Latest / Deep Trope Fantasy & Romance Podcast / The Silversmith by LJ Claren | Full Book Summary
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 we are giving you a special full book summary of The Silversmith by LJ Claren, Book 1 in the Selvaren series. Book 2, The Incendiary, comes out on September 8th. So here's your full book refresher of The Silversmith to make sure you're prepared to return to the world of Nyrida. Obviously, that means spoilers for the entire book. Any content warnings for the book also apply to this episode. We're two unfiltered millennials, so you might want to toss on your headphones if you're around anyone that may be scandalized by Gavin's dirty mouth. So Kate, let's dive in. Kate: The story takes place in the Kingdom of Nyrida, and we start in the Northern Territory of Warrich, which is cold and desolate. We meet our FMC Ary in dire circumstances. She is starving and abandoned, having not seen her mother Elowen for eight weeks. Ary awoke six months ago with no memories of her life prior to that point. According to Elowen, she fell and struck her head in the cellar. She's tortured by recurring nightmares and dreams of finding her father Phillip and five year old brother Ollie dead in bed. With their throats slit and X's carved into their torsos. Ary has a skeletal figure thanks to her mother's encouragement to stay thin and her dwindling resources. Ary has long silver blonde hair and green eyes, and she also has some mysterious scars, including a small scar directly over her heart, which is a mystery. Her mother didn't know where it came from. Lower down, a horizontal smile scar on her abdomen is from a surgery she had when she was younger. Her mother tells her it was a growth that needed to be removed. But help is on the way. Ary goes to sleep and is awoken by her friend Gemma Tremaine. Gemma had left a few weeks before Phillip and Ollie's deaths, and she's furious to find that Elowen left Ary alone all this time. A few weeks after Phillip and Ollie were murdered, Ary found a note in the cellar in Elowen's handwriting asking someone called S to send supplies. Ary asks Gemma about the mysterious S, and Gemma reveals that Phillip was not Ary's biological father. Her biological father's name is Simeon Whitlock. Ary goes to the barn to fetch eggs for breakfast, but she encounters a wolf. The wolf lunges for Ary, bites her arm, and tosses her across the barn. Before it finishes her off, a massive, scarred, leather clad man appears and kills the wolf. The man looks shocked, falls to his knees, and gently cradles Ary's face in his hands like he knows her. His first words are I found you. She finds herself soothed by the sound of his voice, inexplicably sensing she is safe with him. The wolf slayer examines Ary's wolf bite and tends to her wounds. Once she's patched up, it's time for introductions. Gemma explains that three other men have arrived to help. Caz Sinclair is the oldest, though still younger than the wolf slayer, with shiny black hair and hazel eyes. His brother Finn has the same features, but slightly shorter and more brawny. And then there's Ezra Hart, who has sandy blonde hair, freckles, and deep blue eyes that matched Oliver and Phillip's. He reveals that he is Ary's cousin through marriage, and his mother was Philip's older sister. Caz introduces the wolf slayer as Smyth. Being our main MMC, I'll give you a thorough description of him. He's a full head and shoulders taller than Ary, with well-kept dark brown hair swept up into a half man bun and matching beard. Both of his well muscled arms are covered in tally mark tattoos and he has a scar down the right side of his face. His hickory eyes glow like honey, and Ary thinks he's savagely beautiful. Every time he looks at Ary, he appears tense and tortured. Smyth was a last minute addition to their party ordered by Simeon. The group then gives Ary a major revelation. She is destined to save the world. Over 400 years ago, the Rexus dynasty ruled over Nyrida in what's called the Dark Ages. They were ruthless, using fear and lies to rule the people. Nyrida was starving to death under their rule. Simeon, along with his childhood friend Molochai, found a way to overthrow them. Some say they made a deal with the twelve gods called the Selvaren. Others say they were just lucky. For over a decade they looked for the legendary magic of the Selvaren. They found it somewhere, quote, beneath Nyrida's surface, a place they never disclosed. They used the power to destroy the Rexus family and establish a better, more peaceful world. Magic was used to cultivate the land and power was distributed equally. Simeon became one of the rulers of Nyrida, so as his only daughter, Ary is now the queen of Nyrida. While Simeon prefers to use herbs, potions, and spells, Molochai experiments with magic, a totally different kind of power. They ruled peacefully together, but then Molochai met Simeon's sister Christabel and fell in love. They made her queen of the people and set it up so that women in the line always rule, thinking that Nyrida would respond well to a beautiful woman in charge after the ruthless male-led Rexus dynasty. Molochai was in love with Christabel, but she didn't love him back. Instead, she fell in love with, married, and had a child with someone else. This turned Molochai full on evil, and he killed her husband and the baby by stabbing it through the heart. These murders weren't enough for him, though, so he went back to the source of their magic and took more, something dark and evil with all consuming shadows. He cursed Christabel and she died a slow, agonizing death 18 years later, childless at 39. Simeon and Molochai battled for control over Nyrida and eventually split the land, with Simeon taking control of the north and Molochai of the South. They believe that Molochai and Simeon's magic also latched onto their families. Christabel had visions of the future, and before she died, she summoned Simeon to her room with a final premonition. Quote: A young queen, born of ancient blood, will abandon a life of solitude, wield her God's blessed power, marry the prince of the people. And resurrect this world from Molochai's darkness. Simeon allied with a family called the Wintertons when he retreated to the north. They built a fortress under the mountains called the Winterton Caves. Alistair and Ophelia Winterton lead the people from those caves. The Prince of the People referenced in the prophecy is Elias