Onyx Storm (Pt. 2)

[00:00:00] Speaker A: Welcome to B and C Book Club. I'm Kristen. [00:00:03] Speaker B: And I'm Summer. [00:00:04] Speaker A: This is the podcast where we bring. [00:00:06] Speaker B: You all the comfort and gossip of a regular book club. [00:00:08] Speaker A: Just between you, me, and her this week, the B stands for Brennan, and. [00:00:14] Speaker B: The C stands for concentration. How was your second half of this reading of this book? [00:00:22] Speaker A: It was good. Yeah. It was good. [00:00:25] Speaker B: Yeah. You had a. You had a good time? [00:00:27] Speaker A: Yeah, sorry. I'm trying to think back now that it's been a little bit, and I'm like, oh, man, how did I like this book? It was good. How did you like this book? And how have you been? [00:00:42] Speaker B: That's. That's my answer for your second question. I really like this book. I mean, I wouldn't say I love it more than Fourth Wing, obviously, but I think it's like Fourth Wing and then this one, and then Iron Fling. [00:00:54] Speaker A: Okay. I think this might be my least favorite, but. Yeah, I think Fourth Wing is first. But I can't wait to get into all of your theories at the end of this. [00:01:05] Speaker B: I do have a lot of theories. Well, I. It's not even me. Like, I. I wish I could credit them. I don't remember I saw these, like, randomly, but the theories are good. Theories are good of other people. I'm not that original. Thanks. Yeah. I'm excited, though, because I think they're really interesting theories that I, like, can really dive into, you know, and it would be, like, crazy if those were real. [00:01:32] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:01:33] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:01:34] Speaker A: Oh. You know, what I will say for this second half is that I had a physical copy of the book, and so it was a much easier time for me to read. It was much easier for me to get into it. I was able to really pick up on the politics and everything. I actually did end up kind of rereading the first half again. I didn't fully read it. I read the parts that I wasn't entirely sure on, and I was basically picking up everything. I was actually really shocked at how much I retained just via audio. [00:02:10] Speaker B: I mean, yeah, I was shocked at how much you retained via audio. It's like, dang, I could have never. [00:02:17] Speaker A: I'm just gonna say that because I did read this book more thoroughly. As we're going into chapter 34. The island that they're at creeps me out because it's very hard lines. They said that they raised their city in order to build it back up in, like, the proper way, quote unquote. And that's just not the vibes for me. I don't like that. So I feel like we actually might have a harder time getting allies here than I thought. When we were leaving the book the first time, when I was just listening. [00:02:49] Speaker B: To it, you were like, actually, maybe not. [00:02:54] Speaker A: Actually. I don't think that they're going to get the allies that I thought they were going to. So we get to chapter 34, and Zaden's mom is bringing him a tray of food while Violet blocks the door to Zaden's room, because obviously Zaden is upset that his mom is here. She asks if he will go to dinner with her, and Violet's like, ooh, I don't know. We'll see. And then she tries to leverage her marriage with the guy in the triumvirate to get a private meeting with the rest of the triumvirate in order to get Zaden to go to dinner with her. And Violet refuses and is like, you know what? We're gonna do it. Zade wants to. It doesn't matter if you want us to go to the Triumph or not. We're gonna do what Zayn wants to do. If he wants to talk to you, he can talk to you. If he doesn't want to talk to you, we're not going to talk to you. We can leave right now. I don't care. And she kind of likes that, but is also like, oh, I didn't. I didn't expect that. And in the room, Zaden and Violet talk about the vials that block the bond that he found in her pack, I guess. And he's like, I'm actually glad that you have these, because if you need to, if I turn Violet, like, you can block the bond and basically make him like Jack. She then tells him that his mom wants to have dinner with him, and they debate doing that and going at all. But Violet says that she won't tell him what to do because she just lost her mom. So obviously, if we're asking, should you talk to your mom for five minutes or should you not? She's gonna go with, yeah, go ahead and talk to your mom for five minutes. She would do anything to talk to her mom for five min. So she's like, I feel like I'm not the best person to ask about this right now. Then we see the dragons outside their window. And as the kids are playing outside, then his mom, Talia, calls the kids that are outside back in. And Zaden realizes that those are Talia's kids too. So those are his half siblings. And he gets kind of upset about that. Is like, wow. As soon as she left, she just had her own family, the one that she actually wanted instead of me. And then he says, fuck it. Let's go to dinner. I don't care. Right before they're leaving to dinner, they see that they're taking the kids out of the city and they're going somewhere. They're not going to dinner with the Triumvirate like Violet and Zaden are about to do. So Violet tells Andarna to follow wherever they're taking the kids. While the rest of them are at the dinner, Violet starts to plan, just a backup plan, and remembers that Brennan gave her a med kit and she didn't really say anything more about that. But then she goes to the kitchen and she sees the chef and Talia, and she gives them both some dried errand mint to remind Xaden of home, quote, unquote. And if you guys don't remember, because I wouldn't have picked this up if I didn't have a physical copy, even though I did remember that Brennan gave her something, I just didn't remember what it was called. I was like, so when Brennan. Brennan was healing her before, he gave her something to heal her, and it grows in Orisha. And Zaden saw it and was like, hey, you're not supposed to take that out of Orisha. It's really dangerous. And he's like, it's fine. I know how to use it. So if these people don't know how to use it, then what is going to happen? That was my question. [00:06:10] Speaker B: You pick up things so easily in books, man. I'm like, it's a good thing you're a teacher because what do you mean? You actually, like, caught on. That's crazy. I just love that you were like, oh. Like, I'm kind of wondering what happens when you don't know how to use it. And meanwhile, my note on this chapter was this. Mom's a hoe. Like, I hate her. [00:06:42] Speaker A: I've been reading books for a very. [00:06:45] Speaker B: Long time that doesn't say anything about a person. [00:06:49] Speaker A: I. I've always. I don't know. I've always kind of done that. I'm like, what's gonna happen next? Because I've read so many books that I'm like, normally, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah would happen. So I wonder, are they going to follow this format? Are they gonna break the format? So that's usually how I do it. [00:07:03] Speaker B: I like it. It's very English teachery, That's all I'm saying. You could read books your whole life and never dive deep into them the way you do and, like, analyze and you' I've got it to figure it out. [00:07:16] Speaker A: And I don't even feel like I analyze them. So we're at the dinner with the Triumvirate and we're making small talk with everybody. But we slowly realized that as small talk on the table is actually the test the Triumvirate is trying to make for them. And they're trying to figure out, like, who they are as people, what they're doing here, like, what they want. And they want to make Xaden and Cat get married for a few years so they can secure the heir. And they keep negotiating with them. Oh, it would only be a year or two and you guys could. It's just weird stuff. And Zaden says that the only person that he'll marry is Violet. And he promises that it'll be a lifetime commitment and it won't be a couple of years. They call him foolish. Then Mira says that it doesn't even matter what they say because these people aren't going to share their knowledge with outsiders. That's just who they are. And that's finally when the Triumvira is like, oop, somebody's finally thinking here. Good job, girl. Then Arryk, who is our princeling, declares that he doesn't even want an alliance with them, but they don't really have a choice because of all of Edin. And so they need to have an army. That's bottom line. We don't actually like you, but we're here because we need you. That's it. Sorry. They decide that they're going to bring some dessert out. And for dessert, Talia brings out chocolate cake because it's Zaden's favorite. And this gets Violet thinking, wow, they really had a lot of time to plan this because apparently chocolate doesn't come here very often. Wow. And none of the people that are in the Triumvirate got forks. Isn't that suspicious? She realizes that they probably put something in it. And she tells everybody to stop, but not before Garak has already eaten half a slice and he collapses and stops breathing. I was hoping that whatever Violet's plan was was going to kick in. Also about now you're like, yes, strategy. [00:09:18] Speaker B: I'm like, I told you this mom was a hoe. She's in it on it. So obviously we find out that the poison was in the cake. Talia is actually surprised she was not in on it, but she was like, we would never poison you. And then tries to Eat the cake. And her husband's like, actually, don't do that. Don't. Don't do that. Violet reveals to the Triumvirate that she has also poisoned them as well. She tells them that they're gonna be dead within the hour. And she tries to offer them a deal, her antidote for theirs. They refuse, saying that she doesn't win this and she's gonna die before they even get a chance to die. They're just being dumb. Fighting ensues, and Violet and Riddick find themselves going to the kitchen to look for the antidote because she had remembered something. And then Bee interrogates the cook, because obviously the cook made the cake. He denies her any of her answers. And she figures it out by knowing what it is, because she sees a dusty blue. And she was like, oh, I know