The Britchannia Library Presents: Two Twisted Crowns Part 2

Transcript

Speaker: you

Speaker: Welcome to the Britannia Library. we are your librarians, Brittany and Chandler. Every week we will be recapping and discussing our current read, anything from the latest trends to longtime favorites. Depending on our selection, we'll cover it over multiple episodes, so be sure to stick around to hear the full story. We have started our next read, Two Twisted Crowns by Rachel Gillig.

Speaker: This is the final book in the Shepard King duology.

Speaker: We return with part two of Two Twisted Crowns and, spoiler alert, we will be discussing what happens in the book. If you wish to read along, we will be covering chapters 17 to 39.

Speaker: You're welcome to read and come back to our thoughts or follow along now. Yeah, so we start with part two to barter. So this starts with Elspeth. And so Elspeth's floating kind of from memories belonging to someone else, a boy, wandering through the woods as others begged the spirit for her blessings.

Speaker: The boy was actually born with the fever and can speak with the trees who kind of spoke to him in riddles. Interesting. Interesting. The memories belong to Texas, actually, as a young boy, and he's asking the trees for the spirit's help in making London a kingdom of abundance, of magic, and asks for a way to shepherd its lands and people.

Speaker: The trees point towards his home, and he sees a stone under his seedling tree. He, like, planted it on his name then. uh whatever the stone has a sword on it and the hilt has an image of the shepherd's staff interesting and then we go into chapter 18 which is elm so at this point elm is watching raven right away and is immediately put off by his father's like sudden interest in him. like He's like, why am I like why am i here? yeah

Speaker: So he mentions that some guards saw him last night with Ioni and is concerned with Elm's involvement with her. But Elm points out that they really can't execute her without all of Blender suspecting him of corruption. yeah like You're kind of stuck here. And the king knows Hoth won't be healed enough to rule or create an heir, so he's now depending on Elm for that.

Speaker: and elm suggests that hot still might wake up but the king just tells him he won't so elm tries to leave to see jesper but the king explains that raven jesper and emory all left for castle you already and then the king tells him that he expects him at court that evening and then tells him that he's off the destriers like cut out fully relieving him of like all of his duties basically and that he has to keep ione close until he's ready to announce until the king is ready to announce elm as the heir and call for her exit execution jeez yeah so elm ends up sleeping most of the day but when he wakes he remembers that he needed to help ioni with cards so he gets up and gets ready that evening that night when elm goes to dinner i only see stuff on him in the hall which you know kind of startles him and takes him help it's funny she apologizes elm notices that she has on like a very poorly fitting dress this one's like gray and it's like high neck or something

Speaker: Falling behind Ioni is Alan Ross and Royce Linden. Ew. Gross. So Elm greets them and notices that Ioni has been moved to the Royal Wing and then asks if they Linden and Alan are there.

Speaker: And they explain that they're her guards, but then Elm tells them, not anymore. I'll see to that. And then dismisses them. Love it. Love that. And so as they walk into the dining hall, they talk about how they're both horrid dinner companions.

Speaker: Like, I love that they're both like... They're like, they're finding common ground. And they're like, they're teasing each other and kind of like quipping back and forth, and I love it. Yep. So as they're walking in, Elm dismisses the announcers so that they could just walk in, and Elm comments on Ioni's outfit, like saying, like, did you insult her, Taylor? But she looks back, please continue. I live and breathe to hear your pee in my gown, right from Elm.

Speaker: But he tells her, like, what he actually said. He's like, you don't, like... that just doesn't look like you yeah she explains that all her dresses are back at hoplin house and that the king had sent her this dress of course he says that she says his little plan at the inquest worked and he explains somewhat he tells her that the king will be watching them and and that they'll have to pretend that everything is all right with everything yeah like everything's cool all good nothing worry about here yeah hoth her uncle her father and her cousin like all of that yeah he tells her to tell people as they ask that hoth is sick but recovering because she's like what am i supposed to do like wet like he's on his deathbed basically i mean yeah he is rough elm walks across the dining hall and strides with ione as the king watches intently He wants Elm to sit in the high prince's seat, so but he's not going to do it alone. So he brings Ioni with him Love it.

Speaker: And he tells her that he's going to be her guard. And that that's the deal if she wants to search the castle freely. Ooh. Package could your deal. So when they approach, the king kind of barely acknowledges Elm, but stares Ioni up and down. And Elm like has a moment where he debates using his scythe on him because he just does not like this look. But Ioni doesn't really seem to care at all.

Speaker: And then the king tells them to sit down. Unfortunately, there was only one chair open next to the king. So Elm tells the king's treasurer who was there and his family to move over. Love it. And when they try to argue, Elm starts to kind of get mad, but I know he kind of cuts them off in the situation. Yep. And pointing out that the seat next to the high prince's chair is reserved for their future queen. Then saying, unless you'd like to see me take my seat atop the prince's lap. Woo!

Speaker: She's so spicy. It's the main card. It is. So the family not only vacates the seat, but vacates the whole table. And well yeah and they're like no matter ah here yep and while Elm sits, he can't really seem to get comfortable in the seat. Like half expecting it to like magically hurt him. Yeah, like if he's like this chair senses that I'm not his rightful owner. Yeah.

Speaker: it's It's not the right butt in the seat. Yeah. So Elm is frustrated sitting and putting on a show instead of actually looking for his maiden card. But the king obviously has a watchful eye on them the whole time. and Ione they almon ioni have a conversation about how it must be a family trait to be moody.

Speaker: You know? True. Yeah. He apologizes saying that the place brings out the ass in him. I mean, fair. He's been through a lot. So she suggests that maybe his terrible mood is because Raven and Elspeth left this morning. He asks who told her that and she tells him that it was Lyndon saying that he thought he was like trying to hurt her feelings with the information. oh, there's no harm.

Speaker: Elm asked if it did, and she it might have once, saying that she doesn't cry anymore either. geez On the one hand, i feel like I would appreciate not crying. I love to cry. And I'm like, vol always shouldnt cry I cry frequently if I did.

Speaker: Me too. So Elm looked over the hall again, kind of frustrated that they weren't looking for her card, you know? So Elm tells her he might have another idea to try to find her card, but she probably won't like it. But she says, i don't care for anything anymore, Prince. That's entirely the problem.

Speaker: hmm that's one of my favorite quotes too um he notices that ione would flush though whenever he would kind of lean closer to her noting that she could still feel something so then the pine family comes up to greet them and says that they're excited to have been invited for the feast and elm you know kind of reluctantly greets them putting on a show and apologizes to ah oh god what was his name what's the plan Wayland Wayland yeah he apologizes to him about his iron gate card getting stolen and he kind of quickly accepts the apology but kind of brushes it under the rug I mean obviously he's not gonna want to be like yeah I told her last time I got ambushed yeah but then he like shoves his daughter up front and is like this is Farrah my daughter and it's like okay

Speaker: so when elm kind of questions how long she's going to be at stone she says it's for the week of the feasts and her father chimes in and saying they're grateful to be invited to like again way literally yeah The king waves them off and Farrah turns and kind of like looks back at Elm as she's walking away.

Speaker: but So many people hit on Elm. Yeah. In this part. Yeah. So Elm kind of questions the king about the feast and the king explains to Elm that there are going to be six feasts. And on the sixth feast, six feasts. That's hard.

Speaker: That is hard. And on the sixth feast, Elm will choose a wife. What? What? Elm is obviously pissed, and I only noticed this, so she suggests they go get drunk.

Speaker: Love it. Love it. My girl, support this. And now we go back to Raven's point of view. So Raven arrives at Castle Yu with the Nightmare and Gorse, and is thinking about the rumors of his family's castle being haunted, which seems kind of accurate when things seem to still as the Nightmare enters.

Speaker: So Gorse and the Nightmare kind go off separately as Raven's parents arrive to welcome them. Fenir seems is almost in shock that his son is finally saved from the king. and then Moret mentions that it means Elspeth's blood will be used instead.

Speaker: Yeah. Unfortunately. Nice little reminder, Mom. Thanks. Thanks. This truth obviously is Raven hard and he claims that Elspeth will also be safe on Solstice. Okay. He then walks off to the armory to ask the Ivy brothers to join their hunt for the twin Aldersguard. He spends the rest of the day with Emery until Jesper relieves him and he searches for the nightmare.

Speaker: He finds him in the meadow under a yeah yew tree with something in his hands. So the nightmare accuses Raven of being a grave robber. and holds out a crown before demanding his sword back. yeah Raven returns it, you know, bristling at the institution that he stole it and explains, you know, I did didn meet Kelly.

Speaker: And he's like, huh? And when he explains that Tilly and the others have been waiting for the nightmare, he just claims that he's waited as well as his aim is vast.

Speaker: ominous Yep. And Raven wants to know if the nightmare's planned, but the nightmare just compares the two men, you know, kind of upsetting Raven. Yeah. So he tells the nightmare that they're leaving at this day at dawn.

Speaker: And then he turns to leave, but he's told to bring the maiden card with them for their journey. This prompts Raven to mention him finding the Nightmare Mirror card in the stone as a kid and asks if the nightmare left him there.

Speaker: The nightmare remains silent, and not answering him. So Raven uses the nightmare card to try and find Elspeth inside his mind. The nightmare snaps out of his daze and knocks Raven over, yelling at him about not entering her mind uninvited. Again, Raven should know this. Just a little bit. um I'm on the side a little bit, but I'm not.

Speaker: So the nightmare just calls Raven selfish and claims that he's protecting Elspeth from being trapped inside the nightmare's mind as it would kind of hurt her being unable to control her own body. Like she can't handle it right now. Yeah.

Speaker: And then the quote, you know, nothing of losing control, but you will, you will learn just as I did what it feels like to lose yourself in the wood. Oh, yeah.

Speaker: done du Chapter 20, we go back to Elm's point of view. So Ionee steals a bottle of wine from the Great Hall. And when they get to the yard, she rips her dress from the collar under her chin, like down to her sternum. I love it. And Elm suggests, he's like, oh, I could have helped you that.

Speaker: And she, you know, kind of smiles back. It describes her smile as a twitch. Yeah. So she teases him back, which, you know, kind of so shuts him up. He's not expecting it.

Speaker: And Elm, you know, is still pissed about everything happened. So he goes to grab a javelin and throws like smashes it against the training post she asks this is what he usually does when he's drunk and angry and he says yes and other things telling her yes she tells him that she shouldn't talk to pharaoh the way she talks to him and he tells her that she actually doesn't care which she confirms she doesn't yeah she's like you're right yeah elm throws another job one you Throwing off his anger. Angry boy.

Speaker: So he tells her that he won't be talking to any of the women anyways. But she said he seemed to be able to sound charming back in the great hall. But that she could tell he was kind of angry underneath it all. And he tells her he is and kind of has been his whole life. And she tells him to be angry then because it looks good on him.

Speaker: And he cautions her kind of saying like, that kind of sounded like a compliment, but she says it's advice. Love it. Yep. So he tells her that it's kind of hard taking advice about feeling something from someone who can't even smile.

Speaker: So she tells him to give her something to smile about. And he suggests that he can think of some things. And then when I noticed that she kind of starts to feel something. Mm-hmm.

Speaker: She says that she used to smile and even have smile lines, and Elm tells her that he remembers, but she argues that he doesn't, even saying that she would wager any money she had. Wagers, barters, games, that's what it boiled down to with Ione Hawthorne.

Speaker: But Elm wanted to play her games. Oh, hell yeah. Mm-hmm. They argue back and forth about whether Elm really did notice her before the maiden card, and he tells her to wager something she does have, and he will prove it.

Speaker: Their faces are close now, and she suggests a kiss if he can prove that he remembers her before Equinox. And if he can't, she gets five minutes with his sight card. Ooh. He tells her that five minutes with the scythe card is not worth a kiss, but she retorts with one minute. Okay.

Speaker: Resisting the tension to just grab her face, he takes her hand and his shakes it and says, deal. So she and Helm head to the cellar. And when they get there, he tells her to start a fire and then heads out with intentions of finding and using a chalice card. So when Elmer darence, he has wine, some food and an hourglass,

Speaker: along with the chalice card. And Ione kind of questions why the hourglass. And he says, even if you don't lie, using the chalice too long can be dangerous. and So he he kind of explains that he's trying to use this to kind of refresh her memory of Equinox when she lost the maiden card. yeahp And he tells her, you know, memories may be fuzzy, but the chalice will prevent her from going into a memory that's not true, which I was like, that's an interesting way to think about it.

Speaker: And she suggests that he just use the nightmare card that her father gifted the king. And he explains that the chalice was actually left over in the armory and the nightmare cards in Hoth's room being used to try to reach him. And then he's like, I can go get it if you want. And she's like, no. No. yeah She didn't respond, obviously confirming her answer. She says it's not fair that she already was put through an inquest and that she shouldn't be the only one.

Speaker: He tells her that he will be joining her, saying he has to prove somehow that he knew her before Equinox. o She suggests they be equal by each asking one question back and forth. Elm knew this wasn't the best idea, but this terrible idea was reasonably good.

