Latest / Deep Trope Fantasy & Romance Podcast / Dire Bound by Sable Sorensen Episode 2: Chapters 6–15 | Deadly Trials, Bonding, & THAT Plot Twist
Transcript
- Rachel: Welcome to Deep Trope, where we go deep into fantasy and romance books, one trope at a time. We are two book besties gushing over plot, characters, Easter eggs, theories, and of course, our favorite spicy moments. I'm Rachel, Romanticist Theorist. Kate: and I'm Kate, lover of all things dark and spicy. Rachel: And this is episode two of our deep dive into Dire Bound by Sable Sorensen. And while this episode will only cover chapters six through 15 of the book, we are discussing it from the perspective of two people who have read the full book. So that means ⁓ If you haven't finished the book yet, pause this podcast and finish before returning to us. Kate: also please be advised that the triggers and content warnings in the book also apply to our discussions. So between that and our inability to censor ourselves, this podcast is definitely for adults. Rachel: So Kate, how's your week going? What are you reading when you're not rereading Dire Bound chapter by chapter? Kate: Well, ⁓ Rachel, I'm launching a new podcast, so I'm a little busy right now. But I am actually reading another book. I ⁓ started The Silversmith by L.J. Clarin, ⁓ and this an indie author that I'm really excited about. ⁓ You recommended this book to me. So ⁓ I'm that far into it yet. I think I'm at chapter ⁓ maybe or 13. Rachel: I did. Kate: They've like started their journey, but, ⁓ you know, yeah, yeah, we're getting into it. ⁓ definitely learning how angsty Gavin is. mean, damn That's the best of him at this point in the book. he's mysterious and clearly. Rachel: Yes, you're getting into it. Kate: keeping things from her. But I'm excited ⁓ keep reading that one for sure. Rachel: I'm excited for you. So the Silver Smith was the first ⁓ arc ever read. Well, the first arc that I knew what an arc was and ever read. We have an author friend who I had an arc of hers I just was like, I want to read your book as soon as possible. But I didn't realize that I was supposed to like review and post about it or do anything. ⁓ So I kind of my time with it. ⁓ Kate: Can we, for those who are less ⁓ enmeshed in the BookTok community ⁓ like we are, can you just describe really quickly what an arc is? Rachel: Sure, because clearly I needed to know. So it's an advanced reader copy and the point of an ARC, it usually comes out like a month or two before the book's released Kate: Hahaha Rachel: who are really excited about the book leave some reviews. So that when book is released, there's reviews on Goodreads ⁓ and The day that it's released, the ask is typically to review on Amazon and other platforms as well that might not let you review until the book is actually officially out. Kate: Cool, you're saying that you got an arc of the silversmith. Rachel: She somehow picked me. I had no idea what I was doing. I had like three social posts up on my bookstagram. One was like a book that I DNF'd at the airport. Like I did not know what I was doing. And for some reason, I think she probably just said yes to everybody because she's an indie author, a debut author, ⁓ and probably was just thrilled that people wanted to read it, right? And I had no idea what to expect. I did... Kate: Wow. Hahaha Rachel: I had very low expectations because I was just like, never heard of this person. And I certainly had no qualifications ⁓ to be an art reader. And this book blew me away. Like I did nothing that weekend. I just sat on the couch and read the book. I could not put it down. Kate: Yeah, I, if I wasn't so crazy busy right now, and if we weren't, like I said, in the middle of launching a podcast, I would definitely have just binged this book in one weekend. I am kind of upset that I started it at a time when I couldn't do that, because it's really, it's really hard for me to be putting it down. But I need to sleep at some point. But yeah, that I mean, it's really interesting. ⁓ Rachel: Yeah. Kate: was really not familiar with that concept of the arc before getting more familiar with this community. But it's such a cool concept and seems really mutually beneficial. Obviously, the readers are so eager to get these new books, whether it's a sequel. That's the part that I'm jealous of. Rachel: Mm-hmm. Kate: people that get some of these arcs is the ones that are sequels, right? Like everybody that got Fury Bound already. ⁓ I mean, like that's really cool because it's one thing for like the beginning of a series, but when you've read the first one, you're hooked then you get an advanced copy ⁓ the next one in the series that is like a dream of mine that I didn't realize was a reality for some people. Rachel: Yes. I know, and it's crazy because I did not expect them, I thought they might not do ARCs for Fury Bound just because it's such a like highly anticipated book. people were going crazy trying to get one. there was a couple of like big influencers out there who had physical copies and I was like salivating at all of their posts. ⁓ Kate: I saw that. saw that. Listen, a girl can dream. Maybe we'll get there. ⁓ But yeah, very cool concept. yeah, ⁓ obviously you had a great experience reading this book enough that ⁓ got me hooked on it. So I'm excited to finish that one. But what are you reading right now? Rachel: Well, like you, I don't really have a lot of bandwidth for anything that will take too much of my mental energy while trying to deep dive, Dire Bound So I just wanted a little spicy audio book to listen to. First, I listened to one that was very, very cute and cozy. This was actually an advanced listener copy a book called This damsel is not in distress. It was like an fairy tale, which I don't that I've really read before, ⁓ but it was like similar to the silversmith where he's the bodyguard for her. And it's an older kind of grumpy guy. But then it's like this whimsical fairy tale sort of story where she's like locked up in a tower and he knocks it over. ⁓ Kate: Ooh, I like that. Rachel: She's like, wait, I have to go with you. Like, I love my tower. It's a magical tower. I have everything I could ever want or need here, and I'm safe. And goes on this adventure. ⁓ Kate: No, that's so real though. That's so real. If I had a tower that ⁓ just hang out and read books ⁓ like be taken care of ⁓ just ⁓ whatever I wanted and pay rent, I mean, ⁓ don't know that it doesn't sound, it sound that bad. ⁓ I know that ⁓ I feel ⁓ why might not. Rachel: ideal situation. ideal situation. Kate: wanna be rescued from that, I get it. Rachel: Yeah, it's an ideal situation. ⁓ So it's just an enjoyable book and it's like a standalone. don't, there's not, the world building is very easy. Like you didn't have to memorize a bunch of stuff and try to count Easter eggs for five books down the road, you know? ⁓ But. Kate: Yeah, I mean, some people read other books that way too. think we are. But some people, yes, some people also can enjoy almost any book without reading too much into it, but that's the opposite of what we're here to do. Rachel: That's not how I read. That's right. But currently I'm turning my brain off at night and while doing my makeup in the morning by listening to the Kiss of the Basilisk which is... really not a lot of plot and it's still very enjoyable if you know what I'm saying. Kate: I do because I read that book too, or at least I read 94 % of it. I don't usually stop at 94%, but this one, like you said, listen, there's a lot going on, but not a lot of it is plot. I'll be honest, I wasn't that compelled to finish the final 6 % because I didn't. really care that much how things actually ended. It doesn't, if you are familiar with the book, ⁓ it's heavy on the smut. ⁓ ⁓ mean, ⁓ know some people go through and they will out like all the chapters that have smut in a book. I mean, one, the list is the book. but it is enjoyable if that's something that you're looking for. And like you said, it's good for something that you don't really need to think about too deeply. It's just fun and kind of light on the theories, I think, which at least for you gives your brain a bit of a rest. So that's cool. Rachel: That's right. That's right. But I do think that there's some yearning happening. I could be wrong, but it feels like Her basilisk yearns for her, maybe. Or maybe I've maybe I've created that situation in my head because I need theories, but that's what it seems like. Kate: ⁓ I mean... ⁓ he's definitely yearning. You'll get there. But it still isn't that deep. Rachel: Okay. All right. Well, should we get into this book? ⁓ Speaking of theories, let's dive in because I've got one to start us out. So we're starting at chapter six and Meryn is reporting for duty. She Kate: Yeah, okay, let's do it. Rachel: arrives at the army base, which is just inside the city's outer walls, and there are tents set up to process all of the recruits. The tents bear the royal coat of arms, which is a snarling direwolf on a shield with a sword crossed and a spear behind it. Is this a hint of who is actually in control? The sword is obviously the Dire Blade, but what is the spear? Is it a reference to a fang? ⁓ is it just a reference to humans? ⁓ this is saying that the bonded are in charge, and that's why the Dire Blade is in front of the spear. Kate: It's an interesting thing to think about because obviously a coat of arms is very intentional, you know, when you have just these three elements really, they're all there for a specific reason. So I do think that it's worth keeping an eye out for what could the spear be representing here. So add that to the list of the many theories of Rachel's that we are keeping track of in the margins. Rachel: We're on... We're on Spear Watch. when they announced that all the recruits are entering the bonding trials, people are shocked and terrified. Now remember, Meryn knew ahead of time because Lee told her last week, but everybody else is finding out for the first time. They hike to the base of Mount Wolfsbane where they will camp for the night before their ascent up the mountain the next day. During their