the antidote. Because actually, my father, who wrote this book, wrote down what the antidote to this is. I was like, of course. They end up fighting, and the cook tries to stop them, and then Riddick looks down and he's been stabbed. And I was like, oh, my God. Everyone's gonna die. Why do we keep killing off people? Because they were both, like, injured and dying. And this is where I stopped reading. This is such a bad chapter to leave off on. Because, like, I put it down for the night because I was like, I have to go to bed. And then I pick it up, and it's like, guys, it was just his jacket. I was like, are you kidding me? I stressed all night for nothing. Like, that was so dumb of me. [00:11:15] Speaker A: You literally needed to read one sent sentence, and it was like, it's fine. [00:11:21] Speaker B: I know. So dumb. Anyway, so it was just his jacket. And then Violet finds the antidote. She goes and she saves Garak. Zaden is getting real pissed off, and he starts to snap, and he, like, starts to lose his shit. Violet's able to talk him down, and then he stays down, and she starts bargaining for the release and demands the Triumvirate to alliance themselves with each other in exchange for her to give them the antidote because she's already saved her friend. So they're the ones dying now. And they're like, fine, I guess. Which is like, bro, she's. She's saving your life, but, okay. And he's like, we're not gonna be very good allies. And she was like, I don't need you to be good allies. I just need you to show up. So that's settled. And then they leave, and they fly to Zelena and they land and they noticed a complete difference in attitude towards them as compared to all the other isles that they've been to. They seem kind of welcomed here on this aisle. And it's, like, off putting. They're like, why does everybody not want us to not leave? That was a double negative. I don't know what I'm saying. Anyway, they're off foot. Violet notices that magic is on this isle, and she's like, what? [00:12:52] Speaker A: And I thought it was too easy for them to find Aunt Darna's kind here. This is only, like, the second island that we've been to. [00:13:00] Speaker B: Meanwhile, I was like, oh, we're going to find some dragons. Yeah. Because there's magic there. It seemed like the obvious choice, but, I mean, that didn't happen, so, I. [00:13:12] Speaker A: Mean, there's more magic than they thought there was on the islands. [00:13:16] Speaker B: Yeah. Which is interesting. So is that where they were all along? [00:13:22] Speaker A: Who knows? [00:13:23] Speaker B: I don't know. Hopefully we get some answers in book four and five, even though it's gonna take us, like, 10 years to get there. [00:13:29] Speaker A: Yeah. So Selina has magic. It's just enough for them to get their bonds back, but not enough for them to channel anything through the signets. They have a festival put together for them, and all they need to do to meet the queen is accept the gifts they're about to be given without complaint. And they say, okay, sure. Since this island worships the God of luck, if you can't adapt with what is thrown at you, then they don't want to align themselves with you because you can't accept what the God of luck has given you, basically. Aarik easily translates once again. And when they're like, why didn't you say something sooner? If you know every single dialect and speak it fluently and know all of their customs. And he's like, well, this is Dane's spot. I didn't want to take it away from him, which is kind of cute. Meera and Drake tell Riddick that he can't complain about what to get, even if it's literal shit. And I just have to say that there are multiple points in this second half of the book where Mira and Drake were together. And at one point, I thought you were literally fucking with me and they were going to get together at the end of the book, and you were gaslighting me because of how much they were together. And I was like, she was joking, Right? Because they're so obviously going to get together. [00:14:43] Speaker B: No, I still. I swear to God, if they get together, I'm gonna be so upset. But, like, I still feel like they definitely hated each other. [00:14:54] Speaker A: They started becoming a bickering couple, though, like a. An old married couple, because they're on the same side now. They're. They're both the senior people on the squad that have been around the block a couple of times, I guess. [00:15:05] Speaker B: Yeah. I just watch. They're gonna have, like, the best romance of the series, which is hard to do with Zaden and Milo. [00:15:20] Speaker A: If anything happens, I don't know, I'll feel so much satisfaction. So what they're going to do is pull a card and receive a gift for the responding card. Mira gets wine. Mirren gets two orange tunics. Dane gets a slap. Garrett gets a rusted steel bucket. Art gets a fractured mirror that makes him bleed right away. Zaden gets an empty glass box. Violet gets a compass that doesn't point north, which I feel like might come into play later. [00:15:52] Speaker B: We have no idea. [00:15:53] Speaker A: We have no idea. That's just. That's just the theory. I don't know what it's going to do. She said it's broken, but it also specifically said it doesn't point north. And I'm like, I feel like it does something other than point north. We just don't know what it's pointing to yet. Reddit gets a kiss on both cheeks. Drake gets a kitten. And then Trigger gets an arrow to the heart. He's dead. And I thought this was gonna make Cat freak out and want to get with Xaden again, But that's not what happens to Kat. So Zaden has to tell Violet through the bond not to react. Drake has Cat in his arms, muffling her cries. And Seralien. I don't know how to say his griffin's name, but his Griffin dies. Because they're connected like that. Violet has to thank them for doing this in order to get inside. Then it cuts to eight hours later with Meera, Zaden, Eric, and Violet returning to camp. They have agreed to send an advance party within a couple months, and then the rest of their 40,000 troops. Whenever Zaden and Violet are ready, they decide that they're going to burn both Scylla and Trager. They're gonna burn and bury their bones on Arana island so nobody can find them. Violet tries to apologize to Cat, but Cat instead says, I asked him to be here. It's not your fault at all. That night, Violet and Zaden talk about how Violet thinks that she froze at a critical moment and cost them some lives today. And he says, well, that's what it's like to be a leader. Sorry. He says the best leaders are the ones that don't want the job. And that when she needs to step up to the plate, she steps up to the plate. And once she's confident in herself, she'll be better than him in every single way. Especially since there's no cure. She has to be better than him. It has to be her, which is, like, no pressure or anything. [00:17:51] Speaker B: I was like, damn, we fucking knew this. And Violet didn't figure it out until now that she was gonna have to be a leader. [00:17:56] Speaker A: I know we did know this, but he definitely laid it out of, like, boom, boom, boom. [00:18:01] Speaker B: Yeah. Somebody should tell this bitch way sooner because she's been acting like she wasn't gonna take over for a while now. [00:18:09] Speaker A: As soon as he became Venin, she should have been realizing this. She's not very quick sometimes for being academically smart. She's not always the quickest on that street smart. [00:18:22] Speaker B: Husband says, she ain't got the streets. Gotta get that street smart. They fly away, and the dragons carry Trigger's body and his dragons. And then they land and they give Trigger a funeral where they burn him and his writer. Mira takes Drake's kitten as he struggles with the map. And then he reveals to everyone that he named it Broccoli because no one really wants broccoli, but they have broccoli. [00:18:50] Speaker A: Yeah. And, like, they bicker about it for a whole page and a half. [00:18:53] Speaker B: It's so cute. [00:18:55] Speaker A: It is so cute. They are specifically, are just so cute together. I agree. Broccoli and Mira and Drake. [00:19:03] Speaker B: No, no, no, no, no. Broccoli. [00:19:05] Speaker A: It's the three of them together. That happy little family. [00:19:08] Speaker B: That happy little family. Everyone's obsessed with broccoli. So then they break into five groups, and they decide to start looking for the dragons. And they decide that each group is going to be two people. And she groups them up according to, like, who can fly for the same amount of time. And she has herself with Riddick, and she has Zaden with Garak. And she said that she couldn't put, like, the two strongest together, obviously, which is like, you know what? You're right. And then she's like, riddick, we're gonna stay here and let the fire burn. [00:19:42] Speaker A: Out before we leave. [00:19:43] Speaker B: Everybody else can just leave now. And then the literal second that everyone has gone, the Urid dragons show up. Literally. They just walk up to them, they make this weird noise, and it's like a special whistle, and it lets Violet and Riddick hear all of the Irids. Because that's the thing. And I was like, why do I feel like this is the least dramatic entrance in the world? [00:20:08] Speaker A: They were camouflaged and they were already there. So they just rolled up. Is that not dramatic? [00:20:13] Speaker B: No, I didn't think it was dramatic at all. I thought it was very. Hey, guys. Hey. Was just going on a swim and saw you. [00:20:23] Speaker A: I mean, they are supposed to be peaceful dragons. [00:20:26] Speaker B: Okay. No, it just wasn't it for me. It just was not it. So the Irids reveal that they just literally want to talk to Andarna. They're like, please tell us about you. And she's like, okay. And the first thing they say to her, why do you have black scales? And she's like, because I want to be like him. And they're like, that's not great. [00:20:54] Speaker A: Don't love that. [00:20:55] Speaker B: So far. So far, we're not fans. And then they're like, also, what's up with your tail? And she's like, I chose this tail. And they're like, that's not great. 