Latest / Deep Trope Fantasy & Romance Podcast / The Incendiary Deep Dive (Ch. 12–21): Fated Mates, Ary’s First Trial, & an Elias Theory
Transcript
- Rachel: Welcome to Deep Trope, where we go deep into fantasy and romance books, one trope at a time. I'm Rachel, romantasy theorist. Kate: And I'm Kate, lover of all things dark and spicy. Rachel: And today is episode two of our six episode deep dive of the Incendiary by LJ Claren. Kate: This episode will cover chapters twelve to twenty-one of the book from the perspective of two people who have read the full book. So that means spoilers. If you don't know what the last three words of the book are, pause the podcast and come back once you've finished reading. Rachel: We're still a new podcast, so we truly appreciate every like, subscribe, and share. Go ahead, get your friend invested in another unfinished series. Be the chaos you want to see in the world. Our goal is to make sure every romance and fantasy reader has a book bestie to gush over their favorite theories and their favorite spicy moments. So be sure to connect with us on social media to join in all the fun. You can find us on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and Facebook at Deep Trope Podcast. Kate: And a quick note on formatting. At some points in this series, we may rearrange the chapter orders a little bit to complete the entire Gavin POV flashbacks before moving on. And finally, before we begin, be sure to check the content warnings for the book because all trigger warnings from the book apply to this podcast. We are two unfiltered, opinionated millennials, so maybe grab your headphones if you're around anyone who doesn't appreciate Smyth's dirty mouth as much as Ary does. Rachel: Alright, let's dive into it. We're starting at chapter 12, and the first day of training has arrived. Ary wakes up early, eats, and is waiting to enter the training hall before anyone else. Valda finds her attempting to enter the locked doors, and while she's suspicious, she lets her in. Ary is paired with a man twice her size for sparring who taunts her, saying he'll send her to the infirmary. He gets a good hit in, but only by fighting dirty. Fortunately Gavin trained Ary to fight dirty as well. So she knees him in the groin and wins the match. And this had me cracking up. I love seeing the payoff for all of those little training moments with Gavin. And I feel like he definitely would have given her a good girl here. It reminded me so much of when she punched Caz in the throat. Kate: Yes, I love this. I am such a big proponent of going straight for a man's biggest weakness. Like, if you're gonna be outmatched in strength, then why not go straight for where they're the most vulnerable? You know, like I don't see Rachel: Mm-hmm. Kate: that as fighting dirty. I see that as fighting smart. Rachel: I agree. And I do think it's like very funny that like nature gave us this like off button for men. Like they're so much stronger than women statistically, I guess. I can't say a blanket statement, but you know, at least there's like that one button that we can we can pull in a fight. Kate: Mm-hmm. Pull, punch, stab, kick, Rachel: Stab. Ha ha ha. Kate: knee. Rachel: Sing, right? From Miss Congeniality. Kate: yeah yeah yeah. Rachel: Stomach, what is it? Stomach, what's the eye? Stomach, Kate: In step. Rachel: instep, nose, groin. Kate: Yep. Yep. Rachel: That night, Ary discovers that they are allowed to leave the fortress at their own risk. So she slips out to practice dagger throwing, which is something she hasn't quite figured out yet, and she's shocked when Elias sneaks up on her. Thank God Shera wasn't there. Because I thought for sure she would want to meet up with her here, and her cover would have been blown immediately in less than a day of training. Kate: Yeah. Yeah, seriously. Rachel: Elias insists on seeing what Ary can do, and she's embarrassed to reveal this one combat skill she doesn't really have yet. While Gavin left her copious notes on how to throw, she needed an actual person to train her. And so what do we get here, Kate? He trains her trope, which this is one of Yes, this is one of my favorite tropes. Kate: Your favorite Rachel: we're gonna need to pause and dissect it. So Elias stands behind Ary, holding her hand to guide her. And this reminded me of in the movies when a man teaches a woman to play pool. It's like that forced proximity aspect of the one-horse trope combined with a he trains her trope. Kate: It's good. It's good. Rachel: Mm-hmm, it's good. Elias also uses this opportunity to probe Ary on why her dagger is so important to her. And while she doesn't reveal much, just that it was from the person who trained her, this leads to them revealing half secrets. Apparently, Elias doesn't actually want her dead. And Ary learns that the fortress has a library. Kate: Like you said, this was a great scene. I love the kind of flirtiness that we get here between them. and again, Rachel: Mm-hmm. Kate: the tropes, the tropes are troping. And we're starting to get kind of a look at Elias's like soft underbelly. I really like that we're getting to see the cracks in his like thick emotional armor. Rachel: Mm-hmm. Yeah. Starting to really learn who he is. Kate: Mm-hmm. Rachel: After this little training session, once Ary's back in the fortress, she visits the library an hour before curfew, searching for anything that could help Gavin break the blood oath. Kate: Something that I thought was interesting here was that she kind of notes how everyone has told her that like Simeon is supposedly opposed to like morally opposed to dark magic like blood oaths. So she's kind of not confident that she's gonna find that much in this library because he doesn't support that kind of magic. Rachel: Mm-hmm. Kate: But I liked the fact that her distrust of Simeon at this point means that she doesn't actually kind of believe that he would be above that. Rachel: Mm. Kate: like she is is like just not convinced that the narrative around Simeon at this point is accurate. So people say that Rachel: Mm-hmm. Kate: he's morally opposed to dark magic like that, but I appreciate that we're seeing her become less naive and she's like, okay, whatever you say. Rachel: Right. And it's interesting because is it that he's opposed to dark magic or that he doesn't know how to access dark magic? Kate: Or that again, he's just controlling the knowledge Rachel: Mm-hmm. Kate: and doesn't want anybody else to have knowledge of dark power, but Rachel: Mm. Kate: he just wants to keep that for himself. So there's a lot of different ways to interpret that, but I just liked to see that she's not accepting the narrative anymore. Rachel: Right. Mavic and Mina surprise Ary by finding her in the library as she's reading about lethal poisons. And Ary explains that she's learning cures because she just wants to find any way she can to help. So when Mavic and Mina offer to help her learn, she realizes she can't turn them down without sort of blowing her cover, and she needs more eyes. She just can't tell them exactly what she's searching for. So she uses this as an opportunity to help them learn healing practices in preparation for the first test. And I love this little sign of Ary's leadership skills. She's kind of quick thinking in the moment and she's able to find a useful way to distract and also protect them and get and give them some skills that they really need. Kate: Mm-hmm. Rachel: The following night after curfew, Ary sneaks out to meet Shera in a ravine a mile from the fortress where no one will see them. But in the ravine, Ary