Quicksilver Recap

Summary

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Fantasy Fangirls – "Quicksilver" Recap Episode

Date: November 6, 2025
Hosts: Lexi and Nicole

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Episode Overview

In this special recap episode, sisters Lexi and Nicole from the Fantasy Fangirls podcast deliver a comprehensive, spoiler-filled catch-up on Quicksilver by Callie Hart. With the highly anticipated sequel Brimstone just around the corner, they break down the book’s major events, discuss lore, theorize about what’s next, and revisit key characters, setting the perfect stage for existing fans and newcomers eager to dive into the next installment.

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1. Book Recap: “Lorreth’s Ballad – The (Unhinged) Summarized Saga”

[05:06–12:02]

Nicole delivers a high-energy, witty, and at times “unhinged” blitz through the plot of Quicksilver, highlighting all the twisty turns:

• Main Character:

  • Cerys Fane—thief, apprentice glassmith, owner of a forbidden magical gauntlet.
  • Quote: “Sarris Fane... finds herself in quite the pickle. She is the proud new owner of a golden Guardian's gauntlet, which is a big no-no in Zavaren.” (Nicole, 05:07)

• Key Early Events:

  • Cerys’s brother Hayden runs off with her bag (and the gauntlet), gets into trouble with Guardians.
  • To save Hayden, Cerys admits to the crime and is arrested, ultimately fighting back and killing two Guardians.
  • She's brought before Queen Madra, stabbed by Heron in the Hall of Mirrors, and, in a near-death moment, pulls a magic sword—activating the fabled Quicksilver pool.

• Realm Jumping & New Alliances:

  • Upon waking, Cerys is now in the fae realm of Yvelia, meets key players: Everlane (Kingfisher’s half-sister), Wren, and the infamous Kingfisher himself.
  • She’s given a week by King Bellacon to unlock her alchemy powers under threat of war.

• Bonds, Betrayals, and Steamy Encounters:

  • Cerys makes a deal with the mysterious Kingfisher to rescue her brother, but ends up with Carrion Swift instead.
  • The group’s journey features dangerous experiments, intense training, and “sexual tension heating up, up, up.”
  • Numerous direct nods to the spicy romance (“Bang, bangity bang. I said a bite me, Fisher. Bang. Ruin me.” — Nicole, 10:00)

• Warfare, Magic, and Major Reveals:

  • Cerys creates a legendary God Sword. Vampire king Malcolm invades, leading to kidnappings and pitched battles.
  • Carrion Swift’s true fae (and royal) heritage comes to light.
  • The final confrontation: Cerys discovers a magical coin binding Kingfisher to Malcolm, Carrion’s blood weakens Malcolm, and Cerys decapitates the vampire king.

• Brush With Death & Divine Bargains:

  • Cerys is mortally wounded, and as she dies, is offered a choice by Zarith, God of Chaos and Change:
    • Die, or return as something new—a being neither fully fae nor vampire.
    • She chooses the latter, becoming the first ever half-fae, half-vampire (dhampir).

• Ending:

  • With Malcolm dead, Cerys is pointed to become the new queen of the Sanisroth (vampires).

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2. Where Are They Now?

Key Realms, Characters, and Plot Points for “Brimstone”
[17:19–41:30]

Zelvarin (The “Human” Realm):

• Environment:
  • Windswept, hot desert city with twin suns; water is scarce, most wards (especially the 3rd, where Cerys is from) are impoverished.
• Queen Madra:
  • Ruthless, ancient, power-hungry. Known for stamping out magic and hunting alchemists, keeps water rations in place, and is revealed to be part of the immortal Triumvirate.
  • Quote: “Not only was she in charge of quarantining the Third...but she is well over a thousand years old.” (Nicole, 19:54)
• Hayden & Elroy:
  • Hayden (Cerys’s brother), now a store clerk in the 7th Ward, troubled and feeling guilty.
  • Elroy, Cerys’s mentor, still working in the forge; both are currently safe but unsettled.

Yvelia (Fae Realm):

• Capital: Winter Palace.
• King Bellacon:
  • Kingfisher’s stepfather, usurped the throne after betraying the royal Dianthus family.
  • In secret alliance (for centuries) with vampire king Malcolm, hoarding silver to weaken the war’s front against vampires.
  • “Yes. Boo. You suck, Belacan.” (Lexi, 27:10)
• Everlane:
  • Kingfisher’s half-sister; rescued after being bitten by Malcolm, now convalescing after risky, never-before-attempted magical healing.
  • Ship status with Wren: “Yes, we ship them so hard.” (Lexi, 31:40)
• Kalish:
  • Kingfisher’s ancestral home; protected by magical borders, now a refuge for the group.

Sanisroth (Vampire Realm):

• Status:
  • Formerly ruled by Malcolm; capital city is Amon Trayes, a forbidding necropolis. Now under Cerys's (soon-to-be) rule.
• The Blood Curse:
  • Ancient curse transforming Fae into vampires. Malcolm was the first; Carrion’s Dianthus bloodline holds the key to the curse’s end.

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3. Deep Lore and Theories

The Triumvirate

[53:37–54:53]

• Members: Madra, Bellacon, Malcolm—immortal, magical rulers linked to a single life-force (cannot die unless all are killed at once).
• Malcolm’s Death: Officially dead (beheaded with a God Sword), but the hosts debate if this will last unless the Triumvirate is fully destroyed (Nicole: “I think Malcolm has a timed clock...to respawn.” 54:56)
• Theme: Expect major focus on how to destroy the Triumvirate in Brimstone.

The Gods’ Tree and Zarith

[45:33–49:54]

• World Tree Metaphor: Each realm is a leaf; a rot is killing the tree, symbolizing a cosmic threat.
• Cerys’s Role: The goddess Zarith has manipulated events to prevent Cerys and Kingfisher from meeting (their bond always ends the universe in his precognition) but is gambling on their “god-bound” bond creating a new, unpredictable path.
  • “No pressure. Just live my life.” (Lexi, 49:32)
• Cerys’s Resurrection: Accepts Zarith’s offer to return as an unprecedented hybrid (half Fae, half vampire) outside godly interference.
• Open Questions: What is the rot? How can an alchemist restore the balance? Is it linked to the blood curse or Triumvirate?

Alchemy

[49:58–53:27]

• “Forgotten, long-dead” magic. All alchemists have Fae blood; three branches: immortality seekers, inventors (like Cerys), and healers.
• Unique Powers: Cerys surpasses even legendary alchemists in her control (can manipulate metals with less than 5% quicksilver, multiple elements); hosts tease that we’ve only seen 10% of her full power to date.

Carrion Swift

[57:09–60:11]

• Reveal: The last Dianthus heir, secreted away after his family’s murder and raised glamored as human. His blood can kill cursed vampires, which is instrumental in defeating Malcolm.
• Succession Theory: The hosts speculate Seras may kill Malcolm, Kingfisher might kill Madra, and Carrion could be fated to kill Bellacon.

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4. Character Status and Key Plot Points Heading into Brimstone

[41:30–63:00]

• Cerys: Now a dhampir (half Fae, half vampire), soon to be crowned queen of Sanisroth. Holds immense, unprecedented magical potential. Fully “God-bound” to Kingfisher; they can speak into each other’s minds (and debate whether this can cross realms or... lead to “mind-to-mind” intimacy).
• Kingfisher:
  • His own curse (quicksilver madness) quieted, on the path to recovery but still at risk.
  • Now bonded to Cerys both romantically and magically.
• Bond: Their union is prophesied to lead to disaster but also to a unique, uncertain hope for the universe.
• Everlane: Alive, healing after vampire bite due to a magical team effort; fate when she wakes up unknown.
• Triumvirate: Malcolm destroyed, but ongoing threat as lore suggests all members must die for any to stay dead.
• Other Lupo Proalia (Fisher’s warriors):
  • Lorath: Bardic heart, now wielding the legendary God Sword.
  • Danya: In time out after losing her hand trying to claim the God Sword.
• Witches: Ishabel (heir to the Balqadir clan), helped in magical healing; witch clans may become increasingly important.
• Open Questions:
  • Will the vampire army obey Cerys?
  • Is Belacon’s secret alliance with the enemy exposed?
  • What is the nature of the God Tree's rot, and can Cerys’s powers fix it?
  • Are the Triumvirate's members truly immortal, or will Brimstone see their end?
  • Will Carrion’s newly revealed status change the power dynamic in Yvelia?