10 out of 10. [00:21:09] Speaker A: Do not recommend because they all are full blown dragons and they still have feather tails. [00:21:16] Speaker B: Yeah. So then they ask her to tell them about her. So she goes on this big old rant about her full life story and how she bonded with Violet and all about Violet and then how Violet siphoned off of her. And then they're like, that's not great. You let a human siphon off of you as a child. And then Violet was like, I didn't do it to hurt her. Like, I had to do it. And they're like, we're not fans. They're actually disgusted with this decision. And then they tell her at the end that they were testing her this whole time and she definitely failed and that she should have never let Violet use her as an instrument of war, because their breed is meant for peace. First of all, why are we all talking to them? That's weird for me. Why did we specifically let Riddick in on this conversation? I mean, I get it, but I don't get it. I was put off by this whole interaction. I'm not fans of them so far. [00:22:13] Speaker A: Yeah, it's always the peaceful ones that are secret assholes. [00:22:17] Speaker B: That's the truth. [00:22:18] Speaker A: Just like the people that were for Knowledge earlier on Talia's island, they're like, oh, we're just so peaceful. We just searched for knowledge. And it's like, yeah, but you don't help anybody when they need help because you're so quote unquote, peaceful. [00:22:31] Speaker B: And then they poison people. And this is how Dain started out. He was like, I'm so innocent. I just want the peace. And then he was like a dick. But then he had a redemption. [00:22:44] Speaker A: I know. [00:22:45] Speaker B: I'm a Dane sympathizer. [00:22:47] Speaker A: I know. The Irids say that this group does not seek peace, but victory. So the Irids will not go back with them. They will not help them. They do not care if people will die, since perhaps the offspring will be better people. After this whole thing, the others start to arrive back, and the Irides start to leave. But before they do, they tell Andarna that there is no cure for Dark wielder. They kill their soul every time they channel from the Earth, and there is no cure for death. They also tell Andarna that she is an Irid in name only and mostly depart other than two Irids. And Darna thinks that she's the reason that they left, that she wasn't good enough. And she starts to kind of beat herself up. And Violet doesn't really know what to do. She wants to help her, but can't. The Irid that's left, there's two, but the main one is Leothen. And he asks Violet a couple more questions about her and about Andarna. But then Zaden gets closer, and it kind of turns to shit, because they can tell that he's a dark wielder, and his irises glow red, and the other dragon that's there is like, why the fuck are you next to a dragon wielder? So now Leothen and his companion go off without even saying anything. And, of course, Riddick was hearing this whole thing. So Riddick demands answers. And I was trying to figure out how this could possibly be a good thing that the dragons know. Maybe we can say that we're trying to help everyone on all sides, and it's a good thing. And I. I just couldn't spit it to be a good thing. [00:24:29] Speaker B: Yeah, two things. You said a dragon wielder instead of a dark wielder. And the other thing is, the second Riddick was like, I saw this whole thing, and I need answers. I was like, everyone's about to know, because Riddick does not keep secrets. Yeah, just straight up, he does not keep secrets. And then, like, the next chapter, he's like, I'm not keeping this a secret. [00:24:54] Speaker A: Violet tells Riddick the very basics before asking him to wait until everybody else shows up so they can just tell them about the Irids and then we'll talk it through. Okay? Please let's just take 10 minutes and we'll get through this. So he does that, and Riddick makes sure to tell that story very thoroughly. And then, as he's done waiting and Violet tells him everything, she promises that Xaden is not like Jack and that he is only ever channeled to protect people. Riddick is upset because he finds out that it's been three times that Xaden has channeled. And he's like, three times is three too many. It's three too many, Penny. Okay. Then he realizes that this is why she's been keeping Jack alive, is to try and figure out answers because of Xaden. Violet tries to tell Riddick that Xaden is the same as ever, but Riddick knows that's not true because Violet just had to step between him and Zaden the other day because Zaden was getting mad about something, and she's like, it. It's slow down, slow down, slow down. It's fine, it's fine. And because he barely has any control, she had to step in between them. So she's like, okay, maybe. Maybe you're right. As he's talking, Violet realizes that Riddick is just thinking about Zaden as just another dark wielder, quote, unquote, that can take down everything that they've been working for. And so Riddick tells her that she needs to pick a line, that if Zaden crosses it, Riddick can then go tell everybody that Zaden is a dark wielder and turn him in, and it won't be on Violet anymore. She tries not to, but in the end, she agrees that she will pick a line. And it's if he kills a Rider without cause, hurt civilians, her friends, her dragons, or her. Then she knows that he's not himself. And that's when she'll give up Riddick saying anything to people. They start walking back, but Zaden is there before they get to everybody else, and he asks what Riddick decided. Riddick tells Zaden that he's going to tell Rhys, Sawyer, and Jessina when they get back, because everyone who values Xaden's life over Violet's is the people that know so far. And he wants to even the playing field a little bit. And Riddick says that once people find out about Zaden, the easiest way to kill him is to kill Violet, and so they will once again need people on Violet's side to make sure that she's not going to die. Xaden is in full pity party mode. Once he works it out with Riddick, they fly into Baz Gaia three and a half weeks from the day that they left. And when I found this out, I was like, they weren't even gone a month when they found these fucking dragons. They thought it could take a lifetime to find these dragons and they weren't even gone a month. How bad can their court martial really be? They're gone for what, two weeks longer than they're supposed to. It's fine. [00:27:42] Speaker B: Let me tell you. Not as bad, apparently. [00:27:45] Speaker A: Yeah. So Ri and Sawyer are there. When they arrive, a Toast hears them also come in and hears them discussing the failure. And he says that their punishment will be issued later. And also, Violet got a letter not two hours ago. It's actually from Theophany. She says that she already has the one thing that Violet seeks above all else. And while they were gone, Zenivia fell to Dark Wielders and Queen Maria is dead. So now Techarus is king. And did the riders that they sent to protect her also die? That was my question. Because in one of the missives above the chapters, I can't remember if it was this one or another one, but it said that they were sending four riders over there to protect her. [00:28:35] Speaker B: Yeah, I wonder. The Quest Squad actually isn't punished at all because the King is so happy to have his son Eric back in his life and alive that he decides he's not gonna punish anyone and it's against the rules to punish them. So at Battle Brief, they learn that the Dark Wielders have done so much damage in their absence, they are debating what to do and where to put their 40,000 troops that they just got from the place that murdered our guy. And then you. We had to thank him for it. And Professor De Vera shares that Dirk Wielders fell from the sky in Soniva, whatever, Sniva maybe, and started a fire. The Venin stole their alloy hilted daggers which had just been shipped there. And it's believed that there are traitors who conveyed all this information that, you know, led to them getting attacked, which is why they got attacked, because they had the information to know what to do. And then the Venin flew in a thunder cloud. And Violet realizes that it was Theophany that must have been with them as their lightning wielder. And she's a Maven and Violet is like, oh, we can kill them with lightning if I'm not seen. They're like debating how to best them and stuff. And she's like, I'll kill him with lightning if I, like, hide in a thunderstorm or something like that. And then they debate using Sawyer's dragon for help as well. And Violet keeps her end of the bargain and then tells Sawyer, Ri, and Jessa that Zaden is turning Venom. And that's, like, the gist of it. A lot happens in Bridal Brief, and I hate getting Battle Brief, but I always end up getting Battle Brief. Kristen, I don't know how you do it. [00:30:25] Speaker A: And that's why I said I just laugh. In Battle Brief. [00:30:32] Speaker B: You'Re like, this will perfectly align for Summer to get the Battle Brief chapters. [00:30:36] Speaker A: I don't know how I do it, considering that most of the time, it's random who we choose to go first. [00:30:46] Speaker B: It always ends up with me. [00:30:48] Speaker A: It has always somehow ended up with you, though it is kind of funny how that works out. [00:30:52] Speaker B: And I'm always so lost on what's happening in Battle Brief of League. I don't know. I literally had to look this up. Like, what is happening in this damn chapter? Seriously? Next chapter, Violet has another nightmare. She wakes up, and there's a little present left for her from Zaden, and it's a robe that he had made while they were on their trip. And if you reread that chapter, at the very end of the chapter, Zaden's like, dane, you're with me. And they, like, walk away together. And it's because Zaden needed Dane to translate for him so he could order the robe, which I love. That little factoid, I got that from a TikTok. [00:31:29] Speaker A: That's so funny. [00:31:32] Speaker B: She reads the letter that came with the present, and she decides for the first time to write him back. Then they go through, like, a little montage of time, and they practice maneuvers, and Violet has to come up with a super special way to do something because she's too small to do it the normal way. So of course she has to come up with this clever strategy. With Tarn, she ended up giving Zaden a gift. That is a black