Speaker: Such a good quote. Yep. And so he agrees. She asks if there are any topics that he would wish to avoid and he lists everything, but then verbally says that she can ask everything. He's like Raven, my dad.

Speaker: Yeah. He's like mentally, mentally listening everything. And then he just verbally says that she can ask him anything. Yeah. When she asks when she can get the man with his scythe, he tells her to wait and to think of it as a reward. o So he turns from the hourglass and activates the chalice.

Speaker: And Elm kind of hesitates before he takes a sip, knowing that he's kind of about to lay everything out on the table, just like Raven did. And look where that got him. so But before Ioni could notice what he was thinking, he takes a sip of wine.

Speaker: And he kind of says that he hates the taste. And she asks if he goes under the chalice often. And he says... know that that was her first question so yeah next moving on my turn so his first question is where is her mating card and she simply says she doesn't know and he asked how that's possible but then she says it's her turn i like that so she asked why he didn't go with raven and the others and he says he wasn't invited but actually kind of forbade from going and she asked why but it's his turn they ain't good about tracking the number of questions No. but

Speaker: He asks what she does remember from Equinox. and She explains that she remembers sitting on the on the dais with Hoth. Hoth. It's okay. The dais with Hoth while people congratulated them and Hoth was like getting super annoyed with her. She was nervous and hoff made sure to get her drunk and then things kind of went fuzzy from there. i mean that usually happens when you're drunk. Yeah.

Speaker: She remembers the cracked stone under her hand and the smell of salt in her nose. Elm asked it was from the mist or something else. She didn't answer for him. Elm could tell something was not right.

Speaker: And then he realized that off he's this life on her i'm here she says that he made sure she was drunk first and then woke up the next morning still in her dress still under the control of the maiden but the card was nowhere to be found oh my god so elm starts to ask if he did anything else to her and she says no but that he made it a point to tell her that he could have if he wanted to and whenever he wanted ah he's gross horrible So she begs to know where her card is, but he knew he was cruel and that his soft soft-hearted bride would need to harden to survive him.

Speaker: So gross. Mm-hmm. So, um you know, apologizes. You know, having nothing else to say, but, like, he genuinely apologizes. And when I only ask if that's what happened to him, that no one helped him from Hoth, you know. Yeah, he he eventually explains that, you know, he told Raven about it. Mm-hmm.

Speaker: About everything that Hoth was doing to him, and that that's when Raven took him away from Stone. He goes on to say that when his mother died, he inherited her scythe card, and that he didn't stand up for himself.

Speaker: He also then became better with his scythe, better with his than his brother, and that kind of caused Hoth to hate him more for it. Yeah. Then Ioni dropped this quote. My girlish fancies of marrying a prince were quick to die. Your brother's charm was skin deep.

Speaker: The real Hoth beat and clawed his way through life. Sooner or later, someone was going to claw him back. And my dearest cousin, or what has left for her, was merciless in the task. I'm obsessed.

Speaker: That's so intense. I it. It's so good. And he tells her he isn't sorry about what happened to him, but that he wished he could have been the one to do it.

Speaker: And he asked her if that makes him wicked. And she says, if it does, then they're the same kind of wicked. It's cute. I feel wicked. Sorry. Had to. Yeah.

Speaker: Had to. So Ioni asks why it took so long for him to get the site since all four sites belong to the ruins. And he says it's a lie. And that only the king, Hoth, and him are the ones who have them. And that the other is somewhere else.

Speaker: But they make everyone believe it's in the vaults. So Helm asks whose turn it is to ask a question and who it is He asks if she remembers going anywhere secluded, since that's likely where Hoth would have had her hide it, but she simply can only remember the cracked stone insult.

Speaker: She does vaguely remember dancing with Hoth in the garden and that he let her go and she fell. Other men watched and grasped at her. Elm was seething, but she said that she was fine.

Speaker: She tells him to relax a bit and that they probably weren't going to find her card within the hour, so they should just ask questions about something else. She asks how old he is, and they're both 22. Elm questions the way she looks at him, like she is studying him or searching him. He's like, you keep looking at me. What are you hoping to find? Yeah. She says, maybe it's because she finds him handsome.

Speaker: But he's like, that's not it. And then she asks him as he finds her beautiful. And he tells her everyone does, you know, kind of a half answer, yeah just like hers.

Speaker: And she admits she has been looking for Hoth in his face, any hint of temper or cruelty, but couldn't see it. She tells him kind of how different the two brothers are, you know? And then he goes on to ask about the maiden and what she can feel. And she and he says, like, you can feel heat, cold pain.

Speaker: And he says that he's noticed her cheeks go pink. And she tries to lie and say nothing, but he's like, don't fight it. And she says that she can still feel desire. And when he asked how she found that out, that she kind of changes the subject to it being her turn. Yeah. How did you find that out, hon?

Speaker: So she asked if he knows where her brother and mother are, brothers and mother are, but Elm didn't know the way she asked it. Like it, he didn't know. he doesn't know where they are.

Speaker: And so then he moves back to his question, asking about what kind of desires. Yeah. She explains that she feels warm in certain parts of her body. Her body can feel all the sensations of attraction, but her heart doesn't feel anything. The tension between them just like, oh my goodness.

Speaker: He asks if she feels it now. And she looks up at him, but answers with her eyes. He says it's time for the wager, and she tells him to prove that he knew about her before Equinox.

Speaker: He tells her about the time he saw her riding horseback, no shoes, with mud kicked up to her ankles. Then he tells her about a time at Equinox two years ago when no one asked her dance, but she still danced alone. It's so cute. goes on to explain her features before the maidens took hold of her, saying her eyes are the only thing that hasn't changed.

Speaker: But before they were happy. He says, you were the strangest girl I'd ever seen because no one at Stone is happy. They pretend at it or drink, but the performance has its tells.

Speaker: But not you. You were painfully real. One of my favorite clothes. That's so beautiful. It's so beautiful. So he holds the child's sword up and tells her their game is over. and she tells him to go to hell because she realized she lost. Like, dang So he taps the guard releasing them and then pulls Ioni's face close to his. And he kind of teases her about their wager and how she must have liked teasing him thinking he wouldn't get a kiss. Yeah.

Speaker: And he asks her if she feels something when she toys with him. And she responds, yes. So he tells her to use him so she can feel something. Then she goes in to kiss Elm.

Speaker: The kiss becomes a little spicy. They're knocking over wine. they're Yeah. So obviously the sexual tension between these two have been building up for a while. Yep. So he could sense that he wanted it a little rougher too. But Elm knew like couldn't.

Speaker: yeah He's like, yeah, no. That's not going to last her at all. Yeah. And he wanted to make this last. Yep. is What I want. oh Exactly.

Speaker: As he's feeling her body, he becomes frustrated with the dress that was separating them. He goes for the torn collar and their eyes meet. She tells him to tear it off. He tells her to beg him to.

Speaker: Ooh.

Speaker: Suddenly, a noise causes them to shift, and Philik is standing in the doorway. asks him why he didn't knock, and he's like, I did.

Speaker: But then he, like, pettled out of there. He's like, he had the dogs with him and just left dogs. He's like, I'm sorry. Next time I'll knock out her, only get up quickly and leave before Elm can stop her then. Aww.

Speaker: Lord, up right? This chapter, oh my God. So next, we switch back to Elspeth. So Elspeth is in Texas's memories. He's seeing his sister Iris this time.

Speaker: She points out a bruise and kind chastises his dueling with Brutus before his coronation, like You're kind of looking rough, dude. Yeah, she's like, of course only he would mark you before your coronation. And Taxis claims that wearing the crown feels like providence for him.

Speaker: And they enter the cathedral together he's crowned the shepherd king. Suddenly, an oily voice seems to call out Gospith's name, sounding more and more desperate. No matter how hard she tries to swim towards it, she's trapped in the water in his memories. Mm-hmm.

Speaker: And then we switch back to Raven's perspective. So the next morning, Raven, Jesper, Gorse, Peter, and Wick all meet up to start their journey into the forest. Jesper notices that Peter is flipping his lucky coin and like makes a comment about it.

Speaker: And Gorse looks over at the Ivy brothers and asks who they are. And Raven kind of explains like he asked them to come along, but they're being sarcastic to him. Yeah. Being the sassy Ivy brothers.

Speaker: Raven asks if anyone has seen their friend And Gorse kind of corrects it to Spindle and saying that she was in the armory. And Raven kind of mutters, that's not Elspeth. Yeah. Because also Gorse is like, i don't want friends that. Exactly.

Speaker: And so then the nightmare emerges from the mist. And Jesper asks why he looked upset rather than like his normal like crooked grin. And he doesn't say anything. But Raven noticed his th sword had been sharpened and cleaned as well as his crown.

Speaker: Mm. The nightmare walks over the stone chamber with the crown crawling in and out of the window. And when he returned, he didn't have the crown. When Raven asks why he didn't want to wear it, he says, it's not for me to wear anymore. I'm like, is it for Raven to wear?

Speaker: can't say anything because I've already finished the book, okay? Okay. Don't ask any questions.

Speaker: Raven makes sure they all have their charms on them before they take off, explaining that they'll be the mist for some time. course, questions how long, and Raven's like, dude, as long as it takes. Yeah. Honestly. If you don't want to go, though, you can return to stone. um And then he goes, unless you need to give the king a detailed report of what I'm doing.

Speaker: which you know shuts gorse up and raven tells the nightmare to go ahead and lead him out the nightmare then leads them through the woods but like not on any kind of path as they progress the nightmare seems to become more agitated and gorse also questions if he knows where they're going yeah the nightmare then bends down next to a yew tree and places his hand on it he begins to speak to the tree and then the woods around them spill as if they are listening Ooh, spooky. Interesting. So Jesper comes up behind Raven and talks about the old book of Alders and how the shepherd king was born with magic and questions what his magic was. The nightmare then taps his sword three times on the tree and says the word taxes.

Speaker: Suddenly the ground shakes and the forest was moving. The roots coming up from the ground, the tree just snapping, the leaves picking up everywhere. And then the nightmare taps once more and everything stops.

Speaker: And once it settles, a path is there. Ooh. Jesper asks what a Texas is, and the nightmare explains it's an old name for an old twisted tree.

Speaker: He suggested that it wasn't sheep that he shepherded. Mm-hmm. As they continue down the path, the Nightmare continues to get more and more agitated. Raven preferred the Nightmare to have this kind of scowl on Elspeth's face because it reminded him less of her. yeah They all start to notice that they're being stalked by wolves.

Speaker: When Raven tries to get the Nightmare's attention by telling him they need to get to higher ground, he ignores them. Or he ignores Raven. Yeah. So then Raven pulls out his nightmare card, taps it, and speaks to him telling him he is talking to him. But when Raven enters his mind, he hears the nightmare screaming, asking, where are you, Elizabeth? Why won't you answer me? Creepy.

Speaker: In the audiobook, he is screaming. It is desperate. oh It sounds like he's lost his child. oh Like, it's scary. So... Raven misses a step and actually runs into the Nightmare, who whirls and grabs Raven's throat.

Speaker: Raven then starts to think of the time that Lyndon and Hoth had been maimed by her, and her fingers, you know, looked like fingers, but the magic underneath made them deadly. So the Nightmare scolds Raven about entering his and Elisabeth's mind uninvited. But Raven just asks him if he can't find Elspeth. The nightmare's face quickly shifts to something like despair. Yeah, Raven panics at this point, asking him to let her out, let him talk to her.

Speaker: Jesper approaches, telling them that they need to move on because of the wolves at their back. And the nightmare responds that they're close. They arrive at the mirrored lake that was mentioned in the barter's. They all collect themselves and Raven asks the nightmare why the wolves are just waiting about 50 yards away.

Speaker: He explains that they won't risk their lives when the water would kill them for them. Raven asks if it's poison, but the nightmare says it's magic. Raven realizes that they pretty much got to swim across the lake. Yeah.

Speaker: The nightmare explains that the spirit of the wood wants a barter and they will each give the lake a drop of blood and will do what it is its will. and If they survived that, she would grant them safe passage for their next destination to barter. Raven goes first, cutting his thumb, and then the rest follow. Raven makes a point to tell the Nightmare not to get Elspeth a scar.

Speaker: and and I love that. Yeah, right? The Nightmare has, like, a pain expression. And when Raven asks what's happening, like, what's happening... Like, can he not reach Elspeth? The nightmare just tells him to swim fast before diving into the lake.

Speaker: And so everyone starts to jump in and Raven looks down at his reflection, seeing the highwayman looking back at him. He makes sure Jess is close and then jumps in the water.

Speaker: Sorry. While swimming, Raven notices the highwayman he saw staring back at him just moments ago is now grabbing his ankle. Then a voice tells him to stop swimming and that he's found freedom from behind the mask and he can be with Elspeth, be who he wants.