discovers a body. Shera smelled the dead body and just assumed it was a deer, but Ary uses her light from Aesta to illuminate a definitely dead person, which turns out to be a male with a bag over his head and a sloppily slit throat. So sloppy that Ary knows it isn't the Butcher's work. So she has to tell Elias. Okay, shit is getting real now. Kate: Yeah. And you know, I will say I was a little bit surprised that with all of Shera's like insane abilities, that she couldn't like smell the difference between a person and an animal. I kind of thought Rachel: Mm-hmm. Kate: that that would have been something that she'd be able to tell just from the scent that it was not a deer. Rachel: That's a good point. I think she was literally like, That smells nasty. I don't care what it is. Kate: I'm not gonna investigate any further. Rachel: Yeah. In the following chapter, the epigraph gives us some more details about the nine years that Gavin searched for Ary before his deal with Molochai. When he found Simeon, he begged to be put to sleep alongside Ary, but Simeon refused because he loves control, and Gavin wasn't part of his plan. And I just love this idea of Gavin being a constant thorn in Simeon's side for 400 years. Like that is devotion. Kate: Absolutely. But like Simeon fumbled this so hard. Imagine Rachel: Mm-hmm. Kate: how much less destructive Molochai would have been without Gavin as his butcher for the last 400 years. Like this Rachel: Mm-hmm. Kate: stupid decision by Simeon to turn him away and refuse his request just ended up biting him in the ass so hard in such a big way. He created like his basically his biggest enemy. Rachel: Yeah. Yeah. You're absolutely right. Ary sprints to Elias' room where she hears him in bed with not one but two women. And she has mixed emotions. Physically, she's kind of turned on, but she also misses Gavin and is disgusted that Elias treats sex so casually, especially when he's supposed to be married to her. Kate: I know I I talked about this on the last episode, but I just feel the need to remind Ary that in his mind she is literally dead and he has never met her to begin with. I understand being uncomfortable, accidentally stumbling into someone's threesome. Like totally fair. But I don't really appreciate Ary sex shaming Elias. She's clearly demi-sexual, like she needs that love and connection to want to be intimate with someone. But that's not everyone's experience. Some people, many people, honestly, just want to have fun with sex or can treat it more casually, and that's okay. Rachel: Well, to be fair, he's clearly not using it for fun. He's using it as a distraction from his emotions. And he tells us he's not having fun. Like literally in just a few pages, he tells us he's not having fun. So maybe Ary just kind of knows Elias better than he realizes, maybe? Kate: Maybe. But it se like the way that it's described here is that she's disgusted just because he's treating sex casually and not because she's like worried about his emotional state. Rachel: Mm-hmm. Kate: it just seems like it's the fact that he's engaging in casual sex that is bothering her and the fact that he's not still heartbroken over her. I mean, obviously he is still kind of heartbroken over her, but in her mind She's like, he's supposed to be mourning me and not being with other women because he's so forlorn at my loss. So it just it felt Rachel: Mm-hmm. Kate: more judgmental than based in concern. Rachel: Yeah. Yeah. And I think it also might kind of go back to how Ary was raised even before she was put to sleep and she's really, really sheltered. Like she literally doesn't even know the word for threesome. Kate: Yeah. Rachel: When Ary pounds aggressively on the door, we get a glimpse of the commander's washboard abs, which are described as carved like marble. So this gives me a little clue. Was Elias also made? Kate: Made by my imagination, ba-dum-chh but in also in all seriousness, is that a theory of yours? Rachel: I mean, it's something I'm definitely gonna keep my eye on, but we talked about this in our coverage of The Silversmith. Gavin considers Elias as made by Simeon for Ary. We also have no idea where the Wintertons came from or why Simeon needs them. So I'm definitely suspicious here, and I'm keeping my eyes out for any clues about his origins. Kate: That's fair. And it it's a really interesting thought because I was just thinking about it like he was groomed to be everything Ary needs. kind of in the way that Ary was groomed to become queen. You know, they both had these very singular paths that they were set on from their birth, right? So Rachel: Mm-hmm. Kate: that's I was just thinking about it that way, but I like the idea that someone is like Frankensteining people to play out their evil plans through. Rachel: I mean, it would be very Simeon. Like he loves control to and rather than Kate: Yeah. Mm-hmm. Rachel: trust somebody to play out his plans, to your point, he's literally building somebody to do it. Like it makes it feels very Simeon. Kate: Yes. And it also feels very dark magic, which Rachel: Mm. Kate: Simeon is supposedly averse to. Don't believe it. but also if it is like a Frankenstein thing, famously that went very poorly for the creator. Rachel: Mm-hmm. Kate: So we'll see. Rachel: Yeah, it'd be fun if Elias was the one to bring Simeon down. Kate: Mm-hmm, mm-hmm. Rachel: That being said, Ary's news definitely kills the vibe. And Elias goes white when Ary tells him that she found a man with his throat slit. Kate: And it seemed kind of like he was having a trauma response when he heard that, because I think it like triggered his thoughts about his entire family being slaughtered by the butcher. Because Ary Rachel: for sure. Kate: saw Ary saw the scene and knows that it wasn't the butcher, but just hearing that somebody has been found with their throats lit like that, he's immediately, I think, in that mindset. Rachel: absolutely. Absolutely. And we see like his reaction to the butcher throughout this book and just his disdain and it kills Ary, right? But I Kate: Mm. Rachel: mean, it's kind of fair. He killed his entire family. Yeah. Yeah. Kate: yeah, no, like I get it. I it. Rachel: On their way to the body, again we discover that Ary doesn't know the word for threesome, and that Elias didn't even mind the distraction from his threesome because he was getting bored. So again, we know this man is looking for something in life. He clearly feels unfulfilled despite his many responsibilities. Kate: Yeah, I mean he has responsibilities, but not passions. It's important Rachel: Mm-hmm. Kate: to find something that you're passionate about. And Elias, to your point, has just been handed all of these responsibilities. They're not things that he it's it doesn't seem like they're things that he feels drawn to innately in that way, Rachel: Mm-hmm. Kate: you know? Like I'm curious to learn what Elias actually wants from life. And not just what he's told Rachel: Well n Kate: to want. Rachel: yeah, yeah. And I mean even when it comes to the romance side of things, I think he's just bored because these women are just fawning over him, like there's no chase. So as the story continues, Kate: Mm, he definitely would like the chase. Rachel: yes, yeah. As Ary and Elias examine the body, Elias tells her he needs to know that he can trust her and asks her not to tell anybody about this. When she asks if he recognizes the body, he doesn't respond. So clearly it seems like he knows who it is. Unfortunately, this also means that cadets are no longer allowed outside of the barracks. So it sucks when doing