onyx wrist cuff made from a piece of turret on top of the Ryerson House. And it's his birthday present. And he's like, oh, my God. She's like, yeah, I had Brennan make it. It's so sweet. And then someone reveals that the wards at Orisha are failing. And everyone's like, ooh, there goes the happy mood. [00:32:17] Speaker A: But they also say that they're going to be there in a couple days. So I was like, can we not, once they're there, get Andarna to get the wards up. Didn't they already charge that ward they just need seven dragons of a different kind to like. Isn't it that simple? [00:32:33] Speaker B: You'd think. You'd think. [00:32:35] Speaker A: I don't. I don't know what's preventing them, but I guess I've just missed that part. Anyway, at the pace that they're going, the Dark Wielders will be able to reach the city walls within a couple of weeks. And their riot is supposed to do their rotation in Orisha in a couple days. Some members of the Scenarium are fighting in the hallway. Then Zaden and Halden come out, and Halden is mad since Zaden says he's opening his borders no matter what. Halden says to let in the refugees that are getting attacked by the Wyvern and the Venin. Halden tries to threaten to invade Zaden, but Zaden threatens his life right back. So they're in a little bit of a standstill with that. Not a squabble, a little bit of a squabble. Then Lynx starts to manifest a signet who is one of the first years, and it is Shadows, just like Zaden. Zaden then tells Violet that Lynx is going to be the balance of him, since he's a Venon, and they tend to do that. Magic always has a balance. He also lets her know that he has to go to their armory, which is beyond the wards, and settle things over there. Violet asks him to stay with her because she's sure that if he leaves in this mental state, that he'll pull from the earth again and wield like he's not supposed to. But the guy that sits on the seat with him in the Scenarium, Llewelyn, tells Violet that loving someone in power is hard, since you and them have to put your needs below the needs of the nation. And Violet said that the needs of Zaden come before anything else. And Llewellyn says, well, Zaden says the exact same thing about you, which makes you very dangerous together. And unfortunately, I do think that he will channel again. Sorry, Zaden. It's time for that villain arc, babe. [00:34:28] Speaker B: I said, Zayden leaving only means one thing. It's all about to go down. [00:34:32] Speaker A: So we definitely both thought that it was gonna happen pretty soon. Yeah, he held out longer than I thought he was going to, honestly. Asura wants to go with everybody as they go to Orisha, so he is with Violet and their dragons early so that he can try and get up on the saddle. He tries once and fails and falls on his butt. And Violet is trying to help him figure out how to get on the side of the dragon without falling and they're able to accomplish that. Then Sawyer and his dragon Selig, don't know. They talk it out and Selig makes it easier for Sawyer to climb up the rest of the way once he's actually hooked on to her scales. And then he is like literally climbing on when everybody else shows up. RI asks Violet what she did wrong since Sawyer didn't ask for her help. And Violet says that RI's squad leaders, they want to do her proud and sometimes they need a little bit of space in order to do that and make sure that they're successful in their accomplishments. They go to Rixia, but Zaden is not there. They agree that battle brief will be tomorrow at 7am so they have a free evening, but they don't have enough time to go out drinking. Violet doesn't know where to go, but Bode reminds her that this is her home so she should sleep where she always does, which is in Zaden's room. Everything is the same since the last time she was there, except for the glass box which now has his emerald hilted blade inside, which is missing one emerald from the top. [00:36:06] Speaker B: Important factoid. [00:36:08] Speaker A: Then Brennan knocks on the door and Violet pulls him through since Zaden once again messes with the wards. Once he's inside, he tells her that he tried to mend Zaden when he was here last week, but there wasn't anything that he could do. Violet is smiling because not only did Zaden tell her brother that he's a Venin, but he also tried to get her brother to heal him. So that means that he's actually trying. It means he hasn't given up yet and so he hasn't succumbed to being full venom. [00:36:37] Speaker B: This is when I started questioning things because I feel like we've been away from Zaden for a while because time was passing this whole time, you know, And I'm like, why are the dragons so far from each other right now? I thought it was literally impossible. [00:36:52] Speaker A: In the first book. Going into the second book, they imply that the reason that they say they can only last three days apart is because Zaden can't last longer than three days without Violet. It's not about Taran and Seagal. And then they just said that the longest they had been was a week and Taryn was missing Sago, but they didn't say anything about it really hurting them yet. So I don't know if they actually can stay apart longer or if they're. [00:37:24] Speaker B: Just like, oh, I want to See my husband. [00:37:26] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:37:27] Speaker B: Interesting. I want to see what happens after the end of this book. Specifically with Taran and Sagal. [00:37:35] Speaker A: That is a good question. How long, truly, can they stay apart? [00:37:39] Speaker B: Well, I guess we'll find out Next book. [00:37:41] Speaker A: Put that in a box. [00:37:42] Speaker B: Put it in the box and put it on the shelf. I was going to say that at the very end of this podcast. Don't worry. Violet is practicing her runes when a certain someone shows up. Zaden is standing at the door. He's soaked, and he's ready to risk it all to sleep with Violet. And then Zaden reveals that he was able to keep control over himself by using sex with Violet as motivation for not restarting his clock of how many days since an incident. Incident. Then he tells her, I need you to, like, give me one thing. I just need this one thing to be able to have sex with you right now. I just need this one thing, and I need you to give it to me. And she's like, what is it? And he said, control. I need to have control right now. And she was like, okay, you can have it. And then he's like, okay, if anything goes awry or if anything happens, you need to stop me. And she was like, okay. And then the next chapter, they literally have sex. And that's the entire chapter. And there's nothing else that comes out of that chapter? [00:38:41] Speaker A: Yeah, chapter 48 was foreplay, and then 49 was just six. [00:38:46] Speaker B: Yeah, so super short chapters for me there made up for that battle brief. [00:38:53] Speaker A: Violet has a dream in Xaden's POV while he is with a Sage, and he channels to save Violet. When Violet wakes up, she finds out that Xaden was also having a nightmare. As they talk about it, they realize that she was actually in Xaden's dream. She shared dreams with him every single time he's had them. They talk about the weird dream about Cat, and they think that maybe she was in Merrin's dream when she was having this. And Zaden suggests that dreamwalking is Violet's second signet, but Violet refutes that by saying that the Irids told Andarna that Violet gave her something much more dangerous than lightning. There's no way that it could be dreamwalking. Zaden says that it is more dangerous than lightning because it is in form of being an anistic. How do you say that? [00:39:41] Speaker B: Yeah, we're just gonna go with that. [00:39:44] Speaker A: I feel like I'm saying it wrong, but the. You know what I mean? The person that can read minds, but she doesn't read minds. She walks right into them. And since you can't shield when you sleep, this is very dangerous. And they will kill her if they find out, because obviously, this is one of those things. If you're in any type of anaestic, they'll. They'll kill you because it's just not good for them. Even if she's the best weapon they have, they'll still kill her. It doesn't matter. To confirm, they go to Maren's room, and she shows them the photo from the dream. And she also says that she used to have a nightmare about her family dying until her parents actually died, which. Wow, what a bummer. [00:40:26] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:40:27] Speaker A: Then Taryn shouts at Violet through the bond that a horde is approaching. So we have dreamwalking, manipulation, and then lightning, which are not bad signets, but. [00:40:39] Speaker B: I mean, I think the dreamwalking is interesting. I wouldn't say it's better than the lightning. I feel like that's dope. And then you're like, I'm a dreamwalker. [00:40:53] Speaker A: I'm like, okay, this is my only thing with dreamwalking. It can be dreamwalking with anyone. If she can direct who she goes into. She can take messages to people. She can talk to anybody that she wants. Literally, when she's with Zaden and she figures out that this is Zaden's dream, then her and Zaden have a conversation while they're in the dream. So they can literally have messages even if they're not in the same spot. They can talk to each other through the dreams. [00:41:17] Speaker B: Stop. That's exactly what's gonna happen next book, right? 