Speaker: This is a test, obviously, from the spirit of wood. After kicking the highwayman in the face, Raven comes up for air and... uh and looks and listens for his group he sees wick and then peter who tells them that there are demons in the water he hears gorse in the distance and then finds jesper the nightmare is already almost across yeah he's like i'm hooked in it i'm out so raven yells to jess use the black horse to swim faster she disappears for a second then re-emerges and is stronger and swimming like way faster horse also does the same yeah

Speaker: Raven and the Ivy Brothers, though, were kind of still in the middle of the lake. So Raven grabs his knife and prepares for the Highwaymen underneath this time. It tells him to stay, but Raven takes his knife and stabs the Highwaymen monster thing. english Yeah.

Speaker: in the shoulder and it screams and then disappears. When Raven returns to the surface of the water, he sees Peter getting cold underneath. The monster that was kind of grabbing Peter looks like him, but was dressed as a destrier.

Speaker: So, Then the monster kind of had Peter's leg in its claws, and Raven goes down and tries to kick the monster to let go, but he wouldn't. So at that point, Raven wraps his arms around Peter, and he yanks as hard as he could.

Speaker: They both resurface, and Raven's only goal at this point was to get Peter to shore. So they make it to the embankment, and when Raven drags him up, the monster's actually still attached to his leg. Ah, man, he got it in death row. Yeah. Yeah.

Speaker: So the monster is, you know, continuing to dig his claws into Peter until the shepherd king uses his sword to behead the monster. Love it. we' Raven notices Peter's wound. It's bad. Like, yeah not normal.

Speaker: The blood is coming out like sludge. And then it starts to smell like rotting flesh. They realize that the smell is coming from the wound. ah The nightmare walks up next to Raven and peers down to look at the wound that says, how unfortunate there is poison in the water.

Speaker: Okay, sarcastic. All right, dude. Okay, Taryn, thank you. So chapter 23, we get Elspeth's perspective. And so Praxis finally reads her through a rhyme about the spindle tree.

Speaker: In the wood, the spindle tree is slight, a delicate tree against pale wind and light. But how the tree carries and how the roots dig, she weathers all storms no matter their fight.

Speaker: i I had to include that. It was so good. and It's a great quote. It is. But then also, I just love the, that was how he first reached her with the infection was with the the rhyme. Yeah. so he reached her again that way. So she calls out for taxes and he pulls her up from the water, begging her not to leave him with these fools.

Speaker: Like, LOL. Jesus Christ. Yeah. I'm so annoyed with them and it's so funny. He's like, please, it's not these fools. Yep. So she can hear familiar voices as Taxus warns her that she'll see and hear everything that he does if he takes her from the beach, but she will be unable to control anything. That's kind of scary. Yeah.

Speaker: As Raven calls for the Nightmare's help, Elspeth repeats her first words from the shore. Let me out. Ooh. It's so good. Okay, we switch back to Raven's perspective. So we switch to Raven's point of view.

Speaker: Peter is still badly injured. His leg keeps emitting that kind of horrific odor. And when Raven asks the Nightmare if he knows anything about the poison, the Nightmare's eyes are kind of glazed over.

Speaker: And so, Jasper kind of heats up her blade and has Wick pressed against his brother's leg to stick stop the poisonous infection, because even if it's poison, they have to stop the blood.

Speaker: the wound shuts initially, but then continues to open after each attempt. Like it's just prying itself open. Wow. So Raven at this point pleads with the nightmare for help and the nightmare doesn't respond at first, but when Raven screams at him to help, he kind of like snaps out of it. Yeah. Yeah.

Speaker: And so the nightmare tells Raven to give Peter the maiden card and to make him use it, all while kind of having a little conversation with himself. Yeah, like in his head. Yeah. As Raven digs the card out of his pocket, the nightmare card and the mirror card fall to the ground. Uh-oh. The maiden card heals the wound as well as the scar along his face and his other imperfections. So obviously, again, you know, like everything.

Speaker: Peter comes to and says he can't feel the pain anymore and then asks if the maiden healed him. The nightmare isn't paying attention, but, you know, still... very much distracted by this inner monologue he's having. Yeah. The inner conversation he's having with Elspeth.

Speaker: And, like, he's audibly saying, you can hear the Nightmare saying, you know, I am helping you. Like, yeah, something's going on. Yeah. So, just for questions, who he's talking to, but they're kind of interrupted and, of course, sees the cards on the ground and questions them. but Yeah, because he only knows of the one Nightmare card. Yeah. like, he's him but suddenly raven dives to the ground for the nightmare card and then packs it and he hears elspeth's voice calling him for the first time

Speaker: Oh, it's so good. But then the nightmare quickly interjects, telling him that she needs time to adjust. And Raven tells him no. But the nightmare just instantly, like, kicks him out of his mind anyways. I mean, impressing he can do that. I think that's It's great.

Speaker: Raven then releases himself from the card and then lunges for the nightmare, slamming him into the mud. Like, it's all so elegant. I'm like, bud, you're so tackled.

Speaker: Bud. The Nightmare teases him by saying that his magical split and asks who will be revealed. Captain, Highwayman, or Beast yet unknown. Raven simply states he would do damage to him if it wouldn't hurt Elspeth. o And the Nightmare just like perfectly smiles up at him.

Speaker: Yeah, he knows. He's like, I know you want to, but you can't. Exactly. so they get further away from the river before they decide to kind of like settle and eat uh the nightmare gives them some aspen bark to cure whatever lake water they might have swallowed because clearly there might be something in it and then water is about to use being dumb because he's like wouldn't y'all have known this like how do y'all not know this like common knowledge i guess i for them For him. For him, but like it's been 500 years. That's true. But Raven, is he's just so relieved that Elspeth's alive. like

Speaker: Completely beyond relief. Oh my god. The audiobook does a really good job of like portraying his tone. It desperate oh so as they settle around the fire raven and everyone else kind of notice his gorse keeping an eye on raven and jesper breaks the tension and asks gorse to go ahead and say whatever he wants to say and you kind of ask if the king knows about his little card collection and raven why wouldn't he i love that yeah it's like i'm not lying

Speaker: and But Gorse said that Hoth used to say that the youths were thieves. Ugh. I hate him. But Raven pulls out his nightmare card and uses it to go into Gorse's mind. He's like, it you want to play Gorse?

Speaker: Let's play games. Which obviously Boris is like immediately freaked out and asked him to stop. He's like, I don't think you stole it. don't think that. Yeah. Okay. And Peter lifts up the main card, you know, obviously kind of defusing the tension, saying how it was a nice surprise. And Jesper mentions that it could have been his little coin a co that saved him. That's funny.

Speaker: Raven notices that Peter has completely healed his scar gone even though he stopped using the maiden card. So like it whatever heals stays healed. That's a new new learning. Yes. Obviously we knew that it healed them. We didn't know if it stayed after. Mm-hmm.

Speaker: So Wick mentions that the Nightmare knew that it would heal him. And Raven says he probably knows a lot about them. You know, just for saying, too bad he's wholly unwilling to share them. Yep. Like, I love that. It's so funny.

Speaker: So they all separate to kind of change. And when they regroup, the force isn't there. The Nightmare says that he saw him leave five minutes ago, probably going to tell the king. Uh, yeah. Yeah. So the nightmare makes a comment about not wanting to follow a liar through the woods, like talking about gorse and Jasper.

Speaker: He isn't the only one, like honestly, but even so they keep moving forward. Yep. So we're back to Elm's point of view for chapter 25. And Philip kind of somewhat apologizes to Elm, who's sketching in the library. but he also warns him of his growing attachment to Ioni. Yeah. Since he's, you know, obviously his brother's fiance. Right. Then Philip suggests that Elm goes and sees Hoth, you least for appearance's sake.

Speaker: He's like, have you gone to see him? He's like, no, I haven't. Yeah, why are you doing that? Honestly. I'm sorry, even yeah, they're her blood related, but like, no. No, he's terrible. Yeah. Elm and Filik discuss the group that left for the Twin Alders card, you know, kind of like their timeline and the Nightmare's promise to use his blood to unite the deck. But Filik definitely points out that it's technically Elspeth's blood.

Speaker: And that makes Elm really hurt for Raven. he's like He really feels for him. He's like, I cannot imagine what Raven's going through dealing with this right now. Especially because he has Ionia now. Like he's like, now he gets it.

Speaker: So Elm continues to switch without thinking. And Felix just kind of reminds him about dinner. But when Elm claims that he'll be absent, he's he's kind of accused of, yeah are we planning on another drunken appointment in the cellar? Oh my God. He's so sassy. Calling out. Calling out. I love it.

Speaker: so Elm kind of thinks about how he could never forget a previous night and that he's still kind of fighting to stay away from Ioni, but he was incredibly and incredibly vulnerable with her so he's kind of kept his distance yeah obviously after that that's not new that is incredibly new for him that's not something he's done so yeah like it's hard for him to be around her because he was so open and when he looks down at his drawing at his drawing it's ione So he crumples the drawing and kind of complains about his father dangling the eligible daughters on top of forcing him to take Hoth's place. It kind of sucks. like Yeah, he's like, not only am I losing my future the future that I thought I had, now have all this responsibility on top of me. now he's foisting all of these chicks upon me and I have to choose them. I'm like, no. It's too much. So, Felix just offers his opinion that Elm would make a great king as one who truly cares and wants to change blunder before making his exit.

Speaker: So, Elm kind of stays behind and contemplates using the maiden card to free himself from these expectations, but definitely, you know, immediately realizes how dangerous that would be. you know, healing Hoth means all of All his cruelty comes back too.

Speaker: And his cruelty towards Ione. Yes. Specifically that. Yeah. Yeah. Suddenly, Maribeth Larch appears in the library and she's like trying to flirt with Elm. like This is so funny to me. like bending over the bookshelves to show off her cleavage. Like, hon, reel it in. You're good. but no But she, like, noticed that he'd been drawing, so she's like, oh, yeah, what are you drawing? oh my God. And, like, trying to, like, make conversation. So Elm then asks her, you know, are you offering the pose? And so she's like, guess.

Speaker: Takes a seat and bears her leg. Paint me like one of your French girls. I thought it was so funny that she literally just, like, bears one leg. know. I'm like, oh, so scandalous, man. Oh, my And Elm realizes that she's, like, legitimately trying to, like, proposition him. Yeah. About how little that would be.

Speaker: He's like, I used to, like I want, you know, back in the day I used to probably with like partake. I would take her up on that offer. But now if I were to do that, it would just be an incredibly lonely experience. I wouldn't feel anything. Yeah.

Speaker: um he truly just really wants to be seen and understood more anything and he remembers that Ione was that way with him last night and then tells Meribeth that she doesn't have to continue her attempted seduction and he noticed her nervousness and thinks that like someone in her family had kind of put her up to this which is probably fair it's probably true I mean especially if you Ione. Ione got there. Yeah. and yeah So she goes to leave and believes that the king already has to pick out for him. Like he picked Ione for off.

Speaker: the Elm realizes that there must have been a marriage contract due to the trade of the nightmare. Yeah. Like at mention of Ione's like the trade thing. He's like, huh, wait, it's gotta be some kind of contract. Yeah.

Speaker: So Elm finds Baldwin, the king's steward, announcing guests for dinner, and Elm asks where all the contracts are kept. And Baldwin keeps announcing people. He's like, I don't care about you, bro. He's like, don't talk to me. While kind of telling him that they're kept in and a locked area in the library.

Speaker: Yeah. And so Elm's keys, you know, because he's supposed to be responsible for the kings the keys of the castle, but he can never remember them, so left them with Raven, and Raven left. So he left them with Filic, but Baldwin actually took them. It's not not a physician's responsibility. Right. So, yeah.

Speaker: He reluctantly then gives the keys to Elm, and Elm takes off without knowing which key it actually is. Jesus Christ. el oxford needs to Come on, man. and Yeah. eventually he does find the right key and he looks through all the contracts like just kind of like cruising them set off like in certain sections based on what they're about and then he finds the marriage contract for Hoff and Ione after reading it a few times he smiles and slips it out of the room not locking the door behind him you know i don't care like I'm a piss poor gesture and a prince so ain't locking it that's great

Speaker: Oh, we know where this is going. um Next chapter, we get Elizabeth's point of view. So, Elizabeth is furious with the nightmare for cutting her hair. She then describes the new place she's in.

Speaker: a room where she couldn't feel her body, but she could control her voice. And the room kind of reminded her of the chamber in the meadow with the one window. a hole in the darkness.

Speaker: And she could see kind of what the nightmare saw now. And she could see Raven. Raven. can actually see him. Yay. Up ahead with Jesper. And then she kind of describes the contrast between all the colors of the mist and the forest, like compared to the dark shore that she was stuck on. Like I loved this description because she's like, even the mist had colors I'd never seen before. yeah And I was like, I've been there. Like when you're like in a dark room for a long time and you go outside. It's sensory overload. It's crazy. Like, I don't know.

Speaker: She does a great job describing it. Yeah. So she asks the Nightmare if this is what it was like for him. And he just kind of like comes and responds. Raven looks back and gives the Nightmare a look. But the Nightmare returns back. And Elspeth can feel in the Nightmare's head that he enjoys messing with Raven. I love it. Mm-hmm.

