S4: Ep 28 - Songbird and the Heart of Stone by Carissa Broadbent - PART 2

Summary

Flights of Fantasy Podcast Summary

Episode: Season 4, Episode 28 – Songbird and the Heart of Stone by Carissa Broadbent (Part 2)
Release Date: December 3, 2024
Hosts: Christina, Anna, and Kim

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In the second part of their in-depth discussion on Carissa Broadbent's Songbird and the Heart of Stone, the Flights of Fantasy hosts—Christina, Anna, and Kim—delve deeper into the novel's intricate themes, character developments, and pivotal scenes. This episode offers listeners a comprehensive analysis filled with insightful commentary and memorable quotes from the book.

Spoiler Warning

The hosts begin with a stern spoiler warning: this summary contains detailed discussions of the first two books in the Crowns and Ixes series, including Songbird and the Heart of Stone. New listeners are advised to read or listen to Part 1 before proceeding.

Pronunciation and Character Names

Anna addresses a common concern regarding the pronunciation of character names, specifically "Misha." They rely on Carissa Broadbent's Instagram pronunciation guide to ensure accuracy, acknowledging minor discrepancies but committing to consistency throughout their discussions.

Exploring the Theme of Religion

A central theme in Songbird and the Heart of Stone is religion, particularly how it influences the protagonist, Mish's, perception of herself and her relationship with divine entities.

• Mish's Struggle with Faith:
  Anna highlights Mish's internal conflict when using Atraxas's magic, describing it as a "pain penance" reminiscent of religious self-punishment. This pain symbolizes Mish's struggle to retain her humanity amidst her vampiric transformation.

  "There are so many instances of when Mish refers to the pain she feels when she's using Atraxas as magic as necessary, because it, quote, brings her closer to her humanity..." [05:10]

• Atraxas as a Villain:
  The hosts vehemently discuss Atraxas's role, characterizing him as a clear antagonist. His manipulative nature and abuse of power contrast sharply with the fundamental tenets of religion—love, acceptance, and grace.

  "Atraxas is the sun God and we're dawn drinkers. And Atraxas is powerful and the sun and the light. And so therefore, everything Atraxas says must be good and great. And it's just so, so not the case in this book." [06:18]

Character Dynamics and Development

The episode delves into the complex relationships between key characters, emphasizing Mish's evolving identity and her interactions with others.

• Mish and Asar's Relationship:
  Anna presents a poignant quote where Asar offers Mish unwavering support, reinforcing her value beyond religious dogma.

  "If you lose the sun, Misha, you'll have a soul gentler than any vampires. You'll have an incredible magic and the skill to wield it better than the bastard who gave it to you..." [14:02]

• Sibling Tensions with Seisha:
  Kim explores the strained relationship between Mish and her sister, Seisha. Seisha's resentment stems from the sacrifices Mish's actions have forced upon her, exacerbating Mish's feelings of guilt and inadequacy.

  "You were my child, not just my sister. ... You messed it up by being you." [27:02]

Pivotal Scenes and Emotional Highs

The hosts dissect several critical moments in the book, providing commentary on their significance and emotional impact.

• The Feeding Scene (Cave 2.0):
  Christina describes a heightened version of the feeding scene from the first book, noting its increased emotional and physical intensity. The intimacy and vulnerability showcased here mark a significant turning point for Mish.

  "I could feel how much he wanted me, how much he wanted to taste my lust with his mouth..." [22:33]

• Atraxas's Punishment:
  Anna recounts the harrowing moment Atraxas punishes Mish by forcing her to relive traumatic memories, including the death of her sister. This act serves to break her spirit and solidify his control over her.

  "Atraxas makes us see it. He forces her to relive Misha killing her sister." [39:28]

• Mish's Confrontation and Sacrifice:
  The culmination of Mish's journey is her decisive act against Atraxas. Despite the deep emotional scars and manipulations she has endured, Mish finds the strength to confront and ultimately sacrifice herself, embodying her reclaimed agency.

  "I didn't regret any of it." [36:45]
  "Now, he was pissed. He says, I made you, you end with me." [54:34]

Quotes That Resonated

Throughout the episode, the hosts share several poignant quotes from the book, providing listeners with a taste of Broadbent's evocative writing.

• Mish's Inner Turmoil:

  "He was supposed to protect her. And I understand if he rejects me because I'm the monster. I'm the tainted one. I'm the one who destroyed myself." [13:47]

• Asar's Reassurance:

  "If you'll take it, Misha Ilieh, you will have me too." [14:55]

• Climactic Battle:

  "I have only one gift to lay at her feet... I need her." [56:29]

Anticipation for Book Two

As the discussion wraps up, the hosts express excitement and curiosity about the sequel, speculating on unresolved plot points and character arcs. They anticipate further exploration of the relationships and the overarching battle against Nyaxia.

• Vincent's Return:
  A morally gray character, Vincent, makes a surprising return from the underworld, signaling deeper complexities and new challenges in the forthcoming book.

  "Vincent's back... we gotta get Mish back. We gotta get Asar back." [56:27]

• The Golden Arrow and Nyaxia's Threat:
  The discovery of the golden arrow, intended to kill Nyaxia, introduces a critical element that could change the power dynamics among the gods and vampires.

  "So, they find the relic, and we're making it to the final sanctum of soul." [41:09]

Conclusion

The Flights of Fantasy hosts conclude the episode by reflecting on the emotional depth and thematic richness of Songbird and the Heart of Stone. They commend Carissa Broadbent for her ability to craft complex characters and morally intricate narratives, setting the stage for an anticipated continuation in the series.

"We have a lot to accomplish in Book Two... We gotta get Mish back... We gotta get Asar back." [56:34]

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Notable Quotes from the Episode:

1. Mish's Self-Perception:

   "But Seisha. Seisha was perfect. I wasn't crying anymore. The poison that had broken free in my veins was hotter than sadness, colder than grief. What will I have left if I don't have the light anymore? Nothing. I'll have nothing." [13:47]

2. Asar's Affirmation:

   "If you'll take it, Misha Ilieh, you will have me too." [14:55]

3. Confrontation with Atraxas:

   "Do you still wish to tell me... you have been loyal? I want to vomit... cover yourself. I don't wish to look at you, sir." [37:45]

4. Mish's Sacrifice:

   "I whispered, because I was oddly terrified to lose control. Terrified to do it alone. I'd burn with you till the end of it all, dawn drinker. I would always be with him. I knew in this moment I would never be able to leave. I didn't regret any of it." [36:35]

5. Asar's Voice in the Underworld:

   "Stop. I need her. I need her. I need her." [56:19]

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Looking Forward: The hosts eagerly anticipate the release of Book Two, eager to unravel the unresolved tensions and explore the continued evolution of Mish's character and her relationships. They also tease upcoming interviews and exclusive content related to the series, encouraging listeners to stay engaged through their Patreon and social media channels.

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Support the Podcast:
For listeners eager to support Flights of Fantasy and gain access to exclusive content such as chapter chats and interviews, please consider becoming a patron here.

Cheers and happy reading!

Transcript

[Kim]

Foreign.

[Christina]

Welcome to Flights of Fantasy, your podcast book club. I am Christina, one of your hosts, and I am joined, as always, by my book besties, Anna and Kim. Hello.

[Kim]

Hi. Hi.

[Christina]

Hello. Welcome to part two of Songbird and the Heart of Stone. This is part two. If you didn't listen to part one and you're jumping in here, go bebop back to part one and then come join us here. We are so, so, so excited to discuss this book. There are so many things we cannot wait to break down. We are just itching, guys, but first we have to shout out some of our favorite people on the planet. Kim, Shout out those patrons.

[Kim]

Yes. So we have to shout out some tier 2 patrons like we always do. So today we are going to be shouting out Danielle Leggett, Liz Butler, Lisa Bier, Lindsay Welch, and Veronica Valducci.

[Christina]

Oh, wow.

[Anna]

Hi, everybody. Thank you so much for, you know, supporting us. We really couldn't do this without you. I know we say that every time, but it's true.

[Kim]

It's. We really couldn't.

[Anna]

It's true.

[Christina]

It's true every time, you know, we love you so much. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

[Kim]

Yeah. Thank you so much.

[Anna]

Okay, so consider this your spoiler warning for the first two books in the Crowns and Ixes series, plus the novella, and a spoiler for the entire book, the Songbird and the Heart of Stone by Carissa Broadbent from here on out. As we said, this is part two, so if you are just joining us, just a little reminder, we received an arc of this book. Thank you so much, Carissa. We were so excited to read this, and there are new characters and there's not a pronunciation guide, so apologies if we mispronounce anything. We did not have access to how some of these names are pronounced. Also, we have been going off of Carissa's Saved highlight pronunciation guide on her stories on her Instagram page where she pronounces all of the names. We've been saying Misha for all of the episodes we've recorded thus far on Crowns of Nyaxia. But apparently in this book, Asar phonetically spell it out as Misha. So apologies. We. We are still going to go with the pronunciation guide that is on Carissa Saved highlights. So that's how we pronounce. Been pronouncing it for the last, like, four episodes.

[Kim]

Yeah.

[Anna]

So we're going to stick with it because that's what's in our brain.

[Kim]

Yes, exactly.

[Christina]

We are going off Karissa. We do not have the audible. We do not have anything else to go off of at this point and juncture while we're recording. So that's what we're going to go off of. Again, apologies if we're incorrect, but we're going to join the Mishmash ride altogether. Yep.

[Anna]

The Mishmash ride.

[Kim]

Yeah. And Carissa did say on her Instagram that she will accept both.

[Anna]

She did say that, actually, yes.

[Kim]

It's not wrong. It's just an alternate option.

[Christina]

Okay.

[Anna]

Okay. All right. So like we said, this is part two. So we've already done world building. We're jumping right back into the thick of it. Before we dive into the final three parts of. Is it three? Yeah, the final, like, 3ish parts of this book we really want to talk about. The major theme that's kind of been through this entire book is religion. And I think before we do that, though, I want to talk about some of the. We talked about in the last episode how Chrissa is the queen of prologues. And before every part of the book, she has these little interlude chapters, which are flashbacks to Mish's backstory. And I think all three of us, this was, like, one of our favorite parts to read.