100%. Our sex chapter that we're getting. Next book is gonna be in a dream, right? [00:41:26] Speaker A: Okay, that's one way that you could do dreamwalking. The second way that you can do dreamwalking is like Inception, where you plant a seed into somebody else's mind. You know, it's their dream, but they don't realize that you're in their dream. She changed Xaden's dream. And so you change their dream to be something that you want them to see, to hopefully influence their mind while they're awake. [00:41:49] Speaker B: Yeah. That's interesting. Yeah. I mean, she's barely controlled the wielding, like her lightning. [00:41:54] Speaker A: I know, I know. [00:41:56] Speaker B: She's supposed to figure this out by the end of two books from now. We're at book three. Homegirl hasn't figured out the light. Okay, okay. Just go. Just keep going. [00:42:06] Speaker A: Zaden leaves and goes to get the rundown of what they're facing. And he learns that he's in charge since both of the generals are elsewhere. All of the second and third years also asked to fight. So Violet and the fourth wing are assigned to a gate. Zaden says not to die, since he loves her more than he loves this place. Violet asks that he come back in one piece. And Taryn says that Zaden wins either way, which I thought was such a fucking burn. [00:42:36] Speaker B: He keeps calling him the Dark One. He's like, I fucking hate this guy. Why are we still here? [00:42:42] Speaker A: He's like, honestly, he wins either way. I mean, you're not wrong. Eric tries to tell Violet that she needs to defend the Temple of Dun outside the walls, but she brushes him off and goes to her orders. They take the lead when the wyverns come, circumventing leadership. Her and Taryn. She's able to kill a bunch, but she does a final strike at a bunch of wyvern. Then Theophany is there, and Taryn is in pain. So I thought, damn it. Are we in another trap? [00:43:16] Speaker B: Yeah. See, this is where I was like, oh, he's gonna turn full venom to save Violet. [00:43:20] Speaker A: Yay. [00:43:21] Speaker B: And then it happened. And I was like, oh, next chapter. There's a part of a wyvern's wing in turn's leg because they've been fighting. So Eric tells Indarna to protect Dune's temple. And Violet is so confused on where his priorities are right now. Like, jesus, get it together. She thinks the wyverns are gonna go for the hatching ground, so she, like, starts flying that way. Then Theophany shows up, and she tries to convince Violet to join her again and to use her as her coach instead of the other guy. And then all of a sudden, they're in, like, this middle of the conversation, and. Wyvern fall from the sky. And then Zaden's like, what up? And Sagle is mad with Violet because Tarn's hurt. And she's like, why the fuck did you let that happen? And then they realize that the wards must be up because the Irids show up revealing that they fixed these ward stones. And they were like, yeah, we just. We figured you might need a little help. And I was like, they came back so much sooner than I thought they would. I thought they were gonna come back at, like, the end of this book. Same, like, the very end. And then offer to help. That's my theory with them. I was like, oh, they're gonna come back later. And then they'll be like, oh, we're here to help, and blah, blah, blah. They're like, hey, bitches, we're here. We fixed your problem, and we're here for the. [00:44:41] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:44:42] Speaker B: Yeah. Leothan the arid who was on Indarna side, like, the only person rooting for Indarna, honestly tells Indarna that he did it only to keep her safe and that's why he did all this. And then he kicks everybody else out of the conversation, is like, everybody can leave except your. Your writers okay to stay? I guess. I guess. And then he's like, hey, I just came back to take you with me and Darna. Let's get out of here. And she's like, I can't leave. I'm bonded. Like, it's not gonn happen. And then he's like, actually, you need to break the bond. And this is where I was like, excuse me. She wouldn't do that. That's crazy. And Indarna's like, violet's gonna die if I do it. And he's like, actually, no, she won't. And she's like, I don't even know how to do that. And he was like, I'll tell you. And then immediately cuts off Violet. And I was like, what? And then Violet literally starts dying because in. Darna leaves. She just leaves and doesn't say anything else to Violet, and she's gone. And Violet almost dies because of it. And then she's like, she left us. And Tarn is like, but we remain. Oh. I was like, are you kidding me right now? My heart broke. I didn't cry. I mean, did you cry? I cried. Yes. You cried. I didn't cry, but I was pissed. I was like, are you effing kidding me right now? Like, right now? I'm getting heated. What do you mean, she just left? [00:46:08] Speaker A: I mean, he already broke the bond. What else are you gonna do? [00:46:12] Speaker B: I don't care. [00:46:13] Speaker A: She wanted to find out about her family. She's wanting that the whole time. [00:46:17] Speaker B: You just left. I'm. And Dara's on my shit list, technically. [00:46:26] Speaker A: Violet said that she could. She said, I wanted you to do what is best for you, even if it's not with me. [00:46:33] Speaker B: Okay. And I get it. [00:46:35] Speaker A: Violet understands sometimes if you love something, you must let it go. God, if it comes back to you, then it's yours. If it does it, then it never was. [00:46:45] Speaker B: What is this, Hannah Montana? [00:46:47] Speaker A: No, I don't know what it's a quote from, but. I know. [00:46:51] Speaker B: I know what it is. But it's quoted in Hannah Montana. Okay, I understand. I Understand why she did it. And Violet's like, perfectly fine with it. She was like, yeah, whatever is best for you. But, like, I'm pissed off. And then Darn is on my shit list and I don't want to hear it. [00:47:07] Speaker A: Well, Violet doesn't leave her room for several days. But Taran gives her unfettered access to his mind and his conversations. Before, there was always kind of a block up. And he would only talk to her when he wanted to talk to her. But now she can see everything. She doesn't dream anymore. Mira is finally able to get her up a couple days later. She asks how Violet is able to replace her power so easily already. Because she thought that she would have such a huge power deficit from one of her dragons leaving. And she already is pretty much at full power. So kind of weird. But we're just gonna stick that in our back pocket, put it in a box, Put it on our shelf. [00:47:46] Speaker B: Put it in the box. [00:47:48] Speaker A: Brandon is then at the door and immediately starts fighting with Mira about how she got Violet up. And Mira's like, why are you getting mad at me for being in the bed with Violet? At least she's up. Like, calm the fuck down. Then Violet yells at them both to get their shit together and goes into the bathroom to bathe. And Zaden comes in and helps her. When she comes out, they're arguing about their grandmother, Nyara. Meera went to try and get some of her mom's journals that were missing. Mira insists that their parents took Violet to a priestess to be dedicated. And they started the process. But then the priestesses told their parents that they could only take children whose futures were certain. And Violet had many paths to choose from. And so they could not finish her dedication. She realizes that it was just their dad that took her and we assume went to try and save her. It wasn't her mom. It was her dad that went. Only Mira was getting upset this whole time because she thought that Violet was probably going to change into a Dark wielder soon. Because Mira was told that a heart that beat for Violet would do the wrong thing for the right reasons and turn dark. And they reveal that it is not about Violet, but it's about Zaden. And Meera is very upset that everyone kept this from her because Brennan also knew this whole time. So she leaves and Meera will be back. I don't think she's so much like her mother that this would have ruined their relationship. [00:49:16] Speaker B: Yeah, mom, it's rough. It's rough to be a Sorengel, right? [00:49:20] Speaker A: Now Halden has troop along Tyrandor's borders. So Zaden cuts off shipments of their Teladium, which I think is their weapons, right? [00:49:30] Speaker B: Yes. [00:49:30] Speaker A: It's like some type of metal to help them make weapons. Because Halden has troops at the border because he's still letting in refugees. And he's like, well, I told you I was gonna attack you. And so here you go. I'm about to attack you. And he's like, well, I'm still letting in refugees. And now you're not getting this ore from me. Sorry. Violet is even worse at runes than before. Since Taran's power isn't really a lesser power. Before, she used to pluck at Andarna's strings, and now she just gets a rush of power anytime she does runes. Quinn gives the advice to be aggressive with it, and it helps. Felix grabs Violet for the rest of the day and reprimands her for her actions before the wards were up about not following directions. And he reminds Violet that there are people that are hunting her and they won't go after civilians if Violet doesn't go after civilians too. They are hunting her and they know what she does, and they know her plays and they know how she is around innocent people. And so if they think that you'll constantly run to people that are in danger, they'll keep putting people in danger. [00:50:35] Speaker B: Yup. [00:50:36] Speaker A: See how that works? She hasn't really thought about that before. [00:50:40] Speaker B: She really hasn't. [00:50:41] Speaker A: It's been going well in Orisha with Zaden, until Violet realizes that he's been peaceful since he's been training Bodhi as his replacement. And he's just basically gearing up to the end. Zaden also got a message from the High Priestess of Dun telling him that Dunne owes him a favor. They ignore it all and have sex instead. And I see that they're back with the not communicating. That's great. [00:51:08] Speaker B: I feel bad for Bode because during this chapter they have like this conversation and Bode is like, literally, just let me fight. And he's like, actually, you can't be anywhere near the fight because you're the heir. And he's like, just let me fight. [00:51:22] Speaker A: He's like, keep having sex if I can get pregnant. And then I don't have to do this anymore. [00:51:28] Speaker B: Please. Next chapter. We start with Violet in Zaden's dream. This time she realizes it and she gets him to wake up. And he says that he's actually never seen her in his dream before, but that he did this time. And he was able to acknowledge that she was there. Garak returns and he reveals that he's injured by theophany, and she has taken Mira and given them only hours to bring Violet and who they think is Bodhi, or she will kill her. Dun, dun, dun. [00:52:02] Speaker A: I know that I said in our Fourth Wing episode that nobody is safe and that I thought even Meera could potentially die, but that was also in the first book. It's been a long time since then, and I just couldn't believe that she would actually