S5 : Ep 36 - ACOWAR: Revisited - Part 2

Summary

Flights of Fantasy – S5 Episode 36: ACOWAR Revisited – Part 2
Release Date: November 11, 2025
Hosts: Anna, Kim, Christina

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Overview

In this episode, Anna, Kim, and Christina reunite for Part 2 of their A Court of Wings and Ruin (ACOWAR) reread and breakdown. The trio tackles some of the book’s most harrowing and triumphant moments, diving deep into Feyre’s dramatic escape from the Spring Court, her harrowing journey home, emotional reunions with her found family, and the evolving dynamics among the Inner Circle and Archeron sisters. As always, the hosts mix detailed literary analysis with passionate, often hilarious banter—and wrap up with their signature "Mastermind" segment, tying together foreshadowing and Easter eggs across SJM's multiverse.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Aftermath of Tamlin's Downfall & Feyre’s Escape

[02:48–03:44]

• Recap of last episode: Tamlin’s explosive behavior, Feyre engineering her own rescue by exposing his instability.
• The hosts emphasize that while Feyre manipulated events, Tamlin’s actions are his own—"He’s kind of going against his people, his court. And that is what Feyre is, of course, hoping would happen." (Christina, 02:46)
• Shift toward this episode’s main event: Feyre’s carefully orchestrated escape from the Spring Court.

The Ianthe & Lucien Scene

Trigger Warning: sexual assault (03:23–06:26)

• Ianthe attempts to force herself on Lucien in the woods, magically restraining him.
• Feyre, torn between escape and helping Lucien, ultimately intervenes—commanding Ianthe to injure herself and cursing her further.
  • Standout quote:
    "I debated slitting your throat this morning... but I think this is a better punishment. And I hope you live a long, long life, Ianthe, and never know a moment’s peace." (Feyre, read by Kim, 06:03)
• The hosts rejoice in Feyre’s justice: “‘We are reputation-ing Era out of town!’" (Kim, 06:26)

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2. Feyre & Lucien's Flight Through Prythian

[06:44–14:14]

• Feyre and Lucien flee, discovering the Hybern twins have been poisoning the Spring Court’s food—explaining Feyre’s weakened powers.
  • "This is a perfect example of how Feyre’s being blinded by revenge absolutely let this happen to her." (Kim, 07:07)
• Kim and Christina debate whether Feyre’s lack of Fae knowledge mitigates her oversight.

Emotional Complexity of the Mate Bond

• During their journey, Lucien confides in Feyre about wanting to see Elain, referencing the pain of mates being apart.
  • "I’ll ask your mate how he survived it—knowing you were engaged to someone else, sharing another male’s bed." (Lucien, read by Christina, 09:34)

The Attack on the Ice—Cassian & Azriel’s Return

[11:01–14:14]

• Eris (Lucien’s brother) and his brothers attack Feyre and Lucien in the Winter Court. Eris is especially violent towards Feyre.

• The moment Cassian and Azriel arrive is described as electric:

  • "A shadow slammed into the earth before us... Not a shadow. An Illyrian warrior. Seven red siphons glinted over his scale-black armor as Cassian tucked in his wings and snarled at Eris with five centuries’ worth of rage." (Christina, 12:42)
  • Their presence overwhelms the hosts:
    "Goosebumps, chills, chills. I’m so obsessed with that line. Tattoo it on my body." (Kim, 13:51)

• Feyre asserts her title before Eris and his brothers, dropping her glamour:

  • “‘I am High Lady of the Night Court,’... There’s no such thing as a High Lady! ... ‘There is now.’ Boom.” (Christina, 16:11)

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3. Reunions, Recovery, and the Velaris Homecoming

[17:57–23:33]

• Emotional homecoming as Feyre sees Mor, the townhouse, children laughing in Velaris—a symbol of peace.
  • "There are children laughing," Lucien whispers, echoing Feyre’s own earlier realization. (18:38)
• Rhysand’s reunion with Feyre is tender and deeply emotional.
  • "Rhys knelt before me, knee to knee... He murmured, 'my love,' and kissed me." (Read by Kim, 20:09)

Contrast with Tamlin

• Rhysand’s focus is on Feyre’s well-being, not extracting information—a powerful contrast to Tamlin.
  • "He just wanted to know the inner workings of the Night Court. But Rhys here wants to check on her." (Kim, 21:03)
• Rhysand insists on caring for Feyre—to bathe, to recover—rather than immediate intimacy.

Rhysand’s Devotion

• Rhys: “I missed you every second, every breath. Not just this—but talking to you, laughing with you. I missed having you in my bed, but missed having you as my friend even more.” (Kim, 22:50)
  • The hosts exclaim: "That encapsulates everything that is different about Rhysand and Tamlin." (Christina, 23:11)

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4. New Dynamics in the Inner Circle

[23:40–33:54]

• Lucien witnesses the true bond between Feyre and Rhysand, provoking jealousy and confusion; Rhys warns Lucien to respect Feyre.
  • "The next time you look at my mate with that disdain and disgust, I won’t bother to explain it again. And I will rip out your fucking throat." (Rhys, read by Kim, 24:24)
• Kim and Christina delight in Rhys’s protective Mama Bear energy for Feyre.

Archeron Sisters' Struggles

• Nesta and Elain remain deeply traumatized post-Cauldron; Elain is almost catatonic, not eating or leaving her room.
  • "Elain’s light... Perhaps that was why she now kept all the curtains open. To fill the void that existed where all of that light had once been. And now nothing remains." (Kim, 27:41)
• Cassian’s lingering guilt over failing to protect Nesta is highlighted.
  • “Because I can’t stay away.” (Cassian, read by Kim, 31:00)
  • "That’s a direct parallel to what Rhys says in chapter 54." (Kim, 31:22)
• The beginnings of the Cassian/Nesta dynamic (“Mate Watch!”) are burgeoning.

Lucien’s First Inner Circle Dinner

• Discussion turns lighthearted as the hosts imagine Lucien overdressed, nervous, and out of place amid the Night Court’s casual style.
  • "I would pay so much money to be a fly on the wall for this." (Kim, 31:33)

Upcoming Plot Points

• Plans to visit the Court of Nightmares and gain Kier’s Darkbringer army; foreshadowing the impact on Mor.
  • Emphasis on more’s emotional response: “You could truly wound Mor if you don’t play it right.” (Christina, 32:36)

Feyre Learning to Fly

• Azriel volunteers to teach her—set up for later plot relevance. Rhys gives her every advantage Tamlin never did.

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5. Mastermind Segment: SJM Multiverse Connections

[34:05–44:47]

• Parallels in Romantic Bonds Across Series:
  • The “You’re mine/I’m yours” refrain recurs with Rhys/Feyre, Rowan/Aelin, and Ruhn/Day.
    • “It’s so beautiful. And then in Crescent City, we get Ruhn and Day... ‘I’m fucking yours.” (Kim, 35:00)
• Seers Across the MassVerse:
  • Elain is a Seer; references to seers (oracles, witches) in Throne of Glass and Crescent City.
  • “Sears had once used Blood Bane as a drug to view spirits from other worlds.” (Christina, 36:28)
• Illyrians as Prototypes for Crescent City Angels:
  • Discussion on the shared origin of Illyrians, Malakim, Seraphim across series.
    • "Many in the fandom also take these prototypes to include the Seraphim as well, which are the winged Fae warriors of Prince Drakon." (Kim, 38:45)
• Dread Trove & Cauldron-Made Resurrection Item:
  • Hosts debate the mysterious item Drakon used to resurrect Miriam, its possible connection to the Dread Trove, and the inconsistencies in SJM’s resurrection magic.
    • “Is it a Dread Trove item that nobody knows about? Like, not even Amren?” (Christina, 41:34)
  • Hilarious theorizing ensues about the "Sisterhood of the Traveling Mask."

