LPN Deep Dives: HOSAB / Episode 10: Fae NAYS

Summary

Episode Summary: LPN Deep Dives: HOSAB / Episode 10: Fae NAYS

Podcast Information:

• Title: LPN Deep Dives: Crescent City
• Host/Author: The Last Podcast Network
• Release Date: August 12, 2025
• Series Description: Hosted by Natalie Jean (Some Place Under Neith) and Jackie Zebrowski (Page 7), this episode delves deep into Sarah J. Maas's adult science fiction novel series, Crescent City. The hosts provide comprehensive breakdowns, discussing key plot developments, character arcs, and intricate lore.

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1. Episode Introduction and Atmosphere

• Timestamp [02:17]: Natalie Jean and Jackie Zebrowski kick off the episode by immersing themselves in character, adopting personas from the Crescent City universe. Their playful banter and in-character dialogue set a lively and engaging tone for the deep dive.

Notable Quote:

• Jackie Zabrowski: “If you're nasty and you can too.” [01:07]

2. Recap of Plot Progression

The hosts provide a detailed walkthrough of recent events in Crescent City, focusing on the complex relationships and emerging conflicts among key characters.

a. Bryce Quinlan’s Dilemma

• Timestamp [11:20 – 15:44]: Discussion centers on Bryce Quinlan's internal conflict and her relationship with Ruhn, her brother. The tension arises from Bryce’s inability to step back from the River Queen's mission, despite warnings from Ruhn about the dangers posed by the River Queen and the Asteri.

Notable Quotes:

• Jackie Zabrowski: “He knows what the Asteri are capable of and why they can't risk killing Bryce.” [15:02]
• Natalie Jean: “If you're going to throw out an Aylin, throw out a Feyre. I feel that Bryce annoys me the most.” [15:26]

b. Aidas and the Fae Archives

• Timestamp [11:20 – 14:10]: The hosts delve into the enigmatic character Aidas, analyzing his motivations and the historical context he provides about the ongoing war. Aidas reveals critical information about the lineage and past conflicts, linking current events to ancient wars.

Notable Quotes:

• Aidas: “We have been trying to take down the Asteri for 15,000 years.” [30:07]
• Natalie Jean: “Hell, only has one L, Natalie.” [33:13]

c. Introduction of Cormac Donnell

• Timestamp [21:06 – 35:17]: Cormac Donnell's arrival adds a new layer of complexity. Initially perceived as a potential antagonist, his backstory unfolds, revealing his troubled past and connection to Sophie Renost. The hosts discuss his dual role as both a possible ally and a threat, especially concerning his ties to Ophion and his motivations for seeking Bryce’s assistance.

Notable Quotes:

• Cormac: “This world could be so much more. This world could be free.” [77:03]
• Natalie Jean: “Love this.” [69:08]

3. Character Analysis and Host Insights

Natalie and Jackie offer in-depth analyses of character motivations, relationships, and development, providing listeners with nuanced perspectives on the narrative.

a. Bryce Quinlan’s Leadership Struggles

• Timestamp [15:44 – 18:10]: The hosts explore Bryce's reluctance to fully embrace her leadership role, highlighting her internal struggles and the pressure to support her community amidst escalating threats.

Insights:

• Bryce's determination to survive at all costs is debated, weighing the morality of her decisions against the greater good.

b. The Complex Nature of Aidas

• Timestamp [28:03 – 32:13]: Aidas is portrayed as a multifaceted character with deep-rooted motivations. His connection to historical events and personal vendettas paints him as both a wise mentor and a potential threat.

Insights:

• The hosts discuss Aidas' reluctance to divulge full information, emphasizing his strategic mindset and the burden of ancient knowledge.

c. Cormac’s Redemption Arc

• Timestamp [53:31 – 77:21]: Cormac's character is dissected, focusing on his attempts at redemption and the skepticism surrounding his true intentions. The dynamic between him and Bryce is analyzed, particularly the tension between trust and distrust.

Insights:

• Natalie and Jackie debate whether Cormac can genuinely change and become a reliable ally or if his past actions are too tainted by betrayal.

4. Thematic Discussions

The episode delves into overarching themes such as trust, leadership, rebellion, and the nature of power within the Crescent City universe.

a. Trust and Betrayal

• Timestamp [55:37 – 64:31]: The intricacies of trust are examined, especially concerning Cormac's interactions with Bryce and Rahn. The hosts question the reliability of alliances and the impact of past betrayals on current dynamics.

Notable Quotes:

• Jackie Zabrowski: “We need your perspective as well, because the books are so good. You know that I do often. But I just need everyone to know out there that also is annoyed by her.” [16:53]
• Natalie Jean: “They're not getting into that, because I feel like it would make it too silly.” [24:50]

b. Leadership Under Pressure

• Timestamp [38:00 – 43:56]: The pressures of leadership are discussed through Bryce’s character, highlighting her tough decisions and the moral ambiguities she faces in guiding her people against formidable foes like the Asteri.

Insights:

• The hosts debate Bryce’s strategy of survival versus proactive rebellion, weighing the ethical implications of her choices.

5. Lore and World-Building Exploration

Natalie and Jackie delve into the rich lore of Crescent City, unpacking the historical context and the significance of magical elements that shape the current storyline.

a. The Asteri and Ancient Wars

• Timestamp [28:03 – 35:49]: The history of the Asteri and their longstanding conflict with other factions is explored. The hosts explain the origins of the war, the role of ancient artifacts like the Star Sword, and the impact of historical events on present-day tensions.

Notable Quotes:

• Aidas: “What was this before the Asteri?” [32:40]
• Jackie Zabrowski: “The Asteri band the books of history, erased Thea from the past.” [32:18]

b. Magical Artifacts and Powers

• Timestamp [46:06 – 65:45]: The significance of magical artifacts such as the Star Sword and the nature of Starborn powers are dissected. The discussion includes how these elements influence character abilities and the overarching plot.

Insights:

• The hosts speculate on the origins of Hell and its connection to other planets, debating the implications of interplanetary conflicts and alliances.

6. Host Dynamics and In-Character Banter

Throughout the episode, Natalie and Jackie maintain an engaging and humorous rapport, often breaking character to share personal insights and playful commentary.

Notable Moments:

• In-Character Interactions: The hosts frequently switch between their own personas and those of characters from the novel, blending analysis with role-play to enhance listener engagement.
• Humorous Banter: Light-hearted jokes about character appearances, such as Bryce’s “glistening muscles” and Cormac’s “fake muscles,” add a playful layer to the discussion.

Notable Quotes:

• Jackie Zabrowski: “They don’t even like you to see, look on the Insta post because it's like you've got all the tats on.” [02:17]
• Natalie Jean: “Really, you're really a blush.” [Multiple timestamps]

7. Conclusion and Future Predictions

As the episode draws to a close, the hosts summarize the key takeaways from the chapter, express their thoughts on upcoming developments, and encourage listeners to continue their reading journey.

• Timestamp [75:43 – 78:25]: Natalie and Jackie recap the revelations of the episode, particularly focusing on the evolving alliances and the looming threats posed by the Asteri and internal factions like Ophion. They speculate on future plot twists, including potential betrayals and the deepening of Bryce’s leadership role.

Notable Quotes:

• Jackie Zabrowski: “We are dealing with a lot of things right now.” [45:03]
• Natalie Jean: “Let me on there.” [22:56]

8. Key Takeaways

• Character Complexity: Bryce Quinlan’s leadership is fraught with internal and external challenges, balancing survival with moral responsibility.
• Emerging Threats: The Asteri and Ophion present multifaceted threats, with historical grudges influencing present actions.
• Trust Issues: Trust remains a central theme, with alliances constantly shifting and characters struggling to discern friend from foe.
• Rich Lore: The deep historical context enriches the narrative, providing a solid foundation for ongoing conflicts and character motivations.

9. Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• Jackie Zabrowski: “We have to talk about so many backstory things. We can't interject any more pop culture.” [10:31]
• Natalie Jean: “If someone’s like, a torturer, it would be really great, like, if they had to wear glasses and they were torturing someone, that they had the windshield wipers to get all the blood off there.” [35:26]
• Jackie Zabrowski: “You couldn't fight a war with your nipples out because it's pretty close to the heart.” [37:48]

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Final Thoughts: Episode 10 of LPN Deep Dives: Crescent City offers an in-depth exploration of complex characters and intricate plotlines within Sarah J. Maas's universe. Natalie Jean and Jackie Zabrowski adeptly balance analysis with engaging in-character interactions, providing listeners with both comprehension and entertainment. The episode sets the stage for future discussions, promising continued revelations and deep dives into the rich tapestry of Crescent City.

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Transcript

[Natalie Jean]

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[Jackie Zabrowski]

If you're nasty and you can too.

[Natalie Jean]

Join us in spring of 2026 at the Dreamers and Readers Festival. A three day event chock full of choose your own adventures.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Multiple fables, fashion shows, photo shoots, hoteez Everybody. At least 15 different events at the otherworldly Gaylord Texan resort that you can customize to make the perfect trip fit your Fantasy Dreams.

[Natalie Jean]

Visit fantastiquecollection.com and use our code Faybayes at checkout to receive $10 off of any of these events.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Dreamers and Readers Night one and two.

[Natalie Jean]

Mythical Creatures, Masquerade, Fantastique, Starfall Ball and the Farewell Fae Bash.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Not only that, but if you use our code faybays at checkout for those events, you will receive an exclusion exclusive swag bag from the weekend.

[Natalie Jean]

I'll do anything for a swag bag, Natalie.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Give it to me.

