Ep 8 Fae and Alchemy Book 3 Predictions After Brimstone

Summary

Dear Fantasy Reader Podcast

Episode 8: Fae and Alchemy Book 3 Predictions After Brimstone

Release Date: December 11, 2025
Hosts: Hannah, Kinsey, Carly

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Episode Overview

In this lively and theory-packed episode, the Dear Fantasy Reader hosts—Hannah, Kinsey, and Carly—delve into their predictions and wild speculations following their first read of Brimstone, the latest installment in the much-loved Fae and Alchemy series by Callie Hart. With season three centering on deep-dives into Onyx Storm, this episode focuses on up-to-the-minute analysis, foreshadowing, and big questions as the squad looks ahead to Book 3. Expect passionate dissection of character twists, lore, lore-bending mythological references, connections to magic systems, and just enough fangirling to keep it fun!

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The Hazrax’s Identity: God of Secrets?

[03:53 – 05:42]

• Kinsey's Theory: Hazrax, one of the Vampire Lords, is likely Kurin—the God of Secrets.
  • Evidence: Hazrax's reluctance to talk, observer role, refusal to join Malcolm and Seras' Court, and being the source of Seras’ godmark rune.
  • Quote – Kinsey: "If you're a God, why would you seal yourself to something lesser than you? It also gave Seras a godmark rune, which traditionally only comes from God." (03:53)
• Carly's Take: Considers and ultimately agrees, calling the theory "a much cleaner way of explaining what the Haserax is than time travel." (04:38)
• Group Insight: While Hazrax isn’t titled “keeper of secrets” (which goes to Taladeus among the vampires), the God of Secrets mantle fits better.

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2. Fire Sprites and Ecological Magic

[05:54 – 07:33]

• Carly's Observation: The extinction of fire sprites ties directly to the absence of dragons, since dragons produce brimstone—the sprites’ lifeforce.
  • Quote – Carly: "I think the fire sprites dying off is in direct relation to the fact that there were no more dragons present in this realm... If we bring the dragons back, we're gonna see more fire sprites." (06:15)
• Hannah & Kinsey: Heartbroken over the sprites; hope the return of dragons can spark revival.

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3. Predictions for Carrion: Plant Magics and the Throne

[07:33 – 09:39]

• Kinsey: Carrion’s visible plant magic and connection to renewal foreshadows he will heal Evalia and justify his ascension.
  • Quote – Kinsey: "He'll completely heal Evalia and regrow everything that was previously destroyed by the rot." (08:07)
• Carly & Hannah: Embrace the idea, loving the “plant daddy” identity for Carrion and seeing biomes revived as a metaphor for hope.

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4. Kayden/Kingfisher’s Magic and Ancestry

[09:42 – 15:55]

• Carly: Suggests Kayden’s (Kingfisher’s) magic is tied to the region of San Seroth and both of his parents.
• Kinsey: Notes classic lore confusion—illusion and shadow magics have swapped parentage in bonus content.
• On Symbolism: Dragon iconography in both San Seroth and Kayden’s powers likely links to a deeper magical heritage or religious icon (11:53).
• The Name Reveal:
  • Kinsey’s deep dive into Kayden’s full name:
    • “Kayden/Kaiden” as “fighter,” “Kai” as “ocean,” “Dan” as “to judge” (various languages); “Graystar” referencing the realms as stars; “Finvara” (meaning “fairy king, king of the dead”).
    • Quote – Kinsey: "Finvara means fairy king and king of the dead... in some legends, the fairy king ensures good harvests, which can be super useful considering that the land is currently rotting." (15:55)
  • Kayden as “hope” both in prophecy and as a symbol (stargazers = kingfishers = hope).

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5. Arthurian and Mythological Parallels

[22:51 – 26:19]

• Kinsey: Draws analogy to the Fisher King legend—land’s health tied to the king’s wound, but in the series it’s “Uno reverse” where king and land mirror opposites.
  • "If Kayden’s health is connected to the land... Serris and Kayden might have to choose between the rot and his sanity." (24:41)
• Carly: Expands on Arthurian/Grail motifs, suggesting betrayals and hidden secrets may play a role, as in classic tales.

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6. Solas, Swords, and Portals

[20:13 – 22:51]

• Discussion about the God swords: why Kingfisher’s father might have left Solas in the quicksilver pool and how it’s connected to prophecy or keeping characters apart for timing.
• Speculation that there may be additional quicksilver pools/portals in Sylvarin and that the cut-off could explain landscape changes (desertification).

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7. Bonus Chapters and Potential Plot Threads

[29:15 – 29:59]

• Mention of Kayden’s rejected offer from Xerath, God of Chaos; how being half-god means Kayden might not serve multiple pantheons.
• The ongoing significance of relics, glamours, and illusions in hiding divine provenance.

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8. The Return of Fae Wings

[30:29 – 31:42]

• Carly: Points out foreshadowing from a steamy scene where Fisher’s shadows form “gossamer wings,” predicting the Fae (or at least Kingfisher) will get their wings back.
  • Quote – Carly: "I still think we're gonna see the fae get their wings back. At the very least, Kingfisher will." (31:13)

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9. Marriage Prospects: Kayden and Serris

[32:47 – 34:16]

• With Kayden’s true name revealed, the road to marriage is (technically) open. The group is especially invested after earlier narrative blue balls regarding fae marital traditions.
  • Quote – Hannah: "My brain, when we got the name reveal, went straight to that. Like, oh my God, they can get married." (33:04)

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10. Lorath and Ishabel: Are They Mates?

[37:42 – 39:00]

• Listener Theory (shoutout to Jules): Lorath and Ishabel may be fated mates, based on scent-following and mate dynamics established for Kingfisher and Serris.