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Feyre’s Justice on Ianthe:
  "I hope you live a long, long life, Ianthe, and never know a moment’s peace." (Kim, 06:03)
• Cassian and Azriel’s Arrival:
  "Not a shadow. An Illyrian warrior." (Christina, 13:51)
• Feyre Declares Herself High Lady:
  "There is now. Boom." (Christina, 16:39)
• Rhysand & Feyre’s Reunion:
  “‘My love,’ he murmured and kissed me.” (Kim, 20:09)
• Rhysand’s Devotion:
  “I missed having you as my friend even more.” (Kim, 22:50)
• Rhysand to Lucien:
  "I will rip out your fucking throat." (Kim, 24:24)
• Cassian on Nesta:
  "Because I can’t stay away." (Kim, 31:00)
• Lucien at Inner Circle Dinner:
  "I would pay so much money to be a fly on the wall for this." (Kim, 31:33)
• Mastermind Segment on Dread Trove:
  "Is it a Dread Trove item that nobody knows about?" (Christina, 41:34)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• 03:23 – 06:26: Ianthe assaults Lucien; Feyre’s intervention
• 06:44 – 14:14: Feyre & Lucien’s escape, Hybern twins’ poisoning, Cassian & Azriel’s rescue
• 16:11 – 16:53: Feyre declares herself High Lady
• 18:31 – 20:29: Feyre and Rhysand’s emotional reunion
• 23:24 – 24:24: Rhysand reads Lucien the riot act
• 25:20 – 28:08: Archeron sisters' trauma, Elain's condition
• 31:00 – 31:22: Cassian discusses his feelings for Nesta
• 34:13 – 44:47: Mastermind segment: parallels, SJM-verse connections, Dread Trove theories

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Closing Thoughts

This episode is a love letter to ACOWAR’s most electric scenes—full of heated debate, emotional breakdowns, and deep cross-series connections. The hosts bring the story to vivid life, highlight the rich characterization and meta-layering of the SJM universe, and never shy from juicy analysis or their own infectious bookish enthusiasm.

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For more ACOWAR goodness and wild multiverse conjecture, tune in next week!

Transcript

[Anna]

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[Kim]

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[Anna]

To Flights of Fantasy, your Romantasy Podcast book club. I'm Anna, joined by my book besties Kim and Christina, and together we're diving into the characters, theories, lore and magic behind all your favorite fantasy romance books.

[Christina]

Hi book besties. Welcome to Acotar Revisited, our deep dive back into the series that started it all. We are so excited to be here discussing A Court of Wings and ruin, the third book in the ACOTAR series by Sarah JMS and just a reminder, we will be breaking up each book into multiple episodes so we can really take our time with this incredible story. Now with that being said and because we have read this series multiple times, we will be discussing each book with the knowledge of the entire entire series. But before we give our official spoiler warning, Christina has some announcements.

[Kim]

I sure do. First, we want to say thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone who's already rated and reviewed the show. If you had to have a chance yet, please take a moment to do so. We would just be so, so so appreciative. It really makes a huge difference to us and helping the show. So thank you so much to everyone who's already done that. Now before we dive in, a quick reminder that if you love flights of Fantasy and what even more from us, your bookbusters, we have got you covered on Patreon. Our tier one book besties at $5 a month get early ad free access to every episode plus our monthly book chats and our tier 2 book batches at $10 a month. Get all that plus full unedited video episodes, exclusive cauldron chats, our deep dives into ACOTAR characters, lore and world building such as Jurian, Miriam and Drakon and much more. And also our brand new trending pages Series. Guys, we're so excited about this.

[Christina]

Yeah.

[Kim]

Where we break down the hottest books and everyone's talking about, such as Shield of Sparrows. And last but not least, access to our SJM Deep Dive series, where we cover characters, couples, and scenes from all of SGM series, such as Celaena, Starfall, and Caltain and so much more. So come join our Patreon family over at patreon.com fights a fantasypodcast. We would absolutely love to have you. All right, Kim, hit us with that spoiler warning.

[Christina]

I would love to. So from here on out, spoilers for the entire Acotar series. Okay, now let's quickly chat about where we left off last week. We left off chatting about Tamlin and his temper tantrum where he blew up the study, and Feyre wanted Lucien and all of the sentries to see that Tamlin is losing his mind. He's going off track, and he's kind of going against his people, his court. And that is what Feyre is, of course, hoping would happen. But Tamlin is also making those choices and decisions on his own. Just have to reiterate that one more time, and I will get off my soapbox now.

[Kim]

All right, so let's start off this week with something that. It's not a fun scene to wreak. Recap. But, you know, the ending is really, really satisfying. So we're going to talk about Ianthe and Lucien in the woods here. Do you want to give a trigger warning for sexual assault in any way? If you need to skip forward a minute or two, for your own peace, please protect your own peace. Absolutely. Put that as a priority.

[Christina]

Yes.

[Kim]

Okay. So just as Feyre is preparing to make her move and her escape from the Spring Court, she finds Ianthe in the woods. Okay. So she's cornering Lucien and trying to force herself on him. It is so, so hard to read. And Feyre does hesitate for a second. She thinks, oh, man, this is my chance. I gotta get home. I gotta get back to my inner circle. But then she hears Lucien say, do not touch me. And this had to have triggered the memory that Rhysand showed her back in Akamath. And we also know at this point that Tamlin had Ianthe and Lucien perform the great rite on Kalanmai, which I don't really understand how that works magically because Lucian's not from the Spring Corp. Yep. But fine. But Lucian really didn't want to do that. He was extremely hesitant to do so and was very shaken up by it. And Feyre hears this, remembers this, and does turn around to help her friend. And here's the quote. Lucien stood back against a tree, twin bands of blue stone shackling around his wrist. I'd seen them before on Rhys to immobilize his power. Stone hewn from Hybern's rotted land, capable of nullifying magic. And in this case, holding Lucian against the tree. As Ianthe surveyed him like a snake before a meal, she slid a hand over the broad panes of his chest, his stomach. And Lucien's eyes shot to me as I stepped between the trees and fear and humiliation reddening his golden skin.

[Christina]

Oh.

[Kim]

Oh, my God. The humiliation part really, absolutely gets me. I hate that this is happening to him. It's so hard to read.

[Christina]

Me too.

[Kim]

And then Ianthe has the gall to dismiss Feyre, saying that her and Lucien are just playing a game and, like, we'll be back to the camp when we're done. Oh, my God, it is so horrible.

[Christina]

Fuck off.

[Kim]

Okay, this is the boat we waited for, everyone. Okay, so then Feyre being like, all right, bitch. No, I'm on my way out of town. Yeah, I'm just gonna show my. I'm gonna let it go. I'm gonna really let it go here. So she frees Lucian. She breaks into Anthe's mind and commands her to repeatedly hit her hand with a rock until it's gnarled and bloody and broken. And Feyre also says that she is allowed to see a healer only to set the bones, but not to erase the scarring. And that she, quote, will never know another's touch unless they initiate. Unless it's desired by both sides.

[Christina]

Yes, yes.

[Kim]

God, I love that. And I love the phrasing of like, never. You will always look at the scar. This is a long lasting thing. Oh, I love it.

[Christina]

I love it.