[Natalie Jean]

Yes, that's right. Use our code Faybays F A E B A e [e-mail] to get your $10 off of any of these events.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Dreamers and readers Baby, I cannot wait for this.

[Natalie Jean]

Gimme gimme.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Give me that.

[Natalie Jean]

SW Foreign welcome to Crescent City with your hosts Natalie Jean and Jackie Zabrowski. You're given right now. Well, I will say Natalie walked in and I did think you were Rune at first, but it was because I was saying that you're very attractive right now. You're really giving it. Also, you're not even seeing everybody right now. You're not seeing go look on the Insta post because it's like you've got all the tats on. But also you have these like military pants and boots on.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Yeah.

[Natalie Jean]

And it looks really good.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

I think so. I'm feeling. I'm feeling myself right now.

[Natalie Jean]

Do you want to feel my glistening muscles?

[Jackie Zabrowski]

No, because I will. It will would just be me groping your breast.

[Natalie Jean]

Grope me. I need a groping. I stop. I'm not cormic. Jackie, stop with your perfect spot on accent. I'm Aiden.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Save it. Save it for another episode.

[Natalie Jean]

Yes. Oh, don't worry, I will be threatening you with another accent in the future.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Oh, I'm. I count upon it.

[Natalie Jean]

Thank you. Oh, so you drew this specific tattoo onto your neck.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

It's my squiggles.

[Natalie Jean]

I like this a lot.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Yeah, it's so I'm in a character that's not even in this episode, but.

[Natalie Jean]

Yeah, you're not even in this episode. I was going to say that, but then I didn't. Well, guess I'm a bitch.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

You are. But you are kind of. I do kind of consider Aidas a bitch. A little bit like he's kind of.

[Natalie Jean]

A. Oh, adis is definitely a bitch. I'm going to throw it out there. If you are a shifter and like usually you are choosing to be a long haired white cat.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Oh my God.

[Natalie Jean]

That's your decision. I feel like then you're a. Yeah.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

You'Re choosing that one.

[Natalie Jean]

Not because I'm against long haired white cats. It's just because I'm a goth baby and forever. I mean I used to live with long haired white cats. They were wonderful cats. But I tell ya, the hair was all over everything and as a goth baby, it made my life very difficult.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Well also, even cat lovers know cats are cold. They're mean. That, yes, they're adorable, but they are not a dog, which is very needy. Cats are very independent.

[Natalie Jean]

It's not a dog. Thank you. Cats the musical.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Oh God. I think that's also some.

[Natalie Jean]

I think there's a seven minute long song at the end of Cats when you're just like, will it end? We understand Judi Dench. We get it. A cat is not a dog.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Also, I think that's being used as like anti trans propaganda for kids, which is not what we're doing.

[Natalie Jean]

Then what do they say about the fucking heavy side layer? You're not even to bring in the heavy side layer. But they're going to use it as anti trans. Oh good. Oh great.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

I don't know if they really are what I would consider deep thinkers most of the time.

[Natalie Jean]

Yeah, well, my pecs are so busy glistening over here. I don't know how you're even able to pay attention, because all I hear is.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

I'm just distracted by my hair. I think I'm attracted to myself because I've had a lifelong crush on Conan o', Brien, and this is sort of his.

[Natalie Jean]

It is a little Conan o'. Brien. Oh, my God. Him doing the whole, like, he won the award. And I just love Conan o' Brien so much. I can watch him do absolutely, absolutely anything. And he's only getting hotter.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

I know. I.

[Natalie Jean]

And he loves his wife.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

I have had a crush on him since I was literally in elementary school.

[Natalie Jean]

Mamma mia.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

I still. Is this too much information? I still sometimes have sex dreams about Conan o'.

[Natalie Jean]

Brien. I don't think that's too much information at all. I completely understand. He is someone that, like, has only actually gotten hotter, and it's crazy because it is. He's not physically changed at all.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

No, he looks good. I. I feel like I understand suddenly teenage boys wanting to do this all the time, because it feels like, hey, I'm running my hands through my hair.

[Natalie Jean]

And I'm like, is up.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

I don't know, man.

[Natalie Jean]

You're giving writer strong. You're giving Ginger writer strong right now.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Did I ever have a crush on him?

[Natalie Jean]

Oh, baby. Yeah. Give me that leather jacket. Oh, no. We ain't got no parents, right? No. The dad left.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

I think he's got a deadbeat, deadbeat dad. Parents, Deadbeat dad, but no mom.

[Natalie Jean]

Yeah, the dad left. Sometimes you just got to. You gotta move in with the Matthews family.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Sometimes as a dad, you have to just. Kids are a bummer.

[Natalie Jean]

And that's why, Natalie, I need you to know now. Now that I don't have a father anymore, I will be moving in with you. And this. I'm glad that I'm saying it publicly. I need to be right or strong.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

For you, because who's gonna take care of you by yourself? Not your husband.

[Natalie Jean]

Nope. I'm a baby in total control of herself, baby.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

What is that?

[Natalie Jean]

Bitch. Oh, look at that. I'm really. I didn't just come up with this. I've been really. I've been working on this in my grief fluency, so don't worry, you'll be hearing it a lot.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

We did. We did talk about that at your father's funeral.

[Natalie Jean]

We did. I'm a baby in total control. I need somebody to come in and take care of me. Although I don't want the sister to keep changing like they did in Boy Meets World. They never brought it up. The sister changed her two or three times. Really? Yeah.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

The same with Roseanne. Different sister.

[Natalie Jean]

And they don't bring it up. Or do they? They do.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

And Roseanne, they do actually do a joke thing about it during one of the outro parts, which was very funny.

[Natalie Jean]

I mean, you gotta throw a joke in there. Come on. And you gotta throw a little bit of a cat God prince or like the.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

The mom and Fresh Prince, they. They basically went, like, utter different direction. It was like different entire looking person that I completely.

[Natalie Jean]

It's like, all right, well, you know, you can't just. It's when they try to shoehorn them in, they're like.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

They're kind of the same, like, make it look. Try to. To trick people into not noticing. Would you prefer a very different looking.

[Natalie Jean]

I'd at least love a. Like, did you grow up or something? Like, I feel like at least something.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Yeah. All right, well, now that we have that settled, are you ready for a lot of backstory today?

[Natalie Jean]

Yes, I am. As long as you stay hard. Microphone. I need you to stay hard for me. What do you want?

[Jackie Zabrowski]

What?

[Natalie Jean]

Do you want me to dance for you? Do you want me to dance for you? I'm sorry. I just flopped.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

I think maybe that's what the microphone is suggesting.

[Natalie Jean]

I'll take off my glistening nipple shirt.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Oh, you take off. You have to leave that on? You.

[Natalie Jean]

Oh, I just leave that on. Oh, I'll take off the blazer. All right. Oh, is this what you need? You know, they don't usually.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

What a stun.

[Natalie Jean]

Surprisingly. Maybe I should try to, like, give a lap dance to Jeff later. You imagine me dressed like this? Hey. Ha. Like, I think that you have to give very polish. Thank you. My ancestry. Always bring your ancestry into your lap dances. Natalie, what would you bring?

[Jackie Zabrowski]

I'm mostly. I'm mostly Scottish. Irish.

[Natalie Jean]

Oh, so you like me, bro? Is that why? Oh, my God. But it's also a little Pee Wee Herman. Heidi. Heidi Ho.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

But.

[Natalie Jean]

But sexy. Okay. I'm glad we're working on this here. I didn't expect to work on this today, but I think that this is something we can workshop.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

I do. Was. Didn't we learn Pee Wee's parents are Polish?

[Natalie Jean]

Oh, really? They're not the Cobblepots.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

They're something.

[Natalie Jean]

That's him when he was in Batman.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Oh, that's true.

[Natalie Jean]

We're not talking about. Okay, cameraman. We are here. So many talks about. We have to talk about 80s.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

We have to talk about so many backstory things. We can't interject any more pop culture.

[Natalie Jean]

I won't. I'm never. You're not even gonna hear a peep from me.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Don't speak for the rest of the episode.

[Natalie Jean]

You blew it.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

We are coming at you an HD to tell you.

[Natalie Jean]

I know you didn't say 3D but I wish we had 40 point out. Whoa.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

If you want to get into 40 what is some.

[Natalie Jean]

We do have that candle that's on right now. We have a boy smells okay yeah.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

So lighted a scented candle.

[Natalie Jean]

Scented candle. We've got a candle. Make sure you've got some coffee somewhere.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Like at least brew psalm to get the idea of it.

[Natalie Jean]

I need you to open up a sparkling water so you can hear the ooh ASMR in the background.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Okay, then we're 40. We have. Before we get to this historical exposition stuff we're going to get. Okay, we got to return to runes pov. Who has been summoned by Bryce to the Fay archives. We were last with Ethan and Tharion getting chummy at Bryce's apartment and we're in a parallel time with the siblings. Okay, we're in this ruined pov, but we had just come from Ethan and Tharion like learning about each other together in there in Bryce's apartment with their fingers. You can imagine. Use your imagination.

[Natalie Jean]

Yeah, let me get to learn you.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

You can do the fanfic of it. Bryce has asked Roon to meet her at the Fae Archives because she needs to tell him some sensitive intel in person and doesn't want any, you know, technology involved. So she's having him meet her at the Faye Archives and they're going to walk back to her apartment where, love this, Barry and Ethan are already. She reveals to Rune that Danika was a bloodhound. Which we learned. And Rude notes the tension in Bryce's voice after one more secret has been revealed about her bestie. He knows what a bloodhound is, unlike Bryce, and as they walk, he considers that that's probably how she figured out that Ruhn and Bryce were siblings. She hadn't said anything at the time, but Ruhn could tell that Danika knew the first time the two of them happened to be at a party at the same time as him. So they were like at some fey party and he noticed Danika, like, staring at him and making a connection that they were siblings. She never said anything about Bryce calling him her cousin, though.