[Christina]

Absolutely.

[Anna]

I mean, we've said it before, but she, like, you know, she just has a gift with writing these. And it's so fun to see Mish be this kind of, like, precocious and curious child, because we know that that is such a big part of her character. And initially she says that that is part of what Atraxas, like, why Atraxas was drawn to her. You know, he kind of found it, quote, unquote, charming. And as we know, like, what happens when, like, a child grows up with that same curiosity and precociousness, like, they start to question things. They start to question aspects of their life and what they were brought up to believe in. That's a good thing. That's a great part of being, you know, growing up and turning that precociousness into something productive. But, you know, Atraxas did not find it charming anymore. And as we will learn as we continue through this part of the episode. But, you know, she was really curious about, like, whether or not vampires could be saved. And we know we had that beautiful moment with the vampire who's held captive and with the flower petals, and she brings him flowers. And it really kind of. I don't know why, it really reminded me of the novella Six Scorched Roses with just, like, the flowers. And. I don't know, it just reminded me.

[Christina]

Of That I agree.

[Kim]

Yeah.

[Anna]

I love that.

[Christina]

That was such an important moment, I think, for her to have the ability to see this vampire as, like, humanizing the vampire. And no one else was even giving them that courtesy.

[Anna]

Yes.

[Christina]

And she had that in her innately to give him that. Like, you are a person, you know?

[Kim]

Yeah.

[Anna]

Which goes back to religion. But that is like, walk the walk, right?

[Christina]

Yes.

[Anna]

She is looking for the good in people rather than the evil.

[Kim]

Absolutely.

[Anna]

Anyways, we'll get to it. Okay, so. Well, let's get into it now. So the theme of religion.

[Kim]

Let's just get into it. You know what?

[Christina]

Let's just get into it. Let's just do it. Let's just do it now.

[Anna]

I mean. Okay, so we've touched upon this briefly in part one when we were talking about Mish and her growing into her power. There are so many instances of when Mish refers to the pain she feels when she's using Atraxas as magic as necessary, because it, quote, brings her closer to her humanity, like the pain that it inflicts upon her. And in some ways, it reminds me of, like, penances, you know, like a pain penance in religion.

[Christina]

Absolutely.

[Anna]

So Atraxas, like, you know, he's constantly calling her an abomination and she's tainted because she's a turned vampire. But it feels very much like the shame that like, an orthodox, extreme conservative, evangelist type faith places upon people when they are different, you know, whether they are part of the queer community. I mean, that's honestly the big thing that made me think of was, like, the way that Mish is made to feel about something that she cannot change about herself.

[Christina]

It's just innately her.

[Kim]

Yeah.

[Anna]

It's a part of her DNA.

[Christina]

Exactly.

[Kim]

And she's made to feel so disgusting for it. And it's like. It's just terrible. It's so judgmental and horrible. And it just goes against everything that is, like, the basis of religion, which is, like, love and acceptance and grace.

[Christina]

And caring and compassion and grace.

[Anna]

Yeah.

[Christina]

All these fundamental things that I feel like also in this story, kind of, that everyone assumes Atraxa stance.

[Anna]

Yes.

[Christina]

Because Atraxas is the sun God and we're dawn drinkers. And Atraxas is powerful and the sun and the light. And so therefore, everything Atraxas says must be good and great.

[Anna]

True.

[Christina]

And we assume that that's true. And it's just so, so not the case in this book. And we really get to see it close up.

[Anna]

Well, especially because we have Two books where we've gotten to know characters who are vampires and we know that there's love there. We know. Even Vincent.

[Kim]

Yeah.

[Anna]

Which, you know, a morally gray character.

[Christina]

Yay.

[Anna]

He's coming back.

[Christina]

Oh, my God. We'll get to it. We'll get to it.

[Anna]

We've gotten to know characters in this book, so. To hear the way that Mish talks about herself is so heartbreaking.

[Kim]

Yeah.

[Christina]

That's a great point, Enna, that we are already. We're obsessed. I mean, we would die for rain right now.

[Kim]

Oh, absolutely.

[Christina]

I would die for that man.

[Anna]

Yes. I would take a sunburn for him.

[Kim]

Truly. Absolutely.

[Christina]

So, yeah. Having that as the reader as our fundamental groundwork here is huge in seeing how ridiculous this is that she feels this way about herself.

[Anna]

Yeah.

[Kim]

Yeah. And like Asar says, love shouldn't feel this way. Love for anything. Love for your God, love for your family, your friends. Like, love should not hurt you.

[Christina]

Exactly.

[Anna]

God's love should not be conditional.

[Kim]

Absolutely.

[Christina]

Exactly.

[Anna]

I'm not a super religious person, but.

[Kim]

It'S just a fundamental.

[Christina]

Feels like baseline here.

[Anna]

To quote the great Lady Gaga, Baby, you were born this way. Sorry. I listened to that song on the way after I dropped the kiss off from school today. Listen, this is our musical. This is part two of the musical. Songbird, the musical.

[Christina]

It is Songbird the musical.

[Anna]

And she's not wrong.

[Christina]

And you know what? The great Lady Gaga speaks truth. She does.

[Anna]

She speaks truth.

[Kim]

If I know one thing about that Lady Gaga, she speaks truth.

[Christina]

That's all I can say. That's all I can say.

[Anna]

There's so much guilt, I think, surrounding Mish's faith. Because, like, I mean, okay, imagine being eight years old, and you're told now that you are responsible for your family's, like, prosperity, basically. I mean, she walks in at 8 years old, and all of a sudden the sun God appears to her and he's like, yeah, you. Like you're my chosen one. Like, you're going to be my bride. Witch. Vomit.

[Kim]

The worst.

[Anna]

That is a fuck ton of pressure to place upon a child.

[Christina]

Absolutely. Yeah. It's not okay. Especially a child that you're actively brainwashing you.

[Anna]

Exactly. It's giving cult. And not in a cute way.

[Kim]

No, not a cute cult.

[Anna]

It's not a cutesy cult. Okay.

[Kim]

No, no.

[Anna]

And listen, I actually am fascinated by cults. I find people who are drawn to cults, like, very interesting. I love reading about them.

[Kim]

Same.

[Anna]

And like, there are two things that make up a cult. Sex and money. And I feel like this One is the former. We have a 16 year old. Guys, the amount of times when we were reading this, when she's referenc her wedding night, I was like, this must be some euphemism because like, no, surely not. This God is not marrying a 16 year old and we are not referencing a quote unquote like consummation. But we are.

[Christina]

But we are.

[Anna]

And it's gross.

[Kim]

It's disgusting. I hated it.

[Christina]

It really took Atraxas to a whole other level of gross. Irredeemable. Like, I think Atraxas might actually be our. In a Carissa Broadbent book. One of our first actual straight up villains.

[Kim]

I would agree with that.

[Christina]

I do not see any morally gray even attempting to make him morally gray here. And I think that act took him over the line to that category.

[Kim]

Yeah, absolutely.

[Anna]

I agree.

[Kim]

No going back from that.

[Anna]

Exactly. There was no going back. No matter the. What was he eating?

[Kim]

An apricot.

[Christina]

An apricot. It is just burned into my memory, the damn apricot.

[Anna]

I don't know why it is so. It feels so like salacious and like gross.

[Kim]

It's like juicy. And he's like.

[Anna]

The way.

[Kim]

He's like, it must have been juicy. Yeah.

[Christina]

And all the Slurpees and then also him just throwing it on the bed. Oh, the pit of it. You know that it's not even like we're gonna try to keep the damn comforter clean. And so it's like a nice experience. It's just like nothing about the experience is trying to be nice for her. It's all about him and his.

[Anna]

I do love that the next wedding she's sitting with even and she's like, is that like it. Is that like what everyone's talking about? Like, it wasn't that great. Like I.

[Kim]

Of course it wasn't.

[Christina]

And like, how sad.

[Anna]

Of course it wasn't.

[Christina]

It's so sad.

[Anna]

He probably has a teeny tiny micro maybe. I don't know. He could make it grow probably. He's a God.

[Kim]

He's a God, so.

[Christina]

And when she details that later about how like he. It's just wasn't about her at all. Like he didn't take the time to even care if she was so gross. Anything like comfortable, happy.

[Kim]

But it wasn't about her at all. It was about him.

[Anna]

No, it wasn't.

[Kim]

She kept talking about her beautiful wedding dress and then she says that he just like ripped it and threw it on the ground. And that's such a perfect analogy for how he feels about her. Like, he doesn't care about her comfort. He doesn't care about her as a person at all. It's what she can do for him. What does she give to him? It's never about her. And I'm like, that is not love. That is not right. And she's just like, oh, like, it's okay. And I'm like, it's not okay.

[Anna]

It's not okay, Misha. It's not.

[Christina]

It's not okay. Mish. Mish, you deserve the world.

[Kim]

She does.

[Anna]

And I think there is so much guilt she feels because of that, not because of that night. But we know that her sister was a prostitute, and she had to do that to keep her and Misha safe while they were trekking through to get to the Citadel.

[Kim]

Absolutely.

[Anna]

And I think in Misha's mind, she feels like, why should I complain? Why am I complaining about giving my virginity to a God when my sister had to, like, prostitute herself to keep us safe? Like, you tie that in with being brainwashed since she was 8 years old, treated as if she's this chosen one that got. That warps you.

[Kim]

Absolutely.

[Anna]

You know, and even the sex part.

[Christina]

Of that, because she's told by her sister, like, no, this is important. No, he's chosen you. Oh, no. You can't even, like, touch elbows with that other boy. Don't you dare. You know, but it's built up to be this thing of, like, you should feel nothing but happiness and thankful that he has chosen to do this with you. Yeah.

[Kim]

It's just so sad. And it's like any other emotion is wrong.

[Christina]

Yes, exactly.

[Anna]

Yes.

[Kim]

You're wrong for feeling that way.

[Anna]

Yes.

[Kim]

And you shouldn't.

[Christina]

Exactly.

[Kim]

It's like, okay, well, I feel like.

