled and drifted, blanketing the lush, vibrant green
grass on either side of the beaten path. I’d put myy gloves back on, but I
didn’t think myy fingers had ever thawed from the night. I secured myy
hood, but it could onlyy shield myy face to a certain degree, and I had no
idea how much longer we had to go. The forest seemed endless.
We slowed as thick, gnarled roots broke free from the ground and
climbed across our path as if theyy were tryying to reclaim the patch of earth
used byy the living.