[Natalie Jean]

I mean, I get it. Henry and I got that stank on us. You better not get too close, because that's a brassica Stank on. Push you back.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

All right.

[Natalie Jean]

And now you smell like us, too. Oh, good, Natalie, you've got the stank.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

I've got the stank on me.

[Natalie Jean]

Welcome to the stank society. We don't like to wash. Yeah.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

The scent is just unbathed skin.

[Natalie Jean]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Rune doesn't have any new insights as to why Sophie and Danika were in contact. And the two of them muse over the possibility that Sophie asked Danika to help her find her brother. But they don't know. So they're just sort of, like, pondering these things we've already kind of addressed in the book. Ruhn sympathizes with Bryce's need to know what Sophie knew about Danika and her drive to find the lost boy. But he warns her again to stay out of the River Queen's quest. Everybody's telling her, stop messing with the boy.

[Natalie Jean]

I bet she's going to listen to that.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

She will. I'm sure. He rightly points out that not only the River Queen, but Ophion and possibly the Asteri could have eyes out for the boy. Bryce points out that the Asteri could have killed her this past spring if they wanted to. So what's the big deal? Like, they could have already done it. And as they enter the lobby of her apartment building, Ruhn points out what the truth of it probably is as to why they didn't. Because we've kind of been pondering this thing, like, why didn't they just kill her after everything that happened? She killed an archangel, right? But since the horn is in her back, killing her might be too risky. They seem to think the horn is extremely important. Okay. And they can't risk killing her. They might not know why it's so important to the Asteri, but Bryce has become both an asset and a liability to them. He points out that any move she makes will be scrutinized. Bryce knows this. She look looking tired. She acknowledges that Ruhn is right, even if she doesn't agree to take a step back. She knows that this is a really bad idea.

[Natalie Jean]

It's just that, like, I find Bryce annoying in a way that I don't find the other ones. There are times like this where everyone's like, I mean, don't do that. And I understand there are things that she's gotta do. I get that. I know we gotta move the plot along, but it's just like, you're making everybody's lives difficult. I know that. You're on a mission. I'm not saying that it's not important. But sometimes I feel like Bryce and I don't. I know that we should be supporting women and not comparing them to each other, but I feel like if we are gonna throw out an Aylin, throw out a Feyre. I feel that Bryce annoys me the most.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

I think that is a popular feeling.

[Natalie Jean]

But she's so hot. Like that's a thing. She's so hot and she's so juicy. But, you know, sometimes you got to deal with that in your brain. Sometimes. Even though the microphone wants to get floppy, you're hard in your mind.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

The heart is erect. Erect or. No, the genitals are erect. The heart is soft for Bryce, I guess.

[Natalie Jean]

Yeah. Or the brain is.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

The brain is soft. I. Yeah.

[Natalie Jean]

I mean, my brain is mushier than other brains. I feel I have a steeped brain of sorts.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Yeah, I totally get that. And I think a lot of people agree with you. I can also see the side of it that I unfortunately can. I feel connected to her in certain ways where she kind of is self destructive.

[Natalie Jean]

Oh, yeah.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

And kind of like almost like nihilistic or reckless in certain ways that I think I have traits of that are not positive, but maybe fun. I can maybe connect to that a little bit.

[Natalie Jean]

Hell yeah.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

I don't hate her. But I understand. Understand why people get annoyed with her.

[Natalie Jean]

But it's good. I need that. We need your perspective as well, because the books are so good. You know that I do often. But I just need everyone to know out there that also is annoyed by her. It's. You can still love the books.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Oh, yeah. I think a lot of sentiments of people who don't like Bryce is that they actually like a lot of the side characters a lot more and they'd rather have the story about them. But they didn't write the story. You get the story that got wrote. Savvy. The two of them walk through her front door and they have a sight of Ethan and Therian just chillaxing. Remember that word?

[Natalie Jean]

Yeah.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Eating pizza on the couch. Rune's thoughts are about getting a slice until he sees Bryce go completely still. His fade of fencing stakes kick up even as he watches the two males on the couch, seemingly utterly relaxed and unbothered. But something is wrong and he can sense Bryce becoming overwhelmed with. With fear. Ethan, not noticing Bryce's change, tells her that her cat's a sweetheart, referencing the white cat with piercing blue eyes now seated on his lap. Ethan, still looking at the tv, doesn't notice the cat's eyes turn to Fix on Bryce. As though aware. But Ruhn does.

[Natalie Jean]

Ruhn's shadows gathered at his shoulders. Snakes ready to strike. He subtly drew his gun behind her. A familiar ripple of ether laced power kissed over her skin. A small reassurance as Bryce croaked.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

That's not a cat.

[Natalie Jean]

That's not a tumor either.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Hopefully not. That would be scary. Sentient tumor.

[Natalie Jean]

Sentient tumor, but also has like cute little cat eyes. Honestly. Then it's kind of nice if I could, like, if I had a tumor and I could pull it out and it could become a cat that I could take care of. That's actually kind of. And ice.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

That line made me think of the. Remember the only thing that everybody could laugh at during COVID Only one thing that brought everybody together. That Zoom.

[Natalie Jean]

Tiger King.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

No, the cat. I'm not. Oh, yes, I'm here. And I'm not a cat.

[Natalie Jean]

No, I'm not a cat.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

I never noticed. I. I put the screenshot of the cat zoom. This is. I'm sure most of you remember the zoom.

[Natalie Jean]

And also tubing. I mean, I mean, tubin also brought the country together.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

But there was like the wholesome thing of this guy, this attorney, whose kid or grandk had put the cat filter on the Zoom, and he didn't know how to get it on, take it off. And so he was just flustered trying to get the cat filter off. And he's going, I'm here. I don't know how to get this off, but I'm here. I'm not. I'm not a cat.

[Natalie Jean]

I'm not a cat.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

I never noticed until I went and watched the video again that his. The guy's name is Ron Ponton, which.

[Natalie Jean]

Is such a fun cat name, honestly. Great cat name. Rod Ponton.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Rod Ponton.

[Natalie Jean]

Rod Pony. You get over here and you'll drink your little.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

I'm not a cat. I'm here.

[Natalie Jean]

I don't know what cats do. And you'd think that I would have done a little bit of character research, you know? Yes.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Oh, my ear.

[Natalie Jean]

Oh, you're here.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

My ear fell off. Just a second. She's fine.

[Natalie Jean]

It's a fake ear. Sorry. Not to break everybody's illusion here, but. And also, these aren't really my nipples.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Oh, my God. What if my YouTube.

[Natalie Jean]

Not my nipples. YouTube either, Joe. I'm YouTube.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Probably gonna get demonetized.

[Natalie Jean]

Oh, now I'm getting demonetized. Well, that's funny because you gotta get monetized to get demonetized.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

What if that was my human ear and it fell off and a fay ear grew out of it.

[Natalie Jean]

I'd probably scream, but also try to cut my ear off to see if I could do the same thing.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Oh, no.

[Natalie Jean]

I'd start asking any questions I'd immediately like, have to try.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

We can't. We don't know until we try.

[Natalie Jean]

So that's what today's experiment is going to be. Thank you everyone for joining us. Thank you.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Cut off parts of our body. We cut to HUD's POV, who is arriving just as Bryce utters those words and his whole body goes into fight.

[Natalie Jean]

A cat.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

That is not a cat.

[Natalie Jean]

I'm a human. I am Rod Pond and human man.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

I request the dignity of human beings.

[Natalie Jean]

Show us your nipples, Rod.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Ready to rack to school and save big.

[Natalie Jean]

Get to your Nordstrom rack store today.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

For thousands of deals from just $20.

[Natalie Jean]

Cause I want to look fresh. How did I not know Rack has Adidas? I got a new backpack.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Score. Everyone's favorite. Denim sneakers, boots and activewear from Nike, Levi's, Steve Madden, madewell and Free people. Great brands. Great is everyone's got a reason to rack. Shop Nordstrom Rack and make it the.

[Natalie Jean]

Best school year ever. McCormack knows unbeatable flavor starts with the right spices. It's why we created flavorseal.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

So anytime you peel back the seal.

[Natalie Jean]

Of McCormick herbs and spices, you can be confident they will pack the same amount of flavor as the day they were packed. The kind of flavor that brings out the best of your favorite recipes and keeps everyone coming back for seconds or maybe even thirds. McCormick flavor sealed for unbeatable flavor.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

So Hunt appears right behind them as Bryce is saying that that's not a cat. And in my mind, Adis shifts while he's still on Ethan's lap into the human form.

[Natalie Jean]

Want me to get on your lap? I know you're not either. Do you want me to get on your lap?

[Jackie Zabrowski]

If I was, I'd ask you want.

[Natalie Jean]

Me to see if I can nestle on your lap?

[Jackie Zabrowski]

It's not canon.

[Natalie Jean]

I will say Natalie has great Nestle legs. And I say this not as someone that has nestled there myself, but I've watched many a pup or a kitty nestle because Natalie has very long. I'm gonna say femurs.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Yeah, I guess I would be.

[Natalie Jean]

The femur got long femurs on there. And man, you really provide an ample lap.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Thanks.

[Natalie Jean]

Let me on there.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

I. You know, I was tormented for not having pants that fit me all throughout childhood, but now make a good lap for dogs.

[Natalie Jean]

Good, good lap. You got a Good lap. And I just told you we should be celebrating. If you have got a good lap, celebrate it.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Well, now the kids wear short pants. You could see how crazy that makes me feel walking around. Oh, everybody now wants flood pants. You know the torment that I went through as a child. Whoa.