[Kim]

Love it.

[Christina]

Me too.

[Kim]

So, okay, then she also just keeps going. She says, quote, I debated slitting your throat this morning. I told her I debated it all last night while you slept beside me. I've debated every single day since I learned you sold out my sisters to Hybrn. I smiled a bit, but I think this is a better punishment. And I hope you live a long, long life. I am the and never know a moment's peace.

[Christina]

Oh, fuck, yes. I love this so much.

[Kim]

We are reputationing Era out of town.

[Christina]

That's right.

[Kim]

Perfect little pit stop on our way out.

[Christina]

Yep.

[Kim]

Also pin this moment for later when Feyre does lead Ianthe to the weaver, because, wow, what a fitting end, my friends. Okay, now, speaking of Fitting end. Oh, let's make our grand escape.

[Christina]

Let's get the fuck out of here. Let's get out of the Spring Court. I'm so ready. Okay, so after Feyre shuts down Ianthe's attempt to force herself on Lucien, she knows she has little time to get out of the Spring Corps before her cover is blown. Her escape plan kicks into motion. When the creepy hybrid twins finally strike, Feyre realizes that her magic seems drained. And this is when Branna and Dagdon let her know that they've been slowly poisoning the food supply.

[Kim]

This pisses me off so much. I'm so sorry. Just one thing. This is a perfect example of how Feyre's being blinded by revenge. Absolutely let this happen to her. She mentions like, oh, I have headaches. That's weird. Oh, I'm not healing as fast. That's weird. I really think if she was not so focused on bringing everything down to its knees and was playing the chess game like Jurian or Rhys, she would have been like, okay, but. Huh?

[Christina]

Yeah.

[Kim]

What's this mean? You know, like the fact that she's blindsided by this is so frustrating.

[Anna]

Right?

[Kim]

I get it for plot, but fine.

[Christina]

I do think it's frustrating. But I do think she also doesn't have knowledge of the Fae.

[Kim]

True, true, true.

[Christina]

You know, because the humans never learned about the Fae. All they knew was that they were evil.

[Kim]

Yeah.

[Christina]

She's been Fae for such a short amount of time and unfortunately, I don't think she knows what's normal and not normal when it comes to being Fae.

[Kim]

That's a great point.

[Christina]

I do think she should have picked up on some things. Definitely. Again, she was very blinded. But I do also think it plays to like, her lack of knowledge about the Fae in general. And maybe things are different for her because no one really knows what she is at this point. They kind of do. She's been made, but no one really knows the extent of it, herself included.

[Kim]

That's an absolutely great point. And it really does hearken back to the fact that she's 20 and everyone else is hundreds of years old. Yeah, she really doesn't have that knowledge. So you're right, because she's. She's 20. I will give Feyre that. I'll take it back. Feyre.

[Christina]

No, it is valid. She should have been like, why do I have headaches and why am I not healing?

[Kim]

Check in with Rhys and be like, hey, are these normal?

[Christina]

Yeah.

[Kim]

This is weird, right?

[Christina]

Can you put these into WebMD for me and just see what These are my symptoms. Can you just tell me what Fay. WebMD says?

[Kim]

What is.

[Christina]

What do they say about.

[Kim]

What did the Google say?

[Christina]

What does the Google say?

[Kim]

I know that we can't talk a lot, but just a yes or no, right?

[Christina]

Just a wire in down the bond. So they're like, oh, we've been poisoning your food supply. Oopsie. With Fabian. And Feyre says, not today, Satan. And taps into everything that Cassian taught her and absolutely wrecks them. It is actually incredible. Heads literally roll. And we love to see it. Okay. I feel not an ounce of sadness about them at all.

[Kim]

They are terrible. It's immediate. It's immediately satisfying. And Lucian's like, oh, shit.

[Christina]

Lucian's like, oh, shit. And he's like, I'm coming with you. And she's like, yes. Yeah, no, I can't do that. And he's like, no, I am coming with you. And she's like, fine. My powers are basically gone, so I do kind of need you. And so she and Lucian take off immediately and they cross into another court through the cave system. Now, this is very interesting. Lucian asked about Elaine while they're huddling in a cave to try and keep warm. They're, like, snuggled up together. And he says, I want to see her just once, just to know. And Feyre says, to know what? If she is worth fighting for. And then I'll ask your mate how he survived it knowing you were engaged to someone else sharing another male's bed.

[Kim]

Oh.

[Christina]

Which that's really interesting that he has already thought about talking to Rhysand about having to see Tamlin with Feyre and what that was like when, you know, he shows up to this wedding, being like, oh, my God, they were about to get married.

[Kim]

Exactly.

[Christina]

My mate was about to marry somebody else.

[Kim]

It really shows how much Lucien has been thinking this through by himself this whole time since Elayne was put into the cauldron. And it also shows the kind of male he is, that he would allow her to go back and do that if that's what made her happy.

[Christina]

Yeah.

[Kim]

You know, just like Rhysand.

[Christina]

Yeah.

[Kim]

He didn't even think about it. Like Tamlin, like, no, that can't be true. I must take her back.

[Christina]

Right.

[Kim]

He thought about it immediately. Like Rhysand, if she's happy, I'll ask him how he survived that, because I'm going to have to.

[Christina]

Oh, that's such a great point. Oh, sweet Lucian. So they do end up having to cross into Autumn Court, which is when Eris and a few of Lucian's other brothers find them asleep. So Feyre and Lucian escape and end up in the Winter court. Okay. But so interesting to note that Ares and his brothers do cross into the Winter Court, which they're not supposed to do.

[Kim]

Nope. But they do. Yeah, but they do.

[Christina]

Okay, fine. That's a no. No. But whatever.

[Kim]

So at first, they're on the. Yeah, no, they do.

[Christina]

But they're on the ice because it's winter Court.

[Kim]

Yeah.

[Christina]

And Feyre was like, once we get to winter court, will be fine because they won't get us. And then they're basically like, oh, nope.

[Kim]

Because they are on the edge of the ice, like, melting it and doing stuff. But then they go into the middle.

[Christina]

True. No, they do go into the middle to fight.

[Kim]

Yeah, I thought that was a no.

[Christina]

No. I thought you weren't supposed to do that.

[Kim]

I feel like we explain it, but I can't remember what it is right now. Okay.

[Christina]

Okay. So Feyre is running across the ice with Lucian, and Eris starts to melt the ice with his autumn court fire. Okay, guys, rereading this. I have some issues with what Eris did on this ice. I'm not gonna lie to you. So he winnows in front of Feyre. Not bode well for his redemption arc because he smacks her so hard across the face that she falls to the ground. And then he kicks her in the gut and grabs her by her hair and starts dragging her across the ice.

[Kim]

Friend, I'm gonna say that's not bode well for our theory that Eris is a good guy. This is definitely a check in the con of that con list of that theory.

[Christina]

I get it. His hands were a little bit tied. His brothers are right there. I'm not saying he can't do anything.

[Kim]

Maybe just not the gag of fire.

[Christina]

Right.

[Kim]

You know, if we to cut a.

[Christina]

Few things, not smack her in the face, kick her in the gut, pull her by her hair and put the gag of fire in her mouth. Like, could we have cut one or two of those things?

[Kim]

It is hard. It's hard because in this scene, going back and rereading, I'm looking for any hint from Eris.

[Christina]

Oh, totally.

[Kim]

That he's helping them. And, you know, we do see a little bit that maybe he was melting the ice a little slowly. Maybe when Lucien saw Eris in the cave, he said Eris in a warning tone, which feels a little different than if he was scared of him. But then this trumps all of that, and it's hard to forget it.