[Anna]

Pretty much this entire book is Mish grappling with the sense of abandonment from her God while at the same time trying to remain faithful and, like, prove her worth.

[Christina]

Yes.

[Anna]

So, you know, I think we've started to see that part of her. I think Asar has been helping her with that. But I'm interested to see in the next book if we explore that more as she starts to. I mean, she kills Atraxas in the end, so clearly she makes a choice.

[Christina]

I was gonna say we're gonna have probably more to grapple with, considering before.

[Anna]

It'S like, am I worthy?

[Christina]

And now it's like, I've murdered him.

[Kim]

I've murdered him.

[Anna]

Well, I've murdered him.

[Christina]

I'm happy that it happened. Yeah. Yeah. But I think I loved getting to see her get to that point.

[Kim]

Me too.

[Christina]

I love getting to see her go through this deconstructing faith and get to the point where she was capable of that. That was one of the joys of this book, was seeing that.

[Kim]

Absolutely. Yeah.

[Anna]

And there's this really great quote. She gets so angry in this quote that I'm about to read. And it's after her. You know, they're in secrets, and her sister confronts her. And her sister's like, you ruined this for us. And it's obviously a very warped version of her sister, but she feels such anger. Mish starts to feel for the first time, she really lets that kind of doubt and anger that she's been kind of pushing under the surface. She lets it bubble free, and it's towards Atraxas. And she's talking to Asar, and she just had this encounter with her sister, and she's furious and she says, because who will I hate instead? If it's not my fault, whose is it? She's not supposed to be here meeting her sister. She's not supposed to be here. She was the best priestess in the Citadel. The most pious, the most devoted. She was always the better one. She gave him everything. She gave him. My voice cracked. She gave him me. I drew in a ragged, painful breath. He was supposed to protect her. And I understand if he rejects me because I'm. I'm the monster. I'm the tainted one. I'm the one who destroyed myself. But Seisha. Seisha was perfect. I wasn't crying anymore. The poison that had broken free in my veins was hotter than sadness, colder than grief. What will I have left if I don't have the light anymore? Nothing. I'll have nothing.

[Christina]

That is such a perfect quote to explain her headspace. It's so sad and so well written. And Asar's response is absolutely incredible.

[Anna]

Oh, my God, his response. This is so beautiful. I love it. We love him.

[Christina]

I love it. We really do.

[Anna]

God, Karissa, how do you write these men? Okay, he says, is that what you think of yourself? That everything good about you came from a fucking church? Atraxas didn't make you special by choosing you. He chose you because you already were. And even when you were eight mother damned years old, he knew that you owe him nothing. Nothing. His fingers tightened, hands sliding to the back of my head as if to keep me from retreating from his words. I'll tell you what you'll have. If you lose the sun, Misha, you'll have a soul gentler than any vampires. I've ever known. You'll have an incredible magic and the skill to wield it better than the bastard who gave it to you. You'll have a soft heart and a sharp wit and the wisdom to know when to use the other. You'll have countless inane questions and horrible taste in food and a penchant for making lost souls love you. I couldn't breathe, couldn't speak. He leaned closer until his forehead touched mine. And if you'll take it, Misha Ilieh, you will have me too.

[Kim]

Oh, my God.

[Christina]

Oh, my God.

[Anna]

That's what she needed. That's what we needed. It was amazing.

[Christina]

We all needed it, and we got it. Thank you, Carissa. Asar, we love you.

[Anna]

He's saying all of the things that, like, we already know as the reader.

[Kim]

Yeah.

[Anna]

And she needed to hear it. And, I mean, I don't even think she believes it quite yet. I think she's still processing at this point.

[Christina]

Yes.

[Anna]

But God damn it, like, just keep saying it, Asar. Keep reaching out the hand.

[Kim]

Keep holding.

[Christina]

Keep holding out a hand. And she does. She takes it. It's like this patience he has with her and the sweet words. That speech especially.

[Anna]

Yeah.

[Kim]

Chef's kiss. 10 out of 10, no notes.

[Anna]

And before we move on, I just want to say, like, this one little thing. I feel like it's the five stages of grief. I feel like losing her religion is like a massive divorce for her. You know, in the first book, she's begging for Atraxas, and there's a denial sense to her where there's no way he's abandoned me. No, no, no. And I think we start to see anger in this part. Her anger. And then the bargaining comes later with Atraxas when he appears to her after they have the sexy time, and she bargains for Asar, for her sister. And I wonder if we're gonna, like. I mean, not that five stages of grief have to go through all of it or anything. I'm just saying, like, it was interesting. I feel like we've hit that pattern, sort of.

[Christina]

Yeah, absolutely. I think that's a great point. The barg, the anger. Like, it really does check those boxes for sure.

[Anna]

Yeah. I loved the theme of religion in the book. I mean, it was a great through kind of plot point that helped, I think, tether us to Mish through all the different sanctums. And I'm excited to see how that continues in book two.

[Kim]

Absolutely.

[Christina]

Okay. Should we take a trip to secrets?

[Anna]

Yes, let's take a trip to secrets.

[Christina]

Okay.

[Anna]

Everybody, this was actually my favorite sanctum because I thought it was really fascinating.

[Christina]

So this sanctum was very interesting. I do want to say, at the very beginning, there was this little tidbit of dialogue that I felt I needed personally. Where it is described as the sanctum of secrets is all about desire, shame, the things mortals hide from themselves to what Misha says. Didn't we just do that? In my head was like, yeah, yeah. Didn't we just do that?

[Anna]

Didn't just do that in psyche.

[Christina]

And then the response is, psyche primarily holds memories, secrets holds emotions. And that is true. And there is a difference between them. I feel like the main big difference, which was so cool to see, is that secrets actually presents itself as a different place to every person. And that was so cool to understand that's what was happening, that they were seeing different things. He was like, wait, what do you see? Like, it was very cool, very much giving bone carver, but in a whole place, you know?

[Anna]

Yes, very true, but.

[Christina]

Okay, so Misha sees the citadel. Of course, that's very important to her. The emotions there and the ground surrounding it. We have to note here that we do not actually know what a Sarcee. He says that it's the Shadowborn Castle, but it feels like a lie. It feels like secrets. Like, it's a secret in secrets. Okay. It feels like secret times are happening in secrets.

[Anna]

He's very sneaky about it.

[Christina]

He's weird about it. And at one point, he references a castle, but it feels like a really emotional castle. There's something going on there.

[Anna]

Because she says, the Shadowborn Castle. And he goes, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, that one. Like, sure, sure, sure.

[Kim]

We gotta work on the line. You're not doing a great job. I need you to step it up.

[Anna]

Your poker face is not great.

[Kim]

Step it up. Okay.

[Christina]

Work on that. Okay. All right. So just as a reminder where we are here, we're not doing physically great. All right? We're a little physically unwell at this juncture in the plot. So we've just come from the battle at Esme's, where we were. They were both really badly wounded. And because they haven't fed, I, like, drank blood in a while. Their vampire healing magic isn't really, like, you know, at full capacity. So we're not physically thriving.

[Anna]

Surviving. Not thriving precisely for vampires is huge.

[Christina]

Like, if you're a vampire and you're really not thriving, it's like, you must be. I mean, we would have died 12 times over so easily.

[Anna]

We would have died on the walk to Morin.

[Kim]

I was about to say, I would have fallen off that path.

[Anna]

Never would have made it to sexy professor's office.

[Kim]

Oh, never.

[Christina]

Never fallen off the ledge on the walk. Oh, there she goes. All right, well.

[Kim]

Oh. Oh, well.

[Anna]

Find a new dawn drinker.

[Kim]

Bye. Bye. Couldn't be me.

[Christina]

Nope. Okay. All right. So, yes, we're not physically thriving. But you know what? I'm okay with it. Because you know what this leads us to? Our sexy feeding time. We're calling this Cave 2.0, friends. And we're calling it Cave 2.0, because if you remember our wonderful scene of the feeding times in our first book, that happened in the cave, it was almost as if Carissa said, you guys liked that. Hold my beer, friends. We're gonna step it up.

[Anna]

Oh, my God, it's so hot.

[Kim]

Oh, my God.

[Anna]

Why is it so hot?

[Christina]

How is it so hot? And it's also so sweet and important and gentle and tender and, like, romantic and, like. Not that the other one wasn't, but something about this was so, like, she has such a holdup of this. She's never done this. And it feels like she's betraying Atraxas. It feels like she's doing this really bad, naughty thing.

[Anna]

She's being.

[Christina]

It's actually really emotional. It's not.

[Kim]

Would you say she's being a bad girl?

[Christina]

Bad girl.

[Anna]

You say she's being a bad girl. He does call her a good girl at some point.

[Christina]

I'm about to say, he does say good girl. And when I tell you, when I read that good girl on page, like, Marissa, you didn't. You didn't.

[Kim]

She did not eat your head. She did. She did.

[Christina]

Okay, before we even get to the quote, one thing that also sets this apart is we're in a room, friends. We're not in a cave. We're not in a damp cave on the ground. We've been like, oh, Misha passed out, collapsed for, like, the hundredth time. Luz, I think it's time for us to take our little secret bebop path through the woods back to Morthran. Which, like, yep, of course it is. Why wouldn't you have done that earlier? But fine. But I'm so happy. And this. Yes. Heavenly fire and that. They could just be bought back. But, like, I also don't care, because it gets so.

[Anna]

Yeah.

[Christina]

We have this moment, and it's not in, like, a damp cave. It's in a room. And that makes it better. It just does.

[Anna]

Yeah, it does.

[Christina]

Also, though, the honesty and the tenderness here he's pushing her because, like we said, she's ashamed of this need that she has to feed. But he shows her this empathy, but while also pushing her because, like, it's a life and death situation here. But he says it. He says, I won't let you die here because you're too ashamed to live. Misha, you are so much more than this. And it would be a waste to throw all that magnificence away. For what? Because the sun told you to hate yourself? No, I won't allow that.

[Anna]

I love that the calls are magnificent.

[Kim]

Magnificent magnificence.

[Christina]

All this magnificence. And I love these as. Because the sun told you to hate yourself?

[Kim]

No, no.