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5. Notable Quotes & Moments

• “Bang, bangity bang. I said a bite me, Fisher. Bang. Ruin me.”
  (Nicole, 10:00)
• “No shit, Sherlock. But we know that she's not just a member of Santa's Wrathian soil now. Now she is the Queen.”
  (Nicole, 39:02)
• “Yes. Boo. You suck, Belacan.”
  (Lexi, 27:10)
• “No pressure. Just live my life.”
  (Lexi, 49:32)
• “Will we see this conflict with the other gods? And our characters will have to eventually deal with their unwanted attention? Yes.”
  (Nicole, 50:06)
• On Kingfisher & Cerys’s bond: “We do have a sex bet now officially, but we're saving that for episode six.”
  (Nicole, 45:39)

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6. Theories, Hopes, and What’s Next in “Brimstone”

[60:19–64:30]

Lexi & Nicole Share What They’re Most Excited For:

• Delving deeper into the Blood Curse origins, especially Kingfisher’s father Finryn and his mysterious research.
• Vampire politics: How will Cerys rule as Sanisroth’s queen? (“Excited for the politics next book, especially the vampire politics.” Nicole, 63:33)
• Carrion and Kingfisher’s relationship, now both with royal fae ties.
• Will Cerys meet another powerful alchemist or learn of new branches of her magic?
• The involvement of witches, possible realm-jumping, and lore expansion around the gods.

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7. Conclusion & Upcoming Content

• Bonus Deep Dive: Episode 6 (covering the Godlands chapter) drops Monday before Brimstone’s release (Nov 18th).
• Author Interview: Callie Hart herself joins for a special episode next week.
• Midnight Release Party: Denver, Nov 17th – trivia, Q&A, and more!
• Resource: Fan Club membership offers early, ad-free episodes, event codes, and more.

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Summary Table: Timestamps for Key Segments

| Section | Timestamps |
|---------------------------------------|-------------|
| Lorreth’s Ballad Recap | 05:06–12:02 |
| Where Are They Now? (Realms/Characters) | 17:19–41:30 |
| The Gods & Lore Discussion | 45:33–49:54 |
| Alchemy Deep Dive | 49:58–53:27 |
| Triumvirate Theorizing | 53:37–54:53 |
| Carrion/Character Power Dynamics | 57:09–60:11 |
| Brimstone Hopes & Theories | 60:19–64:30 |

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Final Thoughts

This episode is an essential, entertaining, and exhaustive crash course on Quicksilver, perfectly prepping listeners for Brimstone. Lexi and Nicole’s trademark blend of analysis, humor, and theory-crafting makes even the densest lore accessible—and filled with anticipation for what comes next.

“I love this...now we just get to see [Cerys and Kingfisher] being in love and being a team, and then we get to see how they deal...with the world together.”
— Lexi (64:01)

---

For even deeper discussion, check out their multi-part deep dive series and the upcoming author interview.

Transcript

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[Nicole]

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[Lexi]

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[Lexi]

So I've got a question for all the gamers out there. Are you seriously going to miss out on Alienware's biggest gaming sale of the year? I mean these Black Friday prices are absolutely crazy.

[Nicole]

I took a look myself and oh my goodness, while I don't have a gaming PC, it's honestly very tempting with these prices. I definitely sent it to everyone I know who has a gaming PC. Plus, with Alienware, you know you are getting some of the most advanced engineering out there with systems at the top of reviewers lists.

[Lexi]

Gift yourself a new Alienware 16 Aurora gaming laptop giving you high end performance with intel core processors.

[Nicole]

And even better, you can get it during Black Friday starting at 899.99. Plus you can save on all kinds of displays and accessories like Alienware 32.4K QD OLED gaming monitor for ultimate visual fidelity. These really are incredible deals on PCs with upgrades otherworldly performance. So visit alienware.com deals soon and grab what you can before their biggest sale of the year goes dark. Welcome, welcome welcome to the Fantasy Fangirls podcast where two sisters dive deep into beloved fantasy lore, character themes, theories and more.

[Lexi]

I'm Lexi, older sister and Fantasy Lore nerd.

[Nicole]

And I'm Nicole, younger sister and romantic at heart.

[Lexi]

And today's episode covers everything you need to remember from Quicksilver to dive right into the next book in the Fae and Alchemy series Brimstone that comes out on November 18th. First things first, please listen closely to our spoiler warning since we're discussing everything you need to know before reading Brimstone. This episode has spoiler spoilers. Spoilers for Quicksilver and any of its bonus chapters and interviews with Callie Hart are also fair game.

[Nicole]

So with all of that said, if you don't know who a very important heir is, then please go finish the book. We will be here when you're done and you'll have five soon to be six episodes of Fantasy Fangirls Deep Diving Quicksilver where we discuss all the world building theories and characters to catch up on next.

[Lexi]

We at Fantasy Fangirls are adults who say adult things about adult books. In other words, friends, this podcast is rated rich.

[Nicole]

You know what they say about big canines. Hard, big long canines. You know Lexi. So please be mindful of those little listening ears.

[Lexi]

Additionally, we are so excited to see you at upcoming live events.

[Nicole]

We are thrilled to be hosting a Brimstone midnight release party and doing a live Q and A and games galore in partnership with Tattered Cover and Book and gather on November 17th in Denver.

[Lexi]

Colorado and on March 6th through 8th in Dallas, Texas. We will will be podcast partners at Dreamers and Readers Festival.

[Nicole]

Check out our website or the links below for more information to these events, including a promo code for Dreamers and readers.

[Lexi]

Last thing before we jump into this Quicksilver recap episode. 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.

[Nicole]

We have three membership tiers that you can join, including things like access to our Bop and discord, promo codes for live events, early access to ad free episodes, access to author interviews like one with Kelly Hart, and so much more.

[Lexi]

Join the [e-mail] fanclub. The link is also in the show notes and really and truly, thank you so much for supporting us as we've turned this podcast into a dream come true. It's all because of you.

[Nicole]

And now it is time to prep for the coronation of Sarris Fane, Queen of the Vampires.

[Lexi]

So Nicole, a recap episode means you have to recap the book, right?

[Nicole]

Sounds so threatening.

[Lexi]

In our deep dive, we always begin each episode with Nicole's Laura's ballad segment where Nicole summarizes what happens in the stretch of chapters we're covering. While she usually rhymes beautifully, I might add, I think for simplicity's sake we're going classic unhinged today. Am I right?

[Nicole]