hike to the mountain, they walk past bonded city and the rich, beautiful homes there. and Meryn sees a happy, well-fed child and thinks how much privilege the bonded have. And she also notes that the snow stick to the ground like it's being heated from below. So. Kate: I'm sensing another theory coming. Rachel: I do have another theory. Do the siphons own the warmth? Is this just like some kind of a magic that they have there, like a direwolf magic, ⁓ ⁓ this something related to the siphons? Because I feel that the weather becomes important in this book. They currently live in Sturmfrost which is a winter region. Like it's always winter there. and other parts of their country have different climates where it is not always winter. We will do a deep dive into the world and the different climates. We're not going to do that in today's episode. But I just want to note that there are a couple of times in this book where there's warmth where it doesn't make sense. And this is the first time that it stood out to me that It seems like the snow is not touching the ground. it because that's where the dungeons ⁓ ⁓ children are that we find out at the end of the book that the children are down there and like somehow that's heating ⁓ Is it something with the siphon magic? I don't know. What do you think? Any thoughts? Kate: I mean, it's definitely something to note. It's ⁓ that it's a permanently winter ⁓ and no snow accumulated on the ground, you know. ⁓ Clearly it was notable enough that Meryn flagged it ⁓ and, you it stood out to her because that's clearly not ⁓ like happens. in the neighborhood that she lives in. So I don't know. It was interesting that it was such a pristine like look to it, not just from how different the buildings were, the architecture, you know, it was gleaming and ⁓ gorgeous compared to the really shabby rundown neighborhoods Meryn is used to. ⁓ the fact that it was so pristine that yeah, the snow doesn't even stick, you know, like their roads clear, the sidewalks are ⁓ bare Rachel: Right. Kate: You know, so it lends itself to just that really striking contrast between the bonded and the rest of the citizens of this city. Rachel: Yeah, absolutely. And if it is just a handy bit of magic, that sure is a handy bit of magic. I would like my driveway warmed so I never have to shovel. Kate: ⁓ I know. I've seen, I've seen reels of people who do have a heated driveway and every winter I'm so jealous. Yeah, no, that's a thing. You can, if you have enough money, anything is possible, Rachel. People have heated driveways and as somebody who has spent my whole life living in the Northeast, ⁓ my God, the... the envy that I have when I'm shoveling my treacherous, steep driveway after every snowstorm. Rachel: I am jealous. All right, so Meryn befriends Alessandra, who is a fellow recruit, and they decide to share a tent to help stay warm in the frigid cold. At the campsite, they see a group of recruits with their tents already built. They are all tall, beautiful, and wearing furs, and Meryn recognizes them the children of the bonded. The trials weren't a surprise to them, and so they reported directly to the mountain. Kate: So something that I asked here was if they don't bond, do they still join the army as a regular recruit? Do we learn that? Rachel: I assume so. I know that they are kicked out of their families. Kate: Right. Yeah, they become totally ostracized from their families if they come from a bonded family and they don't bond a wolf. But do they then also have to join the army like anybody else? Any of the other recruits that fail to bond? Rachel: I think so. That's how they make it sound at the end of the book or at the end of this section when the ascent's over, you just have to make it down and then you go to the front lines for training. Kate: Yeah. So that's, that's gotta be harsh for people who grew up in that really privileged ⁓ society. And then not only are you then cut off from your family if you don't bond, but you know, we're assuming you also end up on the front lines, just completely defeated. Rachel: ⁓ yeah. Yeah, I don't think anybody's lasting very long on the front lines anyway. Kate: doesn't seem like it. Definitely seems like it like a throw bodies at the problem kind of strategy. Rachel: Among the bonded, she notices identical twins with glossy black hair. One wears it in a short bob while the other wears it long, and they're communicating with sign language. And so these twins will pop up later. But one thing I want to note about the bonded is why are they all tall and beautiful? They make it sound like it's because there's just like generations of bonded marrying one another, and it's resulted in these like tall, beautiful people. But Is there more to it? I'm wondering if it's because they have access to more nutrients. Is it the same as our society where rich people get to be beautiful because they have access to more treatments and care? Kate: I it is a good question. ⁓ And I agree, it seems like there's something else going on here because again, like you said, the assumption here is that they just, you know, they all kind of intermingle just within the bonded community. So they're not getting any commoner blood mixed in. But I think we all know that ⁓ Rachel: Right. Kate: historically, ⁓ sticking with a very small community does not necessarily lead to the most healthy, beautiful people. ⁓ The Habsburgs come to mind of just like that doesn't like long term. You need to expand your circle to keep your society healthy. Rachel: Wait, who are the Habsburgs? Kate: so that was a, uh, royal in Europe. I won't pretend to remember the dates for it, but they were really, well known for their kind of deformed appearance. Um, after many years of like inbreeding. So there's like the Habsburg chin, um, that is, is really recognizable and just not cute. ⁓ So that's kind of the vibe that you would typically expect when you have years of what sounds kind of like inbreeding of just staying within a very small group of, select ⁓ people that ⁓ partnering up. Rachel: Is it like the Windsor bald spot? Kate: Yeah, yeah, you know, I mean, just if you if you don't expand outside your circle ⁓ over many generations, those kinds of things. don't typically end up in your favor genetically speaking. So to your point, maybe there's something else going on here that's keeping these people healthy and beautiful and not, not. Rachel: Yes, and tall, yes. Kate: not Habsburgs. Rachel: Yeah, interested to see if there's some kind of magic happening here. Meryn and Alessandra sit around a cook fire with other recruits. ⁓ this includes Henrey, a commoner from Blumenfall Unlike the rest of the recruits, Henrey is committed to becoming a bonded, saying he's been training his whole life. And he reveals that there are two paths up the mountain. The bonded children will likely take the difficult one. racing one another to the top for the best chance at bonding a wolf. But there's an alternative, longer, safer route for anyone who just wants to make it to the top and get this over with as safely as possible. Kate: So Henrey just got really lucky then because he didn't know that the trials were happening. So he's been... you know, wanting to bond for his whole life, but he didn't know that that was happening, so he just happened to sign up at the right time. Rachel: That's interesting. That's a really good point. I wonder if there's a way to opt into the bonding trials. Like, if you have signed up as a recruit and you're on the front lines and you hear that they're having them, I don't know. Kate: It doesn't seem like it. They made it sound like it was really kept under wraps for anyone outside of, you know, the bonded community because in their interpretation, it was to discourage people from being too scared to sign up because the bonding trials are ⁓ typically a really dangerous, very bloody... as we will find out in the next few chapters. ⁓ Like, really difficult. ⁓ process to get through, especially for common born people, right? So I think what they made it sound like when Lee was telling Meryn about the trials and we were learning for the first time what they were, it sounded like they kept them a secret so that when they came up, they didn't have a lack of recruits for that year. Rachel: Yeah. Yes, you're right. And it is very strange that he happens to be there for this. Kate: Yeah, I guess Lucky Henrey ⁓ you know, for now. Rachel: Well, ⁓ yeah. He also points out that, the reason that he wants to become a bonded is because this is the one opportunity that they have to pull their family ⁓ out poverty. And, the opportunity they have for generations to live in the bonded city and, you know, just have access to so much more. All right, the next morning a horn sounds and two bonded address the recruits, including the terrifying but attractive dark-haired bonded officer from the market. Here we learn his name is Stark Therion Alpha of the Daemos Pack, and he will be an instructor during the bonding trials, along with the woman beside him, Beta Egith and they will ensure every recruit makes it up the mountain, even if they need to chase them up mountain. What do you think of the name Stark? Kate: Okay, first thought obviously is Iron Man, but once I got past that, ⁓ know, Stark is giving harsh or striking, like a striking contrast. So in my mind, I'm thinking about the striking contrast between Lee and Stark, right? You have the... Rachel: Hmm. Kate: the blonde and the shadow daddy or that's what I'm putting on him right now because he's dark and brooding. ⁓ But Stark is also like unadorned in, you know, that's a synonym, I guess. So I'm thinking about the contrast with the royalty and how Royalty is literally about excess and over-the-top adornments and Stark is just like bare bones. This is what you get. This is who I am. And it's it's a little bit brutal, but it's straight to the point. It's not. Rachel: That's interesting. Kate: over the top, it's not trying to distract you with anything flashy, it's just... right down to it. But what did you think? Rachel: All I can think is, we know no king but the King of