the right thing bites you in the ass. Kate: True. But when has a curfew or a locked gate ever actually stopped Ary from going where she wants to go? Rachel: That's fair. That's fair. Maybe it just means she gets more privacy. Ary is clearly starting to get some feelings for Elias because when she climbs into bed that night, she puts on Gavin's sweater and tries to think of his smell and no one else's. So it sure seems like a love triangle is a brewing. Kate: Which is interesting because LJ has been saying that this is not really meant to be a love triangle, right? Like now that the book has come out, we've heard that from her. But we did get very mixed messages in this book. We get scenes like this where Ary clearly feels drawn to him, but it seems like LJ is not expecting us to feel that way long term. Rachel: Yeah, I mean, I think LJ clearly wants people to feel conflicted as they're reading this book and going through the experience of Ary with Elias, then Gavin's death, and wondering what's gonna happen next. Especially because she specifically marketed it as a love triangle until the book came out. So I think that she just loves Kate: Right. Rachel: Gavin so much. She like she she wanted to clear the air once people had a chance to read it. But yeah, I mean we definitely feel the tension in this book. So next up we get a Gavin POV flashback. It's the 13th of Helios, his birthday, 402 years ago. And Gavin is hot as hell working in his blacksmith shop. And I imagine he looks it because his shirt is off. And we learn he hates his birthday because it's the day his mother died, and he doesn't know who his father is. Ary shows up at his shop, which just makes his day. And she gives him new tools for his blacksmith shop and a book about blacksmithing that she found in her library. Gavin is blown away by the thoughtfulness of the gift, but is embarrassed because he can't afford nice things like this. And we get a very romantic quote from Ary. Quote, All I've ever had are nice things. Nice things don't make me feel alive, warm, safe, free. But you do. And I am giggling and kicking my feet. Kate: I loved this. I can definitely relate to the joy of finding the perfect gift for someone. It's something that brings me a lot of joy. And it's not easy, but when you get it right, it's so good. And you can make someone feel like really understood and seen by getting them something meaningful. And it obviously doesn't have to be expensive, but if you have the means, why not use it? Like he Rachel: Mm-hmm. Kate: yeah, like he he seems a little bit uncomfortable with, you know. the extravagance of the gift, but to her it's just like that that is not a part of it for her. It's just like this is something that is meaningful to you and I can do that, you know, easily. So Rachel: Mm-hmm. Kate: why not? Rachel: Yeah. And to be fair, he has done very romantic things for her, even just like gestures that are romantic. And Kate: Yes. Rachel: has some romantic gifts up his sleeve. She just doesn't know about yet. Kate: True, true. So yeah, I feel like like this was a lovely way for her to show him how she feels. Rachel: Mm-hmm. Gavin has a thought here that also seems to foreshadow Ary's healing abilities. Quote, I marveled at how she found aches hidden inside the tiniest crevices of my being and soothed each one. Her touch was the remedy to every depressing and infuriating thought. Sure seems like foreshadowing. Kate: Yes, it sure does. Rachel: After a little makeout session, they discuss what to do that day, and Gavin says it's quote, hotter than the balls of Helios. And I just had to call this out because I love a creative romantasy curse. Kate: I do too. And I'm I was trying to think of like what would other ones be for the other gods. We don't know that much about them, but I was like harder than Sussurro's dick because he's a fuck boy. Or darker than Nocturne's Taint because he's all about shadows. I don't know. I would love to hear some more of them. Rachel: Yeah, yeah. LJ give us some more. Kate: Ha ha ha. Rachel: as an escape from the heat, they decide to go swimming. And Gavin takes Ary to a secluded lake outside the city, and after Gavin takes a dip in the lake, Ary reveals she has a secret to share. She has the power of all twelve gods, but Simeon has been dosing her with a monthly potion to tame her powers. This is interesting. I think Simeon's reason is twofold. First, to hide her from Molochai, who is able to sense those with power, and second, to control her so she doesn't become more powerful than he is. Hint, she already is. Kate: For sure. And hiding her from Molochai, I think, is more about keeping her power safe from him than it is about keeping his niece safe from him. Like everything that Rachel: Mm-hmm. Kate: we know about him so far is that he's just exceedingly self serving. Rachel: True. I also wonder because we got a little message from LJ Claren asking us how we knew Molochai was trying to steal power, steal Ary's power. And that blew my mind and made me wonder if we've got it all wrong. Like, I think we talked about this last episode, was perhaps for some reason Molochai trying to. awaken Ary's power. I don't know why. Like, do we have it all twisted? Kate: Well, so she was asking that in reference to like when we talked about him trying to kill her as a baby and Rachel: Mm-hmm. Kate: getting her power at that point, you mean? Rachel: Mm-hmm, mm-hmm. Kate: So I mean, I guess I guess maybe we kind of just assumed that because in when he k tries to kill her the second time, Rachel: Mm-hmm. Kate: it seems more obvious that that's one of his goals, right? Is to get her Rachel: Right. Mm-hmm. Kate: power. So I think we just were thinking, well, that was his goal the first time as well. But Rachel: Mm-hmm. Kate: maybe not. I mean, maybe that's something that we'll have to revisit. Rachel: Yeah. I mean I just love in romantasy and fantasy books when the people we think are the bad guys are actually not or there's more to the story. So I don't know. That comment kind of blew my mind and Kate: Mm. Rachel: I I feel like we just need to keep our eye out to see if if maybe there's more to it. Kate: Maybe. I mean, I clocked from the beginning that I didn't like Simeon and didn't trust Rachel: Mm-hmm. Kate: him at all, even though he's putting on the the act of being the on the right side of history. Rachel: Mm-hmm. Kate: I I don't know if I'm ready to question whether Molochai is a bad guy or not, because I think we've seen very clearly that even if his motives are not exactly what we're thinking, he still tortured Ary in a way that is unforgivable. Rachel: True. And he raped Christabel. He raped Christabel. And he and he made Kate: So yeah. So Rachel: that awful blood curse with Gavin. So there's definitely something very evil happening there. I'm just wondering Kate: yeah. Rachel: if like, what if he's possessed and he's like trying to get free? Kate: Mm Rachel: I don't know, like the same way that Gavin was sort of tied to him, is Molochai tied to somebody else? Kate: It's anything is possible at this point. We are just far enough into this series to have so many theories and thoughts about it, but also have almost no information about it. So Rachel: True. Alright, back to Ary and Gavin. So Gavin is, of course, amazed and asks Ary to show him her powers. So she shows him first her water power, and then at his request, her firepower. As she shows him her firepower, Ary gets lost in anger as she stares into the flames, and we get this amazing quote that again feels like some foreshadowing. Quote, I wasn't