Winterton, Alistair's grandson, the leader of the army, and apparently Ary's betrothed. At this, Ary looks to Smyth, who again looks tortured but also compassionate towards her. The group is charged with escorting Ary to Simeon so he can train her in her powers before she goes to the caves to lead her people in Rachel: Mm-hmm. Kate: the war to defeat Molochai. Rachel: Like the rest of us, Ary is overwhelmed with the data dump and is angry at having all of this kept from her until now. Ezra asks for a moment alone with Ary, and they discuss their shared family. He reveals that his father passed away when he was young, but his mother is still alive. He says that everyone in the caves has lost someone. Ary says that Ollie and Philip's earth seemed almost peaceful. Yes, they had X's carved into them, but their eyes were closed and they seemed to be sleeping. Ezra says it likely wasn't the butcher of Nyrida that got them, since it would have been a messy scene. The butcher has been doing Molochai's bidding for years and it's never clean. We learn that Simeon is sometimes in the caves, coming and going as he pleases, but Elias will take over her training and protection once she arrives. Ezra says Elias is a good man and Ary will like him. He also tells her that the group doesn't know Smyth or his motivation, but he already saved their lives when a band of thieves attack them on their journey. As lunchtime arrives, Ary is embarrassed that she has no food to feed them. When she reveals she's been living off vegetable broth and two eggs for weeks, Smyth is livid, and he's somehow even angrier when Ary reveals fucking Elowen said it was enough to maintain her figure. He sends the others off to get food and makes sure Ary starts eating. He also surprises Ary by handing her a cup of green tea with honey rather than coffee, saying, You don't like coffee. Making her confuse about how he would know her preferences. Finn and Gemma spend the afternoon filling Ary in on even more information. Elias maintains a network of spies even in the south. Molochai's army, called Insidions, is strong, but still kept out of the north. Simeon's wards protect large cities like Tovick, Brinnea, and the Winterton Caves, but smaller villages and camps are protected only by occasional army patrols. Their plan is to depart in a few days for Brinnea, where they will meet Simeon. They will stop in Tovick along the way. Until then, Ary will rest, eat, and learn to protect herself as much as possible. Gemma reveals she doesn't trust Smyth, sensing something is off with him. Smyth tells Ary he doesn't answer to the Wintertons or Simeon, but he does have an agreement with him. Smyth says he'll do everything he can to teach her to fight back. rather than give in to others. And he gives us this interesting line quote, so that you're prepared to stand up for yourself when Alistair Winterton, his grandson, and their people realize you can't be confined to their pretty golden throne. That night, Ary dreams first of a warrior prince, flames, twisting vines, dancing wind, and rushing waters, then tally-mark tattoos and hickory eyes. Then it shifts to a nightmare where Ary is inside a gold coffin, decorated on the inside with carved roses and covered in a frosted glass dome so she can't see out. There is something small and warm nestled beside her and breathing. When Ary yells at the person on the other side of the glass to let her out, They ignore her, and eventually the thing besides her starts whimpering, then wails. Ary wakes up to Smyth's strong arms grabbing her, saying, Come back to me, Aryella, even though she had never told the group her full name. She falls back asleep to the sound of Smyth pacing outside her room, and we get this line: quote, Even the nightmares trembled before him. They train outside in the snow the next morning, and Smyth says Ary will need to be faster and smarter than her much larger opponents. He gives her a small knife, telling her it is hers. He gives her a full body workout and he especially wants to train her core, quote, where her power lives. Ary eats and enjoys all of her food that night. The next day at training, Ary notices he wears two rings around his neck, one larger and the other smaller. At dinner, they discuss Ary's powers, and she asks if they know what they are. Finn says Christabel never specified, but Smyth reassures her that she'll find them when she's ready. The morning they depart, Ary tells Smyth she wants to burn the house down. Smyth says nothing and simply lights up some liquor bottles and sets the barn on fire. Then he gives her the supplies to set the house on fire, saying, quote, You want it to burn, then burn it shall. Ary describes Phillip and Oliver's spirits as now being free, and she can feel their contentment. Finn and Ary chat on the journey. We learn that Simeon won't tell anyone where the source of his and Molochai's power comes from, because if Molochai captured them, he would know and torture them. We learn more about Caz. He is married to Marin, who is pregnant with their first baby. When the group makes camp that night, we learn a lot about Smyth when he sits with Ary by the fire. His first name is Gavin. His favorite color is green, the color of Ary's eyes. His birthday is the thirteenth month of Helios, the seventh month, so July 13th. And Ary's is the third of Nyxar, the twelfth month, so December 3rd. Just a few weeks before Solstice. He was born a bastard and his mother died during childbirth. Smyth tells Ary her middle name is Jay because her mother loved blue jays, which are a symbol of courage in the face of fear. Ary is confused by this since fucking Elowen hated birds. Smyth and Ary almost kiss before Ezra interrupts them. The next day, they travel to Freyburn, a large village that is decorated for solstice, which is also the day Simeon and Molochai liberated the lands from the Rexus dynasty. Over at the tavern, Caz and Finn tell stories about their time in the barracks, the army training location near the caves. Every spring, new recruits participate in a series of training tests called Commencement, the Last Step Before They Join the Army. Elias and his commanders lead it and determine the tasks. The last test is typically fighting the commanders. They decide if you fought well enough to give them a good contest. Occasionally, Elias steps in the fight. The last people who Elias stepped in the fight were Hendrix Sharp and Otis Stall. The two