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11. The God Swords and Traitor Gods

[40:00 – 42:20]

• Theories about why certain gods are called “traitor gods”—possibly linked to godswords bestowed to fae, leading to new existential risks (Nemoral).
• Carly highlights peculiarities of Kingfisher’s sword, which is different (iron content, never gone dormant, possible vengeance imbued).

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12. Unanswered Mysteries, Bonus Content, and Carrion’s Secret Sidequests

[44:50 – end]

• Carly suspects Carrion (again) of sneaking around with ulterior motives in Amitrea, possibly linked to hiding Simon or unspoken plans.
• Editing error noted in Chapter 14: Carrion allegedly appears in two places at once, but per Callie Hart, it’s a mistake.
• Unfinished arcs: Will Carrion’s machinations pay off in Book 3? Will the bonus chapter’s dragon tamer reappear?

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Kinsey on mythmaking: "If Kayden’s health is connected to the land... Serris and Kayden might have to choose between the rot and his sanity." (24:41)
• Hannah on weddings: "I hate off scene or prevented weddings... It's like a personal attack on me specifically every time." (33:52)
• Carly on magical ecosystem: "If we bring the dragons back, we're gonna see more fire sprites, and that might save them." (06:15)
• Carly on fae wings: "Sometimes there's important Easter eggs in the sex scenes, you guys." (31:20)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• [03:53] Hazrax theory (God of Secrets)
• [05:54] Fire Sprites & Dragons
• [07:33] Carrion’s plant magic & destiny
• [09:42] Kayden/Kingfisher’s magic & ancestry
• [15:55] Name theory deep-dive
• [20:13] God swords, portals, and Solas' location
• [22:51] Fisher King parallels & Arthurian lore
• [24:41] Health of Kayden vs land theory
• [30:29] Gossamer fae wings
• [32:47] Wedding predictions
• [37:42] Listener theory: Lorath & Ishabel as mates
• [40:00] Traitor Gods, godswords, and magical fallout
• [44:50] What is Carrion up to? & bonus chapters

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Tone and Style

The hosts maintain a playful, fangirl-forward, and thoroughly analytical conversation style, frequently validating each other’s literary sleuthing while laughing about their own obsessiveness and collective tinfoil hat moments.

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For Listeners Who Haven’t Read the Book

This episode is a spoiler-heavy, theory-rich companion for Brimstone, designed to spark new theories, highlight subtle foreshadowing, provide mythological and literary context, and invite readers to re-examine favorite moments with new eyes. The group’s chemistry and call-outs to listeners’ own theories make for a welcoming, “book club with your besties” experience.

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For more predictions, author interviews, and deep-dives, subscribe to Dear Fantasy Reader and join the squad on their Discord and Patreon for even more Empyrean series madness.

Transcript

[Carly]

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[Kinsey]

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[Carly]

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[Hannah]

Santa, did you get my letter?

[Kimber]

He's talking to you, Bridges. I'm not.

[Kinsey]

Of course he did.

[Kimber]

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[Hannah]

Dearest Fantasy Readers, welcome to the the Dear Fantasy Reader Podcast where we travel through the pages of our favorite Romantasy novels. I'm Hannah.

[Kinsey]

I'm Kinsey.

[Carly]

And I'm Carly.

[Hannah]

Join us as we enter the world of the Fae and Alchemy series now recovering from the highly anticipated release of Brimstone. Today we'll be sharing our Brimstone first read theories, which I am sure will evolve by the time we get book three.

[Carly]

With that content warning and spoiler alert, this episode is full of brimstone spoilers. So if you haven't finished the book in its entirety yet, go do that first and we'll be here waiting for you when you are done.

[Kinsey]

Also, due to the nature of this book, this podcast is rated R in content and language. 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 that link in the show notes as well.

[Hannah]

Now time to grab your relics and prepare to dive into the Quicksilver. Sanity is not guaranteed.

[Carly]

Just how we like it.

[Kinsey]

Yes, starting off with the Hazrax. So for those who don't remember, that is one of the lords of the Vampire Court. It is the creature that Saris doesn't really know what it is, but the Hazrax had told Sarris at one point. She was getting close to figuring out their true name because she realized that the rune etched her hand doesn't literally translate to the Hazrax. And she is also getting close to what it is. She asked, you're never going to tell me what you are, are you? And it responded, why would I? When you're so close to piecing it all together? Kingkiller, you've almost figured it out. So naturally I went back to Quicksilver to review the different gods, and I wonder if the Hazrax is Kurin, God of Secrets. It would explain the Hazrax rarely speaking, mostly acting as an observer over the centuries. That just fits with the whole God of Secrets Persona. And it also would explain why it refused to be a member of Malcolm and Ceres Court. Because, like, if you're a God, why would you seal yourself to something lesser than you? It also gave Sarris a godmark rune, which traditionally only comes from God.

Yeah, that's just. That's just what I'm thinking right now.

[Carly]

I love this theory. I had had like some weird spirally thoughts of what the Haserax could be when I was reading. And when you had mentioned this, I was like, oh no, Kinsey's 100% right. It's got to be the God of Secrets. When I was reading, I was like, what if this is like one of their group but in the future and has, like, evolved into something else and has, like, come back in time?

[Kinsey]

It's Foley.

[Carly]

He has some weird, like, parallels with Foley. And that's what I kept noticing while I was reading. But I was like, when you said this, I was like, no, this is a much cleaner way of explaining what the Hasrax is than time travel, which always gets real dicey.

[Kinsey]

Well, I fuck with Foley too. That's interesting.

[Carly]

But both could be true. But I am 100% on with your theory. But that was the only. As I was reading, I was like, maybe there's a weird thing where this is somebody from their group and they've come back. And anyways, because we have different realms, and I'm like, what if it's one of them from another realm?