afraid of it. Hatred and fury were old friends of mine, but I knew, watching her, that only the gods themselves would be able to save whoever deserved her wrath. Will we see Ary burn something to the ground other than her old house? Kate: I can definitely relate to the urge to burn everything to the ground. Sometimes the world just feels too far gone to fix and starting from scratch feels tempting, so maybe we'll see Ary get to that point as well. Rachel: Mm, maybe. Gavin gently eases her out of her trance, but Ary is still startled and accidentally burns him. He, of course, doesn't mind, saying he's thrilled she marked him with a scar, but Ary insists on using her healing powers enough that it doesn't get infected. Gavin says the healing magic seems to come much more naturally to her than the water or fire magic, but he watches as it takes a toll. Ary reveals that healing magic exhausts her because it uses some of her life force. This is interesting. Between the fact that it comes more naturally to her, but also takes a toll, I have to wonder what makes this power different. Does she have a different relationship with this god? Kate: Also, the way that he says it is that it took some of her light, which Rachel: Mm. Kate: we pointed out a lot of the light and dark imagery in book one. And I think that that's still an important factor here. Gavin's darkness may be balanced by Ary's light. Like that's something that I'm still on on the lookout for. maybe the light is like the core of her essence and life force, because Rachel: Mm. Kate: Like you said, like it takes some of her life force, which Gavin describes as it taking her light. Rachel: Yeah, that's a really good point. Mm-hmm. Kate: So so that that juxtaposition or again that balance that happens Rachel: Mm-hmm. Kate: between the light and the dark, I think is is an important factor. Rachel: Yeah, yeah, that's a really good point. Gavin tells her never to heal him again, but Ary refuses, explaining that her powers are wild and the damage could have been much worse. Ary then reveals she doesn't know how to swim, and Gavin says, quote, My girl needs to know how to swim, claiming her as his own and confirming their relationship. He guides her into the water where she wraps herself around him and the kissing begins. But Gavin stops before he can get any further. The conversation turns to why he always stops at just kissing, and there are some very romantic, and on Gavin's part spicy lines to one another. It's clear they are both head over heels in love. Kate: And like you said, he has a lot of very romantic lines here. They're also very intense? in his Rachel: Mm-hmm. Kate: thoughts. So he's thinking, give me all of your days, your time, all of you. That's very intense?. And Rachel: Mm-hmm. Kate: I almost wonder if he's under some kind of spell. Like, there's just so like the the difference between Gavin's reaction to their connection and Ary's is just very interesting to me because I know that we believe that they're fated mates. So maybe it's Rachel: Mm-hmm. Kate: just that, but the kind of aggression that comes through with Gavin's reaction to their connection versus Ary's. I just am intrigued by that difference. like he's immediately feral for her. all consumed Rachel: Mm-hmm. Kate: by thoughts and in his own words, crazy for her. And she obviously feels an intense connection as well, but it doesn't seem to consume her in the same way. It doesn't come across in that like aggressive, feral way that that his does. Rachel: Mm-hmm. Kate: So like she questions it a little bit more. She's just generally more hesitant about the way that she feels while he's immediately like a thousand percent in. I don't know. Rachel: Mm-hmm. Kate: I'm just wondering if there's something to that about like how he reacts a little differently to their bond than she does. Rachel: Hmm. Yeah, it's interesting. Like is it just a personality thing? Or is it Kate: It could be. It could be. Rachel: or is there something more? Yeah. They play two truths and a lie, and we get our first good girl from Gavin to Ary in a playful way during the game. But he notes just how much Ary loves it. Gavin's last truth is that he is in love with Ary. She doesn't return the sentiment, but is clearly moved, telling him that he's crazy for loving her, but also that she didn't think anyone outside the castle would ever have the chance to love her. The chapter ends with, quote, it was the best birthday I would ever have, which is just so heartbreaking because I think it refers to both past and future birthdays. So in 400 plus years, it was the only birthday Gavin spent with Ary. Kate: Only one yet. I still Rachel: Yeah, yeah, true. Kate: would like to hold on to hope that he might have some good birthdays ahead of him that we just haven't seen yet. Rachel: Yeah. Yeah. Fingers crossed. We're back in an Ary POV, and the first two weeks of training have passed in a blur, with most cadets ignoring Fera the outsider. She heard some comments from people who didn't trust her and assumed that she wouldn't survive training. And this is Ary's first glimpse of the culture of her people. They mistrust and oftentimes hate outsiders, and it's something that she's determined to change as queen. Kate: I think that's gonna be really tough though to change. I mean, at least for the people that grew up so isolated in the caves, when you've been at war for four hundred years and grown up in a a cave system that it sounds like most people don't really leave often, the distrust is gonna run really deep. So Rachel: Mm-hmm. Kate: I I I'm curious to see how it goes when she starts to try to dismantle some of that. just Rachel: Mm-hmm. Kate: innate distrust that people are gonna have because from her perspective, she doesn't have the the context of all 400 years of like generations Rachel: Right. Kate: of people growing up in these caves and being isolated and fearing everything outside of the caves. So I'll I'll be very interested to see how she kind of approaches that to try to dismantle some of that. Because again, I think it it's gonna run really deep and I I don't think that that's gonna be an easy thing for her to to mitigate. Rachel: Yeah, yeah, I agree. She definitely has a challenge ahead. Ary continues to be plagued by nightmares, which makes her miss Gavin's calming presence even more. The yearning has officially started. At dinner, Mina and Mavic discuss the first test the following day, wondering how dangerous it will be. And here we learn that the twins are just six months younger than Ary. Mina opted not to join commencement until it was mandated, and Mavic didn't want to leave her. Mav continues to be an outrageous flirt, which Mina reprimands him for. Mina is very embarrassed when he implies she never thinks about sex. And we get some intel on Caz and the crew. Their older sister Maren is heavily pregnant with her and Caz's child. And they're hoping to take a big family trip just outside of the caves following commencement. And they invite Ary to join them. Well, That would be awkward for Fera to show up on her found family trip. Kate: I suppose she'll just have to be unmasked by then. Rachel: Yeah. After dinner, most cadets go to bed early, but Ary heads to the courtyard to train and burn off her nervous energy. And who follows her? Of course, Elias Winterton, insisting that they spar. And we get all sorts of flirtation here, including, quote, scared my sword's too big. Kate: Very subtle, Eli. Rachel: Ary thinks to herself that he's arrogant but beautiful. He was perfect too perfect. And again, did Simeon make