Ep 6 Quicksilver Bonus Chapters: Recap, Theories, and Hidden Clues

Summary

Dear Fantasy Reader

Episode 6: Quicksilver Bonus Chapters – Recap, Theories, and Hidden Clues
Air Date: November 4, 2025
Hosts: Kinsey & Carly
Focus: Deep-dive analysis and wild speculation on the four Quicksilver bonus chapters by Callie Hart, teasing what lies ahead in the Fae and Alchemy series with special attention to hidden lore, character arcs, and tantalizing mysteries.

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Episode Overview

Kinsey and Carly break down the four Quicksilver bonus chapters—The Gate (Parts 1 & 2), The Maze, and The Fox, the Boots, the Dress—each told from Kingfisher’s point of view. Their discussion weaves together meticulous recaps, lore revelations, and bold new theories about dragons, gods, magical artifacts, soul-binding, and the mysterious nature of true names. With infectious fangirl energy and razor-sharp observations, they dig into how these scenes reshape and expand the lore in ways that portend major twists in the upcoming book Brimstone.

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Key Section Recaps & Discussion Points

1. The Gate (Parts 1 & 2) – [02:44]

These chapters chronicle a pivotal ancient battle from Kingfisher’s perspective, depicting a desperate defense of Ajin City against a vampire horde and a dragon (“Om Nom Shakrai”). Major revelations include:

• Kingfisher’s willingness to self-sacrifice by grabbing the enchanted iron city gate, despite Fae aversion to iron.
• The intervention of the twin goddesses Mithun and Bal, who rescue Kingfisher and grant him a godsword that has “waited millennia” for him.
• The introduction of several key Kingfisher companions, including Renfus, Morel (Renfus’ twin), Danya, Lorath, Corix, Vash, and Gideon.
• The slaying of the supposedly last dragon—only after great loss and intervention—but with hints that more dragons might exist.

Notable Insights:

• Lore-bomb: Dragons are considered a curse, their “hearts hollow black voids,” paralleling the vampires.
  [Kinsey, 17:38] “The dragons, like the vampires, are considered a curse. Also, one of the new members… was trained to handle dragons back when they thought dragons could be brought to heal.”
• Godsword Origin: Kingfisher receives his godsword, later named Nymorel, after being healed by the goddesses.
  [Carly, 34:29] “Not only waiting a millennia, but he gets it at that moment. Like, he's been alive a hot minute at this point.”
• Foreign Magic: The quicksilver itself rages against "foreign magic" used in the gates, suggesting another magical force is at play, outside the known system.
  [Kinsey, 24:20] Quote:

  “We do not bow. It raged, many voices, all speaking as one... We are not bound by foreign magics, it seethed. Nor shall you be.”

• True Names: Morel’s spirit warns Kingfisher to “guard your true name,” which is positioned as a potentially catastrophic vulnerability for Fae.
  [Kinsey, 39:59] “Kingfisher's mother loves him and will also always be with him. And so I'm like, does this mean… did his mother also embed a part of her soul into an object that Kingfisher possesses?”

2. The Maze – [08:03]

A glimpse into Kingfisher’s first encounter with Serris, layered with political intrigue and supernatural tension:

• Kingfisher receives intelligence from Taladeus (Malcolm’s "keeper of secrets"), learning of troop movements and unrest.
• Taladeus’ personal history is revealed—turned vampire against his will, possibly tied to Zylvana.
• Kingfisher feels an unfamiliar godsword’s pull, escapes through a hidden quicksilver pool, and emerges to find Serris mortally wounded—revealing her as his fated mate.

Notable Insights:

• Taladeus is positioned as a key player, no longer oath-bound after Malcolm’s death, and poised to support Serris, the new vampire queen.
• The “tugging” toward Serris that Kingfisher feels is compared to “Noshala’s wings fluttering in my chest”—an important emotional/magical marker.
• The godsword that calls to Kingfisher is not Nymorel, suggesting the presence of other significant, perhaps sleeping, relics.

3. The Fox, the Boots, the Dress – [10:34]

A lighter, character-driven chapter set between main events, set in Kingfisher’s childhood home:

• Kingfisher deals with complex grief for his absent mother and discomfort over Serris and Onyx (her fox companion) invading his space.
• A magical wardrobe scene (with Onyx's help/interference) leads Kingfisher to retrieve a dress his mother made for Serris, confirming prophetic ties.
• A comedic, tense exchange between Kingfisher and Carrion offers laughs and deepens their potential bromance for the next book.

Notable Insights:

• Kingfisher uses not only shadows (from his mother) but “the gift of illusion” (from his father), a power set to have major ramifications. [Kinsey, 12:36] “I'm sorry, a what from his father... a gift of illusion. I think that's gonna be important.”

• Onyx’s behavior hints he might be a magical familiar, influencing events beyond what’s obvious. [Carly, 52:51] “I'm questioning if it was Onyx... Maybe it was Onyx pulling it back, being like, no, you need to come get me.”

• The wardrobe/dress moment solidifies Kingfisher’s supernatural connection (and destiny) with Serris.

Favorite Quote – Carrion & Kingfisher Banter:

• [53:50]

  Carrion: “Ah, look who it is. My rescuer-slash-kidnapper, looking just as brooding and handsome as I remember.”
  Kingfisher: “I see you've made yourself at home.”
  Carrion: “What else was I supposed to do? Roam the halls, wailing and sobbing in search of the nearest exit?”

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Theory Highlights and Lore Revelations

Dragons: Extinct or Not?

• Despite the “last dragon” dying, dragon pluralization (“feed us…”) and obsessive lore drops spark speculation there are more.
  [Carly, 16:01] “He always refers to himself as me or my... except for one time... he says us. I think it was a slip because I think there’s another dragon.”

• Dragons may be cursed, like vampires, but perhaps were once a different, maybe even redeemable, species. Alchemists or the o'Sheleth (healers) may be able to cure them. Title changes for Brimstone were mentioned as spoilers, implying dragons are crucial.

Gods and Magic

• Kingfisher's unique relationship with the twin goddesses (nickname “Fierce Heart,” ability to distinguish them) is flagged as plot-critical, possibly tied to the true name system.

• The godsword Nymorel is unique: bestowed directly, waiting centuries, containing a piece of Morel's soul, and possibly cursed or divergent from others.

• The gods interacting with blood (tasting Kingfisher’s hope, fear, and love) suggests a strange resonance with how vampires function.
  [Kinsey, 33:02] “They say, quote, he tastes like hope. A little fear, perhaps unmet potential and love.”

• "Foreign magic" referenced by the quicksilver implies the existence of another magical system or corruption.

True Names

• True names grant others mystical power over Fae, possibly akin to old myths where knowing a being’s true name allows for control or oaths. [Carly, 41:52] “... in older Fae mythology, it's like if somebody wanted to know a Fae’s true name, they could order them to do whatever they want.”

Side Characters and Subplots

• Lorath and the witches: Ominous flirtation with forbidden knowledge (true names) and dark bargains.
• Taladeus: Awaiting a bigger role, possibly a major player or source of secrets post-Malcolm.
• Politics: Bellacon’s hidden agendas and genocide against witches during the main war hints at larger stakes for the coming book.

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Favorite & Notable Quotes

• Kinsey, [24:20] (quicksilver entity):

  "We do not bow... We are not bound by foreign magics, nor shall you be."

• Danya to Kingfisher, [42:24]:

  "God's alive. Will you shut the fuck up? None of us are going to kill you. You're not leaving us with that kind of trauma. You're going to be fine. We all are."

• Carrion to Kingfisher, [53:50]:

  "Ah, look who it is. My rescuer-slash-kidnapper, looking just as brooding and handsome as I remember."

