Iron Flame (Pt. 1)

[00:00:00] Speaker A: Welcome to B and Z Book Club. I'm Kristen. [00:00:02] Speaker B: And I'm Summer. This is the podcast where we bring you all the comfort and gossip of a regular book club. But just between you, me and her. [00:00:09] Speaker A: And you may be wondering what the B and the C stands for. The B stands for Blade. [00:00:16] Speaker B: The C stands for camp. [00:00:18] Speaker A: Today we're going over Iron Flame. This is going to be a little bit out of order of what we actually recorded them in because we realized as we were about to start publishing that Onyx Storm comes out pretty soon and we want to actually stop these in to be coming out pretty soon after that. So sorry if you hear us talking about other things in the next episode. [00:00:42] Speaker B: But the whole last episode and you're really excited for our next book. Oops. [00:00:49] Speaker A: Right Again, we're reading this because we read 4th Wing and I had never read this before. This came out six months after Fourth Wing though, which is kind of weird. [00:01:01] Speaker B: That is crazy. I didn't know it was so soon, but honestly it makes sense because she already has everything kind of planned out and I totally understand that right now in my book writing phase. So. Yeah, I mean she probably had it pre written before she was ever published. So all she had to do was edit some drafts. [00:01:26] Speaker A: Yeah, that's just not very typical for a first time author though. Usually it's the first book that takes the longest and then by the time you're actually doing the second book, you haven't had that much time to work on it as much. But that would make sense if she already had both drafts. [00:01:43] Speaker B: Yeah. And honestly, the first book blew up so much, they were like, we need to get this out asap. [00:01:50] Speaker A: Right. [00:01:50] Speaker B: I know you were excited for this book, but you did tell me already that it was a hard read through. Explain a little bit. [00:02:00] Speaker A: I mean, I was excited for this book, I guess. I mean the first one was fine. It was good, it was entertaining. It picked up pretty well. The second book, I, I don't know, I kind of had the problem with both books. I had to get like chapter 20 before. I was actually like, okay, I'm good. I don't want to actually put this book down. I picked this book up three times to start and I got halfway through the first chapter and I kept putting it down. [00:02:25] Speaker B: Oh, I will tell you that I. When I picked this book up the first time, I never put it down. But that was also because so much anticipation went into it because it was release day. I literally knew that it was being released. Had pre ordered the Amazon book, but The Amazon book wasn't coming until that night, and I wanted to start reading it as soon as I was able. So I bought the. The digital copy and read half of the digital copy, and then the book actually came in the mail, and I started the other half, the actual physical book, in my hand, and I finished it within 24 hours. I was so excited. [00:03:06] Speaker A: Yeah, I just don't have that level of excitement for this book series as you do, because it was fine. It's fine, it's entertaining, and it does pick up. There are times when I was like, oh, dang. I kind of forgot that I needed to write my chapter summary because I kept going because I never read this book. I didn't really know anything about it. I immediately thought that we weren't going back to the college. But then when we talked about it last episode, you were saying that we will probably go back to the war college. So I was like, well, then I guess they're going to try and, like, infiltrate from within. And I also figured that because she's so upset with Zaden, that there is still being a will they won't they place at the end of this book? [00:03:44] Speaker B: Okay, that's all I'm gonna say about your prediction. [00:03:48] Speaker A: I didn't really have much because the problem with her is that she doesn't know anything. I don't know anything because she doesn't know anything. And so I don't know what I don't know. [00:03:56] Speaker B: Yeah, I mean, that's a good point. Yeah. I mean, it does get into politics a lot more in the second part of this book. So we haven't even read the part. That's more. [00:04:10] Speaker A: And that's what I figured. I feel like I don't even have all of my facts straight yet. I don't know any details. I only know overarching what's happening. And as soon as I get nitty, gritty details and I can make predictions about things, but for the overarching, I'm like, I have no idea what they're actually doing, what their plans are, why they're so mad at them. [00:04:27] Speaker B: Yeah. Did you do a kiss prediction in this book? [00:04:32] Speaker A: No. [00:04:33] Speaker B: Okay. All right. So we start off the book getting you a little bit of answers. We're introduced to the Ryerson house. We find out, obviously, we knew this at the end of the last book. Brennan is alive. He's been alive this entire time. He's actually the Lieutenant colonel for the Rebellion. So that's a little bit of news. General Mel Green is the. The general for like the actual country, he has the signet where he can see the outcome of battles. And it's revealed that he can't see the outcome of things because their symbols on their skin, when they're all grouped together, he's unable to see it. So he can't see anything happening at Roarer's Den house, which is why they've been able to be undetected this whole time. Violet overhears a meeting about whether or not everyone needs to go back to the school. And she's kind of, like, watching as people say that she can't be trusted. And that's the end of our first chapter. On the second chapter, we learn that Brennan is still alive because of Taryn's previous writer had saved him. He basically, like, killed himself to save Renan. Violet tells her brother where the wyverns had been coming from. It wasn't knowledge, she just knew it from her dad's children book. And she's like, don't you remember? And he's like, actually, I have no idea what you're talking about. So they talk about their dad, and he says, it's scribes who hold all the power in the world. And she still believes that. And Brennan's like, look, we've got a revolution. I can't really care about what the scribes are doing. And Darna is revealed to have grown twice her size, and now her scales are black. And Violet is guilty because she feels that she forced her to grow faster by using too much of her power. And now Taryn says she's, like, a moody teenager, so try not to talk to her. [00:06:30] Speaker A: And I can't believe she has two black Dragons. Whenever leadership finds out, they're gonna be so mad at her. [00:06:35] Speaker B: They are. [00:06:36] Speaker A: In chapter three, we're back at the War School because they all had to have a talk. And all of them that went to ABS by Synth, however you say that place where they had. Where they met all the wyverns and everything, they talked about it, and they're like, okay, do we go back or do we stay? Because we could potentially be killed if we go back to the War College. They might think that we are traitors, but they end up going back. Violet and Zaden immediately go and get Liam's letter to make sure that they aren't burned. And Zaden is trying to reason with Violet this whole time, saying, like, I never lied to you. I just omitted. And she's gonna have to learn how to do the same now that they're back at the War College. And she's gonna be around a bunch of friends and people who can't find out what happened while they were gone. But previously he says, like, I'm gonna tell you everything. And now he's saying, like, I'm gonna tell you everything about me. I can't tell you everything about the war because one, you still don't know how to block properly. And two, you don't need to know specifics. Like you are not in leadership for the rebellion. Like you don't need to know every single secret that the Rebellion has. Sorry. And she is mad about that. And then he just says, look, I'm the leader of a rebellion. I'm gonna have some secrets. That's just facts. That just is what's gonna happen. And then they get into the graduation ceremony and everyone is staring at them. [00:07:57] Speaker B: Which is like, valid because they just came back from the dead. Also, Xaden's argument is valid. He is a leader. But you'll see, the second half of the book, he said all this stuff, but he is completely willing to tell her all of. All of the Rebellion secrets. [00:08:16] Speaker A: Exactly. Especially as this goes on and how this book ends. Sorry if it's gonna be spoilers, but the way that he saves her at the end, and she's like, well, he won't do that because the Rebellion. Like, he has to save the Rebellion. I'm like, that's not how he's operating right now. He already told you that he's going to do whatever you want him specifically to do. But anyway, they go inside and they have to explain why they're late. And they say that they were surprised by Griffins and their riders. And that's how so many of their squad members died. Zaden tells everybody. And then Violet has to confirm for everybody. And she's has to tell them what happened. Her mom believes her, but Dane's dad is upset because he's obviously the one that took him to the war games. And they bring back the parchment that has Dane's dad's writing on it. And so she knows for sure that Dana's the one that sent them out there and got those people killed. And she's like, for war games? Like you're