Loading summary
Transcript282 lines
- [00:00]
Diem
I finally committed to getting back in shape. Hit the gym, ate clean, did everything right. But after two days I felt drained. My body just couldn't keep up. That's when I found Stem Regen. It supports the release of my own stem cells to repair, recover, and actually rebuild from the inside out. Now I'm not just working out, I'm bouncing back. I feel stronger, more energized, and more like myself every single day. Stem Regen didn't just change my routine, it changed my recovery. Empower your body to recover from within. Whether you are focused on recovery longev or just overall wellness, Stem Regen helps your body feel the best. It can release the best version of you. Try Stem Regen today at Stemregen co. Use code pod25 for 25% off your first order. Again, that's stemregen code pod25.
- [00:51]
Luther
Acast powers the world's best podcasts.
- [00:55]
Taryn
Here's a show that we recommend.
- [00:59]
Luther
Hi, I'm Cara Berry, host of Everyone's Business But Mine. If you don't know me, think of me as your new friend and fellow busybody as I talk about everything under the pop culture sun. From the best way to detect a celebrity breakup or pregnancy to recapping your favorite reality TV shows from the Housewives cinematic universe. Welcome to Plathville Summer House, Sister Wives, and so much more. Check out Everyone's Business But Mine, airing multiple times a week everywhere you listen to podcasts.
- [01:34]
Taryn
ACAST helps creators launch, grow and monetize their podcast everywhere. Acast.com.
- [01:53]
Luther
Welcome, welcome, welcome to the Fantasy Fangirls podcast where two sisters dive deep into beloved fantasy lore, character scenes, series and more.
- [02:03]
Taryn
I'm Lexi, older sister and fantasy lore nerd.
- [02:05]
Luther
And I'm Nicole, younger sister and romantic at heart.
- [02:09]
Taryn
And today is our second episode for Heat of the Everflame by Pen Cole, where we are covering chapters 15 through 21. Before we begin this heat episode two, please listen closely to our spoiler warning because all of these episodes include spoilers for all of Heat of the Everflame. Yes, that includes the ending.
- [02:26]
Luther
So if you don't know why DM is singing it's getting hot in here, then please go finish the series. We will be here when you're done.
- [02:34]
Taryn
Next, we at Fantasy Fangirls are adults who say adult things about adult books. In other words, friends, this podcast is.
- [02:39]
Luther
Rated R. Sadly, we are not getting the second half of that song, which is so take off all your clothes. I wish I could say there were more reasons for today's R rating, but alas it will probably be me just cussing out the characters for the choices that they make. So please be mindful of those little listening ears.
- [02:56]
Taryn
Additionally, we are so excited to see you at upcoming live events. We will be featured guests at Enchanticon in St. Louis, Missouri August 15th through 17th.
- [03:04]
Luther
Then we will be at the Everflame Ball along with penCole for the first ever Kindred's Curse Saga Ball on August 30th in Castle Rock, Colorado.
- [03:12]
Taryn
We're interviewing Rebecca Ross, author of Divine Rivals and wild reverence on September 5th in Denver, Colorado.
- [03:18]
Luther
We will also be back at the Dragon Gauntlet in Boyne City, Michigan September 12th through 13th.
- [03:23]
Taryn
Then Romanticy Bookcon in Orlando, Florida October 23rd through 25th where we are interviewing Rebecca Yaris again at Disney World and on March 6th through 8th, 2026 in Dallas, Texas on we will be podcast partners at Dreamers and Readers Festival.
- [03:37]
Luther
Check out our website or the links below for more information to all of these events, plus discount codes for some of them as well.
- [03:44]
Taryn
Last thing before we jump into this heat of The Everflame Episode 2 if you love fantasy Fangirls and want more events, more content, more community and so much more all around, please check out Fantasy Fan Club.
- [03:55]
Luther
We have three membership tiers you can join. Number one, the Descended, which includes access to our Boppin Discord, live Q&As from Lexi and myself, a book club, exclusive author interviews, community events like Trivia or Jeopardy like we did just recently, promo codes for live events, plus exclusive designs and 20% off all merch. That is for $6 a month. By the way, I'm wearing some of my new merch right now, Ayo. Or you can join the Royal Family which includes everything from the Descended level plus early access to ad Free episodes are full episode outlines and special voting privileges. That is for $10 a month. And last but not least, we have the Crown's Council which everything from the previous two tiers plus more behind the scenes content, a welcome gift, giveaways, a private Discord channel, and your name shouted out on the podcast. That is for $25 a month.
- [04:45]
Taryn
Join the party at fantasyfangirls.com fanclub. The link is also in the show notes and as always, thank you so much from the bottom of our hearts for supporting us as we've turned this podcast into our livelihood. It is a dream come true and is all because of you.
- [04:58]
Luther
And now it is time to get a lot of stuff sand in our shoes as we walk across the desert of Igneous to start off every episode.
- [05:07]
Taryn
Nicole does us the honor of summarizing this stretch of chapters. So gather round as we consult with our royal advisors to discuss what happens in chapters 15 through 21 of Heat of the Everflame.
- [05:19]
Luther
Chapter 15 Rising at Dawn DM finds Luther sitting on a dune, keeping watch. Luther confronts DM about her lies to Taryn around his chances of surviving Godstone. How does he know this? Oh, he may or may not have been planning to do a little surprise for Remus at one point. I want that backstory. Checking on Taran's wounds, DM sees the first sign of Godstone poisoning. It's fine, but maybe they should consider getting this show on the road. Chapter 16 One day later our crew has been battling dehydration due to their lack of preparation for navigating the desert, but it's okay, because cresting one final Dune, the igneous Mortal City comes into view. And thank God gods, it has water. But let's not think about the hundreds of bodies that are half buried in the sand. Dune decides to check on Taryn's wounds again. And it's not looking good. But hey, what a better time to bring up the fact that DM was is working with the Guardians. At least now Taran is not thinking about his own impending death. But what's that sound?
- [06:16]
Taryn
It's Sarai.
- [06:17]
Luther
Oh shit. No. It's the igneous gryvern. Run. Chapter 17 Hiding in a storage box, DM and Alix are holding their breath, hoping that the Gryvern doesn't tell the King their location. While rolling a NAT1 in perception, the king is left shooting fireball dun dun dun dun dun dun at the surrounding buildings. And thanks to Tybalt's deception, he and the King start flying off into the dunes before they can barbecue our friends. After locating the guys, they know this location is very compromised and it's time to get the fuck out. After taking first watch, DM switches places with the leaks. Creeping out into the dunes, DM begins her sneaky plan to go back to Arboros. Chapter 18 sneaking back into igneous mortal city with an overloaded rucksack of fresh supplies, DM comes face to face with some very pissed off companions. But I mean, she left a note, so no harm done, right? While making her newly foraged into a poultice for Taryn's wounds, DM slips, accidentally cutting herself and bleeding into the bowl. Not sanitary, but not wanting to waste the herbs, DM scoops out most of her blood and applies the mixture to Taryn's wounds anyway. And thank the gods she does. Chapter 19 on the Road again Walking through the desert sand again. Not my best, but it's not all sunshine and rainbows. DM is burning up. And how dm everyone else is freezing in an effort to take the heat off herself, DM checks Taran's wounds again and holy shit, he's actually healing. Huzzah. But it's not the only thing to celebrate. Their magic is coming back more frequently too. Maybe they won't die in this hellscape of a realm after all.
- [07:51]
Taryn
So.
- [07:51]
Luther
But don't hold your breath, friends, because the path out of the realm is blocked by Igneo's guards successfully talking their way past the guards. Freedom is so close, but Something's not right. DM's eyes are glowing. Her skin is burning. Oh wait, no, she herself is glowing. Well, shit, it looks like dm. Bellator might as well be Eliza Hamilton because her hot new single is burn. Chapter 20 this girl is on fire. Luther walks into the burning DM's fire and she burns, burns, burns. There's so many songs I can use, God damn it. But he's not going to let her burn. Luther helps Diem out of her spiral and she finally stops burning. But it's too late. The guards saw her and. Shit. Now the King is here, not liking DM on his land. The King only has one plan. Off with her head. But he severely underestimated the amount of firepower he was going to need. And DM kind of sort of easily defends not only herself, but Luther from all his attacks as well. After recharging herself by absorbing just a little bit of magic, DM and Luther run. But the King is one step ahead, casting a wall of fire that Luther can't pass through. Seeing the King aiming a killing blow at her. Boo. DM throws her body in front of him, taking the blade instead. Chapter 21 oh, would you look at that. She's been impaled. And not in the fun way. With a blade sticking out of her chest. DM watches as Luther fills to the brim with fury and unleashes his power, taking out every single guard without batting an eye. Luther turns his attention to the King next, but DM stops him. She's got you. Begging you for mercy. Making a deal with Tybalt, DM spare is the King's life in exchange for Luther's. But even though the King's gone, there's still one teeny tiny problem. She's still been impaled. Tapping into the trust between them, DM convinces Luther to unleash his magic again, but this time aimed directly at her. And in seconds, DM's power is filled, healing herself and bursting out to dance happily with Luther's magic. With DM healed and not wanting to deal with any of that again, dm, Luther, Elixe and Taran make their way across the border. Welcome to Umbros.
- [09:58]
Taryn
And with that, friends, it is time to reach for our foraging magic and unravel key insights, character analysis, lore, foreshadowing theories, and oh, so much more. We are picking up right where we left off last episode. Diem, Luther, Elix, and Taran have all successfully made it across the igneous border. Yeah, yay. Yeah, yay. Kind of. And while it's technically winter, the harsh desert climate is unrelenting. It is unsurprisingly hot and dry here. Even if they want to move quickly to get out of the heat, they just can't. This desert's harsh conditions are making them move at a snail's pace. Not only are they trying to fight the blazing sun and the lack of water, but Taran and secretly Luther are both suffering from Godstone Tonic, from those wounds that they received by the mortals. Taran has two wounds, one on his ribs and one on his shoulder, both of which might be on smaller side, but oh dear, they are festering quickly. Luther has a deeper cut on his hip, but he does not want the rest of the group to know this. So shh. This is a secret from DM and everybody else, and we will definitely be talking about this episode. The Guardians are keeping a close eye on the group from the safety of the Arborist border, watching and waiting for them to take one step within range to make a move. At least our crew doesn't have to worry about the mortals following them across the igneous border or they will quite literally combust into flames. So with our crew out of harm's way for now, it's time to inspect Terran's two Godstone wounds. Because like we said at the end of last episode, the this is bad and might as well be a death sentence. Except that's not how DM the Healer rules. She refuses to give up on Taryn. For one, a quarter of God stone wounds do heal. Although Taran has two cuts, they are again on the smaller side. But he has a healer personally tending to him, and that's not nothing, friends. More importantly though, DM will not give up on Taran because she has to help him have hope too. She has seen the effects of hope and happiness and how it can serve as its own medicine for her patients. This group can't just begin mourning Taran. They have to have faith that he'll survive this and keep him in good spirits. Even if the odds are not in his favor. Even if pushing through the sadness and despair might as well be lying. As they recognize how grim the situation is. DM is determined to give Taryn the best possible chance at survival. And if that means lying and making this out to be, you know, less serious than it is, that can help his mindset and potentially help keep him alive. Even if the effort of hiding her true feelings of grief is eating her and Luther and Alix alive. If Taryn doesn't give up, then there is still hope. So that is what Diem is set on doing. Giving him hope.
- [12:28]
Luther
Only one problem. Luther isn't buying this lie for a second. Not only does he know Diem better than anyone, and he knows exactly how to read through her bs, it also turns out that he himself has done some research on Godstone. He knows just how unsurvivable the toxin truly is with only a fourth of Godstone wounds healing. How does he know this, you ask? Well, just when he was gonna poison his father with Godstone. Hold on. Because we know that things with Luther and Remus aren't great, to say the least. Luther hates his father for killing his mother along with, you know, trying to kill him and a whole slew of other reasons. But when do you think this was? Or what prompted Luther to be like, yeah, I'm gonna kill my dad with Godstone. And more importantly, why didn't he follow through?
- [13:21]
Taryn
So I don't know if one thing would have prompted this desire to poison his father. Maybe just an overall hatred for the man as he seeks his revenge. I also have to wonder if maybe Remus was all for harsher conditions for the mortals, and if Ulther had not stepped in and done the compromise with the progeny laws, then Remus would have had more of his way along with the Hanovers. I feel like that might be a little bit of a stretch, but. But again, I think that this might just be an overall hatred for his father and Luther didn't follow through with it because at the end of the day, he is a good person who wouldn't ultimately do that. He wants to do it, and he thinks about doing it and might have seriously considered it, but when it came time to, you know, for push come to shove, he was like, maybe not.
- [14:07]
Luther
I. I'm assuming this was like, I'M gonna call it leftover or I don't know if that residual hatred from what Remus did with hurting Luther, with killing his mother, and maybe this was him months later or a year later gaining the courage to do this. And then finally, like you said, he didn't follow through because he is a good person. I don't think that this was recent, though. I think that this was like a while ago.
- [14:31]
Taryn
I agree.