men, along with Hendrix's brother Micah, were hanging out with a man named Alec Gerard. Elias fought them to scare them off from becoming Gerard's cronies. Elias originally had an older sister and younger sister. His younger sister, Willa, was killed along with her parents by the butcher. The older one, Helena, was courted by Gerard, but it ended abruptly. People suspect he did something unsavory, but there wasn't any proof, and Helena died a few weeks later during a run in with Insidions on the southern border between Avendrel and Tugaf. Finn says that Elias never would have disciplined him since Gerard was too valuable of a fighter. Ary presses them on commencement, asking if it happens every year. Everyone is eligible at 18. And when Ary indicates that she is interested in going through commencement, they laugh at her. She's queen. She doesn't need to go through the trials. But Ary won't hear it. As queen, she believes she needs to complete the bare minimum requirements. And everyone looks at her like she's crazy, except Smyth, who looks at her with pride and agrees to train her. Gemma says if she wants to participate in commencement, she's sure she'll be able to, but it might be difficult to convince Elias. That night, everyone sleeps in the same room, and Ary stews on that. She wants to become one of them before leading them to earn their trust. Ary wakes to a woman's scream, which she describes as shrill, desperate, and brokenhearted. She is crying and feels pain through her stomach and lower back. Ary tries to sneak out of the room, but everyone wakes up, asking her what's wrong. She flees the room needing air and feels a memory but can't quite place it. Ary notices blood flowing from her into the snow. As readers, we realize she has her period. But she has a sort of PTSD reaction, doubling over and vomiting as she remembers a wailing infant, a woman weeping, and the panicked voice of a man. She describes the pain in her stomach as hurting around the curved scar on her stomach. She feels an overwhelming sadness and feels broken, like something precious had been taken from her. Kate: At breakfast the next day, Gemma tells Ary she deserves her fun before getting married. A nice proper fuck, since Elias has had plenty of fun himself. Unfortunately, Smyth overhears this conversation and he's furious. He tells her she deserves more than a quick fuck. The argument comes to a head when Smyth demands that Ary not marry Elias or even let him touch her, saying, I'll kill him if he touches you, Ella. To which she replies, You can't protect or keep me from the man meant to be my husband. So he says, quote, I'll be his fucking nightmare. And Ary agrees, saying, Yes, fine, be his nightmare. The next morning we learn some of Gemma's backstory and the obvious sexual tension between her and Finn. Both Gemma and Finn grew up together in the Winterton caves. Her parents died when she was young. so far nothing has happened between them because Gemma was selected for commencement and to be Ary's social guide and secret emissary. Since her time with Ary and Warrich, she's floated from village to village in Avendrel and Wymara on various surveillance missions, so the time hadn't quite been right for them yet. When Smyth is training Ary later that day, she ends up accidentally stabbing him in the shoulder, which Smyth seems to find utterly amusing. He tells her he's proud that stabbing him was an instinct. As Smyth cleans up, he cleans the blood off the rings around his neck, and finally, we and Ary learn about them. When Ary asks why he wears them, the larger, more tarnished one belonged to him. The smaller, more delicate ring engraved with flowers, belonged to his wife, who he says is lost. Smyth says she was perfect. He goes on to explain she was from a wealthy family that was highly protective of her, and one day she snuck out of her house and into his blacksmith shop, telling him she needed a weapon and needed to learn how to use it. He says it was a miracle that she was interested in him. The group comes to a small, sad village that has been ravaged by war. Everyone is poor and hungry. Blood marks several of the buildings, and the town stinks of death. Smyth says Insidions have been there. Then they find a dead man hanging from a tree with his insides ripped out. A sign beneath him, written in his own blood, says Molochai is king in the old language. We learn that the Insidions only use the old language as a way to spite the Selvaren. Based on the state of the man, they worry that the Insidions are within a day away and need to keep moving, but Ary insists that they take the man down and bury him first. Ary wants to take all of the villagers to the caves, but the group talks her down. It would draw too much attention. Smyth reassures her that his friend and Tovick has connections and can get word to the Wintertons. Smyth is impressed with her compassion for the people in the village. Most people wouldn't do that, certainly not Simeon. Ary says Smyth would have done the same thing, telling him he's a good man, but she can tell he doesn't agree. She asks what he'll do once she's been delivered to Elias, wanting to give him something to repay him. But he says, quote, The first time I lost what I wanted, I was young and naive. I let my guard down and it slipped through my grasp. But that will not happen again. I may never have what I want the way I want it, but the day I let go will be the day I'm buried as deep into the fucking ground as they can put me. Even then, I'll be damned if I don't try to crawl my way back out. That night, Ary has another nightmare. She is descending a black marble staircase curved around a grand, brightly lit foyer. She felt unattached from her body, and Phillip and Oliver's bodies laid at the bottom of the staircase. She describes herself as dispersed shards of light and she feels trapped, like when she was in the casket. Smyth wakes her up from the nightmare and Ary tells him that the dreams she's been having lately, saying she's been having nightmares where her body is trapped or bleeding and her soul is in multiple places at once. And she can't find the pieces. Ary brings up the butcher of Nyrida, asking if he thinks he will come for her, but he says he will die before he lets that monster get to her. Smyth stays by her side that night, and at this point, Ary is definitely falling for him. The next day is Ary's birthday, and she is officially 20 years old. They arrive