gonna do this shit? And so he ends up getting sent far, far away to a border town. [00:09:14] Speaker B: Dane's dad? Not Dane? [00:09:16] Speaker A: No, Dane's dad. [00:09:17] Speaker B: He said Dane. [00:09:19] Speaker A: Oh, okay. And then they graduate. And Zaden is supposed to leave tomorrow on his orders because now he's graduated, graduated, he's no longer a third year. [00:09:29] Speaker B: Tragic but not that tragic. [00:09:32] Speaker A: Dane's still at a negative 20 for me, even though we didn't really see him much. Like, just by virtue of Dane's dad being an asshole. Like, Dana is still at a negative 20, and I can believe that they got away with it because her mom does love her, even though she doesn't show it. And so she thinks that she's, quote, unquote, protecting them by not letting them know about the wyvern. [00:09:49] Speaker B: Dane's a. Up next, Ranon and Riddick ask what it's like fighting a griffin. They're all being buddy, buddy. Imogen tells them that it sucked, and if it weren't for Zaden and Violet, they'd be dead. Zaden officially leaves, and he's been assigned to a coastal outpost. So they're kind of, like, upset about it because it means that they'll only be able to spend 12 hours together before one of them has to leave every time. And now they find out that Violet can only visit once and every 14 days for two days. But half of that time is going to be spent flying back and forth just to visit Zaden. And Zaden will be doing the same so that their dragons can spend time together. [00:10:32] Speaker A: I don't know why I said Dain's dad, but Dain's dad, I guess. [00:10:36] Speaker B: I think you said Dane's dad. Because this is a chapter where we introduce Professor Verish. Because. [00:10:43] Speaker A: No, I think this is. I think this is when Dane's dad threatens them and he says that, oh, yeah, because he's leaving doesn't mean that. [00:10:52] Speaker B: I think he specifically says, secrets die with the person who keeps them. [00:10:57] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:10:58] Speaker B: So he was like, don't fucking tell anyone. [00:11:01] Speaker A: All I gotta do is kill you guys, and it'll be fine. So I think that's why I was like, fuck Dain's dad. But yes, this is also when we see Verish, because in one of the little episodes before the chapter, it says, like, oh, I recommend that Varys should be taken off of this because his interrogations have led to too many deaths. And then it's like, next chapter. Hey, look, Veris is at the college. I'm like, yeah, that's gonna go great. All this guy who just loves torturing people too much is gonna teach them. Wonderful. [00:11:31] Speaker B: It is true. So they're celebrating now. Violet and all the first years who are now second years are all celebrating. They made it through the first year without dying. She's kind of drunk. And Zaden comes by to say his goodbyes before he leaves. She Nearly kisses him. But then she's like, obviously it's because I'm drunk and I just want him. And Zaden gives her a little advice before he leaves and says, trust no one. Except for the people who were with us back at the Roerson house. They're the only ones you can trust. Not even other Signet kids. The ones who are also marked, because we don't necessarily know that they'll not try to kill you. Then at the end of this chapter, we get a little bit into the hierarchy again. Since Zaden's gone, obviously he's no longer wing leader. We find out that Rhiannon is our new squad leader. So she's one of the bosses. She chooses one of their friends to kind of be her. Yeah, Sawyer. Kind, cadet kind of guy. And then we find out that Dain has been promoted to wing leader. And I was like, oh, God, Dana's a bitch. [00:12:46] Speaker A: They already knew that, though. [00:12:47] Speaker B: Yeah, that's true. He's just horrible. At least until after the first part of this book. He's just a horrible person. [00:12:55] Speaker A: He's not even really in this first part of the book. [00:12:57] Speaker B: Actually, he is just to try to talk to Violet. Like, that's his only appearances are him trying to talk to Violet and just being a bitch to go do it, I guess. [00:13:11] Speaker A: But the way that I thought that Dean's story was going to go down was that he was going to be an actual traitor. Because you hated him so much in the first one. And anytime that I was like, I don't know, he seems like he's like, sort of. And you're like, no, we hate Dane. We hate Dane. And then in this one, he's like, literally just there in the first half, and then he is on their side in the second half. As far as I'm aware, you're on. [00:13:31] Speaker B: A Dane Redemption arc, Kristen, and I'm immediate hop off. [00:13:36] Speaker A: So we're at chapter seven, and they go into a room that they've never seen before with the rest of their squad. And Violet feels bad for lying to Ri about what's happening and what happened when they were gone. And I just feel like she is really taking a lot out on Zaden from how much she feels upset about how much he lied to her. I don't know. You now have to lie to everybody around you. So, like, maybe let's take it down a notch just a tad. They're in a new classified class called Writer Survival Course, RSC with a new professor Grady. And they will do interrogations, and they'll do field training in this class. Then she goes to the archives and tries to get information on wards. And I figured that this is where this is going because Jesenia is the scribe who whites the the history according to the beginning of these novels. And so obviously she would eventually help them. In chapter eight, we are at conscription day. We're at the beginning of the line and like the parapet to get the names before they walk out onto the parapet. And she sees Cam Arric, who is King Taurus third son. And she sees Sloane, who is Liam's sister, who she promised to protect last year with Liam when he died. And Sloane hates her and blames her for Liam's death. But Violet still gives her some advice about putting her hair up and doing a bunch of stuff, even though it's against the quote unquote rules. And Dana's telling her that she shouldn't be doing this, but she's like, it's Liam's sister. I'm not going to try and help her. She does make it. And Sloane ends up getting added to their wing. And as they're lining up in their units for the first time so the first years can see the dragons and everything, some of them run like they always do. Which causes Vice President Commanded Barish his dragon Solas to burn the runners and then half of third squad just because it can. And so while this is happening, she's talking to Taran and Taran was telling her like, hey, keep your eye on Solas because he is a missing eye and is just a beat up dragon in general. And also Varysh is not a great person, so it's just a combination you do need to watch out for. And then he burns half of third squad. And so then Taryn wretches over there and is like, back the off because my person is burned. My rider is burned because Violet shielded Sloane the best she could. And so Taryn comes up and is pissed and he makes sure to put Solas in his place. He yells at him and roars at them and makes sure that everyone knows who's boss around here. And it's for sure now that Violet has an enemy in Verish, if she didn't already. [00:16:31] Speaker B: Yeah. Our next chapter starts with her trying to get some exercise in. Everyone's very concerned about it. She keeps saying, I'm going for a run. And they're like. But like, really? What are you doing? She's like, no, really, I'm going for a run. And they were like. So finally she reveals to Imogen that she's starting to run because she saw someone die, and it was because they didn't run fast enough back at the quote unquote Griffin attack that made them be missing persons. So Imogen's like, okay, that's fine. We're gonna get faster together, and we're gonna run every morning so that we can get there. Now we go to a battle brief, which I like. Battle briefs. Kristin, summarizing a battle brief. Because you have to know what's important information to put down, and what's not important information to put down sucks. And somehow in this stupid book, I got every single battle brief. [00:17:36] Speaker A: Well, it's good that you are the one that got the battle brief, because you actually know it's relevant for the future, and I don't. [00:17:41] Speaker B: That's so true. Except I would be reading those battle briefs like, oh, my God. So during battle brief, we discussed two attacks involving Griffins near S Bend mountains. And this is what you're talking about. The Athen outpost. Yeah. Raising questions among the cadets about enemy tactics. And so they're talking about them, and then class is over. So that's my only battle brief summary because I was like, this is what's relevant? I think so. So now we're after class. Rhiannon tells Violet that she thinks they're hiding something at the school. Violet's like, what are you talking about? She says, there's something at the back of the mender's quadrant. I've taken a couple of kids there. Something fishy is happening. Our main healer, he looks beat up constantly. And that new commander, Verish, is known for torture. They're like, jesus Christ, that sucks. But I'm sure he's just being overworked. And so now we go on to assessment day, where first years are being pinned against each other to spar. Liam's sister asked to fight Violet, and Imogen is like, don't be effing, idiot. I know who trained her. She might have sucked last year, but she doesn't suck anymore, so