- [14:32]
Luther
Yep. Yeah. This show is sponsored by Better Help Workplace. Stress is a part of seemingly every adult life. The rise of virtual work. The boundary between work and downtime has never been thinner. Oh boy, is that true. Holiday is great, but it isn't a long term solution to stress. Don't forget that therapy can help you navigate whatever challenges the workday or any other day might bring. That's where BetterHelp comes in.
- [14:54]
Taryn
The reason I started therapy was actually to help me with my work life balance. I get very stressed out very easily. I really do internalize it and I carry it with me when I really just want to show up for my family when it's my family time. So I love how therapy has helped me work through all of that, give myself grace and not be this big tight ball of stress all the time.
- [15:12]
Luther
With over 30,000 therapists, BetterHelp is the world's largest online therapy platform, having served over 5 million people globally. And it works with an App store rating of 4.9 out of 5 based on over 1.7 million client reviews. Wow. It's convenient too. You can join a session with a therapist at the click of a button, helping you fit therapy into your busy life, plus switch therapists at any time.
- [15:36]
Taryn
As the largest online therapy provider in the world, BetterHelp can provide access to mental health professionals with a diverse variety of expertise. Our listeners get 10% off their first month at betterhelp.comffg that's betterhelph e lp.comffg Sometimes we feel like there's a stigma around women's health, but it's so important for all of us. Which is why we are thrilled to partner with O Positive. What's so special about O Positive's products? Well, they create real, tangible results with ingredients that are backed by clinical studies and shaped by board certified doctors. OH Positive is committed to breaking down stigmas and addressing issues many women experience. Hormone health, vaginal health, menopause and so much more.
- [16:14]
Luther
OH Positive's Euro Vaginal Probiotic is a game changer for so many women. It's helped many women make improvements in vaginal odor ph imbalance and had positive impact on their sex lives. Huzzah. But don't just listen to us. There are so many awesome customer reviews that tell the whole story. Here's one of our personal favorites. This product is a game changer. Talk about build up your sex life and confidence. My husband loves them and notices a difference in during intimacy. Every woman needs this. Any product that helps empower women to be their full selves is a huge yes from us.
- [16:48]
Taryn
At ffg, most women notice improvements within eight weeks and many even see results sooner. I love how simple O positive makes women's health. All I have to do is take my two capsules of Euro a day and I've already noticed a difference.
- [17:01]
Luther
Take proactive care of your health and head to oppositive.com FFG or enter FFG at checkout for 25% off your first purchase. That's O P O S I T I V.com FFG for 25% off.
- [17:22]
Taryn
It'S not.
- [17:25]
Luther
Want to start sponsoring podcasts, but not sure where to start? Acast Smart Recommendations does the heavy lifting, finding you the perfect podcast that aligns with your target audience. From top shows to hidden gems, our.
- [17:36]
Taryn
AI powered tool scans thousands of podcasts.
- [17:38]
Luther
To deliver you a list of personalized suggestions ready to reach the right listeners. Start now@go.acast.com ads Anyways, these grim odds were not on DM's radar. All that she knows from Godstone were from reading her mother's notes after Aurelie left for Kuril. This is when DM found Aurelie's, you know, like healer's journal and she just started parsing through anything descended related because she was not allowed to read anything descended. DM knows that Godstone is poisonous to descended as long as it doesn't travel to their heart. But now with this information about only a quarter of the wounds are survivable. And Taryn having two wounds, yeah, that's not really looking good. But DM doubles down about Taran's chances. Like Lexi said, they're better than most. With him being in good strength, good health, he's having his own personal healer to him. Now. Is DM lying to herself? Or to Luther? Or both? I don't know. I don't even think she knows. But to all of this, Luther says, quote Is it right to lie to someone you love when you know death is coming? To let them believe the future might stretch on forever when you know your time left together is far shorter? Or is that adding cruelty to tragedy on a First read, you think, oh, Luther's solely talking about Taryn and he's asking if it's wrong for him to lie to his best friend in order to give his friend false hope. And DM says yes, hope is a salve that can cure so many things, as is laughter and happiness and faith. So lying means he has better chances of living. So why wouldn't she do that? Oh, dm? Little do you know, because right now, Luther is actually listening to her and adopting her exact same strategy. Let's now look back at his short little speech. From what we know in hindsight, as Luther is injured by Godstone himself, he is wondering, literally if it's right to lie to her, even though he knows he is dying to let her believe that they have a life that is long and happy and full of laughter together ahead of them, when in actuality, their time together is very short.
- [19:41]
Taryn
And in this conversation between Luther and DM from his pov, it's like she is giving him permission to lie to her. When you read this on a reread, he's kind of like, well, do you think it's okay for you, you know, to lie to someone to avoid such tragedy? And she's like, yeah. And I'm just like, no. I mean, it makes sense. Again with Taryn, but Luther's really stretching it here. Uh huh.
- [20:07]
Luther
Well, as we know from Luther's bonus chapter that we'll be covering next episode, this is the bonus chapter in the hardback of he to the Everflame. We know that he wants to tell dm, but each time he gets close, he thinks about how she was after her father's death and he refuses to put her back in that place for a moment before he has to. If he tells her, let's be real, he fears that he will never see her happy again. And I would argue that his fears are probably right here, let alone how she'd act with them not being in Lumnos. They're on the road together, they're trying to get back home. Like, she would either crumple or it would just not look good. So for now, he's going to take one out of DM's book and give her that same false hope that she is giving Taryn. I mean, she literally mentions how Taryn's final moments, she wants him to be happy and smiling, even though it means holding onto a secret that eats her alive. Like these two are so similar, it's ridiculous. And then it's only hammered in later when DM will be Running into a burning building. This is in Mortal City in Igneous. After the king, like shoots fireballs at him because she thinks that Luther was killed in the blast. And when she finds him, she tells him in this like, fairly frantic state that she thought he was dead. She was so afraid. And he stills and his expression turns totally bleak before he slams his own mask down. This is only amplifying his. I'm making the right decision from keeping this from her choice because if that's what she was like when she thought he was dead, what would it be like if she knew he was dying? He doesn't want to put her through that. But this also comes at a really high cost that we're gonna discuss a lot through this episode. Because with him not allowing himself to be treated, he's in this really harsh climate with sand ripping through his clothes. Like the wound is getting irritated. Later, he goes into the ocean that infects it. Like he is letting the infection for his wound grow. Since he is not allowing him to.
- [22:05]
Taryn
Be treated when someone else in the group is already being treated. I know that is where it really comes down for me. Once when they do get the herbs and stuff like that. I will save the my rant for that time. But there are multiple moments where it would have been very good and useful and a good opening for Luther to share this information. I will say this.
- [22:30]
Luther
He's getting some hell this episode. And I it's. Here's what I will say. Yes, I really struggle with Luther in this stretch of chapters and next episode stretch of chapters. And it is all in character for him, which is why he is not getting knocked down as my number one book boyfriend. When another number one book boyfriend did get knocked down quite a number of spaces.
- [22:53]
Taryn
I still think that was pretty in character too.
- [22:56]
Luther
We are saving that fight.
- [22:58]
Taryn
Luther would have done the exact same thing in that situation too. That's what he's doing here in his own way.
- [23:05]
Luther
Sorry, you are not allowed to turn all of my number one book boyfriends against me. Oh my God.
- [23:11]
Taryn
Such a monster. Early the next day, our group finally arrives at the ghost town that was once the igneous mortal city. This long abandoned city is their best shot at making it through the desert alive. It was built around an oasis, which thankfully still has an active spring keeping it alive and lush, allowing everyone to get washed up and drink some much needed water. But that's where the peacefulness ends. Because as our crew nears the city, we begin to see the remnants of the mortals still half buried in the sand, their bones and all of that. The bones of bodies form a trail up the side of the surrounding dunes where they were killed trying to escape when the Igneous Crown banished them after the Blood War. We will definitely be going into this a lot more in today's Sophos Library. But we do know this is what lines up with what Henry told Diem was the fate of the igneous mortals and was what Luther, Elixe and Taran all thought was a lie to recruit people into the Guardians. Our descended friends can't fathom something like this happening anywhere but in the lives of the Guardians. And yet here is the evidence right in front of them. Mixed with the fact that DM and Alix watched a mortal man burst into flames for stepping across the border. It's pretty impossible to ignore the reality of the situation here. I do find it interesting that the Guardians know more about the truth here than the Descended. I believe it comes down to looking at history through your own people's lens. Or the others. These Descended can't believe that another realm's descended could be this cruel. They want to believe the best in their people. But that also means having trouble looking the truth in the face. Like what Elix admitted to DM back in Arboros. She had to see it to believe how poor the mortals conditions are in Lumnos. And she's ashamed to admit that naivete. Similar situation here. Seeing what the Descended are capable of doing to the Mortals, it's a little bit of like an out of sight, out of mind to our friends here. And that's something that really irks Diem, because the mortals don't need to lie about the Descendant and their wrongdoings to want to join the Guardians. And that's kind of what our friends are saying here. But here's a question. Do you think what the Guardians know is the actual truth? Or do you think there's more to it? Or this is just. I'll call it one version of the truth? Because I feel like the story is mostly accurate, given how the bodies are fleeing. I'm inclined to think that, you know, when it was discussed that the guards, you know, flushed them out of their city, I think it was not just telling them to leave, but it was actively hurting and making them have to leave where all they could do was run away.
- [25:33]
Luther
I think you and I are on the same page there, because the way that DM describes the insides of the houses is like things are still left open. Like pots are still on the stoves or stuff. Like there was in no way. A we were planning to leave for a while, and then we just left. I think that this is a great example of us versus them with our core found family. Alix has had her eyes opened when she went with DM and Taran to Mortal City. And she's really actively trying to put ourselves in the Guardians and the mortal shoes. And for her, those two entities are not different. Whereas with Taryn, there's the mortals, which he's starting to sympathize for, but then there's the Guardians, who he has that black and white hatred for. So I personally think that this is actually quite close to the truth, But Taryn, and I'll even throw in Luther a little bit too, are so in there. No, the Guardians are bad, or at least some of the Guardians are bad. So therefore they're just spreading lies about us. Whereas Alix is like, do you see what's happening here? Like, I see where they're coming from. So I think that this is actually a moment that the Guardians are right.
- [26:41]
Taryn
Yep, exactly. And I do love that Pen does.
- [26:43]
Luther
Give that to us because it's important.
- [26:46]
Taryn
It cannot be underestimated that the Guardians as a whole are not bad. They are people who are fighting against the oppressors. They are the people who we typically root for in these stories. And then there's Vance and his method with the Guardians. And then that calls into question about the cycle of hatred and violence. And where does it stop? Oh, my gosh, I love this series and all the gray areas inside the city. Like Nicole was saying, everything lays abandoned. As if someone could walk right out of one of these homes at any moment. Which, as bad as that sounds and as bad as the history does mean it was, it is a good thing for our characters here. Dm, Luther, Elix and Taran are able to switch out of their ripped soiled rags for breezy linens and soft wools that will better help them survive under the harsh sun. Yay for the right clothing and the right climate.
- [27:34]
Luther
As our crew begins looking through the horror show graveyard that is Mortal City. And DM shares how, you know, she believes that all went down. Like we were just discussing. This does bring up a big topic. They've been avoiding the guardians and DM's involvement with them because, yeah, remember how last episode Vance outed dm, how she used to be a Guardian and Taryn and Alix were like, excuse me. And it looks like in their travels, Alix is more at peace with this newfound information again, for what all the reasons I Was saying earlier, but Taryn is still pretty pissed. I want to put ourselves in Taran's shoes for a second because from his reasons, I do see why. Just like the Guardians have their very fair anger towards the descended, the descended have their very fair anger towards the Guardians. Taryn has known descended friends of his who have died at the hands of the Guardians. So hearing that his queen, someone who has become a family member of his and who he admires, was one of the Guardians, it's quite a shock and it brings up a lot of questions for him. Was she actually spying on them this whole time and gathering information from the Guardians? Was she part of the attacks that killed his friends? Luther seeing this anger though from Taran and how it's creating a wedge between Diem and his best friend. And also as a dying man, Luther cannot have this right now. He needs his friends to trust Diem. He needs to know that she has supporters no matter what. So Luther, unsurprisingly, puts himself in the line of fire. If they're going to be mad at anyone, be mad at him. Because he also worked with the Guardians. Surprise. Alixa and Taran, they both knew that he was surveilling the Guardians, but definitely not that he was working with them. Now, Luther also does say that he likes helped them with the Kuriel attack and he was helping them with this. And I was like, I don't know if that's true. I think you're.
- [29:27]
Taryn
He unknowingly helped them. That's what it was.
- [29:30]
Luther
But he's saying he did. Well, I think he's saying he did so that they turn all their attention from shooting the eye daggers at DM to they're now angry at Luther because he's dying and he'd rather have them be angry at him.