[Kinsey]

Yeah, I think God of Secrets definitely fits. But the only thing I find unusual is the fact that he wasn't the keeper of secrets as the Vampire Lord. That was Taladeus. So I'm just like, why did Taladeus get that title and not him?

[Carly]

And Talladeus is very powerful.

[Kinsey]

Yeah, that's true.

[Carly]

Hannah, were you saying something?

[Hannah]

I said maybe that was too on the nose. Oh, it'd be too obvious at that point to us.

[Carly]

Yeah, potentially.

[Hannah]

The fact that you mentioned that he gave Seras the God marking rune, that's sold. Sold on that alone.

[Kinsey]

Yeah. I mean, that's how she got all the other runes.

[Carly]

Yeah.

No, I'm with you on that. It makes a lot of sense and fits within the parameters of the world as we already know it, instead of adding in some serious complexities. I want to talk about the fire sprites, because we find out that they're going extinct. Our precious little baby fire sprites.

[Hannah]

It's actually so sad.

[Carly]

I know, I know. I might protect them at all costs, you know, these precious little babies, I love them. They're adorable. But they're dying out. And I find it really interesting that they are made of brimstone. And, you know, they had eradicated the dragons within this world. Now we know now that there are dragons in that underworld place that they go to, but on the world, they don't know that there is anymore. Right. And the dragons make Brimstone. And so I think the fire sprites dying off is in direct relation to the fact that there were no more dragons present in this realm to provide Brimstone. And I think if we bring the dragons back, we're gonna see more fire sprites, and that might save them.

[Hannah]

Deal. I want that to be so true so badly.

[Kinsey]

Yeah, I'm fully on board with this one. I know you and I were having a conversation on FaceTime about it, and we just kind of both reached that conclusion. And, I mean, if they need Brimstone to create more Fire Sprites. And they're about to ask the dragons for help to cover their world in Brimst, and hopefully we'll see a major resurgence.

[Carly]

Yeah, fingers crossed. More Fire Sprites.

[Kinsey]

More Fire Sprites. Moving on to Carrion. So everyone's favorite, the ultimate plant dad. And I think it's pretty clear from his interaction with Seras that he has plant magic, because plants that don't normally bloom were growing at record speed in his room just while he was speaking to them. I think that when Carrion takes the throne in book three and the rot is disposed of, he'll completely heal Evalia and regrow everything that was previously destroyed by the rot.

[Carly]

Ooh, I love that.

[Kinsey]

Yeah. It'll be how he justifies himself taking the throne from. Not necessarily justify. That's not the correct word that I'm looking for. But he's proving himself to the people. Like, I know I'm the heir. Yeah. Cause he's the heir. But he's also healing the land and reviving the land. So I just see that happening as him just being like, okay, everything's dead. Here's life again. I have my plant magic. Here you go.

[Hannah]

I have to say, I know everyone's in their shadow Daddy era, but I love a plant Daddy. I got Matthew a hat that has a little plant. It says Plant Daddy. That's my partner, by the way. So I'm all for this.

[Kinsey]

I love that. And everyone was so obsessed with Carrion's plants in the first book. So I was paying attention in Brimstone as I was reading. I'm like, where are the plants? And I had to wait too long to see any mention of his plant again in Brimstone.

[Carly]

So, yeah, no, I think that makes total sense. And I just love that for his character arc, because it's like you said, it's like he feels this need. He doesn't feel quite worthy of taking the throne. What has he done? He's just a smuggler. But you see, he's starting to see how much the people see him as a sign of hope. And I just want to see him really, like, hold on to that and internalize that and want to be hope for people. And I think him being able to revive the land would be so, so wonderful. I want that for him.

[Hannah]

Chef's kiss.

[Carly]

I know.

[Kinsey]

It's very useful.

[Carly]

Yeah. So we talked a little about this in initial reactions to Brimstone episode about Kingfisher Slash Kayden being Other. And I was like, what's going on here? And he's obviously related to this God that is connected to the dragon. Apparently. You get a dragon, right? You get to just come claim a dragon, allegedly, like, by the end of the day. So something's going on there. And that's where his shadows came from. But I am convinced that his magic is also tied to Armintre at Sandsaroth, like the Sandsaroth area. And I think we're gonna find out that he also has magic tied to that area. And I don't know if it's from his mom or his dad, but I have a feeling it's actually a little bit of both.

[Kinsey]

Yeah, I fuck with that because Idina had left the Stargazers in the library in San Seroth. And when I was reading this initially, I was wondering, why is she here?

[Carly]

I actually have that down below.

[Kinsey]

Oh, really?

[Carly]

I just added that. Yeah. So we can talk about that now, but we'll just bring it up now. Cause I'm like, how did she get the book in there? How did she get the book in the library?

[Kinsey]

Especially if Malcolm and his court already exist at this point. Right?

[Carly]

Yeah. And so on top of that, on top of the fact that she has gotten this book into a library in Armentreeth, which How. How did she do that? I also noticed there's one little mention of her noticing that some of the people, the higher ups in the court, have dragons stitched onto their clothing. So I'm convinced that some of his power actually comes from this region. And that's why we're seeing his power working so well there. Like, there's so many moments where he seems like. Like he doesn't understand how it's working so well. So I think it's more than just, oh, he realizes he has some shadow magic from his dad, and maybe that can actually work anywhere. But he does run out eventually if he's not in his home court. But these other powers seem to be working in ways that even surprise him a lot of the time.

[Kinsey]

Well, it wasn't just his shadows, because when he fed Onyx, that was the illusion magic, which apparently is from his mother. But in the bonus chapter, the Fox that Boots the Dress, we may have already talked about this in the initial reaction episode, but they said originally the illusions were from his father, the shadows were from his mother. Now that's flip flopped, so I don't know. And there's a part of me that's like, is he only a half God now? Because Seras became a half Fae, half empire. I don't know, it's just really weird. But yeah, I definitely think that he probably has a mix of both magics being able to work in that region. Because if it truly. The illusion is only from his mother, why was he able to use the illusion magic to feed Onyx while they were there?