Speaker: She's like, he just, he, he, he's having fun with this. He loves poking the bear. Elizabeth remembers seeing herself in the stream earlier and was absolutely horrified. um She questions what to call her body, but for now it was his.

Speaker: So like, she wouldn't have to reconcile with anything that he did. Makes sense. Yeah. She's like, is it me? No, it's him. Well, anything that happens is on him, not me. Yeah. Right. right yes he is controlling your body it is not your body it is now his like you're just an a new willing passion passenger yes so elspeth you know kind of complains about her appearance and the nightmare says that this way is best so that raisin raisin raisin no That this way is best so that Raven doesn't startle.

Speaker: ah Like, he doesn't, like, get shocked every yeah time he sees her, you know, thinking it's Elspeth, saying that he was getting annoyed with his eyes. But he's just so heartbroken, bro. I mean, can you imagine looking at your partner, at your loved one?

Speaker: and seeing them and then it and then it takes a minute for the rest of it. It's like a completely different person. Oh my God, no. Wild. When Elspeth says that she doesn't really care what the nightmare feels, he laughs and the group is really unsettled by it.

Speaker: But Raven tells them to- be It's creepy. creepy. And Raven tells them to ignore him, but Jesper kind of teases him saying, because you do such a fine job at that. And he's like, he says, do as I say, not as I do.

Speaker: I'm like that's true we love sibling bonding that is why is that accurate I love the sibling bonding in this book so the nightmare chimes in to this cute little moment making it not saying that elspeth thinks raven doesn't find her beautiful anymore so going on to say that elspeth is also not happy about her haircut and after that raven pulls out his card to talk to her because he's like okay now can talk her but the nightmare you know prevents it telling raven he never learns but then elspeth asks to let him in

Speaker: Raven tells the Nightmare that if he saw her look at her hair, she can see him now. Wait. Yeah, that's right. Yeah. Raven tells the Nightmare that if she saw her look at her hair, she can see him now. And Elspeth supports her man, saying, you know, he isn't a fool. Mm-hmm.

Speaker: The Nightmare says he is, though. And when she tells him to take it back, the Nightmare tells Raven that Elspeth thinks he's stupid. ah hate this. This part got so annoying because was like Nightmare, there's no way she's saying this. First time they're talking.

Speaker: And just, yeah. yeah So Elspeth begs the nightmare to speak to him, but he explains that keeping them separate has its purpose because he needs to focus on getting the twin elders. That's fair.

Speaker: Yeah. She says he has nothing to do with them, so let her speak to him. Jasper asks what he's saying, and Raven tells her he's debating on whether or not to let him in. i think that's so funny yeah she's like what's happening so Elsa tweets one last time and the nightmare lets Raven in and so he comes in and once they're together they both kind of apologize for everything that has happened even though it's neither of their faults Yeah.

Speaker: So, like, ah it's so sad. And Elfeth says she wishes she could have had more time with Raven. And Raven vows that they'll get that time together before the nightmare just cuts them off completely. h Yeah.

Speaker: When they're both obviously reluctant to break their connection, suddenly arrows start flying above them. we can't catch a break. Yeah. Each arrow has a glass vial that would break on impact, releasing some type of smoke.

Speaker: Oh, no. The nightmare collapses it and can only see, like, the Ivy Brothers on the ground. Oh, no. Peter was unconscious, and Wick had an arrow sticking out of his head. me The nightmare says they could have prevented being overtaken and hadn't been in the test. Oh my god. I mean, i mean, that is fair, but also they're not expecting arrows in the, this far in the midst. Right.

Speaker: So yeah, so Avos comes out saying please to have caught two more dust carriers. What? What? Who is this person? Two more. What? Two more? Oh my god.

Speaker: good ah Well, we're going back to Elm's point of view now. So Elm is kind of taunting his drunken father and observing the attendees of the night's feast. They're all adorned with sprigs from their family trees. And the king berates Elm for not knowing since he missed the first time. He's like, you would have known this if you could have known. Yeah.

Speaker: And so the king asks about Emery and the youth, and Elm shares that Emery is doing better now that he's home. And Elm thinks back on his return to Castle Yu, you know, how his true home feels. Yeah. You know?

Speaker: And he shares everything with Vanir and Moret. You know, Ione, the Inquest, being named heir. He also trusted them to protect the marriage contract he took from the king. Mm-hmm.

Speaker: Back to the present, Elm notices his father is drunk and gives him a decision. He wants an official document announcing him as heir, on the condition that the king honor any agreement Elm makes regarding a wife.

Speaker: Obviously, the king is suspicious, but Elm just claims it's someone he's already approved of. Who? The king agrees, and Elm searches for Ione, noticing that she's not there.

Speaker: He leaves the feast to search for her and hears some voices, recognizing Lyndon. He gets to the fifth floor and sees Lyndon gripping Ione tightly and calling her a traitor. Oh, hell no. Yeah.

Speaker: So Elm uses his scythe to get Lyndon to stand down, but he tries to explain that Ione shouldn't be wandering around alone. Lyndon even calls out Elm since he's supposed to be her watchman.

Speaker: When Lyndon tries to kind of fight Elm, Elm's order to let go of Ione's face, Elm continues to command him to never go near her again. And he tries to argue against that until Elm threatens him. Hmm.

Speaker: This whole interaction just enrages Lyndon, but he agrees and walks off once released from the sights, hold. And Iona got word him, but Elm just wants to know why she was headed to the garden in the first place. Yeah.

Speaker: She goes, why do you think, clever prince? Sassy. Elm can tell she's angry and immediately apologizes for being away, but he thought he was avoiding her. They kind of tease each other for a bit before Ioni goes to return to her realm.

Speaker: She tells Elm he won't be invited in, but he just wants to know which room is hers so he can pick her up in the morning. They're going to continue to go her maiden card other guards to help them.

Speaker: Great. So we switch back to Elspeth's point of view. And once the nightmare goes unconscious, Elspeth sees taxes as memories. The shepherd king is talking to the trees, kind of whispering. They tell him that the spirit is happy that people are coming to the woods to ask for blessings.

Speaker: As he makes a flower crown for his sister, Iris, he tells the trees that the gift of the spirit blesses to those infected always bring a price. Mm-hmm. And they tell him nothing is free.

Speaker: And he explains that the magic is degenerative and people become sick. And there must be another safer way to use magic. And they respond, nothing is free. Nothing is safe.

Speaker: a So ominous. Especially coming from trees. Yeah, right. Okay. Wow. ah sorry um He explains how he shepherded the land to make it a great kingdom, but it's not time to shepherd the people, but it's now time to shepherd the people and to tell them what he must do for the spirit to make magic safer.

Speaker: The trees tell him to drop blood on the stone that the spirit left for him. He hurries towards the stone, cutting his finger and letting three blood drops fall onto it. The stone suddenly opens and then the voice of the trees tell him, to bleed is the first step.

Speaker: Drop your blood on the stone. The next is to barter at the price with your own. The last is to bend, for magic does not twist. You'll lose your old self like getting lost in a mist.

Speaker: The spirit will guide you, which she keeps a long sword. She'll grant you You'll grant what you ask, but you'll always want more. I love that quote. Also, I don't know if you noticed this part.

Speaker: You remember the names of parts? Mm-hmm. Yeah. Part one, the first part is to bleed. Part one was part two is to bleed. harder it's Part two. in the Yep. Which is what part three is called. It's so good.

Speaker: I love that quote. It's so good. Mm-hmm. So, He explains that he wants to prevent magic from degenerating and to heal the fever. The voice tells him there will be many more barters before that happens.

Speaker: And so he asks for strength and she tells him to bring him a black horse from his stable. His vision falters and now he's in the woods with his shepherd crooks toward. He searches the area for movement and notices a shadow. And then they were fighting.

Speaker: The shepherd king calls him to fall and asks if he concedes. The opponent pulls out a black horse card and then taps it three times. He tells him he was right and the card is for great strength and that he could have beaten him if he wasn't able to cheat and see the cards. who As I walk back from the training session, Taxus tells the man to keep the card, saying there are more and that he has a way of bartering with the spirit of the wood. you know The man asks Taxus if he would give one of his cards to just a guard, but he responds that he wants him to be captain of his guard.

Speaker: Taxus laughs as he is taken aback. Ooh. So Taxus goes on to say that he will need something to his name if he is going to continue flirting with his sister. ah Looking embarrassed, he asked if Iris told him about their relationship, but he said it was pretty easy to read.

Speaker: And then studying the man, Taxus says, perhaps one day I'll make a card to read to your mind too, Brutus Rowan. yeah Dun dun. Brutus Rowan and Iris. Yeah.

Speaker: So she sees more memories of cards being created and the barbers that it took. Then she remembers his wife, Petra, and getting married. Then nine months later, Petra gave birth to their first son, Bennett, who had gray eyes.

Speaker: Which were hers. Petra's eyes were gray, too. When she gave Bennett to taxes, he realized that he wanted to hold his Providence cards instead. oh that the cards were the only thing that made him smile. Oh my God. He took Bennett to the wood to ask the spirit to bless him with magic, which she did, but was told that his magic was the antithesis of Texas's own. So Bennett's power is the opposite of his.

Speaker: Interesting. And that was their own secret. So more children are born, boys with yellow eyes, Lenore, Fennell, the twins, Afton and Iliac.

Speaker: Yeah. He had taken all of them to be blessed by the spirit, but she didn't grant any of them magic. Mm-hmm. Then a little girl was born. Tilly. Aw, Tilly.

Speaker: And the spirit gifted her with strange, wonderful magic. Tilly could heal with the touch of her hand, often not even realizing it. Wow. It would hurt when she would heal you, but after the there wouldn't even be a scar.

Speaker: Interesting. And although every time Tilly healed, it caused her to degenerate. So he decided to make his next Providence card. He asked the spirit for magic that healed. Magic that made its user as beautiful and unblemished as a pink rose.

Speaker: Tilly's favorite flower. So that's why the maiden card makes you pretty and heal. Yeah. It's all for Tilly. I'm going cry.

Speaker: And so then Petra passed away before Tilly turns forward. And when he buried her, he doesn't realize that he's going to dig her back up later to forge the mirror card. Ooh. I hate that line, but I had to include it because it's so, it's so creepy. So creepy. Yeah.

Speaker: But before the mirror, he made a card that would bend the will of others to him. As Taxus walks into the chamber, Brutus asks what the price was for it, and he tells him his sleep. Lord. Brutus questions if the spirit is asking too much of him.

Speaker: As Taxus begins to cut his palm to drop on a stone, he tells him that providence cards are a gift because their magic is measured and people who use them don't degenerate. Mm-hmm. Brutus tells him that gifts are free, but he angrily tells him nothing is free. he Nothing is free.

Speaker: The stone opens and Texas' blood falls into it. He taps the maiden card he has to give his palm. Then he sees four blood red cards and scythe on them. of He winks and then hands one to Brutus.

Speaker: He tells him to keep the kingdom in check. and that his time is better spent in the chamber. He also tells him to be careful because to command this card is to command pain.

Speaker: Brutus responds saying he should be careful because now people are going to start coming to him for his cards instead of asking the spirit herself. Yep, any kind of magic. Taxus tells him that he sounds like his sister and he says that she's kind of rubbed off on him.

Speaker: He smiles at Brutus and he says that the spirit gave him the cards and he knows he uses them for good. Yep. So. Brutus responds, even so, be wary, clever, and good.

Speaker: And he teases back about him being none of those. Brutus says that that's why his sister's married to him. They playfully punch each other and laugh. with Memory fades. It's an autumn day. as taxes goes back to the chamber, abandoning the castle in the distance, going to go ask for another providence card.

Speaker: The voice asks, what power does he want now? He explains. He wants to be able to know someone's thoughts to enter a person's mind. To save the aggravation of pleasantries. And saying that know Brutus has been distant.

Speaker: And when the spirit asks him. If he has considered. you know Talking to Brutus. About why he's withdrawn. He says that he's just not blunt with him. yeahp The trees warn him. That entering another person's mind. Can be quite a feat. She says if he wants to be able to forge this card. He must give her his soul.

Speaker: When he walks away from the chamber. With the two nightmare cards in hand. A mist had formed around the chamber, smelling of salt. We're

Speaker: back to Raven's point of view. know Okay, what's going on in the woods? You're back in the action. Okay, so Raven comes through and he has a terrible headache. He takes it to his surroundings, building a tall wall made of earth and wood. He can't see more as he can't move and is tied to a book.

Speaker: Oh, good. Yeah. He begins to panic and calls for Jesper, who is also tied up nearby. The nightmare is tied up, he kind of seems to be talking to himself, but answers Raven when he asks how everyone is with, I'm tied to a post with a grating headache and a dimest use in five centuries.

Speaker: Never been better. i love him. messed up laughing so hard. He is so sassy, and I love it so much. But also, like, come on, these are trying. Come on, please. Come on.

Speaker: Peter obviously is very upset that his brother is dead and desperate does her best to comfort him. Raven asks about Elspeth and the Nightmare mentions that she won't stop talking and blames it for being the cause of their current situation. i mean, fair.