the North, whose name is Stark. Do you know that line? You know where that comes from? Kate: am getting the sense now that it comes from Game of Thrones and I think you're gonna take my romantasy card away from me because I never finished Game of Thrones ⁓ never read the books and I didn't finish the series ⁓ So ⁓ that's my first thought was Iron Man and not Game of Thrones, but am I right? Is that what that's from? Rachel: You are correct, but also, I don't blame you, it was written by a man and feels very much so, like it was written by a man. Kate: Yeah, you can tell. mean, just from the show, from the one or two seasons that I did see of the show, it was very strongly written by a man. Rachel: Listen, I'm not trying to be any kind of a hater. ⁓ The show is in the first few seasons they're choosing scenes intentionally for men. But the book, ⁓ I read series. I did read the series. ⁓ I love the story, but it really goes off on some... tangents that I think could be reeled in. Kate: And I'm just saying I love that this genre fantasy, romantasy is very much being dominated by women right now. Rachel: Alright, the ascent begins and the common-born recruits run for the Table of Gear, fighting for the best tools. Alessandra takes off without Meryn, saying she can't put her life in anyone else's hands. As Meryn assesses the situation, she hears the sound of a woman being attacked and finds one of the bonded twins on the ground with a man strangling her. Meryn rushes to her aid, kicks him and forgets the crampons on her boot that tear a hole through his face. He tries to attack her, but Meryn of course is too quick and she holds him down with her knife at his neck telling him to run when she lets him go. Kate: Whoops. Is this kind of her Katniss arrow through the apple moment like all of these bonded are set to underestimate her because she's common born and then she shows up and is actually a badass and is stronger than they think is and can't be fucked with easily? Like is that kind of what's happening here? Rachel: a great point. I think it is an important moment for her, yeah. I mean, clearly she makes her first set of friends this way, her first set of real friends who don't ditch her after one night. Kate: yeah, Alessandra, like she was all gung-ho to be friendly when she needed the body warmth and then... peaces out in the morning. ⁓ Meryn's feeling used. Rachel: We learn that the woman that Meryn saved is named Izabel, and her twin with the shorter hair is named Venna. Venna has a hearing impairment, so she just did not hear when Izabel was being attacked, and she turned around and it was happening. We learn that the man who attacked Izabel is named Jonah, and Izabel had turned him down a few weeks ago. Now, Jonah becomes a menace throughout this book, and What a way to introduce him. Attacking a woman for turning him down. Gross. Kate: so gross. There's a character in one of my favorite shows, Veep, who is insufferable and his name is Jonah. And one of my favorite nicknames from that show is when they call him Jonad. And I feel like that's very fitting here. So I'm going to call Jonah Jonad. Rachel: I like that. Jonad He sure is one. As they thank Meryn, she says, can smell a rat from a mile away. But can you? Kate: Like, girl. Girl. Can you really? Are we sure? Are we sure that we're trusting your judgment here? Rachel: Can you? you're not being a very good kitty cat, if you know what I mean. The twins take Meryn under their wing to return the favor, insisting that they make the ascent together. Though Meryn doesn't want to take the treacherous path, the twins convince her that there is safety in numbers. And when Meryn turns, she notices Stark and his terrifying direwolf are menacingly glaring at her. So she is quick to join the twins in their ascent. Kate: we are going to become so acquainted with this menacing glare from Stark. It's his go-to move and pretty much his main form of communication for a lot of this book. Rachel: Sure is. Sure is. Kate: haha Rachel: They take the treacherous path and bodies begin to fall around them. A body lands near Meryn, splashing her with blood, and she recognizes it as that of a boy from the fire last night, who she noted was too young to even grow a beard. The twin. Kate: So we are very much getting immediately the sense of how brutal this trial is and just how much of a disregard, I guess, there is for life. Rachel: I mean, you would have to chase me up that mountain if there's bodies falling down around me. I'll tell you that. Nothing, there's nothing that could make me take the quick route. Kate: Yeah, no thank you. Rachel: The twins are excellent climbers and lend Meryn some tools, which are for the climb. At one point, the ice Izabel is perched on gives way, crashing down on Venna Meryn is able to toss Izabel some rope and pull her up, saving her again. And Venna is just a fantastic climber and able to ⁓ her place. Kate: Which is great. I mean, we learned that Izabel and Venna, again, they're from a bonded family, so they've been training for this pretty much their whole lives. So I do have to ask, is Meryn keeping up with them? Like, I know that she might be slowing them down a little bit, we ⁓ that this girl has never climbed a mountain before, right? She doesn't have time for recreational rock climbing. How is she just casually taking up ice climbing? Not even just regular rock climbing, but going straight into ice climbing with like axes and ice picks. And this is the first time that she's doing any of this and she's somehow keeping up and not immediately falling and dying. making think just like how somehow sprinted miles. to her home to check on Saela in our first episode, it's again giving some kind of extra power that she might have because this is normal. You can't just ⁓ take ice climbing completely ⁓ untrained and in this kind of environment. That's crazy. Rachel: Hidden powers. Sure is. At one point, they stop, and one of the twins realizes the ice is too thin to scale without crashing down. They change routes, and Meryn is struck by the realization that Lee's advice to her was right. She never would have made it this far without allies. And then the true ice climb begins. Vena teaches Meryn how to use ice picks and tie knots for her harness, which saves Meryn within 10 minutes of her climb. when her feet slip off the ice. Kate: So again, she's getting a tutorial on ice climbing and she's like, yep, got it. Good to go. Rachel: That's right. I mean, she does fall, but she's harnessed in, so she's able to make it. But yeah, I think we're suspending our disbelief here. ⁓ could definitely be Hidden Powers. When they make it to a ledge to rest Meryn has a moment to reflect and realizes she is enjoying spending time with Venna and Izabel. She never really had the time or means to have girlfriends before. So this is really meaningful. Kate: Just a little bit. That's fine. Rachel: to her. Another group approaches. A woman from the group seems friendly, but Meryn doesn't trust her when she compliments their ice picks, noting that she only has a broken one. She asks if they care to share, and of course Meryn says, happening. The woman then lunges for Izabel's equipment, ⁓ the two men that are with her also move into action. Meryn dodges her blows when the woman grabs a knife, and though she doesn't want her dead, Meryn does engage back with her own knife. Suddenly the woman stops. Her companions have fallen off the ledge, pulling the rope back, and all three of them, tethered together, fall over the ledge. Which is just such a perfect karma moment. Kate: ⁓ no. Fuck around. Rachel: Throughout this section of the book, they reference recruits killing other recruits for their tools or just to eliminate another competitor. And knowing that 99.9 % of the people on this treacherous path are bonded children with access to the best quality tools, I think that this is a poignant reference to privilege and just feeling that everything is owed to you. Kate: for sure. Serious entitlement here. And again, just the complete disregard for ⁓ sanctity of life, Rachel: They continue their climb and Meryn reveals to the twins she doesn't care about bonding. She wants to make it to the front to find Saela explaining that her sister was taken by Nabbers. The twins are confused, never having heard about the Nabbers or disappearances. Uh-oh! What were your initial thoughts here? My initial thought was, are the bonded eating children to become beautiful? Kate: Just a little child's blood in your facial. Yeah. I think that's a good thought. ⁓ My thought was that, again, I think I talked about this in the last episode. It's just really shady ⁓ doesn't seem to be any awareness of Nabbers, right? Meryn. was unsure whether the king was aware of the Nabbers ⁓ when she was describing them and the plight of the people outside of the ⁓ city that, you know, it's not adding up ⁓ that there would be something that's so prevalent and affecting the rest of the citizens so heavily that nobody else would know about it, you know, that the king wouldn't know about it when it's supposedly perpetrated by their main enemy, the siphons. So again, it's just really not adding up that it would be some secretive thing when it's affecting so many people, like so many children have been taken. And so again, this was just a big red flag of like something seriously shady is happening, like this is a cover up, because there's just no way that something so common that they've got a nickname for them, for the Nabbers, but a whole population of people in the same city are unaware of it. the shady as hell. Rachel: Shady. Venna looks toward the sky and tells them storm is coming. Suddenly it becomes more urgent to make it to the top. As they rush to the top of the mountain, the snow hits them. The twins teach Meryn signals to communicate when they can't hear one another, and slowly they make it to the top. ⁓ in the middle of this ⁓ Meryn is now also learning sign language. Kate: So, wow, this girl is incredible, okay? She's learning how to ice climb, learning how to mountain climb, learning how to communicate in sign