- [29:42]
Taryn
They were definitely not expecting this from Luther, their leader, their perceived heir to the crown, the High General and Warden of Light and all those other titles. Alix and Taran know Luther as the Keeper of the Laws. He does help save the half mortal children. In fact, they help him save the half mortal children when they can. But helping the guardians, who specifically target the descended, that is a tough pill to swallow for these two. And yet, despite the awkward tension, they are each other's chosen family. And at the end of the day, Luther has earned Alix and Taran's trust and so has Diem. Because as Alix says, she can't really be mad at DM because Diem used to have every reason to hate Alix for being in The Royal Guard. But DM looked beyond Alix's title and not hold it against her. So how can a leaks do the same to Diem? I love how another big theme in the series is about breaking the hatred cycle. For instance, the Guardians hate the descended for what they've done to the mortals. So they took out their hatred on Taran and now DM has a newborn hatred toward these mortals for doing this to Taryn. But she also recognizes that just feeds into the cycle of hatred. Violence with violence, hatred met with hatred only compounds and further divides people. Yet there can be a conscious decision to break the cycle. Choose forgiveness, choose understanding, and choose unity to prevent even more hatred and violence. And like Pen has said, this is what really takes courage, what takes that extra strength to choose that. This is exactly what Elix is choosing to do too. Because she is looking at it from DM's perspective instead of focusing on her own instinctual reaction.
- [31:13]
Luther
This is one of the reasons Alix is one of my favorite characters in this book. Which pause Pen has opened up on threads that she made a last minute decision to kill a character in Burn. I agree. I'm deeply worried that that might be a leaks.
- [31:26]
Taryn
I am too. I'm also very worried about our boy Taryn.
- [31:29]
Luther
I refuse to talk about it because it's not Taryn. It's not. Okay, no. Everyone needs to cool off for a minute. You hear that Lexi? You need to cool off.
- [31:38]
Taryn
Jump Pen. She's the one causing the trouble.
- [31:43]
Luther
She said things were getting a little.
- [31:44]
Taryn
Too quiet around here.
- [31:48]
Luther
So while Taran and Luther go and talk out their anger about, you know, Luther being involved in the Guardians, Alix and DM bathe off a D days plus worth of sand. By the way, this is my nightmare. I hate walking on the beach after I've been in the water and sand. Just get. Oh God, I hate it. That's my least favorite feeling. And this just sounds terrible, but when DM and Alix are done, they hear a thump, thump, thump of wings. But wait, didn't DM give Sarai orders to stay away? So, scrambling to grab their things, the two ladies and gentlemen rush to the nearest structure, AKA a small storage pen, and hope to the gods that they have found cover. Peeking through the bamboo cracks, they watch as Tybalt the igneous Gryvern lands. And boy oh boy, he's massive as twice the size of Sarai. He has tan scales like the desert himself. And homeboy Gryvern is pissed. Pause. I love this little detail about the igneous King having no weapons and the two female guards being like strapped to the teeth with them. Because yes, he is powerful. Not as powerful as Diem and Luther, as we'll cover in just a few chapters, but it's also so on brand that he would think himself so powerful that he doesn't need to have any weapons. God, I love that little tidbit. Just fuels my fire for him. The trio begins searching the area, knowing that DM is near and knowing that they are ready to kill the others she is with. But thankfully, while our two ladies are hiding in their box, the boys seem to have managed to find an equally, if not more effective hiding spot in the basement of one of the houses in Mortal City.
- [33:26]
Taryn
But Diem does not know that. They don't know where Arthur and Taryn went. But it's just like everybody has to go hide. The King of Igneous is on a mission to find dm. He knows she's here somewhere. How does he know this? Well, while running his fingers through the sand, the King gives Diem some insight into the Igneous forging magic, telling her how the sand tells him its secrets. It whispers to him that there are three people here who do not belong.
- [33:55]
Luther
Hold up, because this is now the second time we've heard from a crown that their element, so to speak, whispers to them. Arboros. The Queen of Arboros. Mirelle said it with the plants last episode on Kuriel, and Igneous is now saying it with the sand. But DM doesn't have this with the shadows and the light, right? Like, they're not like wisps. They're not like, you know, they're not whispering to her. So I'm like, I'm curious.
- [34:19]
Taryn
I've assumed that she does have that ability, but we have to just remember she has not had any time to tap into her magic yet and explore how the light and shadow can talk to her. Like, I also am thinking maybe because she's such an other crown, that maybe she doesn't have that same elemental connection with each of the realms, because she does simultaneously represent these realms with the crowns and the powers and tapping into the foraging magic. And she is so other, where she isn't one with any one realm, because she doesn't belong to a single realm. So I could see it being one of the two things there. I'm leaning toward her just not tapping into that part of her magic yet, because she hasn't had time. But we always have to wonder.
- [35:00]
Luther
I wonder if Luther has this ability. I'm gonna look extra closely at his POV chapters. Because that might be interesting if he has it not.
- [35:07]
Taryn
Because I assume that it is. Is kind of tied to both their elemental magic and the foraging magic. And it's almost like where they meet. We also do know when DM was younger and when she first started, you know, playing with the light and the shadows. They were her friends, they were whispering to her and all of that. But I think that this is very separate as more of like foraging magic and the elemental stuff here.
- [35:31]
Luther
Oh, interesting, because I thought that those two things overlapped. But you do make a good point with she was not tapped into the foraging magic yet. I don't know.
- [35:40]
Taryn
The Igneous King goes on to say that through the foraging magic, he can sense DM is not one of the Lumnos descended like her three companions. In fact, she feels like one of his. Like an igneous descended kind of. She's similar, yet different. He says she feels new and even the sand doesn't know what to think about her. I love these little details and these little nuggets of how different she is.
- [36:04]
Luther
It's like she's different. Like the tenth kindred type of different. Like, it's just. Just so good. I remember reading this for the first time being like, wait, what? Because we haven't really gotten a full on like on the page, like we're about to in a moment with DM bursting into flames that she has the power of all the. Of all the realms of Omarion. Exactly. So this is one of those first kind of like. Oh, what?
- [36:27]
Taryn
Right. Well, because the very first time that we really understood she is so different is I'll say at the challenging with, you know, like her shield and all of that. And where it wasn't really a shield, it was just her absorbing the magic. But even more so, of course, at the failed coronation. And that is when it's like, okay, there is something different about Diem, more so than just being a descendant who thought she was immortal. And now when the Igneous King is really saying all of this, this is where it's like, okay, we really need to pay attention to what the hell is going on. The King continues with his evil villain monologue that he's had a crown on his lands before. He knows how the forging magic magic feels when they walk on the sand. It bends around them, shimmering at their feet. But with dm, the magic is different. It does not bend. It doesn't shimmer. No, it shatters whenever she steps on the ground. It just shatters.
- [37:20]
Luther
Alarm. Alarm. Alarm. Alarm. Because what? What? What? This is new. This is new information. DM is walking in another realm and shattering the foraging magic below. Why is this not talked about more? I don't have any answers. I just need to scrape.
- [37:34]
Taryn
So since the Tenth Kindred was not part of the foraging magic, it's like DM being of the Tenth Kindred, she doesn't fit into this world that is made up of the nine realms with that foraging magic. But when she's walking through these realms, does it, I'll say, permanently shatter the foraging magic? Like with her traveling through Omarion in this book, does that mean that she is making the foraging magic shatter in her wake for everyone? And maybe that's why her friends are able to access their magic more when they are around her? Or is this more of a magical visual to demonstrate how other she is? How she is both all of this world and none of it.
- [38:10]
Luther
So I would say the first one. But as we're going to discuss next episode, there's talks in Umbros about murmurs in Miros, how people are starting to be able to use their magic more.
- [38:22]
Taryn
And our crew was able to use their magic too, before they met up with dm. So it's not like a all or nothing. But she might be contributing to the foraging magic breaking down.
- [38:32]
Luther
I wonder if this is after she has put a crack in the Heartstone. I wonder if that's what kicked off her ability to now basically be a walking, forging magic destroyer. As the Heartstone's forging magic is crumbling down like it's, you know, reverberating from the island of Kuriel. DM is just an extra ripple effect now walking through it.
- [38:53]
Taryn
I think I am leaning more toward it being a magical visual just because she is of the Tenth Kindred who does not belong in this world. Like that was the whole point that they reforged the foraging spell to exclude the 10th kindred after they allegedly sacrificed him. So with her existence in this world alone, that is messing everything up.
- [39:19]
Luther
Yeah, I'm 50. 50. I'm so on the fence. So I have. I'm gonna hold off and maybe make a final decision before we get into burn. Maybe.
- [39:28]
Taryn
All of this to say this is making the King really do start to think that maybe Sophos was right and Diem is indeed an imposter.
- [39:35]
Luther
Yes. After a very close call where the King almost ends up nose to nose with dm, the King strides away from Diem and Alix in their hiding spot. He attempts to get information on their whereabouts from his Gryburn, Tybalt. But the king is pretty shit at asking questions. They're all very vague. And Tybalt is giving him equally vague answers. I love this. The king says. Can you sense them? Yep. Where are they?
- [40:03]
Taryn
Nearby.
- [40:04]
Luther
Can you take me to them? I don't know where they're hiding. Why are they in my realm? They don't want to hurt you. Go, Tibalt. I love you. I see why him and Sarai are such a good match. However, the king wants to hunt them down and. And hurt these intruders for entering his realm uninvited. And sadly for Tybalt, in his line of questioning, he turns violent against his gryvern. Bad, igneous king. No. When his gryvern does not lead him directly to dm, the king lashes out against the wonderful creature, slamming his fist into the soft, fleshy part of the patch beneath the gryvern's mouth. This is the same sensitive spot that Sarai loves to be be scratched. I hate this guy.
- [40:44]
Taryn
L. Can we give him an official L right here? I feel like he's just a walking L. He's a walking L. This deserves an L all on its own.
- [40:52]
Luther
A bold, italicized, maybe even highlighted in bright ass yellow at L. Yes.
- [40:59]
Taryn
Yeah, with like, the punch in the face, too.
- [41:01]
Luther
Yeah. We hand him a piece of paper and punch him in the face. You're welcome, dude. But in her own rage, DM slips and whispers about how gryverns read intentions, not minds. Asshole Tybalt, who has very good hearing, heard that. And he goes preternaturally still. Here's my hashtag, pretwatch for our friend at Lost Books of Jest. Aha. But Tibble doesn't seem to clue in the king in the fact that he just heard Diem and he now has a pretty good idea of where she is. So the king has a very calm and not at all excessive reaction to, you know, his griver. Not being able to find her, he starts shooting fireballs at surrounding buildings, hoping that Diem will be inside one of them, and runs out to expose herself. Spoiler alert, she doesn't do that.
- [41:47]
Taryn
So this brings us to the question, why does Tybalt cover for Diem? He could easily rat her out to the king and point him in her direction. The king is asking where she is, and now Tybalt knows where she is. Instead, he only watches Diem in silence and purposefully does not give her away. In fact, right when the king focuses in on DM and Alix's hiding place and is like, I wonder if they're in there. And then he's about to torch it. Tybalt screeches and is like, no, no, no. They went to the dunes.
- [42:14]
Luther
They went that way.
- [42:15]
Taryn
This jerks the king and his warriors away from their focus here on Mortal City and their buildings and makes them believe that our group must have fled into the desert. Tybalt for the win as he saves dm. For one, I think Tybalt is helping Diem because DM is Sarai's bonded and Tybalt loves Sarai and wants to help the crown that cares for Sarai and treats her well. And second, we have to remember Tybalt's history. Until this king here. Tybalt was the gryvern for the most neutral and welcoming realm. Then the blood war happened and Tybalt was forced to fight his fellow gryverns. And then this asshole of a king got the crown and has been vicious and abusive toward Tybalt for centuries. Tybalt is a good and kind creature bound to a terrible person who has made him suffer for centuries. So here he is, wanting to help someone who does not deserve to be the victim of his cruel crown. And he's doing his part to protect Diem and rebel against the igneous king he hates. He knows Diem means well and he wants to help her the best that he can. But the king is still on a mission to find dm. So they are going to send guards to this area to comb the dunes in search for them. After all, this mortal city has the only oasis for miles. They won't get far without more fresh water. And for now, the king and his two warriors will fly over the dunes and look for our group from the sky.
- [43:29]
Luther
One thing's for sure for our they have to get the hell out of Igneous. This place is bad. Luther and Taryn believe that they should go back to our Boros and risk it with the mortals. Again, there's that descended cockiness. It's showing how embedded it is in these two. But as Alik mentions, that would be a death sentence. They have a lot of godstone, so it is Diem who follows her instincts. To Umbros, we fly. And it's not a very popular decision. For one, the Umbros queen is terrifying. None of the other realms have a good or I'll say trusting relationship with her. And she's a little unhinged. As Taryn says. Worst thing that igneous king could do is kill them. For Umbros, she could do much, much Worse, she could go into their heads, make them forget everything they know, turn them into a walking vegetable. She could make them decide to hate each other, kill one another. She could do any of the horrible things just by going into their head with a flick of her wrist.
- [44:25]
Taryn
And that's the perspective Luther, Elix and Taryn have of the Umbrous Queen. Understandably, that's what they have been warned about with her for so many years. Probably just growing up. They've heard these rumors about the mysterious, the scary, the dangerous Umbros queen. That's been their experience with the descendant of Umbros as well. I mean, take Simon for instance. Nobody wants to go wherever he is.