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Timeline of Important Segments

• [02:44] – The Gate recap and lore drops
• [08:03] – The Maze and Taladeus’ secrets
• [10:34] – The Fox, the Boots, the Dress: comic relief, emotional ties, and magic inheritance
• [13:39] – Discussion and theory spiral begins
• [24:20] – Discussion of "foreign magic" and world-building bombshells
• [26:22] – True name and soul-name speculation
• [32:50] – God's behavior with Fae blood: more vampire/god parallels
• [44:25] – Taladeus backstory and speculation
• [52:51] – Onyx familiar/familiar-magic theory
• [53:50] – Kingfisher and Carrion banter: fan-favorite dialogue

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Closing Thoughts and Hype for Brimstone

Both hosts urge fans to read the bonus chapters (three available for free) and support their library or wait for digital release if they can’t get the special edition. The bonus scenes are essential for understanding the depth and direction of the series and may contain crucial setup for Brimstone's plot and world.

Kinsey and Carly end the episode with giddy anticipation for Brimstone’s release and the promise of more hilarious, emotional, and deep-diving DFR episodes to come.

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Final Takeaway

If you love intricate world-building, devious magic, and Romantasy with real stakes, the Quicksilver bonus chapters are essential reading—and this episode is an indispensable guide to what you may have missed (or what’s waiting to ambush you in Brimstone).

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Follow Dear Fantasy Reader on all platforms, and join the quest for more fan theories, lore breakdowns, and contagious excitement as the Fae and Alchemy series journeys on!

Transcript

[Jeff]

Morning Zoe. Got donuts.

[Zoe]

Jeff Bridges why are you still living above our garage?

[Jeff]

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[Zoe]

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[Jeff]

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[Zoe]

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[Carly]

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[Jeff]

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[Carly]

Get the new iPhone 17 Pro on.

[Jeff]

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[Zoe]

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[Kinsey]

Foreign Dearest Fantasy Readers welcome to the Dear Fantasy Reader podcast where we travel through the pages of our favorite Romantasy novels. I'm Kinsey.

[Carly]

And I'm Carly.

[Kinsey]

Join us as we enter the world of the Fae and Alchemy series, prepping for the highly anticipated release of Brimstone on November 18, 2025. Today we'll be providing a recap of the Quicksilver bonus chapters and breaking down the hidden clues they might contain.

[Carly]

With that content warning and spoiler alert, this episode is full of Quicksilver spoilers, so if you haven't read the book, go do that. First. If you need a quick refresher on Quicksilver, check out our recap episode.

[Kinsey]

Also, due to the nature of this book, this podcast is rated R in content and language.

[Carly]

If you'd like to watch this episode ad free and full video or audio only if you would prefer, it's available now on Patreon and we've dropped the link in our show notes as well.

[Kinsey]

Now grab your relics and prepare to dive into the Quicksilver. Sanity is not guaranteed. Before we dive into the recap, there are four Quicksilver bonus chapters and they are all in Kingfisher's point of view. Three of the bonus chapters, the Gate Parts 1 and 2 and the Fox, the Boots, the Dress can be found for free on Callie Hearts website. We've linked that in the show. Notes for you if you'd like to pause and read those bonus chapters are also available in audiobook format as Quicksilver Bonus Scenes. Kingfisher's POV Additionally, the TRAD release of the Quicksilver Special Editions contain our newest Kingfisher bonus chapter, the Maze. This can be found in physical copies of Quicksilver, as well as the updated ebook version, which is available on Kindle Unlimited. If you need a TL doctor with all the important details from the bonus chapters, we've got you covered.

[Carly]

The Gate Parts one and two is the battle mentioned in Lora's song to the Quicksilver when he was gifted the Godsword. In Part one, Kingfisher and his wolves show up to defend Ajin City against a vampire horde and dragon attack. At this point in time, Kingfisher is with Renfus, Renfus, twin sister Morel, Danya, Corix, Foley, Vash, Gideon, and their newest member Lorath. For two days they outran 5,000 feeders with one goal in reach Ajin City, alert the people and prepare for the attack. However, Omna Shakrai, the last, largest, most powerful and oldest dragon, is also out for their blood, breaking the 300 year accord between the fae and the dragon. Usually, Om Nom Shakrai leaves the city alone in exchange for jewels and precious metals, but the dragon decided to ally with Malcolm and feast on the bodies that don't join Malcolm's army of the undead.

[Kinsey]

The wolves approach the open city gates and Kingfisher forms a shadow blockade against the vampire horde and dragon while his friends run into the city to help the left. With only Danya at his side, Kingfisher decides to do something. He grabs the Iron City gates high. Fei can't touch iron without consequence, but since they don't have time to wait for fire sprites, Kingfisher takes matters into his own hands. Literally. He tells Danya to rescue the children, but unlike in Quicksilver, she actually gives a shit about Kingfisher refuses his order and tries to have him let go of the gate before he burns his flesh off and dies.

[Carly]

The Quicksilver inside Kingfisher resists the magic of the gate, and as he's completely exhausted, Kingfisher's friends join him and push his body to seal it. Now they're all trapped outside the gate and about to fight the horde of vampires dying in the snow. Kingfisher is suddenly teleported to the realm of the gods. The twin goddesses Mithun and Bal intervened without their father's permission or knowledge and saved Kingfisher from death. The goddesses call Kingfisher Fierce heart and and for some reason, he's the only person who can tell them apart. A detail to hold onto for later.

[Kinsey]

We learn that the realm exists outside of time. Past and future exist together because Kingfisher catches a glimpse of Serris speaking to Xerath, the God of Chaos, next to the Quicksilver Tree of Life. At this point, Kingfisher has no idea who Serris is, but he feels a pull towards her. This is apparently Kingfisher's third third visit to the God's realm. The first was when Belacan sent Kingfisher as a child through the quicksilver without a relic. The second time was three centuries ago, when Xerath approached Kingfisher with a proposition that Kingfisher rejected, which, by the way, we never learn what that proposition was, so it's likely to come back later in Brimstone. The third time is now, when he was rescued by the twin goddesses.

[Carly]

They heal him, and when he opens his eyes, he's holding a godsword. It's an ancient blade that's waited millennia for Kingfisher, and it's waiting for him to name it. Kingfisher attempts to ask the twin goddesses more, but just as quickly as he arrived, he's now back at Ajin Gate, whole and about to face a vampire horde with his newly acquired godsword.

[Kinsey]

Which now brings us to part two of the Gate with a renewed purpose. Kingfisher knows he won't die in Ajin and joins his friends, the city warriors and townsfolk in battle. The he wreaks havoc on the vampires with his magic, but saves the inaugural blood of his godsword for the dragon.

[Carly]

The battle takes a turn for the worst when Om Nom Shakrai burns and then eats Morel. In his grief, Renfis amasses his energy to attack the dragon, but nearly burns his soul and kills himself in the process. Kingfisher orders Renfus to let go, and Renfus shoots the ball of power straight at Om Nom Shakrai. No magic or blade has ever pierced Dragonscale before, but Renfus magic makes history. As his attack penetrates the dragon's scale.

[Kinsey]

The dragon begins firing Brimstone onto the mountain with the battlecry Ne Morel, meaning for Morel, Kingfisher's wolves attack Om Noam Shakrai and climb the dragon's back. Danya's godsword doesn't harm the dragon, and Renfys magic isn't as effective as it was the first time Foley falls off.

[Carly]

The dragon and dies, giving Kingfisher an idea even more reckless than grabbing the iron gate. He opens a shadow gate and falls into Om Nom Shakrai's mouth, plunging the godsword into the dragon's soft flesh. With his body and sword acting as a conduit for power, the vengeance of the gods kills the dragon with Kingfisher stuck inside.

[Kinsey]

Uh oh. While he waits for his friends to rescue him, Kingfisher is visited by Morel's spirit. Not wasting any time, she gives Kingfisher several warnings. The godswords will start failing soon. They'll all be dormant, except for his because she bound the remaining part of her soul magic to his sword, hence the name of his godsword being Nyerel. Morel also tells Kingfisher that his mother loves him and will always be with him. It's sweet. Until Morel continues with his mother's ominous warning. Kingfisher's life depends on him guarding his True name. As if we weren't already scared shitless about true Names.

[Carly]

You know I am.

[Kinsey]

Me too.