[Natalie Jean]

You know how your ankles.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

You know how. Oh, my God. Where's the flood?

[Natalie Jean]

Where's the flood?

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Oh, high waters.

[Natalie Jean]

Oh, here's the flood. You just, like, put their face underneath the fucking faucet. Oh, you want a flood? You want to flood.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

I wish that I would have been confident enough to be a bully.

[Natalie Jean]

We should have been friends. I could have helped you.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Aw, you could have been my bully. Like, bullied other people for me.

[Natalie Jean]

Yeah, I would have been. Yeah. I mean, I was. For my other friends. I was there a little, like, let me add them. Oh, they're gonna make fun of you. Last fucking thing they're gonna do. I didn't hurt like that. Just with my words.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

That's sometimes worse.

[Natalie Jean]

I was really good at it.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

You're really good at it. I'm proud of you. So Edis is not shifting. He's staying in cat form, so we now know something is awry. So Adis has been pretending to be a cat sitting on Ethan's lap. He leaps onto the coffee table in cat form, being a saucy little. Because he is a baby, in total control of himself, mocking Hunt by calling him Orion and feigning hurt over not being friends. Because everybody, you know, of course there's a Prince of the Pit just, like, chilling in the house. Everybody's up on the fence. Hunt sees his true love and, you know, in. In danger, and he starts lightening up and everything, and. And it is like, oh, I'm so sorry. I thought we were friends.

[Natalie Jean]

Orion, come on. Honestly, though, I feel like in this really, the power move is him just slowly knocking cups off of the table that I feel like he's doing. Right. I feel like he. They're not getting into that, because I feel like it would make it too silly. But if I were Prince of the Pit as a cat, I'm gonna be fucking with shit in the house, batting stuff like. Like at Ethan's hat, you know, just, like, upsetting everybody.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Yeah, that's so cute. Knock. She does write him kind of pacing around the apartment. So I'm gonna envision him just, like, clawing at, like, the side of the couch and stuff. The fellas all crowd around Bryce, who ignores them all and walks towards the cat, who is prancing about the room. She greets him and he does the cat thing where he rubs on her ankles, like, kind of goes in between her tween. He asks Bryce why she hasn't started using her powers yet. So she's obviously, you know, she's nervous. She doesn't like, she's not relaxed that Aidas is here. But she, as we know, have, has a relationship with him.

[Natalie Jean]

Right? She has a past with him. So she probably feels that it is a more powerful stance to be like, yeah, what's up?

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Because all the other ones are going like, I'm gonna fight you.

[Natalie Jean]

I'm gonna fight you.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

And she's not gonna do that. She doesn't play like that.

[Natalie Jean]

So I'm just a boy and a cat.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

So Aidas asks her why she isn't using her powers. She tells him that, assuming he means the starlight. But Aidas in cat form, scoffs, accusing her of using the quote, party tricks version, but not the real power. It would be funny that that's his response.

[Natalie Jean]

And it's like, all right, I get what you're saying. Don't you fucking come at me with that. Okay. I feel like you're giving me. You're sure about that? But with mers sure about that.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

So Aidas is saying that she isn't actually using her powers. Bryce seems genuinely confused by that statement. So Aidas remarks that he remembers the last starborn queen, Theia, and that Bryce has her light.

[Natalie Jean]

Okay, we're getting into lore territory. Everybody buckle up.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Yes, but of course, Aidas is going to speak in riddles because that's befitting a cat.

[Natalie Jean]

It's just like, there's so much sjm like, it's like, oh, but won't this be. Yes, we're going to give you lots of information you will have to remember at some point in the future. But what if we did it in riddles and riddles? It's why we have to go back and reread these books.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Being a bit of a Cheshire cat here. Ruhn, stunned, marvels that Aidas knew Thea, because that's essentially what Aidas is inferring. And this seems to piss Aidas off, suggesting that, yes, he did know the first starborn princess or first starborn queen, but also knew the sniveling prince, quote unquote, that whose light rune possesses.

[Natalie Jean]

Damn.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Okay, so we're about to get some info dumps. This is where we get into the history or reminded of some of it. Also.

[Natalie Jean]

Info dumps. Like a truck. Truck, truck.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Apparently Bryce and Roon have, who we remember, both have Starborn light.

[Natalie Jean]

Okay. Starborn light, yes.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

But they have different Starborn lights.

[Natalie Jean]

Yes.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Bryce apparently has as Thayas and Ruhn had inherited her daughter's Helena, who was wed to Pelias. So apparently Ruhn's light comes more from the strain that is Pelias and Helena's where Bryce is Thea's light and she's different OG OG.

[Natalie Jean]

And his is almost. I feel like in that it's kind of almost like you've got the light, but it's a little watered down because it's like the next generation of light. You know what I mean?

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Yeah. And it's also defiled, as we're about to learn. So Aidas doesn't seem to think much of Prince Pelias and angrily explains that Pelias murdered Thea. So her his mother in law, he slew her and then took his daughter.

[Natalie Jean]

A lot of people.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

And then took her daughter Helaena as his wife forcibly.

[Natalie Jean]

That sucks. Yeah.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Pelias was a general in Thea's army and killed her and took the Star Sword, joining in marriage to Helena to presumably be able to use the sword. He has some other bad news in this story. The descendants of Helena and Pelias all the way up to Bryce and Roon now were first born of R word by Pelias onto Helena. So their entire line is born of R word. Bryce, disturbed, asks why he's here telling them this. Aidas, voice filled with anger, asks Bryce what she is doing to end this war that is on the horizon. So Aidas is sort of like telling this backstory of their lineage. And apparently he knew all of them. And we're like, what do you mean? I thought Hell was like this other bad realm. And what do you mean that you got. You guys all knew each other. So we're trying to figure out what that means. And then.

[Natalie Jean]

But also this is like a two of like a. You better rise up. This is not just like some other. I know, it's like. But like, what are you doing about it?

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Yeah. So basically Aidas is connecting the history of the to what is happening now in Lunatheon and basically asking what Bryce is going to do about it. This is the same war, he says, as 15,000 years ago, the same war that Hunt attempted two centuries ago. He's essentially saying we're all fighting the same fight. Ethan, stunned and confused at this turn of events, insists that Hell is the enemy of Midgard. What are you talking about? We're all doing the Same war. So Ethan is confused at this turn of events, insisting that Hel is the enemy of Midgard, that this Prince of the Pit, Aidas, is their enemy.

[Natalie Jean]

Come on.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Although Aidas insists that he asked his brother to kill Pelias for his treachery, essentially saying, we were fighting alongside each other.

[Natalie Jean]

Yeah, we're on the same team, bro. Yeah, like, in different ways. But what I'm trying to tell you, right? And Ethan's just like, bro, she's eating pizza.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

I mean, boy. But, you know, But Sunball, he. He can. He only has what he has to work with.

[Natalie Jean]

He's not the brightest character in the book, but it's okay, because I actually like that SJM doesn't make him all of a sudden like, oh, now I know everything. It's like, no, he's still a stupid guy.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Yeah, he's. He was just a regular guy, mentally.

[Natalie Jean]

He got hit in the head a couple times. You know what I mean? Is it Aidas laugh, ears twitching who wrote the history?

[Jackie Zabrowski]

The Asteri did, of course.

[Natalie Jean]

Oh, and we trust them, don't we, Natalie? Wait a second, wait a second.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Ada, still in cat form, reveals that the Asteri band the books of history, erased Thea from the past, and with it the truth of the humans in the phase past. But also, he says, bryce's boss has those books.

[Natalie Jean]

We gotta share the books.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Or what was left of them. So all of the history of the world before the Asteri appeared was almost deleted by the Asteri. But some of those books got saved.

[Natalie Jean]

Because the Asteri wants everybody to think that they came first, that it's all because of the Asteri, even though that's not true.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

But unbeknownst to Bryce, she had been caring for those very books this whole time. No one in the room knows what to do or say. So Aidas asks them what this world was before the Asteri. He asked them to ponder the question, what was this before the Asteri?

[Natalie Jean]

Riddles, riddles, riddles.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Varian chimes in, who has been just silently watching, stating that it was once a world of just the humans. And he's heard tale that their ancient civilizations are buried deep under the sea. Aida seems to know much more, but can't or won't reveal the full truth to the room. But he does ask them to almost again, ponder these questions. Where did the Asteri come from? Where did the veneer come from? Which makes me say, is this originally Earth?

[Natalie Jean]

Hell only has one L, Natalie.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

I think it's different, but, like, you could say it. Got the name Hel from ancient human history.

[Natalie Jean]

Whoa, whoa.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

The Asteri knew that that was a loaded word, and they put it on that planet to confuse.

[Natalie Jean]

Except I'm Aidas. I fucking know a bunch. And at this point in time, it's like, aidas, could you please lay it out a little bit more? Could you just say a little bit more? But then he wouldn't be the prince of the pit, Woody, the prince of the pits. No, he would just be some dude that can never put a shirt on underneath his blazer. Every picture of him, all the fan art, he has a blazer on with rippling muscles. What? Like, could he not find a shirt that fit in the pit? Like, is that what it is?

[Jackie Zabrowski]

He just likes to show off his. How much he goes to the gym.

[Natalie Jean]

If I looked like this, I would also probably never put a shirt on. You know? That is true.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

True.

[Natalie Jean]

And I do love how glistening he is. And maybe he's just scared of getting a sunburn on his nipples. He's scared because he's always underneath the ground. So if he comes up, he's got to make sure something's covering the nipples at least a little bit.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Hell is not underground. Whoa. It's a different planet.