in Tovick and Smyth takes Ary into town for a surprise. They discuss why Simeon wards the towns, but not the villages. And Smyth says he prioritizes people, places, and things that are critical to stopping Molochai. Smyth's surprise is teaching Ary to ride a horse. She's never ridden a horse that she can remember, but the second she gets on one, instinct takes over and they gallop off. Smyth can't even catch up. He then gifts her with a thick shawl made from the wolf that attacked her. He says it's a reminder of anyone or thing that tries to harm her. He then says that he has a birthday wish for her, quote, May your light blind your nightmares, and your love burn away the life that confines you. They return to the others, and Ary is given gifts by everyone. It's a beautiful found family moment, as Ary reflects on how much they mean to her and whether she would make more friends in the caves. The whole group goes into town to do some shopping, and Smyth tells Ary to stay nearby, but she and Ezra decide to go to the temple of the Selvaren that sits in the center of town. Inside the temple, we learn a bit about the gods. It appears that they are related to the seasons. Each god represents a specific month, ending with Nyxar, the strongest god, representing the twelfth month. Ary notes how she feels drawn to his soothing darkness, calling it a calming darkness that she might claim for herself one day if she can conquer her nightmares. While they're in the temple, they are attacked by a group of robbers, one of whom holds a knife to Ary's throat. Suddenly, she's released, and Ary realizes Smyth had thrown a knife into her attacker's skull. He proceeds to kill the remaining attackers while Ary and Ezra flee to the tavern. At the tavern, Smyth flies into a rage, blaming Ezra for Ary getting attacked and grabbing him by the throat. Rachel: It's at this moment that we're introduced to Damond. He's in his mid to late twenties with curly chocolate brown hair and glasses. When he sees Ary and Smyth together, he looks at them in surprise and awe. Damond is about to describe how he knows Gavin, but Smyth cuts him off saying he owes him a favor. As they retreat to their rooms, Smyth follows Ary and apologizes for trying to control her actions and treating her like she's weak and in need of coddling. He tells her it's an honor to be her friend. Although he looks pained to say it. Ary tells him to apologize to Ezra, and he says he'll do it just for her. Ary closes the door to her room to clean up before dinner, and we are seeing the impact of her full meals and training as she notices her curves are starting to fill out again and she looks healthier and stronger. Ary puts on a hot little outfit that drives Smyth crazy. He tells her to change, but she refuses, so he threatens anyone who dares to look at her. Ary has a few drinks and is having fun at the bar dancing with Gemma and letting loose when a particularly persistent creep won't leave her alone. After a series of threats from Smyth promising to cut off a number of appendages, the man finally goes away. Ary goes to bed but can't sleep and gets up to fetch a glass of water. On her way to the kitchen, she overhears Smyth and Damond chatting, And we learn here that Smyth is sure Molochai doesn't know about Ary, and while he has no intention of turning her over to Simeon, he believes Simeon when he says they need the Winterton boy. So he's stuck. Ary runs into Gemma on her way to the kitchen, who directs her to take the back way so she doesn't go through the busy bar where the drunks are. And we learn that Gemma is going to finally spend the night with Finn. In the kitchen, Ary is cornered by the creep from the bar who says he's been waiting for her. He says some absolutely disgusting stuff to her, and before she can get away, he grabs her by the hair and slams her to the ground. And it's looking like he is about to rape her. But Smyth shows up right on time, throwing him across the room, then swiftly snapping his neck, pausing only to say, quote, what did I tell you about touching my girl? Ary and Smyth have a heart to heart where she shares her doubts about her ability to lead her people and end the war. And this man gives the best pep talks because by the end of it, she tells him that he makes her feel like she is capable of being queen. Ary wakes up after a stressful night to find Gavin resting his hand on her, having stayed by her side all night to keep her safe. At this point, she notices a vial of green liquid around his neck, but she doesn't ask about it. At breakfast, Damond and Caz discuss how Molochai's insidions are advancing north, destroying previously safe villages and overwhelming Elias' forces. Despite the increased threat, Smyth insists they stick to the plan to travel to Brinnea While sparring, Smyth tells Ary she is holding back and she needs to fight to survive, Smyth attacks Ary to test her will to survive, recreating the assault from the night before, and she responds with an enraged headbutt to his face. Smyth defends his actions by saying he'd gladly cross any line to make sure she learns how to protect herself. Ary refuses to speak to Smyth for the rest of the day. But she internally acknowledges that the brutal exercise was effective, helping her realize that her drive to fight stems from her deep sense of justice. Kate: Damond brings Ary to a massive red brick library filled with thousands of books so she can continue her research into the kingdom's history and her potential powers. It turns out Smyth built the library himself, and he has living quarters below the library that he's been loaning out to Gemma and Finn. Damond and Ary have a heart to heart where he questions whether Ary really wants to be, quote, just friends with Smyth, but she sputters something about him having a wife. And Damond seems caught off guard by the fact that he mentioned his wife. Wanting to understand her prophesized magic before meeting Simeon, Ary spends hours studying the Book of the Selvaren. Ary memorizes the unique powers of the various gods. Nevelin, the goddess of snow and ice, could freeze anything with a single touch. Aurana, goddess of gravity, could levitate and move items without lifting a finger. Viridian, god of healing and regeneration, could Could repair the injured and dying and regrow limbs and organs. Rainar, god of the seas, could manipulate water into whatever shape, wave, or weapon he desired. Floris, goddess of the