Speaker: Yeah. So they try to figure out where they are and who has them, but they only know it was two women. Peter sees their weapons off to the side near the wall and the Nightmare they all know that someone's coming and they attain Raven's cards. Uh-oh.

Speaker: The group is approached by two women dressed similar to highwaymen, but with animal skulls as masks. They introduce themselves as Blunder's Blight, the ones sent into the mist.

Speaker: I knew it. Yep. It's not a very secure fort. And we learned that the two women are named Otho, who has a ram skull, and Hesis. I'm not, I didn't listen to that. I've been saying Hesis. Okay. Okay. We're saying Hesis. Sorry if it's wrong.

Speaker: And she has a wolf skull. So Hesus doesn't believe that the king would keep an infected nephew around, and since he has a charm, she doesn't think he's infected. Oof.

Speaker: Yeah, it's kind of hard to explain that. Well, yeah, it's not obviously visible, you know? Yeah. And he can't really, like, shows magic uh so he explains the degeneration and jesper asks what their magic is hezes can see through the eyes of crows and otho is an alchemist when they rough up jesper the nightmare warms them and then suddenly the ladies notice them they're like oh yeah yeah who's this who's this bitch yeah they know he's not a dust reer but they were confused by the sword they took off of him he answers in a riddle Bobby. Because why would he ever get straight answer? And Raven tries to explain another st stronghold far from the king's reach where infected children are brought for safety.

Speaker: Ooh. Hesis doesn't believe them because it was highwaymen that brought them in. Obviously not dusters. Okay, but they were dressed up too. And they all try to defend Raven and explain, but also is still upset that he's continued to follow the king. Right. He's like, no matter what you're following the king, like, you you ain't good. Yeah.

Speaker: Pessus then punches Raven repeatedly and breaks his nose. Raven explains they're in the woods to search for the twin Aldersguard to unite the deck and heal the infection.

Speaker: He promises not to say anything about their location Even welcomes them to come to Castle U for help after solstice. They just need to be released. Jesper even mentions their brother being infected, but they don't care.

Speaker: There are people on the floor that lost people to Destriers, and they plan to get payment in Destrier blood. um Suddenly, everyone comes out of their homes wearing bone masks. Okay, creepy.

Speaker: All but one man who's being led by a rope. Gorse. That's what they mean by two more Destriers. Okay. Okay. okay okay okay i Oh.

Speaker: Oh. Oh.

Speaker: goris gets a rid crop with rocks sand jassper gets a club with rusty nails in it and raven gets a rustedy the kin of a rowan ah as they realized they're about to fight also approaches and blows smoke into each of their faces she claims it's magic alchemized by rage and hate oh no raven feels hot and then turns on the nightmare calling him out for not helping elspeth boo Raven, you know, did not mean to say it, but it seems like the crowd was like expecting it. Right.

Speaker: So this makes Raven realize that it was awful both those, i keep flip-flopping, both those magic. It made them angry and hateful. He continues to call out the nightmare who just snaps right back at him. Yeah. And Gorse laughs and Jesper calls him a coward, which pisses him off.

Speaker: And then starts the fighting. yeah They're all fighting and treating insults, but Raven attacks Gorse after being called a traitor. He takes him down is and is being hit by Gorse until Raven grabs his throat and crushes Gorse's windpipe. Oh, oh.

Speaker: This part is so bad. Yeah, no, reading this, I was, I had my hand over my mouth because I was just like, this is crazy. And the she wrote it so descriptively. I, ah ah so shivers because I know. Yes.

Speaker: The crowd cheers at his death. Well, we didn't like him. And the magic kind of seems to dissipate immediately. Interesting. Suddenly, a woman walks into the ring and is staring at the nightmare.

Speaker: It's Elsa's Aunt Opal and her cousins. Happy to see she's alive! Aunt Opal! Aunt Opal! So the courtyard quickly empties and Raven's hands are shaking. Obviously. Opal's facing Elspeth but realizes that it isn't her anymore and, you know, begins to cry.

Speaker: She wonders why they were imprisoned when they had helped her and Jesper asks how they even ended up there to begin with. Yeah. Hesse's claims that the stronghold that Raven mentioned was full, so she brought Opal and the boys here yeah this place. And Jesper explains everything that happened at Sniddle House, you know, catching Opal up, and Raven is back at the post with Peter in the Nightmare.

Speaker: Peter mentions a knife hidden in his boot that hadn't been taken, and Raven sneaks it from him and goes to cut the Nightmare's restraints while Otho and Hesus are distracted by the jail. Mm-hmm.

Speaker: Elspeth makes the Nightmare apologize to Raven, still upset by what Raven said, but Raven apologizes as he was under the influence of Oco's magic. As the Nightmare looks at Raven's broken nose, he asks for the knife.

Speaker: Raven hands it over, but asks that he doesn't kill anyone. Hmm. Heases approach and offers to let them stay based on Opal's recommendation. But the nightmare jumps forward and knocks the mask on Heases' face off, breaking it. And also, like, knocking her out. Yeah. It's like, he like, punched her in the face, basically, with that mask. and All the bone fragments are in her face. Yeah. so jesper and raven stop otho and get the cards back from her pocket she's worried about them facing an inquest and damning everyone there basically but the nightmare just says i have plans for the rowans what does that mean oh we know he and peter are gathering their weapons and raven reminds opal to go to castle you if they're ever unsafe here but she's worried about elspeth and raven confirms that he will get her back oh

Speaker: The gates open and they all escape with Raven looking back to see he's just still unmoving on the ground. He's upset with the nightmare, but he just claims she'll live. And he says, all I did was pay her back for breaking your nose.

Speaker: And Raven goes, I didn't ask you to do that. And he goes, no, but Elspeth did. Love her. I'm obsessed. Also just love it's a full circle moment because Raven wrote Hoss' hand for breaking Elsa's wrist. Elsa is just doing the same, man. All right? That's that's love. That's love.

Speaker: You got messed up. going to mess them up. Yeah. Yeah. A knife for a knife. Yeah. So chapter 30 is Elm's point of view. Oh no. Elm and Ione are going through the catacombs and he can't stop staring her at her in like this, another, yet another frumpy pale gown. Yeah.

Speaker: She thinks he's being too kind because he's like, yeah, you look good. And he says that he'd think that she would appreciate some kindness from a Rowan. As they head to the vault, he asks her about what she used to feel before the maiden.

Speaker: And she shares that she used to feel everything and at first liked the dampening of her emotions. Yeah, fair. she tries to make choices at the old ione would as she wants to make sure that she can live with herself when the maiden wears off elm doesn't believe the old ioney would have killed the highwaymen but she just claims that he never really knew her he's like she's like if you think you knew me just from seeing me right through the woods Sorry, bud. No, you don't. Yeah.

Speaker: when he promises he's never lied to her she asked if we knew about elspeth

Speaker: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. They approach the vault and Elm has the guards open it. They find the king's collection, but nothing nearby is familiar to Ioni. Like her flashbacks. Mm-hmm. So Elm asks if Ioni wants him to see if the maiden is in the box. and No, the one that's in the box is hers. Yeah.

Speaker: Because there's one in the box. But she reaches in and takes it herself. She taps it three times and nothing changes. Mm-hmm. So it's not hers. But now we know. Mm-hmm.

Speaker: Right. Well, now we know that that one's not hers. Yes, but that leaves two more in the castle that they've got to track down. So Elm then grabs the prophet and they head up to the library, one of the few places in stone that Elm is comfortable Yep.

Speaker: They enter and Ioni seems amazed and Elm realizes that she brought them there to make him feel better. That's so cute. He sits down and begins to sketch to calm himself, apologizing to Ioni that Stone makess makes him anxious. Fair.

Speaker: She seems to understand how hard it is for him and mentions becoming heir. When Elm questions why she knows that, she mentions him standing and sitting in Hoth's place and at the king's side. Like it's kind of obvious. Yeah, she's like, I thought it was...

Speaker: Yeah? Yeah. He explains that the king hasn't announced it since he's waiting, but doesn't mention that it's for Elm to select a wife. Yeah. She mentions the cellar, and Elm says that he understands that she'd rather pretend it didn't happen.

Speaker: And she kind of wonders why he thinks she didn't enjoy it, and surprises him by saying that she would have stayed had they not been interrupted. Ooh. Ooh. So then they flirt a little bit, and then Baldwin appears. Damn it. Great.

Speaker: He has the papers declaring Elm as the heir, and when Ioni tries to leave, he keeps her there to be the witness, dismissing the guy that Baldwin had brought. Mm-hmm. And as he leaves, Elm notices a group of girls watching them at the table.

Speaker: He notices Yvette Laburnum, who suddenly looks perfect. He realizes that she has a maiden card as well. leaving them only one more to find. Yep. Because the knight on Elm said there was three in the castle. Yep. The one in the kings obviously wasn't it. And Yvette's got the other. Yeet.

Speaker: And even if it was Yoni's card with Yvette using it, it would have stopped Yoni's. Exactly. and yeah So Elm signs all the paperwork and everyone clears out. He pulls the card out the cards that he has out and places them on the table.

Speaker: Scythe, Mirror, and Prophet. He took the Mirror card so he could borrow the Nightmare card in Hosskram if needed. Fair. Ioni taps the Prophet card and then releases herself shortly after. Elm asks if she saw her maiden, but Ioni isn't sure what she saw.

Speaker: She describes being at the ruins behind Castle Yu with the Yu family and her father and uncle, Tyrn and Eret. And Elm. well Elm was there too, yeah. but She's being guarded by a strange and tall man with yellow eyes.

Speaker: oh He opens her hand and she's holding three cards. Maiden, Scythe, and the Twin Alders.

Speaker: What? I'm so confessal. Because the prophet shows visions, but like Elm had warned her. He's like, you know, they're not literal visions. Like, they're kind of confusing. so Happy breathing.

Speaker: Okay, we're switching back to Raven's point of view. So the group runs through the woods, chased by crows, and Raven remembers Hestus's magic. The nightmare stops, taps his sword to the ground, and whispers, asking for the way.

Speaker: The woods become completely silent before the aspen tree branches all point east. The nightmare knows they're close, and they continue to run ahead until they hit mist so dense that Peter gets tangled like in all the plants and stuff. and The nightmare stopped in front of a new wood and says they'll stop here.

Speaker: The trees in front of them formed a wall. Thousands of alder trees grown practically like woven together. Like there's no space to get through. The nightmare states the second begins at the neck of a wood where you cannot turn back though truly you should.

Speaker: Those here that enter are neither wary, clever, nor good. You know nothing of hell until you've crossed the Elderwood. Ooh! Just reading it again gave me chills. love all the riddles. It's so good.

Speaker: Hell entered the woods tomorrow, and the Nightmare summons aspen trees to form a circle around the group, i love protecting them from any predators. The Nightmare offers to fix Raven's nose, and Peter tries to offer comfort. Fair.

Speaker: Jesper thinks that she was injured too, and Raven asks the Nightmare to hand the maiden card to her. And the nightmare points out that he can't touch the card. Since he is still in Elspeth's body, her magic still applies.

Speaker: She'd absorb the object paid to create the card. Yeah. And so Jesper jesper heelser so jasper heals herself and asks the nightmare how she would absorb it. And he doesn't know, kind of suggesting it could have clogged her throat. you know, the hair strung itself around her heart, made a nest in her lungs. You know, that's so gross. I honestly had hoped it would just, like, change her hair color. Or get her, like, long hair, like, proposal. Yeah. that's Like, literally.

Speaker: that sounds awful. So, the nightmare grabs Raven's nose, confirming it's broken, and sharing that Brutus Rowan had an exacting hand with pain. Ooh. Jesper wants to know if the nightmare knew Brutus, but Peter wants to know if Brutus killed him. Ooh.

Speaker: The nightmare doesn't answer, other than admitting to knowing Brutus well. Then tells Raven to distract himself by inviting him to speak to Elspeth in his mind. She's frustrated that she can't reach for him.

Speaker: She sees that his hands are shaking. It's so sweet. The Nightmare goes to adjust his nose, and they both urge him to stay still. He doesn't want Elspeth to see him this vulnerable, but everyone comforts him.

Speaker: He struggles to admit his struggles with what he did to Gorse, and Jesper apologizes for her words in the arena, you know. The Nightmare finally takes Raven's nose, and he warns that there's no pretending.

Speaker: Death demands to be felt. It wasn't just Gorse who died in that courtyard today, but the captain of the Destriers as well. do The death demands to be felt.

Speaker: Ugh. Yeah. Like. Mm-hmm. One of my favorite quotes. For sure, hands down. I love that one, too. Jesper is using the Nightmare card to talk to Elspeth before handling handing it back Raven.

Speaker: Elspeth tells him to rest and compliments his nose. Jesper and Raven chat for a bit, you know. Nightmare mentions having a sister. They were twisted and interrupted together as children before leaving them to the other side of the circle.

Speaker: They don't like the feeling of the Nightmare's yellow eyes on them, but are always reminded of the man before the monster. They lean against each other for the night like so many knights as destriers and highwaymen together.