- [44:47]
Luther
Speaking of, though the Umbros representatives, including Simon from the Ascension Ball, had unfiltered access to literally everyone in that room. The gold on Lumnos and a bunch of other realms that they got is in just information alone is staggering. Including a lot of information from our crew right here. They know about Luthor being a half mortal. They know his feelings for dm. They know everything about the Guardians. They know about her and her plans as queen with the mortals and all that kind of stuff. Basically, they already got a whole damn tldr about everything that their queen would want to know. Which means their queen knows all of this, making her even more dangerous. This is rich, but as DM says, it's a risk, but it's one they have to take. I love that DMs just like it's a risk and it's like yeah, like no shit. We are always running around these days between to do list lists, errands and everything in between. It can be so easy to let prioritizing high quality healthy foods fall to the wayside. But Factor helps us eat smarter with tasty chef prepared meals that are dietitian approved and delivered right to our door. And now with over 65 weekly meals made for how we live and how we like to eat, we've got more ways to fit in real meals wherever the day takes us.
- [46:05]
Taryn
My family loves Factor. You can choose from a wide selection of weekly meal options including premium seafood choices like salmon and shrimp at no extra cost. And Factor now offers Asian inspired meals with bold flavors influenced by China, Thailand and more. They are so tasty and not just our household loves it. It's really great for my husband and I when we're like what do we do for dinner, you know, after those really crazy days. But also my brother in law, he lives by Factor. He absolutely loves it.
- [46:31]
Luther
From more choices to better nutrition. That's why 97 of customers say that Factor helped them live a healthier life. Feel the difference no matter your routine.
- [46:40]
Taryn
Eat smart@ Factor Meals.com fantasy fangirl50 off and use code fantasy fangirl50 off to get, you guessed it, 50% off plus free shipping on your first box. That's code fantasy fangirl50off@ Factor Meals.com for 50% off plus free shipping. Get delicious ready to eat meals delivered with factories. This one's for all my fellow parents out there with back to school season upon us, juggling practices and birthday parties, play dates and everything in between can be a real challenge. But here is a game changing solution. Put it all in a Skylight calendar. It provides a dialed in system with a visual guide for your family's busy days and it syncs so wonderfully. It's just the best digital calendar.
- [47:24]
Luther
Ah, I love it. Skylight Calendar was designed to help you manage the chaos of family life. Ditch the mental load of juggling everyone one's schedules by putting it all in one clear place. This all in one smart touchscreen calendar brings a visual structure and color coding across your schedules, your tasks, your lists and all your family needs.
- [47:44]
Taryn
I don't know how our household functioned before Skylight. Between my hectic work schedule, caretaking schedules, appointments, school fast approaching again, managing the home. Skylight centralizes all of it. It's where we put our meal planning to do list lists, grocery lists that yes, you can access from the grocery store on your app, and of course all of our calendars that sync in real time. It actually makes me excited as we head into the school year now with two kids in school because all the busyness actually feels manageable and I love a good color coding system.
- [48:13]
Luther
Right now Skylight is offering our listeners $30 off their 15 inch calendars by going to skylightcal.com fantasy go to to skylightcal.com Fantasy for $30 off your 15 inch calendar. That's S-K-Y-L-I-G-H-T C A L.com fantasy for.
- [48:35]
Taryn
Me, one of the biggest challenges to my confidence is acne. We've all dealt with it at some point or another. You're enjoying your life, you're feeling good and then boom. Acne swoops in to throw it all off. That's where Panoxyl is here to help.
- [48:47]
Luther
As a trusted brand for the past 50 years, Panoxyl is recommended from those we tried Trust most dermatologists and healthcare professionals. Panoxyl is the number one dermatologist recommended benzoyl peroxide brand in the U.S. panoxyl is on a mission to help you feel your best self, starting with your skin. With a range of products to choose from, Panoxyl is here to educate you on how to clear your acne to help build confidence through your skin care journey. I also want to say my husband used to have really bad acne and he used Panoxyl and it literally has cleared it up. This is amazing stuff off.
- [49:18]
Taryn
I just got my Panoxyl a few days ago and I'm so excited to keep using it. It's such a great feeling to know that quickly applying panoxyl kills 99 of acne causing bacteria in just 15 seconds. I already feel like myself again, tackling each day with just a bit more confidence.
- [49:32]
Luther
Go to panoxyl.com that's P-A-N-O-X-Y-L.com to find out more information, which products are right for you and where you can buy in store or visit the Penoxyl store on Amazon Penoxy the ACME Authority say.
- [49:49]
Diem
Hello to Samantha hi there. Samantha built a SaaS platform that helps small businesses manage their workflow, but she needed a smarter way to reach decision makers.
- [49:58]
Luther
That's where ACAST came in. They helped me produce a professional audio ad which played to business owners and ops leads using their audience attributes targeting tools. Suddenly my platform was showing up in the ears of the exact people I needed to reach.
- [50:10]
Diem
Now that that's streamlined marketing. Samantha, what's your tip for scaling smart?
- [50:14]
Luther
Solve a real problem and make sure the right people hear about it.
- [50:17]
Diem
Promote your business with podcast ads on Acast. Get started at go.acast.com advertise.
- [50:28]
Taryn
That is a theme with DM. This book for sure. But I will say I get it from Diem's perspective because her own experience with the Umbrella Queen is different from the others. The Umbros Queen has expressed quite an interest in Diem and it's not in like a I'll say dangerous kind of way. It's not for the information DM might have, like it is from pretty much everybody else. No, the Umbros Queen is the one with answers about DM and DM is desperate for any answers about who she is, who her birth father is, why your cell expected that to happen at the coronation. DM has been wanting answers about herself since her mother left at the beginning of Spark and the secret started coming out. And clearly the Empress Queen knows something. So I totally understand how DM Wants to seek her out for answers, especially after that coronation. And it's become clear, DM is not just the Queen of Lumnos. There is something else going on here. And there is one person who she knows something. And obviously she wants to talk to her. Back in Arboros, DM saw some herbs that could help. Help Terence wound. And obviously none of that is here. In Igneous, the Guardians are still closely monitoring the border from the Arboros side, ensuring that if they do try to sneak back in, the Guardians will go after our crew. And while being in the igneous mortal city with the Oasis is good, it's just not enough. And DM knows how to get Taryn more help. It's just not an easy thing to do. And she knows the others. Luther won't let her go. But DM is not someone to be coddled. Have we mentioned that she is a fierce, independent woman? I don't think we have mentioned that yet. On heat. So here we go. She is fierce, independent woman. She may be Queen, but she was a healer first. And even before that, she was a scrappy mortal who could take care of herself, who liked taking care of herself in that way. She's absolutely capable of executing this plan she is forming. Though, again, she knows the others won't agree to it because their job is to protect her and make sure she doesn't do risky things on her own. I'm sorry, I can't even say that without laughing. And yet, it can help. Taryn. And DM will never let an opportunity slide where it can benefit someone she cares about. So during their second night in Igneous, now in the abandoned Mortal City with shelter and water, DM makes her plan to sneak away once it's Alixa's turn to be on watch, DM plays it like she's super tired. Oh, so, so tired. And, oh, she needs to go to bed in a nearby house. Over there. But that's just what she wants them to think.
- [52:52]
Luther
As a loud noise creaks from a few houses down, giving DM the chance. Chance to run away. She runs up the dunes, but notices a silhouette bathing by a nearby spring. Luther. What are you doing in the middle of the night, my guy? DM thinks with a squeeze of her heart, that it's because of his discomfort with showing off his scar. That's why he didn't bathe with them all earlier. And while she's not wrong, showing his scar is definitely something he does not do often and anytime he has for dm. If she's touched it or talked about it, we fairly like freezes and has to almost remind himself that it's safe to show it around her. Which is why I remember reading this for the first time and being like, yeah, absolutely. Totally makes sense. That's going to happen a lot, this book. But no, there is a different reason for Luther's in the middle of the night, in the middle of the night sneakiness. He does not want anyone to see his Godstone wound on his hip. I'm going to call it the Hip Godstone Wound. That's, I think, its new name. While he is, you know, wanting to shield everyone from seeing his wound, I also think he's doing what DM said would be good for Taryn's wound. Earlier, she said that she needed fresh water to clean it so it wouldn't be infected. So it's almost like he's trying to follow the words of Taryn's personal healer as best he can without getting caught.
- [54:07]
Taryn
So what exactly is DMs brilliant, beyond brilliant plan here? To sneak away to Arboros and back. First, she steals the compass so Luther cannot follow her. Then DM ties up a stack of metal plates with a candle burning beneath the rock rope, so eventually the rope will snap and cause a clatter. This will distract Elix, who is on watch, and Luther, since you know, he's not sleeping long enough for DM to escape unseen. Once the metal plates fall, Diem rushes out into the dunes, and even though she didn't account for her footprints in the sand and has no way of covering them up, this would be a good moment to find out that you have sand magic. But I understand that she is still under the flame root. She does not know this yet. She makes her way to the Sand Sea, knowing that by the time her friends see her footprints, it will already be too late. Next, she buries her clothes in the sand and wades so far out into the frigid sea that the shore nearly disappears. What a great swimmer she is. My goodness. Remember that the Guardians are monitoring the Arboros and Igneous border, so she has to get back into Arboros by sea so she can stay hidden from the watchful eyes of the Guardians. She swims for an hour along the coastline, then gets onto Arboros land to retrieve hard to find medicinal plants that can help Taryn. She also finds a little bit of food as well for them, because they certainly don't have very much there in Igneous. I also love that she is completely naked right now, because she doesn't have her clothes being Mindful that dripping clothes will give her away when she sneaks back into our bros. And she has to avoid the detection of any guardians. All I can picture is naked and alone right now.
- [55:35]
Luther
I picture like being naked, walking, walking through the woods. And I hate bugs. I would be so afraid of just like, all the extra vulnerability that bugs have for just getting at me.
- [55:49]
Taryn
You know, the fact that you don't go to the bathroom often in the woods is really showing. But to get back into Igneous, DM is forced to go by land to avoid ruining the herbs with salt water. Which means getting a little too close to the guardians on watch at the border. The whole reason that she had to go by sea in the first place. And she almost makes it past the guardians unseen until a poorly timed sneeze. This makes the guardians notice her. So DM has you run for her life while Godstone arrows rain down on her naked.
- [56:26]
Luther
Naked and alone.
- [56:30]
Taryn
But hey, she makes it back to Igneous in one piece with no clothes and with the herbs to hopefully help Taran.
- [56:36]
Luther
Huzzah. I just see her running back into Igneous completely nude, holding like, like all of her stuff. Like, like.
- [56:46]
Taryn
So talk about sand getting in places.
- [56:48]
Luther
You don't want to be. I'm just saying. Okay, so we have to ask the question. Naked and alone aside, do you think that this was a really smart move for DM to do this solo mission, or was it like a okay, DM moment?
- [57:04]
Taryn
Kind of both.
- [57:05]
Luther
Yeah.
- [57:05]
Taryn
Like, overall, I think it was a smart move on DM's part because I completely understand her reasoning to go alone and yes, to sneak away, because especially Luther would have said no. But with that said, I think the note she left behind could have been more informative. Like an inclusion of had to get medicinal plants would have been very helpful. Though I don't think it would have eased Luther's reaction whatsoever. As far as, like her essentially going against what she knows Luther would have wanted. It's hard because I think that Luther is being a little bit unreasonable here in his overprotectiveness. And I'll also say that DM is really beginning to take advantage of her friends trust in her and the fact that she always thinks that she knows better.
- [57:46]
Luther
Oh yeah, we'll get into that in a moment. I am like 90% team DM. I would have done the same thing, probably. I just maybe would not have done it naked, but maybe I would have actually told Luther and tried to make him see reason. Because as far as she knows, he is the only one who would have been able to go now he should not have gone in the ocean because it would have infected his wound. But again, she doesn't know that. Regardless, if she didn't go though Taryn's shoulder. She checked Taryn's wound when they got to Mortal City and she noticed the lower one was was doing okay. Like it wasn't like, you know, receding, but it also wasn't gaining traction super fast. But then she looked at the one on his shoulder and it was massively spider webbing out with those black veins. So it would have killed him like if she hadn't gone. So I won. Or at least in her mind. So I understand completely why she did it. My 10% where that is lacking is the note. It said, quote, if I'm not backed by dawn, go to Ambrose without me.
- [58:47]
Taryn
I understand why she said she was not going to Ourobros because she didn't want them to follow her at the same time.