language, learning how to be a friend for the first time, apparently. All during a blizzard, ⁓ again, clinging to the side of this mountain. Incredible. Ha ha ha. Rachel: As they reach the top, Jonad approaches with his friends. They attack Meryn. She fights back, freeing herself, and eventually the snow swallows Jonah. That was very weird to me. That line that he's... The snow swallows him. She wonders if he fell off the side of the mountain. She wonders if she killed him, but he just disappears. Izabel and Venna stumble out of the fog. and Venna's arm is injured, but they proceed. It becomes clear that Venna will not make it up the mountain on her own, and she is slowing them down to the point where it's becoming dangerous. So Izabel and Meryn strap her between them, and between the two of them, they pull her to the summit. They make it to the top, and the storm calms down, and they see many other people have already made it there. Meryn worries are the twins too late to bond. But then the direwolves appear and they ⁓ massive. Her head doesn't even reach their shoulders. Izabel reminds her that the wolves choose humans, not the other way around. And then she steps into the mass of bodies. Meryn sees Venna turn her head like someone is talking to her and a direwolf approaches her and bows its head. She sees Henrey, the other... ⁓ commoner recruit has bonded a brown wolf. A few times a wolf approaches Meryn and she feels a press on her mind, but she closes her mind to each thinking, not me. As the recruits bond, she realizes each of them gets a streak of hair to match their pack. And then a silver direwolf appears, separate from the rest. She communicates disinterest and authority. She looks more ancient and powerful than the others. And almost unwillingly, Meryn takes a step toward her. She hears a man whisper, it's Anassa She never bonds. They say she's been here for hundreds of years. Anassa and Meryn feels a crushing sense her mind. As she thinks, not me, I don't want to bond. Meryn sees images in her mind of Anassa running down the mountainside in the moonlight, a sunrise, and bloody crown. Kate: foreshadowing. Rachel: Is it? I want to know what these images are Is Anassa sending her images to try to tell her a little bit of who she is or are these memories? from Anassa Or are these from the goddess? Are they premonitions? What do you think? Kate: I mean, I was thinking that this was kind of a message from Anassa in some way. ⁓ mean, again, just ⁓ how and ⁓ powerful Anassa is, you know, even just from this initial sense that we got and that note from that other recruit mentions that. She never bonds, she's been here for hundreds of years, you know, like we're getting a sense of Anassa and the power that she has. And so again, I'm just assuming ⁓ ⁓ is very intentional with everything that she does. And so there has to be some kind of meaning to these images. And I think that it is Anassa communicating some way to Meryn, although not in way that makes any sense to Meryn. And ⁓ again, we're kind of starting the some miscommunication themes here that ⁓ going to continue very heavily ⁓ the book of, know, yeah, I think there's some kind of message being sent here, but Meryn's not getting it. ⁓ She's understanding. ⁓ She know what, what is going on yet. So, ⁓ yeah, I do think that it's some kind of foreshadowing. mean, especially the bloody crown, like that's a pretty obvious. sign of something to come. But yeah, mean, it's not super helpful at this point because there's context for Meryn. Rachel: Sure is. I want to know if Anassa was alive when the original Sturmfrost rulers were alive because the overthrow, the coup happened. I guess it wouldn't be a coup. It's a coup if it's from the inside, right? Kate: Yes. Rachel: They were overthrown years ago, hundreds of years ago. Now we know ⁓ Queen's direwolf was killed, but was Anassa alive? Like was she ⁓ pup of the original Queen's direwolf? Was she meant for the baby? ⁓ don't know. Kate: That's an interesting theory. It's an interesting theory. Rachel: As they bond, Meryn thinks, no, no. All of Meryn's hair has turned silver white, not just a streak like the other riders have to mark their pack. Stark appears ⁓ Meryn feels a pulse of electric through her like she wants to run or fight. or Something else, Meryn? Kate: ⁓ yes, the three stress responses. Fight, flight, or fuck. Rachel: Stark says, your training starts now with the first test of your bond. You need to make it down the mountain before dark or the bond will sever and you will die. Everyone sure is. They've just climbed this mountain and now they have to race down. Kate: That's harsh. So like... Yeah, and again, they just bonded. even if you are from a bonded family, I still imagine that that process is so jarring. Like you still can't really know what it's going to feel like to bond with a wolf and what that connection is actually going to entail. Even if you come from one of those families, like this is still the first time that they're really experiencing that. And to then have to quickly turn around and be like, okay, so now ride this wolf that you just met. and just bonded to two down this treacherous icy mountain. Rachel: Well, I think they take the easier path, but still, agree. Yes. Kate: I mean, it's still a mountain and it's a winter storm and whatever. Rachel: yes, yes. they definitely were not expecting people like Meryn to have to ⁓ run the mountain ⁓ because everyone starts mounting their direwolves, but Anassa does not communicate or go near Meryn at all. Most head down the mountain. There's a few that Meryn sees that are struggling to stay on their direwolves. So Meryn attempts to approach and she says, Okay, girl, it's just you and me then. Can I ride you, girl? Which is very much how I talk to horses. Kate: Absolutely, but I don't know if it's exactly how I would approach a all-powerful direwolf that is hundreds of years old. I don't know that I would have the same tone as approaching a horse, but I don't know, that's just me. Rachel: Well, Anassa doesn't seem to like it because she growls at her menacingly and snaps at her and almost takes her arm off. So Anassa takes off without Meryn, but Meryn is determined to survive. So she drops her bag and runs down the safe path. On her descent, she passes bodies, including Alessandra, ripped open by a direwolf's claw. Kate: Whatever, I don't care about Alessandra, honestly. Rachel: She deserved it. Kate: Okay, but like, again, how tall is this fucking mountain? I really, I'm struggling to understand the scale of this, because in my mind, it just does not seem possible that they would be able to do all of this in the span of one day and that she would be able to sprint down an icy mountain. Even if there's, you know, it's an easier path than what she took to get up there. it's just wild to imagine her sprinting down this mountain dodging dead bodies and like racing a bunch of actual wolves that are also going down the mountain. in my mind I'm thinking ⁓ of these mountains like the or something and that just is not ⁓ physically possible. ⁓ Rachel: Well, I have, I live on a small mountain that I occasionally hike. And I can start at one trail and go up and down and see the pretty peak in like... an hour and half. Kate: Okay, so I should be thinking of this more like the Poconos than the Rockies. Rachel: I think we have to. Kate: I think we have to, because this is not possible. Rachel: Because when they're describing the ice climb, I'm imagining like Mount Everest, but that takes days. Kate: Yeah. right, I have to scale this back. Okay, so we're in the Poconos and she's sprinting down the mountain and that's fine. And that's totally possible and moving on. Rachel: Meryn's feet are bleeding in her boots and she is covered in cuts from falls and branches, but she finally makes it down the mountain to the gate where Beta Egith is waiting. No wolf, no entry, she says. No shoes, no shirt, no service. But then Anassa appears and Meryn realizes she was following her the entire time. Meryn hears Kate: God damn it. Rachel: Beta Egith say welcome to training, Strategos Rawbond. Of course she was following her. Of course she was following her. Kate: Of course. I mean, I get that Meryn was super awkward and maybe rude to Anassa, but she also is completely thrown off by this entire process. She was not prepared for any of this. She didn't want to bond. Rachel: Anassa's the asshole in this situation, in my opinion. I completely agree. she is the knowing, all-powerful, wolf. Yes, she can't tell her what's going on, but she can read Meryn's thoughts. So she needs to put down her ego for a second and understand where she's coming from, and at the very least, be nice to her! Kate: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, or just not actively everything exponentially more difficult. ⁓ And this is something that we're gonna see over and over again while they're struggling to form a solid bond with each other, Rachel: ⁓ I hate a miscommunication trope but knowing the cause behind it ⁓ and knowing that I think that they both assholes, but especially Anassa like I just handle it. I couldn't it. It was like nails on a chalkboard. Kate: Yeah. So seeing that from the very moment that they bond, Anassa was just not going to give Meryn any kind of benefit of the doubt. It's frustrating. Rachel: Beta Egith tells her to find her pack in the courtyard. Meryn follows Anassa to the rest of the silver marked Rawbonds where she finds Izabel, who describes the four packs to her. So here is our direwolf pack guide. We learn most of these details in this section of the book, but we also pulled in some additional that we learned later in the book. So this can be your one-stop guide to the direwolf packs. So first we have Strategos, which Meryn and Izabel are in. These are the leaders and tacticians. They are recognizable by their silver fur and riders have a matching silver streak in their hair. Strategos have communication magic and occasional foresight, allowing them to see flashes of the future. Kate: which is very interesting ⁓ knowing what we know about Meryn's mother