him? Between the previous marble statue reference and this? I'm wondering if Simeon literally conjured him. Kate: And is that why his wards are failing? He used too much of his power to make a Ken doll into a real boy? Rachel: I like that theory. Elias Elias has to go back on the shelf to make them safe again. Kate: Sorry, Pinocchio. Rachel: Eventually, Elias comes out on top, pulling Ary into a headlock, and Ary lashes out verbally, saying, Quote, what would your queen think of the number of places your cock has been? Which promptly earns her a punch to the gut. So I think she hit a sore spot. They continue their verbal sparring with Ary not dropping how many women are in Elias' bed at a time and questioning why he's sparring with her instead. And Elias says, quote, maybe I enjoy the challenge more than the reward. He also finally explains the term threesome. Before going to bed, Ary stops by the library and finally finds something a secret door hidden behind the books. But of course it's locked, apparently by a cross shaped key, which she is certain she can find in Elias' living quarters. And you know what, Kate? I think we have another trope to add to our list here with that. secret door with that hidden door to the library. Kate: Yeah, put it on the list. Rachel: Put on the list. the morning of the first challenge has arrived, and they are led outside the castle gates, where they are each handed a scorecard for their first few weeks of training. Elias, of course, gave Fera a terrible score, with a note, will you yield, Fera? The twins can't help but notice Elias smirking at her, and Mavic jokes about him teasing her like a young boy would tease a girl he has a crush on. This is so awkward. Imagine watching these interactions as just a normal person in his army. Kate: Like it's so unprofessional, honestly. Rachel: Yeah. Kate: Like for as much of a like for as closely as he guards his like image, I guess, as Rachel: Mm-hmm. Kate: this powerful commander and, you know, very Rachel: Mm-hmm. Kate: like stoic, you know, commanding a lot of respect from Rachel: Mm-hmm. Kate: his army. this is a really unprofessional way to kind of undermine. that authority that he has. If people are starting to see him as just like a s jealous schoolboy scowling Rachel: Yeah Kate: at women, like I don't know, it just seems like a a good way to lose some of that respect from your your ranks. Rachel: Mm-hmm. Yeah, yeah, I agree. The first task. In order to assess their ability to track down a target, each team must track down their specific colored banner. And Fera. That's right, Ary needs to compete to find her own black banner and avoid being captured. Elias gives her a two minute head start and mentions she has something else to retrieve as well. Otis Stoll, the Sharpe brothers, and Alec Gerard stand nearby snickering. Kate: Ary notes how her rage at this whole setup helps to prime her to compete, but why is it that men always motivate her with rage? Why not try motivating her with something a little less toxic? Rachel: Well, probably because men are toxic. Kate: Fair, yes, very true. Rachel: But I also don't think that they're they're always consciously motivating her. I think it's just her reaction to men's BS. Like Gavin's a different thing because he's intentionally trying to like find the fight in her. But I don't think Elias is feeling like she needs motivation. I think he's just antagonizing her. Kate: Maybe I mean, like you said, Gavin definitely did it intentionally. He definitely was like rage baiting her to get her to fight. But Rachel: Mm-hmm. Kate: Elias also tries to like take credit for lighting the fire in her. We'll see that soon. I feel Rachel: yeah. Kate: like, you know, maybe he was trying to to stoke that energy in her as well. But either way, it's just like How how is it that we can never move past the concept of like pulling the pigtails of the girl you like? You know, like Rachel: Mm-hmm. Yep. Kate: grow up. Use your words. Rachel: Yeah, I mean a lot of guys like that. That's like what a lot of guys like. Then Ary just seems to find those types of men. Kate: Yeah. Rachel: Ary realizes he's stolen the chain holding her and Gavin's rings from around her neck. He must have stolen them while sparring last night, and Elias gives her a clue, quote, might want to start at our secret place. This is so cruel. If you see two rings around someone's neck, it's obvious what they are. Kate: Seriously. Like he can't possibly be so dense as to not know what that likely means for her. So I have to assume that he did it because he's an asshole. Rachel: Yeah. Shera reaches out through the bond, sensing Ary's desire to make Elias pay. And I just cracked up here at Shera's supportiveness. Quote, while I am in favor of you blowing things up, I don't recommend doing so with dozens of innocent bystanders. Like this is the kind of friend we all need. Kate: Absolutely. We all need someone to help us carry out like our most deranged instincts, but in the most effective way possible. Like directing Rachel: Yeah. Kate: directing our insanity into a a productive place. That's Rachel: Mm. Kate: top tier friendship. Rachel: Yeah. Mavic screams at Ary to run. She is lost in her thoughts and losing precious time. And she's torn between running for the ravine or the tree where they threw daggers. But she heads toward the ravine and climbs a tree to survey the area. She reaches for a dagger to help her and notices that Mina and Mavic stuck an extra dagger into her sheath. I love that she found such great friends so quickly. It's been two weeks and they are already trying to help her. And maybe it's just, you know, lucky that she found them, but I just wonder if it's tied at all to the Ary is a god theory. Like are they drawn to her and innately trusting her due to her godhood? Or is this again just a fast moving friendship and they're happen to be very open and trusting people? Kate: The only thing that makes me question whether it's tied to her godhood is the fact that everybody else is bullying her and Rachel: Mm. Kate: treating her like an outcast and like a pariah. And I feel like if there was if they were drawn to her because of her godhood, that I just think that that maybe would have impacted how other people treat her as well. I don't know. Rachel: Mm, yeah, that's a good point. Well, maybe it's like in college when you finally find your people. Kate: Yes, and it just clicks. Rachel: Yeah, yeah. After assessing the area and the direction of the other trees, Ary climbs down and searches the nearby trees, finding a note from Elias hidden in a bottle with a riddle on it. The note Since I know you're curious about things that come in threes. The riddle. I sparkle with vows, but I'm hidden from sight, hiding in depths where day meets night. In Twilight's embrace, the world around me dances with light. Shera's response is gold. How lovely. A commander, a thief, and a poet. Kate: Fucking love Shera. She has no patience for his bullshit. Rachel: Ary and Shera determine that the rings are hidden in the water in the ravine. And while Ary knows how to swim, thanks to Gavin, Shera is concerned there are flesh-eating fish in the lake. Ary finds the rings and the black banner on the eastern wall of the ravine. But as soon as she grabs them, something in the water shifts, and Shera screams at her to swim. I love this scene. It's fast paced, high stakes, but not too high stakes. adventure and just so well written. Kate: The scene was very fun. I could picture it all really vividly in my mind. And Rachel: Mm-hmm. Kate: it was, yeah, just