You are correct. So without further ado, Sarris Fane, locally known thief and apprentice glassmith, finds herself in quite the pickle. She is the proud new owner owner of a golden Guardian's gauntlet, which is a big no no in Zavaren. Rushing off to the local tavern, Cerys finds her brother Hayden outside nursing his post gambling losses to the one, the only Carrion Swift. She leaves her bag with a forbidden gauntlet outside with Hayden and marches inside to confront the biggest flirt in Sylvarin. Back outside, Hayden has run off with the gauntlet in tow and has gotten himself cornered by the Guardians to protect her brother. Cerys admits she took the gauntlet gauntlet and fights back against the Guardians, killing two before she is arrested. After her arrest, Serious is brought to the hall of Mirrors, or what was once the hall of Mirrors and now is just a dusty room with an old sword stuck in the ground. Interesting. The immortal bitch Queen Madra orders her favorite guard to make her sing Harren. And Harren must have been taking lessons from Arya Stark because he stabs her with the pointy end of his blade. Even half dead, Saera summons her inner King Arthur and she pulls the sword out of the ground and unknowingly unlocks the Quicksilver Pool raising Out of the Quicksilver is a tall man with shoulder length black hair and broad shoulders. His eyes are mismatched with one fully green and the other rimmed in silver. Welcome, welcome welcome. Kingfisher or Death according to Serious. After looping a chain around her neck, he takes her through the quicksilver and everything goes dark. Dun dun dun. Serious wakes up fully healed in Evalia, the Fae realm where she meets meets Everlane d' Barra and Renfys Orithian sister and friend to Kingfisher. Now that she's awake, she's marched off to meet the King of Evilia, AKA Everlane's father and Kingfisher's stepdad, Bellakon. Since Cerys can awaken the Quicksilver, Bellakon gives her one week to figure out her alchemy powers so he can take over the world. I mean totally just defend his people from the vampires that he's totally 100% not working with in secret. Right? Serious works for several days to learn to transmute the quicksilver and nothing. Using a hot steamy makeout as a distraction, Seiris steals Fisher's ring, believing it will protect her through the quicksilver. But sigh. It was a lie. The ring is just an ordinary ring. You can't use it to go back to Zelvarin. But don't worry, Serious Kingfisher will make A deal with you. He will go get Hayden and in exchange Seras has to do everything he says that's definitely not one sided. She agrees, but is furious when Kingfisher returns. Not with Hayden, but with Carrion. Fucking Swift. But the oath is binding and it's time to get the fuck out of the Winter palace and meet up with Wren to head to Kalish. At Kalish, Kingfisher's family home, Seirs continues her failed experiments with the Quicksilver. Taking a break in the dining room, a group of feeders crashes the party, leaving Ceres with a nasty scratch. Thanks to the oath with Kingfisher, Seiris is left bedridden for days to heal. And when she is finally able to leave his bed, it's back to Forge and more failed experiments. But the experiments can wait. To the war camp we go. The sexual tension is heating up, up, up. It's their moment. But sadly, Kingfisher only gets a nibble in this time. Off in the war room, Dania is getting pissed and Serious does not appreciate this member of the Lupo Proalia yelling at her man. So she explodes Danya's super fancy sword. Which does not help the situation. You know what else didn't help the situation? Malcolm, the king of the vampires horde of vampires are trying to cross the darn. Thank the gods for those ice breaking hammers. Speaking of hammers. Bang, bangity bang. I said this is the definition of come and go bang. After getting the tldr on Fisher's Lupa Proalia, Lorath's backstory, and that she's the strongest alchemist in history, Ceres is whisked off to Ballard for a mini getaway with Kingfisher. And bang, bang, bangity bang. I said a bite me fisher. Bang. Ruin me. At Carrie and Swift's suggestion, Cerus asks the Quicksilver to work with her. And it works. Well, shit. I bet Carrion will be riding that high for a while. But it's not all sunshine and rainbows. The Quicksilver wants something in return. A song. Well, it's a good thing we have a bard in this party. After slaving away for hours in the Forge, Sabers finally finishes the brand spanking new Godsword. Sorry, Danya. Lorath rolled a nat 20 on performance. You snooze, you lose. After successfully fending off the horde of feeders, thanks to Lorath's new badass Godsword, the wolves are in for a surprise. Malcolm has not only kidnapped Everlane, but he's bitten her. And not in the fun way tracking down a witch. Ishabal. The crew has a plan. They'll sneak in, steal Everlane back and use magic to draw the venom out. Easy peasy. But first. Bangdi.

[Lexi]

Bang.

[Nicole]

Kingfisher accepted the mating bong. Bang. The next morning, Cerus wakes up to find that Kingfisher has gone off on a suicide mission, marching through the Shadow Gate. Serious informs the others of Kingfisher's plan to sacrifice himself and they come up with a plan of their very own. When Fisher opens the Shadow Gate and Everlane gets plopped in from the ceiling, Seris, Lorath and Carrion get yeeted through and find Fisher in Malcolm's grubby little claws. But that's not all they find. Bellacon, Madra and Malcolm are all in cahoots to keep this war going. Whaaaat Legasp. Serous uses her magic to detect a quicksilver coin that is binding Fisher to Malcolm within the labyrinth. While Carrion taunts Malcolm into taking a little N only to reveal that he is a member of the Fae royal family whose blood curse made the initial vampires the Dianthus line. Serious flips the coin and the 110 year bet finally comes to an end. Huzzah. And she takes her sword and cuts off Malcolm's head. But not before he shoves his hand deep into serious guts, leaving her to bleed out on the maze floor. As she's dying, Taladeus Malcolm second starts the process to transform her into a vampire. But the quicksilver pool in the maze summons her to where, oh only the realm of the gods. Zarith, God of chaos and change, spills some hot hot tea and gives Seiras a choice to live. And she takes it. Waking up, Seris discovers that she's not where she expected. And she's not just a vampire. She's half Fae, half vampire. Something they've never seen before. Oh, and she also killed Malcolm, making her the new Queen of Satisf.

[Lexi]

I don't know about you all, but as much as I love the fall weather, I don't love how early it gets dark outside. Changing seasons can be hard on a lot of people. This November better helps encouraging everyone to reach out, check in on friends, reconnect with loved ones and remind the people in your life that you're there.

[Nicole]

Here at Fantasy Fangirls, we can get bogged down in the day to day with so much work and cons and all these things happening on the docket that we're so excited about and it can be so, so important. To reach out to those people who make you feel just a little more grounded. For instance, I have a group text with my friends and it has come up multiple times in therapy as my saving grace during times of stress because they definitely help me step away from the office a little more.

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[Lexi]

Cmnobile.com hi, I'm Darina, co founder of Quo. You might know us as openphone. My dad is a business owner and growing up he always kept his ringtone super loud so he'd never miss a customer call. That stuck with me when we started Quo. Our mission was to help businesses not just stay in touch, but make every customer feel valued, no matter when they might call. Quo gives your team business phone numbers to call and text on your phone or computer. Your calls, messages and contacts live in one workspace so your team can stay fully aligned and reply faster. And with our AI agent answering 24. Seven, you'll really never miss a customer. Over 90,000 businesses use Quo. Get 20% [e-mail] business that's qU-U-O.com business and we can port your existing numbers over for free. Quo no missed calls, no missed customers all right friends, now that the storyline of Quicksilver is fresh in our minds, it is time to set the stage for where things left off. For key characters and plot points as we head into Brimstone, let's start with something easy. Or rather, somewhere easy. What's the last we know of the happening haps in Salvarin? We know from Cali sharing in interviews that Kingfisher and Carrion will travel to Zelvarin in Brimstone, so we're thinking we're going to spend quite a bit of time in this realm. In the second book, Zelvarin is both the name of the supposedly human realm and the main city. Zavarn is a hot, windy desert with two twin sons, Balia and Min, which dip low in the sky but never actually set, so it is never dark here. As a result, the climate here is hot, hot, hot and very, very dry. So dry that it's only rained once in the last 16 years, and people across generations had never seen rain before. There is sand, sand and more sand here, and it's so windy that you have to wear a mask or a scarf over your face so not to breathe the hot sand into your lungs. The sandy wind has been slowly eating away at the city, leading to the questionable integrity of most sandstone structures. As Saris's father unfortunately found out, food and water are generally scarce unless you are a member of Madra's elite and live in the Hub, especially water. Most wards have very strict water rations. Zelvarin City's layout is fashioned after the shape of a wheel, with the innermost hub being for Madra and her elite. And then there's the outer wards with varying levels of poverty. Serris and Karion are from the Third Ward, though Carion wasn't living there anymore, and the Third Ward has been quarantined for the past six years, ever since Cerys Mother, who was in league with the rebels, was killed for having a few small weapons on her.

[Nicole]

Next, let's get into Madra, Queen of Zulvarin, and generally just not a great gal. Not only was she in charge of quarantining the Third and created the water rations situation, she also is incredibly power hungry, paranoid, and is determined to live forever. Which yes, despite being human, she is well over a thousand years old. When she came into power, she rounded up every magic user in Zilvarin and had them killed, and is still on the lookout for anyone who has magic, specifically alchemists. More on them in a moment. Why? We're not sure, but Dang, we're curious. 1,000 years ago, Madras plunged Solace, Kingfisher's father's godsword, into the Quicksilver Pool in her palace, and thus stilled the Quicksilver Pools across the universe. Not a very popular move, as it pissed people off like Belacan, who relied on the Quicksilver Pools for things like trade, amongst most likely other things between the realms to bolster his power. But at the end of Quicksilver, we learn that the history is all water under the bridge. Now she is happily part of the the Triumvirate, a trio that includes her super powerful brothers Belacan and Malcolm, and together the three Crowns are more powerful, united, and cannot be killed unless the whole group of them is killed again. More on this later. At the end of the story, Madra, after being a little coward, goes through the Quicksilver Pool, assumably back to Zilvarin, just in time for the celebration of Evenlight in the Silver City.