try and kill Mira. [00:52:17] Speaker B: I actually knew for all of this time that it was never gonna be Meera who died. This whole time, I was like, absolutely no way. Uh, she's already killed off two of her family members. She's not gonna kill off a third one. Are you kidding me? Technically, she's killed off three because she did kill Brendan in the beginning, but she wouldn't kill Mira. You can't murder her whole family, Rebecca. [00:52:44] Speaker A: Can you? [00:52:47] Speaker B: They figure out that it's not Bode that they want in the next chapter. It's actually Jack because they referred to the other person as Satan's brother. And so they're like, it's Jack that they want. They then debate how they're gonna go there and what they're doing, because obviously it's a trap. And Brendan's like, all right, here's what we're gonna do. Violet is gonna pick one goal out of the three goals that we have, because anything more will just fall and everything will be turned to shit instead of us at least succeeding in one thing. So Violet gets to pick which one we're going for. And Violet's like, what? And then she. He's like, yeah, because you're the one the trap was set up for, and they know that you would never decide. So now you get to decide, and you're gonna stick to it. Okay, Missy? You're sticking to it. And she's like, fine. They briefly mentioned that it's just a move that Theephany won't expect, since Violet would choose everyone else before she chooses herself. And they're like, that's very true. And I'm like, guess what? This plan, it's gonna fail. And Zaden's gonna be the one who fucks the whole thing up. [00:53:51] Speaker A: Wow. I have less faith in Violet than you do. I thought for sure Violet was gonna be the one to fuck this up. [00:53:59] Speaker B: This was, like, the one time. And you know why? Because Violet has this weird thing about family. The only thing she puts above family is Zaden. Right. [00:54:07] Speaker A: True. [00:54:08] Speaker B: So I was like, she loves her family too much to fuck it up, so she's obviously not gonna fuck it up for Mira. Right. Thought process there. [00:54:17] Speaker A: All right. 58. They fly out, but they're cutting it very close to the deadline by the time they're supposed to get there. Arc and his dragon have been seen flying away from the conflict, which seems weird. Theophany and the wyverns hold Mira's dragon kine. I don't know. [00:54:34] Speaker B: Tieni is how I've been reading it. [00:54:36] Speaker A: Tianni Tine, Dunno. Mira's dragon captive. Mira has also been beat up. Theophany tells them that Bruin is on his way, which is another Venon. Garruk then appears with Jack because they had a little conversation. They're like, oh, you want a Bodhi, right? And she's like, oh, he's gonna be upset when he comes. And then they appear with Jack. The ephony tells Violet that she said they would let the town that was next to them stand, not that her sister could live. And they're very careful with their words, but they also lie. And she slits Mera's throat. And I just said, damn. Because even though I know that I said in the last chapter, oh, anybody could die, I really didn't think that she was gonna die. [00:55:23] Speaker B: I immediately was like, nah, she's not dead. [00:55:26] Speaker A: I was just like, oh, damn, they really did that. Wonder how they're gonna get out of this one. Violet goes to Mira and holds her throat together. Brennan is there and is trying to mentor. She then sees Sloane and Dain there, and Sloane has a package from Auric. Sloane is going to transfer Dain's power to Brennan to save Mira because Dain isn't supposed to be using his power in this battle. So it should be fine. He's the safest person to channel from. They're able to save Mira, and then they need to get her out of there. Violet looks at the package that Sloane gave her, and it's addressed to Auric from Dun. Then Zaden has to go, but she has to stick to the mission. And then once Zaden leaves, Bode tells her that they have a problem, because of course they have a fucking problem. They always will. And I just want to say, also for the record, the other couple prediction that I have is Dan and Sloane, which. Were you picking up the sexual tension on this one? Because I felt like this one was a lot more obvious than the other sexual tension. [00:56:28] Speaker B: Yes. [00:56:29] Speaker A: But this Dane and Sloan sexual tension was definitely bubbling in this chapter. [00:56:33] Speaker B: See, I picked it up a little bit. They had like, a one moment where he was like. Like, he kind of made it like, a weird comment. But I. I can tell you, tick tock. Definitely picked up on the sexual tension. [00:56:47] Speaker A: Okay, okay. [00:56:49] Speaker B: Because I saw that and I was like, I didn. It was, like, that serious. But, like, they think it's that serious. I actually thought, like, who's been hanging out with Sloane all the time? Eric. I was like, oh, maybe Eric and Sloan might be a thing, but everybody else is like, is Dana, Sloan. [00:57:06] Speaker A: They are always together, but they're just. I think it's just because they're in the same way. [00:57:10] Speaker B: Best friends. Yeah. [00:57:11] Speaker A: Yeah. Kind of like Re and Sawyer and Riddick and everybody. [00:57:16] Speaker B: I'm upset why Sloan's being thrown in this plot at random times, but whatever. So they have to get teen taney tine out of the way so that he doesn't get hurt. Violet demands that turn leaves and takes him away. And he's like, I don't want to. And then she's like, fucking do it. And he's like, fine. And then Modi decides to stay with Violet, and Theophany shows up and starts talking shit. Violet realizes that the Anthony was never a lightning wielder, but this entire time, she was a storm wielder, just like her mother. It's this big, impactful moment for her. Bode tries to counter the signet because they continue fighting. It isn't really working. And then Violet is like, all right, this isn't working out. And she is like, you have to leave. And he's like, no. And then all of a sudden, Cure his dragon drags him away against his will, which is like, why haven't we been doing this since the beginning? Dragons know better. When we get into a situation like this, it should have been a thing that dragons were pulling their people out. Like, we gotta go, buddy. Which is exactly what he did, because he needed to save Bode's life, Especially realizing that Bode is the heir, so obviously he has to live. Violet then continues the fight with the Ephony. And this is where I was like, why did Tarn ever leave? Because obviously now she's gonna die. I love that. I was like, mira would never die, but I was like, Violet could straight die. [00:58:51] Speaker A: You thought that Violet could actually die? [00:58:54] Speaker B: I definitely thought that. You know, like, I was like, oh, she's gonna die. And then, like, she's gonna turn Benin. Like, that could be a thing. It feels very dangerous at the moment. She could turn Benin. All Theophany had to do Was like, hey, if you turn Violet, I'll cure him. And it would. [00:59:10] Speaker A: It would be done other than a cure, which would mean that she has a cure for herself. Then I would. I, at no point at the end of this book thought that she was gonna turn Venom or die at any point. [00:59:24] Speaker B: I only thought it at this moment. [00:59:26] Speaker A: You didn't think it later when he gave her the ultimatum? [00:59:29] Speaker B: No, I thought it right here at this moment. I was like, this bitch could die straight up. She could like, straight up just leave and turn Venom, you know? Cuz that's dying anyway. I'm getting off track. Then we go to the next chapter. We're like, oh, my God, Violet's alone. She could die. And Rebecca does a sturdy and is like, actually, this is now Rhiannon's point of view. Sit back and relax while Violet's in trouble. So now we're in Rhiannon's chapter. She's worried about Violet. She's also worried about her current squad and them dying. She's inspecting Madaro Pass because that's where she was told to go. Marin, Cat, Sawyer, and Neve, a flyer. Riddick and Bragan, who's also a flyer, are with her, and they're all fighting these Wyvern. Riddick ends up up taking one out by freezing it from the inside and then like splits it in half. And everybody's like, what the f was that? Because that was crazy. And then re orders them all to regroup and they try to hold the past for longer. [01:00:38] Speaker A: Damn. But it got really powerful. [01:00:40] Speaker B: He like, kind of hinted to it in the very beginning of this book. He's like, just so you know. And Violet's like, what the fuck? When did you. When have you been able to do that? Because he froze the inside of an orange, right? [01:00:52] Speaker A: But the size of an orange versus the size of a wyvern is very different. [01:00:56] Speaker B: That's very, very true. Very true. [01:00:59] Speaker A: Violet is able to get out of Theophany's hold. We are back with her. She calls her bluff, saying that Theophany needs her. And Theophany says that Violet was more valuable to her when she still had her Irid connected to her. Then Theophany tries to drain her, but Violet is able to use a wyvern to prevent that from happening because she's able to, like, get on top of it while she drains the ground around her sort of thing. Sego picks up Violet from the ground and takes her west, even though Zaden is south. But she is merely dropping her onto Taryn. Theophany goes to the fight, which is in the town, so they follow her. Violet wields and is able to take out multiple wyverns on the way to get Theophany, but she doesn't know where Zaden is. They ground the riot when Theophany starts another storm. And they say that the ground reinforcements are almost there from the troops that they got from those random people. Violet just must stop the epony. That's what they got to do. In order for this to end, she has to stop the epony. And at this point was when I thought that Zadem was fucking something up. [01:02:15] Speaker B: Agreed. [01:02:15] Speaker A: But now we are once again left on a cliffhanger because we're with Imogen and she wants to get Bodhi out of there since she doesn't want Tyrandor to go to some Brandos on the throne. Kath launches which is her dragon when they see Wyvern cross their path. And