[Christina]

It's this juxtaposition of all the things we've been thinking, but they are now at a point of honesty where he can say it to her and she'll hear him. And then it gets so sexy. Okay, so she does start feeding from him, and he's saying being good girl to her. He says to her, guys, he says to her, I like how your pleasure looks.

[Kim]

Oh, my God.

[Christina]

Oh, my good God.

[Anna]

We were reading this, and I was like, I know that, like, we're drinking bodily, like blood.

[Kim]

Right? Right?

[Anna]

And I don't know why this is so hot, but it's working.

[Kim]

But it's working. It's doing something truly.

[Christina]

We have never been really big vampire girlies. But I was like, I get it.

[Anna]

We're not.

[Christina]

I get it.

[Kim]

I get it. Oh, it's so hard.

[Anna]

Something about.

[Christina]

It's like, it's her. She's getting her pleasure. And he's turned on by seeing when you get the pleasure. But also, he's kind of teaching her. We're getting good girl. We're getting, like, in our hockey romance, fake dating, teaching her how to do things. It's checking so many boxes.

[Kim]

It was so good him saying good girl, because he is like, that sexy professor, you know?

[Anna]

Oh, my God.

[Kim]

And I'm like, thank you so much.

[Anna]

I get straight A's.

[Kim]

What?

[Christina]

Like, I'm not even trying. I don't even know. No.

[Anna]

Oh, my God. I love our Type A.

[Kim]

Like, I know some natural for me just to accept.

[Christina]

So natural. Okay, okay, wait. Okay, so.

[Anna]

Okay.

[Christina]

Just another moment from here. All right. So he says, I like how your pleasure looks. Oh, my God. Chef's kiss. She then says, a sor. I choked out. I wasn't sure what. I was trying to tell him that it was too much or not enough. I could feel how much he wanted me, how much She.

[Kim]

I knew you were gonna get. I was like, I even prepared.

[Christina]

I read this out loud in the car this morning, and I. Okay, sorry.

[Anna]

I thought I cut that part. I almost cut it and did dot, dot, dot. And I was like, I'm going to put it in.

[Christina]

You were like, hey, Christina. I'm going to make her read it. Okay, okay, okay. All right. I am an adult woman. I can do this.

[Kim]

We're adult professionals, Christina. We can do this.

[Christina]

This is my job. Okay. I could feel how much he wanted me, how much he wanted to push up my slip and sink between my legs, how much he wanted to taste my lust with his mouth or strum it free with his fingers. All lines. I desperately wanted to cross. All lines that led to damnation.

[Kim]

That line. Oh, my go.

[Christina]

Also, the musical comparisons, the music he wants to strum.

[Anna]

We're really making this a through strum.

[Kim]

I strum it free. Love that.

[Anna]

Listen, what those fingers do us are.

[Christina]

The man wants to play the cello. Let him play your cello, girl.

[Anna]

That emoji is going in the episode. Let him play your cello.

[Christina]

Oh, my God. You know, do you want musical listeners? You wanted a musical.

[Kim]

This is what we're giving you. This is it.

[Christina]

Could you imagine the song and let him play your cello.

[Kim]

Oh, my God.

[Anna]

That would be a great song.

[Kim]

That would. That would.

[Anna]

It would.

[Christina]

Okay, so.

[Kim]

Oh, but the musical comp. Oh, my.

[Anna]

I do love that.

[Kim]

It's these little things that she does. She places them in there, and it's so organic. It's not distracting where you're like, oh, okay, I see what you're like. You're trying to kind of push this in here.

[Anna]

No.

[Kim]

And it's just. You pick up on it. It. And you're like, oh, but it doesn't take away from the story at all.

[Christina]

Yeah, exactly. These gorgeous through lines. It's so well done. And another thing I really loved about this scene is Asar letting her take the lead. I think he really told that line beautifully, and I think it was very specifically crafted on Chris's end. It feels like to give her that power while also giving us these good girl things, teaching her. But at the end of the day, she feels like this is so wrong. Her pleasure is so wrong. Her feeling, happiness and goodness and love is wrong. And because that's so brainwashed into her, and so it's important that in this moment, she is in power. He's giving her that power back, also giving her the power of her pleasure. And it's just so many things. And I Think another big moment that we're just building those building blocks inside her of, like, this is what it should feel like. This is what's right. How does this feel so right if it's supposed to be wrong? This is an important moment, I think, in that absolute building inside of her.

[Anna]

Yeah.

[Christina]

Okay, so then next up, we do wrap this up, and then we finally enter the temple in secrets, but. Oh, Ophelia is here.

[Anna]

Good God. She just always shows up. Always the worst timings.

[Kim]

Yes.

[Christina]

Hello, Ophi. Ophelia has shown up again, and she basically just drags Misha away into this, like, dreamlike state with her sister. And, Kim, you take it away with our sister sibling dynamic here, because there's a lot to unpack.

[Kim]

Yeah, there's a lot to unpack. And I am actually really excited to talk about this because we are all, as we've said, very Type A and I are eldest daughters. Christina is an only child, so therefore the eldest daughter as well. And I think we all really connected with this because I think we've all felt at times that pressure of, look what I've done for you. So Stacia, as we know, has been a wonderful sister to Misha in a lot of ways. She's taken care of her, but she also did contribute to the pressure that was on Misha at the Citadel. She did and was constantly telling her, like, you should be grateful. You should be thankful. You can't do this. You know, I did everything to get us here, and you're so lucky, like we've talked about. But this Seisha has been, like, rotted and festered. And the SAR says souls here have languished for a long time. Their hunger has festered. They're angry at the world because their anger is all they have left. So she sees Seisha, and at first, they're hugging, but then she notices that Seisha is really, like, holding on to her very tightly and almost, like, hurting.

[Anna]

Her because it's like. It's that dreamlike state. Right. That's. This is where Ophelia has, like, warped it.

[Kim]

Yes. So it's like a dream, but she.

[Anna]

Can'T figure out if it's real or not.

[Kim]

Right. Yeah.

[Christina]

And that coupled with these souls being, like, languished, and, like, they're all they have is anger. Like, that's festered. Like you said, Kim, that, plus the dreamlike state is, like, this is a very unique place to see Seisha.

[Anna]

Yeah.

[Kim]

Yes. So. So Seisha says to Misha, I raised you. I protected you. You were my child, not Just my sister. Her mouth twisted. A sob, a sneer, a hiss. And look at what you've done to that innocent baby I raised. I was a baby, too once, who protected me.

[Christina]

Oh, God.

[Kim]

You can't help but, like, I get that. Like, it's very much giving older sister energy. You know, like Anna said earlier, Sasha was forced to prostitute to help Karen provide for herself and to Misha.

[Anna]

Yeah.

[Kim]

And so she's like, I sold my body to get us to this place where we were going to be taken care of forever. And you messed it up, and I did everything for you.

[Christina]

It's so hard to unpack that while also being like, you messed it up by being you.

[Kim]

Right?

[Anna]

Yeah.

[Kim]

Right. Yes.

[Christina]

To be like, she's mad at her and, like, you're not that innocent baby. Like, yeah, but she didn't do anything wrong. It's hard then to understand that unpacking of the both sides.

[Anna]

And I think what this wraith version of Seisha, like, Asar says, these souls are angry. They've languished. It's obviously like, a warped version, I hope, of Sesha. But I also think that what Seisha is saying are all of the, like, things in the back of Misha's head, you know, that she already thinks about herself. So then you have the person that you love the most in the world say them back to you.

[Kim]

Yeah.

[Anna]

And it's like, that'll do a number. That's rough, you know?

[Kim]

Oh, totally. I mean, it's literally the ugliest manifestation of Stacia that Misha could ever imagine, because her sister in life would never have said these things to her. But now Seisha has been left to languish here and sit in her anger and fester in it for however long. And so it's not really her, but it is her. And it's playing upon Misha's guilt and shame that she's already piled onto herself. Like, look at what my sister did. You know, she was perfect, and I'm tainted. And now because of me, she's here when she shouldn't be here. And it's like, like, exactly. It's not your fault. It's just. It's really sad.

[Christina]

And then this sister who's, like, just been sitting here like, I did everything for you and you messed up. It's just like, I never had anyone do things for me.

[Kim]

Yeah.

[Christina]

Where was my person to take care of me?

[Anna]

I didn't get to be a child.

[Christina]

I didn't have that. And that feels like that's what's been festering so much.

[Kim]

Oh, totally. And I get that because she was like, I was a baby too. Who protected me?

[Anna]

Nobody.

[Kim]

And it's like, you're right, that's not fair. That's sucks and that's horrible. And that's totally valid and doesn't diminish or take away from what Misha went through as well. But it's not Misha's fault that you didn't have anybody to protect you.

[Christina]

Exactly.

[Kim]

She was born into this situation. Like, what. What did you want her to do?

[Christina]

Yeah, exactly.

[Anna]

And I think, you know, if Sesha was not this angry version, I don't think there's a part of her that would regret it.

[Kim]

No.

[Anna]

Like, even later on, when Atraxas shows the memories, when Misha's been bitten and she's like crawling through the street. Streets. And she looks at her sister, Seycha's so concerned. There's so much love there.

[Kim]

Right.

[Anna]

I don't think that she would regret. Like, I know that I wouldn't regret anything I did for my younger sisters.

[Christina]

Right.

[Anna]

You know, I mean, there might be a part of me that if I was Sasha, that would be like, yeah, I grew apart. Like, get nobody protect me. There was nobody, but I would still protect you.

[Christina]

Exactly.

[Anna]

I might be bitter about it. If I had to languish in it for 500 years, I might be bitter about it too. Totally.

[Christina]

Oh, totally. Yes.

[Kim]

That's better. Valid.

[Christina]

Yes. Yes.

[Kim]

Yeah. So, you know, after this rough scene, you know, like, it's a common occurrence, so I'm sure you guys will connect with this. You know when you're like, going through the Temple of Doom and you go to the altar and there is no relic on the altar and you're like. I mean, I guess like, we're already here. Like, what could we possibly do? Let's. Let's brainstorm. And you're just like, let's have sex. You know when that happens? Like, this was so fun, casual, day to day.