[Christina]

Yeah. And I Get it? The brothers are to go back to Baron and report back about what happened. So Eris has to do something again. I just think. I think we went a little bit too far here. Okay. That's all I'm going to say.

[Kim]

Yeah.

[Christina]

So one of Lucian's other brothers shoots an arrow into Feyre's arm. And then this moment. Easily one of the best moments in this entire series.

[Kim]

I'm just going to say it hands down. I'm going to say it hands down.

[Christina]

Okay. I'm going to read it. Are you ready?

[Kim]

Here we go. Here we go. Here we go.

[Christina]

Picture it. Picture it. Okay. A shadow slammed into the earth before us, cracking the ice toward every horizon. Not a shadow. An Illyrian warrior. Seven red siphons glinted over his scale black armor as Cassian tucked in his wings and snarled at Eris with five centuries worth of rage. Not dead. Not hurt. Whole. His wings repaired and strong. I loosed a shuddering sob over the burning gag. Cassian siphons flickered in response, as if the sight of me at Eris's hands. Another impact struck the ice behind us. Shadows skittered in its wake. Azriel. I began crying in earnest. Some leash I kept on myself, snapping free as my friends landed as I saw that Azrael, too was alive. Was healed. Oh, my God.

[Kim]

Oh my God.

[Christina]

Oh my God. Oh my God. Okay. As Cassian drew twin Illyrian blades, the sight of them like home. And said to Eris with lethal calm. I suggest you drop my lady. God damn it. Okay. Aeris grip on my hair only tightened. Eris, stop that shit. Stop it. Okay. So he tightens his grip on Feyre, wringing a whimper from me. The wrath that twisted Cassian's face was world ending.

[Kim]

World ending. World ending.

[Christina]

Not a shadow. An Illyrian warrior. Guys.

[Kim]

Goosebumps, chills, chills. I'm so obsessed with that line. Tattoo it on my body. Tattoo it on my soul. I need it.

[Christina]

God. Injected into my veins. I need it.

[Kim]

So good. And like, we've missed them so much at this point. And then they land and it makes me cry. I feel like she does such a good job of building that feeling where you are, Feyre, and you see them land and you're like.

[Christina]

Oh my God.

[Kim]

Like you wouldn't let out a choking sob.

[Christina]

Yes.

[Kim]

You're like, they're here and they're okay. Oh, God, it's so good.

[Christina]

It's so good. So everyone starts fighting. It's very badass. And it quickly becomes apparent that Azriel and Cassian are about to wipe the floor with these Autumn Court. Which I get that we can't do that for, you know, reasons, right? But fine. But Feyre pulls the high lady card and she tells Cass and Azriel to stop. And they immediately do. And I don't know why this is so hot to me. So she says, basically, stop. And immediately they stop. And Azriel like, flicks blood off his blade. He's like, all right. And stalks over to stand next to her. And I'm like, I don't know what this says about me. I find this very hot.

[Kim]

Oh, God, it's so sexy. Something about him immediately, like he's in violence mode. And then he just halts and is like, okay. Flicks the blood off his blade and like, waltzes over to her in a way that like, yes, okay, I'm following you no matter what also. But like, I'm a little. I get this. A little dirty.

[Christina]

Yeah. God, get this stupid blood off my blade. I gotta flick this off.

[Kim]

It's so good. It's so hot.

[Christina]

So good.

[Kim]

It's so hot. And what a commanding moment. Everyone's like, what? I'm like, what's going on?

[Anna]

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[Christina]

Oh, let me make an announcement.

[Kim]

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[Anna]

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[Kim]

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[Christina]

Talking about Gain Super Flings super sized laundry packs.

[Kim]

These things are huge.

[Christina]

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[Kim]

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[Christina]

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[Kim]

Gain Super Flings for next level laundry.

[Christina]

So she turns to Eris and his brothers and Lucian and she says, I am high lady of the night court. I said quietly to them all. Even Eris stopped sneering. His amber eyes widened. Something like fear now creeping into them. There's no such thing as a high lady. One of Lucian's brothers spat. A faint smile played on my mouth. There is now boom. Oh my God.

[Kim]

This moment. The visuals here because she's also letting the magic go, the glamour go away on her hand. And so she's like, I am the high lady of the night court. As Cassian and Azriel walk back to her. And the tattoo's coming up and it's like. It's so good.

[Christina]

So fucking good. It's so good. So basically they go away or whatever. We talk about this a lot in our first Acowar episodes. But the visual of Azrael carrying Lucien is.

[Kim]

It's incredible.

[Christina]

Incredible. We still don't know what the semantics are of how they carry them. Do they carry them like a bride over the threshold?

[Kim]

It has to be a bride. Yeah.

[Christina]

Is it front to back, like an awkward prom pose? Are they piggybacking? Are we holding onto the legs? Like, what are we.

[Kim]

Well, we can't do piggyback because of the wings.

[Christina]

I know.

[Kim]

I think we have to do a bride, which is just the funniest way.

[Christina]

It's the funniest situation ever. And this is also when we learn Lucian's last name, which is very interesting. It's Ven Sarah. Which is actually not really his last name.

[Kim]

Well, yeah, it is.

[Christina]

It is. But also he was raised by.

[Kim]

And he also says, I don't claim that name. Like, Lucian's fine later, right?

[Christina]

He's like Prince, you know, he's like a one named kind of guy.

[Kim]

God, it's so good. And Cassian's holding Feyre.

[Christina]

Yes.

[Kim]

And he just says, I missed you.

[Christina]

I missed you too.

[Kim]

And she hugs him and kissed her head. And it's so good.

[Christina]

It's beautiful.

[Kim]

Oh, my God, it's so beautiful.

[Christina]

But what's even more beautiful. Christina.

[Kim]

Oh, God, I'm so excited. Okay, me too. We are finally home. We are back. We are in the townhouse. We meet up with Mor, and she's in the woods. And I get it. Politics. And she couldn't come, and then she's like, well, where do we go? Lucien's here. So, like, do we go to the townhouse? Like, let's go home, baby. Let's go home. Let's go home to that townhouse. Let's do it. And we are feyre here. We too would collapse and weep if we just spent weeks trapped in our ex boyfriend's house, poisoned by demon twins and then battled across ice. You know, we would as well. And we see you. And that's real.

[Christina]

Absolutely. That's valid.

[Kim]

Also, we have to remember that this is the first time that Lucian is seeing Velaris in his first line here of Quote, There are children laughing.

[Christina]

Yeah.

[Kim]

Which is exactly what Feyre noticed and something that shows how precious Velaris really is. Actually, that sound of children laughing is so foreign and like, peaceful to both Lucien and Feyre and probably most of Prythian after Under the Mountain. This is such a really scene setting, important atmospheric sound for both of them to understand where they are.

[Christina]

Yeah.

[Kim]

And then our High Lord arrives.

[Christina]

He's here.

[Kim]

Oh, my God. Oh, my God. He's here.

[Christina]

He's here.

[Kim]

Okay, I just have to read this whole thing.

[Christina]

Do it.