earth, could wield the vines and branches of trees like extra limbs. Aesta, goddess of light, could illuminate her surroundings with a flick of her wrist. Helios, god of fire, can burn. Effusia, goddess of the mind, can alter emotions with the touch of her hand. Soltum, god of animals, can communicate with creatures. Autumna, goddess of the hunt, could alter her appearance to go undetected by prey. Sussurro, god of wind and air, could steer the wind as he pleased. And then Nyxar, the god of celestial night, who is the strongest deity and possesses the ability to eclipse and nullify all other gods' powers. Ary is frustrated to find that the final 13 pages of the book are completely blank in all copies, offering no clues on how a mortal is supposed to actually wield these godly powers. Smyth confronts Ary about why she's been avoiding him, and she confesses that she is avoiding him because it hurts to know that entering the caves and embracing her royal destiny will ultimately force her to give him up. Ary internally admits that what she feels for him must be love, and thinking that, quote, I had found in him a soul that connected with mine, as if our bond had been declared by the gods long before a clairvoyant queen's prophecy. Suddenly, fire, smoke, and screams erupt in the heart of Tovick, sending out a massive shockwave as the Temple of the Selvaren begins to crumble after an explosion. In the chaotic aftermath, Ary discovers a distraught mother cradling a young boy who has suffered a deep gash near his throat. Desperate to save him, Ary clamps her hands over the wound and begs the gods for mercy. She is suddenly transported into a vision of a giant, spinning, twelve-spoked wheel representing the twelve deities. Realizing her own body acts as the stationary axis anchoring the spinning gods, Ary reaches for the green spoke to channel the power of Viridian, the god of healing and regeneration. There's a flash of green light that completely heals the boy's wound and saves his life. Ary and Smyth return to the tavern to find its front wall completely blown out, and Caz with his left leg severed at the calf by a fallen boulder. Exhausted and weak from her previous effort, Ary desperately attempts to summon the green light to heal Caz's leg, but she fails to reach her magic. Ary commands Gemma, Finn, and Ezra to depart for the caves with Caz at dawn so they can get him to a healer, while she and Smyth will continue on to Brinnea to see Simeon and join them in a few weeks. Ary overhears an intense argument in the woods where Gemma accuses Smyth of wanting to manipulate and sleep with Ary before she reaches Elias. But he refuses to back down, telling her she has no fucking idea what his true motives are. At Ary's request to ease Gemma's anger, Smyth speaks to Gemma privately to convince her that Ary is safe with him. When Gemma finally returns to bed, she looks deeply worried and sad, making Ary realize that Smyth likely shared a heavy secret with her. On their way to Brinnea, Ary asks Smyth what his one wish in life would be, and he replies, Your freedom. Pushing him further, he said he just wanted her to truly know who he is. Ary realizes that neither her childhood house nor the caves felt like home. Smyth was her home, but he was a home she could not keep. As they neared a small village to rest for the night, they encountered a massive beast with iridescent scales, razor-sharp teeth, and blade-like claws that Smyth recognizes as one of Molochai's creatures. Smyth fights the beast, but when it slashes his chest, Ary accesses her power wheel and channels the blue power of Rainar, god of the seas. She manipulates moisture to form liquid ropes that strangle the beast from the inside out. Of course, when they get to the village, the inn only has one small room left. As they get ready for bed, they share an intimate moment where Ary gently touches his body to memorize his scars and tattoos. He has four hundred two tattoos, a faded burn on his arm from his blacksmithing days, a wound on his left hand that he says hurt the most but was worth it, and crosshatched whip scars on his back. Gathering her courage, she finally kisses him, but Smyth doesn't kiss her back. Instead, he kisses her forehead, says goodnight, and locks himself outside the room, claiming that if he stayed, he'd never stop. Ary wakes up panting from an intense sex dream about Smyth, only to find him sitting in a chair beside the bed watching her. Smyth tells her to never settle for less than a man who worships her, makes her toes curl, and makes her combust with euphoria. Ary takes a bath and tries to summon the sea god Rainar's water powers again. But nothing happens. She realizes that she can only use her powers on impulse and would need Simeon to teach her magic once they reach Brinnea. Rachel: On their journey the next day, they're ambushed by insidions, and Smyth pretends to be holding Ary captive. He plays along with the attackers, convincing them that she belongs to him and threatening to slit her throat himself if they try anything. He then single handedly massacres them all. After the fight, Smyth tells Ary he has a history of playing multiple sides, but vows that he is strictly on her side, going so far as to place her knife over his heart and telling her to kill him if his loyalty ever falters. Suddenly, two more attackers show up, and while Smyth is killing one, the other attacks Ary, stabbing her in the side. Fueled by rage and adrenaline, Ary shoves her dagger in his throat, successfully killing him, but traumatizing herself in the process. Since they lost their horse to poison arrows, Smyth lifts Ary into his arms to carry her to a cabin a few hours away. Ary is desperate to get the blood of the insidion she killed off of her, but she can't submerge her fresh wound in a bath. So of course, Smyth gives her a spicy little sponge bath. As he cleans her, he notices the scar below her belly button, which she believes is from a childhood wound. It makes him inexplicably angry, and he suddenly covers her with a sheet, abruptly killing the sexual tension between them. But don't worry. The tension returns when they go to bed and Ary begs Smyth to hold her. He agrees, but they keep it strictly PG. Well, at least until Ary awakes in the middle of the night with his hard on pressed against her. But sadly, they do nothing about it. He tells her to be good and go back to sleep. when she wakes up, he's gone. And despite the fact