Speaker: He tells Jasper to stay close and she says, I always do. Yeah. Hmm. Chandler, stop crying. I'm sorry.

Speaker: i just read ahead, so I know. i know, I know. And I am ahead a little bit more now, too. so Almost there. You're almost there. I'm almost there. I know. We're back to Elm's point of view for chapter 32. The third feast for Elm starts, and it's themed after the Providence Quotes.

Speaker: Everyone is dressed, you know, pretty predictably. Only a couple of the outfits are the ordinary. iron gate or the golden egg those were funny to me the golden egg was from little like a fat belly or something yeah it was like a pillow like an egg yeah thought that was funny His father is dressed in red with knife card, but no one was wearing black except for the Destriers and Elm, of course. Yeah.

Speaker: Elm looks over the hall to try to find Ioni and finds her with a group of women. They're all playing a game with the well card. Ooh. Elm notices that Ioni was wearing burgundy dress and her fingers were painted black, obviously representing the nightmare card. Honestly, I'm not going to lie.

Speaker: The description of her, I was like, ooh, girl's Killing it. I loved it. like This is our queen. Pause. Sorry. I was dying. you know That is our queen.

Speaker: That is our queen. Elm, who had been dancing with a girl. Who he had paid no attention to at all. Yeah. Completely oblivious to her. He gains the dance and then kind of steps to the crowd.

Speaker: When the women see him coming, Ione turns around and Elm notices that her eyelids were painted yellow like the monster on the card. I'm like her cousin's eyes right now. Uh-huh.

Speaker: She tells him that ah she's surprised to see him not inside thread. And he says that she's surprised that she is an inmate in pink. Yeah. But she tells him there's nothing wrong with pink.

Speaker: And then tells him he looks like a rich highwayman. I'm like, you have no idea. i mean, yeah. He is. He is a rich highwayman. He's the prince.

Speaker: Yeah, he did on the nose, Ioni. Yep. A woman from the group says that he's in black for the black horse, but Elm and Ione both respond that he isn't. And she almost smiles. They love it. She's like, nah.

Speaker: Elm asks her about the outfit, and she explains that his father sent it for her and to have and like wanted her to be painted up like that. Okay, now it's not cool.

Speaker: Yeah, it's not. ah I still think it looks cool. Because I don't think it's described as being like a bumper looking dress. No, that it's still high neck. It is. but it Yeah. Yeah. um Yeah, that's true. Yeah.

Speaker: So Elm realizes that all the clothes she's been given kind of have a collar around her neck. Like you said, it has a high neck. Obviously symbolizing that she's a prisoner. yeah Elm initially thought that Ione did it of her own accord, but now that he knows it was the king, it makes him sick to his stomach. I mean, same. Yeah.

Speaker: Ione says the king probably wanted to remind her that she's only there because of the nightmare card or because he wanted to call her a monster. You know, not really good either way. I love her. She says this in front of everyone. Yeah. I mean, clearly he ain't fearing anything. She doesn't feel it. Yeah. She doesn't feel fear. At all.

Speaker: The women all speak up for her, though, saying that's not true. The women apologize Ioni about Hoth, but she kind of dismisses them and then asks Elm to go play games in the garden.

Speaker: When she gets up, Elm takes her hand and wipes it off on his shirt, and he says that he will take her wherever she wants. they reach the garden and he tells her that she isn't a monster kind of like abruptly like ah like yeah kind of out of nowhere and not aggressively but forcefully yeah but she says she isn't anything until she gets her maiden card back and I'm like aww which Elm explains is why they are there look through the gardens where she was trying to look and Lyndon had found her she explains that she went there because some of the statues have cracked stones

Speaker: They continue through the garden until it's just them, the garden, and the mist. Ione asks if he has his charm, and he shows her his horsehair bracelet. And then she asks about hers, and she pulls out a horse tooth. Let me just point out, they both have horse charms.

Speaker: Well, mean, meant to be. Well, yes. I mean, the first time he saw her was riding a horse. They're horse people. He said this. He went running away from the king, you know, a while back and he, you know, yelled out. He was like, oh, there's nothing like running through the wind. Yeah.

Speaker: They're horse people. yeah Mm-hmm. They searched through every crack and found nothing. Elma's definitely getting frustrated and then asks if she's mad at him for not finding her card yet.

Speaker: And she just tells him like it's not his fault. Yeah. And he explains that he doesn't do well with long silences because overthinking. Nah. I'm like, boy. Same.

Speaker: So we just a bunch of overthinkers over here. Okay. Yeah. Always. Nothing wrong with it. A lot wrong with it. I don't know. My kidding. We need therapy. Yes. She asks... Instead, we read books like this. Exactly.

Speaker: So she asks Stone is what bothers him or her, and he tells her that she doesn't bother him in that way. Inuendo. Mm-hmm.

Speaker: And it was hard for him to look at her without thinking about how connected they were at this point. And so he digs into his pocket and touches the scythe guard to screw them. He brings it out and asks what she wanted to do with it if she had won the wager. And she explains that she wanted to see if she would be able to kind of will herself to remember where she hid the guard.

Speaker: And he tells her that he could do it, but she says that she doesn't want anyone using the scythe on her. Fair. And Elm realizes because of hoth and he becomes livid i mean yes yeah he tells her to use it then but she quips back about how he didn't like it the last time she used it but that was you know extenuating circumstances right then they talk about how the pain they talk about the pain that the scythe causes when used yeah elm says that he's used to pain and she says that he should let everyone know what hoth did to him growing up

Speaker: He tells her that she would make a great queen and then immediately regrets it. yeah When she uses a scythe, it doesn't work. She doesn't remember anything new. Bummer. So they continue through the garden to a small pond.

Speaker: In the center of the pond, there's an old statue of Brutus Rowan. Elm asks if she remembers swimming, but her dress was ruined, so it's possible.

Speaker: Elm thinks that that's where Hoth would make her hide her car, so he starts to get undressed and swims off to the little island. Because he's like, i mean... Yeah, I'd have it somewhere hardwood get yeah hard to get to. I love this point, too. He looks at her and goes, oh, I should have asked you if you wanted to help. Yeah.

Speaker: So sassy. So Elm searches the statue but doesn't find the card and it hits the statue's chest. The statue then falls into the water, taking Elm with it.

Speaker: He finally then struggles and gets free and then swims to shore as fast as he can. But in that struggle, he lost his charm in the water. And he feels like the mist is kind of trying to take him.

Speaker: But then Ione gives her his charm. like The only thing he can say is like charm or something like that. And then they hold their hands. Once he is recovered, she tells him it would be terribly unclever to die searching for her card. He tells her that he owes her, but she says that he's helping find the card, so it's balanced.

Speaker: They walk hand in hand back to Elm's room to find his spare charm and change clothes. Filiq appears, and Elm asks him about knocking, but he dreadfully explains that Hoth is awake.

Speaker: no stop stop no so we go back to elspeth's point of view elspeth is begging the nightmare to protect her friends in the alderwood but he points out he hasn't always done the best to protect those he loved she drifts through his memories as he sleeps the first of him sitting in the chamber as a young man with Iris and Tilly coming to find him.

Speaker: Iris prompts Tilly, and she asks for him to swing in the tree with her as promised. Having given up his soul for the nightmare card, he finds it easy to tell his kids no, but Tilly says she'll wait for him in the meadow. Iris kind of accuses him of becoming a stranger, you know, due to this work.

Speaker: Yeah. Which, I like this part too, because... In these memories, we're getting flashbacks of the kids talking to them. It's the flashbacks that Elisabeth was hearing in very So, he wants a he wants a way to lift the mist and heal the infection as the trees promised him he'd be able to do. He's tired of their riddles and asks instead for a card to speak with the spirit directly.

Speaker: She won't share the price, but Taxus is willing to give anything. The smell of salt is stronger than ever before, and he passes out, hitting his head on the stone. He wakes with the 12th card, the twin elders. He tries to use the maiden card to yield his hand, but it doesn't work. Despite all he'd given to the spirit, none of the cards worked for him.

Speaker: Oh my god. That's what he gave up. His power. Lord have mercy! So the next memory shows Elspeth a decree warning, blunder, to avoid the mist.

Speaker: Then a woman is infected and begging for help in the throne room. Brutus uses his scythe to get her to leave, then warns the king about the mist becoming dangerous. The spirit is kind of forcing the infection on people and bringing about dangerous magic.

Speaker: The king orders Brutus to stand down until he's able to cure the mist, not arrest anyone that's been infected. Brutus gives Taxus a hard time about borrowing himself away for the cards, but Taxus just reminds him of the benefits that he's gotten from the scythe guard given to him and knows about his abuse with it.

Speaker: So he's like, dude. Brutus just claims that the king is too busy with his book and that he was given the power to protect the kingdom. The king doesn't care and tells Brutus that he'll kill him if he finds out that this life was used to kill another. Taxus then calls out his son, Bennett, as he's able to see the cards he has with him.

Speaker: A nightmare and a mirror card. This is after Brutus left, by the way. Yeah. Yeah. Bennett suggests listening to Brutus, but the king isn't worried about degeneration. Bennett points out that he can't use certain cards anymore, but the king hints at a stronger power that could undo my wife's work. h Why is it?

Speaker: Right. Bennett then begs his father to join them for dinner as all the kids miss him. Taxis dismisses him and Bennett accuses him of never really being there.

Speaker: The memory shifts Taxis leaving the castle and being caught by Iris. He explains that he'll be looking for the spirit of the wood to ask her to withdraw the mist. Iris offers to a walk-in walk with him through the woods as if they were children again.

Speaker: Despite not being able to feel much anymore, His sister's presence was a comfort to him, so he agrees. The two are at the edge of the alderwood with the trees telling them of the path to the spirit.

Speaker: They step into the mist, but it seems to overwhelm Iris. And the warmth of the sun snuffed out.

Speaker: This is not good. I was like, no. No, no, no, no, no. no no So we go back to Elm's point of view. I'm dreading it. So, Phyllic leads Elm and Ione to Hoth's room.

Speaker: Elm is nauseous with nerves and tells Ione she doesn't have to go in when she says she doesn't want to. He enters and then the stench of blood does nothing to help with the stomach.

Speaker: So, he stands off to the side as Phyllic checks on Hoth's condition. The king enters and summons Elm to his side as he looks at Hoth. Elm kind of wishes that Raven was there to disrupt all this tension, but heads next to him anyways.

Speaker: Ioni enters the room in a show of support for Elm and approaches the bed as well. Hoth is looking rough. Yeah, like rough, rough, rough.

Speaker: The king then asks Ioni to grab the nightmare card in the chest at the end of the bed. He wants to see if they can use it to reach Hoth in any way. Ioni is, like, slow to grab it as well and hand it over.

Speaker: i mean, it is the card that sealed her fate and tied her to Hoth. Fair. So, Linden then rants about Ioni, saying some horrible things, and Elm uses his scythe to get him to shut up. I love this. The king takes his card from Ioni, takes the card from Ioni, and tries to use it to reach Hoth, but is unsuccessful. Mm-hmm.

Speaker: Hoth's eyes suddenly open, though, and seems to eventually focus on Ione. Ooh. When he looks away from her, he closes his eyes, and they stay closed. Ooh. The king confirms that Elm has signed the decree naming him his heir, and Elm is watching Ione flee. Yeah.

Speaker: And so he releases the scythe hold on Linden as well. Touching the nightmare card, he's swapped from Hoth's room. Ooh. Because the king just threw it down. Yeah. He didn't put it back up nothing. Yeah. So he just, yep.

Speaker: So when the king tries to give Elm grief, he begins to leave and mentions that there is a contract that the king will be made aware of soon. The king tries to compel Elm to answer by using the scythe, but Elm is faster and stops his father from ever using the scythe on him.

Speaker: The king shares that the abuse Hoth inflicted on Elm is just part of the Rowan legacy. It takes an understanding of pain to wield the scythe. and then it will continue with Elm's heir. Um, no. Hell no. Not if he has anything to say about it. or Exactly.

Speaker: He refuses, you know, hell no, and tells the king that he'll have the marriage contract before the last feast and then leaves without looking back. He reaches the stables and takes his horse for an intense ride.

Speaker: This is the scene I was talking about earlier. It's fine. With the horse people. It's okay. We're mentioning horse people again. It's fine. All the horse stuff. We love horses. He releases a yell and it seems to heal him as he rides through the night.

Speaker: He ends up at Ioni's house before returning to stone. boom When he returns, he brings her an armful of dresses. oh He invites her to join him at the next feast. He'll use the nightmare to help her find the maiden and then she can leave.

Speaker: He offers her the dresses so she doesn't have to wear what the king sends and so that she can start to feel like the old Ioni again. Elm is such a sweetie. I just want to say that whole saying, to be seen is to be loved.

Speaker: Yeah. That proof right there. here So we switch back to Raven's point of view. The nightmare wakes every everyone and causes the Aspen trees to disperse from around them.

Speaker: The party faces the silent alderwood and shares a quick meal for the day. Raven goes to inspect the trees and wonders how they'll enter if they can't get through. The nightmare can't move the trees as the wood belongs to the spirit.