[Kim]

Apologies. Okay, do it. Quote. My blood stopped at the voice that drawled from behind me. At the scent that hit me, awoke me. My friends began smiling. I turned Rhysand leaned against the archway into the sitting room, arms crossed, wings nowhere to be seen, dressed in his usual immaculate black jacket and pants. And as those violet eyes met mine, as that familiar half smile faded, my face crumpled. A small broken noise cracked from me and Rhys was instantly moving. But my legs had already given out. The foyer carpet cushioned the impact as I sank to my knees. I covered my face with my hands. While the past month crashed into me. Rhys knelt before me, knee to knee. Gently, he pulled my hands away from my face. Gently he took my cheeks in his hands and brushed away my tears. I didn't care that we had an audience as I lifted my head and beheld the joy and concern and love shining in those remarkable eyes. Neither did Rhys as he murmured my love and kissed me. Oh, God.

[Christina]

My love.

[Kim]

The my love. It kills me every time. Every single time.

[Christina]

I've never loved anything more.

[Kim]

Every single time.

[Christina]

I've never loved anything more. My love. My love.

[Kim]

And she's been so scared. And the choice of the words there of in his eyes, there's joy and concern and love. And it's this moment too, that you are Feyre. You feel that. You're like, I've been putting on this mask. I've been faking it for so long and all this stuff. And I'm finally here and home and you're just collecting clapped. You're just like, cry. And you're just like, I can't hold it in anymore.

[Christina]

Yeah.

[Kim]

Oh my God. And Rhys just immediately picks her up and without looking at anyone, of course, says, go find somewhere else to be for a while.

[Christina]

Oh, sir, yes, sir.

[Kim]

Any winnows in? Like, up the stairs, the landing, and she looks over and Lucien's like, oh my God, what is happening? Oh God. And so then we get this beautiful reunion. This is one of the most deeply romantic Scenes, I think, from them. And they have some deeply romantic scenes.

[Christina]

Oh, do they?

[Kim]

Something about this. It harkens to the parallels from when she returned to Tamlin at the beginning of Acomath versus her returning here to Rhysand.

[Christina]

Yes. And it's just.

[Kim]

It's so sweet and precious. So if we remember, when she did return to the Spring Court, Tamlin just wanted to interview her. He just wanted to know the inner workings of the Night Court. Yep. But Rhys here wants to check on her. He wants to make sure she's okay. She says, don't you want to talk? Don't you want to hear about the Spring Court? And he said, later, like, more importantly, I have some things to do.

[Christina]

That's right.

[Kim]

He sure does. And she, like, prepares herself to be thrown onto the bed, because that's what Tamlin did and would do.

[Christina]

Right.

[Kim]

But first, Rhys checks on her. He holds her. He makes sure she has a bath. Kimberlyn.

[Christina]

That's right. That's exactly what he does. Not only does he snap his fingers to where, like, she's instantly spotless, he still draws her a bath and just stands there and watches her, which, like, I would be very distracted. That'd be the fastest bath I'd ever taken in my entire life. I'd be like, all right, and we're done. We're good. Just give me a bar of soap and some hot water, because those are the components that you need to actually be clean.

[Kim]

And he does.

[Christina]

And he does that. God, he thinks of everything.

[Kim]

I love that. Before the sexy times, you know?

[Christina]

That's right.

[Kim]

And even then, he also informs her that the Spring Court has essentially fallen. All of Tin sentries abandoned their posts, and more than half the residents refused to show up for the tithe, which, you know what, my friends? Good riddance.

[Christina]

Absolutely.

[Kim]

The tithe was archaic.

[Christina]

It was.

[Kim]

But really what this does is immediately Rhys is getting her up to speed. Immediately, he is bringing her in as his equal. Yep. And making sure she knows all the components.

[Christina]

Yep.

[Kim]

God, we just see so many deep theories, romantic things here. Rhys, we've missed you, my love.

[Christina]

Oh, my God, Rhys.

[Kim]

So we have two quotes. Okay. Quote, rhys pressed a kiss to my hair. You're home. A shuddering, small sound came out of me as I nodded, squeezing him tighter. Home. Not just Valaris, but wherever he was, our family was. Oh, that's so beautiful. Him just literally pressing a kiss to her hair and saying, you're home is so sweet and amazing.

[Christina]

So romantic.

[Kim]

Okay. Oh, here we go. His throat bobbed. Quote, I missed you every Second every breath. Not just this, he said, shifting his hips for emphasis and dragging a groan from deep in my throat. Quote. But talking to you, laughing with you. I missed having you in my bed, but missed having you as my friend even more.

[Christina]

Shut up.

[Kim]

It's so good.

[Christina]

That encapsulates everything that is different about Rhysand and Tamlin. He was like, I miss talking to you. I miss laughing with you.

[Kim]

Yes.

[Christina]

I miss your body. I miss being with you intimately. But I miss having you as my friend even more.

[Kim]

Yes.

[Christina]

Oh.

[Kim]

Because he knows her. Her whole self, and he loves everything about her and who she deeply is at her core. And it's so beautiful.

[Christina]

It's so beautiful.

[Kim]

Oh, God. All right, so they have amazing, sweet, sexy time. They put rings on each other's fingers, and it's more intimate than anything else. And it's so beautiful.

[Christina]

It's so beautiful.

[Kim]

And then they go and rejoin the group. And Lucian, apparently, is feeling a bit big for his britches here.

[Christina]

Yep.

[Kim]

So, surrounded by the inner circle in Velaris.

[Christina]

Yeah.

[Kim]

He sees the mating bond in the rings. And then we get. Quote. Lucien didn't bother to hide the slight curling of his lip. Lucian.

[Christina]

Lucian. What are we doing?

[Kim]

Read the room, bro. This is not smart. They're mates.

[Christina]

Like, what? What's the difference with the rings? Like, they're already mates.

[Kim]

I do get it. That in his mind, he is still like, whoa, whoa, whoa. I still don't know. Rhys isn't a villain. What happened here? I don't understand. I think he also is, like, you left me as well. I feel deeply hurt that you left me for this guy that made you do lap dances every night in court nightmares. I know nothing differently. Yes. There's children laughing.

[Christina]

Yeah.

[Kim]

Doesn't help me with Rhys.

[Christina]

Fair.

[Kim]

And then we get this from Rhys. I will say this only once. Feyre did not dishonor or betray Tamlin. I revealed the mating bond months later, and she gave me hell for it. Don't worry. But now that you found your mate in a similar situation, perhaps you will try to understand how it felt. And if you can't be bothered, then I hope you're wise enough to keep your mouth shut. Because the next time you look at my mate with that disdain and disgust, I won't bother to explain it again. And I will rip out your. Your fucking throat.

[Christina]

Yeah, he will.

[Kim]

Yes.

[Christina]

Yeah, he will.

[Kim]

Oh, God.

[Christina]

Daddy is mad. And we love it.

[Kim]

And we're here for it. We sure are.

[Christina]

You know what? I don't care. Rhysand does not play about Feyre. And I love that for him, and I love that for her, and I.

[Kim]

Love how this little moment was crafted. He's like, look, look, look. I'm setting the record straight.

[Christina]

Right?

[Kim]

Do not look at her with disdain, disgust, because she did nothing wrong. That's right. And also, if you do again, I have warned you, and I will rub.

[Christina]

About your float, and you're dead.

[Kim]

Amazing. All right, let's talk about our sisters. Sister sisters.

[Christina]

Our sister S. Nesta and Elain. So after Rhysand reads Lucian the riot act and tells him he better be on his best behavior, Feyre does invite Lucian up to the house of Wynn to see her sisters. That's where they are staying. She does give him very strict instructions, though, not to interfere and to push Elaine or really interact with Nessa at all. Because, let's be honest, you just can't even look at her or she'll scream at you. And Lucian agrees. He's like, fine. We are prepped before seeing the Archeron sisters that while they are safe, they're not exactly okay. Elain doesn't leave her room, and Nesta is basically holding vigil, which once Feyre sees Elain, she realizes Nesta's concern. Elain, who is always described as the prettiest and full of light, is a shell of a human.