she turns her down. So then somebody's like, oh, you want to fight Violet? Sorengale. Did someone say Sorengale? And Nadine is joking around. She's like, yes, look at me. My purple hair. I'm Violet. And immediately, somebody snaps her neck. Bam. Dead. Next chapter. Nadine is dead. There's. There's no way to save her. Violet is fighting the stranger and goes with her knives to his calves and stuff. And he's kind of beating her. She's kind of beating him. Finally, he whispers secrets die with the people who keep them. And that tells her that it's Dain's dad who's trying to have her killed and that he's been by him. Dana's trying to help once the guy's finally dead, and she pushes away from him, and she's like, get the off me. I'm not talking to you. Don't touch me. And he's just being a little bitch. And then he's like, you need to go the healer. And she's like, no, I'm just gonna stay here for the rest of the assessment. I'll be fine. And then finally, we get our first Zaden coming to her. They briefly discuss nothing really important, and then he tells her to start paying attention to when she flies to his station. And he tells her that the wards for his rooms are just for her. And he hands her a little letter, and then he leaves. And it's all cute. [00:20:35] Speaker A: Very cute. One of the reasons why I didn't do any kissing predictions was, one, I never know when they're going to be in a chapter together until the chapter comes. And two, they are basically kind of in a quasi relationship this whole book. So it's a little bit harder for me when it's like, will they or won't they energy? Because 95% of the time they will. They just have to give theirself permission to do so. [00:21:00] Speaker B: That's so true. That's very valid. [00:21:02] Speaker A: So at chapter 11, Jinya comes out of the archives to bring Violet a book on the first six writers, and then to ask for help on a couple of translations, because Violet knows a dead language that Jenia doesn't know very well. And so she's like, I would prefer not to be seen asking for help, but I kind of need it. And I know that you would never say anything. So because they're friends, she asked for help. She also offers to show Violet the translations they've been doing in the archives on a Sunday when there's less people around, because apparently they're doing a really big effort to translate all of the old archival stuff. Just then somebody is dragged out and taken away. And just any is like, oh, my gosh, I think that's my fault, since I logged a book that he was looking for. She doesn't say what the book was, and then they just part. Violet goes to training and she talks to Re and then has a small confrontation with Verish, who wants to see Andarna do all of the moves that they've been learning in class. And because she's supposed to be sleeping. And because they're not supposed to know that she's sleeping and she's transitioning from a golden one to a black one that they. They're like, oh, yeah, you know, she's around. She's too small to be doing any of this. It's fine. But he's super upset about it, and he's like, there's gonna be consequences if she doesn't come to the next one. Bode gives her information to pass on to Zaden without actually telling her anything. She gets mad at him a little bit for this because she's like, I'm not a messenger. You guys should be trying to actually tell me things instead of just having me pass information without actually knowing anything. And then he tries to help Zaden out and be like, well, he loves you. He loves you more than anyone. Even, like, the one girl cat. And she's like, what are you talking about? He's like, well, I don't know. You should just go. It's been. It's good to see you. Bye. [00:22:49] Speaker B: Oh, Bode. [00:22:51] Speaker A: And it turns out also that the marked ones that went with them to see the Weirin attack have been getting attacked regularly. And it seems like they are trying to get assassinated by Dane's father just every other day or something. Right before she's about to leave, Verish comes out to search her pack, and there's nothing that they find. But when she goes back onto Taryn, he's like, oh, it's a good thing they didn't check me, because I have all the stuff that they need. And so Bode knew this would happen, which is why she's angry about leaving and doing things unprepared. And so she's on her way to go see Zaden angry again. But also, they really don't tell her anything. [00:23:36] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:23:36] Speaker A: So I kind of get it. But at the same time, I don't know. Yeah. She gets to the outpost, and she can't find anyone, so she uses her bond to find him. And he's fighting in, like, a little place that they have for fights, I guess, because. Yeah, it's like a fight pit. They literally have a fighting pit. And because only one lieutenant gets to have a weekend pass. And so he's fighting to get to spend time with her, basically. And so she's like, oh, my God, that's so high. And also, his shirt is off, and he looks so good, and I can't believe he's doing this for me and for Seagull and for Everyone. Oh, my God. And she is talking to somebody that's next to her, and, like, they're watching him fight. And then she's like, yeah, I know he's going to win. And she's like, oh, how do you know that? I'm like, he's holding back, obviously. So then she, like, gets through his mind palace and is like, okay, can we. Can we wrap this up? I'm here now. And he's like, okay, sure. And so then he, like, pounds on him and immediately wins. He gets the pass or whatever. And he's like, actually, I only need it for 24 hours. You can give the other 24 hours to the other guy. Since Violet is only going to be here for 12, and so he really only needs that much, she decides because she's super horny and getting turned on watching him fight, that they're going to make out. But he refuses to have sex with her until she trusts him and wants a relationship with him again and says those three little words that he wants to hear. And he doesn't want to have sex with her as a tool to get her back. And I think that withholding sex is also kind of a tool to get her back, but whatever. [00:25:12] Speaker B: Yeah, that's so true. [00:25:17] Speaker A: They. They say it at the end. And he was like, well, you're the one who said that you couldn't do sex without emotion. And so she was like, oh, he kind of got me there. Which I do get. But at the same time, guys, come on. They move on to the rebellion and how the daggers are used to kill, since they're made out of this special alloy which is imbued with Ward power. But they're not entirely sure how it works, since all of that knowledge is classified. And I think she's going to try and figure out a way to extend the wards or get mass power to the areas where they have this alloy underneath them, kind of like in Orisha or Ryerson House. And she always complains that he never tells her anything, but he also said, you just need to ask me questions. And she doesn't ever ask any questions, so. Which is also addressed earlier, where she was like, or I could just make you ask me in the form of a question, and that's the only way I'll tell you information. So again, she does have a comeback for this, but at the time, like, just ask some fucking questions and maybe you'll get some answers. I don't know. [00:26:13] Speaker B: For real. And then later, she asked a question, he answered, and she's like, whoa, what was that? I was like, come on. [00:26:19] Speaker A: Maybe if you did this sooner. He already told you he would be answering your question. [00:26:22] Speaker B: They arrive back at the school, and immediately Parrish and Professor Carr are there waiting for her. He says, hey, since. And Darna never came to flight training, you're now being punished. And Tarn is like, hey, you can't control a dragon. He's like, yeah, but I can control Violet. So now she's being forced to wield lightning a bajillion times by 25. She's, like, near death already. And she's exhausted and still being pushed to her limits. Professor Carr is like, you can't let her burn out. Not only will you lose her if she burns out, you're gonna lose Tarn, you're gonna lose her other dragon. You're gonna lose Zaden, a Shadow wielder. Like, we. We gotta step back. And Verish is like, no, let's just keep going. So they keep going and keep going. So she eventually makes it to, like, 40 times and then collapses. And so finally, Varish is like, okay, you can be released. So Tarn immediately grabs her and dips her into this river to cool her down because the. The lightning was kind of, like, overheating her. And he calls to the other dragons to call on her friends to come and help her. So they all come, and they take her back. And then she's kind of, like, in the recovery. And on Friday, she's hanging out and just watching Liam's sister spar and get her ass handed to her with Imogen. And they're just talking back and forth about it. Ri shows up to walk with her to Physics from the sparring gym, and they meet up with Sawyer and Riddick in the hallway as well. And then all of a sudden, the four of them are kidnapped. And then a page later, it's the rsc, the Writer Survivor course. And they're told that they have to make their own way back to the school. So the professor is like, hey, guys, here's your goal. Here's some water before you get going. Drink up. And they all drink up, and it diminishes their contact with their dragons, and it kind of pisses everybody off, which is understandable. They're like, why would you