[Carly]

Well, he says illusions don't work for food. That was some sort of summoning power he used. So I don't think it was just the illusions that was like working. That was like some sort of. Cause he was saying, like, oh, there's some bar keeper.

[Hannah]

He's gonna have to go.

[Carly]

Yeah, he's gonna have to go pay for the meal he stole.

[Kinsey]

That's right. That's right.

[Carly]

But still, I'm like, all of a sudden, he has this ability to summon things to him and all these things. The only thing that doesn't seem to work there seems to be the Shadowgates. He really genuinely can't seem to use those. Cause if he could, he would have been getting Serris in and out of there way more than he was. He wouldn't have made her cross those fields. That would have been too dangerous. But I definitely think we're gonna find out that his magic is connected to that region as well somehow. And I kind of have a feeling it's both parents because. Or unless the mom somehow made the dragons a part of it because of the dad and implemented that iconography there because I'm like, this is weird. We have dragon symbolism here in this court. The mom's book is here. It's gotta be connected.

[Kinsey]

Well, one thing about the dragon symbolism, and I forgot that guy's name, but Kingfisher had killed him in like chapter four.

[Carly]

I think it was like Aerith or something like that.

[Kinsey]

But he worshiped the demon gods, and that's the realm of the dragons. So maybe it could be because it's a religious icon for them to have the dragons. Like, it could be because of the Lord and them worshiping those gods.

[Carly]

Yeah.

[Kinsey]

But yeah, no, I still think that there's definitely more of a connection there. Just because there's no other explanation for why his magic worked so well.

[Carly]

Yeah, no, it doesn't make sense.

[Kinsey]

Okay, this one's a long one and I apologize. So the moment we got Kingfisher's true name, I had to do a little bit of research. So I have a couple of theories on not only his true name, Kydan, Graystarf and Bar, but also his nickname. And I will dive A little bit more into the nickname later on. But starting off with Kayden, it could be an alternative spelling for Kayden, which I struggled so much I had to keep doing. Like, it's Kayden, not Kayden, it's Kayden. But anyway, that name's spirit of battle or fighter. So I was like, okay, that like, fits his personality. Kai itself, though. I didn't put this in my notes, but that means ocean in Hawaiian and Japanese. And the stargazers were always over the ocean, so I was like, I don't know if that actually means anything. And then Dan in Hebrews like to be judged or to judge. So that's just like another variation of meaning for his names. It could be ocean to judge or fighter. Anyways, so Graystar is his middle name. It made me think of the realm with the Tree of Life where the gods are, because they have quicksilver there. Quicksilver is a silver gray. We know that the realms are just stars in the sky. So I'm like, maybe it's just referencing the fact that he's part of some larger prophecy to save the Tree of Life and that he's favored by the gods. And then for his last name, Finvara. This one made me really excited. So it means fairy king and king of the dead.

And in some legends, the fairy king or Finvara ensures good harvests, which can be super useful considering that the land is currently rotting.

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[Kinsey]

Knowing that Kayden is a half God, I think that he will come into more power and potentially rule Diaxis and help to heal Evelia. Especially since he appears to be more powerful than his. We're assuming full God, half siblings. So if anyone's going to take the mantle, it'll be Kingfisher. What's one more title for this man? I mean, what's three more. I know, right? And then if his godly father is Styx, it's pronounced Styx, right?

[Hannah]

I think so.

[Kinsey]

I've always pronounced that way. If his godly father is Styx. I think it's even more interesting that Finvara means king of the dead. Because in Greek mythology, Styx is very much related to the dead. Styx is the river that divides the living world from the underworld. People swear sacred oaths by the water Styx. It's also the river that Achilles had bathed in to become invulnerable. So there's just like a lot of connections there.

[Hannah]

I recognize that from Percy Jackson.

[Kinsey]

I'm so proud of you.

[Carly]

Yeah.

[Kinsey]

And it's also.

[Hannah]

I did read those books growing up.

[Kinsey]

Yes.

[Carly]

Woohoo.

[Hannah]

Yeah.

[Kinsey]

It's like Shadow, but yeah. And then Styx. If you go to Quicksilver, he is actually mentioned in the very beginning when Everlane is walking Ceres past all the busts of the gods. And Styx is referred to as the God of Shadows. Which duh. Shadow magic. I don't know how nobody saw this coming. I'm nobody. I did not see that coming.

[Hannah]

We're all nobody.

[Kinsey]

But yeah, we already are. Like don't make any oaths or promises to Fae. So he really needs to watch out if he makes any deals with his father. If it sticks. Because Styx being the river that people swear sacred oaths by. I'm like bro, please do not. Anyway, that was my soapbox. But unrelated to Kayden's true name. This is more. So a fun fact about stargazers. This is not a theory. This is just a fun fact. So stargazers are also known as Kingfishers. His nickname was Kingfisher. They are considered a symbol of hope. When Onyx died, Kayden looked up at the stars when telling Sarris what the Fae believe about the purity of animals. And I'm going to believe that his hope also helped to save Onyx. Then there's the fact that Kayden is the hope for most of livingkind in this this world. So he is the man of hope, and he will be the king of the dead and the king of the fairies and save the quicksilver world. I don't know.

[Carly]

I love it.

[Hannah]

That's so sweet.

[Kimber]

I know.

[Carly]

I love that.

[Kinsey]

I was just like, when. When we got that little. I don't know if you'd say an epigraph, but it was a message from his mother saying, like, stargazers, kingfishers, they look at the star. And I was like, he looked at the stars. Anyway, that's all.