[Kim]

We also know from a court of silver flames that Nesta, in this stretch, is not sleeping because she is checking on Elain because she's worried Elain's gonna commit suicide. She's like, that's the level that we're at here.

[Christina]

Yeah, absolutely. And once you see Elain, like, you do absolutely understand that worry. But before we get to Elain, we do get our very first Cassian and Nesta interaction in this Ch&Y'. All. Cassian is so down bad for Nesta. It is. He is down bad. Crying in the gym. Okay. For Nesta.

[Kim]

Oh, my God, that's so perfect. For Cassia.

[Christina]

He is down bad. Crying in the sparring ring for Nesta. Okay. He is so down bad for her. I don't get it, but it's clearly very much his thing. We've said it before, but, like, Nesta bites and Cassian is basically like, yes, bite harder. It turns me on. Like, whatever she spits out at him, he loves it.

[Kim]

Yeah. And it's so fun to.

[Christina]

To see.

[Kim]

I love it.

[Christina]

Yeah. I love seeing Cassian be into it.

[Kim]

And bring out that in Nesta, you know, like. Because it does feel like a play with me. Parallel from Rhys.

[Christina]

Yes. It's Absolutely. Very much like Rhysand's play with me that he does to Feyre and Acomath. Cassian is very much egging Nesta on because he can take it. And he wants to shake her out of this darkness that is seeming to swallow her up after becoming Fae against her will. But Feyre does clock it. She says. I wondered why no one had yet mentioned what now shone and cast Cassian's eyes as he gazed at my sister. The sorrow and the longing. Longing.

[Kim]

You say?

[Christina]

Mate. Watch. Mate. Watch.

[Kim]

Watch.

[Christina]

Okay. We are obviously going to be getting into the Cassian and Nesta of it all further down the line. But let's get back to Elaine.

[Kim]

So much. Okay. Yes. Yes.

[Christina]

So her demeanor very much mirrors Feyre's at the start of Akamath. She is barely speaking. She's. She's not eating. She's just sitting in a chair staring out the window. Like lifeless.

[Kim]

Yeah.

[Christina]

And Feyre says Elaine had always been gentle and sweet. And I had considered it as a different sort of strength. A better strength to look at the hardness of the world and choose over and over to love. To be kind. She had always been so full of light. Perhaps that was why she now kept all the curtains open. To fill the void that existed where all of that light had once been. And now nothing remains. Oh, it's sad.

[Kim]

Wow. And I do love that she talks about her different kind of strength here. I think that's.

[Christina]

Yeah.

[Kim]

Very interesting. Setting our tone for Elaine going forward. And I. I think she' sitting there with all those voices in her head and she's like, I don't know how to sort through this.

[Christina]

Yeah.

[Kim]

And I really hope we're going to get her book and we're going to get this part from her pov.

[Christina]

I hope so too. And Feyre even notes that Nesta's rage would be better than this emptiness. And all Elain keeps repeating is I want to go home. And he'll be looking for me. Talking about her human fiance that she was supposed to get married to in like a couple of days. It's rough.

[Kim]

It's rough. Do you think he is the fiance?

[Christina]

Yeah, probably. Because he probably doesn't know that she's Fae.

[Kim]

Well, exactly.

[Christina]

He won't be looking for her once he realizes who she is. But yeah, I'm sure he's very worried about her.

[Kim]

She just like disappeared. Yeah.

[Christina]

Totally. But he will soon realize who she is and lose all interest in her and. Because he's a piece of shit.

[Kim]

Oh, we'll get there.

[Christina]

Yeah.

[Kim]

Okay. There's also a very interesting moment here that we want to highlight after we go see Nesta and Elaine. So Feyre meets up with the rest of our crew at Amren's apartment. And, you know, she's still studying the Book of Breathings, as we do for a lot of the book.

[Christina]

Yeah.

[Kim]

And Amren says that they will probably need Nesta and Elain's help defeating the Cauldron, since they were both made by it. They're also special. Special just like Feyre. Also. Witch Watch. Fey Witch Watch.

[Christina]

Yep.

[Kim]

Okay. But Feyre initially refuses, saying that they've given enough and she won't risk them again. To which Amren says, quote, you sound like Tamlin. Oh, Amren. So this actually might be true. But this is a low blow, Amren. This is a low blow. And Morgue's very defensive of Feyre and defends her. But Feyre, being able to acknowledge her faults, acknowledges that there is truth to that statement, that she can't coddle them and lock them away like Tamlin did to her. All she can do is keep reaching out a hand.

[Christina]

Oh. Oh.

[Kim]

Can't wait to get to Silver Flames.

[Christina]

Oh, yeah.

[Kim]

Okay. But later, Cassian talks to Feyre privately on this subject as well, on their way to dinner. And she asks him if he agrees that they should use Nesta to help fix the wall. He says, quote, yes, not only for our sakes, but she needs to get out of the house. She needs to. She'll destroy herself if she stays cooped up in there. Oh, my God. It's so good. And he sees this in her. He knows it. He knows it. Yep. And make watch. Cassian also still holds guilt from that day in Hybern when he crawled to her through Azriel's blood.

[Christina]

Yes.

[Kim]

And Nesta and Elaine returned. He says, quote, I made her a promise. And when it mattered most, I didn't keep it.

[Christina]

Oh, God, that makes me so sad, because I don't agree. And I don't feel like it's fair for Cassian to put that on himself.

[Kim]

Oh, no.

[Christina]

There was physically no way for him to get to her. And even if he could get to her, no one could do anything. Like, there was nothing anybody could do. I get it. But it's also like, no, Cassian, don't put that on yourself.

[Kim]

And he already thinks so poorly of himself. It's just so hard to think that he is thinking this way, you know? Oh, God. It's not like she's given him much love. She's not helping his Image that she thinks this of him as well, you know?

[Christina]

Agreed. Agreed. Definitely not.

[Kim]

And, you know, to prove that point, Feyre asked Cassian why he even bothers with Nesta. Because she is so harsh to him, because she is so mean to him. And his response is, quote, because I can't stay away. Oh, God. And that's a direct parallel to what Rhys says in chapter 54, when he says, I love you and I still can't stay away. Oh, God, these Illyrian men. God, they're perfect.

[Christina]

They're incredible. They're incredible.

[Kim]

Oh, God.

[Christina]

Okay, okay. So let's move to Lucian's first Inner Circle dinner. Oh, what a baby. I'm jealous. Honestly, I'm so jealous, I would die.

[Kim]

I would pay so much money to be a fly on the wall for this.

[Christina]

God, it's so good. So much like Feyre is introduced to the Inner Circle at that first dinner in Acomath, Lucian now gets that same experience. He actually overdresses, just like Feyre. He's very prim and proper, which is actually really sweet.

[Kim]

It is.

[Christina]

Because we know that the Spring Court is much more formal than the Inner Circle. They're very casual. They do what they want. But there are a few kind of important takeaways from this dinner, so they're not. Next plan is to visit the Hewn City in the Court of Nightmares to make sure that Kier and his Darkbringers will fight with them in this upcoming war. They technically are allowed to refuse. They don't have to. But Rhys is hoping to be able to offer them something to entice them to join them in the war.

[Kim]

More on that.