take away something that we rely on so heavily? Then their group is paired with a different group from infantry, and then they're paired with a couple scribes and one healer. So then they're told each different group has a different task to do, but you need to all do it. Together. So the riders will have a task that kind of relies on the infantry getting their task done and so on so forth so they can rely on each other. The professor leaves and now they're bickering and walking around. They're butting heads. The infantry is like, why do riders all think they're better than us? And the writers are like, have you ever ridden a effing dragon, bro? We are better than you. And they're just going back and forth. Finally, somebody asked to borrow a map, even though she already has her own map. And she figures out that they were all given different maps so they have no idea where the f they are. And they're all lost. They're walking through the forest and they come across a dragon. It happens to be Jack's old dragon, the dragon of the rider. She personally killed our girl Violet. And he's was just like coming up to them. Violet and the other riders all think quick on their feet and they block the non dragon riders and their thinking process there is that the orange guy isn't gonna risk getting killed by all of their own dragons, but he doesn't care about anybody else because there's no dragons to kill him if he kills, like an infantry member. And so they're blocking and they're like telling everybody to just stay there. But all of a sudden the leader of one of the infantry groups takes off running and is immediately burnt to a crisp. [00:30:27] Speaker A: Yeah, I did think that this was going to be part of the test, especially since they said there's going to be two tests, the first one and then the final. But yeah, in chapter 15, they're lost and they're lost for several days, but they are able to survive working together. And infantry is able to hunt pretty well because they have pacts about being on the ground where it's obviously the writers don't have anything like that. We can also tell that something is wrong with Violet, but they don't really talk about it. And then the next day they're picked up by the professors who give them their bonds and their signets back because they also weren't able to do magic while they were cut off from their dragons. So Taryn saw Seagull for a couple of hours since Zaden was over here for Sagle and Taryn. And so they were able to see each other for a couple hours. But Violet doesn't see Zaden and she feels like she's not going to be able to see Zaden next week either. And I thought she gained some allies in infantry but then when I was reading the book later, I realized that person was a healer and not an infantry. So in chapter 16, Violet goes into the archive and she sees Aoife and Jesenia, and Aoife was the scribe with them on the trip. And so they're, like, talking a little bit. And Eva leaves. And then Jesenia tells her about the book that that one guy that was dragged out a couple of chapters ago requested before he died. And it was about an attack that, quote, unquote, didn't exist, but he insists that it did because a couple of his family members were in this. And so he was trying to find information about it. And so she put in the request in order to try and get help, and maybe, like, some higher ups would know what book that he was talking about. But instead, he got dragged away and tortured and then eventually killed, which is what Violet tells her now, is that he was eventually killed. Then Violet realizes that Jesenia must have never set up her book request from last year, because if she had, then Violet would probably have gotten dragged out and gotten talked to. [00:32:16] Speaker B: So. [00:32:16] Speaker A: So Violet asks Yesenia about it, and then realizes that Yesenia hasn't been putting any of her book requests in for this year. With all the stuff that she's been wanting for Wards and the Six and everything, she doesn't put any of those on the books for any leadership to know about it. And so this whole entire time, it's been covert. And she's wondering why, and she's like, well, you specifically asked me for a book that you knew about. And normally I would say, like, oh, well, they're just mistaken. Like, there's no way that that book would actually exist, but it's you, so obviously you would know about it. And then she says, well, yeah, actually, and I found the copy of the book that I asked you about. Mira gave it to me. And so Violet decides to risk it and ask Yesenia to get her books on Ward specifically, since now she knows that she's not giving her requests to any of the leadership. And Yesenia just has one request, which we find out later, was to look at Violet's book that she just found on the we're in. And Folklore. Then we go to the first years where they're getting challenged for the first time, and Sloane is up. She almost dies, but Violet poisoned her Challenger, and so she was able to win. Violet tells her to train with Imogen properly, and if she does, she'll give her a letter a week from Liam, and that's the letters that she pulled from Liam's room when they first got back so that they didn't have to burn them. As she's leaving, she sees Verish to come and search her things before she goes and sees Zaden. Everything's fine. They don't find anything. And then when she does get to the place that Zaden is, turns out that Xaden got assigned to be on 24 hour duty while Violet is there. So they will not see each other. [00:33:52] Speaker B: There's consequences to making sure that your infant dragon is there to learn fighting styles. Next chapter. Rhiannon's parents sent her a flyer that warns everyone in their village not to take in strangers. So everybody starts getting a little bit on edge. They're like, what is this? Why are they warning everyone? What's going on? Markham falsely claims that puramish people are spreading propaganda about the dragon attacks on cities, despite proof that these cities are intact. And everyone's still on edge about it, and they don't know who to believe. Violet is outraged at all the lies because she knows for a fact that Markham is lying. And she struggles to maintain control over her lightning wielding abilities during class. So she kind of strikes some lightning in the courtyard and runs out of there, and then she ends up in the archives before she even knows better. Jessina is like, what are you doing here, Violet? You need to leave. It's not meeting hour for us. And Violet's like, look, I don't know how I ended up here, if I'm being honest, but we need to start meeting more. And she's like, okay, let's meet on Saturdays. And that's suspicious. [00:35:14] Speaker A: She's acting so suspiciously because she's trying to act not suspicious. And it's like, girl, just chill out a little bit. [00:35:22] Speaker B: After this, Zaden is back, and they actually get to see each other. She's like, man, this guy is hot, and I kind of love him. He comes back from bathing because he had to wash off the flight, and then he sees her fiddling about with her books, and he's like, okay, what are you hiding from me? What are you reading about? And she kind of confesses. And then he's like, all right, I'm going to the secret meeting you have with Jessina about these books because you've put yourself in danger. And now I'm effing pissed off. On their way there, they run into Nolan, our main healer guy, and he makes kind of a side comment about healing the soul and how much of a wear it's been taking out on him. And that's literally it. And then he's gone. So we see that, and then Jessina brings them the books. Violet says, I told you we could trust her. And it leads to an argument about how trust goes both ways. And then Zaden's like, you know what? F this, I'm gonna go see Bode. I don't want to fight with you right now. [00:36:27] Speaker A: And the small little comment about Nolan and about healing a soul, I'm like, okay, is it actually a soul? Is somebody dead? Is it somebody evil? And they have to cleanse their soul? Is it like a Weirin or something? Or, like, one of the people that, like, rides Weirans that they found and they're trying to cleanse their soul in order to make them, like, a real person again? I wasn't entirely sure. Or is it an enemy? And it's a different type of interrogation. It's not a typical, like, beat you until you're bloody interrogation. Maybe it's a mind interrog segregation, where, like, something is happening inside your mind, and so he has to keep healing your mind. Do you know what I mean? I was like, what could it possibly be for healing a soul, which is making him so run down. And no one is able to heal anybody in the healer's quadrant until a month from now because of what's happening. [00:37:11] Speaker B: I love that you have so many theories, because the first time I read this book, I was like, oh, interesting. And then moved on. I was like, I guess we'll find out eventually. [00:37:23] Speaker A: And then also, maybe they should just say what they want to say. Violet and Zaden, because they keep skirting around what they want to say, and if they're just straight up with each other, it would just make things so much easier. [00:37:32] Speaker B: Girl, I'm gonna warn you right now. They're like this. [00:37:35] Speaker A: The whole world understand. It's so frustrating. If you just talk straight with each other, if you just said what you wanted to say instead, she's like, he doesn't love me. And in his mind, he's like, I love her so much. I love her