[Hannah]

I love the passion behind that.

[Kinsey]

Well, because onyx is so cute. Anyway. That's.

[Carly]

Oh, I love that. It's like his hope for onyx. That's so sweet. Slightly less sweet. I think we're gonna find out that there is one of those different underworld quicksilver pools, Quicksilver adjacent, whatever that stuff is, pools in Sylvarin. Because if Finryn, Slash, whatever Kingfisher's dad's name actually is, went to Zilvaren and stilled the pools, how did he get back to his world if he went to go get it to his dad?

So he's like, he went to that pool to go to see his dad. Right. So if that's where his dad is and his dad isn't stuck in Sylvaris, and his dad stilled all the quicksilver pools with his sword.

[Hannah]

That feels like a duh moment to me. But I didn't get there on my own. So thank you.

[Carly]

I think we're gonna find out that there is one somewhere in Sylvarin. And I also kind of. And this is kind of a subtopic, but I kind of think we're gonna find out that there is something about this setup that is the reason why it became a desert landscape.

That it was, like, cut off from the regular quicksilver, became imbalanced and became this, like, desert landscape. So I think we're gonna find out something about that, potentially.

[Kinsey]

I definitely think there has to be another portal, like, everywhere, really.

[Carly]

Yeah. I'm like, there has to be a way that they're also getting around. So, yeah, I'm convinced that he had a way in and out of there.

[Kinsey]

Also, if Finryn is not an alchemist, how did we not assume that he's a God if he could just steal the quicksilver? Is that something that you can just.

[Carly]

They seem to think it's something with the sword being stuck into it because it was a God sword that. That seemed to have sealed it.

[Hannah]

So we don't actually have a lot.

[Carly]

Of Firm answers on the world building.

[Hannah]

Around that, I think we could find. That was, like, the commonly accepted story that also, conveniently, was a red herring for us.

[Carly]

Yeah, but they always say, like, you know, don't remove the sword. Like, before they even know she's an alchemist, they're like, don't remove the sword. You can't touch the sword. They're so freaked out about the sword because they seem to know that if the sword's removed, the Quicksilver pools can be used again, potentially by somebody, even though they think all the alchemists are hopefully dead. But I don't know. I think there's another one of those pools. Then we're in Sylvarian, and that's the dad can get in and out of there.

[Kinsey]

Personally, I kept waiting for him to show back up, but I'm like, there's no way Madra still has you captured. There is absolutely no way. So back to Kayden's nickname, because, yes, I was not done. In case you forgot. In case you forgot, many characters refer to Kayden as the Fisher King and not just as Kingfisher. And on our Discord, we have had multiple discussions on the myth of the Fisher King, so I cannot take full credit for this theory. Shout out to our listeners. But in the Arthurian legend, the Fisher King was the guardian of the Holy Grail. He was wounded in the groin, and the health and the health of the land was connected to him. So while he remained impotent, the fertility of the land was also reduced and it became a barren wasteland. So basically, when he was injured, the land suffers too. To break the curse, a knight must heal him to earn the Holy Grail. So now let's talk about Brimstone. Kingfisher Kayden suffered from insanity in Quicksilver and Evalia was fine, but in Brimstone, Kayden's mind isn't plagued, and the land begins to rot. So instead of mirroring his health, like the legend of the Fisher King, it's an Uno reverse. It's like, he's okay, the land is not. He isn't okay, the land is, which really fricking sucks for him. So if Kayden's health is connected to the land, and I do think Kayden's nickname being Kingfisher the Fisher King is intentional, then Serris and Kayden might have to choose between the rot and his sanity.

[Carly]

I don't love that.

[Hannah]

I finally got to a theory that I do not like.

[Kinsey]

Let's just hope that the Brimstone takes care of everything. And our man can be totally fine.

[Hannah]

That would be an interesting use of the lore there, though. Yeah, that was a good find.

[Carly]

We did bring up the Arthurian legend in our lore episode, I believe, because of the whole, you know, Solas being in the quicksilver, the sword and the stone parallels and all of that. And what I had found, you know, interesting about that. And I had to use my sister for this because she is an English major and she had actually taken a whole class on King Arthur. So I was like, girl, I need to pick your brain. And so Guinevere had actually cheated on King Arthur. And that was, like, part of what happened to, like, had betrayed him. And that has led to partially, the Knights of the Round Table sort of, like, breaking up at one point. And I was like, well, that's interesting, because Serris much more fits King Arthur's role in this. Which would mean Fisher would be to have to want to have to betray her in some way.

[Hannah]

Girl, I'm an Egyptian point of view.

[Carly]

I'm just.

[Hannah]

Stop right there.

[Kinsey]

I don't fuck with that.

[Hannah]

I do not accept.

[Carly]

Well, but it could just be him keeping these secrets, right? Because, like, he's kept more secrets from her. He's like, you know, at the end, he's like, you're gonna have to trust me.

[Hannah]

He's like, yeah, that's where my brain went immediately.

[Kinsey]

Yeah, me too. And I'm holding my tongue because I know in the next episode, we're gonna talk about it a little bit more. Great.

[Hannah]

I do not like that one.

[Carly]

But I do find all these Arthurian legend parallels really interesting in these stories as we kind of dig into them, as well as the Norse mythology stuff that we also see in here a lot. So Kayden's dad leaving Solas in the quicksilver pool. Going back to that really quick, I want to point out that that seemed like an intentional choice by him, right? Because he's the only one who can wield Solace, so why leave it in the pool? I think potentially he. Because if he's a God, right? And we find out from Xerath that the gods, some of the gods, didn't want Fisher and Seras to find each other. I think he was trying to keep them apart.