Imogen is able to take out a couple of wyvern with her dragon. Then they go to a watchtower since Quinn is over there. Imogen and Dain take out a dark wielder, but Dain knows that she has a second signet now because of how they were able to take out the dark wielder. So this is another person with a second signet. Imogen goes inside and sees Quinn with the dark wielder. Imogen is able to kill the wielder, but the wielder kills Quinn. Then Garruk is there, and he says that they have to go. He won't leave Imogen because Imogen wants to stay there and stay with Quinn because that's her best friend. But Garak. Then Shadow walks them out and they go into the house. And I'm not gonna lie. When they're on the ground and Imogen is telling Quinn that Imogen's family will see Quinn and know her and welcome her. It got me and I started crying. [01:03:31] Speaker B: I knew you would start crying at the end of this chapter. I just. I fucking knew it. I was like, this is when Kristen cries. And I even told you, I think last recording. I was like, there's a part that's like so sad and it really pulls at the heartstrings. And then I, like, was reading it, and I was like, who the F is this person? I don't remember her at all. [01:03:54] Speaker A: I definitely remember her. She helped them in the second book too. So she's actually been in the first book. [01:03:59] Speaker B: But yeah, I knew she was like. I knew she must have been mentioned. [01:04:05] Speaker A: She's very tertiary. She's not even secondary. She's tertiary. [01:04:10] Speaker B: Okay. [01:04:11] Speaker A: Which means third tier. I feel like she's a third tier character. She's named, but she's not really somebody that we fully know. [01:04:20] Speaker B: That makes sense. [01:04:21] Speaker A: So I can understand why this is not a full impact for you. We definitely have to be in Imogen's point of view in order for us to get any type of impact. [01:04:29] Speaker B: Yeah. [01:04:30] Speaker A: Because if we were inviolate, she probably would not have this type of reaction to this type of death anymore. [01:04:35] Speaker B: Definitely not. [01:04:36] Speaker A: But, yes, we do know Quinn. When I was reading it, I was like, this is the part that Summer was telling me about. I know that it is, but also, I cry at everything. So I will. I will cry. [01:04:51] Speaker B: Violet and Tarn decide to fight the. Even though Violet thinks and accepts that they will die. And he's like, please stop accepting your fate right now. Like, please. Her conduit shatters, and she has to fight without it. Daphne slows the storm and makes it more difficult for Violet to wield without the storm to pull from, which is smart. Smart lady. They feel Sagal roar during the middle of this battle. And Violet kind of, like, reaches for Xaden in her mind, and then she is recoiled straight back. And she just kind of sees, like, a wisp of a shadow. Like, nothing even close to what she's used to when it comes to Zaden. Tarn gets caught in a net, and then they fall. Violet tells Tarn, you know, she's, like, accepting their death. Like, this whole chapter, she's like, you've been the gift of my life. As they plummet to their death. That one's super depressing. I was like, that's sad. She thinks they're gonna die, and she's saying goodbye. They hit the ground, and Violet breaks her arm. She's like a bone just snaps. Violet then feels Eric's package in her pocket, and she takes it out, and she figures out that there's, like, a dagger, which is exactly what she needs in this moment. And she rips the net to get out. And Violet then realizes that Eric Signet is precognition, which is seeing the future, which makes sense. And I don't know why he never told. I mean, I do know why he never told her. Because he could get killed for this power. But, like, at the same time, if anyone's not gonna kill you, it's gonna be Violet. Like, come on. He knew that about her, so he really should have just told her, but whatever. So he can see the future. The dagger is revealed to be made in Dune's temple. And then Shadow floods the field, and Tarn says to use the darkness and that the note Eric left had said to strike in the dark. And she's like, oh, my God. And then randomly, Indarna shows up. For, like, a second, a second. She realizes that the dagger can kill Theephany because she used to be a high priestess. And Dune is wrathful. And this is Dune's dagger. She releases a strike of lightning after she kills her just to push herself to burnout because she's, like, accepted her death. And Indarna whispers her name, Violet. And I was like, damn. And Darna's back. Yeah. Even though there's two more chapters and we never see her name again at the rest of this book. [01:07:21] Speaker A: But I did assume that she was back for good. Did you not assume that? [01:07:25] Speaker B: I did assume that. But, like, I wanted Endearna to make another, like, little appearance and kind of a. I don't know. I don't know. I guess I didn't really want that either, because, like, leave something for the next book. [01:07:37] Speaker A: Summer, at this point, when we did all of this and we thought that he once again channeled, I really thought that he did it for nothing and that he was doing this in order to help Violet get out of some little scrape that she was in. And Violet was able to do it herself. And I was like, damn. He really was gonna channel for nothing. But it turns out that he had a different reason, so it's fine. [01:07:58] Speaker B: He had a lot going on. Okay. Kristin. [01:08:00] Speaker A: Yeah. Not everything is about Violet all the time. [01:08:05] Speaker B: So. Speaking of a lot going on for Jaden, we're by his point of view now. Sagle's wounded. It turns out that Panchak was Venom this whole time and that he was the mole. Zaden realizes that he can't kill him or Berwyn because they're, like, significant people in his life. And he's like, I can't kill these people. Another person close to Xaden is there, having turned Vedin, and it's another quote unquote sibling for him. So that's the only clue we get, just so you know. And there's a lot of theories that go with it. Zaden then decides to kill Berwyn because he's, like, evil, you know? Berwyn then kills a dragon with just a dagger, and it, like, freaks everybody out. And then Berwin threatens to kill Seagull, and Zaden is like, actually, you're not gonna do that. And he saves her by turning and uses. Using his Benin power and, like, sucking the power from the earth to kill Venin guards and knock Berwyn and Panchik out. So they're not dead, they're just knocked out, which is upsetting. Zaden realizes he is now a Venin, and there's only one part of his soul left, and that part of his soul is the part that loves Violet. And Zaden and Seagull vaguely talk about, quote, unquote, her and how she promised to help because she loves him. And they say that the red in his eyes look like her lightning and that someone owes him a favor to help anyway because it couldn't be done. And then he's like, well, somebody owes me a favor, and that can make it done. And it's all very vague. And then he asks if she's hurt, and Seagal says, yes, I am. And then shares that the wards extend no further than Dreyathis. Now, he asks Sagal to persuade Tarn for him, and she replies, we will ask, and her decision will determine our fate. I was like, oh, my God. Oh, my God. [01:09:59] Speaker A: I was, for some reason, thinking we were not talking about Violet for the her. I was like, I don't think we're talking about Violet, but I couldn't think about who we were talking about. [01:10:07] Speaker B: No, it's definitely Violet. [01:10:10] Speaker A: You think? [01:10:10] Speaker B: 100%. Not a doubt in my mind. They were talking about Violet. [01:10:14] Speaker A: I think they could also potentially be talking about the priestess to make sure that they could get this fast wedding. He already knows. If I was to say yes, that's the favor. Yeah. [01:10:24] Speaker B: Yeah, that's the favor. But they were talking about her. [01:10:28] Speaker A: But her decision will determine our fate. I feel like that's a little dramatic for Violet. Like, obviously she's gonna say yes, but. Right. [01:10:35] Speaker B: But she's. Because he's saying, persuade Tarn. She's like, all right, we're gonna ask, but her decision will determine our fate. So, like, at that point, they're talking about Tarn and Violet, you know? [01:10:45] Speaker A: Okay, well, last chapter. We are back with Violet, and she wakes up foggy in the courtyard. She's not sure what's happening. There are missing dragon eggs, and Zaden is also missing. She has an emerald ring on her finger, the emerald that was missing from the Blade of Orisha earlier. They have a paper that carries the seal of Dun, and it's an official blessing of their legal marriage from the high Priestess of Dun. So obviously, we figure out that this is a favor. She also has another note that says, don't look for me. It's yours. Now she learns that she's been missing for 12 hours, and Imogen took her memories away because Violet asked her to. And that's the end of the book. [01:11:31] Speaker B: That's when I flipped the page, and I was like, oh, okay, wait, there's nothing else. [01:11:36] Speaker A: Yeah, I definitely had that same reaction when I got to the end of mine, because it is perfectly at the end of the page, and you're like, okay, ready? That's it. [01:11:46] Speaker B: Oh, my God. Whoever was printing that book, I don't know if it was an accident on purpose. If they, like, deleted, like, a word or two so that it would fit perfectly, but, like, boy, did it get me. I was like, there's nothing on this page. [01:12:02] Speaker A: I thought I'd at least get another paragraph, a sentence. But Zaden is gone, and he left her everything. So now you can talk all you want. You don't want to start, you can start. [01:12:18] Speaker B: Okay, so I actually. I have a prediction for this next book. This is gonna come out, and then we're gonna put it in the box. Okay? [01:12:26] Speaker A: Okay. [01:12:28] Speaker B: So I think this next book, she's gonna end up having to fight Zaden. That's definitely gonna happen. And I was like. Like, the sex scenes will be definitely difficult to do, but obviously Rebecca's gonna give us those, because the editor is not gonna push it through unless we have that. You gave