[Lexi]

Madra's Captain of the Guard, Heron, is a bit of a question mark by the end of Quicksilver, so we're on the lookout heading into Brimstone for an update on him. Last we saw on the page, Serris snapped his neck in the maze, but Nicole and I are both not convinced Harren is actually dead. Because he's a cockroach, he can't die. Early in Quicksilver, remember how he was consumed by the metal of the blade that Ceris accidentally melted? Well, when Harren showed up in the Gilfrine Maze at the end of book one, he was not looking so good with Eyes of Pure. Quicksilver. He was in a weakened state with shattered teeth and peeling skin. And as we got confirmation in the UK Bonus chapter, Harren is more than a a thousand years old too. Like, he's made clear he cannot die. So that leaves the question, does snapping his neck have any permanent repercussions?

[Nicole]

No.

[Lexi]

With Maja escaping through the Quicksilver, we don't hear anything about Heron after his neck is snapped in the maze. So, assuming he can't die, is he still in this realm? Or has Madra found a way to get him back to Zelvarin with her? We don't know.

[Nicole]

There are some very important people in Zelvarin, namely Hayden, Sarris's younger brother. He's about 21 years old. And Elroy, her mentor and the closest thing she has to a father figure in this world. With both her parents being dead, Hayden is alive. Huzzah. And in the 7th Ward with a job as a store clerk. After Sabers was taken at the beginning of Quicksilver, Carrion got Hayden some pretty sick dicks. He has triple water rations and a room above the shop he works at. And the last time Carrion visited him, he was comfortable, though unhappy. Hayden is dealing with quite the guilty conscience about getting caught with the Gauntlet and Sarah's being taken in his place, and he blames himself himself for it. And last we know, he was brainstorming ways to break Cerus out of the palace, which is quite concerning considering Hayden is very immature. It's worrisome. I am deeply concerned for what hot water this dude has gotten himself into by the end of Quicksilver and the beginning of Brimstone. Then we have Elroy, the best glassmaker in Zilvarin, who has been going up to the palace gates every day and demanding to see Seirin. But every time he's turned away, he spends a lot of his time working in the Forge, still in the Third Ward. And according to Carian, he's grumbling a lot about the mess that Serous has left him in. Other than that, the Third continues as it always has. Odd, considering Madra threatened to kill all of them. Before Seris was taken to Evalia, she was determined to weed out the people responsible for teaching her how to fight. Fight like Seiris can.

[Lexi]

Fisher speculates that Madra will conscript the citizens for the army she has to quickly build now that the Quicksilver is reactivated and other realms are a threat. But again, Carrion doesn't mention anything about this. So as far as we know, she has not moved forward with conscripting and building an army yet.

[Nicole]

The Guardians, Madra's highly trained guards, are not looking for either Elroy or Hayden as they are preparing for something called Even Light, which by our timeline math is coming up within the next week in the the Story, the whole city's been abuzz with talk about what gift Madre is going to give them this year. And yes, this feels very important for book two.

[Lexi]

So in preparation for the Even Light holiday, they're building some kind of stage with flowers. And no, it does not look like the gallows. While we don't know what the Holiday of the Even Light is for, though, we wonder if it has to do with the two suns positions in the sky. Just thinking about that Even Light there, I am so convinced that when Kingfisher and Carrion come into Salvarin, this Even Light celebration that feels very ominous will be going on and play a big part in the plot line. So that's the realm of Zelvarin. Now let's shift our focus to the realm and territory we were in for the majority of Quicksilver Yvelia. Yvelia is a large territory in this realm and it is ruled by Belacan. If you look at the map, Yvelia is north of Sanis Roth and east of Galaria. It's winter time in Yvelia. I'm not sure if it's like this year round in the whole territory, but at least it is always winter time in the Winter Palace. Go figure.

[Nicole]

Which is the capital of Evelia. We've spent a few chapters in the Winter palace in book one. The most notable things we have for this area is that it is the home of Belakan, King of Evilia and Everlane, his daughter and Kingfisher's half sister. It is also home to a big quicksilver pool in its basement that Fisher uses to travel to and from Sylvarin when he's supposed to be getting Hayden but ended up getting Carrion Swift, our protagonist, left not long after that. However, we can can assume based on clues we get from when Cerys is facing vampires later on at the river, that some shit went down at the Winter palace after Ceres, Fisher, Carrion, Wren and Onyx all left. Not only was Everlane taken to Malcolm, the King of the vampires, but there are several mentions of feeders who are wearing aprons that Serious thought she recognized from the Winter palace, and they also look like fresh feeders. This is bad, bad, bad. When we asked Callie about these particular feeders and if they are IND from the Winter palace, she lovingly said that she cannot answer that question. So, while we don't have confirmation, we are deeply concerned that many of the residents of the Winter palace are either feeders or, like we see with Belacan's men at the end of the book, they are doing Bellican's bidding, even though it's now coming from a place of wait. He's been working with the enemy this whole time. What this means for our favorite librarian, Rosarius, we have no idea. But here's to hoping that he's alive.

[Lexi]

I am so worried about my boy, Rosarius. And I just really want to know what is going on at the Winter Palace.

[Nicole]

Like that.

[Lexi]

Oh, my goodness. What is happening over there?

[Nicole]

I'm so worried about Clements over here.

[Lexi]

Rosarius. Rosarius, I need you to be okay.

[Nicole]

At least your crackers. You need your crackers.

[Lexi]

Have one more full meal before you go. While we're on the topic of the Winter palace, we have to bring up its ruler, Belacan. Yes. Boo. You suck, Belacan. When Kingfisher was 10 years old, Belacan allegedly sent his father, Fenrin on a mission through the Quicksilver to assassinate Madra in Zavarin. However, Madra ended up stealing all of the universe's quicksilver portals with Fenrin's godsword, cutting off all realm to realm trade, transportation, and communication. But Belcon blamed Finryn for sealing the Quicksilver and and spew propaganda against Fish's father, framing him as a traitor to the realm for doing such a horrible thing. While the precise timeline of events is purposefully a little confusing, Belakan became King of Yvelia in the first place. By usurping and killing the royal Dianthus line, Fenryn was able to smuggle the Dianthus royal heir out of the realm and into Zelvarin, who turns out to be Carrion Swift. But after Fenryn disappeared for good through the Quicksilver and was cast out as a traitor, Belakan ordered Fisher's newly widowed mother to marry him. Because she was a very powerful oracle, someone who can see the future. And because Fisher's family ruled over Kalish and they were very wealthy. So by marrying Fisher's mother, all of Finryn's Lordship wealth became Belacan's. Belacan hated that Fisher's mother already had a son, Fisher. And when she finally gave birth to a baby girl, Everlane Bella Khan slit their mother's throat because he believed she was useless and always told him lies. She didn't. She was Oath bound and literally could not lie. We think she gave Bellacon oracle answers that he did not want to hear. But that's just our speculation. Bella Khan blamed her death on dying in childbirth. And as of now, only Fisher, Seras, Karion and Lorath know the true nature of Fisher's mother's death.

[Nicole]

Bella Khan is bad news bears, if you haven't gotten this already. But he's also been working behind the scenes for a long time with Malcolm. Yes, despite being in a air quotes war with Malcolm's region of Sanisroth. For years, Belacan has been refusing the Avalon warfront. Things like food, water, weapons, and most importantly, silver, one of the only substances that can kill vampires. With the war front weakened and without weapons that can kill the opposite side, it's been very easy for Malcolm to get more bodies on his side. Belacan's also been hoarding an embargo on silver. If he can get all the silver in the land, no if, ands or buts, then it cannot go to the war front. But Belacan has been working with Malcolm for much longer than this war. That's been going on for at least as long as it's as anyone can remember. They've been working together since the Blood Curse, which was a millennia ago. And that's quite the secret they've kept under wraps for a very long time.