[Kinsey]

So I have an alternative reasoning for this. I wonder if he did that per Adina's recommendation so that Carrion could grow up in peace. Because originally Serris was supposed to be Fae, and there's not really many Fae in Zilvarin. So maybe Odeena was expecting Serris to be born in Evalia. And the reason that he would do that is just for Carian, like, did not know that Cerris was in that world at all.

[Carly]

So, yeah, that is possible. Or just that she knew all of this and was like, we have to keep her into this world till this moment. And there's gonna be this moment where she sees, like, she's gonna need this sor. And maybe he did this for her, per her telling him to do it, because it does seem like they loved each other very much. This doesn't seem like some sort of contentious relationship. But I think part of this was all purposeful that he left that sword there. I think Madra left it because it worked for her and was convenient for her potentially. But I think he put it there purposefully. And I think part of that was to at least maybe keep them apart till a certain point in time or, you know, like, there was these dominoes that had to line up. But if he's back in the Underworld, that means he had a way out of Sylvarian. And that means he could have gone back and gotten his sword anytime he wanted, and he didn't.

[Kinsey]

Mm. It was all part of the plan.

Real quick. I guess it would make sense if they wanted to keep them apart, because think of how tragic it would be for Kingfisher and Seras to have been mated and then him to go missing for those hundred years in the maze. That would have been really devastating.

[Carly]

Oh, yeah.

[Kinsey]

So I think they did have to wait for the right moment.

[Carly]

They were, like, down bad after two days. Like, a hundred years would not have gone over well now.

[Kinsey]

I think Serris would have ended up charging right into the vampire realm and not have ended well for her.

[Carly]

Yeah. So agreed.

[Kinsey]

Okay, so in the Quicksilver bonus chapter, the Gate, I want to say part one, we learned that Kingfisher rejected Xerath's proposition on his second visit to the God Realm. Xerath is the God of chaos, Right. Now that we know Kayden is a half God, I wonder if he rejected this proposition because he can't serve one pantheon while belonging to another.

[Hannah]

Oh, I would assume Xerath knew that. So why would he offer it if he couldn't even accept?

[Kinsey]

I don't know. Maybe to trip him up if his goddess, Styx, and he can't make oaths to people because maybe it means something a little bit more. I don't know.

[Carly]

Or maybe he just really doesn't know. Maybe his dad guarded him from that somehow, just like Xerath is trying to hide them from the other gods. Maybe he had some way of doing that. Maybe it has to do with his relic. Maybe it does two things.

[Kinsey]

Oh, the one from his mom, the one that's not actually a relic, and.

[Carly]

The one that he never takes off. Yeah, that could be interesting.

[Kinsey]

What if it's another illusion? Like what Carian had on himself? Some sort of glamour didn't hide his shadow magic.

[Carly]

But yeah, I like that though. I want to talk about the fae wings. We talked about this in one of our Quicksilver episodes. And I had mentioned that there is this moment where Serris is like, but the fae had wings. And Everlane's like, we haven't had those for thousands of years. And she kind of snorts and like brushes it off. Well, in Brimstone, there's this moment where she says, fisher's shadows exploded out of him as he. This next scene, she's like. Fisher's shadows exploded out of as he reached his climax too. And they fanned around him broad and wide, forming the shape of gossamer wings. I still think we're gonna see the fae get their wings back. At the very least, Kingfisher will.

[Hannah]

That would be so cool.

[Carly]

It would be cool.

[Hannah]

I like my vampires sparkly. And my fae with wings.

[Carly]

See, sometimes there's important Easter eggs in the sex scenes, you guys.

[Hannah]

They solve multiple purposes. Sorry, I was distracted.

[Kinsey]

Distractions.

[Carly]

Yes.

[Kinsey]

Oh my goodness. And here I was like, oh, haha, it's wings. Because he's named after a bird. But they're gossamer wings.

[Carly]

Yeah, no, they're very much like fairy like wings the way they're described.

[Kinsey]

I like that.

[Carly]

I have my suspicions.

[Hannah]

Hmm.

[Kinsey]

Guys, thanks for helping me carry my Christmas tree.

[Kimber]

Zoe. This thing weighs a ton. Drewski, lift with your legs, man.

[Carly]

Santa.

[Hannah]

Santa, did you get my lever?

[Kimber]

He's talking to you, Bridges. I'm not that.

[Kinsey]

Of course he did. Right, Santa.

[Kimber]

You know my elf Drew Ski here. He handles the nice Liz and elf. I'm six' three. What everyone wants is iPhone 17 and at T Mobile, you can get it on them. That center stage front camera is amazing for group selfies. Right, Mrs. Claus?

[Kinsey]

I'm Mrs. Claus much younger sister. And AT T Mobile, there's no trade in needed when you switch. So you can keep your old phone.

[Kimber]

Or give it as a gift.

[Kinsey]

And the best part, you can make the switch to T mobile from your phone in just 15 minutes. Nice.

[Kimber]

My side of the tree is slipping. Kimber, the holidays are better. AT T Mobile switch in just 15 minutes and get iPhone 17 on us with no trade in needed. And now T Mobile is available in US cellular stores with 24 monthly bill credits for well qualified customers plus tax and $35 advice in action. Charge credit and balance due to payout earlier. Cancel Finance agreement. 256 gates $830 eligible for in a new line 100 plus a month plan with auto payments, taxes, fees required. Check out 15 minutes or less per line.

[Kinsey]

Visit t mobile.com Hannah's gonna really enjoy my next.

[Hannah]

I already read it and I I this is my first thought as soon as we got the name reveal.

[Kinsey]

Now that Kaiden's true name is revealed, Saris and Kaiden can get married. Only if they want to, of course. But I do think that we will be seeing that wedding in our future.