with all of my heart. I would do anything for her. And she's like, he hates me. I'm just a little fling that he likes to have around. My gosh, that's so. [00:37:55] Speaker B: I. I am not a huge fan of the if you just spoke, everything would be fixed trope. But I also understand that we can't have them together yet. Okay. We still have another book, actually. Is Rebecca trying to make this a five books or three book series while. [00:38:14] Speaker A: You look that up. I'm gonna go to chapter 19. So chapter 19, they're at the flight training and. And Darna still isn't there. And Varric is very happy about this, and he tells her that she should go receive her punishment with Professor Carr. But instead, Taryn is like, no, no, no, no. I don't know who you think you are. You don't tell dragon what to do. And he's like, yes, I do. I tell you what to do. Cadet Soren Gail. So it doesn't matter what your dragon thinks. But Taryn again is like, no, no, no, no, no. So he instead attacks Verish's dragon, Solas, and he gets him around the neck, his little teeth on his neck, and is like, if you make her go, I'm gonna kill your dragon. And guess what that means? It means you're dead too, bud. So maybe let's think about our actions here. He also forces Verish to get on his knees and apologize to Violet, as he should. [00:39:05] Speaker B: By the way, it's a five book series, so obviously they can't get together in book two and be happily together. [00:39:13] Speaker A: I would actually prefer that in book series. If we just had a nice, steady relationship at the center. [00:39:19] Speaker B: It would be nice maybe if you write a book. Okay. [00:39:24] Speaker A: So she talks to Bree before leaving for the weekend, and Violet blows up on her about how war college is necessary because it shapes them into weapons and how seeing death is the only thing that prepares them to keep going. And if she hadn't seen all the people die in, like, the Gauntlet and all of the War college preparation games, then she wouldn't have been prepared to continue to move after Liam died and people actually died while they were in battle. And so Ri is like, well, you didn't tell me any of this, so I didn't know any of this. If maybe if you would open up to me, we wouldn't have so many issues about how you need to blow off some steam communication. And again, right before she leaves, Verish comes up to her and checks her pack, and re again is like, why aren't you telling me that these things are happening to you? I don't understand. Chapter 20. We are with her and Zaden. And he says that she needs to choose to be with him and kiss him. And so she does, because they first get there, and as soon as he walks up to hers, he's like. In her mind is like, you need to choose to be with me if you want to stay with me tonight. You have to kiss me if you want to be with me and stay the night. And so she's like, okay, yeah, that's fine. And then as soon as she does, her sister walks up and is like, oh, really? So this is going on now. And Mira can tell that she's in love with Xaden. Zaden has patrol all day, and so literally the only time that she will see him is when they sleep together tonight. And she tries to talk to Mira about the wards, since Mira's signet kind of affects the wards and allows her to bring that protection and extend it. And so she's trying to get information, but she keeps running into classified information that she's not supposed to know. And Mira is suspicious about everything that Violet is asking. Then Violet kind of throws it out there, like, oh, you know, it would be funny if, like, it wasn't Griffin's. What if it was, like, actually weird, you know, just throwing it out there. Just. Isn't that, like, a little. I don't know. Just think about what our dad told us. And she's like, what are you talking about? Stop reading so much. You're just reading all that folklore that dad had. You are reading so much into this. There's no way that could happen. And then that night, when Xaden comes back to the room, they talk about how Commands killed some civilians today and how she kept the ward thing from him so that she could have her own secret because he kept keeping secrets from her. And he also tells her that the alloy from the daggers and the wards and everything are made from metal and dragon eggs. And this is when she asks a question and he tells her outright, and she's shocked about him answering the question. [00:41:49] Speaker B: Did you just answer me? After all of that, we go back to school and I get another battle class chapter. So all of the professors are there and they're all on edge and they're running off to, like, go do a fight. Their professor that normally runs the battle class is replaced by a different person. And now they're all debating the costs and benefits of society's unification in class, such as lost languages, culture and restricted travel between the different places. And that's. That's the relevant information for this battle class. That's all I've got for you. They go to where they spar and stuff to that class. And now Dane is, like, trying to talk to her, and she's denying him, like, F off, dude. So instead, he abuses his position and challenges her to a match, and she has to fight him even though she's in a sling because she's injured. Dain is fighting her. Not really fighting hard, but still is, like, making her do this. And he tells her during the fight that Zaden's not telling her everything. And her mother is the one that etched all the scars into Zaden's back because he has 107 scars, each one representing each Rebellion member's child that he's taken responsibility for. And that ends the fight. He's like, whatever. I'm done talking to you. Rhiannon figures out that Dane stole a memory from Violet because Violet's like, don't touch me. Don't touch me. Don't touch me. And Ri is like, what's going on? What happened? And she's like, the last time he touched me, he stole something from me. So, like, she kind of, like, figures it all out by giving her leading questions and stuff. And Violet's like, you're not supposed to know this, so you need to keep it to yourself. And she promises she will. Now we get to a princeling talking to Violet because he's hurt from a challenge, and he's being walked to the healers. And he's like, by the way, I know everything. And she's like. And he's like, yep. And that's literally it. We don't know what everything is. We don't know if it's the Venin, the Wyverns, nothing. He's like, I know. And she's like, he knows. And then we lead to Violet in the next chapter, having a bad dream or, like, different people dying during the battle she went through and how she could have done different things. Zaden returns and gives her a little trust by showing her where they keep the contraband. He's like, hey, tonight I'm going to show this to you because you were able to resist Dain when you were fighting him, so good job, babe. Here's a little trust thrown your way. Except she never makes it. And Verish finds them first and butts heads with Zaden immediately and is like, actually, you need to come with me because you need to be punished. And Zaden's like, actually, she's not going with you anywhere because she's injured and you can't take her. You can fuck off. You don't control me. I'm not in your line of command, so f. Off, dude. I was like, oh, Zaden. Warning him not to touch her is. It's a little. I'm a little overheated. And she's like, zayden, it doesn't matter. I have to Go anyway. Peace out. And they know that she's going to be tortured because she's on her way to the interrogation class thing. [00:45:24] Speaker A: At the interrogation class, they are given a phrase they have to keep secret. And they also have to tell the rest of the squad a secret that nobody else knows. The professor is in there and tells them, the first couple days are instructional. Make sure you guys eat before you go in, but this is something that we will be testing you on. And gives them the rundown. And then he leaves. And they eat and drink like they're told, except they don't drink, because right as they're about to, Violet smells it and remembers what the smell was from the other drink. They had to sever their connection with their dragons and their signets, and so they fake taking it instead. They're making it through interrogations. Varys seems like he's gonna tell somebody to come roll up because the normal interrogation tactic aren't working. And then Dane shows up. And I was like, dane, you motherfucker, I know you're gonna fuck things up for everybody. But I thought that she would mostly be able to keep him out and that she would give him, like, flashes of Zaden and her, like, making out or something, and he wouldn't get out. But apparently Dain actually did come to get Violet because she's injured, and she shouldn't technically be taking part in an interrogation because she's injured. And Verish is trying to get him to still use his signet on her anyway. And he's saying, like, well, you could find out why she chose Zaden. You can find why she's so mad at you all the time. And it seems like he might do it, but she says no, and he says no. And so then he leaves, and he's like, well, she's. She's injured, and so I'm not supposed to do anything like this. And so Verish is like, what a rule follower. But this is when we find out that Verish is Dain's teacher. And so Verish has some type of mind something reading of something in that general area, because he's the one that teaches Dain about how to focus and connect in the way that he needs to. Because Dain