[Lexi]

So where things leave off with Bellicon at the end of Quicksilver, Fisher, Carrion and Lorath nearly died at Bellicon's hand in the center of the maze. While the crew bought Sarah's time to find the Quicksilver coin and end everything. After she flipped the coin and cut off Malcolm's head. The wind. The wind, the wind. Nicole swept the death magic away. Belcon was putting up quite a fight against the trio. But the moment Loras Godsword had its magic returned to it, he fled. We assume Bellakon fled back to the Winter Palace. And we're curious how this will play out now that his big secret of working against his own kingdom for the enemy has been revealed and one of his two partners in crime is dead. Let's quickly touch on a location that kind of served as headquarters for our group in Quicksilver. Kalash Kingfisher's home, where he is the Lord. Most of the citizens of Kalish fled the city a while ago because it was dangerously close to the war's front line mines. Fisher hopes to make it safe enough for his people to be able to come home. Fun fact about Kalish, because Fisher's father did not trust Belakan. He warded the Kalish borders to prevent allowing Bellakon and his supporters into this territory within Yvelia. So Belakan cannot enter Kalish. There's also a Quicksilver pool in Kalash, and it's where our favorite fire sprite Archer lives as he holds down the fort at Kingfisher's family estate.

[Nicole]

The last time we saw her on the page, Everlane, Kingfisher's half sister, was just rescued from Malcolm by Fisher and co after he sent her through a Shadowgate back to Kalash. Everlane was bitten by Malcolm, and thus in the process of either dying and then coming back as a feeder, or transitioning into a vampire and being enthralled to Malcolm. Ishbal, the granddaughter of the Balqadir High Witch, was brought to Kalash in order to cast a sedation spell on Everlane.

[Lexi]

Only the very powerful witches have this capability, and the Balqadir clan was instrumental all those thousands of years ago in finding the cure for the Blood Curse.

[Nicole]

And together with Kingfisher's favorite healer, Tay Lena, the two suppressed the venom in Lain's blood long enough that Tenna could heal her body. This has never been done before, and there was quite the chance that the venom was just going to kill Everlane, even though she was sedated by Ishbal. By the end of Quicksilver, Everlane is alive and Wren is watching over her. Yes, we ship them so hard, she has fallen into a deep healing sleep that she cannot be roused from. But Talena and Ishabel are both confident that she will wake any day. But we don't know what state she will be in when she wakes up. Which is a deeply concerning line.

[Lexi]

Like Nicole said, there has been a war between Yvelia the Fae and Sanis Wrath the vampires for a long, long time. Now that the Vampire King who's been spearheading this war is dead, it's to be determined where this leaves us with the war. Now that Malcolm is gone and Ceres is queen of Sanus Wrath, will the rest of Stannis wrath still push through? With a war going on, it could potentially be even worse. Worse? With Sarris not having control over the Feuder army and the vampires who are still very much interested in overtaking the realm, or does she have enough control over all of them to be able to stop the war? How does Belacan fit into this? Having been Malcolm's ally, and now our core group knows the truth about his role in aiding the enemy, will he still Ensure the Feeders and vampires have it easy against Yvelia. Or is Bellakon scared now that Malcolm doesn't have control of them and Serris knows Belcon sees secret God.

[Nicole]

I hope so. So considering the war was between Evilia and Stannis Wroth, but now it is discovered that Evelia is ruled by Belacan the bad guy, and Naerys is about to be the new Queen of Sanisroth, it seems like this war is no longer going to be region versus region. Instead it will now be Belacan and Madra or the Triumvirate as a whole versus Sarrus and Kingfisher. We don't yet know where the other regions of the Balqadir clanlands and Lycia stand in the war yet, but the Bal clans are known to absolutely despise Belacan. So here's to looking helpful.

[Lexi]

This is the perfect time to turn our full attention to the southern territory in this realm. Sanisroth is the kingdom that borders Yvelia and they are separated by a frozen river called the Darn Amon Traeth. Meeting Hell's Teeth is the capital city of Sanisroth. Its walls are sheer made of obsidian, slick as glass. It's built from the bones of demons.

[Nicole]

Oh my.

[Lexi]

Malcolm had been the only king of this territory for thousands and thousands and thousands of years. Years. Growing his army of Feeders and vampires and literally creating this whole occult civilization of the dead. Fey magic does not work on Santa's Rothian soil. Fae magic needs light and life to survive and there's nothing but death, darkness and decay on the other side of the river in Santa's Roth. That is not a fun place for living people to be stationed right now like Sarah Sink Fisher. Now that Malcolm is assumably off the board though we're going to talk more about that soon. I'm interested to see what changes changes can happen in Santa's wrath and if the light and life from magic to flourish can even return to the area. Like with the help of witches or even Saris's powers. Maybe. But again we can gather There are a lot of vampires still in Sanus Roth and I'm willing to bet they like things the way that they are or want to keep trying to rule over the realm. While we're on the subject of vampires and Sanus Roth, there's the all important Blood Curse that has been a through line in the book thousands and thousands of years ago. The Blood Curse curse turned Fae into vampires. It elongated their teeth so they could bite their Victims and drain them, which they needed for their immortality. Malcolm was the very first to be affected by the curse. When the cure was discovered, many of the Yvellian Fae took it because they were horrified by the monsters they become. But there were those like Malcolm who preferred being the monsters and chose not to take the cure and thus stay immortal with their dark power. Over the centuries, Malcolm killed off others who kept the curse too. 2 until he was the only OG with the blood Curse. It was the last true king of Yvelia, Ruak Dianthus Carrion's father, who charged five Witch families with the task of finding the cure to the curse. Of these five, the Balcadir clan was instrumental in breaking the curse. This is the same clan that Ishabal is heir to. How they figured out how to break the curse, we aren't sure at least yet. But we do know one thing. Ruik's blood was used to create the Blood Curse in the first place. That allowed Malcolm to become a vampire. Fire. So, ah, isn't this interesting? Ruik's blood was used to create the Blood Curse. And he was the one who sought how to find the cure. But even with the curse lifted, all Fae still have traces of their vampire fangs. And the fangs, the canines are there. Still functional. We also know that Fenryn Fisher's father studied the Blood Curse for decades. Why and what we learned, we don't know. But I'm so curious about Papa Finryn's research. I cannot say that it's enough. And it was an alchemist who helped Malcolm figure out the key to the Blood Gift. Whatever Blood Gift means. But important to know that for our alchemist Seras in the story.

[Nicole]

All right, it's been long enough. Because we gotta talk about that alchemist, our fmc Seras. Because things ended very strange for her after her talk with Xarith. Which don't worry, we will be going through that in a moment. Seras wakes up in Samusroth and she's no longer a human. As she was dying in the Maid days. Taladeus Malcolm, second, who was working against him all along, saved Sarris's life, but at a huge cost. He bit her, thus turning her into a vampire. So there were only two things that could have happened. She could have died and returned as a feeder because of Taladeus's bite. Or what actually happened. She then fed from Taladeus at his behest, thus becoming a vampire who is Slash should be enthralled to Taladeus, considering that he calls Himself, her sire. At the end, we can assume that this is the case. But at least she's in her right mind, so that's pretty good. We're really hoping that Talladeas doesn't use this enthrallment for bad news bears, though. I'm really rooting for this guy.

[Lexi]

Me too. I'm really trusting Kingfisher and his judgment here. I think we'll learn a lot more. The ins and outs of enthrallment in Brimstone, and how serious I'll call it will counter it. Maybe her free agency was a big theme in Quicksilver, and I can see it continuing in this new way and her having to overcome it. Even if Taladeus doesn't control her with the enthrallment, or there might be some political ramifications with a different vampire having the Queen enthralled. The others can't like that Malcolm's number two made the queen, right? Or maybe because she's only half vampire and half Fae, her enthrallment works a little differently. It's more subdued. Because she is isn't full vampire. That's what I'm hoping for. At least.

[Nicole]

That's really what I'm hoping for too. Because of this shared bite experience, Serous should be full vampire. But because of her conversation with Zarith, God of Chaos and Change, he proposed for her to become something entirely new in order to keep living. And other things that again we'll talk about in a moment. So she returns, half vampire, half Fae. Something that has never been seen before.

[Lexi]

So Serris now has pointed ears like the Fae and extra sharp canines like the vampires.

[Nicole]

Because of this, no one really knows what this is going to entail for her. Will she have to drink from others? Can she go into the sunlight? All the answers we don't know.

[Lexi]

All the healers can confirm is that Serris is definitely not human anymore.