and potential visions that she was having. But also when we were doing the breakdown of all of the different packs, thought it would be interesting to look up what the meaning for all these different words were in Greek because clearly that's where this is pulled from. ⁓ For strategos, Greek meaning for that word is literally like an army leader or a general. Rachel: Then we have Kryptos, Venna's pack, who are the spies. On the Sable Sorensen website, they refer to them as shadow walkers, which I was very excited to see because we see Venna do this later in the book. They can bend light and shadow to become almost invisible. Their woes have a dark gray or speckled coat, while riders have blue streaks in their hair. Kate: The Greek meaning here for Kryptos is secret, hidden, concealed. So very on the nose here. But interesting, I also learned that it's the name of a statue that is located outside the CIA headquarters in Virginia. like Kryptos is literally the CIA of the packs. Rachel: Then we have Daemos Jonah and Stark's pack. These are the warriors who are known for their brutality. They wield offensive magic as weapons and are faster and stronger in battle. The wolves always have dark coloring and are often black, while the riders have blood red streaks through their hair. Kate: So the Greek here that is the god of dread, terror, or panic, ⁓ and described as the personification of the terror that warriors feel in battle, which is interesting to me because I was thinking that they would instill that fear ⁓ in others, right? ⁓ the description on like in the Greek mythology is that it's, you know, the personification of that, that terror, which Rachel: That is interesting Stark describes them as getting carried away as their weakness. And think of it as like the berserkers in the Vikings. So that's interesting that it's the personification of the dread rather than the personification of what's causing it. Kate: Yeah, I also thought it was interesting that Daemos is son of Ares, the god of war, and Aphrodite, the goddess of love. Rachel: that is interesting. Kate: That is, I didn't prep Rachel for this one. So what do you think of that? Because I thought that that was a really interesting note. Rachel: Well, it makes me think of those two lovelorn gods that we heard a reference to in the first couple chapters when they were reading books to Saela. Kate: I that when I learned that, I thought exactly of that point that you had like picked up on Rachel: that's very interesting because i don't think that Stark is the child of two gods. like i think that they're probably leaning towards Stark and Meryn being or becoming the two gods, unless they're from the line of two separate gods and coming together. like that would make sense to me, but i don't see Stark being from the god of war and the goddess of love, but maybe. Kate: Maybe. I mean, he is a brutal warrior and, I mean, hopefully also a brutal lover. Maybe. We'll see. Rachel: We'll see. Phylax, the guardians, this is Henrey's pack. They wield defensive magic from temporary shields to entire domes that they can create while the pack works together. The wolves have tan and brown coloring while the riders are marked by a tawny streak of hair. Kate: And the Greek meaning here is a keeper or protector. Rachel: What do you think of the packs? A whole pack of leaders sounds like a nightmare. Talk about too many cooks in the kitchen. and do you think that there are other packs that should exist? Kate: So I was thinking about this and honestly, I don't really know. mean, what I would love to learn more about is how the packs work with the other kind of elements that make up an army, right? So like, you know, it's not like, yeah, like the infantry or just other ⁓ regiments and just like how the whole system kind of works together because I agree that Rachel: Like the infantry. Kate: each pack on its own is unbalanced, right? You need elements of all of them to be successful. So I'm curious what the structure kind of looks like in the field. Like, are they split into different regiments with the infantry? Does each regiment get a few bonded riders from each pack? And I don't know if they really described that in this book that much. But that's something that I'm interested to know, like, how does this actually work? in battle at on the front lines because yeah you can't have all of those leaders in one place Rachel: seems like an imbalance of leaders if there's an entire pack of leaders, plus each pack has its own system of like alpha, beta, gamma. So it just seems like there's too many leaders and too many strategists. Like how many strategists do you actually need? There only really needs to be ⁓ one with a couple ⁓ of Kate: Right. Rachel: wolves, riders to maybe help dig into different areas, but I can't imagine you need an entire pack of strategists. Kate: Right, that's why I'm thinking that, you know, on the front lines, it kind of be structured a little bit differently, because again, I just feel like you need a little bit of everyone, Rachel: we didn't get into the weaknesses of the packs really here, but later in the book Stark talks about those. I would imagine they would need ⁓ one of each always. Like you would always need one from each pack on every mission. Kate: Yeah, to balance each other out. Rachel: Meryn learns that they will stay in the castle for Rawbond training. Half of the castle was created specifically for training so the king can keep an eye on them. She is overwhelmed by the opulence around her, the tall vaulted ceilings, massive windows and archways, sparkling marble and elaborate tapestries depicting direwolves. Despite the frigid temperatures outside, the castle is notably warm and Meryn wonders how many fires are lit in order to heat such a large space. And again, we're on potential magic heat alert. Is this just the wealth where they just have so much money that they can put a fire in every single nook and cranny? Or is there magic at play? digging into a little bit more theory here, I think the word siphon is important. Because yes, we know that they siphon life force through blood and we learn that they siphon power in other ways later in the book, like that bracelet. Are they pulling from the earth somehow? And is that resulting in year round winter temperatures? Kate: like they're taking so much power from the earth that Rachel: Yes. Kate: it's like creating a permanent winter. Rachel: Yes. Kate: ⁓ that's interesting. I mean, I am really to know, again, knowing what we know at the end of the book, how much ⁓ this entire system is manipulated by ⁓ magic, ⁓ Because it really could be in every aspect of how the entire Society works, right? Rachel: can't wait to find out. Kate: But yeah, let's, but we're just getting glimpses of it with, you know, ⁓ glimmers of the magic with this heat. But I think that that's a really interesting thing that she's noted that twice now. Rachel: Yes, twice now in this section. then there's references later in the book too. I don't think we really get an answer in this book at all. I don't think we get enough to even really have a full theory, but I'm excited to see what happens in book two here. Kate: we don't need a ton of evidence to into a theory. ⁓ Rachel: No, we don't. can go for an hour about this probably. Kate: hahahaha Rachel: The wolves sleep outside on terraces built into the mountain. It says they prefer to be outdoors. Again, is this true? As we learn later in the books, the wolves once lived side by side with the humans and the castle was clearly made to fit them, as you can see from the massive archways and doors. So did the siphons banish them from the castle or do the wolves prefer to be further away from the siphon magic? Kate: a good question. I hope we find out. Rachel: Beta Egith shows them to the Rawbond common room where they will eat their meals. And there are doors around the room, each labeled with a pack name and room symbol. These doors lead to each pack's dormitories, which include a common lounge, bathing chambers, bunk rooms, and private rooms for the instructors. The pack symbols don't come up often, but it was something I noticed on my reread. I totally missed previously that they were labeled on the door. The special edition books have pack symbol runes on the sprayed edges. So they really don't come up much. I don't know if they even come up again in this book. We'll keep an eye out on it in chapters. But the fact that they're on the edges ⁓ of special edition makes me think that they could be important for bo ok two. Kate: Yeah, I mean, again, this is not like a coat of arms situation. Runes are specifically meant to carry magic and to imbue things with magic and, you know, like they carry that power. So we know, you know, at a high level, the powers that each pack is supposed to have. But, you know, again, runes are very intentional. They depending on how they're created, they provide and support different kinds of magic. So I'm curious, like you are, you know, what does that actually mean? How were they created and what power do they actually support? You know, is it just the general powers of each pack that we've learned about already or is there more to it? Because again, we know runes can get complicated, you know, they're not, it doesn't have to just be a single thing. There could be a lot of different elements that are included in a single rune. Rachel: Right like an equation. Kate: Yeah. Rachel: And who else could use them? Like, could other people have power by using the runes? Kate: and can they be manipulated in some way? Rachel: Right. Kate: what else is built in there, you know? Because we know from some other series that, you know, small changes to a rune can make them inclusive or exclusive of certain groups of people or, you know, like there's a lot of nuance that can be included there. And so I'm really curious if that ends up coming up again ⁓ ⁓ those become, like you said, lot more important in the rest of the series. Rachel: Right. And who knows the runes? Obviously the commoners know nothing. I'm assuming that the siphons must know the runes. Do the riders