[Christina]

Yeah, yeah, we will get there. But this is where we also really start to see more. She gets very anxious. She starts stressing out, and she warns Rhys to be careful with what he promises her father in exchange for his Darkbringer army. And Feyre, even later, privately says to Rhys, I think you should be careful working with Kier. Not for how despicable he is, but because I think you could truly wound Mor if you don't play it right.

[Kim]

Oh, the foreshadowing. Wow.

[Christina]

Wow, the foreshadowing there. Because he does exactly that. Later, Feyre announces that she wants to learn to fly, which, this moment is so funny. At the dinner, she's like, I want to learn how to fly. Mor spits wine all over Asriel. And Asriel is like, like, oh, my God. And Cassian's, like, cracking up laughing.

[Kim]

Everyone is like, what? Like, thinks it's Actually mind blowing. I don't think it's that weird, actually. But I do love everyone's reaction to it. It's really quite fun. And the way she actually announces it. God, I love it.

[Christina]

It's so good. And Azriel agrees to teach her to fly. And Rhysand's like, well, no, I can do it. And Azriel's like, no, because you and Cassian learned to fly so young. It's different when you're older and you have more awareness of, like, being scared and just different things. And it makes so much sense because Azriel is the perfect person to teach her. And basically they're like, you know, are you sure you want Feyre to learn how to fly? And Rhysand says, I'll give her any shot at an advantage at getting away if things go to shit. Which foreshadows her rescuing Elaine and having to fly off the cliff. She never could have done that if she did not learn how to fly.

[Kim]

Exactly. Exactly. Wow.

[Christina]

Oh, Rhys. And like, what a difference between, I want to give her any shot at an advantage.

[Kim]

Yes.

[Christina]

Whereas Tamlin's like, no, you can't even learn how to spar because it's going to give the wrong message.

[Kim]

Exactly. Perfect exposition. Yeah.

[Christina]

And then the last thing is that Rhysand says, we got to have a meeting. We got to have all the High Lords get together and we're going to see who's going to fight with us against Hybern, who the High Lord's meeting.

[Kim]

What a meeting that is. Friends.

[Christina]

It is. It is.

[Kim]

Okay, now I think it's time. Friends, we are entering our Mastermind segment, our favorite little corner of the episode.

[Christina]

Yeah.

[Kim]

Where we peel back the curtain on all of the brilliant foreshadowing plot threads and Easter eggs. Sarah J. Maas has been placed planting since page one, connecting all three of the series. A quick spoiler warning. From here on out, in addition to Acotar, we will be referencing the entirety of the Throne of Glass series and the Crescent City series. So if you haven't finished those yet, cheers and happy reading, friends. We will see you next time. And if you're all caught up, let's dive in. Okay. We want to start with a very, very romantic parallel here.

[Christina]

Yeah.

[Kim]

The quote your mine that we get in the this beautiful reunion sex scene with Feyre and Rhys. It's not the first time we see this, friends. It's also really highlighted in the beach fire sex scene with Aelin and Rowan. Oh, my God. And they say back and forth to each other, I'm not going to read the whole quote because, God, it's long, but God, it's beautiful.

[Christina]

Yeah.

[Kim]

So it's like Aelin laid her palm flat on him again. She said, you are mine. Rowan's breath started again, jagged and savage. And the waves. And he says, I'm yours. And then she says, and you love me. And then a little later he says, you are mine. She says, I am yours and you love me. And then they say, to whatever end. And she thinks, for too long, for too long had he been alone and wandering no longer.

[Christina]

Oh my God.

[Kim]

Which I think also really is a parallel to Rhys and Feyre saying, never again, never again in that scene. It's so beautiful. And then in Crescent City, we get Ruhn and Day, okay, so in their like, sexing on that mental bridge, we get this line quote. I don't fucking care who you are so long as you're mine. Because I'm yours. Day. I'm fucking yours. Oh my God.

[Christina]

God, I love that scene.

[Kim]

It's so good. So, yeah, I just thought those were really fun little parallels to the. Your mind. And how Sarah uses that in sex scenes throughout her series in such a beautiful, romantic way.

[Christina]

Absolutely, absolutely. So let's talk about Seers. In the Mass verse. We know that eventually Elain, they do figure out that she is a Seer. That was her gift that the Cauldron gave her when she became Fae. Now we know that that Sears are in the entire mass verse. So to quote TOD, this is @ the end when Selena is battling Kane and she's under the Blood Bane. So Selena says she had to end this now before the hallucination started. She knew they'd be powerful. Sears had once used Blood Bane as a drug to view spirits from the other worlds.

[Kim]

Wow.

[Christina]

Plural other worlds.

[Kim]

Plural worlds. And the use of Blood Bane. Which we know is in Acotar.

[Christina]

Exactly. So, yes. So Blood Ma is an Acotar as well. Seers are in Tog for sure. She also talks about whenever the King ordered that magic be ruined and they outlaw, they burn all the books. And she says the screams of gifted seers and healers as they've been consumed by the flames. She also says, like, what had it been like to live here when royal families were slaughtered? When seers and magic wielders were burned alive. Oh. Only other interesting thing from Tog is Aelin is talking to Manon and she says, can your kind see the future? See it as an oracle, King. And Manon says the blue bloods claim.

[Kim]

To which watch which watch, which watch, Which Fae watch for the archer Mons.

[Christina]

Exactly. So then in Crescent City we know. So they talk about the witches in Crescent City.

[Kim]

Yeah, yeah.

[Christina]

Says the witch's gifts were varied from seers to warriors to potion makers. Okay. There's also of course the Oracle. That all famous visit at the age of 13 is one of the two great rites to enter the adulthood.

[Kim]

Yes.

[Christina]

And the Oracle is referred to as the Seer by Bryce in House of Earth and Blood.

[Kim]

Really?

[Christina]

She says like the Oracle. Da da, da da. Whenever the Seer.

[Kim]

I forgot about that. How interesting.

[Christina]

She calls the Oracle the Seer. And there's also the Mystics, which we know are kind of.

[Kim]

Yes, very interesting. So interesting. I love that.

[Christina]

Yeah.

[Kim]

Oh my gosh. Okay, so also, let's just bebop over to the Illyrians for a second. Bebop, we want to talk about the Illyrians just for a quick sec. And really this quote in House of Sky and Bright Breath in relation to the Illyrians quote, our people who built fearsome warriors in that world to be their army. All of them prototypes for the angels in this one. And all of them traitors to their creators, joining the fae to overthrow my brothers and sisters a thousand years before we arrived at Midgard. This is unanimously thought amongst the fandom to be talking about the Illyrians. We also get in Silver flames the confirmation that the Illyrians did fight with them. They held off the enemy. We get the whole Analias thing why the top of Ramiel is important in the blood rite. All those factors to really show us that we are talking about the Illyrians. But many in the fandom also take these prototypes to include the Seraphim as well, which are the winged Fae warriors of Prince Drakon, Especially considering their wings are feathered just like the Malachem.

[Christina]

Yep.

[Kim]

So I love that parallel. They also have wind magic and we know of two characters in CC that are angels that have wind magic. So I just think that's really, really cool to just tie all of that in. And. And the prototypes there. And thinking about the history of the Daglan, the Asteri making the prototypes, having the whole like plan for the angels and just. God, it's so layered. It's so fun.

[Christina]

It is so layered and so fun. And I think it absolutely. There has to be a tie there. Like they just are described too similarly. And we know that the Dagon and the Asteri are the same thing. They're just using different names to describe them. So I think it's the same with the Illyrians and the Seraphim and the Malakim. I think they are all.

[Kim]

We're all prototypes. All prototypes for the Malachem. Yes, exactly.