[Hannah]

I agree. And I have to say the whole, like, do they like if they want to? I feel like they made it pretty clear that they both did. Like how that whole interaction was written and specifically how like she, I think she seemed a little bit disappointed and he seemed disappointed, but then she finds out that it's because he doesn't have his name. So they can never have that. It very much so seemed like they didn't need it, but they like, would want to be able to share that with each other. And so I know everybody was like, oh my God, my brain, when we got the name reveal went straight to that. Like, oh my God, they can get married. Because y' all know I rolled the fuck out of my eyes when I read the part about they couldn't get married for X, Y, Z. Reason for listeners who have not been privy to the knowledge I hate off scene or prevented weddings.

[Carly]

Yeah, she gets big mad about it.

[Hannah]

It's like, come on.

[Kinsey]

Yeah, it's a personal attack on Hannah specifically every time an author does it.

[Hannah]

Thank you. That's very validating.

[Kinsey]

Yeah, it's still. I'm just like, okay, so they can do it even though Serris doesn't have a true name, but they have to wait for his. I don't know. But yeah, I do think it's going to happen.

[Hannah]

I paid special attention to that entire scene probably more than any other throughout the entire book. And the reason that they give is because Serris, like, didn't have the ceremony and so, like, it doesn't count for her. Like, she doesn't have to have it walking in, but because he had been given one and didn't know it, like, it made a difference. And I was like, I see you, Callie. I see you so thank you, Callie. I appreciate you.

[Carly]

Hopefully.

[Hannah]

Hopefully.

[Kinsey]

Oh, this is like off random thought that I just had. This is not in here. But I mean Carrion definitely has a true name too, since he was born in Evalia.

[Carly]

Did he make it though, till he was a year old when they actually give them the name or. Oh, or not, you know, because it's like a ceremony when they're one years old, right, that they get the mother chooses the true name for them.

[Kinsey]

He might have been. It's been a while. So if you didn't know, there is a bonus chapter that we did not cover in our bonus chapter episode because it wasn't in Kingfisher's point of view, but it was in the point of view of the first woman who had raised Carrion. And it's only in. I searched long and hard. I reached out to so many friends that live in the uk, but it's only in a Waterstones edition that's signed and has pink sprayed edges. So it's like very rare and it's not in the regular Waterstones edition. So I was like very annoyed. But anyways, I saw some videos of this girl recapping it.

[Hannah]

Spoiler alert. If you haven't read it and you don't want spoilers for it, he may.

[Kinsey]

Have been a year old. Like I don't remember 100%.

[Carly]

I mean he was definitely a baby.

[Kinsey]

He was still a baby. But like it may have been mentioned that he was a year. I don't know. Who cares? Well, I mean, I care, but we would have to find that edition and actually read it instead of a summary given by somebody.

I think between pages and friends, it's another podcast. I think that they have that edition and they did do it. So I would trust their recap over a random person's recap that I saw on TikTok Valid. So if you're curious.

[Carly]

We'Ll have to figure out how old he was to know if he would have had a name yet or not.

[Kinsey]

I know. Oh my goodness. Speaking of the Quicksilver bonus chapters again, I will not rest until we get answers for every single detail dropped in the bonus chapters. So Kayden has a friend that tames dragons. It is mentioned in the Gates, part one and two. He did not die. He is still alive as far as we know. But he was not mentioned in Brimstone. Much too my disappointment. But anyways, now that dragons are back or will be back, we will probably hopefully see the gang come back together. If he's still alive. And maybe he can provide some insights.

[Carly]

That would be an interesting way to loop him back in. That could be fun. Yeah, since he's only ever been in that one bonus chapter.

[Kinsey]

I know he's probably dead, potentially, but.

[Carly]

They live for a long time, so who knows?

[Kinsey]

Yeah, Foley did die in the bonus chapter and then he came back, so you never know.

[Carly]

All right, one of our listeners has had an interesting theory since Quicksilver, so they submitted this to us, so thank you so much. They believe Lorath and Ishabel are mates. Apparently he follows her scent in Brimstone. And in the case of Kingfisher and Ceres, mates can exist across species. This doesn't automatically mean witches and Fae can be mated together, but it's at least a possibility.

Maybe Ishabel betrayed Lorath and he hates that they're mates, which is why he's so frustrated whenever she's around him.

[Hannah]

Did not catch that.

[Kinsey]

Shout out to Jules for that interesting theory.

[Carly]

Yeah, I love it when people send in theories. It's so much fun.

[Kinsey]

That would be very interesting. I feel like they partially explain in Brimstone that Lorath is a little distrustful of witches because he grew up in that region in the northern mountains. But imagine the twist if he ends up being mates with one of them.

[Carly]

I think it would just be more interesting that we have more mates out there then because like Kingfisher and Sarah seem to be this thing that they're like, oh, we haven't seen this in so long. Like not just mates, but like obviously they're also these God bound mates, which seems to be this bigger deal.

[Hannah]

Yeah, I think that's what they say is so rare.

[Carly]

Yeah. But they don't seem to have any of these like kind of true mates tattoos for a long time. So yeah, it would be really interesting.

[Hannah]

You guys know I love a fate of mace. Yeah.

[Kinsey]

Finally. Wow. Geez. I felt like we had so many and we just racing through.

[Hannah]

We just flew through them.

[Kinsey]

Okay, so Kingfisher's half brother Crave called the Evilian gods traitor gods when he saw Nemoral. And apparently Nemoral is a weapon from one of the ancestral houses. So as I was thinking, okay, why did the under Gods think that they're traitor gods? The only thing I could come up with was the godswords and the fact that they gave up something that was ancestral to them. So maybe it's a power that they never intended for lesser beings like the fae to have. It's something that should have remained only with the gods, Especially considering that Nemoral can end worlds in the wrong hands. I don't know. Also, side note, on that same note, Finryn could use a God sword, even though he's an under God, and they call those gods traitors. So I just think it's weird. So, like, maybe it's not related to the godsword specifically, but he seemed pretty offended. Crave seemed pretty offended that Kingfisher had a godsword.