leaves, Varysh decides that he's gonna go back to good old fashioned torture. And so he punches her and she passes out. So when she wakes up, they've extended their interrogation time and they keep going because nobody is broken yet. Nolan comes in and was healing her before he leaves. He says, like, oh, man, I Guess I haven't really been paying attention like I'm supposed to. And so he kind of cracks the door and then also distracts Verish by taking him to the. Whatever prisoner they have. And so the four of them are able to escape after Violet uses her dagger to open the door in some way through the wards. [00:47:47] Speaker B: I'd just like to point out that it's my effing chapter again for Battle Brief. Let's start there. They have all escaped, and they got their patch because they're the only ones who ever escaped or something like that. And they're all pretty proud of it, I think. [00:48:05] Speaker A: They're only ones that haven't broken. Like, they didn't break an interrogation. [00:48:10] Speaker B: That makes sense. When they get to Battle Brief, there's a flyer distributed everywhere that says Zola has fallen and has been overrun. And nobody knows if it's real or not. Everyone's discussing it. And then a professor comes in and is like, actually, guys, this was just to teach you about propaganda, but doesn't continue to teach them about propaganda. Just ignores it completely. So, like, there were signs. He just dismisses the topic and moves on. And then he's like, by the way, guys, I have an exciting announcement for you. Your old classmate Jack Barlow, who was believed to be dead after being crushed by a mountain, is now alive and back with us. The healer has healed him, and he is here. [00:49:02] Speaker A: And really, this is the guy that we want to bring back. This is the guy that we want to do experimental magical healing on this guy. Really? [00:49:10] Speaker B: That's what they decided. The only guy that they're gonna bring back from death is this guy. Don't necessarily know the thought process behind choosing him over everybody else. [00:49:20] Speaker A: Other than good plot twist. [00:49:22] Speaker B: Yeah, she's flipping about, Jack. They're continuing their discussion. Her professor announces that a writer has been injured in an attack at an outpost, and that outpost happens to be exactly where Zaden and her sister are. So now she's freaking about one of them being injured more so Zaden. And then the professor gives her a little sign telling her who it was by scratching her neck where Xaden's the relic is on his neck. And that's what tells her that Zaden was the one to hurt Violet. Literally, is like, peace out. I'm Audi. You're not stopping me from leaving this time. And she hops on Tarn and gets the out of there. And everybody's like, you don't have leave. And she's like, bye. [00:50:09] Speaker A: So they fly all the way to the outpost Samara, only to find him already healed. And so she's mad at herself for getting so worked up about it when he's always so calm and collected anytime that she sees him, and she's like, you would have never fly all the way over to see me if you found out that I was injured. If you didn't even know that I was actually me that was injured or not. And you would have actually gotten all of the information correct before you made any rash decisions. And he's like, no, I wouldn't have done that at all. What are you talking about? That is not who I am as a person. Have you met me? They make out and they decide to have sex, and he offers to take her with him to drop off the daggers once again. And I was more like, are we going to really put ourselves into a situation when you know that you just went through a huge interrogation class and you know that there's going to be a final on it later, and you still don't know if Dane is able to actually get through your shields or not since you didn't actually test it. But we're going to go where there's more classified information. I don't know. Just seems silly to me. But whatever. [00:51:06] Speaker B: I love that that's your takeaway from that chapter, because mine was, oh, my God, Zaden is so hot. God damn it, Rebecca. I'm in love with this man. And I hate that I'm in love. Because they have, like, a weird shower sex scene during this chapter. And then he's like, we could go back to my room and have more, or we can leave and you can come with me to this post. And you're like, oh, my God, he's gonna bring her. And I'm like, no, go to the bedroom. [00:51:35] Speaker A: I didn't say that I didn't want them to go to bedroom. I'm just saying she decided immediately they were not going to the bedroom. And I'm like, is that a good idea? I don't know about that. [00:51:43] Speaker B: You know what? Valid. [00:51:45] Speaker A: So while they're dropping out the daggers, Taryn makes her stay on her back because they're beyond the wars at this point. And they see Serena again, one of the Griffin Riders that was there the last time. And they make the trade. And when they make the trade, Zaden tells her that they need to back off with the attacks that they've had on Samara, because that's what they just had an attack from. It was Gryffindriders that came, and that's why Zaden did this whole rescue, and so he's like, hey, I got injured, and I had a whole Griffin talon in my arm. So you guys need to stop doing that. I'm giving you guys as best I can. If you can't handle all the other Griffin riders, then I'm not gonna give you shit and I'm gonna let you die. Because if you take that down, then you basically take everything down, and the Weirin will be able to get the hatchlings, and, like, basically everything will crumble. So you guys need to back off. Also, Xaden's ex is their cat, and she realizes while they're having the conversation that that's Xaden's ex. There's always something that happens in these, like, right after they have sex of a small little detail of something that could rip them apart right after they just get good. And I'm like, if this is like that small little thing that rips right after they get good, I'm gonna lose my mind. [00:52:50] Speaker B: I wouldn't say it doesn't now. [00:52:53] Speaker A: It doesn't right now. But, yeah, they're about to be in the actual rebellion where there's going to be a lot more contact with exes and things. And who knows? [00:53:02] Speaker B: Anyway, we get to the next chapter, and Violet's jealous. Tar says, cut it the out. There's two dragons that chose you and none chose her. So don't be so pathetic. Zaden is like, we should go back to my room and continue what we were doing earlier. And she's like, yeah, we could do that. But also, I have a lot to tell you. Like, a lot, a lot. And so he's like, damn it. And then it skips apart, and she basically tells him everything that's been going on, especially that Jack is back cut forward. She's back at school. She flew back with Turn, and she has a special knife in her jacket, and it's Zaden's jacket because he got super jealous about her wearing Bode's jacket. And so he was like, actually, you need to wear mine and F off with that other shit. So she's wearing that, and there's a little hidden compartment where she put the knife. And Verish, of course, greets her when she lands because he's like, you weren't supposed to leave and now you're in trouble. So she gets strip searched. And while she's doing that, she's in the hallway and Ri is in the door behind her or something while she's being strip searched. So she's like, signaling to Ree about taking the knife and stuff. And then it doesn't really happen because she closes the door so she doesn't know what's going on. And one of the professors is like, she shouldn't be punished. We should stop punishing her because she can't control her dragon's impulses. And Varys just like, I don't care. But she ends up being like, actually, it's already been approved that she's not going to be punished for leaving because it's not her fault. And so he. He ends up searching Violet and her jacket and doesn't find anything. And he almost claims that she's impersonating an UN officer who's at a higher rank. And then the other professor is like, no, she's not at all. She is wearing her own badge and stuff underneath the jacket. She's just wearing somebody's jacket. She's not impersonating him. So Varys has to be like, fine, I'll f off. So he leaves, and she goes and turns to Ree and is like, hey. And Ri is like, what is this dagger? Because I pulled it out and I pulled it through the door. And she's like, I didn't even know you could pull solid objects through doors. And she's like, well, I didn't either. Just now figured that out. Thank you for the motivation. Ri is point blank, what is this dagger? And Sawyer and Ridderic are also in the room, just so you know. That's an important part. And Violet's like, huh? What? Oh, the dagger. It's for killing Bennett. And she says that. And I was like, it's giving the poison. The poison for Cusco. The poison specifically to kill Cusco. Cusco's poison. That poison. I was like, the dagger, like, obviously, yes. That dagger. I can finally get it together. [00:56:10] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:56:11] Speaker B: She just straight up tells them everything except for the stuff that happens after the Griffin attack that launched them into their second year. She doesn't tell them about the secret compound or her brother or any of that stuff because that's not her secrets to share. So she holds that back. But everything else gets told. Everyone's on board. They're like, v, we're wholly with