[Christina]

Yes, exactly. Okay, so the last one we're going to talk about. So this is interesting. We kind of want to know Yalls thoughts about this too. So I'm going to read the quote and then we're going to talk about it. Okay, so it says, but Draken knew of a sacred hidden island where an object of great and terrible power had been concealed. An object made by the Cauldron itself. Legend claimed he brought her there to Critea, used the item to resurrect her. Okay, not the Cauldron. Use the item made by the Cauldron to resurrect Miriam, making her immortal, as you were made famous.

[Kim]

Very interesting.

[Christina]

Okay, so in Hofast, we learned that the Cauldron, Erd, Wyrd, the Mother, are all the same thing. Okay, this is the quote. It was not a goddess, but a force that governed worlds. A cauldron of life brimming with the language of creation. Erd, they call her here. A bastardized version of her true name. Word we called her in that old world. So what is this item made by the Cauldron?

[Kim]

And really, that quote shows us that, like, everything is connected here. There's no telling. Options are endless.

[Christina]

Totally.

[Kim]

We put this in this episode because we intro Miriam and Draken and talk about them in the prolog. But the fact that he took her to Krita to use this item to resurrect her. And he says item really, of course, harkens to the Dread Trove. But we know where all the Dread Trove are. This wouldn't make sense for any of them.

[Christina]

Right.

[Kim]

And the only Dread Trove item that kind of could be is the mask. But the mask kind of unalives the dead. It's not the same resurrection kind of thing as being made like Jurian or like Feyre. Feyre. Or, you know, it's different. Different.

[Anna]

Right.

[Kim]

But again, we also don't have consistent resurrection magic.

[Christina]

Right.

[Kim]

Because Jurian was a human trapped in the eyeball. His soul was trapped in the eyeball. And then the eyeball ring and the necklace finger got thrown into the Cauldron.

[Christina]

Right.

[Kim]

And he came out.

[Christina]

Right.

[Kim]

We still don't really know what Jurian is. Is he human? But he's been alive for 500 years. But also he's human. And then Miriam is also tricky because she was half human, half Fae before.

[Christina]

Right?

[Kim]

And now she's immortal. And then Feyre is. It's just.

[Christina]

Just.

[Kim]

It's very interesting that there's an item that can resurrect that we really don't know of. No, it has not been talked about. Again, no.

[Christina]

Is it a Dread Trove item?

[Kim]

Yeah.

[Christina]

Is it a Dread Trove item that nobody knows about? Like, not even Amren? Yes, I think it has to be. Because it's not any of the four that we already know. We know where, like Christina said, we know where all four of those are. But it specifically says an object made by the cauldron and used the item, not the cauldron. He didn't use the cauldron to resurrect him the item.

[Kim]

And that makes me like. Okay, well, so really, to make a Dread Trove item, it just has to be like, made with the cauldron. So, like, how many items do we have exactly?

[Christina]

Is no one keeping track? Is there not a law?

[Kim]

Are we just silly to think there were only four? Like, oh my God, maybe so. Yeah.

[Christina]

But then they say it and no one's like, well, wait, but like, what was that object? And like, where is that now? Where does that reside?

[Kim]

Nobody follows up.

[Christina]

Nope. No. No questions were asked. And like you said, it's so interesting, all the inconsistencies about resurrection. Everyone is slightly different. Yes, even Nesta is different than Elaine. They were given separate powers, but they were both put into the cauldron. I mean, I know Nesta, like, fought and clawed and took something. Yes, but then why did Elaine get the Seer? Get what goes on in there?

[Kim]

Exactly. What happens in that cauldron? Exactly. And then the witch that got put in next got turned into an old crone. Yes.

[Christina]

So because the Cauldron was pissed. So is the cauldron like, it's sentient? It's like, oh, I'm not that Nesta took something from me, so I'm gonna make you old.

[Kim]

Yeah.

[Christina]

I don't know. It's very interesting.

[Kim]

And Drakin saying this. He used this item to resurrect her.

[Christina]

Make her immortal.

[Kim]

Make her immortal.

[Christina]

So then is she not half human anymore? She's just Fae now.

[Kim]

I bet she's just Fae now. Yeah.

[Christina]

Okay. Yeah, you're right.

[Kim]

But then it says, as you were made, Feyre. So okay, that makes sense because she was human, right? Just like Feyre was human. And now they're both Fae.

[Christina]

Got it?

[Kim]

Only Fae. Right, but so then what is this item that could do this?

[Christina]

I don't know.

[Kim]

And really, it doesn't make sense. He wouldn't be bebopping around. Around. We'll get to this in later episodes. But this is when we hear the story of the little Nemo Wing Seraphim and how, like, we save them in the Moses story. That's really butchering it, but you know what I'm saying.

[Christina]

Yes.

[Kim]

And now she saves Miriam because she's dying. She goes back from Miriam, Right. And, like, she's, like, dead dead.

[Christina]

Yeah. Oh, totally. 100 dead.

[Kim]

She's Draken's mate. And Draken flies with her back to Critea for this. Like, I think he would have gone straight there. He wouldn't have, like. No. Veered off to find something, then go to Krata.

[Christina]

I forgot she was dead, though. Which makes me think it is the mask. Because the mask raises the dead.

[Kim]

Does raise the dead. Yeah. Okay. But then how did the mask get to the lake?

[Christina]

Great question. The bog. It's the sisterhood of the Traveling mask, is what I think. I think it gets shipped via UPS to the Bog after he uses it.

[Kim]

So we're saying that maybe after he used it, he was like, all right.

[Christina]

I'm going to go drop this somewhere.

[Kim]

You stay here.

[Christina]

Yeah.

[Kim]

He'll. I'm going to go just fly around and just drop it into this bog.

[Christina]

And hope that no one finds it ever again.

[Kim]

Forever and ever.

[Christina]

Amen. That's the only thing that makes sense because I forgot that she was actually fully dead.

[Kim]

Yeah.

[Christina]

And he used it to resurrect her, which is very similar to how they talk about the mask later in this series.

[Kim]

Yeah. Well, but they are like zombies, though.

[Christina]

Yeah, you're right. They are like zombies, but they're like skeletons. So maybe if you resurrect them early.

[Kim]

Enough, maybe if it's real quick, real.

[Christina]

Super quick, like we're only dead for a couple minutes.

[Kim]

Yeah.

[Christina]

Then they're fine.

[Kim]

And it's like your mate involved somehow with the tether.

[Christina]

Yep. The bond you can pull on that tug. I don't know. What do you guys think about this quote?

[Kim]

Let us know what you think the object is.

[Christina]

How are you interpreting this? What do you think the object is? Is it a dread Trove item? Is it a dread trove item that we've talked about or not talked about or something else?

[Kim]

Yes.

[Christina]

Let us know.

[Kim]

Yes.

[Christina]

Okay.

[Kim]

Oh, my goodness. So fun. Yes.

[Christina]

Okay, so we're gonna wrap it up this week. We will see you next week with even more Acowar goodness. So stay tuned and we'll see you later.

[Kim]

Bye.

[Christina]

Well, friends that wraps up another episode of Flights of Fantasy Podcast. Don't forget to join our book club community on Instagram and Tik Tok at Flights of Fantasy Podcast where you can share your thoughts, theories and favorite moments with us and fellow listeners. We'd love to hear from you. If you enjoyed today's episode, please rate and review us on your favorite podcast platform. Your support helps us spread the magic of Romantasy to even more book lovers. Until next time, keep dreaming, keep reading, and remember, every good story deserves to take flight. Sat.