[Natalie Jean]

Or is it?

[Jackie Zabrowski]

I think so.

[Natalie Jean]

Or is it.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Oh, you're just being a little bit.

[Natalie Jean]

Of a riddler right now. No, I'm just a bit of a riddler. How do I get the. These scars? Oh, is it different? These scars of question marks on my heart?

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Oh, you're. See, I only know the Jim Carrey riddler.

[Natalie Jean]

Yeah, I. I know that he did do that. And all I remember is that he wore a. Like, a morph suit with question marks on it.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Listen, I love Batman Forever because I was obsessed with Jim Carrey. Is it a good movie?

[Natalie Jean]

Probably not, no.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

But I'll always have roasted to glasses on. And you won't change that.

[Natalie Jean]

Good.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Sorry.

[Natalie Jean]

Hell, yes.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

So Bryce doesn't feel like answering these riddles today and asks him again why he's here and what any of this has to do with her power. Ada simply tells her that she needs to figure her power out because 15, 000 years of generations have been building up to this moment. No pressure, whatever that means. And she better not blow it. Adis. Better. Better not. You better not. Windshield wipers.

[Natalie Jean]

I just feel like if someone's like, a torturer, it would be really great, like, if they had to wear glasses and they were torturing someone, that they had the windshield Wipers to get all the blood off there. But then it's like, how do you not laugh at that?

[Jackie Zabrowski]

You know, it'd be hard to be having somebody be silly while you're getting tortured.

[Natalie Jean]

I know. We'll figure it out someday, guys.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

We will. Aidas insists that Hell is here to help, not conquer Midgard. Hunt fairly points out that Hell attacked the city this spring, which is like, yeah, they came out and they, like, killed a bunch of people.

[Natalie Jean]

Yeah, but maybe.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Aidis insists that Micah had opened the pens of less sentient creatures, essentially saying he opened the pens on a bunch of animals who were just going on instinct, and they weren't necessarily. It's like saying, like, oh, we open, like, a rhinoceros pen onto a street and, like, they're gonna kill you.

[Natalie Jean]

Oh, they're bad.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

No, wait. Hippos are the dangerous ones. Yeah. And he insists that it was not intentional. Aidas warns the room that many will die in this pending war, and they must act now. Hell's armies shall strike at your command. Bryce Quinlan.

[Natalie Jean]

The words dropped like a bomb.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

I mean, that's pretty badass.

[Natalie Jean]

It is really badass, but it's also like, bro, can you explain it a little bit further? At Bryce Quinlan's command. Okay. Because she's got the Queen Theia's starlight. Okay. How can we get a couple more bullet points, please?

[Jackie Zabrowski]

I think that there's too much that she has to discover on her own.

[Natalie Jean]

I hate self discovery.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

This is why you could never lead a world's army.

[Natalie Jean]

I know. And not even with these nipples. These nipples would have to be told nay. And, you know, these horsey boys never like a nay.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Well, you know, you don't generally want to fight a war with your nipples out because it's pretty close to the heart.

[Natalie Jean]

Yeah, but then don't they ever put. Don't they usually put nipples on the. The armor on the outside?

[Jackie Zabrowski]

I think that's mostly just in. In movies.

[Natalie Jean]

Is that for fuck? Like. Like. Like specifically that one Batman suit? There's the one Batman suit.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

I'm pretty sure that was Batman Forever. Or maybe that was Batman and Robin. It was the most panned one.

[Natalie Jean]

Everybody hated the. The nipples. But I feel like sometimes it's kind of fun to front with your nipples.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Nipples.

[Natalie Jean]

Like, you don't even know what I got under here. And it's nipples. But so everybody does know.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Yeah. I. I think it's supposed to add a level of sensuality to it.

[Natalie Jean]

Oh.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

That you always want when you're fighting a war.

[Natalie Jean]

Yeah, obviously. One must have at least a modicum amount of seduction.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

So it sounds badass to say that, like the armies will bow to your feet or whatever.

[Natalie Jean]

Yeah, it's pretty cool.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

But it also kind of stinks because now you're responsible for saving your whole planet.

[Natalie Jean]

Yeah.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Outrage rings out throughout the room. They don't believe Aidas calling him an enemy again. He only laughs. He tells them he could have already conquered Midgard and he can get through via his quote, lovely Bryce and using the horn.

[Natalie Jean]

He's so slippery. Do you want to kiss though? You kind of want to kiss eight of course. Right? He's just so like, oh, he's so knowledgeable. But he won't tell you anything.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

I mean, you know, I love a reason. Who has the same sort of arrogant heir to him.

[Natalie Jean]

Yes.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Hunt seethes, but can't attack. Bryce incredulously asks Aidas if he's really here to command her to rebel against the Asteri and join what, like Ophion? Aidas laughs again and suggests she be more careful about where she's whispering secrets like tea shops. Suggesting that he was cat form in the alleyway listening to her. And I mean fair. She was just like asking Fury very serious things in the middle of a tea shop.

[Natalie Jean]

A lot of like, what do you have to start?

[Jackie Zabrowski]

You go into like the coffee, tea bean leaf or whatever.

[Natalie Jean]

Yes. And just have it like as if there's not a bunch of people there pretending like they're screenplay. Right.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Yeah.

[Natalie Jean]

They're.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

You're supposed to write a script.

[Natalie Jean]

Yes. There. But they are only listening to your conversation.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Aidas tells Bryce that if she feels the need to answer to some authority figure, go ahead and join Ophion. But that's obviously not his goal here. The unspoken part is that he really wants her to lead an army, but whatever gets the job done. To be against the Asteri, which is the end game. And what he is saying through all of this is that they have been trying to take down the Asteri for 15,000 years. Bryce is agitated and flummoxed and spits out that she doesn't even know any rebels.

[Natalie Jean]

Ada stretched out his front paw, back arching.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

That's not true.

[Natalie Jean]

Hunt stilled as the demon yawned.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

There's one right behind you.

[Natalie Jean]

Bryce World. Hunt. With her lightning poised to strike, Cormac Donnell stood in the doorway, shadows fading from his shoulders.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Hello, Regency.

[Natalie Jean]

Eightis croon been vanished.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

He said. Agent Silver Bow.

[Natalie Jean]

Agent Silver Bow. What? Drop it and drop it and drop. It's a big chapter, y'. All. It's a big old big one.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Oh, if you thought that was a lot. We're gonna get into a whole lot more in chapter 16 right now.

[Natalie Jean]

There's so much more. Let's keep it going.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Action packed. Chapter 16. We just got a big dump of history information and now we're gonna get a whole new view of Cormac, it seems. And I don't mean his butt.

[Natalie Jean]

Oh, but I would if you thought.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

That was a lot of info in the last chapter. Hold on to your fins. We first have to assume that this means from the. The last paragraph in the chapter that Cormac was Agent Silver Bow from the prologue the whole time.

[Natalie Jean]

Oh my. What? What?

[Jackie Zabrowski]

So this creepy Irish saying, going back.

[Natalie Jean]

And reading it again, I thought that we hate like that we didn't know this for much longer in the. I don't know why I just thought that. I was like, yeah, but I dislike him. I think it's because the continue on like of their relationship. Essentially because at first I felt like I didn't like him for forever. Even though you find out fairly early that he's Silver Bow.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Well, we'll learn a lot more about their relationship, but it's not necessarily all. All sunshine and roses even after we find out. So it's. It seems to be that Cormac, the guy, this creepy fuck who showed up trying to betroth his cousin, has been Silver Bow this whole time. Everyone's minds are in utter chaos in the room. We just got all of this information from this cat demon and now this guy who they thought was here to like, steal Bryce away suddenly, I guess like a double agent. Okay, first we have Aida showing up as a cat. Hell's an ally, and they want Bryce to head an army to overturn the Asteri, who aren't even from this planet.

[Natalie Jean]

That was in one chapter.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Now it seems Cormac is part of this game of tomes, like a history books.

[Natalie Jean]

I'd ask a little bit more about the all these, like, portals that he's making. I'd ask a couple more portal questions about Cormac. Yes.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Like, you mean how it can like, warp to places?

[Natalie Jean]

Yeah.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Well, this time he didn't necessarily. Cormac immediately tells the room that neither his father nor theirs, as in the Autumn King, has any idea of Cormac's illicit activity. So please keep it quiet. Bryce's star embarrassingly starts to glow as she realizes as she's looking at Cormac that Aidas had likely allowed for Cormac to get into her apartment in the first place. Because, of course, lots of heavy wards.

[Natalie Jean]

A bit of a minx.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

I am bit of a minx. They all begin to scream at each other, everyone wanting to know what the other knows about Sophie Renost, the girl of the hour.

[Natalie Jean]

Like the Spider man meme.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Yes, yes. They're all pointing.

[Natalie Jean]

You, you, you, you.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

They're all wanting to know about Sophie. They argue with Therian, who is meeting Cormac for the first time, being the first one to correctly guess that Sophie was in fact Cormac's girlfriend of sorts, which we kind of got the impression of in the prologue, presumably just based on Cormac's demeanor when her name came up. So, you know, even all of these secret spies and all these books, when they are mentioned they're loved, suddenly they're showing all their cards because you can't control how you feel about people.

[Natalie Jean]

Oh, the power of love.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

So even though Tharion has only met Cormac in this room, he's like, oh, I can tell how much you're rattled when we bring her name up. Cormac rightly guesses Tharion is Myrrh, even though he's in his humanoid form. And when Theron's like, how do you know that? Cormac snaps, it's because he smells like fish.

[Natalie Jean]

Cor, can we just.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Got him. Got him.

