Ashwini Taj

Ashwini Taj, aka “Ash” or “Ashblade” — Ash first appears in "Angels' Pawn" and she's one of the co-leads with Janvier in "Angels' Pawn" #0.6 and Archangel's Shadows #7.

Introduction

Ashwini Taj is a Hunter-born member of the Guild like Elena Deveraux. Her best friend is Honor St. Nicholas. Her good friends are Naasir and Venom. Her love interest is Janvier.

History / Biography

Ashwini's father was a professor of philosophy and her mother was a literature professor. She fell behind in school before being diagnosed with dyslexia. Her parents were killed in a car crash when she was nine years old. raised by her older brother, Dr. Arvan Taj. She spent her early years trying to be normal. had studied ballet since age 3, planned to become a professional dancer. Her brother Arvan Taj had her committed to a mental hospital when she was fifteen.

Ashwini had been led to believe her older sister Tanu was killed with their parents, but found out years later that she was institutionalized. ran away from the institution and worked as a migrant farm hand. Then she entered the Guild Academy at age sixteen.

Ash has almost spooky precognition like abilities and she hears the thoughts and emotions of other through a single touch, lives their darkest thoughts and actions. Ashwini lives with the knowledge that she will eventually be trapped in her own mind like all of the women in her family before her for generations. This problem is caused by a tiny, untreatable malformation deep in the temporal lobe. Being turned vampire stops her mental deterioration almost completely. She will serve her 100 year contract at the Tower, and work for the Guild part time. She has been teamed with Janvier to hunt the older, more powerful vampires not handled by the Guild. For the future, Ash has been slated to become a member of Elena’s Guard.

About

Nick-Names

• “Ash” — what most people call Ashwini
• “Ashblade” — What Janvier calls her

Age

• 27 years old

Species

• Not Hunter-born, tracks by skill.
• Made Vampire

• Former Human

Allegiance

• Raphael

Occupation / Position

• Guild Hunter
• Tower Contract
• Future member of Elena’s Guard
• trained dancer with a prestigious company before deciding to take up hunting.

Powers & Abilities

• The ability to hear the thoughts and emotions of other people through touch—she lives their darkest thoughts and actions.
• Prescience — can sense future situations
• trained dancer

Weaknesses

• Lives with the knowledge that she will eventually be trapped in her own mind like all of the women in her family before her for generations.
• fell behind in school before being diagnosed with dyslexia

Character / Personality / Motivations

• has a clever, sly wit

Physical Description

• tall and slender, graceful
• 5 foot 10, dusky skin
• long, straight black hair, rich brown eyes

Love Interests

• Janvier

Connections

• Father: professor of philosophy
• Mother: literature professor
• Sister: Tanu
• Brother: Dr. Arvan Taj
• Fiance: Janvier
• Best Friend: Honor St. Nicholas
• Friends: Naasir and Janvier and Venom
• Maker: Illium
• Other:
• Allies:
• Enemies:

Other Details

• Ash gotten angry with Naasir of not riding with a helmet—he has done so since.

Other Associated Characters, Groups, Places, etc

• Venom
• Naasir
• Guild
• Monique Beaumont

Events in the Series

If you want to avoid spoilers, think of the book title as a "Spoiler Warning" for books you have not read yet. The purpose of this section is to be able to find things in the series. Please use References.

0.5. "Angels' Judgmemt"

Deacon told Sara that Ashwini shot him the first time they met.

0.6. "Angels' Pawn"

Ash enlists the help of Janvier on a Guild job for Nazarach. Monique Beaumont has been kidnapped by Callan Fox, leader of the Fox Kiss.

1. Angels' Blood

Ash is back from Bayou country from hunting Janvier, who is in Europe on a tour. Sara and Elena think that one of these days, Janvier is going to find himself staked. Elena sees her in the Cellars, they chat. Been back two days from Europe hunting the the Cajun. She complains that he had come to an 'understanding' with the angel who put out the track. She was in Uram's territory—Uram's fallen off the grid. His assistant Robert Syles is missing, too People are spooked. The decapitated bodies of Uram's servants had been found around the time Uram disappeared. Left the Cellars—Raphael, in the Quiet, is not the way there. Sara tell Ellie that Ash has a secret stash of handheld grenade launchers.

2. Archangel's Kiss

Ashwini refuses to go into Nazarach's territory. His house was full of screams, full of a pain. She got cornered by a pack of vamps in some back alley in Boston—they were out for revenge because she tracked one of them after he went rogue. They cut her up pretty bad. Ash killed two, wounded the others. She'll have no lasting damage—a month of recovery.

4. Archangel's Blade

She helped to rescue best friend Honor St. Nicholas from rogue vampires.

6. Archangel's Legion

Badly injured in the battle between Raphael and Lijuan in New York.

8. Archangel's Enigma

Venom, Raphael, Ashwini and Janvier had visited Amanat during the six months since Naasir had left New York—That kept Naasir from returning to his feral roots. Janvier and Ash stayed for a week longer—Naasir was delighted to have playmates who understood the way his mind worked.

Quotes

"Damn Cajun." ... "Uh-oh." ... "I finally get within a block of him and all of a sudden, he's come to an 'understanding' with the angel who put out the track." Her eyes narrowed. "One of these days, I'm going to turn him into gator-bait." ... Elena grinned. "Then where would the rest of us get our entertainment?" — Ashwini and Elena

"Oh, hey, El, one other thing I picked up-seems like they found more than a few decapitated bodies around the time Uram went AWOL. It looks like the poor buggers were his servants. Must've been some temper tantrum. Lucky we don't have to hunt these bastards." ... Elena nodded, feeling weak. "Yeah, lucky."

See Also

• The Guild
• Full Reading List

Book References

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