- [58:54]
Luther
Something, anything, she knows them better than that. Like a they would not have gone without her. She's not an idiot, but she's acting like one with this dumbass note. I understand why she's with the compass. Like everything like that makes sense, but the note was But I'm giving DM a lowercase l for the note. Regardless, Luther's reaction is not happy with dm. Our boy is pissed that his queen went behind his back, but not like I'm mad at you in my morally gray moment way where I actually admire what you did. No, like in a slam fist on the table so hard it splits the wood in the middle as he screams quote, it should have been me. While DM Taran and Elise Leaks believe that this is a result of Luther and his typical like I need to protect everyone and anyone who's hurt is my responsibility mindset. A mindset that we know from Luther's glow ending bonus chapter is because when his mother died and he was not able to save her, he feels like he needs to save everyone to atone for his mother's death. We saw this back in Spark when the children at the palace got hurt and he felt like it was his fault even though he had nothing to do with it. But of course his attitude is only amplified a million fold because it's the woman he loves. He's also stressed they've been on the road for a while, his best friend's life is in the balance, so of course he's quicker to snap. However, there's some extra context that Luther has and the rest of Them don't. First, there is something that is addressed in Luther's Heat of the Everflame Bonus chapter that is something called Godstone Temperature, meaning Luther is extra crabby and things like this will make him boil over very, very quickly, hence the outburst, and also hence the immediate regret and guilt that passes over his face when DM takes a physical step back from him. God, that kills me that part. But secondly, if DM is over in Arboros, there's a lot of Godstone over there that easily, she could have been pierced by she was running naked through the woods as Godstone arrows rained down on her. She could have easily been hit. Now, obviously they don't know that Godstone has no effect on her, but he was deeply worried that she would end up with the same fate as him. Thirdly, she is the Queen, and yes, he loves her, but all of them feel like she should not be putting her life in danger. Remember last episode when we talked about that whole you're being a liability because you constantly stepping into the line of fire makes it so that they're not able to do their jobs. And then there's the words, quote, it should have been me. It should have been him going over to Border. It should have been him risking his life. After all, he already has a death sentence sentence. It should have been him, not the woman he firmly believes is going to bring peace back into the world. But as DM gives him the hard truth that he cannot protect her because quote, this is bad. You won't always be there too. Luther shoves away from the table and disappears into the morning streets of the abandoned mortal city. Woof.
- [61:45]
Taryn
El the Godstone temper is actually something I definitely didn't know or think about until I read that bonus chapter. So it is really good extra context. I remember reading this for the first time and being like, what the fuck is going on?
- [61:59]
Luther
Oh, I was livid. Like, I remember the first half of Heat of the Everflame. I was listening to you just like constantly white knuckled because I was like, why? Why are you doing this? And I was so mad because I was like, please don't make him out of character. But then you get to that later part and you're like, oh, actually that's incredibly in character for him. Exactly.
- [62:19]
Taryn
Luther has always been overprotective, but not at the cost of making his girl feel like she has to take a step back from him or feel like she is not capable in her own right. I also think that he isn't telling DM about his own Godstone wound because he knows that there is nothing to be done. He's written himself and Taran off because he doesn't think that they can be healed. And yet here DM is risking her life to try and heal Taryn. And in Luther's mindset he's upset with her for risking her life like that because he is not telling her this very important injury so she doesn't try to do something selfless like this. But DM's doing it anyway, making his holding back of his wound all the more reason for him to feel like she's rubbing salt in it, even though it's not deemed fault for not knowing.
- [63:02]
Luther
And I feel like right now in this stretch where we are with Luther, he is being so overprotective because he feels like.
- [63:09]
Taryn
Like.
- [63:09]
Luther
I mean he's getting ripped away from her and so he's trying to ensure that she is going to be okay without him around. And that is why I'm really grateful that when he does get healed, there is that 180. He is still protective, but it's not in a way that makes her feel less than yes, exactly.
- [63:28]
Taryn
Well, and even when they are with the Igneous King and she's doing some of her magic, he is in support of it. He is in support of her utilizing her magic and learning more about it and exploring this very mysterious side of her and not at the cost of her life. And in this case it's not like he is thinking Taryn is not worth it. No, but her life is more important than anything. And that is where he's like why are you doing this?
- [63:54]
Luther
And again, that's where it goes back to. He's still getting an L for sure. I'd call it an uppercase L. It is a. It is an outburst that is.
- [64:01]
Taryn
Yeah, it's in character and I understand it, but the that does not make it right.
- [64:06]
Luther
Exactly.
- [64:06]
Taryn
Its own way.
- [64:07]
Luther
Yeah, exactly.
- [64:08]
Taryn
Giving Luther a much needed moment to calm down and needing a distraction for herself, Diem orders Taryn to sit and remove his bandages. Time to get to work. With the whole reason she went into Arboros to get the medicinal plants for him, DM sets out a clean linen robe and starts cutting it into strips. But she loses focus for one second and slips, slicing the blade through her palm and dripping blood into the bowl with a freshly made poultice. Not wanting to waste the limited supply of herbs, Dean scoops out what she can of the blood tainted sections and proceeds to tend to his wounds. Putting the poultice on him and binding the injury again. All the while thinking to herself, oh, my God, I can't believe I'm having to be this unsanitary. But it just has to be good enough.
- [64:50]
Luther
But we all know. Alarm, alarm, alarm. Because I remember reading this for the first time and being like, this is important. Maybe I just deep dive books enough to know like, ah, ah, ah, ah. This is big. This is big.
- [65:02]
Taryn
And I didn't notice it at all until the next one. Or was it. Yeah, it was not until the next one where I was like, okay, wait, something's going on here.
- [65:11]
Luther
Because I remember she slipped and I was like, this feels like a moment where an author would not put this in unless this is extremely important.
- [65:20]
Taryn
You mean like when Luther slips with an apple later on?
- [65:23]
Luther
Yes. Yeah. Slipping with. Did anyone tell you not to run with scissors? Who was giving this? As we will see when she heals Luther's wound and then again when she heals the wounds in Sophos. There is a common ingredient in this dam's blood. Do we know why yet? No, but I have two guesses. We know that the Kindred make Godstone. Does this mean they're also immune to Godstone? But I also have the question is, if they are immune to Godstone, then why is it highly poisonous to their eyes offspring? Or is this a DM Everflame sort of thing? Like, because she has the power of the Everflame from Aurelie's ancestors, there's something in that bloodline that allows for her to cure Godstone. So I am personally leaning towards the latter, that it's an Everflame thing.
- [66:13]
Taryn
That's so interesting because I think it is more of a kindred thing. Because when I think about Ophiuchai, he was stabbed with a Godstone wound on Kuriel when he did not have magic. And he was able to survive it completely on his own. So I think that it is much more of a kindred thing. I don't know if it's a tenth kindred thing. I think it's more of just an any kindred thing because they can create the Godstone. However, when it comes to their offspring, I really do wonder if it was something that was completely unexpected. Almost like the biological chemistry. It didn't work the way that they thought it would. I don't know.
- [66:53]
Luther
Okay, question. Do you think that Arlie shared blood somehow with Ophiuchi, and just like I was assuming with DM and Eleanor, where she shared blood with Eleanor, making Eleanor now immune to Godstone? What if Aurelie shared that with Ophiuchy, and that's why he got stabbed and survived to tell the tale. And it's not because of the kindred stuff.
- [67:18]
Taryn
I know that they were sharing lots of bodily fluids and, you know, she had a baby with him around, but I just. That feels like a stretch.
- [67:28]
Luther
It's a good thing that DM accidentally slipped and, you know, added some blood into this poultice, though, because as we will learn, when DM checks his wounds the next time, they are massively better. Like, wildly better, to the point where DMs like. Like, I guess this works, right?
- [67:46]
Taryn
She's like, I have never seen herbs heal this fast. But all right, we're not gonna question this. Let's keep going.
- [67:52]
Luther
Well, I love how she's like, well, it could. You know, the infection could come back, all of this stuff. And Taryn's like, she's not lying. She's.
- [67:59]
Taryn
That's my favorite parts. I love Taran when he's injured because he is such a big baby, but also trying to be strong, but he's just not. And I just love him so much.
- [68:11]
Luther
I do, too. Like, I love how when I. They're deciding where to go, and Alix is like, going to Arboros is a death sentence. Taryn's like, I've already got one of those. And it's like, bro, morbid. Anyway. Knock, knock. Lexi, who's there? Are we there yet? It's been hours of walking northward along the coastline of Igniots. They must be getting somewhere. Right on this coast with the clouds rolling in. It is. Is freezing by the shore. Well, for everyone except one of our crew, DM is on fire. Not literally yet. She is sweating. The poultices in her hands is bubbling as she's going to put it on Taryn. Even her skin is starting to cinch her clothes. How could this be? It has been over three days since she had her last Flame root dose. And. Huh, it looks like it's starting to wear off. But why would that mean DM is hot? As we will learn firsthand in Sophos, when Diem first enters a new tear Mer a new realm that she's never been to before, there is an overwhelming download of the new magic coming into her. And as DM's flame root is wearing off, that is exactly what she is experiencing here.
- [69:27]
Taryn
So instead of it being like an onslaught of new power like she experiences in Sophos, this igneous power is more gradual because her new magic is nullified by the flame route. And as the flame route very slowly wears off, DM very slowly starts feeling more of this new power. As they walk toward the northeast Igneous and Umbros border, the group encounters three igneous guards standing watch for anyone who tries to cross the border off the ring road. But thankfully, as long as DM's identity stays hidden, this should be a walk in the park. But just to be safe, they decide to move quickly while Taran still has his magic, just in case he needs to shield the group from, you know, the igneous guards. Guards fire magic. Walking up to the patrol, the group tries to pretend that they didn't know they had to stay off the road. They just wanted to see the beaches, you know, it's got pretty sand after all. And of course, the guards are very skeptical and start a mini interrogation, asking why they were in our boros and when did they leave, probably knowing that's where the Guardians are known to be. And Taran knows exactly what to say to get on their good side. They were hunting mortals, of course. He weaves a story about a family friend being hurt in the attack and wants to make those responsible pay. Which isn't technically a lie, but they're certainly spinning it to appeal to another descendant. One of the guards gets curious, though, trying to pull DM's hood down. And Luther is not having it. Thinking quick on his feet, Luther pulls DM close to his chest, saying, keep your hands off my mate. And being the quick thinkers they are, Alixe and Taran jump in on the ruse, spinning a tail of a freshly mated pair still trying to attack just to their bond. Ayo, in other words, they're bang, bang, banging a lot, and it's keeping the others up at night. And how Luther stabbed Taryn in the balls, to which he is fully willing to show the guards. But hey, it works. The fake story. Not Taryn showing the guards his giant hanging balls. He does not do that. Unfortunately, the guards agree that if they stay near the water and head straight to the border, they are free to go. Huzzah. They're getting out of this alive.
- [71:25]
Luther
But it is not a walk in the park from here. The heat radiating off DM is only getting worse and worse. Her heart is racing, her blood is pounding, her skin is broiling. Her hair is stuck to her face with sweat that is also soaking through her clothing. And there's also just that one little thing that Luther called her his mate. And DM tries to brush it off. She's got bigger fish to fry. But I will not deem's heart jumps at hearing the words spill from his lips. Remember when Henry was proposing and it made her want to run for the hills? Luther calling Diem mate was profound, earth shattering, life changing, world shifting. DM has never been someone who dreamed of a lifetime committing herself to someone. She sees it as holding herself back, but hearing Luther say mate, something that is not only permanent in this life, but also beyond. It should have had her running for the hills as well. But no, she is staying put, even if she's sweating her tits off. When DM goes to dab sweat off her face, Luther sees that DM's eyes are glowing and Diem takes it as her magic is coming back. But Luther is not so sure because the light in DM's eyes, it doesn't look like Lumnos's light, which are they glowing? Because she's about to burst into flames. It's almost like she's an ember.
- [72:42]
Taryn
It's kind of how I take it. I take it as the power consuming her, especially with it being fire. If we have learned anything, anything from the Empyrean series is that fire wielding is no joke. Or it is a little nod maybe to Igneous. Like, do her eyes turn pink when she gets all of her powers in Sophos? I'm leaning no since we don't get any other hint when she gets her other magical abilities, including an Umbros. So I am going to say final answer. It is just that power consuming her from within and happens to be fire.
- [73:14]
Luther
I agree. Stopping for a drink of water, DM accidentally spills some on herself and it instantly boils away. Oh dear. Feeling something scratch at the back of her neck, DM pulls her scarf out, only to find holes along the fabric, each of the edges blackening and curling like someone had held it over a candle just to watch it burn. Hello godhood. The Voice is back. It's nice to see ya. The Voice. Voice may still be weak from flameroot, but it is out and ready to play. But it also added a new word to its repertoire.
- [73:48]
Taryn
Burn.
- [73:49]
Luther
We have had fight, destroy, and even kill. But this new command is roaring through DM's ears.
- [73:56]
Taryn
Ah, I just love all the double meaning with it. Burn. Literally, because of the igneo's firepower. But also, we've always associated DM with the word burn. Like when she's in the throes of passion. And what do we know the last book is called? Yep, Burn of the Ever Flame. It's the climax. It's the peak of power. It's the point of no return. And I'll even say loss of control. Yes, the heat inside Diem is too much to handle. So she starts taking up all her clothes that did not work the way I wanted to, specifically her cloak. And DM staggers into the water, collapsing to her knees, causing any water that touches her skin to immediately bubble and turn to steam. She is burning. Luther runs to her side, but DM pushes him away. Seconds before she loses control and surrenders to the voice of burn, burn, burn. Suddenly, everything is on fire. Her skin, her clothes, her breath, her vision, her heart. Everything transforms into a searing, oppressive blaze of orange and red. But even though DM is completely engulfed in flames, there is no pain, no welts, no blisters. Only the most exquisite sensation of release.