[Carly]

The maze is Kingfisher's POV when meeting Serris for the first time. It starts with him counting coins inside Malcolm's maze and having a conversation with Taladeus, who apparently grew up with Kingfisher. We also learn that Taladeus is Malcolm's keeper of secrets, which means we should expect some juicy gossip from him in the future.

[Kinsey]

Can't wait. Taladeus regularly keeps Kingfisher up to date with the comings and goings of the realm. Right now, Belacan is moving his troops west to allegedly invade the Mountain Fae for their gold. But Kingfisher deduces that Belacan is actually headed north toward the Balkutr witch clan. The witches hate everyone, but especially Belacan. Taladeus continues his news report by mentioning Zovena. Usually Tal avoids talking about her altogether, but right now she's facing trouble tamping down an insurrection. It's implied that Zylvana caused a rift between Taladeus and Kingfisher and might be the reason why Tal is a vampire.

[Carly]

With the news report over, Taladeus can't exit the maze without fulfilling Malcolm's command of making Kingfisher bleed. He pricks Kingfisher's finger and goes to leave. Suddenly, the quicksilver starts telling Kingfisher to get out. The coins around him start vibrating, and Kingfisher feels the will of a godsword tugging at his soul. But the godsword calling out to him definitely isn't Nymorel. He feels a tearing in his chest and a pit open beneath the coin, revealing a hidden quicksilver pool. And this one is awake. Taking his chance, Kingfisher escapes and dives into the quicksilver. He'd rather die than stay in the maze.

[Kinsey]

Transported Kingfisher steps out of the quicksilver and is about to behead Serris when he notices three things. One, she's holding his father's godsword in her hands, which you can't do unless you're chosen by the godsword. Two, there's a giant fucking hole in her stomach and she's about to die. And three, she's the mate from his mother's drawings, but she's human. Basically, Kingfisher's life is a joke.

[Carly]

Oops. He thinks he can't save her, so he switches objectives. Kill Madra. But just as he's about to leave the room, he feels a faint tugging sensation again. It wasn't the sword that called Kingfisher to Zilvarin. It was Serris. As if that weren't cute enough, Kingfisher describes the tugging as a gentle pulse, as light and delicate as Noshala's wings fluttering inside my chest. He can save Serris if he takes her back to Evilia now. So he saves his revenge for another day, gives Serris his relic and goes back through the quicksilver.

[Kinsey]

The final bonus chapter, the Fox, the Boots, the Dress, takes place Sometime between chapters 17 and 18 in Quicksilver, when Serris and Kingfisher are visiting his childhood home in Kalish. Kingfisher walks the halls alone, lamenting the absence of his mother's presence and frustrated by his predicament with Serris, especially that she brought a wild animal, AKA Onyx, into his home.

[Carly]

At one point, Kingfisher gets upset at servant Archer, as he does not believe he is deserving of the respect Archer always gives him. The events of Gillithray are on the tip of his tongue. But bound by his oath to Malcolm and Bellacon, Kingfisher can't confide in Archer. Kingfisher enters his mother's room and goes to her wardrobe to collect boots for carrion. He grabs them, but just as he's about to leave, he spots a row of dresses stored with garment sleeves, which is unusual for his mother's clothing. That's when he hears a voice, his mother's voice, telling him, hers, my love, these are hers.

[Kinsey]

In Kingfisher's rush to nope out of there, he accidentally traps Onyx within the wardrobe. Because our man is morally gray instead of morally black, but mostly because he feels a strange, unwelcome tug towards the wardrobe. He releases Onyx from their temporary prison, grabs the first gown he sees, and closes the wardrobe door. With Onyx on the correct side this time, Kingfisher goes to Cerys Room and finds it occupied by Carrion, leading to a hilarious conversation that goes exactly how you'd expect, With Kingfisher debating if he should murder Carrion. He gives Carrion the boots on one. Take a bath.

[Carly]

Wonder why.

[Kinsey]

Yeah.

[Carly]

The water sprites come to whisk Carrion away, and Sara's scent overwhelms Kingfisher as he starts to leave the dress on her bed, but is interrupted by the door opening behind him. Because Kingfisher would rather be a creep than explain why he was in Serris's room, he uses shadows to conceal himself in the corner. And straight out of the Forge, Serris searches for a bathroom, and Kingfisher uses the gift of illusion inherited from his father to conjure a bathroom just for Serris.

[Kinsey]

I'm sorry, a what from his father.

[Carly]

I know.

[Kinsey]

A gift of illusion.

[Carly]

I think that's gonna be important.

[Kinsey]

Yeah.

[Carly]

Hmm.

[Kinsey]

Oblivious to Kingfisher's presence, Serah starts to undress. With the bathroom door cracked open, he catches a glimpse of her shoulder blade. Scandalous. I know. And Kingfisher instantly goes into protective mate mode. He wants to feed her, take care of her, and internally struggles over his potential mate being human. Confused that his mother's prediction about Serris was wrong, While he wages war inside his head, Serious starts to remove her pants. And contrary to popular belief, he is not a peeping Tom. So he quickly uses magic to close the door.

[Carly]

In a hurry to get out of there, Kingfisher finally lays the dress on Serris's bed. At that moment, he knows for certain this dress was made for her. However, Seras will never be safe as his mate. So Kingfisher decides it's better to push her away.

[Kinsey]

Ugh. My Shayla.

[Carly]

I know. FYI, Saris finding the dress after her bath is in chapter 18, if you want to read these side by side.

[Kinsey]

Mm.

[Carly]

Okay. Now that we've gotten the TLDR out of the way, we have a few discussion points we'd like to address. And these will spiral into theories.

[Kinsey]

They definitely will. So we already know everything Callie Hart writes is intentional, and she gave us these specific scenes for a reason. And the lore drop that we get is insane.

[Carly]

It really is.

[Kinsey]

Yeah.

[Carly]

We're going to go in chronological order of each bonus chapter, starting with the gate Parts one and two.

[Kinsey]

So, starting off, this isn't mentioned in the recap, but Lorath is told none of the city women are interested in you. Your charms being what they are, I'd be surprised if you could even talk about Bog witch out of her underwear. To which Lorath replies, quote, want that mouth washed out with soap, pretty boy? I would never, ever. I was like, sir, why are we talking about witches here? So, as you guys know, in Quicksilver, there is a witch that heals Everlane, and it's sort of insinuated that she might know Lorath's true name.

[Carly]

Yeah.

[Kinsey]

So the fact here that he's like, I would never have sex with a witch. And then, like. But then in the future, maybe there was some witch.

[Carly]

Yeah. Cause he says that they'd met before. And I know we had discussed previously in our initial reactions in Easter Eggs episode that we had suspected that this witch knows his name, but I think this is even more evidence, the fact that she includes this in the bonus chapter.

[Kinsey]

I think so. And I'm just wondering now, do we think that he tried to woo a witch on a dare now because of this conversation? Or is he a dishonorable Fae that's lying about already having relations with a witch?

[Carly]

Maybe he's the lawless one we have our eyes looking out for in these books.

[Kinsey]

I know it makes me nervous, but.

[Carly]

Yeah, there's gotta be somebody. Especially since he's the one Kingfisher gave a part of his soul to.

[Kinsey]

It's either Kingfisher or Lorath. I'm sorry.

[Carly]

Yeah, I kind of. I. I'm kind of there, too. Ugh, man. All right, I want to talk about the fact that Om Nom Shakrai, or the Drake, which is probably how I'll refer to him because it's less of a mouthful.

[Kinsey]

Yeah, honestly.

[Carly]

Was allegedly the last dragon. They killed. The last dragon. However, when the Drake is on that mountain and he is, like, talking into their heads, which is crazy to me because, like, the only other time you see that happening is with mates. So it's like, clearly some sort of ancient magic, because the mate stuff is also very ancient. He always refers to himself as me or my. Or I. It's always singular. Except for one time when he is talking about all the bodies on the mountain and he's like, yeah, this is going to feed us. Plural us. Yeah. For a long time. Basically. Like, he might have said, like a century or something like that. He's like, it's gonna feed us. And it's the only Time he uses a plural. And I think it was a slip because I think there's another dragon. Oof.