you. We're not mad at all. She's like, you should be mad at me, because that's basically why she's mad at Xaden, because he kept it all from her. And they're like, actually, we're not mad at you. We love you. And she's like, I'm a horrible person for not trusting Zeta now Ritter tells Violet and everyone that he had witnessed a paper in her mother's office saying that the original six creators all had journals and that they're kept in a vault at the school. So now she's like, oh, well, that's great information. Thank you so much for telling me this. And they're gonna go do some research and find out where that vault is. So they go to Jessina, and they're like, hey, we need you to look. And she's like, okay, I'll look. So she's looking, they're reading more stuff. They're all researching together. Two weeks go by. Violet is worried about Andarna because she's still not up from her dreamless sleep, and she should be by now. So everybody's, like, a little on edge because of that. Another two weeks pass, and Violet doesn't get to see Zaden this, like, whole time. We've got our prince, Eric and Liam's sister, Sloane. They go through their first year, obviously, so they have made it past threshing. They have dragons. Jessa tries to meet to discuss the vault, but Violet has to go on watch duty by the pit. So she's like, I'm just gonna have to meet her another time. And she leaves. Four infantry members come to kill her while she's in the middle of exchanging watching this pit. And so her and the girl she was there to relieve are fighting back. That girl ends up dying, and three of the attackers end up dying, but Violet is still almost pushed off the tower by the last one. And then all of a sudden, she's saved by a passerby who heard her scream. [00:58:22] Speaker A: And the woman that she's with that's relieving her duty was also with them for the weir and attack. So this is another person down as well? [00:58:32] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:58:33] Speaker A: Sad after somebody that was randomly passing by heard her scream and she's saved by them. Turns out that's actually Jack, and he's the one who saves her because he's nice now, and he's actually getting along with most of the squad that are around. Jack leaves after this because she's like, oh, my God, I thought you weren't gonna save me. And then he's like, it's fine. I owe you one. I had a second chance after dying, and so I owe you one. But then he leaves, and she feels like she actually owes him two now because she killed him and then he just saved her life. So she feels really weird about everything that's happened. Then Riddick comes up and Relays that Jesenia found the sub level archives that they were looking for. The problem is that they need royal blood. And what a coinky dink that they happen to have some available that is of the royal line that they need. Chapter 32. We now are with Zaden because he's here for the weekend and he's angry about learning that basically all of her friends know about Weirns now and there's issues. Plus Quinn knows because Imogen told Quinn what was happening. And so he's like, what the fuck is everyone doing? Like, we need to keep this shit locked down. You guys are doing this. Oh my God. So he's processing and he's just trying to figure out what everyone knows. Along with this, they're also telling him that they're going to break into the sublevel plans in the archives. And he's like, do you guys realize that this is so dangerous? And Violet, I don't really want you doing these things, but at the same time, like you are trying to help us and help everyone that is beyond the wards get wards. So I guess we do have to do this. They bring Auric in and he's not a fan of Xaden because apparently Zaden killed his brother. And Zaden is not sorry about it even a little bit. But they work together for the sake of this. And they're able to get into the archives. And they have about 45 minutes until they need to get out. And everything is sealed because they suck out all the air when it's sealed at the end of the day. And so they'll die if they stay stay in there longer than they should. [01:00:27] Speaker B: And that includes running out of the archives because they're at the like bottom floor or something. Our princely Eric pulls Violet through the wards and refuses to pull Zaden. He's like, somebody needs to help me look. And I figured this would work. And she's like, you didn't know though? And that was stupid. And he's like, yep. Oh well. My father wouldn't create something and not want it shown off, which is honestly smart. And they start looking through all the books. Zaden's having a bitch fit because he's not helping and not able to protect Violet with his shadows. But oh well. Finally they find the book that they are needing. Just as they're needing to run out of the room and race through the corridor. And they race and race and they're barely through and make it out. And Zaden pulls Eric through at the last second. They make a small change to the plan so that Eric can get help for his hand. Because when they found the journal, he found it in a little case, and it had words against it. So now his hand is super burnt and, like, distorted. So they sent him to a healer, but not an official one, One that's kind of on the down low because he won't have enough time to report it because it's the weekend right now. That was their reasoning. Anyway, while he runs off, they start checking in with the other parts of their plan. And then finally, they leave Zaden and Violet. They're outside, and they start kissing, and I love you. And then Zaden's like, I gotta go with this journal and bring it to your brother, and I won't have time to hang out with you any longer if I'm gonna make the journey over to bring this to Brennan and then go back to my post in time. So he immediately leaves. Nolan finds her the second he's gone, and it's like, ah, ha ha ha. Here is some lemonade. I just wanted to make you feel better because I know you've been hurting lately. And she's like, oh, thank you. And then as soon as she drinks it, her connection to Taryn is gone. And Verish appears, asking what she got herself into. I said, not the lemonade. [01:02:32] Speaker A: Nolan was like, I've always liked you, and you've always been somebody that I was good to, but you are now trying to take away the sanctity of this kingdom. And so I have to get you interrogated and beaten within an inch of your life. Isn't that just how things work? So at the next chapter, Verish gets to ask three questions. Since Nolan and Nora are there. Nolan obviously is there to make sure that nothing is bad, quote, unquote, was happening. And Nora is there to make sure that they know whether or not she's telling the truth. And so she has to be truthful while not giving anything away, which she does. She's able to answer those questions truthfully and not give anything away. And then he calls for all of the squads to line up so they can get their hand searched. Because when Eric put his hands through the wards and pulled out the books, it set off some alarms for Marish and some of the other professors to see. And so they're like, somebody went through the words, and there's got to be somebody who has evidence of it. So let's check everybody's hands. But then this is when she starts torturing her, and she says nothing. And a couple days go by. It's Monday. She starts hallucinating. Liam Varysh wants to know where their outpost is. It's not just about this one little thing about the wards and the books. Like, he wants to know where the whole shebang is. He wants to know where Brennan is. He wants to know why they're doing all this stuff. Violet believes that Zaden won't come, but she won't give up anything, even though she doesn't think that she's coming, because she knows that Taran is currently searching for Solas, Verish's dragon. Because Taran will obviously want Violet to be out of there. And so if Verish is gone, then that means that she won't be tortured anymore. So he's obviously going and trying to find his dragon. She tells him, I am not gonna die in here, but you're gonna die in this room. Because either I'm gonna kill you or my dragon is gonna kill your dragon. And you are going to die. On Thursday, the fifth day, he brings Dain in and he tells Dain that she's a traitor and that she is trying to bring down the wards and, like, all of these things. And, like, they caught her red handed. And so he comes up to her and is about to do it. Then somebody comes in and tells Bearish that Violet's mother called a leadership meeting because there are incidents happening at the border. And so he needs to go, but he's like, no, no, no, Dane, keep going, keep going. And so finally, Dane does touch her and Violet, because Liam is talking to her this whole time and is saying, like, you just need to show him what you want him to see. So she decides that she's going to show him the Weirin attack and everything that happened with that. And all he takes from it when he comes out of the vision is that, oh, they've been smuggling weapons. And she's like, what the fuck, Dane? I just showed you all of that to show you how terrible it was and how leadership left us out here to die and how leadership was just leaving everybody else beyond the wards out there to die. And you came away with, well, they're smuggling weapons from us. Like, are you shitting me? Then he's talking to Verish and asking questions and he asks about the dagger that she had and if he can see it to see if it was the right ones that they're smuggling. And then he