[Christina]

I mean, that's my. Every Tuesday.

[Anna]

You know, we've really made a trek here.

[Christina]

Yeah.

[Anna]

And I'm a little bummed that what we trekked for is. No, is the relics gone. So, yeah. Sex.

[Kim]

Are we up?

[Anna]

Like, that's like the next option. I'm looking at the manual and it says no relic C, part B. Yeah, sex. So we have to.

[Kim]

It's what the rules are.

[Christina]

The altar's here. We have to do something with the altar.

[Kim]

It would be wasteful not to do.

[Anna]

God, I loved this forbidden aspect of this was so hot, though.

[Kim]

Me, too.

[Christina]

It was so hot. So much of this worked. I was like, I see what you're doing here. At first I was like, there's no relic. Are you kidding me? Like, okay, Carissa.

[Anna]

Wow.

[Christina]

That's a fun little tidbit. Like, I just assume at this point they're gonna be there. And I'm like, okay, yeah. Well, now what?

[Kim]

Yeah, Sex.

[Christina]

Sure, sure. Let's fucking go. Yes.

[Kim]

Let's not make it waste. You know what I mean? Let's make the most of our time down here. Yeah. So welcome to Audiobook with Anna Kim and Christina. Okay, we're gonna read a bunch of quotes, and we try to keep it to a minimum, but we just have to do it. So just buckle up and get a drink because it's going to be a minute. Okay?

[Anna]

It's going to be a minute. There's no way around it.

[Kim]

I loved the beginning of this so much because you are seeing Asar be so vulnerable with Misha. And he says, I don't want to be something you regret. Misha. I knew it was a confession that came from the most vulnerable parts of himself. The echo of Ophelia's words hung between. You're nothing but a regret to everyone you ever loved. My heart hurt for him. I cupped his cheek, thumb caressing the elegant threads of his scar. I'll never regret you. An easy truth. My soul had been marked by a litany of shames. I'd carry them forever, and I'd likely carry more, too. I knew that. But Asar, I knew, certain as the nightfall would never be one of them.

[Christina]

This was gorgeous. This was so stunning, her saying, I have all of these shames and he would never be one of them. Sure as the nightfall, sure as the night fall.

[Kim]

And then we have this full circle moment to when they're at Esme's and Yesar's telling her this isn't what love should feel like. And she's like, well, tell me what it should feel like. And so she's holding his face, and there's cupping and there's caressing. And she says, show me what it should feel like. I whispered the blade fade fell. My sentence was written. We crashed together into beautiful damnation. Yes.

[Anna]

Again with the damnation. I love it.

[Kim]

Oh, it's forbidden alter sexy damnation.

[Anna]

It's forbidden alter sex. And we love it.

[Kim]

We love it.

[Christina]

God. We're here for it.

[Kim]

Okay. Oh, my God. Christina, read us the next quote. Okay, guys, next up, it would be her pleasure.

[Christina]

I'll play you like a jello? Okay. All right. Would be my pleasure. Friends. Oh, my God. I again got the sexy ones. Okay, okay, okay. All right. So she says, you're being awfully slow for someone who. His hands slipped beneath my backside. Quick but firm. The next thing I knew, I was lying upon the altar, my back against the cool stone, looking up at the raging storm clouds through the glass ceiling. Asar leaned over me, a curl at the corner of his mouth. Slow. He scoffed. You've seen how I work now, Don Drinker. I'm thorough. I'm patient. She says, you're uptight. He says I have impeccable attention to detail.

[Kim]

Yeah, you do.

[Christina]

Oh, my God.

[Kim]

Yeah, you do. Yeah, you do.

[Christina]

Please pay attention to my details.

[Kim]

Yeah, Please. This was.

[Christina]

It was everything we wanted from, like, sexy professor.

[Anna]

Yes.

[Christina]

And on sexy, forbidden alter sex times and like. Yeah, the combo. Oh, the combo.

[Kim]

Chef's kiss.

[Anna]

I love the, like, little repartee in there. At one point, he tickles her, which I was a little bit like, why are we tickling?

[Christina]

Oh, my God, I forgot about that.

[Anna]

He, like, tickles her. And I was like, this is a little weird.

[Christina]

You know, sometimes you. Sometimes it works.

[Kim]

Sometimes it does.

[Christina]

Not often, but when it does.

[Kim]

Oh, my God, Christina, this quote.

[Christina]

Oh, God, this quote. So.

[Anna]

Oh, my God.

[Christina]

Good, guys. Okay. Okay. So then he sent you asked me what love should feel like, he murmured. I tensed as his lips brushed my inner thigh. It should make you think of nothing else. Higher. Where the skin.

[Kim]

Sorry, Anna. You really had it out for Christina, this episode.

[Anna]

I didn't even do it on purpose. I just did, like, every other.

[Christina]

It's 10:30 in the morning, Anna. Okay, okay, okay. I don't even have my sauvignon blanc. All right, okay, okay. Higher. Where the skin was so sensitive that I jolted when he dragged his teeth over it. It should make you see stars.

[Kim]

A star.

[Christina]

This man. Shut up. This man. And she does see stars.

[Anna]

And she does.

[Christina]

They'll, like, make you think of nothing else as he's doing the sexy things to her. Was so well done. Just well fucking done.

[Kim]

Well fucking done.

[Christina]

Okay, Adam.

[Anna]

Okay, this is the last one. This is at the end of their sexy time. And I think they go again a few more times, but this is the one that we get.

[Kim]

I'm sure they do.

[Anna]

I think it's right after the part that Christina just reads. And he goes. Exquisite. And then in her inner monologue, she says, I'd never known it could feel so good to let yourself be unmade. I knew that the Time for patience was over. This was raw and frantic and brutal. This was pleasure and pain and desperation. Faith and destruction. Fire and ash ignite. Misha. He was commanding me. He was begging me. Fall with me, I whispered, because I was oddly terrified to lose control. Terrified to do it alone. I'd burn with you till the end of it all, dawn drinker. I would always be with him. I knew in this moment I would never be able to leave. I didn't regret any of it.

[Kim]

Oh, my God.

[Anna]

It's so good.

[Kim]

It's like.

[Anna]

It's so good.

[Christina]

Big night, Misha.

[Kim]

Yes, sir.

[Anna]

It is.

[Christina]

Wow.

[Anna]

Oh, it's so good.

[Kim]

Yes, sir.

[Christina]

Guys. Oh, sorry, sorry. What was that, Anna? Say that again.

[Anna]

What was that, Daddy?

[Kim]

Play me like a cello.

[Christina]

Don't mind of a do.

[Anna]

Maestro.

[Christina]

Maestro. Maestro. Good one, girl.

[Anna]

We've upgraded.

[Kim]

We've upgraded to Maestro.

[Christina]

Oh, that was good.

[Kim]

Okay, Anna, what happens next, though? That's not as fun.

[Anna]

Okay, so literally the next paragraph after that line that I just read, she wakes up and Asara's not there, but you know who is? Atraxas. So let's read this. Atraxas stood before me. Sun scorching in his eyes, flames licking from his flesh. His rage so hot it warped the air. Do you still wish to tell me he breathed, eyes burning, that you have been loyal? I want to vomit. He is so gross. He tells her she's naked and he says, cover yourself. I don't wish to look at you, sir. Yes.

[Christina]

I hate him so much.

[Kim]

Take several seats.

[Anna]

She wrote a villain, and this is.

[Kim]

A villain who is a villain.

[Anna]

Like, there is nothing morally gray about him.

[Christina]

When he told her to cover herself, and I was like, this is the epitome of disgusting. Everything that is wrong and, like, foul. She just got to this place where she felt good about her pleasure. She felt loved and beautiful and magnificent, and she was able to ignite and all these things. And he is just like, oh, that's hilarious. Shame, shame, shame, shame. Throwing it back in her face. And it was so hard to read.

[Kim]

Yeah, Yeah.

[Anna]

I mean, basically, as punishment, quote unquote, for her disloyalty, he forces her to, like, watch the moments where she was turned. And it's important to note that we have been told, I think, in one of the first two books, that vampires don't remember their turning, like, the time right after they turned. It's a blacked out. A lot of them don't survive if there's not someone there to lead them through it. So they don't remember it because it's very traumatizing. And so Atraxas and I think as the readers kind of started to piece it together, the amount of times that, like, she has these bad dreams and her sister and Eamon's throat have been ripped out, like, you kind of started to put it together and you're starting to think, well, oh, shit. But Atraxas makes us see it. He forces her to relive Misha killing her sister. And Iman, we don't see that one, but I'm assuming after Malik turned her. And it's just. There's not really enough words to describe how, like, horrific it is and how damaging it is to Misha to really be forced to see that. I think there's probably some innate part of her that probably suspected, but to then be, like, forced to watch it, it's awful. It's disgusting.

[Kim]

It was really bad.

[Anna]

And I think this is really a moment that breaks her. I mean, she comes back from it and even Asara's like, what's happening? Like, she's not the same. She sees that and she realizes what Atraxas holds over her. And he basically says, if you don't follow through with your mission, which is to raise Alaris and then kill him, I will make sure that your sister forever lives in, like, this purgatory. And I will damn her soul, basically. And so she does the bargaining aspect and she's like, I will do what you say. Just promise me that you'll save Sesha and that she'll be at peace. And she also asks to save Asar, and she's like, please don't harm him. And it's very important here that Atraxa says, I will not touch him. Like, I will not harm him. Because we know in the end that that's like, you know, you never make a deal with the Fae or an angry God. At one point, he, like, grabs her by the neck and he squeezes and there's a handprint there. And when she gets back to Asar, he looks at her and we have like a. Who did this to you?

[Christina]

We needed it.

[Anna]

We needed it after that. And I don't think she tells him.

[Kim]

No. No, she doesn't tell him.

[Anna]

And it's clear also that Asar has had a little visit, probably from a goddess named Nyaxia, but he is not saying either. So both of them are living in, like, their little secrets right now, and they're not sharing with the class.

[Christina]

Yeah, secrets, secrets.

[Anna]

In secrets, secrets are no fun unless they are for everyone.