that he left a note, Ary is distraught and embarrassed by his disappearance after their night together and raids his bar. When Smyth returns, he says he spent the day tracking down the Insidion's camp and slitting everyone's throats to ensure news of Ary never reaches Molochai. Relieved he wasn't with another woman, Ary flirts with Smyth by putting his hands on her. He's visibly aroused, but still resists her temptations, and they fall asleep in each other's arms. Seemingly desperate to get more time with Smyth, Ary asks to delay their meeting with Simeon for another day so they can celebrate the winter solstice together. Ary's wound is still healing, and Smyth asks why she hasn't used her power to heal herself. She says she'd rather save her energy to help others, which worries him. He tells her, quote, I don't know exactly what this world, this war, will require of you. But I fear there will come a time when you feel the need to sacrifice yourself, in one way or another, to save others. I fear that your power will take too much from you, and that you'll let it. Promise me you won't, but Ary refuses, saying she'll do what she has to. When they get to Brinnea, Ary buys herself a dress for the celebration in Smyth's favorite green color, and she is looking gorgeous and sexy as hell. He's so bricked up when he sees her, he says it's hard to breathe. Smyth takes Ary to a tavern on the coast for a special dinner. He shares stories about his upbringing by his adoptive parents, Isaac and Eden, and his late friend Victor. Then the mood shifts and suddenly he's begging for her forgiveness, telling her he's been lying to her. Simeon is not in Brinnea. And he never was. Smyth admits that he couldn't help but take extra time to be with her. It turns out he's been lying since the beginning. Simeon never gave him orders to bring Ary to Brinnea. Smyth was meant to bring her straight to the caves, but he wanted to give her time to eat, train, and adjust to her freedom. Ary ultimately forgives Smyth for lying to her, recognizing that the extra time helped her be prepared for what she would face in the caves, and she loves him for protecting her. She ends up begging him to sleep with her, telling him she wants him to be her first so she can live her life before going to her husband. Calling Elias her husband sends Smyth into a rage, and we get some more top-tier yearning from him when he tells her, quote, You are the air in my lungs, you are light in life, you are the reason I open my eyes every morning and brave this world. You are the tonic to my nightmares, the angel that defies my demons. Once again, he insists that he wants her desperately, but he won't make things harder for her by sleeping with her. They still get a little hot and heavy, but Smyth remains resolute in not going all the way. Ary is embarrassed after his repeated refusal, but reminds him he once said that there was no line he wouldn't cross for her, to which he says he will not cross this specific one. Ary still believes he's loyal to his wife, so she assumes she will never have his full devotion and tells him they will head directly to the caves the next day. Hours later, there's a knock at the door, and a man named Felix informs Smyth that a trade has been offered. Eavesdropping through a crack in the door, Ary overhears Felix reveal that a camp three hours south knows Smyth has Simeon's daughter and wants to trade Ary because they have his wife. Smyth coldly takes Felix outside to discuss the matter. Terrified that Smyth might betray her, Ary searches his leather bag and uncovers an old journal containing a stack of letters spanning generations of the Morton family. By calculating the log dates, Ary figures out that Smyth has been desperately searching for his captured wife for over 400 years. Ary now realizes why Smyth had to refuse her and feels deep sorrow for his 400 lonely years of searching. Driven by the desire to bring Smyth happiness and protect her people, Ary decides she can make her own deal with Molochai. Recognizing her physical appearance to Molochai's lost love, Christabel. She plans to offer herself and her powers in exchange for Smyth's wife and the safety of Nyrida. She writes a final note for Smyth and rides towards Molochai's camp. Kate: And now we get a flashback from Smyth. 402 years ago, Gavin Smyth was working late into the night at his blacksmith shop when a sweet woman's voice breaks the silence. Turning around with the intention of ordering her to leave, Smyth is instantly stunned, losing his breath as he takes in Ary's gorgeous appearance. He is seized by an intense animalistic need to claim Ary and protect her from other men, realizing right away that she is meant to be his. After Smyth introduces himself, Ary requests that he make her a weapon and teach her how to use it. He asks why she needs a blade, but Ary dodges the question, explaining that she has no one else to ask and that her family does not like her going anywhere alone. He agrees to help her just to ensure she does not seek out anyone else. Smyth says he'll make her the weapon and train her on the condition that she joins him for dinner the following evening. Looking around apprehensively like maybe she's being followed, Ary accepts his invitation before turning to leave the shop. Smyth calls out to her, realizing he almost let her leave without asking her name, and she tells him her name is Ella. In the present day, Smyth reflects on Felix Morton's betrayal, noting that despite providing for him, the man sold Ary out to Molochai for a paycheck anyway. Smyth drags Felix deep into the forest to interrogate him so Ary can't overhear. When Felix claims to have recently seen Smyth's quote, beautiful wife held at Molochai's camp, Smyth immediately knows he's lying. Knowing his wife is back at the inn, Smyth flies into a rage and kills Felix but promises to take care of his family since they are innocent. Smyth plans to tell Ary the full truth in the morning. That truth, including the fact that he really doesn't want to bring her to the caves. That Simeon, Elowen, and Elias do not know his face, they only know him as the monster compelled by Molochai to leave the butcher's mark on victims. And that Molochai knows he has a wife but does not realize that Ary and his four hundred year old lost wife are actually the same person. He fears what will happen if Molochai ever discovers his true identity. Returning to the inn, Smyth panics when he