- [75:05]
Luther
Lexi Just got the zoomies, everyone. Okay, so I do have a question. We've wondered multiple times if certain elements of the Kindred in the descended ways and their magics, if they are rooted in the Everflame. For instance, when we were talking about King Arthur's funeral and wearing red being the symbol of the glow in the afterlight where all the souls lay to re rest if they're found worthy, which we felt was very ever flame coated. But here DM is saying how there was nothing but burning and fire. And fire. It also sounds very ever flame coated. So I wonder if Igneous was actually close to the mortal religion of the Everflame. Which then got me thinking, because we know pre Blood War, Igneous was the realm that was most hospitable and friendly to mortals. Is it because they had the common ground in flame and the Everflame?
- [75:57]
Taryn
Maybe. I love that connection.
- [75:59]
Luther
I do too.
- [76:00]
Taryn
Yeah. When Luther nears dm, she tries to send him away, but he's already figured out what's happening. DM isn't dying. She's releasing all the igneous magic that's slowly built up since she stepped foot in the realm.
- [76:14]
Luther
And as Luther is walking over to her in the water, he has has, quote, discomfort written all over his face. It is not because of the flame or the boiling water or the heat. It is because he is getting salt water in his godstone cut at his hip. This is also where I'm a little mad at him, because by him getting in the water, he is absolutely infecting his wound. Something that DM said would be not so good for Taryn. I'm just like, come on, Luther. I know you're wanting to go to your girl, but. But you're not helping.
- [76:47]
Taryn
I Know, right? I know. And he knows that she's not going to hurt him. So he reaches out and asks to touch her. He asks. Very good. While hesitant, DM absolutely trusts him. And when he touches her, engulfed in flame, nothing bad happens. No one is burned or hurt, and both of their clothes are still intact. Turns out this is DM mastering the flames so quickly, just like we saw her do with light and shadow magic. The ability to wield these powers comes faster, easier, and more powerfully for her than they do for others who have the same powers. Because she is other, she is not like these other descendants.
- [77:23]
Luther
Having just seen that, number one, they did not follow the guards instructions. And number two, one of them just burst into flames. The guards send up a pillar of flames to alert the king. Something's wrong. Not wanting to see what'll happen next. Next, our group books it for the border, with the guards hot on their heels. But the guards aren't the only thing coming. With a thump, thump, thump. The king and his gryvern are on their way and closing in fast.
- [77:52]
Taryn
Following the command of her queen, Elixe launches into plan mode. If things go badly, which they most certainly are about to. With the king's arrival, Elixe is to take Taryn and run for Ambrose. Yes, that means abandoning her queen, because the king has made it clear he's not going to immediately kill dm. But he will absolutely kill her companions, and DM can't imagine putting them in that kind of danger. So to convince Taran to come with the leaks, DM convinces him to trust her and go with leaks. Oof. I understand why DM is doing this, but she's gotta be careful about that trust she's been taking advantage of. Like I was saying earlier this episode.
- [78:29]
Luther
In DM's mind, this reasoning makes perfect sense. If her friends stay, the king will kill them. If DM only stays, he'll just capture her, not kill her. Which honestly, is debatable. But earlier in this chapter stretch, when DM and Alix are concocting this plan, Alix does struggle. She's taken a vow to serve and protect the crown at all cost. Ah, but there's that first part. Serve. Because Elix does not want to follow this command and take Luther and Taryn and run for Ombros, abandoning their Queen fairly. But DMs says the magic words, quote, obey your queen, which I'm actually going to start pointing out a lot more because she's getting very comfortable with this phrase.
- [79:08]
Taryn
I was just about to say it is Interesting how DM knows that she is throwing around the weight of the crown when she needs to. At least from her pov. But she also recognizes she doesn't always make the best plans. Like earlier, before they ran into the guards. DM mocks herself with her infinite wisdom and how she forced them to go along the coast. But she is also willing to do whatever it takes to keep those she cares about safe. And that means ensuring they get out of danger when they need to. I was talking a lot last episode about Vance being a martyr. DM is as well. Very much so in her own right.
- [79:43]
Luther
Oh yeah, and I'll also say that she has now gotten multiple instances where she says obey your queen, or I am your queen. Follow my commands. And her her subjects naturally do, because that's what they're supposed to do. And it's becoming a catch all for DM when they're not doing what she wants them to do.
- [80:03]
Taryn
She was doing that right when she got the crown, though. I was picking that up back in glow. Even literally right when she gets the crown, she tells Lily, you can't tell anybody because I'm your queen kind of thing. Exactly went from there and now in Heat. We are going to be seeing it a lot more often because she is so out of her element. Yes, and also needing to take risks that nobody else is willing to take.
- [80:30]
Luther
With this. Alix is at a crossroads. Which vow does she break? Which vow does she follow? Whether it's because she truly trusts DM or she's still a little pissed to her about the Guardian situation, or sneaking out on her own to Arboros, or something else in her subconscious that we will absolutely be discussing in Umbros two episodes from now. Alix chooses to obey her queen, grabbing Taran and running. Who does not run, though, shockingly. Luther.
- [80:59]
Taryn
Hey, friends. Guess who's back?
- [81:01]
Luther
Tybalt. Tybalt's back.
- [81:03]
Taryn
Back again.
- [81:04]
Luther
Guess who's back.
- [81:06]
Taryn
Tell a friend. But unfortunately, this also includes the King and. And four of his guards, which real quickly tippled is gigantic to be able to fit that many people. I know Sarai will actually be in a very similar situation here when they're leaving Umpros. I want to know how the mechanics of that work. But anyway, the three igneous guards our crew encountered just a little while ago. They're running to join the small igneous force. And the King reveals. A lot of people are looking for you, dm. Why doesn't she return to his palace and. And they can keep discussing this.
- [81:38]
Luther
Ha. Yeah, right.
- [81:39]
Taryn
Not Going to fall for that. Igneous. Because ultimately, he cannot let DM leave his realm and escape his clutches. After all, DM is wanted for questioning by the Crowns of Marion. An order has been issued for her capture until questions are answered. So when the Igneous king is like, yeah, come back to my palace. That's him capturing her. So that their questions can be answered.
- [81:59]
Luther
Bad, bad, bad. This is bad. But I do have to ask. Ask. How is this just dawning on Diem? Are we about to start Delulu DM again? I suppose. No.
- [82:10]
Taryn
Because I actually do have a reason behind this.
- [82:12]
Luther
Oh, I'm glad you do. Because I'm. I am 5 out of 5 right now with DM. She knows that she's been accused of being an imposter from Sophos. She broke the heartstone. Her mother is the leader of the Guardians, and the Crowns think that she was part of the attack on Kreel. Did you? She seriously think that she wasn't going to be questioned?
- [82:33]
Taryn
Okay, so here's my reasoning. I think she was relying too much on what her friends shared with her, that things in Lumnos are largely unchanged. And it's not common knowledge that DM has been held hostage by the guardians. So DMs had tunnel vision. Get back to Lumnose, wield her political power as queen, and save her mother. Her friends don't seem to know that this order has been issued by the Crowns. Because I. I do think that in Lumnos, they're trying to pretend like everything is better, and our friends just don't know what's been actually going on. So Dean's been following their information.
- [83:05]
Luther
That's fair. Fair? She's been a little one track mind. I. Okay, I will agree with you on that. I still think it's a little Delulu. Yes, Just a little. Maybe like a three out of five. You convinced me to get.
- [83:19]
Taryn
There we go. I did my job. Question one from Igneous. How is DM wielding his realm's flame power? Luther tries to throw off the scent, saying, nope, that's actually his people attacking her, and she's shielding in self defense. Oh, so does that mean that DM's shielding Luther, too? With that, the king unleashes his guards on DM and Luther with the order to take her and kill him in a second. An arsenal of spears and bolts and blades and balls are tearing toward them, all forged in fire, throwing her shield up so hard she pushes herself back. DM holds off the attacks, but her shield is slowly breaking down. Down.
- [83:58]
Luther
Down.
- [83:59]
Taryn
With each hit, round after round, the guards attack harder and harder, turning to use more raw magic in an effort to wear her down. And it's working. It's seven against one, and DM's magic is running out quickly, especially since she's still fogged by the flame root. She is not at even 50% right now, friends. Seeing that her shield is covered in a web of cracks, the guards change their tactics to focus all of their attacks on one single point. DM notes the assault's feel, as if it's burrowing past her defenses and worming beneath her skin.
- [84:29]
Luther
With nothing else she can do, DM grabs Luther and twists so her body is in front of his as her shield crumples and collapses. Oh, no. As the attacks now hit DM instead of her shield, a tingling feeling spreads across her back, feeling like scorch and snow, Heat and hoar, frost, inferno and ice.
- [84:52]
Taryn
Here we go again.
- [84:55]
Luther
It's neither painful nor pleasurable, but all at once, it's re. Energizing. There's that word. Allowing her magic to spark back to life, burning brighter and brighter with every single hit, absorbing harmlessly into her skin, her batteries recharging. And the same thing happens when the king releases a. A new wave of fire at dm. She doesn't even blink. She just throws her arms out and happily accepts the blow.
- [85:21]
Taryn
Seeing their magic isn't working against this strange kind of shield, they aren't able to destroy, the guards unsheath their weapons. Good thing that's what DM is most comfortable with. Feeling at home with her weapon, DM jumps into the fray with Luther never far from her side.
- [85:35]
Luther
I love that moment where she's like, ready, my prince? And he says, always, my queen. Like, that's the moment we've been missing. And in this book, with Luther being so in. I will never tell you my secret like that. Oh, I just love it. That's the moment where it's like, I will fight alongside you, not step in front of you. You know me. I love that shit.
- [85:52]
Taryn
I know. This fight is exactly what DM needed to mend the cracks in her own broken spirit. I love how there's a moment when she's like, if we weren't fighting for our lives right now, this would be fun. But quickly, the fight turns to closer quarters, increasing the stakes and requiring more speed and dexterity. This leaves Luther and DM at a disadvantage. After days of travel and Luther's, you know, hidden godstone injuries, we cannot forget about those. I can't Imagine how he's fighting or even upright right now, considering Taran's wounds had him struggling so much. It goes to show that mind over matter, Though even Luther won't be able to keep the stamina up much longer. In Umbros. And the days of travel show, slowly the guards wear them down. And DM knows she has to end this fight before they're overpowered. So, falling to her knees, DM uses the small bit of returning magic to cast out a barrier of blinding silvery light. And together, Luther and Diem make a run for the border. But the king shoots a wall of fire in front of them, stopping their escape.
- [86:48]
Luther
Luther knows DM can easily just stride through the wall of fire and escape to Umbros. And he knows that DM has to live. She's the queen, after all. She has to continue her mission and lead the world into a better era. Annie also knows that he's already dying. And if he can give the queen those one few precious extra seconds to cross the border, then he feels like his death will be worth it. Again, I'm just gonna say that this would have been a good place to already have the context of him being wounded. I'm not saying she would have chosen to leave him, obviously, but communication is important. Wait a second.
- [87:24]
Taryn
Second.
- [87:24]
Luther
Because this reminded me, last book, they said no more secrets to each other. L lother my guy.
- [87:33]
Taryn
While we're just on this. I did not mention this earlier. Is when she does figure out how to heal Taryn. That is the moment, buddy. That's the moment where you say, okay, I have a confession.
- [87:45]
Luther
Me too.
- [87:46]
Taryn
Me too, please. But he is again, being a martyr. A martyr. You know, I was just talking about DM being a martyr. I was talking about Vance being one last episode. This is Luther, you know, and he just doesn't think that he is going to get healed because it was just luck pretty much, that Taryn had. But he still, like, tries to use the same stuff that healed I. Why doesn't he say anything in that moment? Back to the current scene. This is where the king puts two and two together. Together with DM's weakness. She might have an impenetrable shield, but Luther does not. If the igneous king wants to capture DM and weaken her, the igneous guards need to take Luther out, turn their weapons on him. And that will also distract dm as she tries to shield him and help him, the igneous king. And let's be honest, DM herself might not understand how her unique shield works, where she can simply Absorb magic. But he knows it is something only DM has. Luther is just, you know, a regular Limnos descended who doesn't have his magic. Right now, being in a different realm, one of the guards do indeed throw a knife at Luther's leg and it injures him. Oh, shit. This is getting real. And can only think of one way to save Luther's life right now. Which is exactly what the igneous king intended.
- [89:02]
Luther
Not wanting to watch the king cut down Luther, DM offers up herself in exchange for sparing Luther's life. We're just gonna start keeping, keeping score, because I swear to God, DM is at three times for saying, no, take me instead. Save him. Once at the Guardian camp, then with Vance, and then here. Luther is at 2 once with Vance, and once again here. Luther literally pushes DM through the flame wall and she lands on the sand. DM focuses on Tybalt and sees an emotion in his eyes. She says, quote, something stirred in my chest. A forgotten intuition, a memory you know exists but can't quite recall. In the depths of the creature's dark golden eyes. There was not a message, exactly. Almost an emotion, as if. And then it gets cut off. As if he recognizes her power. As if he recognizes her connection to Sarai. As if he recognizes her as the daughter of Omnos because he was alive when he saw Ophiuchai. Something else. Or is this her realizing that she's able to communicate with him on a date? Deeper level than just intuition?