really well written and a fun scene that again, I would love to see on the big screen one day. You know, these are Rachel: Yes. Kate: the kinds of scenes that I'm like, ugh, I would love a movie adaptation of this in order to to flesh out these kinds of fun adventure Rachel: Mm-hmm. Kate: scenes. Rachel: I totally agree. As hundreds of fish approach, Ary uses her water power from Rainar to create a water wall, stopping the attack. Since the winning team's families will receive a year in the finest suites in the caves, Ary heads toward the twins' red banner rather than claiming her own victory, wanting to make sure that her friends all have a safe place to live for the next year. After they claim their banner, Ary reveals herself and heads to the castle. With Mavic and Mina's team following to make sure she stays safe and unclaimed by the other teams. But soon an arrow flies past her head and several others follow before Finch attacks. my god, Elias, you should have seen this coming. He cannot afford to lose cadets in training, but by making her part of the hunt, of course some asshole is just going to try to bring in her body. Kate: It was definitely short-sighted of him. And also continuing to sow conflict within his ranks. Like, that's just not a good idea. He agreed Rachel: Mm-hmm. Yeah. Kate: to let Ary train with them. So assuming that he actually wants her in his army, he's doing a pretty awful job of like protecting her. And Rachel: Mm-hmm. Kate: he's doing a lot to get her hurt and to push her to leave. So, like, do you Rachel: Yeah. Kate: actually want her in your army? Cause that's not. How it's coming across. Rachel: Yeah, Mavic comes to Ary's rescue and she quickly takes out Finch while Mavic attacks the archer, snapping all of his remaining arrows. Finch recovers from his fight with Ary just in time to throw a knife that barely misses Mina. As Finch and Mavic tussle, it looks like Finch will win until Ary uses her new Elias taught dagger throwing skills to land one in his shoulder. Mavic scolds his teammates, particularly someone named Hoss, a capable cadet, presumably Valda's relative, who did nothing to help the Brinnean. So, Mavic gives Ary both flags, telling her to claim the victory. Ary brings the flags to Elias, and he antagonizes her as always, and we get this line: quote, That fire you have is quite admirable. I'm pleased to have brought more of that out of you today. And this sets Ary off. She screams, I didn't get my fire from you. Well, well, well. Who did she get it from? Presumably Gavin, born on the thirteenth of Helios, which is the god of fire. Now, clearly she had Helios' power before meeting Gavin, but is there more to it than that? Kate: I didn't read into this one, this mention as much. I thought maybe she was just thinking about how her fire is from the gods and not something that any man had instilled in her. But again, there is that connection to Gavin Helios, so Rachel: Mm-hmm. Kate: we can keep an eye on it. Rachel: I felt like it was definitely about Gavin and that's why she was so angry because he's tr she's feeling so like attracted to Elias, even though she still loves Gavin and it like struck a chord Kate: Mm. Yeah. Rachel: within her. Kate: Yeah. Also, if we're not talking about literal fire like the Helios fire, she could be thinking about how Gavin stoked the fight in her, right? So it could be Rachel: Mm-hmm. Exactly. Kate: more metaphorical, yeah. Rachel: Mm-hmm. During this interaction, Ary notices that Elias is wearing a golden ring, which he wears to remember his dead sisters. Is that all it is? Or is it a way for Simeon to control him? Kate: I guess it's possible, though to this point we haven't necessarily seen Simeon use any kind of like a talisman to wield his power. so the ring could also just be a way for him to remember his dead almost wife as well. Rachel: Mm-hmm. That's true. That being said, we're always on the lookout for clues about how the magic system works. So I don't know, it just stood out Kate: True. Rachel: to me enough that I'm suspicious. Kate: Yeah. Yeah, I mean it is it's like it's a small thing to mention if it doesn't have Rachel: Mm-hmm. Kate: more meaning to it. And we're always suspicious Rachel: Mm-hmm. Kate: of those kinds of things of like why take the time to mention this if it doesn't have any greater meaning. So Rachel: Exactly. Kate: it's worth keeping an eye on. Rachel: Yeah. That night Ary dreams of a familiar yet unknown cobblestone hallway with puddles on the floor. She hears two voices, a woman's and a man's. Ary describes the man's voice as calm, and the woman's voice as warm, bright light. She sees a bluebird's wings and hears a coin hit the floor. So I assume these are her parents. We know her mother loved blue jays and taught her the coin for your thoughts game. We know nothing about her father, so I'm just guessing here. She then hears a voice from far away whispering, quote, I can teach you. She felt a veil described as thick enough to protect her disappear, and then long cold fingers wrap around her neck. Ary wakes to all 16 cadets in her room staring at her. Whoopsies! This is so awkward. Kate, did you ever go to sleepaway camp? Kate: I did, and I did not enjoy it. Rachel: Okay, I went to sleep away camp. I actually spent every summer in high school working at one. that is like that is so embarrassing. Kate: Yeah. I would I would disintegrate into a pile of shame. Rachel: Yeah. Ary thinks about those mystery hands in her dream, which she describes as different from Molochai's, not human. And I mean Molochais were creepy too, so what it what are these hands? Like, is this perhaps a god or a demon? Kate: My note here when reading, like the note I put in the margin, was godly. Rachel: Mm. Kate: so I'm thinking more in that realm, but demon, I mean, who knows? It's definitely a possibility. Certainly if there's an underworld or like an afterlife realm, then there's the possibility of demons. But again, my instinct here was god or fallen god rather than demon. But a few other things from this dream that I noted. So Ary mentions a protective veil around her that lifted to allow the icy hands to grab at her. And the other time that she mentioned a veil was in reference to the veil that Simeon put between her and her memories, or just again, maybe not directly referencing that Simeon put it there, but just she talks about her memories sitting behind a veil that she just can't quite get past. So Rachel: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Kate: maybe the veil in this dream. is something that Simeon put over her to shield her from whoever this being is. Rachel: I like that. I like that. That's a good theory. Kate: And then another thing from this dream is that Gavin's voice woke her up from the nightmare, telling her to breathe. And Rachel: Mm. Mm-hmm. Kate: again, I'm not convinced that she's just hallucinating this. I think that he might somehow actually be speaking to her through their bond and protecting her from her nightmares, like we've heard Rachel: Mm. Kate: referenced before. Rachel: I hope so. That would be so fun if we get mind speak in the next book. Kate: I know. I'm I'm really kind of holding on to that one because we hear like she references multiple times in this book how she hears Gavin's voice in her head, and it's usually when she's feeling really overwhelmed or is in like a scary situation, or in this case, you know, stuck in a nightmare. So I feel like it would make sense if he's, you know. if their bond strengthens during those moments when she's feeling a lot of distress