uses it to stab Beish. And he gets Violet up and brings her to the door. And I was like, wow, he's actually doing something for once. Good. Good for you. [01:05:35] Speaker B: That's just how they work this day in redemption arc. I was allowing you to start earlier than needed. [01:05:40] Speaker A: You were allowing me? You are not allowing me shit every single time. I was like, dane's decent. You're like, oh, Dean. Dane. Oh, we love Dane in this household. Dane, what are we talking about? [01:05:50] Speaker B: In the beginning of this, I was like, you know, you're trying to give Dane a redemption arc, and I'm going to let you right now, I'm allowing it to happen even though it doesn't start until later. Fine. [01:06:01] Speaker A: Fine. So now we are on the last chapter of this section, and Zaden is there. He actually ends up slicing Nora's neck in order to get them out of the room. As well as Garak being there. Varys is still alive, and it seems like Dain is about to go and attack him because he keeps saying stuff about his father. But then Zaden pulls him back with all of his shadows, and he's like, no, no, no. That is not your call. It's hers if she wants it, and she does. So she goes over there and brings her knife to his chest to stab him, but she can't quite do it because she has been tortured for, like, five or six days at this point. And so Zaden does help her push in the knife into his gotta love him heart. And she watches the light go out of his eyes, and she's like, okay, now I can leave. I'm good now. [01:06:44] Speaker B: Now he's dead. [01:06:45] Speaker A: Now that he's dead, I can go. Zaden promises to get her out, but she says that he can't stop and do all this. He has to leave because he's worked so hard and he's worked so hard to get the smuggling operation together, and he's really gonna put that all away for her. And he's like, yeah, of course I am. I'm in love with you. What the fck do you mean? I already told you that I would burn this whole place down if it meant getting to you. I told you that from the beginning. And this is me following through with what I already said. I already told you that I was selfish, and now that you're mine, like, I'm gonna take you however I want to take you. Like, what do you mean? This is when they're like, oh, lovey dovey. They're happy. They start to leave, but then her mother is there, and he gives her three minutes to talk to her because they really gotta go. The leadership is about to come back. He set everything he Kept dropping Weir in bodies at the borders, which is what her mother was taking care of and why all the professors are going everywhere, because he was like, oh, gotta distract them with something. And if you guys aren't actually gonna pay attention to us and you don't know where your daughter is, guess what's happening, babies? We're gonna stop dropping all these so everybody knows what's going down. She talks to her mother, and her mother tells her that she knew that Violet would eventually figure out what was happening with the Wyrren and everything and with the folklore. And the reason that she made her go into the writer's quadrant is so that she be protected and actually know how to protect herself when she did find out. Because if she was in the scribe quadrant with M4RKIM and how M4RKIM wanted her to be the next in line, she would have found out all the classified information. And Violet, being who Violet is, would have tried to help people, and she would have gotten killed for it. And since she already has one kid killed, she's like, you know what? We're not going to even go down that line. I'm going to move you from that area to this area to hopefully have you be a little bit safer. Because that way you won't find as much information. Information out. [01:08:27] Speaker B: I understand her mom's thought process on that, but also, her mom could have gotten about it in a completely different way from the beginning. Like, we could have started helping her early on. Right, right. [01:08:42] Speaker A: But whatever. That's just how her mom rolls. And so she does ask her mom, like, hey, did you actually put all those cuts into Xaden's back? And she's like, yes. Well, in tradition, she's like, I don't. I don't really want to hear it. We're just gonna move on from it. They call a formation of all the cadets, since this place is about to be locked down once leadership comes back, to give them a choice to either go with them to Arisha and be part of the revolution, or to stay here and just listen to what they've been saying and be behind the words. If you guys want to come, you can come. You can ask your dragons. Your dragons will tell you whether or not we're being truthful. If the dragons have decided that this is what they want to do, but basically they give everybody a choice. And some of the professors come back and they're like, actually, who do you think put in some of those flyers? Who do you think is allowing you guys to do some of the things that you're doing. Some of us want to help, too. Most of the writers don't believe them, but then she shows them a memory. And then also, like we said, we have them talk to their dragons. And so eventually, about half of them come, and three scribes are coming with them as well. Jesenia is one of them. And they get to Brendan and he's shocked, and he's like, why do you have all these people here? I just got the book from you guys, and now all these people are here, and I'm just not entirely sure what's happening. And she's like, well, you needed writers, right? You wanted a revolution. Here we go. It's here for you. [01:09:54] Speaker B: It's the revolution. All right, Midway thoughts. Hit me. [01:10:00] Speaker A: I just really want to know how deep this goes, because Varrick is very specifically trying to target the outpost and all of that stuff, but they're smuggling weapons and they're doing things and whatever. Yes, I guess they're taking stuff from the main kingdom, but mostly they're trying to attack. The Wirin and the Weirin are coming whether you like it or not. You may think that you are safe behind the words, but eventually somebody will get through. And it's like, why are you not trying to take a more active role into doing this? Or why are you trying to actively destroy them who are trying to actively destroy also a common enemy that you share? It's not like this is a random person that is never going to come at you. Like, once all of the outer border towns are gone, they'll be coming for you, my dude. Why are you trying to destroy the people that are trying to destroy the people that will eventually come to destroy you? I don't know. It doesn't make any sense to me. So I just feel like I need to get more deeper information about this because I feel like there's something that I don't entirely know. There's a part of the story that I don't understand yet because I'm not getting the full story. I don't have the full story of anything here. [01:10:59] Speaker B: Well, you're gonna get the full story, Kristen. Okay. [01:11:02] Speaker A: I'm hoping that I get more details. That's mostly what I'm having for this last half is details about what the war and why the war is happening and, like, how we can actually do this. But honestly, whenever I get get more information about this, it's like the people that I think have information also don't have any information. And they're like, we're Actually just trying to figure that out. So we're just constantly surviving. We're not actually being proactive about anything. [01:11:28] Speaker B: I honestly did not remember that this whole half of the book was still at the school. I was like, what do you mean we're at the school for this long? I felt it was like, a couple of weeks, and then we were out of there. This whole next book, we're not at the school. Spoiler alert. And I honestly did not remember being here for this long. [01:11:49] Speaker A: We had to get to the threshing so that we could have all of our first years get dragons at the same time. It was kind of a lot. It was kind of a lot still here. And it's not totally propelling the plot forward like I need it to. [01:12:01] Speaker B: The plot gets propelled. Don't worry. There's one thing I want to mention before we end this episode, and it's that this next part of this book is my favorite part of this book because I have a certain level of respect for authors who are able to kind of, like, hurt me physically. That sounds so bad. My heart will physically ache for a character if the heartbreak is set up correctly. And Sarah J. Maas does it in her Throne of Glass series, and it's incredible the way she does it. And I, like, physically ache for that character as she's being tortured. And this is another one. She's not even being tortured. But there's a scene in the second half of this book where literally one line makes me cry because it hurts me so bad because I'm so in love with Zaden, and it just. It just aches my heart. And I'm so excited to read it again, even though I know it's gonna hurt. I'm here for the pain, baby. [01:13:03] Speaker A: I wonder if I can pick it out. [01:13:04] Speaker B: You. You probably will be able to. Like, I have no doubt that you're gonna be like, this is the line. Because it's one line. It's one line. [01:13:12] Speaker A: Okay? Especially if it's one line, I'm like, will I be able to. [01:13:15] Speaker B: It's like, a heavy line, so definitely look out for that. Oh, I'm so excited to read that part again. [01:13:22] Speaker A: All right, well, we will next week. [01:13:24] Speaker B: I live for pain. Bye.