know the runes? And if so, is that why they're all so beautiful? Do they have beauty runes? Kate: Haha Rachel: let's an eye on it. I'm just imagining, what are those things that they put about ⁓ mobile, that they put around babies' beds? I'm just imagining each bonded baby with their rune mobile that says, make them tall and willowy and beautiful and strong. ⁓ Kate: Let's keep an eye on it. All right, we're putting it in the margins. How big? hahaha Yeah, I mean, I, again, just knowing how powerful runes can be, I definitely think it's worth keeping an eye on. So we're gonna add that to the seemingly endless list of things that we are tracking. Rachel: We're on Rune Watch. The endless list. The endless list. We need to keep a list. So as we've got Rune Watch, we've got Shield Watch. Is that what it's called? Not Shield. Coat of Arms. We're on Rune Watch. We're on Warmth Watch. We're on Coat of Arm Watch. We're on Meryn's Daddy Watch. Kate: No, the yeah, the coat of arms. Wait, which one? Her actual daddy or her daddy? Or both. Rachel: I don't know who her daddy is, but I was talking about her actual daddy. Kate: I mean, not yet, but again, I'm always hoping for a Shadow Daddy, so... Rachel: ⁓ yes, we're on Shadow Watch for sure. And what was the, there was something from last episode too. Kate: Is it the the lovelorn gods? Yeah. Rachel: ⁓ the goddesses, the goddesses. Yeah, the gods and goddesses. Kate: Alright, that's a lot. I imagine that the list is going to continue to grow, but... Rachel: got a lot to keep an eye on. I think so. But we need to compile a comprehensive list, I think. Kate: Yeah, I know we keep we keep referencing a theoretical list. No, we need an actual hard copy list. Rachel: No, it's in my brain. Like Sarah J. Maas said, her entire world is in her brain. And I don't have that organized of a brain, as Kate well knows. Kate: No, that's a nightmare for me. ⁓ a real loose ship up there. ⁓ Rachel: All right, after they eat, Meryn goes to bed and immediately falls asleep, dreaming of a voice chanting Lumina. And this is something we are going to keep a close eye on throughout the book. Kate: ⁓ are we? That's so surprising. But yeah, I mean, this is not the first time, obviously, that we have clocked kind of a I guess, it's in context of a dream, but based on the history with her mom, ⁓ I see this as a and ⁓ the beginning of Meryn's following her mom's footsteps. Rachel: Izabel wakes Meryn in the morning. It's time for breakfast, which means Meryn has slept past bath time. Izabel tells her to style her hair because appearances matter there. And I just don't even understand this. I get that she was tired, but she must have been covered in blood after the ascent. I don't know how she changed into PJs without a bath. Kate: I don't know, mean, how often do you think that she bathed? Rachel: That's true. That's true. Kate: normally, you know? Is that... I don't know, we didn't necessarily learn that about her, but I didn't really get the sense that her home had a lot of hot water. ⁓ Rachel: No, that does come up later in this section, but I just, it's still, that's just so bad. But yeah, you're right. I guess this is maybe a reference to how she was raised. Meryn points out her silver hair to Izabel, asking her if it's weird, and Izabel tells her not to draw attention to it. Which is just wild, because it's like, it's not like you can hide that. Kate: Yeah, right, let me go grab my wig, okay. this is clearly... a chosen one moment with her hair because Izabel's like, yeah, bitch, that is not normal. ⁓ keep that on the DL. Yeah. So Meryn's just like, ⁓ okay, cool. ⁓ I guess I just won't worry about that then, but clearly she's special. Rachel: never seen that before! meet the charming Tomison Thorne. Well, Meryn meets them, the twins know him. I think it's interesting that he was nice to Meryn right away. Throughout the book, he's nice to her. So ⁓ think he's probably a good guy. But my immediate thought here was that he's a snake because I don't trust charming people. What do you think? Kate: I did not have red flags when he came up for the first time. I am just thinking of him ⁓ like a ⁓ type character here he charming and of don't if going to end up being comedic ⁓ relief kind of character but That's more of the vibe that I'm getting from him of being somebody that the twins know well and which of twins ⁓ is kind of by him. Right, so Izabel is like, my god, Tomison ⁓ It's, you know, it's it's kind of giving like, Rachel: Izabel, right? Yeah. Kate: They were friends in school and she's like kind of annoyed by him, but actually do they like each so I was not getting the red flag vibes like you were. Rachel: You know, I just don't trust anybody, especially people that are charming right away to the stinky girl. Kate: We're just gonna call Meryn the stinky girl. Rachel: when I studied abroad in Scotland, there was a word, minge minge, minge Meryn, minge I think it was, or mang mage mange It's kind of like manging but it's not manging. I think it's minge, Mingin' Meryn. We're gonna call her Mingin' Meryn. We're not, because I could be wrong. ⁓ And that not mean what I think it means. Scottish listeners, tell me what I'm saying here. Kate: Mating. actually I just looked it up it does mean foul smelling very bad or unpleasant Rachel: my God, Mingin' Meryn that's her name. ⁓ Kate: I know if that's how you pronounce it, please correct us, but that's what Google is telling me. Rachel: Alright, Mingin' Meryn isn't used to the rich food and starts to feel a bit sick. And then everyone takes a contraceptive draft. And I want to know, is this just like what they do in every single romantasy book where we have to point out what the contraception is? Or does it do something else? Kate: I know you are, you're so distrustful. Question everything. And usually I am on board with that. I don't know, this one again just didn't necessarily throw me off. And I might be naive for that. For me, it was just like, ⁓ clearly this is about to be a fuckfest. But I wasn't necessarily thinking that anything more nefarious was happening here. But I mean, it is a good point. if everybody is taking it, they could put anything in there. who knows ⁓ what it might do. ⁓ Now gonna I'm starting to see everything through Rachel's lens. ⁓ And starting ⁓ I so long I have been the like every book is a five star read because it's entertaining and I had fun reading it even if the plot holes are the size of a planet. But now I've spent so much time with Rachel that now starting question everything. I'm starting to read so much deeper into things ⁓ and ⁓ not just ⁓ floating with the vibes. rereading and really digging in. So ⁓ new territory for me, ⁓ Rachel: If I enjoy the book, it's a five star read. It doesn't, not every book needs to be complex. I mean, I could go on a rant about this, but like the star system is there to tell somebody if they should purchase something, right? If it's a pair of socks and they went well, they worked well, they kept my feet dry, I'm giving them five stars. If it's a book and it did what I needed it to do, Kate: I mean, Rachel: whether that was entertain me, whether that was send me to another planet so I don't have to be on this one for a couple of hours, whether it was turn me on. If it did its job, it's getting five stars. Kate: absolutely fair. I know there are some people who very strict requirements to give something a five star ⁓ honestly that's just never going to be me. ⁓ I'm here to entertained, I'm here to myself. ⁓ Rachel: We're here for a good time. Kate: Like you said, if we're here for a good time and so on my reread, ⁓ I was thinking Rachel and was a little bit more skeptical of what's going on with this contraceptive draft. But on my first read, ⁓ I was just thinking, we're about to see a lot of fucking happening in this group of people and they're just trying to preemptively avoid claims of how are they not all getting pregnant. Rachel: After breakfast, they tour the castle, including the wolf terraces. When Meryn spots Anassa, Anassa immediately looks away. All of the packs then meet in the auditorium for orientation and Stark is there scowling as usual. And even Izabel notices him glaring at Meryn. During this scene, Meryn gets a better look at his tattoos and she says that they look runic. So later in the book, we learn what the tattoos mean, but the word runic really stood out to me here. I don't think we learn of any powers imbued in them, but it makes me wonder if that's something that's going to come up in future books. Kate: Again, we know how powerful runes can be. And we know that, these tattoos are given ⁓ by bonded, Stark is giving out tattoos in this book. If they're runes, ⁓ what's he putting in them? Rachel: Right. When do you learn how to give the tattoos and what do you learn how to do? During the orientation, they an man, leader Aldrich, who is the former alpha of Strategos, and he says he will be leading training. And I think it's very interesting that you can retire from an alpha position because I assumed it was sort of like a lifelong role. Kate: I kind of love that it's not because the concept that someone in power would step aside to let the next generation of leaders step up is very appealing to me and is not something that we see very often. So I think that that's great that they would have, the opportunity to have these former leaders that are still ⁓ involved still helping to shape the next generation of bonded but that they are not clinging desperately to power until their dying breath. Rachel: During orientation, they learn about the four-month training period and their upcoming trials. Training is split into two periods, forging, which is the two-month process in which they forge bonds with their fellow pack mates. And that includes the voice trial, which will take place in one month and where they will need to prove that they can communicate with their wolves. Forging ends with the purge trial, where packs can call members that weaken the pack. This is then followed by the forging ball. After forging, they move to the proving period, two months where the packs