[Kinsey]

That is a good catch. I'm like, the rational side of me is like, maybe he's referring. Because in this instance, the Drake was an ally with Malcolm. So I'm like, oh, maybe he means like the vampires and the dragon. But it is interesting.

[Carly]

But I will say he is more specifically referring to, though, like, why he broke the accord because of what it's going to do for him. And then he says it's going to feed us. And I'm like, yeah, I don't know.

[Kinsey]

Maybe he has, like, an egg tucked somewhere. But I am going to say, and this is in support of your theory that there are more dragons out there. We get way too much lore drop in these two chapters for there to not be dragons again.

[Carly]

Yeah, we just get so much. 100% agree. Yeah.

[Kinsey]

It's crazy. For example, we learned that dragons are a curse, specifically from this quote. They literally say a dragon was a curse. Their hearts were hollow black voids where no good thing could survive. There would be no sympathy for this kind of evil. And that was in the Gate, Part one. So it's interesting to me that the dragons, like the vampires, are considered a curse. Also, one of the new members that we had met in this chapter, who did survive, by the way, there were two new people that we met who are part of, like, Kingfisher's wolves that survived. Corix was one of them and Vash Gideon is the other. But we learned that Coryx was trained to handle dragons back when they thought dragons could be brought to heal. And I'm like, okay, so they tried healing the curse. What creature were the dragons before they were cursed? Maybe we'll see that. I don't know.

[Carly]

Also, I think it's possible, though, that there wasn't actually a curse. Maybe they just assume that they are.

[Kinsey]

Yeah, they're like, oh, they're evil, so they must be cursed.

[Carly]

Yeah. Just because they just seem so angry and bloodthirsty all the time. Not always for an apparent reason. It seems like that's the way that they view them anyways, as, like, creatures that literally just want to destroy for destruction's sake.

[Kinsey]

Exactly.

[Carly]

Yeah.

[Kinsey]

Then there's one other thing I could think of. If it is a curse, like, literally, and there are more dragons, maybe an alchemist like Seras could heal the dragon's heart. Because the alchemists are the ones who did create the. The curse or can heal it or whatever. Like, they. They Blamed it on the witches. But then we find that it wasn't actually the witches. So we're assuming from what Malcolm had said to Sarris before he died, it was actually something that the alchemist can do.

[Carly]

So I'm like, likely, yeah.

[Kinsey]

Yeah. So I'm like, maybe it's going to come back. Because, like I said, Corax didn't die. He's not mentioned it all in Quicksilver. I did a search for all of the names that were in the bonus chapters. None of those people are in Quicksilver. So either they died somewhere else or they're just off and away. But the fact that we have a dragon tamer, I'm like, okay, I think they might work together. I don't know. And it also goes back to the title of Brimstone, literally being Brimstone. And that's how they described the dragonfire repeatedly. It is said, I don't know. I probably should have done a control f and seen. How many times? Like, 15, 20 times.

[Carly]

You know, this came up in, I think, the San Francisco Q and A I went to. I've also watched a couple of her interviews, so please don't quote me on the fact that it was at that interview. But she also said that originally Brimstone had another title and she had to change it. And she couldn't tell us why because the title is now a spoiler.

[Kinsey]

Ooh.

[Carly]

So maybe it was like, the dragon's name or something.

[Kinsey]

It's like, Om Nom Shukrai. Oh, my God.

[Carly]

Or the Drake or something like that, you know, Like, I don't know.

[Kinsey]

It'd just be interesting if there are dragons in this book. Thank you, Caliph Heart, for not making us try to pronounce Om Nomshakrai or type that out every single time. We're like, we're ready to read this book.

[Carly]

Yeah.

[Kinsey]

Brimstone is far easier. So.

[Carly]

Yeah. But I will also say, I think you could be on something here that, like, their heart has to be healed or something like that. What if they need the o'? Sheleth? Because remember, they're also supposed to have some sort of magical healing ability. Maybe they're gonna have to bring a baby dragon to the o' Shelith.

[Kinsey]

Maybe. And, like, I wanna say this was in a mountain town. Cause I kept saying mountainside. And we know that the o' Sheillith are, like, in the mountains in the north somewhere. So maybe it's like, in the general region. I don't know.

[Carly]

Yeah.

[Kinsey]

We don't have a map. I would really appreciate a map in the next part.

[Carly]

Yeah, me too. Fingers crossed. It's gonna be the first thing I check for.

[Kinsey]

Me, too.

[Carly]

And I also want to point out that when Kingfisher kills the dragon, he says that he can feel the power of the vengeance of the gods going through him and the sword as a conduit to kill the dragon. And I'm like, why on earth would the gods have, like, a vengeful vendetta against the dragons? Like, you think that they, like, live separate, like, apart from each other, you know? And, you know what it made me think of was the original myth of Bal and Mithun, about how there used to be one entity and there was some spirit in a storm that broke them apart. And I'm like, what if it was a dragon?

[Kinsey]

Oh, that would be crazy.

[Carly]

Bal and Mithun are the one that gave him the sword that allowed him to kill the dragon. So maybe it was their vendetta. Ooh.

[Kinsey]

And they were acting against their father's wishes. He had no idea that he was there. They were like, we got it. Like, he's distracted with Sarris in the future, so that would be crazy.

[Carly]

Yeah, I was like, that would be interesting because, like, they're the ones that pulled Kingfisher out. They gave him that sword. And then he's saying it's the vengeance of the gods killing the dragon. And I'm like, why would the gods have been that? And all I could think about is that myth about how they were broken apart. And I'm like, some magical spirit and a storm broke gods apart. And I'm like, maybe it was the dragons.

[Kinsey]

Maybe. Oh, God, that's so interesting.

[Carly]

Yeah.

[Kinsey]

Yeah. We also get. I didn't write this one down, but we get. Speaking of magic and the gods, when Kingfisher is sealing the gate, which, like, it should have killed him. It would have if there wasn't interference. But the quicksilver is, like, speaking to him. And here I need to get the actual quote up because I don't want to misquote this, because this was, like, actually, like, such a big deal. And I remember, like, FaceTiming you when I had first read this and being like, oh, my God, Kylie, what does this mean? Fun fact. I just Googled Kelly Hart bonus chapter. And Google's like, you visit this page often.

[Carly]

That's wrong. I was on the phone with you when that first popped up, and we were like, google, mind your business.

[Kinsey]

I know. I was like, jesus. Like, I know. I read this, like, 15 times at this point, but girls gotta Eat Google.

[Carly]

Yeah.

[Kinsey]

God damn. Okay, guys, I found the quote. So the quicksilver said, we do not bow. It raged, many voices, all speaking as one, forever A curse. Crouching out of sight in a dark corner of my consciousness, it rose up and spread through me like a wildfire, galvanizing my veins and dousing the pain. We are not bound by foreign magics, it seethed. Nor shall you be. What the fuck? Foreign magic?

[Carly]

It's a foreign. That's, like. What do you mean, foreign? I think of the quicksilver as, like, the origin of all the magics.

[Kinsey]

Me too. Because it was in, like, that Tree of Life.

[Carly]

Yeah. So it's almost like the quicksilver is pissed off that there's this, like, other magic. Like, maybe it's some sort of corrupted magic or something. It seems real mad about it, maybe.

[Kinsey]

Because, like, the gates did have, like, a very special magic imbued in it, in addition to it being made out of iron, so not a lot of creatures can touch it. But I just thought it was really weird that as Kingfisher's literally struggling to not die, it's like, we're not gonna bow. This is a foreign magic. And I'm like, isn't the quicksilver the essence of the entire universe? It's all the portals to all the different worlds. It's in that tree of Life. So I just thought that that was really weird as well. It may have blown my mind a little bit, and I totally. I don't know how I forgot to put that in the outline. So no theories for me. Unfortunately, I didn't work through that hard enough, apparently. But, yeah, no, that shit was crazy.