[Nicole]

No shit, Sherlock. But we know that she's not just a member of Santa's Wrathian soil now. Now she is the Queen. But why is Seiras the queen of the Sanisrothian court? In Fae courts, the crown is passed down through the bloodline. But if that crown is murdered, then the crown is claimed by the person who slew them in the Vampire Court. A place where they've only had one king the entire time. There really isn't a succession plan because Malcolm the arrogant ass was planning to live forever. So they adopted the rules of the fake court. And Serous is the one who killed Malcolm. So she is going to become queen. She's not officially queen right now. In two days time from the ending chapter of Quicksilver, she will be coronated and made the new queen of Senisroth. We cannot talk about where things left off without discussing our boy Kingfisher, who is in Stannis wrath with his mate as she recovers, you know, being transitioned and becoming a queen of a realm. In Quicksilver, Kingfisher suffered the majority of the book with the Quicksilver in his own mind, which we know from when Sabers talk to it, that the Quicksilver refused to leave him because they are him, one weapon, one being. We also know from our Calla Callies on the show, whenever the quicksilver in Fisher's eyes are still, that means that he is in his right mind. But whenever it's whirling around or taking over, that means it's very active in his mind. Screaming Anorath More. Causing him to have hallucinations and etc. Because of this, this deep decline of Fisher's sanity, he was planning on taking his own life when he was no longer able to be in his right mind. But at the end of the book, we get a nice little surprise. Thank God. When Serous wakes up from her transition, there is much less quicksilver in Fisher's eye. Huzzah. Turns out that together, Talana and Ishbal found a way to dampen the effects of the metal in his mind, thus quieting the Quicksilver. And eventually, after about a million sessions, he will be Quicksilver free. Big news for our boy Fisher. So I think that means Fisher is going to be traveling back to Kalish, since that's where Talena and Ishabel are stationed, especially because they're treating Lane there. But allow me to step on my romantic soapbox for a moment, because both Seras and Kingfisher have accepted their side of the bond, leaving them now fully bonded.

[Lexi]

Yay.

[Nicole]

They both have a blue green metallic mating rune tattooed on them signifying their match as God bound, and have the ability to speak into each other's minds, which I'm sure will come quite in handy in Brimstone. I do wonder what the limits to this ability are, because if Kingfisher is in Zolvarin, like, would they be able to talk across realms? I doubt it.

[Lexi]

Excuse me? Yesterday you brought up that they might even be able to bangity bang mind to mind across realms.

[Nicole]

You know what? You're right. I'm actually going to stick with that. I'm going to stick with that because I'm, I'm in it for the bit now. The holidays are a stressful time for small business owners. I know for us, things always get so busy with the influx of merch orders. And one of the best ways to ease that stress is to work with a selling platform that has the tools and reliability to help you fulfill all your orders with confidence. That's where Shopify comes in.

[Lexi]

Shopify is the commerce platform behind millions of businesses around the world and 10% of all e commerce in the US from household names to entrepreneurs who will be participating in their first Black Friday and Cyber Monday this year. And hey, if you've been to our merch store, we at fantasy fangirls use Shopify too.

[Nicole]

Don't let your brand's voice get lost in the sauce of the thousands of messages consumers will be seeing. Shopify's marketing tools will help you push your brand to the forefront of of the chaos. No matter what platform your customers are on, you'll be able to stress less knowing that Shopify's award winning customer support team is on standby 24. 7 to help with any issues that arise, allowing for you to get back into business as fast as possible. If you want to give customers the best experience possible this holiday season, you need Shopify this Black Friday.

[Lexi]

Join the thousands of new entrepreneurs hearing for the first time with Shopify. Sign up for your free trial [e-mail] FFG that's shopify.com FFG One more time, go to shopify.com FFG and make this Black Friday one to remember.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Dude, did you order the new iPhone 17 Pro? Got it from Verizon. The best 5G network in America. I never look so good.

[Lexi]

You look the same.

[Ryan Reynolds]

But with this camera, everything looks better. Especially me.

[Lexi]

You haven't changed your hair in 15 years.

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[Nicole]

It's third down.

[Lexi]

Did you see the game lapse?

[Ryan Reynolds]

Of course you did. Because you used Instacart to do your grocery restock.

[Lexi]

Plus you got snacks for the game, all without missing a single play.

[Ryan Reynolds]

And that's on multitasking.

[Lexi]

So we're not saying that Instacart is a hack for Game day.

[Ryan Reynolds]

But it might be the ultimate play this football season. Enjoy $0 delivery fees on your first three orders. Service fees apply for three orders in 14 days. Excludes restaurants. Instacart. We're here. Hey, Ryan Reynolds here for Mint Mobile. Now I don't know if you've heard but Mint's Premium Wireless is $15 a month. But I'd like to offer one other perk. We have no stores. That means no small talk. Crazy weather we're having. No it's not. It's just weather. It is an introvert's dream. Give it a [e-mail] Switch upfront payment.

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[Lexi]

All right, sounds good. Because I'm gonna say I highly doubt that though I could see if one of them has something big happen to them, the mate will be able to feel it a little bit across realms since they can also sense what the other is feeling. Maybe you know, like if they're injured or something along those lines. But besides that, I'm going to say no.

[Nicole]

I am going to say yes because they're God bound and that means it's extra tough.

[Lexi]

What a surprise. Lexi says no. Nicole says yes. Making another be.

[Nicole]

Well, we do have a sex bet now officially, but we're saving that for episode six. We know that their bond evolves God bindings, meaning that they are going to be a very important couple in Evilian history. But we also know that those who have been God bound in history, which by the way was thousands and thousands and thousands of years ago, it always ends in tragedy with one of the two dying. But for right now we're just to going gonna be happy that the two of them have each other and they're all, you know, bound and such a chapter that has left many many readers, including ourselves in quite the head scratchers is the scene with the gods. And to be quite honest, we believe that we are supposed to be mostly confused. But that's not going to stop us from doing a quick tldr of what we learned from Zareth's encounter with Sarris consider considering it's most likely going to be hella important next book. Let's start with the all important Tree. This giant tree represents the entire universe with each silver leaf being a realm and surrounding the tree is a moat of quicksilver that when the realms fall, they fall into that pool, thus eliminating Entire realms. But there's a rot infiltrating the tree. And as Zarath says, he's been waiting a long time for an alchemist who can reset the balance and make that that rot go away. So basically, congratulations, Ceres. You have the power to save the entire universe from getting eaten away by this rot. But there's a catch, isn't there? Always. Every time Zarith looked into this metaphorical crystal ball of his and saw Kingfisher and Seiris getting together, it sets off a series of events that ends with the entire tree dying. Basically, the end of the universe. No big deal. So in order for, for, you know, to not have the end of the universe, Xarith has been meddling, reshaping fates and moving pieces around on the board in order to make it so that Kingfisher and Seris don't meet. And thus the chain of events don't happen. Note. Zarith is not exactly popular for doing this. All of his fellow gods just want to scrap the tree and start over by replanting the tree. Wow. So why not just kill Kingfisher? If Xarith is so interested in Serus and Xerus plus Kingfisher equals the end of the world, well, it's because Xarith has deemed Kingfisher his champion. We don't entirely know what that means, but it is important to note, given that Fisher is also connected to the gods.

[Lexi]

When Fisher was young and almost died going through the quicksilver unprotected, without a relic, Zahra saved his life. And we're guessing this is when he became Zahra's champion. While yes, Zahra studied the various outcomes of Fisher and Sarah's connecting, and never found a balance that meant good prevailed. There are paths that were lead to uncertainty, where the destination is blocked by even the God's sight. And the only common factor in all of these uncertain possibilities is that Ceres and Fisher are God bound mates. Which is why Zarth is desperate and still a little hopeful that these two together can succeed. Being God bound protects Fisher and Seras from the unwanted attention of Xarith's God and goddess brothers and sisters who want Fisher dead.

[Nicole]

In this scene, Zereth has a preposition for our girl satisfaction. She can either die and leave this world, basically saying, no longer my problem goodbye. Or Zarath can bring her back to life, but she will officially be severed from Zarith's protection. He will not be able to meddle. He will not be able to save her or anything else. Which for him means he's Basically saying, good luck. Figure out how to save the universe on your own without my help.