learn to work together. While there are no trials during this period, it ends with the Unity Trial, which is a mock trial between the packs and then graduation. After orientation, Meryn speaks to Beta Egith telling her that she doesn't belong there. She explains that she needs to get out of training so she can go to the front and find Saela. Beta Egith tells her that it's not done and warns her not to tell anyone that she can't communicate with her wolf. She tells her, to try not to stand out despite her hair. And like the twins, she had never heard of the Nabbers, but she promises to look into it. I find it interesting here. She mentions that they have a bet going amongst the pack leaders to see who can lose the least amount of Rawbonds ⁓ ⁓ wonder if Stark did this to get Beta Egith to protect her. What do you think? Kate: think that's good ⁓ I ⁓ we that that's his goal here, ⁓ and knowing he's not the leader of ⁓ her ⁓ it make sense ⁓ that would kind of sneakily recruit somebody else ⁓ to with that. Rachel: Mm-hmm. Yeah, that he would manipulate someone into helping to protect her as much as he can. Kate: I bet you can't take care of Meryn the way that I'm gonna take care of all of my Rawbonds Rachel: I bet she can't take her in the way. He would take care of Meryn Kate: Ain't that the truth? I we'll see. I hope so. Rachel: Fingers crossed for book two. Kate: Ha ha! Rachel: Following this conversation, Meryn storms off, packs a bag of necessities and leaves, slipping out through the servants' passages. She finally makes it to the gate, but just past the gate, she gets a splitting headache that quickly radiates through her entire body. After a few steps, her legs give way and she collapses into the snow. Eventually, the twins find her and save her. They explain that distance between a wolf and a rider causes physical strain and can snap the bond, killing them both. Meryn cries out, distraught that she has stuck there for months, unable to help Saela. She asks the twins why they are so nice to her. And they explain that no one thought that they would survive the trials due to Venna's hearing disability, but their parents raised them to be harder fighters than anyone. A trait they see in Meryn as well. Kate: again, we're just seeing how little Meryn understands about being bonded. She doesn't know how the bond works. She doesn't know all these different rules and things. ⁓ she's just like completely ⁓ for any of this. I mean, she ⁓ to run away not realizing that it could literally kill her. I know that ⁓ like starting these trials and they're doing training and things, but it still seems like she's so far behind everybody. mean, obviously the bonded children have grown up just knowing all of this also we're just seeing glaring of communicating and helping Meryn understand what's going on. She's completely in the dark. Rachel: a really good point, because I was gonna say like it's crazy that they don't cover this stuff during orientation, because they're just like shocked that anybody wouldn't know it. And anytime anybody asks a question, like Henrey asks where the wolves are when they're on their tour, and they're like, there's always one. because created scenario where ⁓ everybody needs to make ascent. So yes, occasionally there will be ⁓ one that has no idea what's happening. And it is your job to tell them what is happening, but it makes sense that they might expect the wolves to tell them. That's a really good point. If they're going to select them, why wouldn't they tell them what's going on? Kate: Yeah. Yeah, well, and again, she gets to the point where she's in like excruciating pain and Anassa still not going to chime in to say, hey, maybe don't do what you're doing because it could kill us both. You that would be like a really important time to break your silence, Rachel: know, and especially because I'm sure Anassa was also in pain. Like, ⁓ so freaking stubborn that she just can't even tell her, hey, take a few steps back because we're both about to die. Kate: Right. Yeah, so, you know, it's great that the twins stepped in to the day, ⁓ but just cannot believe how stubborn is at this still that she would rather be in excruciating pain than open their connection. Rachel: That night is presentation, which the twins tell Meryn she desperately needs to bathe for. Kate: She's still stinky. Like how is this girl still? She's still stank. Rachel: Minging Maron needs a bath. Izabel hisses at her to hurry up. She needs time to look nice. She explains that they will be displayed in front of nobles from across the seven fiefdoms. While the nobles don't decide their rankings within the pack, alpha, beta, gamma, and so on, the wolves are always watching. and anyone who underperforms tonight may be culled. That's crazy. Kate: It's interesting how important something like that is because this is something that's not in like in my mind is not really tied to their ability as a warrior or their ability as a pack mate necessarily so the fact that if they don't present themselves well enough to nobility and the royals that enough to make them ⁓ a in the pack which is interesting me like how much they prioritize that aspect ⁓ Rachel: Well, it seems like a way to maintain the society that they've created where bonded are generational because they're all prepared for it. So they have like their beautiful outfits to wear and they are going to look beautiful, which is obviously the point. Whereas any commoner is gonna just show up in their rags and like whatever free outfit is there and you know, Meryn's like, what am I gonna wear? The twins fortunately take care of her and Henrey later in the book even says that he wears something from somebody else in his pack, but like, that's insane. You would not tell anybody that they have to dress nice and then also not give them nice clothes to wear. Kate: Yeah, I mean, again, to your point, it's reinforcing that the gap ⁓ privilege ⁓ ⁓ know, they're really making it so that anybody who gets to this point and makes it through these trials ⁓ isn't bonded is doing it despite everybody else's best efforts Rachel: We finally get Minging Meryn a bath and the baths are extravagant. But Meryn is horrified that they are communal with no screens, no locks on the doors, and no gender specific bathing chambers. Kate: Thank God. We've established that these trials are going to be a bloodbath and a fuckfest. ⁓ So ⁓ you've got to get that. ⁓ Rachel: Good point. That's a great point. are These are party hot tubs, so to speak. Kate: I mean, I am curious, you know, ⁓ is the common practice in rest like the bonded city or if this is just something that's for like the Rawbond training, ⁓ you know, because of the other Rawbonds seem to be thrown off by it. so I assumed that maybe that's just how it is in the city. I don't know. Rachel: Despite her discomfort with the general setting, Meryn finds the bath just absolutely luxurious. And this was a little bit heartbreaking to read the fact that she never had like a true hot bath before, and she never indulged in just being able to relax after a long day's work. She describes her baths in the past of being chilly races to get slightly clean. Kate: Yeah, mean, she was no rush to bathe the beginning. She had to be told to take a bath. So yeah, she's used to that being really regular occurrence, I guess. Rachel: and Venna dress Meryn up in a silky shimmering plum color dress with slits on either side and buttery soft knee-high leather boots, which ⁓ obsessed with this. Like we need to have a moment in these books for the And reading this made me understand how cosplayers become cosplayers because like, yeah, like I want that outfit too. Kate: I have so much respect for cosplayers because I have that feeling as well, but it is never followed by the will to actually put that together for myself. I don't have the patience for it. I don't have the skill for it and I don't have the patience to learn. So when I see these people that make these gorgeous, elaborate costumes to cosplay for these characters, I am just in awe because it could be me ⁓ and I... I'm so blown away by what people pull together sometimes. Because yeah, moments like this, you're like, I want to see that. I want to like this outfit seems so badass. I want to wear it. But I just do not have the patience to make something like that for myself. Rachel: also have nowhere to wear a plum gown with slits on either sides and thigh high boots. Like, if I got invited to like a fancy wedding, I don't think I would wear the thigh high boots, but it sounds like quite a look. Kate: I mean, that's what RomantasyCon is for, right? Rachel: That's true. Well, we'll see. We'll see what outfits we come up with. Kate: We'll see, I hope. Well, yeah, I don't expect anything too elaborate from me, but I am excited to see what other people come up with. Rachel: In this scene, we meet Nevah described as a brown-skinned woman with curly hair who was crying out in the courtyard last night. She tells her that she won't want to stand out too much. And is confused by this comment, and the twins finally reveal that the King and Nobles may select favorite bonded for sex. Though it's not required, ⁓ it's clearly other than the king, who if he selects you, that's obviously not optional. Kate: This was another moment where I was feeling some similarities to Hunger Games because if you recall what Finnick went through after becoming a victor and the way that he was treated by the people in the capital, that's the that I was getting here I think it's clearly a way to control the strongest members of your society and keep them subservient and keep them in a place below the nobility. So even though these are, you know, the most powerful people, hypothetically, in the kingdom, especially as a pack. This is just a way to keep them under control and ⁓ take some power away from them. Rachel: That's so true. I think it's also important to point out, Tomison, Tomison's got red hair, right? He's like a ginger. The twins have dark hair. I think they said they have like pale skin. Now we have Nevah, who has brown skin curly hair. And they're