- [90:07]
Taryn
I don't know. So I was initially thinking Tybalt might also sense that DM will be the next Igneous crown, just like Sarai could with dm. And this is like him sensing their eventual bond. But in a little while, DM realizes what Tybalt is trying to tell her here. He does not want to protect the king at all costs, but he has to because of his bond. And it's his sad warning to dm.
- [90:29]
Luther
So you think that this is her using Thanos magic and that's the as if cut off?
- [90:34]
Taryn
I definitely think she's using Thanos magic. And I also think there is that upcoming bond again, exactly like what we experienced with Sarai. But there's also that other thing of what Tibble is trying to communicate to her, which is, hey, I'm gonna have to save this guy. Please don't make me kill you in the process.
- [90:55]
Luther
Yes, but then, out of pretty much nowhere, a bolt of lightning crashes down from the darkening clouds. And thunder cracks as rain begins to fall. Hello, storm. Out of the literal Blue. What prompted this?
- [91:10]
Taryn
I just assume everything like this is divine intervention.
- [91:14]
Luther
Okay, I'll deal with divine intervention. That sounds great. DM tries again to give herself up. DM4 Luther2. By the way, you're keeping score. But no, the king says, no dice. He's got to die. He knows that if he doesn't kill Luther here and now, Luther will just come back later with backup and try to save DM from whatever fate the king has planned for her. Because, yes, he would.
- [91:36]
Taryn
Well, besides, he needs DM to answer his questions and, you know, not be distracted by Luther. Oh, my God. Really? Shows how merciless this guy is.
- [91:45]
Luther
Yeah, and she's probably gonna save him on Korean because he's dying of a Godstone wound, too. Cool, cool, cool. It's great. Seeing the king raise his palm towards Luther and emitting flames, DM blindly jumps in front of her. Boo. But it's not until she's through the flames that she sees the Fortosian steel dagger that one of the guards sent spiraling towards Luther's heart. But now it is plunged straight into her chest. And folks, it's not looking good. Even though DM doesn't regret it for a moment. For obvious reasons, I'm not going to even list them. You all know what they are.
- [92:22]
Taryn
This does make me wonder. Can Fortosian Ciel kill DM if she's not brought back with magic? Because it certainly seems to be the case here. She has been stabbed in the chest with a Fortosian steel dagger here, yet Godstone does not kill her. Again, I think about how Ophiuchai was stabbed with a Godstone blade by. By orally, and he didn't have access to magic beyond his own healing abilities. So did he. And now Diem at the end of Heat survive only because of their quick healing. And how, you know, Godstone isn't automatically fatal to these two. Or does Godstone straight up not have the same effects as something like Fortosian steel?
- [93:00]
Luther
I'm gonna go with the latter. I think it's that she can be killed by Fortosian steel, which is deeply concerning.
- [93:06]
Taryn
So now we have to ask ourselves another question. Can Ophiuchai be killed with Fartosian steel? Because as of right now, it doesn't seem like he's killable whatsoever.
- [93:15]
Luther
I would disagree, because I think the foreshadowing of the sword. I mean, yes, it doesn't seem like he's killable, but I do think the sword will be able to kill him.
- [93:24]
Taryn
I agree, but is that Fortosian steel?
- [93:27]
Luther
I think so. I think it's from their home planet.
- [93:29]
Taryn
Exactly. Because it was one of the kindreds.
- [93:31]
Luther
Yeah. Yeah.
- [93:32]
Taryn
So it brings me back to my question.
- [93:34]
Luther
I don't know. I don't know. Ask me when we get to Monteos. Okay, now I want us to take a moment and put ourselves in Luther's shoes. He's been trying to get DM to run and save herself, because have I mentioned, he's a dying man and he might as well save the woman he loves, since he's gonna die anyway. But she just jumped in front of a blade to save his life. A life he's already deemed is going bye bye. So he says, it should have been me. I should have told you. Yeah, we all know exactly what he's referring to on a reread. Luther's decisions to hold back information aside, because we have talked a lot about that, this episode, and trust me, we're just getting started. My heart does break for him in this moment. It's so sweet how he's so careful with diem as he lays her onto the sand. How he quickly folds his arms own scarf into a square and then puts firm pressure on her wound. It's like, sad boy, Luther, I love you. Even though you've made some mistakes, it's okay. But then DM says the magic word. Magic. She may mean something else that we'll get to in a moment, but Luther takes this as unleash his magic, End this battle before the king does. Because, yes, the king is literally planning on killing both of them and then incinerating their bodies. I love how he's like, nothing to see here.
- [94:55]
Taryn
This king does not give two shits about doing things by the books. If you haven't noticed, he is unapologetically brutal, as we will see when you know he stabs the emperor's queen and kills her on Kuriel, which you are not supposed to do. You're not supposed to have weapons, especially to kill another crown on the Neutral zone.
- [95:13]
Luther
Also, he had a godstone weapon.
- [95:15]
Taryn
Yeah, that's not supposed to have that.
- [95:17]
Luther
None of them are. But, oh, it's a good thing, because Luther's magic is back, baby.
- [95:24]
Taryn
Okay, so do you think this is a coincidence? Because that is extremely good timing for his magic to come right back. Or is Lumnos listening to Luther? Because he did say, you know, please just bring my magic back so I can save her. And she is giving him his magic back right now. And she is able to do this in igneous because you know the forging spell is breaking down. Or, and this is what I'm thinking, it's Luther's godhood waking up after the shock of DM dying. And his godhood is what is rallying and ready. So it almost like, yes, there are the limitations with how his magic right now is kind of coming in and out, but this was such an emotional shock that it just jolted it, almost.
- [96:05]
Luther
Like, back to life.
- [96:06]
Taryn
And it's Luther's own major distress that causes his magic to return. Because we know know godhood does feed off of emotions.
- [96:13]
Luther
Oh, I was so convinced it was Lumos because just before this, he, like, looks up and he's like, haven't I given enough? Like, if I. Like, if anything, like, let me save her. And this is him saving her. So I figured it was Lunos. But you make a really good point where it's like, this is a deeply distressing moment for him. I would not want to be on the receiving side of this. Very pissed off prince.
- [96:37]
Taryn
No shit.
- [96:40]
Luther
Luther's not even pissed off. He is apoplectic right now. Oh, my God. Unleashing his magic. Light and shadows ignite across the beach in a dazzling explosion of fury and magic. Glowing whips snake over the sand, impaling the igneous guards dead. Dead, dead. Pale blue fissures web across the their skin, rearing them apart from within and filling the air with the smell of burnt flesh. Yikes. And at the same time, dark vines laced with thorns curl up their legs and tighten until their bones crunch and blood oozes from a hundred puncture wounds. Goodness, Luther. The screams of the guards turned garbled as shadowy tendrils punch through their guts and emerge writhing from their mouths. Can we pause? Whoa. You. Oh, dear.
- [97:33]
Taryn
Oh, dear. I do want to briefly bring up how DM has sort of mixed feelings about seeing Luther's violent display of power. He easily kills these seven igneous guards. We know DM might talk tough, to put it mildly. But ultimately, she has a soft heart and doesn't want to meet violence with violence, as we have discussed at least length. She knew Ron deserved to die and be brought to justice, but she offered him mercy because killing him went against her overarching goals. Yet these are also Luther's goals. So why is she not holding him to the same standard that she holds herself? She thinks how she doesn't judge him for what he's doing, but she can't take pleasure in his killing spree. I will say this. I think part of it is because she is empathetic to All. And that includes toward Luther and understanding his fierce need to protect her. And these guards might have just been doing their job, but they were. Trying to kill these two to and survive at all costs is always her father's first lesson.
- [98:27]
Luther
Meanwhile, there's Igneous king, who's just like, uh, oh, oh dear. He just watched the prince, not even a king, a prince massacre his guards with such ease. And now Luther turns his attention onto him. Luther's magic consumes the beach yet again, coming at the king from every single angle, trapping them all in a whirl of liquid darkness. The rain above them sizzles into steam as it melds with the light flowing from his palms. This all makes the king's once mighty flames look wimpy, wimpy, wimpy in comparison. And when the magic clears, all that is left is the king scrambling under his gryvern and whimpering for a plea to help. Holy shit, bro, this is hot.
- [99:18]
Taryn
The fact that Luther, who is not even the crown, is able to take down a king like this is just insane. We've always heard about his power, but this is the first time we are seeing Luther use it to his full extent. And actually this isn't even his full extent because he's so injured from the godstone and he's very exhausted. I can't wait to see what Luther unleashes and where his story ends up in Bern. I really do see him becoming the most powerful, if not Lumnos, one of the most powerful other descended. I will also say this. I don't think that this king of Igneous is an extremely powerful crown, because if we look at the history of the Blood War, so many of the Igneous descended were killed during the Blood War. And he is the one who inherited the crown after the Blood War. So I think he was simply the most powerful descendant that was left in Igneous. And that just happened happens to be not the most powerful descended that there is in general.
- [100:14]
Luther
Well, and as we've discussed, it is highly probable that those that are half mortal are extremely powerful or more powerful. And what happened to all immortals in Igneous? There's not even that option for there to be someone more powerful because they are literally all wiped out of the realm and not allowed to enter. Just as Luther is moments away from king slaughter his gryvern to locks eyes to Diem with the trade in his eyes, Tybalt knows that he will be forced to kill Luther and probably Diem in revenge for his king. That is if Luther kills the king. So he gives Diem basically an ultimatum in his own way. The life of the man it despises for the life of the one Diem adores. Through the bond or realm magic or something else like Thanos magic, DM is able to communicate with Tybalt, telling him to take the king as far, far, far away as as possible, as an act of putting this battle at basically a stalemate.
- [101:08]
Taryn
I just love Tibalt so much, and I feel for him. He doesn't want to hurt DM or her loved ones, but he's bound to someone who is abusive toward him, and he has to defend his crown no matter how much he doesn't want to. This reminds me back in. I think it was even spark that DM realized that these creatures are really chained to the crown, even if they don't like them. And we are seeing that on full display here with Tybalt.
- [101:31]
Luther
So I have a theory. DM notes how Tybalt has to defend its king no matter what. So what if dm? I love this. What if DM finds a way to break Tibalt's chains and it's actually Tibalt who turns on the Igneous king and destroys him?
- [101:46]
Taryn
Ooh, I would love that. So much for Tybalt. And me too. Arc. Yes. Or maybe DM does let the king of Igneous die from his godstone. Wound four Tiber Tybalt. And so then she can be bonded to Tybalt and he can be free with Sarai.
- [102:00]
Luther
Oh, okay. So it's almost like that's how she justifies the king's death is in order to make a better life for the Gryvern.
- [102:06]
Taryn
I will say this. It is nice that the King of Ignos is stuck on Koreel right now, because at least that means Tibble gets a break from him when he's, you know, stranded on the island with dm. As far as theories go for how Tibble and the other Gryverns get free by the end of the series, I am leaning toward D DM casting magic with the Heartstone, maybe just on her own, or with the other crowns, whoever's left. And it will free the Gryvrans as the world enters a new era.
- [102:29]
Luther
Remember how a DM earlier said magic to Luther, and Luther took that as him exploding? Well, it's not exactly what she meant. Dm, unable to speak with the injury still overwhelming her and, you know, causing blood to gurgle out of her mouth, has only one word again, this time a duck. It clicks for Luther. Finally, she Wants him to use his own magic on her, but he refuses. I get it.
- [102:56]
Taryn
But I do too. It goes against the very fibers of Luther's being to use his magic on dm. He has grown up learning how to use his magic as an offensive weapon. He uses his magic to attack his opponents. And attacking DM with his magic, that's just out of the question. He will not react. Risk that with her. Even though he has seen what she can do when attacked by another's magic, he cannot fathom turning his own magic on her. Remember, it takes extra coaxing to make his godhood hurt someone he cares about. Ah, but then DM uses that word. Trust. They have built so much trust between each other over the past few months. And especially in the past few weeks around her. Challenging, huh? Like trusting that you would tell her if you were injured? It's a. Okay. This is not the moment for that. Trust that DM knows what she is doing when she tells him to attack. She is different. And Luther is the first to know that. So trust that this will help her. Not hurt her like it would anyone else.
- [103:52]
Luther
Once Luther's tentative magic attacks hit her, DM feels a prickle along her arms and light little jabs at her feet. Doo doo doo. But he notices that she's not getting harmed. No. Instead, something quite good is happening. So he increases his power and the tingling sensation returns. Hot and cold. Fire and ice. George R.R. martin, is that you? A roaring through her veins and her heart starts stuttering before speeding up again. Luther increases his power, slamming a fist of searing light.
- [104:23]
Taryn
Boom.
- [104:23]
Luther
Into her at full force. DM describes it as exploding, shattering, overwhelming. Her wounds begin to itch and the blood cleaves tears from her throat. She's healed. See guys, it wasn't that bad.
- [104:36]
Taryn
And guess who's back? Taryn and Elix. Apparently, as soon as they got across the umbrous border, Taran learned that the plan DM insisted he follow with a leaks was literally leaving her behind. So he turned around and came back. Just in time to see DM slowly coming back too.
- [104:53]
Luther
Yay.