[Carly]

Yeah. It is like, a really specific way of describing. She's so intentional with so much of this book, because after listening to her writing process, I'm like, oh, it all matters. She plotted every chapter she wrote. So I'm convinced that this is gonna be real important as far as the magic system in the world building goes.

[Kinsey]

Yeah, well, because, like, in just the gate alone, we get the origin of his godsword, we get this whole visit with the gods and, like, everything that that visit entailed. And then all the dragon lore, like, it was just, like, so much information all at once. It was crazy. Anyway, back to our regularly scheduled program. So, speaking of the gods, we get Kingfisher's visit to the Gods realm, and a lot of shit goes down. So one thing we did point this out in the recap. Balan Mithun's nickname for Kingfisher is Fierce Heart. And for whatever reason, he is the only one who can tell the identical twin goddesses apart. Even their father sometimes struggles to tell them apart, which is kind of weird.

[Carly]

Like, why?

[Kinsey]

Why? And why does that matter?

[Carly]

That is a very specific detail that is going to have to come up later. It has to.

[Kinsey]

I also just think the fact that they gave him a nickname is really odd. Which leads me back to the whole true name business. Like, we've. We've never heard anyone's true name in this world before, so we don't know if it's like, a legitimate name or if it's kind of like a battle nickname that people have in, like, other stories. But a part of me wonders if Kingfisher's true name is Fierce Heart.

[Carly]

Oh, interesting. Because, like, yeah, you're right. We actually don't know anybody's true name. So maybe their naming convention here is more like that, where it would be, like, a description of something like that. So potentially I'm leaning towards that not being his true name.

[Kinsey]

I think I'd prefer it.

[Carly]

Yeah. But I get what you're saying because, like, we really don't know the naming convention at all. But I think it would be weird if, like, that was the naming convention in this world. And then they call them things like Kingfisher and Renfist being nicknames that I just feel like they don't go together, like, at the naming convention of that world is to name people, like, a description like that, that the nickname wouldn't also still be something, like, in that realm of name. Like, you know what I mean? Yeah.

[Kinsey]

I guess to me, the names that people go by, I don't think that's like a nickname that's their given name, but I think their true name is like the name of their soul, if that makes sense. Oh, like, that's just kind of how I envisioned it. Like, they say that their mothers can find it out, but I don't think it's like, they all know because that's, like, the name that they're given. I think it's because, like, they. Mothers, good mothers, can know, like, the essence of their child, I suppose.

[Carly]

Well, in Quicksilver it says, like, oftentimes mothers are the only ones that know their name. And I guess I just assumed that meant that mothers always knew the name but were oftentimes the only one. Like, maybe they don't even tell the father the name that they give the child to protect the child. But it could be interpreted that oftentimes mothers are the only ones that know that they Also somehow find out. Yeah, but that somehow maybe the child magically knows instinctually what their true name is, and then they don't. Maybe sometimes they only give it to their mother. But that would be interesting because it didn't explicitly say mothers give them their names. It said oftentimes mothers are the only ones who know their name. And I just assume that that meant that most of the time they just don't tell anybody else, if that makes sense.

[Kinsey]

No, that makes sense.

[Carly]

Yeah.

[Kinsey]

I guess we don't know.

[Carly]

We just.

[Kinsey]

We haven't seen anybody's true name yet. I really hope that we get somebody's true name in Brimstone. And hopefully I don't eat my words because it could be horrible. But I guess I've assumed there's given names and true names, and true names aren't given by anyone. Like, you're not like, named that thing. It's something that. It's like almost a title that you earn or you find out. So if that's the case, Fierce Heart could make sense to me. But it could also make sense if it's a completely different name overall. And maybe it is a given name. But I don't think that people's names like Renfus and Lorath and Kingfisher, I don't think they're fake names or nicknames.

[Carly]

The difference between a true name and a given name is an interesting distinction because I think I've always just assumed that they have a given name and that they don't tell anybody that. And then everything else is a nickname. So I guess we'll see.

[Kinsey]

Then I'm like, how do they ever find out what their name is if it's something their mom gives them? I'm like, why would you even set your child up for failure like that and give them a real name that can make them be taken advantage of?

[Carly]

Well, and when he says, like, oftentimes the mothers are the only ones who knows, it made me wonder if sometimes the children don't even know their name. Yeah, like their mother names them and then doesn't even tell them.

[Kinsey]

Yeah, because Kingfisher's like, oh, it's a good thing Serris only has one name. So maybe, maybe they're both given. But I'm like, that's kind of dumb. Just give your kid one name if it's like such a big deal in Fae culture. Okay, that tangent aside. Okay, what else happens in the realm when Kingfisher is with the gods? Well, we find out that he has visited multiple times. This is his third visit. And what really stuck out to me is on the second visit, he rejects a proposition from Xerath. Do you have an idea of like what that proposition could be?

[Carly]

I feel like in Quicksilver, and I might be a little bit off on this, but I know it's like the vibe of what they call him. Like they refer to Quicksilver at one point as like their Balin. Mithin refer to him as like their.

[Kinsey]

Father'S challenger or like his champion, I think, or champion.

[Carly]

Maybe it's champion. And so it has something to do with that, I think. And I don't think it has to do with like taking down Malcolm because he already wanted to do that. And so I think it's something bigger. Yeah, but what that is, I don't know. I think it involves the other gods.

[Kinsey]

Maybe he was like, hey, can you like unalive yourself so that the entire universe doesn't collapse?

[Carly]

Yeah, I don't think it's that. I think it's gonna have something to do with the other gods and something to do with the fact that he called him his champion. And so I was like, what is he his champion for? Like, what does Sarris not know about this deal that she's made and what seras true end goal is? Cause we have to remember he's the God of chaos.

[Kinsey]

Yeah, he is.

[Carly]

So I'm not trusting that this is all just about making his daughters happy and saving Kingfisher and the this branch of the tree. Like, I don't think that's it at all. I mean it might be part of it, but given that he's a God of chaos, I think there's, there's another reason. And I think it has to do with the other gods.

[Kinsey]

Yeah, I think you're right. Oh God, I'm like so nervous.

[Carly]

Yeah.

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[Kinsey]

Weird instance in this visit where Ballen Mithin tastes Kingfisher's blood. They say, quote, he tastes like hope. A little fear perhaps Unmet potential and love.

[Carly]

Oh, poor guy. He doesn't even know he's in love yet at that point. No, I think this is real weird, though, because they're tasting his blood, like, the way the vampires do. And the vampires are supposed to be this, like, curse this abomination. I find that suspicious.

[Kinsey]

Yeah. And, like, why does blood taste like hope and love and fear and unmet potential?

[Carly]

Like, well, and it's almost like they're picking up on, I don't know if it's his fate.

[Kinsey]

Feelings. Yeah.

[Carly]

Or feel it. Like, the way, like, the fae can smell people's, like, fear and things like that. It's almost like they can also taste it in the blood, which, to a certain extent makes sense. But also the whole. The way that they're kind of acting vampire, like, is very weird to me. I'm like, the vampires are supposed to be, like, the bad guys in all of this. It's supposed to be this, like, curse and all this stuff. But then the gods are, like, tasting.

[Kinsey]

His blood, like, it's like a little sweet treat. They're, like, fighting, and they were, like, fighting over the opportunity to taste his blood, which, mind you, he's bleeding out. Like, he's actively dying at this point. It was just very odd. Interesting timing, but it's okay because they ended up healing him. And he received the godsword directly from the gods and then named it Formerel Nimerel. I want to know why. It was waiting a millennia for him.

[Carly]

Yeah, you and me both. And then not only waiting a millennia, but he gets it at that moment. Like, he's been alive a hot minute at this point.

[Kinsey]

And where did it come from? Because it's an ancient sword. Because if you're receiving a God sword literally from the gods, it would be like a new sword forged just for you, but instead, this was forged millennia ago and has been waiting for him. And it doesn't have a name yet, so it's not like Dany's sword. How. Like, she inherited it from her father and it already had a name. Like, she didn't rename it. That sword only got renamed once it was remade and then Lorath had named it. So I just think that this whole situation's really interesting.