[Christina]

We are in secrets, so.

[Anna]

Yes, we are in secrets. Hey. Okay. But one of the things Atraxas does tell Misha, because, again, Atraxas does need her to complete the mission. So she's like, well, there's not a relic here, so we can't move on. He goes, there is one. You just have to go. Like, it's underneath the temple. Sure. So they get it. It's a golden arrow. It's the golden arrow that Alaris was supposed to use to kill Nyaxia, but he fell in love. And so that's the secret that he's held, is that he was supposed to kill her. And so that's what they find. And she's supposed to use it to kill Elaris, but, you know.

[Kim]

Yeah. Can I just tell you that Anna called this as soon as she was texting me, and she was like, oh, the golden arrow. Oh, my gosh. What if Misha uses that to kill Atroxas? And I was like, oh, that would be crazy. Like, I was at the same place as her. So I was like, oh, my gosh. Wait, really? I don't know. Literally called it Detective Anna. I was like, how do you do this for your time?

[Christina]

It was so fun. There are no reveals when you read a book without.

[Kim]

There's no. I was literally reading it when she, like, did it. And I was like, well, I was.

[Anna]

Like, and there's a golden arrow that's gonna kill a God, and she's gonna use it on Atraxis.

[Kim]

Yep.

[Christina]

Yep.

[Kim]

And I was like, oh, crazy. That is crazy. Anna.

[Christina]

What? And then. Yeah, sure enough.

[Anna]

So anyways, we find the relic, and we are now gonna be exiting secrets, and we're making it to the final sanctum of soul. So we're on our trek. And Christina, will you lead us through, like, as we exit? Exit secrets?

[Christina]

Yes. Okay, friends, we're exiting secrets. We're entering Seoul. We're walking through the woods.

[Anna]

Please mind the aisles.

[Christina]

Please keep your arms and legs inside the vehicle at all times, and pay attention to your flight attendant. Okay, we are going through the woods. We're going to Seoul. We're leaving secrets behind, and we're in, like, a kind of awkward morning after walk of shame stroll. There's a lot going on here. They just had this really vulnerable time. And then she had this really absolutely terrible and emotionally damaging conversation with Atraxas. As we said, we believe he also then had a chalk with Nyaxi at the same time. So there's a lot going on here. But Asar specifically does voice some of his feelings here when he looks at her and says, pretty much. So do you. Do you have regrets? Because that's weighing on him. Because what Ophelia said to him is so deep in his trauma. And she absolutely, thankfully reassures him and says, no, absolutely not. I would never have regrets with you.

[Kim]

Yeah.

[Christina]

And so at least we get that going into this. That's really important that we got that back and forth. All right. So we reach our field of poppies.

[Anna]

The wizard of Oz, dude.

[Christina]

Parallels. No. No end.

[Kim]

Yep.

[Christina]

But at this field of poppies, that is going to lead to soul. Asara's like, mesha, let's take a seat. Let's just, like, have a chat. During this chat, we have some sweet things, but we also just, like, it was giving a lot of red flags. Like, this feels like goodbye. This feels like a goodbye time. Turns out it was. Yeah. That is what he was doing. So that was effective. But mission did not pick up on those context clues.

[Kim]

Yeah.

[Christina]

But some sweet things. Just to note quickly here, he asked her what sunlight feels like. And this back and forth was so gorgeous. She says it feels like waking up rested after a long nap, or like going to sleep knowing you'll awaken safely. It feels warm and comforting. A fresh dawn makes you believe that the future can be better than the present. And then in her inner monologue, she thinks, strange that when I close my eyes, it wasn't the dawn that came to mind as I described these things. It was him. And then his response is, you have given me all of that. He murmured, so you have succeeded in your impossible mission, Dawn Drinker. And I'm deeply honored that I had the opportunity to walk this path with you. Thank you. Oh, my God. If that isn't a goodbye, I don't know what is.

[Anna]

I know I say, Kim, Kim and I were a little bit ahead of Christ. And I was like, I don't like where this is going.

[Christina]

Why? Why the goodbye statement? Why are we deeply honored by the opportunity to walk the path? Why? Why? It was gorgeous, though, that he was deeply honored. Yes. And I love that she's describing sunlight and she's saying something about going to sleep knowing you'll awaken safely. Really struck.

[Anna]

Yeah.

[Christina]

With me. I thought that was so gorgeous.

[Kim]

Yeah.

[Christina]

And she's describing these things, and she's thinking of him, and then he's thinking of her because he. He says, you have given me all of that.

[Anna]

And, like, you are my sunshine, my only sunshine. You make me happy.

[Kim]

When skies are gray. Oh, my God. She's a musical episode.

[Christina]

Oh, God. I don't think it's coming. And then we just come up with another musical.

[Kim]

The hits just keep on coming.

[Christina]

Oh, the greatest hits, if you will. This is Now Hits. What is it like now? Now?

[Kim]

870,000. Good God.

[Anna]

We must be God, we were so old. I remember now, like, 15. Jesus.

[Christina]

Wow. Anyways, so now we're moving on. They do walk through this archway. They do enter soul so quickly. The description of soul, this imagery, you know, she loves to paint a picture, and we love to see it.

[Kim]

Yeah.

[Christina]

The imagery of the description of soul. But none of this was as staggering as the sky above us. Instead of darkness or sun or our past path through purgatory, it was the mortal world upside down. Down, grayed out and cloudy. Cities and seas, plains and mountains. It floated by like clouds.

[Kim]

Wow.

[Christina]

That imagery is just so stunning. And she still finds a way to keep each sanctum feeling like this epic, high, beautiful fantasy.

[Anna]

Yes.

[Christina]

Setting while feeling different. And I just loved it.

[Kim]

Yeah.

[Christina]

This imagery, I just would love, love, love to see this, like, on screen somewhere. Okay.

[Kim]

Yeah.

[Christina]

So. So next thing. Only other thing that happens here is they do look down at this glassy water, and Misha can see her reflection, like normal times. And it's not so normal times on Asara's side, all we see there is this completely blacked out, shadowy silhouette. We can kind of see his, like, sexy go. Go catch an eyeball. But like nothing else.

[Kim]

Yeah.

[Christina]

And it was very much giving us, like, something's happening.

[Anna]

Something. Something is amazing.

[Christina]

Is not as it seems.

[Anna]

Something wicked this way comes literally.

[Christina]

Precisely. All right, Kim, what happens next?

[Kim]

Well, something wicked does come this way, and it is in the form of our least favorite duo, Ophelia and Malak. They are back again.

[Anna]

She just can't rest.

[Kim]

We did really love this part. And so Ophelia shows up with Malik. Asar takes on Malik, and Misha is fighting, you know, battling kind of Ophelia.

[Anna]

Right.

[Kim]

And Misha remembers what Asar told her when he helped Iman cross over, that sometimes these souls just need someone to listen to them.

[Anna]

Yeah.

[Kim]

And so she does that for Ophelia. She. Instead of trying to fight her, everything Ophelia is saying, Misha is validating and listening to her and being like, you're right, that was not fair. That was horrible. And it's a really, really beautiful moment. And Misha ends up being the one to help Ophelia cross over.

[Anna]

That's so beautiful. I love that.

[Kim]

Actually, yeah. She says, I saw all her dark, darkest fears, all her shattered hopes. I saw her for everything that she was. This was how Shadowborn magic could heal. Shadows were the negative space of a soul. I let myself spill through them. And Ophelia tells Misha, I want to go. And there was no more anger, no more hunger, no more heartbreak. Just sadness and exhaustion and at last, relief. Oh, gosh, you guys, I want to go.

[Christina]

The imagery there and. And the beautiful words of relief and wanting to be at peace, you know, she wants that peace, and she doesn't.

[Anna]

Want to be here, you know?

[Kim]

Yeah.

[Christina]

And exactly what we touched on in first episode of Ophelia does have this arc isn't just this mean kind of girl.

[Anna]

She's not just a villain. No, we talk about this in every episode and every book she's ever written. But, my God, the woman can write a morally great character like nobody else. It's a gift, I would say.

[Kim]

I've never read another author who can write a morally gray character like Carissa Kim.

[Anna]

And pro tip for anybody listening who has not read the War of Lost Hearts.

[Kim]

Oh, my God.

[Anna]

That is the book where especially. You see that.

[Kim]

Oh, yeah.

[Anna]

And it is so incredible.

[Kim]

It's incredible.

[Anna]

Quite literally. It's been over a year and we still talk about it.

[Christina]

Yeah.

[Kim]

Oh, all the time.

[Anna]

All the time.

[Kim]

So, okay, so we move past that. I don't know what happens to Malik? I can't remember. Doesn't matter.

[Christina]

They kill him. He dies.

[Kim]

Okay, perfect. Great.

[Anna]

Perfect. Wonderful. Love that for us.

[Kim]

Love that, that for us. So what I don't love is that we do embark deeper into soul, and we get to a certain part where Asar starts to kind of prepare and lay down the relics for the necromancy spell. So he lays down body, he lays down breath, he lays down psyche, and he lays down secret. They're like standing in waist high water, which, first of all, absolutely not. No, no, I can't see what's in there. I'm absolutely. I know there can't be sharks, but, like, I just.

[Anna]

There's probably a shark.

[Christina]

Forgot about this fear, you both.

[Anna]

It's a very realistic, normal fear. I know.

[Christina]

I just. We haven't talked about it since Birch Kingdom, so.

[Anna]

I know.

[Kim]

I'm sorry to say it's all I could think about. Whenever he was laying it down, I was like, okay, but is the water see through? Can you see what is under there? I don't think so. Because it starts churning. There's a shark, and it churns more and more, after which I don't really understand how the relics are laying.

[Anna]

And the more churning you have, the more if sharks are attracted. Sharks don't like.

[Kim]

Okay, there's no sharks.

[Christina]

There's no sharks.

[Anna]

Yes. If you thrash, sharks will come.

[Kim]

Exactly. Thank you, Anna. And blood in blood. So he's got them all laid out, and he turns to Misha, y'all, I did not see this coming. And I was like, hate it. He turns to Misha and he says, you'll have to take it from here. Because, Twist, a star is the offering of soul. He is the final relic, because turns out he is a descendant of Alaris.