[Carly]

I don't know. That's interesting.

[Kinsey]

Do you guys have another reason for why maybe they could be considered traitors?

[Carly]

Well, not just. I don't know that I have another reason why they could be considered traitors more so than just there being a division between the pantheons. But I wonder if he's offended. Kingfisher has a sword because he just doesn't think he's worthy of a sword. Like, he's like, oh, they gave you one. They'll just give anybody one of those.

Because maybe he just really doesn't like him.

[Kinsey]

I could see it just being, like, a rivalry situation.

[Carly]

It could be that. I do think it's interesting, though, because his sword is different. His sword has iron in it and the rest of them don't. And it seems to behave a little differently than the other God swords did. And, you know, when all the other God swords went dormant, his didn't. And it also has Morel attached to the sword, which is, like, its own complexity that we have absolutely no world building around of ours. How it's gonna affect the sword? No idea. It is obviously different. There is something different about it. But the thing I keep going back to that God sword, which I find so interesting. I feel like I've said it here before, but Bal and Mithun are the ones that give him the sword, and they say, like, oh, you know, it's waited a millennia for you. And then he uses the sword. When he uses the sword for the first time on the dragon, he says he can feel the vengeance of the gods going through the sword to kill the dragon, which means that, like, one. There must be this big divide between these two pantheons, because if they're like the gods that have the dragons and their vengeance to kill the dragon, these other gods, they must really hate them. But if he can feel their vengeance going through the sword to kill the dragon, it makes me think that maybe.

They don't like the sword so much because it's from the other gods and not them and they're mad about it.

[Kinsey]

Yeah. And they seem to have a really good relationship with the dragons. But Kingfisher's using his sword to kill the dragons.

[Carly]

Yeah, well, he hates dragons. He hates them. Which is interesting because he doesn't seem like up until now he always seemed to like, speak of his parents sort of fondly or. But now it seems like maybe he's not actually very happy with his dad.

[Kinsey]

Maybe Fenryn's like his adoptive father and not the father that created him potentially.

[Carly]

I feel like Kingfisher has been written in a way to be a very unreliable narrator, so I really just don't know what he has told us is actually true and what's not, because I just have feeling I'm questioning everything he says now.

[Hannah]

Well, I'm questioning everything I read after this episode. You guys have definitely shown me how much I really did. Passenger Princess book.

[Carly]

That's what we're here for, you know?

[Hannah]

I know. I love it.

[Carly]

Thank you.

[Hannah]

Yeah.

Well, that wraps up our episode on Brimstone. First read Theories. Thank you guys so much for listening. If you haven't already, check out our Brimstone Initial Thoughts and Reactions episode and join us for our next episode where we are discussing our top unanswered Brimstone questions as we finish out the recovery portion of our Brimstone series. Say Brimstone how many times, guys.

[Kinsey]

Let'S.

[Carly]

Not make a drinking game out of it. If you are looking for even more Romantasy content, we also have three completed seasons of Imperial Carry in chapter by chapter, Deep Dive coverage, author interviews, and more.

[Kinsey]

You can find more info about our previous and upcoming prep seasons, our episodes and events calendar, author interviews, our contact form, and more on our website dear fantasyreader.com, link down in the show notes.

[Carly]

You can join us over on Patreon where you can access all of our regular episodes ad free a day early and on full video plus extras like PDF annotations, shout outs, bonus resources and more. You'll find our Patreon link in the Show Notes along with all of the ways you can support the show. Whether that's joining a tier, subscribing, leaving a review, or just sharing us with your fellow Romanty readers.

[Kinsey]

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. 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.

[Hannah]

Until next time, dearest fantasy readers, recover from Brimstone with us as we continue our journey Journey through the Fae and Alchemy series.

[Kinsey]

Yes.

[Carly]

Oh you know what I didn't bring up, and I don't really have a theory on this, but I just feel like somebody out there does. But when they're in Amitrea, it's like Carrion is there, and they're like, why are you even here? Why aren't you back in college? And he's basically like, oh, I have my reasons. Like, I have. And, like, there's all these moments where he's there or he goes off and, like, disappears. And they're like, what's Karion up to? And I'm like, what is Carrion up to?

[Kinsey]

And he hid Simon somewhere.

[Carly]

Somewhere. And he wouldn't tell anybody where. And, like.

He was acting suspiciously in Amitreas. He was up to something. And I don't think he's, like, gonna turn on anybody or anything like that, but he was being sneaky, and I wanna know what he was doing.

[Kinsey]

He was being sneaky. And also, for the record, there has been a lot of discourse about what happened in chapter 14 because carrion was seemingly in two places at once. Because he was off on an adventure in Zilvarin with King.

[Hannah]

Sure.

[Kinsey]

But Serris had mentioned that he was training with Lorath. People have allegedly DMed Callie Hart and asked about it, and she allegedly, if these screenshots are to be believed, said that it was an editing mistake. So originally, we did have a couple theories on that because Kylie did tell us not everything is as it seems, but we will accept that that was an editing error. But that being said, you're right, Carly, that. That was weird.

[Carly]

Yeah. And I wasn't including that in my whole, like, Wolf's character.

[Kinsey]

Yeah, no, because he. He should have been in college, and then he's, like, off doing God knows what.

[Carly]

Yeah. He was acting a little suspicious on Amitreas, and I think he was up to something. And I think. I hope we find out in the next book. We shall see.

[Hannah]

Mm.

[Kinsey]

I need answers.

[Carly]

Okay.

[Hannah]

Bye, guys. Bye.