[Carly]

Well, and it's a different color. Like he says it's like a darker sword than the other swords. And I was like, that's really interesting. This God sword is going to be real important. And everything about it, the fact that it waited a millennia, the fact that Renfys describes it as I Won't say cursed, but he says, like, it's not acting right. It's weird. The whole thing's weird. Yeah.

[Kinsey]

And I do wonder, like, did Kingfisher ever tell Renfice that part of his sister's soul is inside of the sword? Because all the other swords stopped working, except for his, for that reason. But maybe the piece of her soul was corrupted. I don't know. Hopefully not.

[Carly]

Or you're just not supposed to do that with God swords. And it corrupted it somehow.

[Kinsey]

But I wonder if the other gods got upset at Balamith and after the fact for distributing another sword.

[Carly]

Yeah. Giving away the sword without asking. Somebody took inventory and was like, where did that sword go? Yeah.

[Kinsey]

Honestly.

[Carly]

Yeah.

[Kinsey]

I don't really know how much agency all of these characters have because it seems like all of their fates are already, like, written out for them. So it's just kind of like, yeah, they'll just wait until this exact moment to get him to give him the sword to do the thing. But he also wanted to ask him more questions. And then they're like, oh, bye.

[Carly]

Like, he's like, peace out.

[Kinsey]

We're done. No more questions for you. You'll figure it out. You'll know why, you'll know what its name is soon. And then Morel died.

[Carly]

So, yeah. Yeah, that was not great.

[Kinsey]

But it was a crazy visit. It was a crazy visit, but Morel.

[Carly]

Dying is what seemed to have given Renfys enough rage, I guess, to pull together enough magical ability to pierce the dragon scale, which is like, another. So many crazy details in this one chapter.

[Kinsey]

Another lore drop.

[Carly]

Yeah. That they're like, this has never happened before. You can't pierce dragon scale with, like, anything. The only thing Kingfisher is able to pierce him with is on his wing, not on his scale. I mean, I think 1. It, like, has to show how powerful Renfes is. Yeah. Like, I don't think we realize even how powerful he is. But it's also worth noting that it only worked the first time, not, like, the next time that he tried it. But, like, I think on the third time he tried to use his magic against the dragon, it, like, reacted, which was odd.

[Kinsey]

It, like, reacted, but it didn't, like, completely pierce the scale again. It just was, like, annoyed at him.

[Carly]

Yeah. And, like, I think Kingfisher says something along the lines of, it almost seemed like the dragon had to, like, deflect the magic somehow. But then he's like, but that's not possible. Dragons have no innate magical ability.

[Kinsey]

Another lore drop.

[Carly]

Another Lore drop. About these dragons that are allegedly no more of, but we're spending all this time learning about them, so not really buying that in two random bonus chapters. I know. I'm wondering if Om Nom Shakrai, if part of this. Of why he broke this treaty was because maybe he was trying to protect another dragon that maybe did have innate magical ability and that this is gonna be a lore drop that maybe some of the dragons, in fact, did.

[Kinsey]

Yeah. There are already so many creatures in this world and so much going on with the politics. If she starts introducing, like, dragons and stuff too, I'm like, this is about to get real crazy. And for the record, like, obviously we love dragons because we covered the Empyrean series for three seasons, but I'm like, not every book I read has to have dragons. But I just think it's, like, so interesting that she gave us so much information on dragons just in these two bonus chapters. Yeah. I mean, are we headed that way?

[Carly]

I mean, I'd be pretty happy if there was going to be, like, a dragon storyline in these books, because I do love dragons.

[Kinsey]

I do, too.

[Carly]

But especially these dragons. I find these dragons very interesting.

[Kinsey]

They're very mean.

[Carly]

Yeah, I like that, though. Yeah, I like them mean.

[Kinsey]

Nice.

[Carly]

Like a dragon with a red flag. Okay. Yeah. Oh, my God.

[Kinsey]

Okay. Well, the dragon killed Morel. And with Morel's rip. With Morel's final visit, we learn more information that's very important. So obviously, like, she gave the warning that the God swords are going to start failing soon. Except for Kingfisher's sword, because she bound a part of herself to it, and she'll always be with him. She also said Kingfisher's mother loves him and will also always be with him. And so I'm like, does this mean that Kingfisher's mother, Like, is it figurative or, like, literal? Did his mother also embed a part of her soul into an object that Kingfisher possesses? To literally be with Kingfisher always, because Morel's like, your mom's always going to be. She says she's with you always.

[Carly]

Maybe like, his relic.

[Kinsey]

That's what I was thinking. I was thinking it's either in his relic, because that's an item that he always has, or it could be something in his home. Because in the fox, the boots, the dress in that bonus chapter, he's, like, really heavy in his grief, but he keeps going, like, you know, like, her presence is gone. Like, because the memories are like. It's just like, he's really really feeling like, an absence there. So I'm like, it could even be in another item at the house. And then maybe got stolen or lost. I don't know. But I think it makes the most sense if it's in the relic. Just like to have those two things, like, back to back.

[Carly]

Yeah. I do think it's interesting what you said though. You point out the fact that he really feels her absence in the house all of a sudden when he's back and he didn't used to. And it's like, maybe it was something in the house that was removed or something. Yeah, that would be interesting.

[Kinsey]

Yeah. And there was a big whole deal about Archer borrowing the books. And Kingfisher's like, please read all of my mother's books that you want. And so I'm like, did one of the books accidentally get burnt by Archer because he's a fire sprite?

[Carly]

That would be really sad. He'd never forgive himself. He'd never be okay again.

[Kinsey]

Archer would be really sad. And Kingfisher. But yeah. And then obviously we've already discussed this, but in length. The true name, just Morrell saying again, guard your true name. So, like, we're really ramping up to have this be something super crazy.

[Carly]

Yeah. Yeah. Well, all we learn is that it, like he says it gives, like, power over them, but we don't know exactly what power. And I know in like, older Fae mythology, it's like if somebody wanted to know a face true name, they could order them to do whatever they want. I think you see this a lot. Like you might know the tale of Rumpelstiltskin, like how she has to know his name to stop him and control him. It's a lot like that. But we don't know. We actually don't know. Cause all he says is it just gives people power over you, but it doesn't actually specify what power. So we'll see.

[Kinsey]

It's like being entered into a blood oath against your will.

[Carly]

Yeah, I don't love that.

[Kinsey]

Mm.

[Jeff]

Mm.

[Kinsey]

Not a fan. Not a fan.

[Carly]

As we always say around here, never, ever, ever enter into a blood oath with a Fae or any sort of bargain.

[Kinsey]

Every time I read a book and someone makes a deal without reading the fine print or asking more questions or they make a blood oath, I'm just like, oh, my God, what are you doing?

[Carly]

Yeah, what have you done?

[Kinsey]

Every book. Oh my God, don't even get me started. I even just read one recently where I'm like, what the. Anyway, to lighten the mood, I will provide you guys with one of my favorite quotes from this bonus chapter, because I actually laughed out loud when I had read this. So between Kingfisher and Danya, as Kingfisher is dying, he says, yes, end it. If I can't fight, you can't let them take me. And then she said, God's alive. Will you shut the fuck up? None of us are going to kill you. You're not leaving us with that kind of trauma. You're going to be fine. We all are.

[Carly]

I was like, yeah, that was actually a good Danya moment. We didn't really get those in Quicksilver.

[Kinsey]

Nah, we all hated her in Quicksilver, so I'm like, okay, maybe she'll be more bearable in Brimstone. But yeah, Kingfisher's like, just kill me. I don't wanna be a vampire. Just take me out.

[Carly]

Yeah.

[Kinsey]

She's like, shut the fuck up.

[Carly]

I know. I do like those moments with her in Quicksilver. She was kind of insufferable, but maybe she just has more anger to work through than we realized. And I guess it really didn't take place over that long a time. So maybe she just needs. Need a little more time. Yeah, we shall see.