- [104:54]
Taryn
She is indeed breathing. My heart hurts for Elix. She was was following DM's orders. But then the worst to DM almost did happen. And I can imagine the guilt she feels in following her queen's orders and this ending up happening. Taran spills the beans about DM's order, but Luther is well the fuck aware. And he is pissed that they tricked him and Taryn. DM betrayed their trust and the order unknowingly forced Alix to break her oath to the Royal Guard, which that oath is to protect the crown at any cost, not the right realm. That's the Crown's job. The Royal Guard's job is to protect the crown. Side note, this is an interesting bit of information about the Royal Guard and what we've seen of them so far. Let's take Illyana for example. She is part of the Royal Guard and most certainly does not try to protect DM as the Crown. In fact, Luther will soon say that he is so furious with the leaks that if he had someone else he could trust, he would replace her as Vice General. That is how livid he is is that she disobeyed her oath, even if she was following the Queen's orders in the moment. Oh, poor Leaks. She really was stuck between a rock and a hard place. But I also really respect that she's following through with DM's vision to protect the realm. And in this case, protecting the realm meant protecting Taran and herself as much as that goes against her better judgment. Hobbling across the border, the group begins the last leg of their journey and head into a long tunnel that leads them into Umbros City. Next Episode Umbros Here we Come in this magic fueled segment of the episode, let's tap into our Umbros magic and turn our full attention to important foreshadowing moments for the rest of this book, including speculations for book four, Burn of the Everflame.
- [106:34]
Luther
DM talking about how much she despises Vance and would relish in killing him as she's furious with what he and his men did to Taryn, I will pull any moment of foreshadowing for DM to finally get that revenge on Vance. Speaking of Vance, Luthor loses his sword to Vance in the battle from last episode and even though he says he's glad to be rid of the burden of it, remember those who wield the sword have to wield it to protect House Corbois. He will eventually run into Vance and Sophos and get his sword back because he sees how much DM looks over his shoulder and misses the jeweled hilt peeking out. Lots of Luther is injured foreshadowing lots of it we covered, but here's a few extras. He grunts when he stands up, him locked in as he watches Diem making the poultice and then him spending extra time cleaning out the bowl in the sea, which I think is actually him either making more or him putting the remainders of the poultice from the bowl onto his own wound.
- [107:31]
Taryn
So I don't think he'd be able to put any on his wound because it had dams blood. So it would have helped him heal too.
- [107:38]
Luther
This is the second time she puts the poultice on Taron. Oh, okay then. Yes, absolutely. Yes.
- [107:43]
Taryn
And then another moment is when they're walking along the coast. Luther keeps falling further and further behind. And then like we kind of mentioned here, you know when he looks up at the sky and says to blessed Mother Lumnos, haven't I given enough? He just wants to be able to save his queen before he dies. There's so many other foreshadowing moments. Moments. But you get these.
- [108:04]
Luther
We get a moon watch. The moon is shining her bright light on Igneous's mortal city quote, illuminating it in a silvery glow. Silver. Ah, something's there.
- [108:15]
Taryn
When our crew thinks Diem may have been poisoned, I can't help but wonder if poisoning will come up and burn.
- [108:21]
Luther
I feel like there's been a lot.
- [108:22]
Taryn
Of foreshadowing with it. First we had Ulthor's mate dying the ignition Neo's water during the Blood war. Fear that DM has been poisoned. Will someone use it as a weapon and burn.
- [108:32]
Luther
Now it is time to enter the Sophos Library where each episode Lexi guides us through a world building topic to help us deepen our understanding of this world and the magic.
- [108:41]
Taryn
Today's Sophos Library topic is Igneous. See, I told you there would be a theme for the Sophos Libraries as we deep dive Heat of the Everflame. Alright, so the overview here of Igneos. Igneos is the realm of so sand and flame. The descendant of this realm's eye color is orange. The two types of magic in Igneos are the ability to control sand and or the ability to control fire. Its sigil is a sand dune curving around an open flame. Its crown is King Hamsid. We didn't really use his name all here, we just call him the King of Igneous. He is an angry dick with a temper. If you didn't catch that this episode. The Igneous gryvern is Tybalt, who is a male and obviously alive. He is known as as a mean nasty brute, though we can see why. Here he is bound to a king who abuses him and is terrible. Tibble is an enormous beast nearly twice the size of Sarai, with golden feathers on his wings and scales of shimmering tan that seem forged from the desert itself. He has a line of horns, each filed to a spear, sharp tip run up his snout and down his long neck. He is also Sarai's Buu, who she's been separated from for millennia. We ship the them. They have to find a way back to each other by the end of the series. Igneous is known for its sun scorched deserts, and no mortals can enter the realm. Surprisingly, Igneous used to be famous for its hospitality. Before the Blood War centuries ago, the ring road was packed with shops and inns welcoming travelers. They even had patrols to help anyone lost out in the dunes. Igneous had the least resources of all the Nine Realms, but they were the first to offer them up to anyone passing through. It's like Igneos understood how treacherous their realm's environment was and wanted to be as helpful as possible for anyone entering. Let's talk about the geography of Igneos. It is covered from end to end with rolling sun scorched deserts. These deserts are extremely hot during the day and frigid at night. The climate is unrelenting with harsh sun sandstorms, no vegetation, and minimal accessible water. You know, the list just goes on on. But scattered throughout the desert, there are oases that are crucial to life here, with palm trees, citrus plants, and springs for fresh, clean water. One of these oases was the center of their Mortal City, which used to be located by the sea near the Arborist border. The Igneous king mentions his palace and we can assume it's a bit far from the ghost town of Mortal City, since he flew here on his gryvern. And then they were saying that it would take until midday the following day get their guards here. Side note, I would love to see the Igneous palace. I bet it is so cool with all the sand and fire elements and how it must be built to accommodate the heat. I don't have a feeling we're going to go there, but I sure would love to. The Igneous coastline is short. It only takes about a day to get from Arboros to Umbros, once staying near the water. Okay, now onto my favorite part. It's history. During the Blood War, Igneous tried to stay neutral and keep out of the fighting, which definitely aligns with their hospitable nature we were just talking about. But neither side meaning the descended and the rebel mortals, would let Igneos stay neutral. The preciously essential oases started getting poisoned in Igneous, which led the realm's descendant immortals to each blame it on the other instead of looking beyond the borders for an outsider. That might be the cause. The army refused to send Soldiers to help. Unless Igneous joined the war effort. Tybalt took on three of the other Gryverns at once. When the other Crowns were were trying to force Igneous into joining the Blood War, Tibal gravely wounded the Montios Gryvern. Which is why that Gryvon was weak enough for the Guardians to unfortunately then kill it. Ah, this is an interesting little fact. This means that Montios must have been one of the realms trying to strong arm Igneos, which doesn't match up with their current ways. So I'm going to kind of keep my antenna up with that. Eventually the Igneous crown had to give in before the entire realm became uninhabitable. Which means that Igneous must have sided with the descended because they were the ones who really had the power to help them with their oasis. By the end of the war, there was hardly anyone from Igneous left. Those who did survive never let go of their anger. They stopped welcoming outsiders. And when the current crown took his throne, he banished all the mortals. And for the descended who are traveling through the realm, they must remain on the ring road. Unless they've been given an invitation from the king himself. Which brings us to mortal relations. It's the worst here, plain and simple. Mortals are banned even crossing the border. To travel on the ring road means certain death. Literally. When a mortal steps across the border into Igneos, fire engulfs their body and consumes them in an instant. It only takes seconds and all that's left is a charred husk. After the Blood War and the crown passed to the current king of Igneous, he closed his borders to the mortals and was the one to ban them. He didn't doesn't trust the Ambrose queen and he didn't want his mortals to escape to Umbros and Rose risk the Igneous mortals giving up any information to the Umbros queen on Igneous Defenses. While a few of the lucky ones did make it out, sadly the majority did not. According to the Guardians, which we know now is mostly confirmed. The king had his guards flush them out into the dunes and the mortals stood there for a week while they cooked to death under the sun. They begged for their lives and the king would not even use his fire magic to give them a quick death. And on that depressing note that is to today's SOFOS library on Igneous. I find its history so fascinating with how it used to be the most welcoming and why it no longer is. And I'm just really interested to see what happens with Igneous.
- [113:48]
Luther
And burn same. Especially because I definitely don't think the Igneous King is making it out of the series alive. No. No way. And I think that DM is really going to change it back to the place it used to be. She will definitely be taking out the bursting into flames. Literal flames for mortals. Let us close out this episode with skipping around the apple orchard and discussing our favorite moments from this stretch of chapters. I love this little bit of world building that the descended skin is so easily irritated or it can get burned. Like I Rebecca Yarros does it too, where it's like sunscreen or you know, like just like these things are so average in our daily life. An obstacle for them to overcome. And I just think that's so fun. I just think that's so interesting. I love the found family moments in the stretch of chapters. Like when Luther snaps at Taran and Taryn mouths at DM that like Luther's bad mood, it's all her fault. And she goes, sarai's getting that thumb. Like I can see that so vividly.
- [114:44]
Taryn
And just Taryn overall, this chapter stretch, like when he's healed and all, like the heathen repents and as he laughs about Mother Lumnos's sense of humor, you know, putting Teller and Lily together and DM Luther together, I just love Taryn so much. Much.
- [114:59]
Luther
Me too. Luther has some bad moments in this stretch and you know, it's not the best look. But you know what? I am going to give him his due for the good moments when DMs doubts start to creep in, which are going to amplify tenfold next episode. DM looks back at Luther as they're walking along the beaches and of course his eyes immediately rise to hers. And then when she puts her hand over her heart, just like they do in the visions, he matches the movement. I love that. It's like they're like, hey, checking in? Are we okay? While I'm swooning over Luther though, when he pulls DM's hood low as they're walking past the guards, he touches right below her eyes and he says, save these for me.
- [115:42]
Taryn
All right, friends, thank you so much for listening to the second episode of our Heat of the Everflame Deep Dive.
- [115:48]
Luther
Also, in case you missed our exciting announcement, let us be the first to tell you we have picked the next book we are covering on fantasy fangirls. We are so jazzed to be diving deep into Quicksilver by Callie Hart in the lead up to Brimstone this November. We're so Excited coverage begins this October. Next Monday we will be continuing with episode three, chapters 22 through 31 and including Luther's bonus POV chapter from the hardcover of Heat of the Everflame. Let's go to Ambrose. But first, this Thursday, August 7th, we are releasing a new series of Fantasy fangirls. It is called Fantasy Fan Guide is where we're going to walk you through a spoiler free cheat sheet almost for high fantasy novels, starting off with Brandon Sanderson's Men Mistborn. So if you have not read Mistborn or if you want a nice little refresher, it is the perfect episode to listen to to dip your toes into the water before you start your read.
- [116:50]
Taryn
We would love to give the biggest warm welcome welcome, welcome to our newest Crowns Council members. Welcome, welcome, welcome. Natalie L And Tara H. Thank you for joining.
- [117:01]
Luther
We're so happy you're supporting the show. Thank you.
- [117:04]
Taryn
Yes, thank you so much. And if you're like, hey, I want my name shouted out on the podcast and we shout with all the love and attention to join our fan club@fantasy fangirls.com fan club. The link is also in the show notes.
- [117:16]
Luther
Thank you as always to our top SoFo scholar aka our content researcher Brooke and our executive producer aka our sanity manager Hayden.
- [117:25]
Taryn
We are very active on social media with weekly trivia and lots more. So please be sure to follow us on Instagram and/ or TikTok at Fantasy Fangirls Pod. And if you're watching this on YouTube or want to watch on YouTube, please hit that subscribe button to keep following along.
- [117:40]
Luther
While you're hitting buttons, please don't forget to hit that five star rating button on whatever podcast platform you are listening on. And please don't just do it for this show, do it for any podcast that you listen to. It is like the best little hug that you can give your podcasting friends. And last but not least, share this episode with your fellow Everflame buddies. If you and the group chat were like why is Luther being a dick? Hopefully this helped. I don't know if next episode will but I'll start trying. We got a finger bang to get.
- [118:13]
Taryn
To with that finger bang.
- [118:15]
Luther
Finger bang finger. I'm fine.
- [118:20]
Taryn
Just shove it down and keep going.
- [118:22]
Luther
Shove it down white knuckle it and keep going.
- [118:24]
Taryn
Oh my God. Her sanity manager is like what the is going on right now?
- [118:28]
Luther
Nicole, are you okay? I promise I'm fine. Acast powers the world's best podcasts.
- [118:39]
Taryn
Here's a show that we recommend.
- [118:43]
Luther
Hey it's Christy and I'm Kelly. You might remember us as the OG Partners in Crime from Dance Moms. Well, this was back to welcome Back.
- [118:50]
Taryn
To the Bar, the podcast where we drag out every insane, chaotic and iconic moment from the show.
- [118:56]
Luther
We're spilling the tea, calling out all the BS and sharing stuff you definitely didn't see on tv.
- [119:01]
Taryn
New episodes drop every week, and yes.
- [119:04]
Luther
We'Re laughing through the drama for once. Follow Grab a drink and join us as we go back to the bar.
- [119:13]
Taryn
Acast helps creators launch, grow, and monetize their podcast everywhere. Acast. Com.