me the idea for how that's gonna happen, so now it's all gonna be in dreams. Okay. Yay us. [01:12:51] Speaker A: We're getting those scenes. [01:12:52] Speaker B: Don't you guys worry. [01:12:53] Speaker A: You haven't heard that on TikTok yet. [01:12:55] Speaker B: No, I haven't, but that's definitely gonna happen. And then I said, somehow Violet's gonna find yet another clue or hint from her father that's going to lead to the answer for getting Zaden back, because somehow that always happens. Her deceased father, quote, unquote, because I no longer believe anyone's dead. [01:13:14] Speaker A: Actor Brennan. [01:13:16] Speaker B: Thank you. Her quote, unquote, deceased father always seems to have the answers, even though he's, like, long gone, and he randomly has a book about this exact topic that she's been looking for. I wrote that theory. I said, or her father's actually going to be alive. That could be the twist. That could be how he solves everything. He's just suddenly alive again. Yeah. [01:13:43] Speaker A: That's a lot of people coming back from the dead, Brennan. Jack. Who else? What are we doing here? [01:13:51] Speaker B: Mira technically does. Yeah, there's a lot of accidental deaths here. 100% believe that the father can be back. Give me your prediction before I go into the theories. [01:14:02] Speaker A: I don't know if I really. If it's very coherent or not. Zaden kept saying that he needs something from Beerwyn, who is the Venin who changed him or whatever. So he's connected to him, so we can't kill him. And I don't know if he's necessarily going to get trained by him, especially since he's not fully, fully gone to full Venon yet. Like, right now. Do we for sure know that he's with the Venin community? Because I feel like he could potentially. Maybe this is just my theory. I feel like potentially for the next book, he could not be with the full Venon community and he could just be with his quote, unquote sibling, especially because it is somebody that he knew before. And they're trying to figure out an alternative way to go about this so far because he doesn't necessarily want to be aligned with the Venin, but he can't be here. [01:14:51] Speaker B: So, yeah, he could be, like, going literally anywhere else to get away from here, but also not going to the Venom. [01:14:59] Speaker A: Yeah. Because I'm like, I don't know if Seagull would want to go over there. Maybe we're doing a third option. [01:15:05] Speaker B: That's my one question that I have, and I have no theories for. I mean, obviously I have theories, but, like, obvious ones. What is Seagull gonna do? Because she's kind of like, sticking with Zaden. She seems to be. I chose you. I'm gonna stay by your side. So then what's happening with her and Tarn? Where is she going? Because technically, now that he's been in, isn't their connection, like, broken? [01:15:29] Speaker A: I don't know. It seemed like they're still able to communicate. [01:15:32] Speaker B: They were talking at the end, so that would say that they can still communicate. But Jack was able to kill his dragon. So I'm like, is their connection broken even though they can still talk? [01:15:42] Speaker A: Well, the only reason that Jack is not dead is because he has his. The connection to his dragon is severed because they made him take that drink. So I don't know. [01:15:51] Speaker B: That's the main, main question that I have for this next book is where's Seagull gonna go? [01:15:56] Speaker A: Yeah, I don't think one iota that she's going to die or turn Venom at this point. [01:16:02] Speaker B: Yeah, I don't think so at this point either. I had that inkling a little bit at that one point in this book, but I don't have it at the end of the book, I definitely feel like that's not an option anymore. So the whole brother thing. [01:16:16] Speaker A: Okay, if we're going into the brother thing, let me say mine first, because I have a quick one, and then I feel like then you'll get into all your TikTok things. Okay, go. So my personal theory, when we first learned that somebody new turned, my first initial thought was Dane. I don't know why, but my first initial thought was Dane turned. Okay. But he didn't know that Zaden was turned the full five months. And Zaden was saying something about how this guy has watched me suffer for the last five months knowing that I've done this to myself, and he still chose this path. So it makes me feel like it's somebody that's closer to him. [01:16:55] Speaker B: Yes. [01:16:56] Speaker A: And at first I was like, it can't be Bode, because they already called Bode his brother before. And so this wouldn't be a quote unquote, new brother, because he was already his brother. Does that make sense? I was like, he would have already called him his brother, so why would he say, oh, it's my new brother? Because I'm like, you already technically called Bodhi your brother. That was my first initial thought. [01:17:16] Speaker B: That's actually a really good theory. Yeah, that's a good breakdown. I like that. [01:17:20] Speaker A: So I was like, maybe it would be Garrick or somebody, because that's the only other person that I'm like, okay, that's the really close person to you that would watch you suffering for five months. But then I was thinking about it more, and I was like, well, maybe it could be Bodega. Because now that we know that Violet and Zaden got married and now Violet is technically the ruler of Orisha, maybe it is because Bodhi changed and he's like, fuck, I really need a backup plan. And so this is. My backup plan is to give her Orisha. And so now it's yours. We had to leave. Both of us. I'm contradicting myself on this because I don't exactly know who it is. And honestly, those both three boys, I'm sure up for a contention with everybody on TikTok. I don't know. Yeah. Other than that, I was not sure if we still had a mole or not, because I'm like, is there another mole or was it just Panchak? Because I think Panchik wasn't in all the meetings that we somehow had things, but maybe he learned another way. I don't know. [01:18:21] Speaker B: So that's my thing. Is the mole. I feel like the mole could have been like literally anyone and that he could still be on the other side and that it wasn't just Panchec and nobody on TikTok is saying this. Like everyone's kind of ignoring this, but I'm like he had too much information. Like the mole had to have a lot more information than Panchak did, you know? So I feel like it had to be someone who is closer to Violet and Zayden specifically to have been the mole. [01:18:49] Speaker A: But going back to the brother thing. [01:18:51] Speaker B: Haven'T heard Dane once. [01:18:53] Speaker A: Really? [01:18:54] Speaker B: Yeah. [01:18:55] Speaker A: Okay. [01:18:56] Speaker B: I don't think anyone thinks it's Dane. Dane I think is mentioned in the last chapter. He's there and he's accounted for. The people who can be the new brother are the people who's missing in. [01:19:09] Speaker A: The last, last chapter. I don't know if he is. I don't. I can't remember. [01:19:12] Speaker B: No, I'm pretty sure he is. Okay, just cuz everyone has broken it down and is like who's missing in this chapter? And that's the people we're concerned for, right? It's Garak and Bodhi that are for sure missing. They're not mentioned once. And so Garak is very likely because Garak saw him struggling and they're very close and stuff like that. So he could be very easily considered and he goes missing. The chapter before Zaden is like all that's happening, right? He. He goes missing at a point. So Garak for sure is an option. Bodhi is also an option because he is considered his brother. The only reason Xaden would ever marry Violet in the way that they did get married is if he had literally no other option. And he didn't. Because the second Bode's turned, he has no one to inherit this kingdom. Obviously he would never put Violet in this place unless he absolutely needed to. And so that's a really good argument for it being Bodhi. [01:20:17] Speaker A: Right. [01:20:18] Speaker B: Another argument is Brennan. [01:20:21] Speaker A: Oh, I did briefly think Brennan. [01:20:24] Speaker B: There's like this whole conspiracy theory about Brennan being partially vennon this whole time because his eyes were described as amber and so are Zaden's. So there's like keywords there. No one's ever saved someone on the brink of death, except for him getting saved when he almost died. And Violet thought he actually died. And Mira whose throat was slit and then he saves her, right? And he has this weird scar in his hand and she mentions that. And so everyone thinks it's like a rune or like something to do with the Venin. And I don't fully grasp this concept yet, so I'm also a little confused about it. But I think actually, like, the way people are explaining it, it makes a lot of sense. [01:21:09] Speaker A: That does make a lot of sense. There was a couple of times where I was like, I'm not entirely sure how I feel about Brennan. I feel like Brennan is like a question mark to me still, which is another thing where I was like, I don't know. Does it have to be? I don't know? [01:21:23] Speaker B: So I personally think the mole this whole time has been Brennan. Whether he's Venin or he just turned Venom or. I don't care. I think the whole time he's been the mole. That's just my theory. I can't even give you evidence for it. But I think that. [01:21:38] Speaker A: Okay, I think the reason I backed off on it was because I was like, she has lost. Like you said, so many family members already. Are we really gonna make Brennan also a Venin who could potentially be bad? And, like, she's only gonna have Mira left? We already killed him once. Are we really gonna kill him again? But I guess we can if we need to. [01:21:56] Speaker B: Yeah. We're gonna take all of this, we're gonna fold it up, we're gonna put it in the box, and we're gonna put it onto the shelf. [01:22:04] Speaker A: Onto the shelf. We will unpack. Her new book comes out in two years. Do we have a date for that yet? [01:22:15] Speaker B: No. Two years is the estimated time. [01:22:18] Speaker A: Okay, two years. We will see you in 2027. Well, follow us on TikTok. [01:22:27] Speaker B: Boop, boop. I have two videos right now. It's BC Book Club. [01:22:34] Speaker A: Okay, BC Book Club. Perfect. All right, bye.