Speaker: He cuts himself on his sword and drops some blood on a tree. A hole opens up and Raven sees silver eyes inside the tree. The nightmare seems as though he's afraid as he tells him that the spirit demands payment, a charm.

Speaker: as the Alderwood is fickle and ever-changing. This is not good. So Raven tries to offer the spirit charm that he had with him, but the Nightmare explains that they need a guide. Oh, no. reminds Jesper about the time she lost her charm in the woods.

Speaker: She says she just heard a voice calling to her, and the Nightmare explains that it was the spirit calling her to the Alderwood. Oh, no. it's what she does with everyone that enters the mist. Oh, no. He points out the smell of them, and they all know this.

Speaker: Oh no. Raven doesn't want Jesper or Peter to give up their charms, worried about losing them to the mist. Then he recalls the nightmare mentioning needing a spare and is mad that he knew what would be required but never said anything. Yeah.

Speaker: When pushed to find another solution, the nightmare just mentions that gorse was the other way, but clearly is no longer an option. Since the mist doesn't affect Raven or the nightmare, it has to be Peter or Jesper.

Speaker: Jesper volunteers and Peter tries to take her place, but they flip his lucky coin instead. The nightmare reminds Raven his comment about paying any price.

Speaker: yeah the nightmare kind of reminds raven of his comment about paying any price But Raven hadn't meant his sister. Like, come on. yeah The nightmare just claims he said the same thing.

Speaker: He paid dearly for the cards. And when he entered the spirit's woods. oh Peter and Jesper make their calls. And Raven flips the coin.

Speaker: Claiming it's heads for Peter. But Jesper can tell he's lying. Yeah. And wishes that he hadn't. Because she would also do anything for Emery. Oh. She puts her charm in a tree and the wind picks up.

Speaker: The trees move, showing them a path. No. She enters the woods and breathes in the mist, asking Raven if he's with her. I'm right behind you. I'm sobbing.

Speaker: No. She sees the light fade from her eyes before she takes off running through the Alderwood.

Speaker: justper Not Not Jesper. I hate everything. Okay, we go back to Elm's point of view. ah Elm is stuck dancing with women while he waits for Ioni to show up at the feast.

Speaker: As the dance ends, he gets interrupted by Alex Laberna. Oh, Alex. And his younger brothers. Alex suggests that Elm and his sister make a good pair, and he just ignores their chatter completely. ye When Ioni enters the room, though, all the heads turn to look at her.

Speaker: And Elm looks too, and when she sees him, he attempts to smile. Aww. Elm leaves the men and then approaches Ioni, telling her that she's late. But she explained that she was visiting her father and uncle in the dungeons. o He says that her father apologized for everything, but here she there if he knew anything about maiden card, which he didn't.

Speaker: but she mostly went down there to find out if he knew anything about the maiden card which he didn't Dummy. Do you really think he would? Honestly. With people watching, he asks her to dance.

Speaker: She teases him, but agrees. As they're dancing, he tells her to touch inside his pocket where the nightmare is. She asks him to use it to go into her head, but he says he it takes concentration, she questions how he would know because his father just got the nightmare card.

Speaker: oh o and i will oop o The prince explains how there are two And Iona goes on to say how she knows him less and less as they get to know each other.

Speaker: But he tells her that he wants her to know him and that that scares him. Like it's it's scary to just lay everything out. So Elm rushes her away from all the dancing, trying to get her into like a more secluded place to use the nightmare card.

Speaker: but then decides to just use his sight to make the music louder so that they can't be heard. a He taps the card, then uses it to go into her mind. you She thinks about Equinox as Elm watches the visions play out.

Speaker: Her being presented to Hoth and him calling her not pretty, but that there were ways to deal with that. Ew. Then being presented as Hoth's fiance in front of everyone at Equinox.

Speaker: There's some tension between Hoth wanting her to stay quiet and her noticing Elm, which is when she finds out that Elm wears black to mask the blood he had caused him. Oh my god. Then it switches to them. Oh, sorry. No, you're good.

Speaker: Then it switches them in the garden, Ione drunk, falling in front of the men who grabbed her. He takes her away and then she tastes the salt of the scythe. She sees the cracked surface of stone with ash.

Speaker: Elm watches the scene a couple times and realizes where the maiden is. He tells her in her mind that he knows, and she tells him she wants him to see the rest. She shows Elm how she begged Hoth for the card back, watching Raven stomp Hoth's hand and how hard it was for her to smile, but she did it anyway. yeah Then she asks if she can just use the card while they're at court, but Hoth says no.

Speaker: He's such a dick. Mm-hmm. When Ioni asks to end the engagement, he says no because of the gossip it would cause and then sends her away. oh The vision shifts again to Spindle House.

Speaker: It's after they had their game with the chalice and he questions if Ioni knew about Elspeth's infection. When she says that she isn't infected, Haas says he will grant her wish. He takes her by the hair, bringing her to an open window and pushes her out.

Speaker: He asks if anyone helped her, but no one was around. I'm sorry. wait pushes her out of a window yeah she feels stories i'm when this happened i bawled i screamed the scream i scrumped the scream i scrumped like the tears i teared yeah so you know i wanted to know if anyone helped her but there was no one there and she just laid there waiting for death

Speaker: but it never comes. The maiden heals her. ah She leaves Spindle House and contemplates leaving, you know, just like everywhere. everywhere But she needed her maiden card so she could release herself. oh She thought her family would come back for her, but they didn't.

Speaker: Elm did.

Speaker: Ioni notices that Elm's nose is bleeding from using the slide too long, and she goes into his pocket and taps the card. They talk about how she would be a great queen, just not a Rowan queen.

Speaker: Because she couldn't go after the people who were infected. She explains that this is why she wanted to be queen in the first place, to change things. yeah so they exit, Elm taking her to the throne room.

Speaker: They pull themselves inside and tell the guards to not let anyone in. Not going to lie, i was hoping for a little secondary throne scene action. Yeah, let's go back to, what was Let's throw back Iron Plane. It was Plane, yeah.

Speaker: We thought. We thought. Elm tells her to lift a stone in the middle of the unlit hearth. When she opens it, hearth, hearth, I can never remember how to say that. It's a hearth. earth I always say hearth. I don't know why. think it says earth.

Speaker: You corrected me the last time. know. I know. Sometimes it just slips. It was in Percy. Yep. I know. i we were saying I was saying hearth and you were like, no, it's hearth. I don't know. I don't.

Speaker: It's a word. It's a word. Okay. okay when she opens it it's filled with two weapons and a maiden card o she pulls the card out and thanks him but before that he says there's one more thing he suggests a barter this terrible chair and you in it with me

Speaker: Obviously confused, Helm explains that the marriage contract that was signed is to the heir of blunder, not Hoff. It never specifies my name. ah She says the king wouldn't allow it with her cousin being infected.

Speaker: But, oh, if you only knew, Ione, all of his people, all of the king's cronies infected. He tells her about how the king keeps the infected he could use clothes and that if he wants to if if he wants that to stay a secret, then the king won't fight him on this. I love him. Yeah.

Speaker: So they tease each other a bit and then Ioni tells him that he doesn't know the real herb, but he knows and tells her that no one who feels nothing would work so tirelessly to get their feelings back.

Speaker: Hmm. So he tells her he will be there when she's ready to open up to him. He suggests that their marriage wouldn't be anything like her current situation.

Speaker: He tells her to think about it, but he doesn't want to think. And then they kiss. And it gets a little spicy. i know my She's on top of him. But before things escalate too much, Ellen tells her that he wants her to feel everything when they finally get together. Mm-hmm.

Speaker: She gets up, leading him to her room and locking the door behind it. She kisses him one last time. She tells him that it's going to hurt and that everything she hasn't felt will come rushing back and then asks if he wants to see that. Yeah.

Speaker: And he says, please. And then she taps the card, releasing herself from the magic. Which, like... I love this whole part because she's like, hey, heads up. It's going be rough. It's be rough. And he the fact that he's like, it's not even just a I don't care. It's a please.

Speaker: He wants to see that side of her. He wants her to be vulnerable like that with him. It doesn't scare him. Love it. Back to Elspeth's point of view. The woods don't seem to allow Peter to enter. Only the infected seem allowed.

Speaker: He says he'll wait for them before the trees close the entrance they went through, blocking Raven, Jesper, and the nightmare inside. Elspeth's enraged that the nightmare knew what would happen and said nothing. He yells at Elspeth, but she just points out that losing Jesper to save Emery will break Raven.

Speaker: Yves do not break. They bend. That's what the nightmare says back to her. I love it. They're all chasing Jesper through the woods, getting scratched by trees as they run. The trees move as well and are speaking to them. Not just the Nightmare, everyone. oh All of them hear it.

Speaker: Oh, that's scary. Yeah. Jesper runs faster, claiming that the spirit is calling her in the Nightmare and Raven can't stop. They have to keep following her or they'll be lost in the woods.

Speaker: Animals begin to follow them, with a falcon swooping in to attack the nightmare, but he kills it. The trees reach out to hit Raven as he runs and continues to speak in riddles to them.

Speaker: Jesper thinks they're wise and points out it was them who helped the shepherd king write the old book of alders and warned him about magic. Yet he didn't listen. The Nightmare's vision seems to flash back to a to Iris calling for him as she runs through the woods.

Speaker: Elspeth has to warn him about a wolf attacking, and he's able to kill it before getting injured. Like, avoid getting injured. Yeah, he's like, quick. But there's another one ready to attack before Raven throws a knife, killing it. Elspeth reminds the Nightmare that he owes Raven for saving their life.

Speaker: Jesper's voice sounds further away, but also below, and they realize that she went into a valley. The nightmare just pushes Raven at the edge, and they go tumbling down. Ooh. They land at the bottom and are surrounded by bones.

Speaker: It's the bodies of those caught in the mist. Raven gets sick, but Elspeth just urges them to follow Jesper, who is now crawling up the other side of the valley. Raven kind of struggles to continue once they finish climbing out,

Speaker: but Elspeth urges taxes to help them. He talks to Raven about his strength, noting it since he met Raven and telling him to continue to be strong with what's to come.

Speaker: I don't like the sound of that because clearly he knows what's coming and he's not saying anything. what Just let us go. They arrive at the top of the hill where there are two trees, one black and one white.

Speaker: Elspeth recognizes them as the twin alders from the Providence Guard and sees Jesper laying on the ground between them. Raven runs to her and sees that she's infected. No! nothing changes when he gives her his charm. No!

Speaker: He wants to try the maiden card, but the nightmare just says that nothing can heal degeneration. But the trees just whisper, Yet. oo The hills shake and knocks Raven over. The tree roots restrain him on the ground. so The twin alder trees speak to him and, or sorry, to all of them. And they recognize Raven as a ewe when his blood is spilled. Who?

Speaker: The Pale Tree recites the riddle about ewe trees and the Dark One asks if Raven is searching for the card or the throne. What? Raven answers that he's looking for the twin alders guard to unite the deck.

Speaker: The trees claim he needs to speak with the spirit directly and then shift to open a doorway between them. Elspeth sees a pale shore on the other side of the doorway. Like...

Speaker: similar to what she was in before before she was the room so raven tries to grab jesper to bring her with them but the trees stop him as she's supposed to stay to feed the trees and they'll feed her with magic ew i'm sorry that was so creepy i don't like it and they claim that the mist is a gift and it needs to be fueled i like everything we get is put back into the mist yeah Raven disagrees, but the trees urge him forward.

Speaker: He won't go without Jesper and Elspeth, though, and the trees tell him the journey was wasted. The nightmare's memories flash to the present, and Elspeth realizes how he became a monster. He had given everything for magic, but it was magic that ruined him.

Speaker: It was balanced, but it was not fair. She realizes his nightmare, which he'd never started down this path. that he never, that had he never asked for power to begin with, it wouldn't it wouldn't be here. Right.

Speaker: It's why he blamed all of Blunder's problems on himself. He said, you know, he's like, this is why you see Blunder's issues started before the Rowans came. The twin alders begin to shift back, closing the doorway between them.

Speaker: Raven begs with the trees, saying he'll pay any price but his sister. Halesbeth urges the Nightmare to do something to rewrite Blunder's history. Raven begs the nightmare for help and they jump into action.

Speaker: He cuts his hand, the nightmare, and holds the blood against the pale alder tree. The hill shakes again and he speaks to the trees. He tells them that history repeats itself, but he won't let the trees turn a raven into a monster like they had with him. Ooh. He threatens to cut their roots, which stops them, until they grab at raven and pull him away, tossing him through the doorway. oh As they turn on the nightmare, he's faster.

Speaker: and cuts at their roots for Jesper. The doorway is even smaller now, and Elspeth urges taxes to continue. He picks up Jesper, and they fight off branches as Raiden reaches out.

Speaker: They grab his hand and are pulled through the doorway, right as it shuts, and closes them in on the long, pale shore, surrounded by the smell of magic. o

Speaker: Okay, last chapter, and we go back to Elm. So, with the third tap, Ione is released from the maiden's guard's magic.