[Anna]

Yep.

[Christina]

Okay, so I hated this. I was really upset about it.

[Anna]

I mean, great plot twist. Hated it.

[Kim]

Great plot twist.

[Christina]

Agreed. I hated this because it was so upsetting.

[Kim]

Yes.

[Christina]

It was also really giving this parallel of the first book where Rain is like, I'm going to sacrifice myself. She is like, no, don't you do. It was this parallel of. And in that way, like, I didn't think he was really going to die. Like, I know this is a duology, but I sure I was stressed. Oh, let me tell you, it didn't look good.

[Kim]

You know what I mean?

[Anna]

It did not bode.

[Kim]

The outcome didn't look good for anybody in involved. So Misha is understandably, absolutely devastated. And she's like.

[Anna]

She's like, no shot you will get up. Stop this.

[Kim]

Stop this now. I don't want to do this. And it's so sad and it's so sweet. And he turns to her.

[Anna]

Oh, God, this line.

[Kim]

He says, I never wanted anything so much as I wanted to show you that happy ending you so believe in.

[Christina]

Michelle, Shut the fuck up.

[Anna]

I got teary reading this.

[Christina]

Shut up.

[Kim]

Shut up, K. But instead he's like, well, I wish I could, but. But I can't. So he completes the circle and is swallowed by the underworld. And Misha is screaming and Anna, what happens next?

[Anna]

Okay, so really quickly, right there, I am curious what Nyaxia has promised him, because if he dies, what is he getting out of this?

[Christina]

Her safety.

[Anna]

Well, but he's known from the beginning, before he met Misha, that this is what his sacrifice is going to be, Right?

[Kim]

I actually don't know.

[Anna]

You don't think so?

[Kim]

I think he found.

[Anna]

You think Nyaxia. That's what Nyax told him?

[Kim]

Yep. I don't think he knew this whole time. And I think after he went and met with her, remember, she's. She said he, like, ran to her and, like, grabbed onto her and was really shaken after that whole where she was with Atraxus, and she didn't know where Astar was, and he came back. I think that's when Naxi was like. So unfortunately, BT died. Didn't tell you this, but you're gonna have to die or, like, sacrifice yourself.

[Anna]

And I bet you she probably threatened Misha.

[Christina]

Yeah. Or maybe she was like, one of you has to die. I don't care.

[Kim]

Right, Exactly.

[Christina]

I'll kill her if you don't want to do it. He's like, no, no, please save her or something.

[Kim]

Yeah, absolutely, Christina. Yeah.

[Anna]

Okay. Well, guess who shows up again. Our least favorite person in the universe, Atraxas. Yay. Ugh. He's so annoying.

[Kim]

Hate him.

[Anna]

Okay, so he shows up, and Misha's, like, devastated. She's also, by the way, she hasn't let Asar go. Like, the rite has been completed, but there's, like, a part, the anchor, that he placed in her in the beginning of the book. She's, like, holding onto that anchor.

[Christina]

I think it's more than the anchor.

[Anna]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Christina]

I think there's more there.

[Kim]

Mates.

[Christina]

Yeah.

[Anna]

Pin it for later.

[Christina]

Yeah.

[Anna]

Okay, so she's holding onto this. We're gonna call it the anchor for right now. And Atraxa says, you gotta let him go. This has to be done. And he says, you understand better than most what Nyaxia created 2,000 years ago. An illness that would never stop spreading. Monsters that know nothing but hunger. They suffer, Amara, as you have suffered. And it is not in their nature to stop. They will consume until there is nothing left. Unless we end it today. So I took this to mean that if we raise Alaric and then we kill Alaris, does that somehow then weaken Nyaxia again? Okay, Traxa says that when a God dies, like, that power would go to the other gods. Right. And I think because he wasn't truly dead, it never really left him, or it went to Nyaxia somehow by proxy. And I think if they raise him and truly kill him with the golden arrow, that that power will then go to the rest of the gods, not Nyaxia. And then could they maybe defeat her? And is it like you cut off the head of the snake and then everybody else dies because they. The way that this sentence is structured makes me think that there's a. That he wants to basically wipe out all vampires.

[Christina]

Oh, exactly.

[Kim]

I mean, I think that's what he wants. Absolutely. Yeah.

[Christina]

Yeah.

[Anna]

Okay.

[Kim]

Or maybe.

[Christina]

Yeah, just that they would wither and without, like, Protection or something. Like, they couldn't be.

[Anna]

Something like that. Yeah, yeah, right.

[Christina]

Maybe there's like a. Because of. I don't know. It's like gods can't smite the vampires because she's still protecting them, but if she was gone, they have entry point, you know?

[Kim]

Yes, yes.

[Christina]

There's rules.

[Anna]

Yeah, there's rules. There's rules of war.

[Christina]

There's rules.

[Kim]

We're not animals.

[Anna]

So there's like this back and forth, back and forth. And Misha, you know, has this big grappling within herself, and she, of course, ends up stabbing Atraxus, which we were like, yes, Queen. Yes, baby. And nobody is more shocked than Atraxis. And he is pissed. He says, I made you, you end with me. And then Misha says, then let me burn. And she stabs him again and twist, twists it, and he erupts in sunlight. And she does burn because it's sunlight and she's a vampire and she, like, burns.

[Kim]

Oh, my God.

[Christina]

Parallels here. First of all, the. Then let me burn because all the burns she has put on her body for this man.

[Anna]

Like, I can take it.

[Christina]

Yes. Also Asar saying, ignite with me. There's so much, so many fire parallels here. And her just saying, then let me burn. We've come so far for her to get to this place where she's like, you are evil, you are not good. And I can do this. I also feel confident enough to do this.

[Kim]

Yes.

[Christina]

And that's why he was so shocked, because he was like, never not silly, little old her. He has zero confidence in her.

[Anna]

No.

[Christina]

He underestimated her the most you possibly could. And it's so, so fun to read.

[Anna]

Oh, my gosh, it feels so vindicating, you know, when she does it, it's so great.

[Kim]

I love it.

[Anna]

So the rest of the white pantheon gods show up and they are pissed. They don't know what to do with Asar, because he's now alarmed, because he.

[Christina]

Is now Alaris, but he's not Alaris, but he's.

[Anna]

Yeah, he's Alaris, but he's not Alaris. He's a tsar who's okay. So in the chaos, though, one of the goddesses ends up killing Misha, like, casually. It's not casual. There's a big back and forth. We're not going to get into it all. Misha dies or she is dying, and. Oh, God, it's so. And as she's dying, the gods grab Asar and they're taking him away. And Misha's like, Left in Seoul. And she's. Her body is broken, it's brutalized, it's burned. And this final quote from the main part of the book is somewhere very far away. A saar's voice echoed, Stop. I need her. I need her. I need her. A smile twitched at my bloody lips. I remembered those words. I remembered how he used them to save my life once an age ago. But they did not save me now. There, in a broken heap of flesh upon the discarded ashes of my God. I died alone.

[Christina]

Oh, my.

[Kim]

My God.

[Anna]

I was crying.

[Kim]

I was like, oh, my.

[Christina]

The writing here, it's beautiful. The parallel of the I need you and then the words of. In a broken heap of flesh upon the discarded ashes of my God.

[Anna]

Yeah.

[Kim]

Oh, wow.

[Anna]

Wow. I know.

[Christina]

Just wow.

[Anna]

It's incredible. So Mish wakes up in the Underworld, y'all. Guess who's back.

[Christina]

I loved this.

[Anna]

Back again, back again.

[Kim]

Vincent is back. Telephone.

[Anna]

So I love it. Vincent's back. He says, welcome to the Underworld. I hear we have some work to do. And it's like, yes, we do. We gotta get Mish back. We gotta get Asar back. We have a lot to accomplish in Book Two.

[Christina]

Yes.

[Kim]

Do you remember when Vincent died and we all three of us were like, man, that's kind of a bummer.

[Anna]

Yes.

[Kim]

He's a really morally gray character. I kind of wanted to keep him around. Like, I'm kind of bummed that he just died, man.

[Christina]

He was so interested. Interesting to read. That's such a shape.

[Kim]

And Chris is like, you dumb dumbs.

[Anna]

Like, just coming back.

[Christina]

I brought him back also, him saying, welcome to the Underworld. And, like, it said, dead King of the Nightborne, which to me read like, does he have a place of power in the Underworld now?

[Kim]

I bet. So.

[Anna]

I don't know. I bet. Yeah.

[Christina]

Because the fact that it said dead King of the Nightborne.

[Kim]

Yeah.

[Christina]

And he's like, welcome to the Underworld.

[Kim]

Yeah.

[Christina]

I live for this. I was screaming. I was so excited. Yeah.

[Anna]

It was so good.

[Christina]

Such a so good moment. Oh, my God. I loved it.

[Anna]

Love it. So then we have the epilogue, and it's basically the gods of the White Panthenon don't know what to do with Asar.

[Kim]

Yeah.

[Anna]

They're basically worried that Alaris's memories are. That they're going to come back to him.

[Christina]

To Asar.

[Anna]

Yeah, yeah. To Asar. Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's finally his viewpoint, and he's talking about how the through line for the two pages is. And I wait. And I wait. They're talking about Is he going to remember things that we tried to kill him? And he says, I'm not the God of any of those things. I have only one gift to lay at her feet. And so I wait, and I'm like, what is the gift, Azar? What are you going to do?

[Christina]

Is that. Well, because I love. Also in that vlog he's going through like the God of chaos, the God of blah, blah.

[Anna]

He's like.

[Christina]

But all he can think about of them is what they did to Misha.

[Anna]

Yes.

[Christina]

They're no one to him except what they did to Misha.

[Anna]

Yeah, I know. He's like, but I am patient. I am determined. I have plenty of time to think about Misha and what I will offer her when not if, I find her again. I would have given her anything, Everything. Because that was what she deserved. Every single thing she had loved fully and completely. It's just beautiful.

[Christina]

It's so sweet. Okay, I have a theory.

[Kim]

Yes, go.