Rachel: Mm-hmm. Kate: and that he's then able to kind of reach out to her through that bond and help her through it. Rachel: Yeah, yeah, that makes sense. Unable to sleep, Ary gets up and heads to the showers, passing Elias' rooms on the way, where she overhears him talking to Val, discussing the dead body. Apparently the victim's name was Isaiah Cross, one of their men, and Val is convinced Fera is to blame, pushing Elias to hold her accountable. But Elias is certain it wasn't her. Val, of course, thinks Elias is going easy on Fera because he wants to fuck her. And he admits that, yes, of course he does. She's beautiful. But this quickly leads to a more interesting conversation. Val pushes Elias that they don't fuck their cadets as a rule, and he starts to push back that she isn't exactly one of them. But then he corrects himself, realizing that type of thinking, Simeon's type of thinking. Of othering anyone that lives in an unprotected northern region is the kind of thing that they need to move past to survive. They'll never beat Molachi and the Insidions without help now that their queen is dead. And this is very interesting. Why is Simeon doing that? Is it because he doesn't have enough power to protect everyone? So he's othering those that he can't protect as sort of a political move to explain why he can't save everyone? Or is there something different about their beliefs. We know here in the US we're constantly building walls, sometimes literal walls, to separate the haves from the have nots under the lie of tough on crime. And I'm wondering if it's potentially something like that. Kate: I imagine that any kind of cultural divisions supported by those in power are always aimed at keeping them in power. Like it's a move Rachel: Mm-hmm. Kate: to divide the masses because a divided populace is always going to be easier to control because you can pit them against each other so that they don't turn on you. So Rachel: Mm-hmm. Kate: I agree that it's a convenient cover for his failing magic as well, because you know, it's like a two for one for him. Rachel: Mm. Mm-hmm. Kate: but i in my mind, any kind of cultural divisions like that is just a a power move and and a way to control people. Rachel: It just seems so strange that he would choose people in his northern part of Nyrida and not just focus on those in Molochai's southern regions. Kate: Yeah. I mean It's possible. I think it's also maybe just that they are far enough away that Rachel: Mm-hmm. Kate: it's easier to keep them separate because, Rachel: Mm-hmm. Kate: you know, the the people in the caves have even less of a likelihood of interacting with people from that region. So it's Rachel: Yeah. Kate: just like an easy target. I don't know. Rachel: Yeah, I mean I don't necessarily have an answer for it. It's just something interesting and I think something we'll have to keep our eye on. Kate: Yeah. I'm always suspicious of a leader that kind of intentionally reinforces division among his own people. Rachel: Yes. Mm-hmm. Yeah. Kate: 'Cause that's that's not what a good leader should do. Rachel: Yeah. Agree. Elias and Val discuss the fact that Elias is mourning his queen, a girl he never met, and trying to create a world that she would have approved of. Elias changes the conversation, and when Val asks who found Isaiah's body, he tells her that he did. So it's interesting that he's protecting Ary, at least that's how Ary interprets it. But he's also protecting himself because he knows Val will think he's super fucking dumb if he admits Fera found the body. Kate: Yeah. Yeah, letting her Yeah. Absolutely. Rachel: Like she'll have her arrested immediately. So next we're back in a Gavin POV, 402 years ago on the 31st of Helios. So it's been two weeks since his birthday, and he hasn't seen Ary since. So he does what most 20-somethings would do, and he's at a tavern attempting to distract himself from how much he misses her, drinking with some crude old drinking buddies that he doesn't really seem to like, when one of them starts talking about the hot, silver-haired beauty that just walked into the bar. I'm sorry, Ary. What the fuck? Where have you been? Like why are you ghosting Gavin like this? Kate: Seriously. Rachel: Let's have a moment for Ary's fashion. She's wearing a pale pink dress, cinched at the waist, with a pale silk hooded shawl. And I am obsessed with this lewk. A pale silk hooded shawl, like that is iconic. Kate: It sounds so beautiful, but the thought of wearing that much pale silk out of the house has my palms sweating. Like I just know that I would ruin it immediately upon stepping foot outside. Rachel: I know the the I have this one dress that I wore once. Now it was to a rehearsal dinner for a friend's wedding that I was in and we all got spray tans right before and it's like this light Kate: no. Rachel: pale pink, pale blue, like cotton candy type color and like and like silk and literally like it actually came out but I was very I added a third color to it. Kate: no. Rachel: But that's a tough colour to wear, especially in a tough fabric. Kate: I know, I know. And clearly Ary being, you know, noble breed, is more I guess, accustomed to wearing that kind of thing and is Rachel: Mm-hmm. Kate: is not as clumsy maybe as I would be with Rachel: Ha ha ha. Kate: wearing something like that. But I just know that like the second I go outside it's getting snagged, it's getting stained, it's getting ripped, Rachel: Yeah. Kate: it's I can't I can't do that. Rachel: It's not a good drinking material. It's it's getting beer down the front. Yeah. Kate: No, certainly not going into like a dirty bar. It's getting sticky. Rachel: Yeah. Gavin rushes over to greet Ary, angry that she's in a place like this, but she explains she was looking for him. When he tells her to stay close, she jokingly asks if he is giving commands to a princess, and we get this delicious line. Quote, Yes, and I'll bend you over my knee if you don't follow those orders. Be a good girl, Ary. Kate: You know what, or don't, because either way sounds pretty fun. Rachel: One of Gavin's frenemies starts flirting with Ary, clearly in an attempt to get a rise out of Smyth, and he has a bit of an aggressive outburst in response. Ary diffuses the situation with Grace, politely telling him that she'll be staying with Smyth, although Gavin still tells him to fuck off. Which just cracked me up. Like I could picture this was such a like young Couple in a bar scene. Kate: Mm-hmm. Yeah, and Ary handled it really, really well. but I also think that it's funny that she kind of unknowingly does what Gavin's friend was doing to Elias when she rage baits him with Mavic later. Like Rachel: Mm-hmm. Kate: it feels like there's a little bit of a parallel there because and she has no idea that she's acting the same way that one of his stupid friends was. Rachel: It's honestly surprising that Ary is so calm and poised in this situation, though, because she has had like zero social interactions in her entire life outside of the castle. Like, where did she learn those skills? Kate: Agreed. I feel like honestly, it's like an unfortunate kind of inevitable woman thing to learn though, like how to handle unwelcome advances from men, how to handle men's emotions and their outbursts like this. Like honestly, Rachel: Mm-hmm. Kate: I feel like that's something that every woman can relate to, regardless of the environment that they grew up in. It's just like part of being a woman is learning how to deal with men in situations like these and it sucks, but I feel like even her upbringing might not have shielded her