Speaker: Elm notices her freckles first, then her smile lines in the shadows under her eyes. She's never been more beautiful to him. He can see emotions in her eyes again, but she begins to fall and he catches her.

Speaker: She tries to hold it in, but then releases a scream and Elm just tries to comfort her as she kind of processes and feels everything that she went through. Yeah. Like she's, she's finally feeling all the emotions of everything that's happened to her. She's losing the card. And dying. Yeah, basically. All of those emotions. everything His heart aches for her, but he just holds her until she pushes him away, asking for some time alone.

Speaker: He apologized. He apologized to her and then he leaves. Elm goes into Hoth's room to return the nightmare card and encounters Linden, but ignores him. He throws the card back into the chest, telling himself that Hoth isn't worth the pain he wants to inflict on him for hurting Ioni. He returns to Ioni's room, sitting outside so he could still be there for her, and thinks on his scythe card, you know, kind of wondering if he knows who he really is without it. yeah i mean, he also wonders if, you know, his king, his king his father and brother are

Speaker: you know, rely on it so heavily do they know who they are. Right. Ionee lets them back in and they spend the night holding each other as they sleep. He wakes the next morning and admires Ionee until she wakes as well. Can I just also point out that Ionee Big Spoon? Yes. And I'm so here for it. I love it.

Speaker: Jetpacking is so fun. Jetpacking? Yeah. never heard You've never heard that when a girl... When the girl's the big spoon? Oh. Because we're so much smaller. It's not like we can really be the big spoon. We're Jeffa.

Speaker: We're Jeffa. I'm dying. I've never heard that in my 31 years of life. I love it. It's my favorite. Oh, my God. That's crazy. So the next morning, they're holding each other tightly for a while longer, and I only asked about the first time Elm saw her.

Speaker: He was 16 or 17 and on patrol. He loved her laugh and thought she was beautiful as he saw her fly by on her horse. She recalls that she thought he was from a storybook.

Speaker: Storybook? Okay. Month upon a time. From a storybook. But that he was only interested in sharing his time with the ewes. He worries he was rude to her, but he actually never spoke to her.

Speaker: He still liked her, though, but he also kind of envied her. Hmm. So Ione recalls Market Day and how Elm stood up to Hoth. That was when she envied him.

Speaker: Hmm. So Elm encourages her to feel her feelings, whatever they are. She shares that she was worried how easy it would be to do bad things if she just felt justified. Mm-hmm.

Speaker: Elm agrees and ensures that he likes that he can finally read her and hopes that she'll share everything with him. Then he asks if she still likes to ride horses. They each grab a horse and take off riding through an open field.

Speaker: She laughs and Elm can't help but kiss her. Aww. They stop and I thank him this. They have a bit of a stolen moment in the field. Much slower and sweeter than kind of their stellar encounter.

Speaker: Elm is terrified by the way Ioni is looking at him that no one's loved him like this. He worries. He hurts her. But she comforts him and then she shares that she's feeling everything with him. And after they finish, he shares his story with Ione about his childhood, Emery's infection, the plan to unite the deck. Literally everything. He lays everything out. Mm-hmm.

Speaker: Ione is silent too until he finishes, finally understanding why he always seems so tired and harried. She asks if he knows where her family is, but he doesn't as he compelled the Spindles to flee while Jasper warned Ione's family.

Speaker: He explains that he did all of that because he doesn't believe the Rowan propaganda about magic. He wants to rule now and actually make changes. Ione just says she wants to be at his side for it. Aww.

Speaker: they agree to announce their marriage contract that night and put an end to the feast as they approach stone the bells are tolling and they can't find anyone uh-oh they reach elm's room only to be greeted by hoth waiting in the corner what the yep yep and that's the end of this part yeah that's where we end part two cool you know love the cliffhanger there this is wonderful i hate everything okay so we're gonna dive into our questions who was your favorite character from this part

Speaker: honestly elm again especially now he's being so vulnerable he's doing what he can to help ione he actually wants to rule now he before he was like oh my god this sucks i don't want to do that with expectation and he's like no i want to make changes and actually you know make things better for people here i elm is definitely out there elm's definitely up there for me but like the nightmare though okay but he's not saying anything not telling him anything that's fair that's fair that's fair you're right you have a good but he did he did bring back elspeth he brought her back that was my whole thing i loved it i loved the little interactions between the nightmare elspeth and raven the

Speaker: the The little love triangle that is going on, but the love-hate triangle that is going on between all of them is my favorite thing in the world. Like the fact that Elizabeth can't say what she wants, so the nightmare has to translate unless Raven is using the nightmare card. I just, yeahp it's it's it's great. I love it.

Speaker: What was your favorite twist? Hoth pushing Ioni out of the window. Yeah. I'm sorry. i don't think anything could beat that. I mean, Hoth looking up. I mean, again, the scream I scrumped. The scream I scrumped. But also, like, no wonder he freaked out when he saw her when he woke up. Because as far as he knew, the last he saw of her was her dead body outside the window.

Speaker: You know? So, yeah. Mine was that the Rowan Kings, well, obviously the, you know, all the pushing out irony, but that the Rowan Kings abused their heirs so that they can, quote, understand the pain of wielding a scythe.

Speaker: I'm sorry, what? Yeah. That is horrible. Yeah, that's bad. How could that be thought of as a good thing? Yeah, no. But also Hoth waking up.

Speaker: Yeah, I... like waking up or meeting them in the room. In the room. Yeah. Cause that's not just him awake. He is fully alive and ready to go. Not injured. Yeah. Okay.

Speaker: Favorite quotes. Okay. So we have a ton. Yes. i had a couple. So obviously I mentioned, you know, death demands to be felt. Yes. Because that was just so intense. But my overall favorite quote, number one was,

Speaker: when Ione's talking to him about what she used to feel before the maiden card. She says, everything in terrible, wonderful excess, joy, anger, compassion, revulsion, love.

Speaker: I knew them all so well. When the maiden began to dull them, it frightened me, but it was also a reprieve. After a lifetime of feeling things so keenly, the numbness felt good. Girl, I know how you feel being an impact. Oh my God. Yes. And as someone who has always been told that I feel too much and that my emotions are are too much for others, like it's hard reeling that and being like, okay, well, I can't feel that though.

Speaker: And having something that automatically dampens that and makes it easier for you to not feel that, I'm not going lie. I would appreciate that as well. The relief that I would feel. At the beginning of it. I would, again, would not be happy about it. Yeah.

Speaker: I also love this because this is the nightmare when he's explaining how all Blender's problems are his fault. He says, it happened because 500 years ago, a boy wore a crown, had every abundance in the world, but always asked for more.

Speaker: Because isn't that so true and, you know, relevant? It's relevant. But, like, seriously, that just shows when you are so, like, sometimes even though you have everything, if you're just so focused on more or meaning me, me and getting what you want, you're going to lose everything else in the process. You're going to lose what makes your humanity in all honesty. Mm-hmm.

Speaker: And then lastly, there were not enough pages in all the books Elm had read, in all the libraries he'd wandered, in all the notebooks he'd scrawled that could measure, denote, or describe just how beautiful she was. When he's talking about Ioni, after the main card wears off. Yeah. Because, like, the main card's supposed to make you perfect, but he still... He loves the imperfection. This is perfect to him.

Speaker: or yours. And I know you've got a lot. Yeah. Oops. Oops. yeah Yeah. They're short though. Yeah. Mine are shorter. But obviously like I tried to put in all of our longer coats that I really liked in the part so that we could just get them out then.

Speaker: So one of mine is when the shepherd king is talking and he says, the colors dance before my eyes. So bright and beautiful. I wanted to catch them, put them in my pocket.

Speaker: And I was like, that's a cute little foreshadowing to the Providence cards and stuff. The next one is, real enough to make him think they may they might be together again after they drag themselves out of hell and i think that one was talking about raven and elspeth

Speaker: sorry no you're good The real enough to make, yeah, that one was Raven and Elspeth. And then the next one was the nightmare talking to Raven.

Speaker: And, or it was either ah nightmare or Elspeth. It was Elspeth. It's Elspeth. It's Elspeth when the one that nightmare is fixing his nose. Yes. And he says, there's no weakness in pain, Raven.

Speaker: And I'm like, that's a good quote because there is no weakness in pain. You know, i think you're stronger when you experience pain. Yeah. Like,

Speaker: And then my next one is the one we said earlier, no one who feels nothing would work so tirelessly to get their feelings back. And it's just so poignant.

Speaker: And then the last one is talking about Elm, Elm and Ione. And he goes that he was not in some kind of pain every moment he was with her.

Speaker: It was also terribly, wonderfully uncomfortable. I just love that. Is it like describes that kind of uncomfortable feeling when you're laying everything out to a person for the first time? Yes. Because you, you never know how someone is going to react when, when you truly bear yourself to someone that is when you're the most vulnerable, but you have to do that in order to make those connections. It's such an uncomfortable feeling, but it's necessary. And it's,

Speaker: And it's a good feeling too. It's you don't, you shouldn't always strive to avoid anything that's uncomfortable because you grow through uncomfortable moments, situations. Yes.

Speaker: So that's what it takes. I love it. What is your biggest question or theory on this part? Honestly, you like had a ton.

Speaker: So want me to just go? Yeah. You can go first because literally i will just chime in because all of yours were basically all of mine. And it's so funny because i was like, I have to keep track of my things. Like as I'm reading, I'm writing down my theory and stuff like that. So i I know I didn't mention it before in the others, but I knew, like, even in book one, I knew, always had a suspicion that those sent into the mist didn't all die. Yeah, it makes sense.

Speaker: They can't all have died. They can't all have died. But, like, and, like, that there had to be, like, some kind of, like, village of survivors. And I'm so glad that I was right. Yeah. I know it wasn't really question three, but I was just really excited about that. Me too. Yeah.

Speaker: What is Bennett's magic? That is my biggest question. My biggest question. Because I'm pretty sure that Raven has the same magic. It's gotta to be. And they'll save, and that Raven's gonna save Blunder by undoing the Shepard King's work by whatever this magic is. Yeah. So maybe it's not even gonna unite the deck. Whatever his magic, he's gonna like suddenly realize his magic powers. I don't know. I don't know. Yeah. I'm right there with it. Because like with it being Bennett's magic being the antithesis of the shepherd kings it's just and that goes into my next theory that raven is a reincarnation or descendant of bennett yeah because they both have gray eyes they have this same degeneration yeah and then i bet bennett was the one who left the cards in the stone yeah i had that feeling too because as soon as he appeared he had the nightmare in the mirror yeah and also we know from the like ghost with tilly and talking that uh bennett

Speaker: didn't die. you more like he didn't die with the others. Yes. He was um my first. At first, I was like, maybe he was the first like infected person that the Rowan King kept and then killed. I don't know. maybe But then I was like, no.

Speaker: And like, again, also Raven was infected at 13, which was pretty late, apparently, for kids to be infected. Yeah. But I was like, well, maybe that's because when Bennett died. But no, he died at 13. So how would he have a descendant?

Speaker: Yeah, there's no way. But then his ghost shows up as a 13-year-old and is somehow an answer. So I don't know. Well, maybe like. Maybe you can choose what age you choose. Maybe you choose what age you want to present yourself in the afterlife. No.

Speaker: No. But yeah. So I have no idea. And it's. Yeah. But Raven has to be somehow related to Bennett, a.k.a. Shepard King as well. Yes. And I need to know what the magic is for Bennett, a.k.a. also now Raven.

Speaker: Yeah. Yeah. And then I did have one question. Like, after all of this, say they lift the mist. Say they cure all the infection, all of this stuff.

Speaker: Will the Providence cards still work? Like, because they are magic that is gifted, but it's like if you're lifting the mist. Which was also magic that drew them in. It's it's a whole balance thing. whole balance thing because it's like, if are you going to leave parts of magic that caused your...

Speaker: like the woods to like go yeah you know like yeah yeah yeah that is a good question yep guess you guys are gonna have to come back for part three to figure out if any of these questions will be answered and that'll actually air on no this one airs on christmas i know part three is on christmas because we finished the year Oh, yeah. Yeah. this won't air soon. And then the ah part three will air on on Christmas. So a nice our little Christmas present to you guys. You get all your answers. Yes. All your questions answered.

Speaker: And we wrap up the series. Oh, you forgot one. Oh. I did forget one. Oh, I have another theory that Elspeth is still going to somehow survive. They're like, the Nightmare is going to use his blood to unite the deck.

Speaker: But since it his it's in her spot her body, like, he'll die but they like well i don't know it is amazing to save her but then she's gonna absorb all the hair i don't know it could still just change her i don't know else we have to survive i don't know as all i'm saying okay so we will be back next week and we look forward to finishing this up all right bye yeah Thank you for listening and tune back in next week for part three.

Speaker: And if you have a story you want us to tell, you can let us know on one of the platforms listed in the description. And while you're there, you can like and follow to stay up to date for the next story. Thank you for stopping by for our tale. The library is now closed. Bye-bye.