all from bonded families. So this story that we're being told that they're all tall and beautiful because of generations of inbreeding is obviously not true, since they all look very different. Kate: That's a good point. Rachel: one of my favorite about romantasy books is that there's often a lot of diversity and they put a focus on that, like diversity from all sorts of angles. But I just think it's important to call out there when, we're being told that they're all the same for that reason. Kate: Right, yeah, that's a good point. Rachel: Meryn looks in the mirror and is shocked by her beauty. The dress fits her perfectly and compliments her silver white hair. Among the rest of the bonded, Meryn stands out because of her athletic frame while they are taller with a more elegant willowy beauty. And again, ⁓ I just want to point out... that I find this strange, because wouldn't they grow up to be strong fighters? Wouldn't they naturally become more muscular, stronger people? So I really, I'm starting to think that the Bonded have some kind of like siphon magic or siphon blood going on. Kate: I mean, snow literally doesn't stick to their streets, so anything possible. There's something going on there. Rachel: They arrive in the arena, which Meryn notes smells like death. Stark is there in a shining black power suit. And as they enter the arena, Meryn notices divots in the dirt and she hears whispering, like low hissing voices in her head. The wolves appear, but Anassa still blocks her out. And Meryn feels a pang of jealousy when she sees some of the wolves greet their riders by nuzzling their hands. A herald announces the king, His Royal Highness Cyril King of Nocturna. and Meryn sees him for the first time. He's pale with gray hair, but attractive for a man in his 50s. She notes the cunning his pale blue eyes. He sits on a raised platform with a dire blade across his lap. Now Meryn has heard of the dire blade. It's a legendary weapon which gives him power over all of the direwolves According to legend, it was a gift from the faceless goddess to help balance the power between wolves and humans while the direwolves hunted them. Kate: So I'm curious for this Dire Blade, what does that power, what does wielding that power actually look like? Is that something that we really get to see in this book? Because I'm curious if it's like an aggressive, obvious power or more of a strong subconscious influence kind of power. Like what does it actually look like in practice? Rachel: That's a good point. We do see it in this book. at the end, there is a where we see the Dire Blade take control of the wolves. Do know what I'm talking about? Or should I talk? Kate: Yeah, I mean, I, yes, I do remember, I remember that, yes. So I'm curious what else this blade can do because clearly it's a really important artifact here. It's in the Coat of Arms. We know that we're on Coat of Arms watch. So yeah, you're right. We do see it wielded at least once, but I think there's gonna be... a lot more that can be done with this and I'm curious like the full extent of its power. Rachel: Yes, yes, that will be interesting to see. The herald then announces the prince, his royal highness, Kilian Valtiere crown prince of Nocturna. Meryn hears the Rawbond women discuss how handsome he is and she finally looks up to the balcony to see ⁓ standing next to the king and quote his dark blue eyes filled with regret. Dun dun dun! Plot twist! Kate: Did you see this one coming? Rachel: I don't remember. I knew he was something. I don't remember if I thought that he was the prince. I don't think so. Kate: I just knew that I didn't trust him, so I wasn't surprised that it came out that he had been lying to her the entire time. yeah, I don't know if I necessarily pegged that he was going to be the prince, but we knew that he was a liar. Rachel: Yes, we knew something was gonna happen, whether he was betraying her or he was gonna die. And I think they set it up to feel like there was a betrayal coming. And I really liked this plot twist because it felt like they're setting it up, like this is the thing, this is what you can't trust about him. ⁓ but wait, there's more. And then ⁓ but wait, there's even more, like multiple times, you know? Kate: Mm-hmm. I because we're still pretty early in this book. So we know that there's got to be more twists and turns here, right? So that is interesting that he was definitely set up to not be trusted from the beginning. So to see pretty quickly this twist, you know that the rest of the book is going to be good because... Rachel: Mm-hmm. Kate: usually something like this would be like end of the book kind of territory so Rachel: Yes. Should we get into our tropes? Kate: Yes. we've got, I think seven that. Rachel: Now I'm taking the count out, because I started adding some during our, I started adding some as we were talking. So let's go through the ones that we've noted. Kate: Okay Okay. All right. So for our tropes, we have deadly trials. We have a military academy. We have the start of the chosen one trope. Meryn is so special. We have a fish out of water. Meryn is completely out of her element, surrounded by people who understand a lot better than she does what the hell is going on. We have miscommunication from Ms. Anassa, who is to communicate with Meryn and, ⁓ know, Meryn is also ⁓ super open to communicating with Anassa, but at this point it's a lot more understandable ⁓ her side. So we're seeing the miscommunication. We're also, Rachel: UGH! Kate: starting to get some of that from Stark, think as well, where he's really just communicating in glares. ⁓ Use your words, ⁓ We also have a Cinderella moment. We have the makeover of the stinky girl and she blossoms into... Rachel: typical man. Minging Meryn, Minging Meryn, however you say it. Kate: We have her blossoming from a foul, blood-covered creature into an elegant, beautiful woman ready for presentation. We have Stark as the glaring MMC, very broody, very angsty. And I think that's it for right now. Did I miss any? Rachel: I added the chosen one to the list. Oh you did? Where's that? ⁓ I think you're right. I think that's it. Kate: Yeah, I already covered that one. It's the third one. Rachel: So that's one, two, three, four, five, six, seven. You're right. We have seven tropes. Kate: That's a good list. Rachel: It's a good list. Kate: Alright, we meet a lot of new characters in this set of chapters all of the other recruits and Rawbonds. So let's a fuck, marry, kill for funsies. Rachel: All right. Kate: I'm gonna give you Izabel, Venna, and Nevah. Whatcha doin'? Rachel: Okay, found family. are we putting found family on the trope list or are we waiting? Are we waiting to add found family until a little bit later? Kate: I mean, I guess we're definitely seeing a good bond forming between the twins and Meryn. So I think that might be to add it at this point. They did. saved her life multiple times. They are definitely helping to usher her into this new ⁓ that finding herself in. So I think that that's fair. The ⁓ bonds will stronger as the book goes on, but I think it's enough. Rachel: They saved her life. They saved her life. Kate: to add that to the list this time. Rachel: Okay, so we have eight tropes. All right. And for Fuck, Marry, Kill, Izabel, Venna, and Nevah. Kate: What do you think? Rachel: I think I'm going to. Marry Venna. My initial thought was Fuck Venna because later on they call her the Kryptos killer because she's such, ⁓ such a, so in tuned with her sexuality. That she's just killing them all ⁓ with what can do. But I really like that she's quiet. ⁓ And I that that would be ⁓ nice to with. Kate: I don't want a loud person in my house. Rachel: Based on how many times a week I have to say, can I have some quiet time? I think I would marry Venna. And Nevah's like just so sad. I think I might put her out of her misery. And I think I would fuck Izabel and her beautiful long hair and crazy attitude. Kate: You I mean, does, like the long hair, something nice to grab on to. I can see that. I see where you're coming from. I would. I fuck Venna for the reasons that you described. ⁓ I also I like a sleek blob blob. I like a sleek bob. ⁓ I think that would be sexy. And again, I just I like like she's cunning. She's very smart and sneaky. And I don't know, I feel like that would come out nicely in the bedroom. ⁓ And then for wife, ⁓ would probably ⁓ ⁓ think this is gonna surprise you. I think I would marry Nevah. ⁓ Also for the same reasons that you wanted to put her down, ⁓ I ⁓ I can fix her. ⁓ think I like a project. I can work with that. And she also just the way that they described her, I think she sounds beautiful. And then I mean, I don't really have anything ⁓ against Izabel. But I just don't know that she's as intriguing to me. So I'm sorry, Izabel, but You're getting killed. Rachel: No, I understand where you're coming from. I actually, this is making me wonder if one of the twins will not make it through the end of the series. Kate: That, wouldn't surprise me. I mean, the way that they're setting them up, not everybody in this found family can survive. Rachel: I definitely think Tomison could be on the table, the chopping block as well. Kate: Yeah, you think, I think that Sorensen might be setting us up to like him just enough to be sad when he dies. ⁓ Rachel: I agree. I agree. Nevah, understand. mean, Nevah is a great character, especially as the book goes on. I think answer was definitely... swayed by the fact that we just deep dived these past few sad chapters for her. Kate: I know, and be fair, you know, at this point, we don't know her that well yet, but yeah, I think, I I fix her. Rachel: And that brings us to the end of this week's episode. Join us next week as we officially start the Forging period and find out what Lee, I mean Killian's true identity means for their relationship. Kate: be sure to subscribe to the Deep Trope Podcast so you never miss an episode. And as a new podcast, we sincerely appreciate your five star reviews. And you can also follow us on Instagram and TikTok at Deep Trope Podcast. Rachel: Thanks for listening. See you next week.