[Lexi]

Yeah. When she asks how to do that, like, how am I supposed to save everybody? He's like, just live your life.

[Nicole]

And she's like, you mean what I've been wanting to do this entire book?

[Lexi]

Okay, can you imagine that sentence where it's like, no pressure. Just live my life.

[Nicole]

Okay. But in order for her to be severed, she has to come back as something new. Because the universe cannot focus on and therefore meddle in what it does not recognize. Ergo, she will return as half a half vampire, something the world has never seen and cannot focus on.

[Lexi]

This, of course, leaves us readers with a whole bunch of questions.

[Nicole]

No shit. Sorry, I'm just laughing.

[Lexi]

Will we see this conflict with the other gods? And our characters will have to eventually deal with their unwanted attention?

[Nicole]

Yes.

[Lexi]

Where is this rot coming from that is making realms of this universe die?

[Nicole]

Another realm?

[Lexi]

Is it related to the transfer it and their one source of power that they've wrapped referenced?

[Nicole]

No.

[Lexi]

Is Nicole theoretical? What is it? These are rhetorical questions. Is the rot related to the Death Magic and the Blood Curse somehow? I'm gonna say yes too. How can an alchemist restore the balance? What does that even mean? Nicole? I have so many other questions around the threads of fate and more. I have so many questions that I don't even know how to form my question questions. But you all get the idea.

[Nicole]

Nicole gets it too.

[Lexi]

There's a big old question mark next to the gods and their involvement or lack of involvement. Now, this would not be a recap episode if we did not share a tldr on alchemy, which is such a cornerstone magic in this world. And Serris is the most powerful alchemist ever. But she doesn't know how to tap into all that magic yet. Alchemy is a forgotten, long dead old magic. All alchemists are Fae, but not all Fae are alchemists. Alchemists. For someone to be an alchemist, they need to have fey blood, even if it's just the smallest drop. There are three branches or types of alchemists. Number one, those who want to discover the path to immortality. Number two, those who want to create and invent by transmuting various metals and ores. That is what is believed that Ceres is. And number three, those who want to cure illness and disease. We don't know much about the two alchemy branches regarding immortality and cures, but we do know some about their transmutation. Alchemy. Alchemists These alchemists are who forge quicksilver into weaponry for fey warriors. They are the only people who can manipulate metals as long as there is at least 5% quicksilver. The exception here being serious, who can manipulate and control metals with there is way less than 5%. Even then, with that 5% of quicksilver, it is typical that these alchemists can only transmute the quicksilver from its solid to liquid state so that it can be forged. The ways we know that alchemists can transmute quicksilver include forging new weapons, creating relics, activating and deactivating the quicksilver pools, shattering weapons. But only the strongest alchemists like Saris can do this. Nobody had ever seen anybody do this before, or even heard of it happening after she had done this. Back in Quicksilver. And while it's not physically on the page, we hear stories that they use to transmute compounds into precious metals like silver and gold to fill palace coffers. Aside from these different branches of alchemy, our alchemists are able to work with a specific element or else elements. From my understanding, the more elements an alchemist can manipulate, the stronger they are. While we haven't outright seen manipulation of these elements on the page that we know of thanks to Fisher and Malcolm, a few of the different categories an alchemist can manipulate include, and this is not a comprehensive list, Light, dark, silver, steel, earth, air, fire, water, salt, Brimstone, and quicksilver. Coincidentally, these are all of the elements that Ceres can manipulate melee. According to her runes that appeared on her hands. Callie has informed us that we only know about 10% of Ceres's powers so far. I can guarantee you we will learn more about all that in the series. With her elemental magic and her alchemy magic.

[Nicole]

Like I said in the Deep Dive, I'm shocked it's even 10% attack. I'm shocked.

[Lexi]

Me too. We really had to pull every last little morsel we could about these powers. And we're still confused. Confused.

[Nicole]

Now that we've been through the major areas of the Fae and Alchemy series, let's discuss any other outliers or major players who we are keeping an eye on as we head into Brimstone.

[Lexi]

We gotta go back to the Triumvirate and the big question of if Malcolm is really dead. His head was chopped off with a God Sword, and then his head and his body combusted into blue flame. The power Malcolm had over Gil left as soon as he died, and at least one vampire who had Been enthralled to Mount Malcolm. Taladeus is free now. So it sure seems like Malcolm is dead. Dead, dead. Like according to all of the information we always have, whether somebody is dead or not, Malcolm checks every possible box. He is supposed to be dead. However, to kill one member of the Triumvirate, one must kill all three. And that is no easy task. The three Crowns are immortal, even call themselves gods and share one source. They're especially more powerful when reunited, like they were at the end of Quickly Silver. So if Malcolm is indeed dead, which seems likely, where does that leave the other two? Their power, their immortality, and their future goals. If Belkhan and Madra have to die in order to Malcolm to be truly dead, where does that leave Malcolm at this time? Could he potentially still be a threat?

[Nicole]

Absolutely. Absolutely. I am so convinced. And I think that's going to be a major goal of our characters next book is going to be how do we kill Bellican and Madra as fast as possible in order to ensure the triumph, it is officially dead, dead, dead.

[Lexi]

So you do or do not think that Malcolm is dead?

[Nicole]

I think Malcolm has a timed clock. A ticket in which he can respawn and come back. Maybe smaller and faster, like Morph.

[Lexi]

Oh, more thrill.

[Nicole]

What a guy.

[Lexi]

I'm gonna go with Malcolm is dead, dead.

[Nicole]

Oh, and are we seriously making a bet in a recap episode? Yes. Okay.

[Lexi]

All right. Malcolm is dead. Lexi says yes. Finally, I have a yes.

[Nicole]

All right, so here's the bet. Malcolm is dead, Lexi says yes. Nicole says no. Wow.

[Lexi]

Then we have Kingfisher's closest warriors, his wolves, the Lupo Proalia. We've been working on animals a lot with my kids. Traditionally there are eight members of the Lupo Pariah, but there have been fewer in recent centuries, sadly.

[Nicole]

Let's first talk about Lorath, our favorite singing bard, who's just the fucking best. Lorath is, as of the end of this book, with Saris, Carrion and Fisher in Sanis Wrath with his God sword, a Vizia, a very powerful God sword with the power of angel's breath, which is basically being able to spider web this like blue radiant power through a battlefield, destroying an army into ash. That is so cool. It also has the power of turning night into day.

[Lexi]

Speaking of that God sword, let's go ahead and get Danya out of the way too. Everyone's least favorite Lupo Pro justice for my girl Dania. No, she is currently in time out. She has a tendency of throwing temper tantrums. Laura's godsword Used to be hers when it was dormant. But when Sarah's reforged the blade, it activated and channeled its magic for Lorath, not Danya. And she is very, very bitter about this. She even lost her hand when she tried to take the sword from him. Because you cannot touch a God sword if it is not yours. Talena healed her hand in college, and last we knew, Fisher put Danya in timeout in Erin, the war camp where she lives.

[Nicole]

She is literally in timeout.

[Lexi]

She is literally. Because she pissed off the witches. And she almost ruined that mission of theirs too.

[Nicole]

While we're on members of the Lupa Pro Alia, let's discuss a few others who haven't been officially seen on the page, but we know from the Gate bonus chapter. Let's start with my favorite, Mirelle, who is Remphys twin sister who sadly died at the Battle of Azun Gate. Her soul is also within Nimarel Kingfisher's godsword. Then we have Corix and Vash Gideon, who were both present at the Battle of Agin Gate and survived, but we don't know where they are in the book. And last but not least, we have Folly, who was also sadly lost and flung into a black, dark darkness at the Battle of Ashengate. This has me very worried for Folly, because we don't technically see him die die on a page. Instead, he just gets flung into a vat of Feeders, which is not good. That's not good at all. Now, you don't think we've forgotten about him, do you? We have. Last but not least, the one, the only, Carrion Swift. Or should I say Carrion? Carrion. Fucking Dianthus. Dianthus, yes. The previous ruling House of Evalia. Over a thousand years ago, Belacan murdered the Dianthus line. Specifically Rurik and Amelia Carrion's parents. But he seemed to have maybe forgotten a very important person.

[Lexi]

I don't think he forgot.