discovers Ary is gone and finds the note she left explaining that she is going to trade herself and her powers to get his wife back for him, asking him not to follow her and to finally be happy. Devastated, weeping, and blaming himself for revealing he had a wife in the first place, he runs into the forest to track her down, saying, In every life I would find her. Ary rides through the sleet to Malachi's camp, declaring herself a Simeon Whitlock's daughter when she gets there and demanding a trade. Herself for Smyth's wife. The Insidions mock her, and one of them abruptly hits her hard in the jaw, knocking her out. Ary wakes up, stripped naked, frozen, and tied tightly to a tree, surrounded by leering insidion men. Molochai emerges, a handsome middle-aged man flanked by suffocating, corrupted shadows. He immediately notes Ary's uncanny resemblance to her Aunt Christabel, which is exactly what Ary was hoping for. When Ary makes her offer to trade herself for the freedom of Nyrida and Smyth's wife, Molochai admits that it was all a ruse. Ary begs him to take her and leave Nyrida in peace, but Molochai refuses, explaining that according to his bargain with Simeon, he must kill her to claim the power of the Selvaren. He stabs his black talon nail into Ary's thigh, filling her veins with agonizing black sludge. He then digs his claws into her collarbone to the bone, crushing her mouth to stifle her screams while using his shadows to torture her in relentless waves. Ary repeatedly loses consciousness until Smyth arrives. Freeing her from the ropes with his switchblade, wrapping her in his shirt, and giving her water. When a sobbing Ary warns him to leave because his wife isn't there, Smyth reveals that Ary is his wife from a past life 400 years ago. Weak and heartbroken, Ary struggles to believe it. Molochai traps Smyth in a prison of shadows and cruelly drops a bombshell on Ary. Smyth is his loyal son and the butcher of Nyrida. Who has done his bidding for 400 years and is the one who murdered Phillip and Ollie. Devastated and feeling deeply deceived, Ary screams that she hates Smyth. A gust of wind blows Ary's hair aside, revealing a scar over her heart. A terrified Molochai realizes she isn't Simeon's daughter, but Smyth's actual wife and Christabel's daughter, whom Molochai himself had stabbed when she was only three days old. Intent on punishing them both, Molochai slowly and brutally tortures Ary while Smyth can only watch from his shadow cage. Molochai delivers a final strike, reaching into Ary's chest and tearing her heart completely out before casting her mutilated body over a cliff. Ary's body shatters violently on the rocks below. Kept barely alive by a cruel divine will, she feels every agonizing fracture as a weeping Smyth cradles her, desperately repeating a prayer and confessing his love until the world goes entirely dark and she dies. Ary wakes up in a dreamlike version of Warrich, feeling no pain, her heart still beating, her clothes free of blood, and with no fatal wound through her torso. She spots Ollie sitting beneath an apple tree that had previously been cut down before his death. Ary feels as though she is swimming beneath a thick sheet of glass covered with doors. Through them, she can see another world where scared, angry voices are begging for her to return. She recognizes that only one of the doors is real, and she'd only have one chance to pick the right one to go through. Ollie squeezes her arm and asks if, quote, the man with the scar on his face found her too. Ary notices that Ollie has no wounds or marks from the butcher like he did the last time she saw him. When Ary asks where her stepfather Phillip is, Ollie points to the house but tells her she cannot go inside because she cannot stay there. He pulls her hand and tells her she must go back. After watching Ollie wave goodbye and disappear into the house, Ary takes a breath, closes her eyes, and steps into the dense thicket of trees to return to the living world. Rachel: She wakes up in a cottage on the beach. She has a severe throbbing ache throughout her abdomen, chest, and back. Her limbs are cold, and her torso is covered in bandages, but her heart is beating strongly in her chest. Recognizing that their secrets almost led to her destruction, Ary resolves never to easily trust anyone ever again. Ary hears Damond and Smyth arguing outside her door, and when Damond comes in, he explains that her heartbeat is the work of Viridian, the god of healing and regeneration. He reveals that Smyth prayed to the Selvaren in an ancient language, and her blood literally commanded life back into her body. Ary demands to know if Damond knew about Smyth's lies the whole time, and he admitted that he is Smyth's cousin and that he knew everything. He also tells her that Smyth told Gemma everything before they left Tovick, though their other friends remain in the dark. Smyth confirms Ary is indeed his wife, whom he loves with everything he is. He reveals that she is actually 422 years old, having been trapped asleep for four centuries, and that he has lived all four hundred six years of his life. Smyth confesses that he is Molochai's son, born after his mother was raped, and that he is the butcher of Nyrida. He killed Phillip and Ollie because he is bound by an involuntary blood oath to Molochai that strips him of his physical control once a target is named. He never intended for innocence to be part of his deal, and he was devastated to be forced to kill Ollie. Smyth reveals that the prophecy is a lie manufactured by Simeon, who abducted Ary 400 years ago, put her into an age of sleep, and convinced the world that she was his daughter. Molochai had stabbed Ary when she was only three days old, giving her the scar on her chest, and spent centuries hunting for the Selvaren power, never realizing Ary had survived. Simeon erased Ary's memories because he feared her powers and wanted to hide her from Molochai until he could use her as a tool to destroy him. He notes that Simeon only sent him to Ary in the present day because Smyth threatened severe consequences if he was kept from her any longer. Smyth says that he refuses to be another chain in her life, but he prays she will choose him again in this life out of genuine desire rather than an ancient vow. He tells her that her future and her identity are entirely her own choices to make. Ary insists she will never be the girl he lost. Even so, she recognizes that she feels a