[Natalie Jean]

We just, like, we're dealing with a lot of things right now.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

They're all being very snippy at each other. No, the room is tense, but there's a level of absurdity, primarily because Therian can't take things seriously most of the time. So we are like, like, worried. But also, it's not like, oh, everybody's about to shoot each other. Bryce asks to diffuse the situation, suggesting they sit down and try to figure out what each party knows and doesn't know. Hunt and run. Flank Bryce as she sits at a bar stool in the kitchen. Cormac remains standing. They all start answering a question with a question. They're all trying to, like, figure out what everybody knows until Bryce asks Therian to explain why they were all gathered in her apartment in the first place. Discussing Sophie since Cormac seems to be under the impression that Bryce somehow knows Sophie and that's not what's happening. She's like, tharion, since you dragged this into my life, why don't you go on?

[Natalie Jean]

Tharion crossed his arms and settled into the couch cushions.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

I was asked to confirm her death.

[Natalie Jean]

Bryce noted that Tharion's answer could be interpreted as ensuring a Dangerous rebel was dead. Smart male.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

And did you.

[Natalie Jean]

Cormac's voice had gone low. His body shook as if he was restraining himself from leaping upon Tharion. Embers sparked in his hair. I love embers. Sparking in their hair. I mean, I think it is. Maybe I just, like, have a thing for, like, the outskirts of units. I love it when, like, Hun's hands are, like, riddled with. With the tips of lightning. And I love embers. Sparky. Maybe it's just like the, you know, like the beginning of too many emotions. You know what I mean?

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Yeah. I mean, it's cool looking. You mean it, like, sensually?

[Natalie Jean]

Yeah. Yeah. Zip with a zip.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Zap with the zips. You know, this is a lot. Obviously, Cormac had feelings for Sophie, and they're withholding information about whether she's alive or not, even though they don't actually know know we haven't been able to find her. So Cormac wants to know this. Bryce observes Hunt run lightning down his wings.

[Natalie Jean]

I'm talking bad.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

And Cooley explains that Cormac's not going to get to leave this apartment without giving them some answers and giving a little respect. And though Bryce likes to stand up for herself, she gets a thrill seeing Hunt defend her.

[Natalie Jean]

All right. Come on. Of course. Control of herself.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

She hides a smile as Cormac considers Hunt and then decides to take a seat to calm himself down. So, you know, even though you want to be able to control the situations and be, like, big girl in charge, it's kind of fun to see, like, your big hunky man, like, you know, dress a guy down.

[Natalie Jean]

Yeah.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

For whatever reason, this also causes Bryce's star to stop glowing, which is interesting. Okay. Cormac takes a few breaths to calm down. Good.

[Natalie Jean]

Hunt said in that take no shot tone that did funny things to her insides.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

First things first. How did you get in? This place is warded to hell and back. He confirms that the cat. The not cat, I guess we should say cat.

[Natalie Jean]

Thank you.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Left a big hole in the wards, seemingly inviting Cormac to enter. Because Cormac was outside of the building, he reveals that he leave a big.

[Natalie Jean]

Hole in the wards. I'm gonna fuck through a portal.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

You're gonna have sex with a portal?

[Natalie Jean]

I want to fuck the entity of air until it creates a portal. And if there's a way for me to do that, I'm gonna figure it out.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

It's like the subtle knife from the dark material.

[Natalie Jean]

Oh, my God, it is. What if my pussy's this little Knife. Cool.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Oh, that'd be awesome.

[Natalie Jean]

Different series, Natalie.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

You know, a little bit, if you just want to have regular sex, probably.

[Natalie Jean]

It would make it difficult. Yeah. There's other ways I could figure out it out. Yeah.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

So Cormac reveals he came because he received enough intel to discern that the group in front of him was indeed also looking for Sophie, and he wants to know what they know. So essentially, Cormac's like, I came to your apartment because I've been tracking all of you, and I know that you're looking for Sophie.

[Natalie Jean]

Cool.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

And great.

[Natalie Jean]

They're really doing a great job of making sure nobody knows that they're trying to get into trouble.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Yeah, they're not. They're not. They're not crushing it. In the same breath. He insists that he came to the city, to this apartment, on his own volition, that he wasn't under the command of Opion. Especially Pippa Asbestos, that is actually Emile, ran from her because he was afraid of Pippa. Without giving up his feelings entirely, Cormac explains that he had a relationship of sorts with Sophie and that he made her a promise to look after Emile. He says that he failed her in every way with pain in his voice. So ultimately, he's saying, I want a meal as well, but I am just trying to protect him as a child. Like, I'm not trying to use him for some weird side quest.

[Natalie Jean]

Rune reaches also, how do you trust. How do I trust Natalie?

[Jackie Zabrowski]

They don't. Although Rune reaches out to Bryce Mind of mine and says he believes Cormac's telling the truth about being in love with Sophie, Bryce concurs. So that is one way that you might be able to, like, gain some trust, is that if they show their cards of feeling their feelings, they can know, well, the very least, maybe he's not a great person. Maybe he is. But he does seem to actually love this. This woman and that he wants to help her family. Cormac continues telling the room that Emile was afraid of Pippa for good reason, that Pippa has essentially lost the plot. She has gone mad with anger and contempt. Maybe long, long ago.

[Natalie Jean]

I mean, if you think about it, it's like the re. Like the rebellion has been going for such a long time. How could she not? It makes sense that you would kind of lose yourself over time.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

You stare too long into the abyss.

[Natalie Jean]

Starts to stare back, stare back, and it's going, Hi.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Hi.

[Natalie Jean]

Why don't you want to be friends with me?

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Come in. I'm Ness. And.

[Natalie Jean]

Whoa. Piss. I feel like you're lying to me, bro.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

So she has sort of become her own kind of monster. The thing that she hated in the first place. Place. Her hatred of the veneer has kind of basically let her mentally justify killing of any of them, including children. This. That just that her disdain for them makes her want to not just gain freedom for humans in this war, but to eradicate all veneer, regardless of their beliefs or their assistance to the cause.

[Natalie Jean]

Calm down.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Which doesn't that make you. Does that make you any better? You know.

[Natalie Jean]

Whoa. Whoa.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Though not all of Ophion agrees with Pippa's sentiments. The. The rebellion as a whole is not all about eradication, essentially.

[Natalie Jean]

Right. Just because the head. The head is evil does not mean that the cause, that all of the cause is evil.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

And she's not the full head of it either. She has her command, which is called Lightfall. And even though not all of Ophion agrees with her, Cormac is worried that they will start to comply with her and her Light Falls commands and that their name. So because they aim to end the Asteri first and then work downwards. So Lightfall is the Asteri. And then according to Pippa and her like, madness, she wants to then just.

[Natalie Jean]

Take out every other veneer.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Yeah. Because Ophion is taking such massive hits, they are becoming desperate and Cormac worries they are going to go down that path.

[Natalie Jean]

Path. Okay, Cormac, I see you. Thank you.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

So we're seeing this side of Cormac that we didn't know. We don't know what's real and what isn't yet. But he's at least showing that he is connected to the human rebellion in some way. The Dread Wolves ships that were taken out by the Thunderbird power. From the prologue, Cormac says that Emil watched this happen and became afraid of Pippa after witnessing her delight at the mass casualty event. Even with the deaths being quote, unquote, the bad guys, which they. I mean, the Dread Wolves are bad people. But it seems to frighten Emile and make him realize that Pippa would continue to make him kill, to use him as a weapon. And he didn't want to do that, like, as a little boy. He doesn't want to be responsible for, like, mass death, of course.

[Natalie Jean]

And Pippa's over there just being like. Just like, yeah, I don't want to help you.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

So Cormac, who, if you'll remember, was also present, that was when he made the promise to Sophie to take care of Emil. And then he got on the ship so that Sophie could distract the crew. So he tried to stop Emile from running away. He tried to convince him that he was there to help. But Emil just didn't believe him. And he escaped on a small boat from the main ship before Cormac could stop him. Cormac continues that he tracked him all the way to Lunathion. So basically he. He knows that Emil took a little ship, a little boat off of the main ship to escape. He starts to track his scent, tracks him all the way to Lunathion. And that is where he saw Tharion. Because Tharion, as you recall, inspected the boat where they said that a boat was abandoned. And then suddenly he says all these sensor on it. He also found that Lightfall uniform arm that was like cut off. And so apparently Cormac was there watching the whole time. That is when he realized Tharion was probably also looking for a meal. That's what led him to Bryce's apartment. Following Tharion, he finishes his retelling and then tells the room he needs to know where Emil is and that he is not safe. Not safe from Ophion, Asteri, or anyone else. Bryce stares at him in disbelief, snapping at him that she can't possibly believe that he's a human sympathizer when he tried to murder her own brother from. From. For some dumb sword.

[Natalie Jean]

Well, that was a little bit different, Bryce. I feel like comparing those two things are a little bit different. But I understand she's right now trying to even know if she can trust this.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Well, yeah, because according to everything she's heard, from Run. He's a piece of. He was trying to murder him in a cave.

[Natalie Jean]

Yeah, but sometimes, like, you really want.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

The sword, Sometimes you gotta fight for the sword. Sometimes daddy's a big old meanie.

[Natalie Jean]

Yeah, sometimes both daddies are a big old meanie. And they're both misunderstanding. Understood. They don't even know. They don't even know that they are actually way more connected than they would ever know.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

You just don't understand. Sometimes boys are deep. And you have to go like, oh, I just pulled my wig off. Hey. I don't know. I just got a lot of my mind right now.

[Natalie Jean]

Do you need me to help you? Do you need to live with us? No. We can take care of you.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

I guess. Just like I feel a lot of feelings.