[Anna]

Yes. Yes. I saw you freak out when I read that quote.

[Kim]

What is it?

[Christina]

What if what he asked Nyaxia for was a core yada spant? Because that means we also know she's the one that grants those.

[Anna]

Yes.

[Christina]

And that means that then they can bring each other back. They share the power. It's, like, gonna be easy peasy from here. He could be like, I lay at our feet that we have the shared power because we are choreographed goddess together.

[Kim]

Yes. And that would make it easier to bring her back, and it would mean that maybe we wouldn't have an Ophelia situation. Tries to bring her back, and it goes wrong. Oh, my God.

[Anna]

Christina, wait a second. He was supposed to resurrect Elaris, but we don't have Elaris. But he's not. He doesn't look like Elaris.

[Christina]

No, no, he's a sar.

[Anna]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. No, I know. So did something go wrong? Because I was assuming that we were resurrecting Alaris because Nyaxia wants to be with Elaris.

[Christina]

Yeah.

[Anna]

She wants to be with her husband. Happened.

[Kim]

I think something went wrong.

[Christina]

No, no. Yeah, something went wrong.

[Anna]

Yeah, something went wrong. Right?

[Christina]

Atraxas was like, no, we can't. I think Atraxa screwed it up or something.

[Kim]

Right.

[Anna]

Or Misha holding on to it.

[Christina]

There was a moment that messed it up.

[Kim]

I think Misha holding on to Asar is what messed it up and made it so that it couldn't fully happen the way that Nyaxia wanted it to. So it kind of stopped halfway between, like, Asar dying and Alaris coming back to life now, it's just like they're both kind of in one. One body or, like, being.

[Christina]

I think thing that he got was the power. I don't think he's gonna be, like, possessed by Alaris. Like, I don't think Alaris is gonna, like, try to talk through him or anything.

[Anna]

I don't think so either.

[Christina]

But what if they're Coreatus and that's what he asked for?

[Kim]

I could totally see that.

[Anna]

They do have a special bond. I feel like there's been something strong. I mean, there's always been this pull between them. That's different.

[Kim]

Yeah.

[Christina]

So the Coriades, I think, would be maybe what he asked her for, but I think there's a deeper connection that's, like, been the whole. The whole thing.

[Anna]

Yeah.

[Christina]

So, okay. Their connection. The whole time she's talked about, like, why does it feel so intimate? Why is there this and this? And as we've said in the first. First episode, he very much is like, well, it's because my brother made you. And she's like, okay, cool. But this feels super different. And he's like, let's just move on. Yeah, so I think there is that for sure. But I also think this quote in particular, this is after they killed Malik. Okay. She says this. I jolted at his touch for a reason I couldn't identify. Something felt odd about it, even within the connection we shared, but I didn't have time to question it. And they move on and we never talk about it again.

[Kim]

That's weird.

[Anna]

I know.

[Christina]

That happened after he has his dream with Nyaxia.

[Anna]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Christina]

So what if in the dream with Nyaxia, he's like, I'll do this, but I want Coriadis bond with her so she gets my power, so she's okay when I die or something.

[Anna]

Maybe. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Kim]

And that's why it felt weird.

[Christina]

And then that was the jolt.

[Anna]

Yes, maybe.

[Kim]

Oh, yes, Christine. That's what I'm wondering. Yes.

[Anna]

Yeah.

[Kim]

You know, I love that.

[Christina]

But even then, there was something before. There was something, I think, before this. Because, like she says, even within our connection, like, their connection is something else, I think.

[Kim]

Oh, yeah.

[Anna]

Well, on that, I feel like this is too on the nose, but just like the title being, like, the heart of stone. And then Esme makes a comment about him having a fractured stone heart. There's somebody else who mentions a stone heart.

[Christina]

Oh, my God. Guys, is this the Tin Man? Are we doing the wizard of Oz?

[Anna]

Oh, yeah. Wait, because. Wait a second. Because What I. This is. What I don't get is what did Nyak promised him? Why would he just go through all of this? Right? Because she. And she even says, like, what did he promise you? And he kind of.

[Christina]

At what point? At the beginning. Like, before the mission?

[Anna]

No, no, I'm talking about when Nyaxia first approaches him before we're in secrets, when she first approaches him and says, hey, I want you to go resurrect Alaris.

[Christina]

Got it?

[Anna]

Misha says, well, what? She must have promised you something. Like, she must have offered you something. And he kind of jokes and he's like, oh, yeah, she promised me all the riches. She promised me to be king. And he does it in a way that's very flippant. That makes me think, well, what? There has to have been something. Like, you're not just doing all of this, right?

[Christina]

Doing this mission?

[Anna]

Do you have a heart? Is there something missing? Like, I don't know.

[Kim]

Right.

[Christina]

That's a great point. What is this stone heart of stone situation?

[Anna]

Yeah, because we know the songbird is Misha. Unless it's just referencing him being kind of cold and standoffish, and then he warms up. It could just be that.

[Kim]

Right.

[Anna]

I also am curious about the sword that, for some reason, it got referenced a lot more in the last two Sanctums.

[Kim]

Yeah, the sword.

[Anna]

The sword that he gives to her and he offers it back.

[Christina]

Maybe that was the jolt. Is she holding the sword when she says, like, there's something that was a jolt at his touch or whatever? Like, that's interesting because, yeah, the sword is very much mentioned. Is the sword, like, named, or is it just. Whose sword is it?

[Anna]

Yeah, well, so there is a sword in the beginning that she thinks is Nyaxia's, but I don't think it's this one. No, I don't think it's that one. Let me see.

[Kim]

Oh, really?

[Christina]

She just sees that, like, on a shelf.

[Anna]

Yes, that one's on a shelf. And I think. Think, though a star sword is, like, broken or something.

[Kim]

Oh, really?

[Anna]

Yeah. I drew my sword, a star sword. He insisted that I hold his sword, which banged against my hip. He had carefully wrapped the arrow and placed it in his pack. It's like the hilt of a star sword, but though it's magic called to me, I refused to use it. It was interesting, you know? Like, that's interesting.

[Christina]

Yeah.

[Anna]

I don't know. It was. There's just all of these. She tries to give it back to him, and he won't take it back.

[Kim]

Yeah. He's very insistent that she has it.

[Anna]

All my power into that sword. As I drove it into him, using the blade that was supposed. Supposed to be his and the magic that he had never intended to give me, I struck right over the wound I'd given him the last time I'd skewered his heart. That's when she stabs, I think, Malik again.

[Christina]

Yeah. So at this point, too, like, giving back the sword, he knows he's gonna die, right? He's aware I'm gonna sacrifice myself?

[Kim]

I think so.

[Christina]

So he's like, no, you need this sword. No, you need this power. If they are Coriades here at this second part of giving him something. Like, first part is different. Like, second part of giving him something.

[Kim]

Right.

[Christina]

If she did grant him Coriada, would that mean she's heir? Because he's currently the heir. He has the heir mark. Like, he's the king.

[Anna]

Oh, interesting.

[Christina]

Oh.

[Kim]

Of the Shadowborn. Yeah.

[Christina]

Would that mean that she is.

[Anna]

Yeah.

[Kim]

Ooh, that's interesting.

[Christina]

That would be a reason to make sure she's cor. Make sure she has the sword. Make sure, Like, I'm gonna sacrifice myself. You have to be set up for this.

[Anna]

Interesting.

[Christina]

Oh, right. Yes.

[Kim]

Christina. Oh, my God. I bet you're right.

[Anna]

It doesn't always go to the familial line. Right. Does it? Or if it goes to, like, the strongest.

[Kim]

It goes to the strongest. Well, maybe the strongest, because wouldn't it be the sister?

[Christina]

Why did it go to him above the sister?

[Anna]

Because he's stronger than the sister.

[Kim]

He's stronger than her. But then is Misha stronger than Ygritte?

[Christina]

With his power, she would be.

[Kim]

Right?

[Anna]

Yeah. Interesting. Okay, well, there's a lot to look forward to in book two. I'm really excited.

[Kim]

Yeah.

[Christina]

What fun this was, guys. Oh, my goodness.

[Anna]

This was so much fun.

[Kim]

This was such a wonderful journey.

[Anna]

Such a fun journey.

[Christina]

And I had so much fun with Misha, and, like, the romance in this was just dialed up. I think this level of romance it took us two books to kind of get to at the first duology. And I'm happy that we're at this level of obsessed each other. Love going into book two, because Misha's gonna be fine. We're gonna get her back.

[Anna]

Yeah.

[Christina]

Right. I'm very interested to see who the next duology is about, because apparently we've met them already.

[Kim]

Yeah.

[Christina]

Or we've met one of them.

[Anna]

I have a feeling it's Septimus. Well, I hope. I hope it's Septimus. I find him. Interesting.

[Kim]

Interesting.

[Christina]

I know. I find him so interesting.

[Anna]

She said he's evil in her interview, but I'm like, this is actually. We have a. We have this question, listeners, if you. At this point, our interview with Carissa Broadbent will be out.

[Kim]

Yeah.

[Anna]

And we actually ask her about Septimus, so I'm curious to see what she says.

[Kim]

Yeah, that's one of our questions.

[Christina]

Tune in to these two beautiful black besties of mine interviewing Carissa Broadbent as well. Tune into them talking about this book. Full spoiler times with Karissa.

[Kim]

Yeah, we're so, so excited. We can't wait.

[Christina]

So that will be be such an absolute treat to watch after reading this book. And we're so excited. Oh, my God, we're so excited.

[Kim]

Yeah. So definitely make sure you are a member of our Patreon for whenever that goes live. And we also have several chapter chats on this book, like we always do for new releases, where we kind of go through in real time, tell you what our thoughts are on the plot as we go along. It's so much fun. We love doing chapter chats. Those are also exclusive for Tier 2. Our Patreon link will, of course, always be in the show notes and make sure you're following us on Instagram and Tik Tok at Flights Fantasy Podcast and subscribe wherever you listen to podcast. And until next time, cheers and happy reading.

[Anna]

Cheers, listeners. Bye.

[Kim]

Happy reading.

[Anna]

Bye.

[Kim]

Sa.