from that. Rachel: Yeah, that's true. Ary tells Gavin that she would like a drink. And as they sit down at the bar, Gavin's best friend, Victor, or Vic, stops by. Thinking he's being charming, Vic says, So you're the girl who's l tied Smyth down, which leads to him sort of word vomiting that Smyth has never been a one-woman kind of man. And Ary is devastated. And she runs down the hall and locks herself in a broom closet. And I just felt for her so much in this moment. She's never dated anyone before. And now she's left wondering if Gavin is as serious about her as she is about him and wondering if she's just getting played. Kate: Which is honestly kind of funny from our perspective because we know how insanely he feels about her already, like how intense Rachel: Yeah, yeah. Kate: his feelings are. More than she could probably even fathom at this stage. Rachel: Mm-hmm. Kate: So for us, it's like, if you only knew Ary. Like Rachel: Yeah, yeah, true. Gavin follows, profusely apologizing, explaining that yes, he was with women before her, but he was never in love before. And then we get another long, beautiful, poetic, swoon-worthy Gavin declaration of love. And during it, we get another goddess reference. So for anyone who missed our earlier episodes, we're convinced that Ary is a goddess or a demigod, and probably Gavin too. But he says, quote, Any man that doesn't treat you like a goddess is a fucking imbecile who doesn't deserve you. So again, just a little foreshadowing, maybe. After Ary accepts Gavin's apology, he asks why she was in the dark in a broom closet, and Ary explains she always liked the dark. It's soothing. So, in our coverage of The Silversmith, we see that Ary has some kind of connection with Nyxar, feeling drawn to his darkness, and it had our spidey senses tingling, and this sure seems like another sign. Kate: Yes, 100%. She says in the Silversmith that she feels, like you said, soothed by Nyxar's darkness. And now, knowing what we do in this book, that she's struggling to wield Nyxar's powers, despite making progress with most of the other gods' powers, I have a feeling that her connection to Nyxar might have less to do with her own power and more to do with Gavin's power. Rachel: Mm. Kate: She feels comforted and soothed by Gavin, similar to how she describes feeling soothed by Nyxar's darkness. And given the introduction to Gavin's power that we end up seeing at the end of this book, I think that Gavin might have a special connection to Nyxar that Ary is drawn to. Rachel: Yeah, that's really interesting. And we know that the third book is titled The Nocturne. So obviously I looked up the definition, and this word means a dreamy pensive or romantic work of art or music that is inspired by or suggests the night. So night, dreamy, we Also spiraled over references in the Silversmith to Gavin chasing away Ary's nightmares, and as you said, Ary feeling connected to Nyxar's shadows, so it certainly seems like book three is headed in that direction. Kate: At least we hope so. Rachel: Fingers crossed. Kate: Yeah. Rachel: flirtatious exchange continues, and we get another line that seems like major foreshadowing. Gavin asks Ary if she'll always run from him, and she asks what he's going to do about it. Follow you into the dark into the dark, I repeated, into flames, into a horde of bloodthirsty monsters, into eternity, you name it. So what starts out as a very death cab for cutie line turns into what I assume is very dark foreshadowing for book three, potentially. Kate: I agree. I mean, he's already proven that he will find her in every lifetime, like he said before. So once Rachel: Mm-hmm. Kate: again, I I think that we have to take what he says pretty literally, even when it sounds like he's just waxing poetic. Rachel: Yeah. Ooh. A make out session follows, and then Ary tells Gavin she wants him to stay with her that night. And Gavin tells her that he won't make love to her tonight, and she agrees. Kate, we're about to get an innocent sleepover. And I would say that this is the sibling of a platonic sleepover, which you know I love. That's on a that's another top tier of trope for me. Clearly, based on the Silversmith, it makes sense that Gavin had prior experience in this department because. This man has the strongest willpower I've ever seen. Kate: Unfathomable, honestly. Rachel: And that brings us to the end of chapter twenty one and our coverage for today. So should we count down our tropes? Kate: Yes. Okay. So we have quite a few. Rachel: Mm-hmm. Kate: We have yearning, and this was interesting because it's the you know kind of passing of the baton of the yearning from Gavin to Ary. So now Rachel: Mm-hmm. Kate: Ary is the source of the yearning in this book. We have he trains her, a potential love triangle, and then what we're calling like a mystical nightmare, where we're, you know, learning some things, maybe getting some foreshadowing. I don't know. Through the lens of a nightmare. Rachel: Mm-hmm. Kate: We have a hidden door. We have a war trial. Feminine Rage, which is one of my favorites. Rachel: Mm-hmm. Yes. Kate: We have an intelligent animal companion. Rachel: Mm-hmm. Kate: Found Family, a Bar Makeout, Rachel: Mm-hmm. Kate: and our final one, The Innocent Sleepover. Rachel: Yes, that is a hefty list. Kate: Ha ha. Rachel: Should we sort of round up our theories as well? I know that there are a few today, but they're kind of connected. So I think we have what, three or four? Kate: Yes. Yeah. So I know in the first episode we were mostly getting kind of some more clues and confirmations for things that we had already been theorizing from the Silversmith. I think at this point in the book, we're starting to get some new theories. So I'll go through them. one that is definitely not a new theory for us, but we continue to get hints about is the fact that Ary and Gavin are fated mates. Rachel: Mm-hmm. Kate: When she hears him speaking to her in her mind. We also theorize that it might be happening not just in her imagination, but is actually him communicating with her through the bond. a new theory that we have is that Elias Winterton was somehow made or conjured by Simeon Whitlock. Rachel: Mm-hmm. Kate: You know, the Pinocchio to his Geppetto. Rachel: Mm-hmm. Kate: so we also theorize that Simeon is shielding Ary from whatever evil being he made a bargain with by covering her or cloaking her in some kind of veil. And Rachel: Mm-hmm. Kate: he might have used a similar kind of veil to disconnect her from her memories. Rachel: Mm-hmm. Kate: And then finally, Ary has some kind of special connection with Nyxar, the god of celestial night. And we think that it could be linked in some way to her connection with Gavin as well. So she is continuously drawn to darkness and shadows, finding them soothing. And we hope to see this play out in the Nocturne. Rachel: All right. So we added a few theories to our running list this episode. And we want to hear from you. Are there any tropes that we missed? Why do you think Elias Winterton is so perfect? So slide into our DMs or leave a comment on the episode or one of our social posts because we love hearing your theories and spiraling together. Kate: And while you're at it, go ahead and leave us a review on your favorite podcast platform. Your five star reviews are really incredibly valuable in helping us grow. Rachel: Alright, this concludes episode two of our deep dive into the incendiary. Join us next week as Ary enters the second trial and we continue to see Gavin and Ary's original love story play out 400 years ago. See you next week. Kate: Bye.