[Natalie Jean]

Oh, my God. I'm in love with you.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Because you have a feeling.

[Natalie Jean]

Sorry.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Your ears.

[Natalie Jean]

Natalie's ears keep falling off.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

It's because of how deep I'm feeling feelings.

[Natalie Jean]

You're Right. And that is not a bad thing. In fact, actually, we lift her up. We lift her up so her ears can fall off her face.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

So he insists. Cormac says, yeah, I know I did this, this, but that he's changed over the 50 years now, baby, a different. Well, I would hope over 50 years, you would figure something out. Yes.

[Natalie Jean]

Yeah. But I bet a lot of them don't.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

And I, like, they don't.

[Natalie Jean]

I think if you live forever, turns out you don't really have to grow if you don't want to. It's really sad. I hate to bring this up, this is so embarrassing, but I can see your bobby pin from your wig. Your bobby pin's coming out. It's in front, and it's. I know, I know. And now everybody knows. Everybody knows that it's not real hair.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

But he thought it was real.

[Natalie Jean]

Natalie.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

I'm sorry, Natalie. I hear that, too.

[Natalie Jean]

I had to. She's wearing a wig.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

I'm wearing a wig. It's very. It's very cheap wig. It's, you know, it does the job. It gets the job. So, yeah, you would hope. But it seems like even in human years, a lot of people start. Stop learning around the age of like, 22 and then just go figured it out and then they never learn anything else. And it might be why we're in the condition we are right now.

[Natalie Jean]

So you mean trying to get rid of the Asteri?

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Yeah, sort of. So he won't reveal the grand change of heart, what happened exactly. But he's like, that was a long time ago. So I have different priorities now. When Bryce suggests he could just be working for the Asteri right now, he could just be, like, completely using them. What's it called? The spy turn coat, something. You could just be a spy for the Asteri. He LAUGHS bitterly, saying he wouldn't send anyone to the dungeons at the Crystal palace, that they are worse than the pit.

[Natalie Jean]

Hunt said, isolated.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

I know, I was there.

[Natalie Jean]

Bryce hated the shadows in his eyes, ones she'd do anything to help heal, do anything to avoid renewing teams survive at all costs. That was her team. She didn't care if that made her a coward.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

I mean, I think that's. In certain ways, that's healthier. I mean, you don't be full nihilistic if you, you know, you don't necessarily help the cause if you are full nihilist. Full just like.

[Natalie Jean]

Right.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Anything I'll throw my body into, you know, Throw. What do you throw your body into?

[Natalie Jean]

Inferno. I Feel like if your team survive at all costs, though, that's also extreme.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

She goes to a lot of extremes. Yes. In her thought process.

[Natalie Jean]

Because I feel like that really does negate your mission then. Right. Like. Because I feel like if you're. If you want to be, like, team, survive at all costs, but if your survival depends on helping defeat the Asteri, helping to do these other things, then, like, is that still the case?

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Also, I don't think she actually does mean team survive at all. I don't think she does.

[Natalie Jean]

That's what I'm saying.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

At all costs means, like, you could take out a school. You know what I mean? Like that.

[Natalie Jean]

Yeah. Or you can survive by not helping anybody, and then the books are done. You know what I mean? It's like, well, maybe you should fucking listen and. And stay out of everybody's way like they asked you to. But then would you be able to raise an army to defeat them? No.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Yeah, you got to have a little give and take.

[Natalie Jean]

Sorry I just touched you. Natalie. It's not because I keep looking at how big your arms are.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

I thought I did.

[Natalie Jean]

Wow. You can't even feel it because of how big your. Your. Your muscles are.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Cormac doesn't respond. And so instead of acknowledging Hunt, mentioning that he, you know, reminding the room that he was in those torture chambers, he tells the room instead that Sophie was only in Ophion to get her brother, kind of saying she wasn't doing what Pippa was doing.

[Natalie Jean]

Henry, I'll find you. If they take you, I'll find you. But if I find out that Henry's a Thunderbird, I am going to sell him for parts very, very quickly.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

I think you would hope that somebody would find him. I love you. I don't know if you're what I would call, like, an army lady.

[Natalie Jean]

Natalie. Are you saying that I wouldn't get in there and go punch them and see? You better. You better give him back. You bad, you. I like my brother, and we eat pudding together. You better give him back.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Your punching looks a lot like your lap dance.

[Natalie Jean]

Yeah, well, feel bad for my husband. Feel bad for Henry when I don't save him. Natalie, you would be really good. Honestly. Natalie, you're gonna be the one that has to come save me and Henry. Once I go and try to save Henry, I fail, you'll have to come in and come get us.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

I would try. I don't know if I would succeed, but I would try.

[Natalie Jean]

With one Zabrowski on both shoulder. Heave us through the fucking Flames like I can. But you have to be wearing this glistening fake polyester. No, no, your fake muscles. Your nipples go up to your ears. These nipples need to go down.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

I am wearing fake muscles under this shirt, though.

[Natalie Jean]

No, you're not.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

I'd love if you thought these were really my delts.

[Natalie Jean]

No, I thought they were your.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Ah, okay. Sorry. I keep staring at myself.

[Natalie Jean]

I get it. You're looking good.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Bryce then reveals the and secrets first before her own secrets. Because that's Bryce telling Cormac about the River Queen's intentions about getting a meal. Though not the purpose, because even Therion doesn't know the answer to why the River Queen wants a meal, just that she does. Bryce offers another kind of bargaining chip.

[Natalie Jean]

Okay.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Telling Cormac Mac that she's only interested in finding a meal because he is a scared, lost child. Essentially saying, I'm doing the same thing you're doing. This seems to give Cormac because he doesn't know what their intentions are with Emile. She's saying, I also just want to save him. Cormac seems to acquiesce enough to reveal another reveal on a reveal that the Hind apparently cared so much about destroying Sophie. Renata asked not only for being a Thunderbird, but because she carried a special intel about the Asteri. So Sophie had secrets.

[Natalie Jean]

Okay, but we don't know what the secrets are.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

No, Cormac unfortunately doesn't know because she wouldn't even tell him. Shock moves through the room. They all want to know what this intel was. Probably maybe has something to do with those emails. But he insists that she knew something that would change the war. He continues grimly that the Hind likely knew that Sophie would withstand torture and it would be better to kill her outright than try to get info trying to find out who else already knew. So essentially saying she was a tough broad and she would never give up. Who else knew this information? And so the Hind was just like, let's just get her out of the picture then. Cormac proudly recalls that Sophie held her other hand out once the Dread Wolves pulled all of the nails from the first hand.

[Natalie Jean]

Damn brave female, Ethan said softly, earning a thankful nod from Cormac that had Bryce wishing she'd said as much herself. Bryce studied her own manicured nails. Wondered if she'd be able to hold out if it ever came to that.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Would you?

[Natalie Jean]

No. So tell me. Nothing. No one. Ever. Don't include me in a rebellion. Don't tell me anything. I'm gonna fold so fast. Not only am I gonna fold I'm probably gonna become a part of their team. I'll probably immediately flip flop me. Like, will you take care of me? I cannot withstand anything.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

I don't think.

[Natalie Jean]

At least I'm honest. Right? Isn't it good to know? Know? Is it good for you to know now? Don't trust me with anything that could be tortured out of me.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Not a rebellion. All right, I'll write it down.

[Natalie Jean]

I know that I would trust you. I know that you could put up with a lot.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

I would like to think that a lot. I think everyone would like to think that they could withstand that. I don't know. I don't know. I honestly think what I would do would just take myself out beforehand.

[Natalie Jean]

You'd hope. But what if you don't have that opportunity? Because then I feel like it's like. Well, sometimes like, like you go mad or like your brain goes away and then like you just kind of withstand it. But I just.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

You need a ring with a cyanide pill in it.

[Natalie Jean]

I have been begging for it.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

All right. I know I don't Christmas.

[Natalie Jean]

I think. You know what controversial opinion. I feel like there should be a way to have a cyanide pill like hidden in a tooth like a spy has. That is difficult to get to unless you really, really need it.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

But that's hard because if you really need it, you need to get to it.

[Natalie Jean]

But then you can't.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Accidentally I open the tooth.

[Natalie Jean]

Oh, it's so difficult. But like, I really like guys. If you're like a scientist for cyanide. Yes. Please let us know if you could do that.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

A scientist.

[Natalie Jean]

Cyanide sis. That would be great if you could let us know.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Let us know then. Theory. Therion does something shocking. He reveals that Sophie's body wasn't in the chains at the bottom of the sea. I mean, it's only fair. Cormac obviously loves this woman and Tharion should tell him at least that he doesn't know. Doesn't know whether or not she's dead.

[Natalie Jean]

Cormac shot to his feet.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Sophie is alive.

[Natalie Jean]

Such raw hope felt his voice. Was it from genuine love or hope that the intel she carried lived on? I think it's love.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Of course, none of them know the answer to those questions. Cormac begins pacing, speaking more to himself than anything, wondering if she somehow survived since she had made an illegal drop back in the day because she wasn't supposed to, she's technically a human. But because she has Thunderbird qualities, she wanted to take the drop. I think probably to Save her brother. And so she had. I guess you can do it in, like, the. The Dark Web or whatever.

[Natalie Jean]

Cool.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

The group maintains that they know nothing else about Sophie. But then Cormac grins. He's like, oh, you don't know anything else. What about Danica Fendir?

[Natalie Jean]

Oh, God. Now what?

[Jackie Zabrowski]

So he knows something. He said he didn't, but he does.