[Kinsey]

Any other thoughts on the Gates?

[Carly]

No, I think I'm ready to jump in the maze.

[Kinsey]

Okay, so, like, less theories for this one, thank God. But basically, I again just want to point out, like, important facts that we had seen in this. So we sort of got Taladeus backstory, and I think he's going to end up being like, a big key player in this next book, especially because Serris is apparently queen of the vampires now and she needs allies. So Taladeus is definitely going to be her ally. But we found out that he grew up with Kingfisher and they were friends, like he said, aside from Renfys. Like, nobody else knows Kingfisher as much as Taladeus, which is actually insane. Taladeus is the keeper of secrets. So ready to figure out what all those secrets were?

[Carly]

Ready for him to spill that tea. Okay.

[Kinsey]

Spill that tea because he's no longer oath bound to, hopefully to a dead man. Malcolm's dead, so hopefully he can spill the tea and he was turned vampire against his will.

[Carly]

Not great.

[Kinsey]

And we might know who it was that turned him. So I just really look forward to that.

[Carly]

Yeah, I am very much looking forward to Taladeus backstory and learning more about him. And I believe I did watch a Kelly Hart interview where she kind of implied we're gonna get more Talidaeus. So I'm looking forward to that.

[Kinsey]

I feel like he has the potential to be a favorite. Like, I feel like Carrion will always be my favorite, but I feel like Taladeus potential to be really close.

[Carly]

Yeah. I think there's a lot of potential there. And I think I'm going to love him just because I feel like she writes such interesting characters, and I love them all differently for different reasons, and they're so rich and so different. So I'm really excited to see what she does with him.

[Kinsey]

Me too. Something else from the maze is we got a lot of world building and lore drops in regards to new cities and landscapes mentioned. Like, we got seasons and we found out there's an area of the woods where if the King decides to march his army through the woods, you'll just get possessed by a bunch of angry souls. I'm like, that's ominous.

[Carly]

So still, really. Yeah.

[Kinsey]

So that was all at, like, the beginning of the chapter. Definitely go and read these if you haven't already. It was just kind of interesting to see. Just, like, learn a little bit more about Evalia. And finally, we also got Belacan's army moving to attack the witches while the events of Quicksilver are happening, like, actively, because this is the beginning of Quicksilver. We know that the King was not willing to send soldiers or supplies to the front to battle the vampires. So while that war is going on, he's actively sending his forces elsewhere for his own private agenda. I want to know what his beef is with them specifically.

[Carly]

Yeah, this is going to be really important because I don't think we got very little, I feel like, about how important the witches are or how their magic works or any world building around them. But they're clearly going to be important in these next books. So I think this clan that hates Bellicon more than absolutely anything else. Yeah. And they just kind of hate people in general, but they, like, well and truly hate Bellicon. This is gonna be real important. Yeah.

[Kinsey]

Cause, like, we all know that Malcolm Madra and Bellacon were, like, all in it together. So maybe they're, like, extra pissed that he blamed them for the curse, or he knows that they can cure vampires or know something. They definitely know something and can do something that gets in the way of them ruling.

[Carly]

So it's gonna be very important.

[Kinsey]

Yeah. Like, we knew that he wouldn't send new forces to the front, but did we know that he was sending forces elsewhere in Quicksilver? I guess that's something I didn't fact check.

[Carly]

I Don't remember there being any specifics about that. It was mostly him at the castle in the beginning, ordering them to go back to the front and deal with it. And then at the very end with Malcolm.

[Kinsey]

Yeah, well, besides that, we just got the whole.

[Carly]

Cute, like.

[Kinsey]

Aw. He knew that Seros was his mate from the beginning.

[Carly]

Yeah. I did love that, though. Yeah.

[Kinsey]

Not as much lore as the Gates.

[Carly]

Part one and two.

[Kinsey]

Thank God. Yeah. We'd be here all night. Which brings us to now the Fox, the Boots, the dress, our very last bonus chapter. So we did make a big deal about this in our little recap that we gave. But Kingfisher's magic.

[Carly]

Oh, yeah.

[Kinsey]

So we know that shadows specifically come from his mother and that the gift of illusion comes from his father. Did we ever see him use the gift of illusion at, like, any other time in the book?

[Carly]

I don't remember it. But the way I want to go back immediately and reread and see if I can see any hints for him doing that, because I don't remember that happening. I almost wonder if the Forge wasn't really a mess and if he just made it seem like it was a mess for Serris to clean up.

[Kinsey]

Oh, yeah, because he just, like, cleaned it up super quick. Yeah. And I was like, I wonder if it wasn't actually.

[Carly]

I know. I wonder if it wasn't actually a mess ever at all.

[Kinsey]

Oh, my God, that's hilarious.

[Carly]

But I do. It's got. Doing these episodes has just made me want to go reread it again. And I've read that book a few times already.

[Kinsey]

And I know. I'm just like, the closer we get to bring Brimstone, the more hype I get to read it. And I'm like, girl, girly pop, you're trying to squeeze in so many books before Brimstone. Like, you can't squeeze in another quicksilver reread. And I'm like, actually, though, what if I did? What if I could? What if I did, though?

[Carly]

Yeah.

[Kinsey]

Oh, my God. Yeah. No. And this might be, like, canon, and I'm just, like, really dumb. But the moment that he's like, yeah, my dad has the gift of illusion, I was like, is that why Karion's family look human? Cause they had the illusion about them? And we know that his dad saved the Dianthus heirs and took them to Zilvarin. So I'm like, was that his dad doing that? Was that his power on them?

[Carly]

Well, yeah. I mean, he said they'd been glam. He said Karion had been glamoured, which made sense, which is a type of illusion. But glamouring is something that I feel like, traditionally, like, all Fae could do, like, in Fae lore. So I don't know if it's something that only some Fae can do. And so maybe really that's why his dad was sent, because he could hide him and protect him properly. Or if it's glamouring to a certain extent, all Fae can do but these more elaborate allusions his dad could do. So we're gonna have to keep an eye out to find out more about the world building on that.

[Kinsey]

And is it a powerful enough spell that every single heir born also is glamoured? Or is it something he has to, like, actively keep up? Like, does the illusion go away after he dies? Like, is he. Is he alive? Is what I'm trying to get at.

[Carly]

Yeah, well, I don't know. I don't know how it works. Like, maybe his dad did it in a way that, like, only certain things could remove the glamour. And maybe Malcolm biting him was like, one of those things because it seemed like that seemed to be the trigger for it. We don't have enough world building around this to know for sure.

[Kinsey]

Yeah.

[Carly]

You know, we could theorize, but I'm leaning towards this not being a moment where he knew for sure his dad would be alive.

[Kinsey]

Yeah.

[Carly]

I think it's gonna be more of a surprise for Kingfisher. Even though. Even though we did find out that the next book, there's gonna be a lot of Kingfisher and Carrion off on some adventure together. And maybe it is because he realizes his dad is alive and he's going back to Zilvarin. That's where Cerys is originally from, to go see. Search for his dad.

[Kinsey]

That'd be crazy.

[Carly]

Perhaps. Maybe that's why he needs Carrion. Because he's gonna know that area really well, because he was a smuggler.

[Kinsey]

Plus, correct me if I'm wrong, Madra's still alive, right?

[Carly]

Mm. Yeah.

[Kinsey]

So they gotta go after that bitch, too.

[Carly]

Yeah, they have to go after her too. For sure. She needs to go down.

[Kinsey]

God, this book. I'm so excited.

[Carly]

Okay. I'm so excited too.

[Kinsey]

Okay.

[Carly]

I want to really quickly talk about this moment. It's a small moment when he goes. When he accidentally locks Onyx in the wardrobe. And he starts to walk away and he's like, sir, it's a fox. Right? And then he feels this pull, pulling him back towards the wardrobe. And it's written in a way that you're supposed to Assume that it's the dresses, that maybe it's his mom pushing him back towards the dresses to get the dress for Serris. I'm questioning if it was Onyx. I'm questioning if it was him. If you have listened to our world building episode, I had theorized that perhaps Onyx was a familiar, like, creature, like you have in, like, witchcraft type books. So I thought maybe Onyx is a familiar. He does kind of behave like one a little bit, the way he kind of appears in Cerys Life and protects her in her sleep and things of that nature. So I was like, maybe it was Onyx pulling it back, being like, no, you need to come get me. And while you're here, get this dress. You're gonna need it for her. So I kind of think it might be Onyx.