powerful instinctual pull toward his touch and voice. Ary commands him to leave, but Smyth gives her these final words. Quote, don't let this world take one more thing from you. Ary takes a week to heal long enough to leave bed. She used all her supernatural power to save her life, leaving nothing left for the remainder of her healing. She stays at the cabin outside Brinnea with Damond, far enough away that the city remains out of sight. Though angry at Damond for being complicit in all of the secrets and lying, Ary still forms a close bond with him. A few weeks later, Damond brings Ary a silver furred, iridescent wild cub cat called an umbra that was sent by Smyth. Umbras are an exceptionally rare, protective, and intelligent breed. Ary senses a natural connection through Soltum, the god of animals. Smyth writes that he rescued the cub and named her Shera after Ary's past pet. He encourages Ary to train her as a companion and protector. The cat's presence brings Ary peace and helps ease her nightmares. Damond presents Ary with a 400-year-old scrap of paper reading, quote, It was Simeon, do not follow me, which Ary recognizes as her own handwriting left for Smyth. Damond reveals some more of Ary and Smyth's history, telling her that Smyth met and married her when she was 18. after Simeon stole her away, Smyth spent nine years searching for her. Desperate to see her again, he made a binding blood oath with Molochai for agelessness, trapping him into becoming Molochai's unwilling assassin for four centuries. Ary opens Smyth's personal letter, where he expresses his undying love, encourages her to fight for her own life. and advises her to train in combat to become as deadly as possible. He warns her to leave Brinnea once healed and promises to find a way to break his oath and fight for her heart again. He reveals that his tally-mark tattoos represent the four hundred two years he has lived without her. Ary is touched by his words and resolves to reclaim her life and future on her own terms, finding comfort in the two silver rings resting around her neck. Kate: In the epilogue, we are introduced to Elias Winterton. Elias spent twenty years planning his future around his betrothed, the prophesized queen, but his life plans fell apart after his team returned without her. He learns about the group's change of plans that they believed to be under Simeon's orders, as well as the mysterious man named Smyth who joined the group and took Elias' betrothed under his wing without permission. Elias wakes up hungover in his bedroom following a wild night with a woman who he instructs to address him as commander outside of the bedroom. Elias' best friend and soldier Valda, enters his room and criticizes him for drinking and sleeping around to deal with his issues. She then informs a panicked, furious Elias that Molochai killed the queen by ripping out her heart. Valda explains that they believe Smyth is actually the butcher. They suspected he tricked the team into believing he worked for Simeon, delivered the queen to Molochai, and stole her body after her death. Struggling to accept that the queen is dead and that his team was fooled, Elias nearly breaks down from grief and rage. He reflects on how the butcher had previously taken his family from him. Suspecting that Gemma Tremaine's strange silence means that she knows the truth. Elias orders Valda to bring her to him. And that's where the story ends. But if you listened to the audiobook or signed up for LJ Claren's email newsletter through Second Sky Books, you also got two bonus chapters that provide the events of chapters three and seventeen from Gavin's perspective. There's a few key things that come from these chapters, so I'll just note some of the highlights. Once Smyth lays eyes on Ary for the first time in four centuries, he's furious to note her starving, frail body and her clear lack of will to live. He notes that her weak state is the direct result of Simeon's orders. Fucking Elowen deliberately kept Ary weak and hungry to suppress her power and keep her easily controllable until Simeon needed her. In fact, Smyth notes that Simeon was also using some kind of power suppressing potion on her. So that extra time he wanted to give Ary before going to the caves was obviously to get her stronger and healthier, but it was also to give time for the potion to wear off so she could access her powers. He's pretty consumed with the dread of Molochai finding out Ary's name. He's convinced that as soon as Molochai knows her name, he'll invoke the blood oath and order Smyth to kill her. We know that's why he carries the poison around his neck, but in these chapters we learn just how terrified he is. Of that possibility, and that it's a driving force behind his determination to keep his distance from her. Smyth believes that Ary is bound to fall for Elias when she meets him because he is young, handsome, and molded by Simeon to be hers. Of course, he also believes that Elias will fall for her instantly in return. In both chapters, we see Smyth struggling to reconcile this new version of Ary with the strong, brave version he knew from centuries ago. And he's happy when he sees glimpses of her true self coming back. He notes how she always had to fight hard for what she wants versus what other people want for her, remembering the gilded cage he found her in originally at the castle. He'd sworn then to break her free, and he had, so he swears he'll do it again. Rachel: Thank you for joining us for our recap of the Silversmith. But don't worry, our coverage of the Selvaren doesn't end here. We have a completed four-episode deep dive of The Silversmith, so if you want to spiral over theories, definitely check that out. And we've recently welcomed LJ Claren onto the podcast for a discussion about the Silversmith, the incendiary, and her author journey. So be sure to check it out if you want some sneak peeks of what to expect in book two. We'll be deep diving the incendiary starting on September twenty-ninth, so come back and spiral with us once you've finished reading. Kate: And if you've enjoyed this episode, we'd love if you could please take a few minutes to subscribe and leave us a five-star review. We're a new podcast and every review and follower helps so much. We also want to get to know you. Follow us on social media at Deep Troop Podcast and drop us a comment with your theories for the Selvaren series. Rachel: All right, see you next week. Kate: Bye.