[Natalie Jean]

It's like every other chapter. And Bryce is like, I just couldn't believe another one.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

When they don't want to give up the info about Danika, he suggests that, you know what? It was Danica who set up Bryce in this apartment. Isn't it like saying, I know. I know about Danica.

[Natalie Jean]

And they're like, nah, she didn't.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

But he knows. That's why he agreed to marry Bryce. He says. We cut to Rune in the aftermath of that surprise information that, oh, he didn't marry Bryce to try to, like, gain footing in Lunathian, but in fact, Danica. But because Danica. He knew Danika and Sophie were connected, and he knows that Bryce and Danica are connected.

[Natalie Jean]

I would not make a marriage decision based on that because I feel like, you know, like, Henry knows, like, a lot. A lot of people, right? And if I found it was like, oh, well, you met him this one time. Yeah, you know what? I will marry you.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

But in the same breath, where he lives, where he grew up, they don't get to, like, marry for love anyway.

[Natalie Jean]

And knowing that, like, well, at least most likely, then, okay, maybe she's like, a rebellion esque, you know, Maybe, like, she would be into it. You know?

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Ruin's head is spinning with all of this information because we're at his POV now. But Cormac isn't done. He tells them all that he needed a good cover up as to why he'd have to go to Valbara from Avalon, as they are rivals. They. They are allies, technically, but they don't like each other. And he couldn't just go, daddy, I want to go to Va Barbara for vacation.

[Natalie Jean]

They're not fey bays. They're faines.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

They're faines. And so the only reason that his father would let him go was to say, well, I want to connect our families and gain the power. And so he's like, I'm gonna betroth myself to Bryce Quinlan. Okay.

[Natalie Jean]

It's a pretty good idea.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

It is. Not only was this a good excuse, but Ophion happened to send him here at the same time offering him cover from all of the various dangers.

[Natalie Jean]

Love this.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

He continued that he needed access to Ruhn, who he surmised is a mind speaker. He figured it out. Whenever they were all after the Star Sword. He said that he could tell that the three of them were working in tandem and that he. He assumed that it was because Rune could speak mind to mind.

[Natalie Jean]

And also because, you know, they're showing it on their faces.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Yeah.

[Natalie Jean]

You know, how can you not show. I know you'd work on it eventually.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

But not enough for. Because he figured it out. But he approaches Ruhn in this moment, saying Ophion is in desperate need of this skill. Hunt sees that Cormac is asking Rune to join Ophion, and he implores Rune. He steps forward. He says, do not fall for this request, that they would all be slaughtered if he agrees to help the rebellion. Cormac chastised Hunt, suggesting he felt fine about it during his rebellion. Remember when you rebelled?

[Natalie Jean]

Yeah, yeah. Remember when it didn't work, bro?

[Jackie Zabrowski]

And he does he, like. Hunt is like, yeah, I did. And then I learned what happens. And he wants to protect his friends from this fate, which is understandable, but.

[Natalie Jean]

You gotta be, like, really, really ready. But the thing is that I feel like Hunt thought they were as ready as they were ever gonna be when they tried the rebellion.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Wait until you're ready. Are you ever.

[Natalie Jean]

Are you ever ready?

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Leap in, the net will appear.

[Natalie Jean]

Oh, not always the case. No.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

No, not always the case. Leap over a thing that you feel is reasonable, and maybe the net will show up.

[Natalie Jean]

Yeah. And then if you fall down, like, it's okay. You know, you might just get a scratch knee.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

So, yes. So he basically hun says, I know what happens when you rebel. Bryce discreetly brushes against Hunt's hand with her hand. Just basically like. Like this, I assume.

[Natalie Jean]

Sorry, we. We're slapping hands.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Backs of hands. Rune concurs with Hunt that he is not going to turn his talents over to help kill people. Cormac bitterly accuses him of choosing his comfort, his comfortable life over the lives of so many who are suffering. And there's good arguments to be made on all sides of this.

[Natalie Jean]

You're right.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

He turns his attention to Bryce, obviously trying to shame or perhaps appeal to her, saying since she and Danica had saved the city, that maybe she knew where Danica and Sophie had chosen to rendezvous. Like, hey, you should want to help. I thought maybe you would want to after you saved all those people in the spring. Can you tell me where Danny and Sophie could have rendezvoused? Like, she doesn't know.

[Natalie Jean]

I don't know.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

They don't know. But Cormac muses about how he thinks Danica found the secret about the Asteri and that Sophie and her had worked to get it. They don't know what this is, but he thinks that the secret that Sophie has does got, she got from Danika. He thinks that Sophie couldn't access what Danika found until long after Danica died. Essentially, Danika leaving this trail of breadcrumbs, knowing she was going to die because of the secret she held and that Sophie eventually found it. However, there's no evidence that Danika worked for Ophion. It seems as though Sophie and her had worked independently from anyone trying to find a way to take the Asteri down.

[Natalie Jean]

There's got to be some kind of receipts, right? Isn't there something?

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Well, I mean, we have these emails which seems to allude to something. Bryce mauls this over before walking towards Cormac and reveals to him that the cat who helped him open the wards was Aidas. And whether he knew it or not, Aidas has been a part of this all along. So saying, maybe you think you who know what's going on, but we none of us do this. There's an entire other thing. This other planet is involved in this somehow, and we don't know how. She asks him what he knows about her starborn powers because Aidis was really talking him up a lot.

[Natalie Jean]

Yeah, Thea esque abilities.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Apparently he doesn't give her anything. So she tries another angle. Okay, I'll help you find a meal and deliver any info about Danika and Sophie's relationship. If I can get out of this dang old marriage.

[Natalie Jean]

Wow. I think in the scheme of things, though, I feel like that's what you gotta make. It's like, girl, you think that, like, this might change over time. Of all the things like, yeah, but you gotta get me, but I don't want to marry you, Bo. These are such huge things to be discussed.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

The marriage.

[Natalie Jean]

Marriage does like ally the two places.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

It like forced her into a breeding mare and like all this stuff. And so it is. Yeah, it sounds silly in the moment, but their marriages mean a lot. It's like the royal family is like coming together and she would be responsible for a lot of shit. And also, obviously she has a maid already and she doesn't want to lose that.

[Natalie Jean]

So for a second, I thought you meant maid. It's like she already has a maid, so why does she need to go and be like a queen of a face, you know what I mean?

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Who Would the maid be? I don't know.

[Natalie Jean]

Maybe she has one that, like, she's.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Like, ethan's my maid now.

[Natalie Jean]

Yeah.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Why would I go there?

[Natalie Jean]

Eats pizza, and he leaves a bunch of crumbs everywhere. And then I yell at him, and then he's all hard because I yelled at him, and then he cleans up the crumbs.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

I think he probably does get hard.

[Natalie Jean]

When we yell at him.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

There's. There's some scenes with him in Jesba and the later book that I'm just like, oh, I think he.

[Natalie Jean]

Oh, I see you. I'll see that King bae.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

So she. She says, I'll help you with all of this if you get me out of this marriage, when she wants to say it. So basically, she wants to use the betrothal as a front, but at a certain point when she says she wants it over, she wants him to get her out of it. After thinking about it, Cormac agrees, but tells her he needs the marriage to look like it's happening for the time he needs to be involved. So basically, he also needs it to not be. Be cut off.

[Natalie Jean]

I'm sorry. All I'm hearing is.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

But won't that make it so much more tense? She can't show her emotions in front of now.

[Natalie Jean]

They have to make sure everybody thinks that they actually like each other. They're getting to like each other.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Don't worry. We're not too far off from a little bit of something. The other males in the room seem hoping to protest this sort of agreement that they're going through. But Bryce ignores all of the other males in the room. She tells him that they will need to think about everything that was learned today before making any solid contractual style agreements with Cormac. Cormac demands a blood oath for the secret information that they've all revealed that day. No one agrees to it. It angered Cormac tells, come on, everybody.

[Natalie Jean]

Yeah, give me our blood. Come on. It'll connect us. I just imagine him screaming at nothing.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Demands, and then immediately just goes like.

[Natalie Jean]

Oh, oh, okay, all right, fine, fine.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

He's angered, and he tells Roon that he'll be at a specific bar that day if he would deign to hear his, quote, pitch about Ophion. So he's still trying to. To appeal to Ruhn to help him. He gets up to leave the apartment.

[Natalie Jean]

Cormac paused with his hand on the knob. He sucked in a breath, the powerful muscles of his back rippling. When he looked over his shoulder, the amusement and threats were gone beyond Sophie beyond Emil.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

This world could be so much more. This world could be free. I don't understand why you wouldn't want that.

[Natalie Jean]

Hard to enjoy being free, hunt countered darkly. If you're dead. Cormac opened the door, stepping into the swirling shadows.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

I can think of no better reason to yield my life.

[Natalie Jean]

Goosh, goosh, goosh, goos, goosh, goosh, goos, goosh, goosh, goosh, goosh. Oh, no. Are we starting the goosh factory? For Cormac? It's a cormactory of gooshes.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

It seems like he has some very good, at least, intentions. Although he's still kind of being a dick.

[Natalie Jean]

Yeah.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

But, like, he's like, you know, troubled. And like, we love a troubled king.

[Natalie Jean]

Maybe we can fix him. I think that we can fix him because I feel like he has the ability to love.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

He's learned to. He can grow.

[Natalie Jean]

And he's shown that he's a rebel, so he can think for his own. He's got rippling muscles, and he's like a pr.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

He's probably got a really cool car.

[Natalie Jean]

Okay, I guess I would and I guess I'll find out if we will.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Will we? Oh, maybe him and Bryce are still more connected than we know.

[Natalie Jean]

Come back to find Please read up until chapter 20 for next week. Sam.