[Nicole]

He. He couldn't find him.

[Lexi]

He couldn't find him.

[Nicole]

The baby was gone. Baby Carrion. Right before Madra stilled, the Quicksilver Pools found. Finryn, Kingfisher's father, brought Baby Carrion to Zilvarin and off to the hands of Orlenna Swift, an ex slave of Madras Palace. For over a thousand years, Carrion has lived, glamoured as a human in Zulvarin, until he was brought through the Quicksilver Pool by Kingfisher to his home realm. And at the end of this book, not only is the glamour lifted off of him and his true Fayness is showing. But he's also revealed as the Diana Dianthus, heir to our crew and more.

[Lexi]

Importantly to the Triumvirate, including Belacan, who very specifically meant to kill the whole Dianthus bloodline.

[Nicole]

Which brings us to why Carrion being a Dianthus is super duper important. Because Dianthus blood was used to create the Blood Curse. Again, for reasons unknown, Carrion's bloodline created Malcolm. So when Carrion lightly nudged Malcolm to drink from him, Malcolm not knowing he was dying, Malcolm's not able to drink from the living members of the bloodline that created him. Basically, when Malcolm took a little nibble of Dianthus blood, it should have killed him instantly. But because Malcolm was so powerful, it only gravely wounded him.

[Lexi]

So this does make me wonder, if Malcolm pretty much created all the other vampires, does that mean that Carrion's blood could kill any of the vampires?

[Nicole]

So that's what I'm thinking. I am absolutely thinking that. Okay, so going back to Carrion, what does this mean for the rest of Evalia? Technically, the rules in the Fae Courts are that the crown is passed to the Regent's heir. But if the Regent is murdered like Rurik was murdered by Belacan, then the crown would go to the Usurper.

[Lexi]

So I love the idea of Seras killing Malcolm and Kingfisher killing Madra and Carrion killing Belakhan.

[Nicole]

That's exactly what I was thinking.

[Lexi]

Yes.

[Nicole]

To close out this recap episode, let's take a brief moment and discuss what we are most excited about for Brimstone. Honestly, I had to like narrow this down really tight because there's so many things I'm excited for.

[Lexi]

I'll say this, I gained more appreciation for this series as we've been deep diving it, especially around all the lore and theories. It really has been one of the most fun deep dives that we have done. And oh my gosh, my brain is just having so much fun with all this creative problem solving. I can't wait to learn more about Fisher's father and the whole backstory behind his disappearance, including the timeline that has driven me crazy all book but Kelly says will make sense when we get more information. I want to know more about Finryn's research, about the Blood Curse. I want to know more about the Blood Curse in general. I really do think that there is going to be a present conflict in regard to the Blood Curse. I'm so excited for more Carrion, especially now after his big reveal and to see him and Kingfisher have lots of page time together in Salvarin and to learn learn more about the witches. Super excited to see how Ishabel will influence the story and how the Baladir clan will play into this. I have a feeling we're going to get a lot of vampire politics, which I might not be a vampire girly, but this series is one of my very few exceptions. And I want to know everything about why Zelvarin is called the Silver City, how the Triumphant works with their immortality. Malcolm's really dead, right? And their shared source of power. Speaking of power, I am dying to know more about the alchemists and what it means for us to be in the most powerful and ever. Maybe she'll meet another alchemist from a different realm who can train her. Maybe even one from Zelvarin. Okay, I'm just starting to list everything at this point. I gotta stop and let you take the mic, Nicole.

[Nicole]

I mean, we have a lot of the same ones. Other than seeing Kingfisher and Zelvarin, which. Yes, Kingfisher, interacting with Carrion, any moments of that is just gold on the page. I'm also going to include Kingfisher. I hope interacting with Hades.

[Lexi]

He's gonna almost kill her.

[Nicole]

I know, and I'm so excited. I'm also really excited to learn more about Finryn. You and I both are fully in the camp that homeboy is not dead. His mysterious research is driving me crazy about half as much as it's driving you crazy. I'm sure. I'm really curious to learn more about the tattoos. That's one of my favorite parts about this series, the Vampire Court politics. Because I find this dark shit, like the feeders and how they're described makes like I'm not a horror movie person, but I love this kind of shit in books like that is just dark shit is fascinating to me. I also cannot wait for more Fisher lines and moments where he's both such an asshole and hilarious. And also moments where he's super swoony and dirty.

[Lexi]

I will say I'm also very excited for this side of Fisher. I think that that when he was outwardly being a dick to Sarah for all the reasons that he explained in Quicksilver, some of us were like, you know, we had our game, like, is it funny, flirty, or elworthy for a good reason. And then the second half of the book where he just embraced his love for her. Oh my gosh. Top MMC worthy. And so I really think he's gonna jump up there even more in the continuing books because he is a Man who has his mate who is super overprotective detective who is scary in a really sexy way.

[Nicole]

Yes, I. I agree. I can absolutely see him jumping up my book boyfriend list after Brimstone. I'm also gonna say something that I don't normally say on the podcast. I cannot wait for the politics next book, especially the vampire politics, like how this is gonna work in Amon Trayes. I'm so excited for all of that. Yes, I'm excited for the romance, obviously, but I feel like book one was the romance book, and now we just get to see them being in love and being a team team, and then we get to see how they deal.

[Lexi]

With the world together.

[Nicole]

And that's just. I love this.

[Lexi]

I remember Callie actually saying that in our book club interview with her. She said that book one is really focused on their romance and how they come to be together. And then after that, it's focusing on everything else that is going on. So I'm so excited for all the more world building, all of the politics, all of the realm, jumping hopefully on.

[Nicole]

It that I can't wait.

[Lexi]

Onyx.

[Nicole]

Can't forget about Onyx. Oh, my God, I'm so excited.

[Lexi]

All right, before we make this recap episode any longer, thank you so much for listening to this little episode of Quicksilver as we get excited for Brimstone.

[Nicole]

And in case you're new here, hey. Hi. Hello. Thank you so much for listening to this episode. I hope it was helpful. If you want a bigger deep dive, we have five episodes devoted to Quicksilver where we dive deep into those stretches of chapters, talking about lore, any major downloads from characters, any big character analyses, and so many theories. And the sixth and final episode drops this Monday. But you have plenty of time to catch up before Brimstone releases on November 18th. Let's talk about this upcoming episode, episode six on Monday, where we are covering chapters 44 and 45, aka the God lands chapter. We're basically going line by line through everything Zereth says to Sayris.

[Lexi]

The following week, on November 17th, we have an interview with the one, the only, Cali Hart. It'll be perfect to listen to as you're driving to your Brimstone midnight release party or waiting for the clock to strike midnight so that you can download that new book.

[Nicole]

Speaking of, we are hosting a midnight release party here in Denver, Colorado, at Tattered Cover in partnership with Book and Gather, where we are having a live Q and A hosted by Lexi and myself. Scavenger hunts, trivias, raffles, special drinks, and so so so much more. Link in the Show Notes for Tickets.

[Lexi]

If you would like this episode outlined to study before you read Brimstone as well as get access to our podcast episodes a day early and ad free. Yes, this includes our first episode of Brimstone. Join our fan club at fantasyfangirls.com Fantastic fan club. The link is also in the Show Notes.

[Nicole]

Thank you as always to our Master Librarian AKA our Content researcher Brooke and of course our Executive Producer AKA our Sanity Manager Hayden.

[Lexi]

We are very active on social media with weekly trivia, book guides and lots more. So please be sure to follow us on Instagram and slash our TikTok at fantasy fangirlspod. And if you're watching this on YouTube or want to watch on YouTube, pretty please hit that subscribe button to keep.

[Nicole]

Following along along while you're hitting buttons, don't forget to hit that five star button for rating the show. It is so helpful not just for this podcast, but for any podcast you listen to. And while you're at it, if you want to go above and beyond, write a little love note in that review section. It is so so helpful. And last but not least, share this episode with your fellow Quicksilver friends. If you don't have time for a reread and you know your best friend doesn't even either, this is the perfect episode to send to them.

[Lexi]

All right, we hope this was really helpful as we all prepare for Brimstone. We are so excited to see you on the other side. Bye bye bye.

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[Lexi]

You haven't changed your hair in 15 years.

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