[Kinsey]

That would be really interesting.

[Carly]

Yeah, I think it'd be a really great Easter egg for that. Cause it's such a small little detail.

[Kinsey]

Plus, I mean, like, the chapter literally had the fox in the title.

[Carly]

Yeah, it did.

[Kinsey]

And he was pretty much. Besides being stuck in the wardrobe, he was just on Kingfisher's heel the entire time, just following him around as he's trying to conceal himself in shadows in the corner of her room. Onyx is like, I can see you.

[Carly]

Yeah.

[Kinsey]

So, okay. And if you guys have not read this chapter, please go do it. Because this was the funniest and most enjoyable bonus chapter for me personally, even though the Maze blew my mind the most. Like, oh, my God, the fact that it's the scene where Kingfisher's like, go take a bath. There are so many good quotes between Carrion and Kingfisher. I just have to share two of them, but they're both kind of long.

[Carly]

But they're great, though.

[Kinsey]

They're so delicious. So Carrion says, ah, look who it is. My rescuer slash kidnapper, looking just as brooding and handsome as I remember. And Kingfisher slaps his dirty bare feet off the table and then says, I see you've made yourself at home. And Carrion replies, what else was I supposed to do? Roam the halls, wailing and sobbing in search of the nearest exit? So I just thought it was funny.

[Carly]

He's like, typical Carrion sass. I love it.

[Kinsey]

And then this other one between Carrion and Kingfisher, he says she's worried sick about that hapless brother of hers. You were supposed to bring him back here and instead you brought back me. Kingfisher said, yes, well, trust that no one regrets that more than me. And Carrion responds. And yet here you are, bearing gifts. I'm used to people falling fast when they meet me, but I think this might actually be a new record, so. God, I love that. I love that character.

[Carly]

I love them together. It's so good.

[Kinsey]

It's so good.

[Carly]

I'm so excited for Brimstone knowing that they're both going to be together a lot. It's going to be great.

[Kinsey]

Me too. I hope that Kingfisher's patience is strong.

[Carly]

Yeah, I think the amount of favorite quotes is going to be high for Brimstone.

[Kinsey]

We so I which if you guys didn't know, that'll be our first episode after we read Brimstone, so I know.

[Carly]

I'm so excited.

[Kinsey]

Do you have any other last thoughts or theories regarding the bonus chapters?

[Carly]

No, I just highly suggest people read them if they are able.

[Kinsey]

They're hilarious. And three of them are for free. They're available for free, which, as we've said, we're linking them on the show notes.

[Carly]

Yeah, and so many of us, I think, had already bought Quicksilver before it was traditionally published. And if you don't want to own another copy, if you have a library available to you, getting it from your local library, they will likely have the traditionally published version, the newer one. So see if they have it. Maybe you could read it there. I'm sure it'll be available on her website at some point, though.

[Kinsey]

It probably will. If I had to guess, I feel like a lot of authors will have like the traditionally published or like the special edition running for a couple of months and then afterwards they do make that available on their website. So yeah, just keep an eye out. But definitely support your local libraries.

[Carly]

Yes.

[Kinsey]

And that wraps up our episode on Quicksilver's bonus chapters. Thank you so much for listening. Join us for our next episode where we will finally be moving on to the recovery phase of our Brimstone season. After the release of Brimstone, we will share our initial thoughts and reactions as well as our favorite characters, scenes and quotes.

[Carly]

If you are looking for even more Romanasy content, we also have three completed seasons of Empyrean, chapter by chapter, deep dive coverage, author interviews, and more. You can find more info about our previous and upcoming prep seasons, our episode and events calendar, author interviews, our contact form and more on our website dearfantasyreader.com, also linked down in the show notes.

[Kinsey]

You can join us over on Patreon where you can access all of our regular episodes ad free a day early and in Full video plus extras like PDF, annotations, shoutouts, bonus resources, and more.

[Carly]

You'll find our Patreon link in the Show Notes, along with all the ways you can support the show, whether that's joining a tier, subscribing, leaving a review, or just sharing us with your fellow Romantasy readers.

[Kinsey]

And don't forget to follow us on social media where we release book guides, author updates, our current reads, clips from episodes, POD updates, and more.

[Carly]

We'd love to hear from you, Send us your thoughts, tag us on Instagram, or come fangirl with us over your favorite fantasy books in our free Discord Chat.

[Kinsey]

Until next time, dearest fantasy readers, Prepare for Brimstone as we continue our journey through the Fae and Alchemy series. Oh, the next time we're gonna talk about this book is gonna be after we've read it.

[Carly]

I can't believe it. I can't believe it's already only. I've been watching the Kelly Hart Countdowns and I'm just like, give me that book.

[Kinsey]

Every time I go onto Instagram or threads and I see her post another countdown, I'm like, yeah, I know.

[Carly]

Like, it's so close. This is one of the books I think I've been most excited for this year. It's definitely like a top five, I think, release for me and I just, I can't wait for it. So. Oh yeah, give me that book. I can't wait to like get texts from you and Hannah being everybody freaking out.

[Kinsey]

I'm so stoked. I'm ready. But yeah, no, this was also in my top five for the year. I had Onyx Storm Sunrise on the reaping accomplice to the villain, Wild Reverence Brimstone. I mean, there are more, but I'm pretty stoked for Brimstone. Especially, as I've mentioned before, I was one of the OG readers before she got picked up trad. And at the end of the book, it originally said that we would be getting Brimstone in October of 2024. And so this has been a brutal wait. Cause I know. I'm so happy for Callie and I'm so glad that she got picked up, but just having to wait another year, I'm like, oh my God.

[Carly]

Yeah, I know. People were really upset, but we gotta let our authors get their props and go forward with their book series in the way that works for them. So.

[Kinsey]

Absolutely. I'm so proud of her. It just hurt to have to wait. It was having. I was like, thank God I only have to wait like, four months. And then it was like, oh, actually, you don't.

[Carly]

Just kidding.

[Kinsey]

Yeah.

[Carly]

Yeah. I think I found out about the book, I want to say, in August. I think I found about Quicksilver in August. And I was going to read it and then somebody very quickly was like, oh, like it was announced, like a couple weeks after I had planned to read it that, like, it had been pushed back. And I was like, oh, I'm going to wait a little bit. But then I couldn't even wait that long because I was so excited to read it.

[Kinsey]

It's just such a good story. How could you not?

[Carly]

Yeah, I couldn't.

[Kinsey]

What if there were spoilers?

[Carly]

You can't risk the spoilers.

[Kinsey]

Exactly. Like, I still see threads from people who are like, I'm just now starting Onyx Storm. I'm like, how have you lasted this long without a spoiler?

[Carly]

I know.

[Jeff]

Morning, Zoe. Got donuts.

[Zoe]

Jeff Bridges, why are you still living above our garage?

[Jeff]

Well, I dig the mattress and I want to be in a T mobile commercial like you. Teach me, Saldana.

[Zoe]

Oh, no, I'm not really prepared. I couldn't possibly. At T Mobile get the new iPhone 17 Pro on them. It's designed to be the most powerful iPhone yet and has the ultimate pro camera system.

[Jeff]

Wow, impressive. Let me try. T Mobile is the best place to get iPhone 17 Pro because they've got the best network.

[Kinsey]

Nice.

[Zoe]

Jeffrey, you heard them.

[Jeff]

T Mobile is the best place to.

[Carly]

Get the new iPhone 17 Pro Pro.

[Jeff]

On us with eligible traded in any condition. So what are we having for lunch?

[Zoe]

Dude, my work here is done.

[T-Mobile Announcer]

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