Ep 1 Crown of Midnight: Ch. 1 – 7

[00:00:00] Ka-Ce:

[00:00:00] James: Hello and welcome back to Books, Cats, and Chaos, the podcast where we explore epic tales, sprinkle in a bit of humor, and embrace the chaos of cats, loving cats, herding cats, cleaning up after cats, and all the things cats. My name is James.

[00:00:21] Ka-Ce: And I’m Ka-Ce and we are a husband and wife team who love all things books, cats, brews, and the fun chaos in between.

[00:00:30] James: This week, we are starting Crown of Midnight in the Throne of Glass series. This is book number two out of the epic, like, what, eight book, if you are joining us again after listening to Throne of Glass, then welcome back. If you are new, you might want to check out Throne of Glass first, because like I said, this is the second book. And the things we talk about in here will mess up, or not mess up, but will spoil things for the first book. So you have been warned. but if you are new and you don’t care, then welcome. We are deep diving into each of the books as we go along. this is my first time reading the series, so we will not be discussing anything from the other book series that, Sarah J.

[00:01:19] Moss has done. So no ACOTAR, no Crescent City, and really nothing from anything past Crown of Midnight either. Um, even though I am farther along in the series, we’re not delving into any of that stuff. Because we are trying to keep this as spoiler free as possible. Or at least in terms of, we’re talking about the stuff that happens in the chapters, and anything behind it. So we will be talking about stuff that happened in Throne of Glass. Because That’s already, that’s already happened. So you are, you were, like I said, you’ve been warned.

[00:01:54] Ka-Ce: So content reminder, this podcast is for adults only as we will be using adult language [00:02:00] curse words to discuss adult topics and themes. So if you have any of the tiny ones about, please save this for later. We will be here.

[00:02:09] James: Or invest in some headphones.

[00:02:14] Ka-Ce: That is your answer to

[00:02:15] James: It is my answer to everything. Hey, you know what? A good pair of noise cancelling headphones can block out just about anything. It’s worth it. if you haven’t already, But you like what you hear so far, or you’ve been following us for some time, and you just haven’t done it yet Please don’t forget to rate subscribe or comment on our podcast or any of our not or on any of our social media channels or on our YouTube

[00:02:50] So, Let’s jump in to Crowd of Midnight.

[00:02:56] Ka-Ce: Alright, so chapters 1 and 2, Celaena ninjas her way into a manor. She was there to murder, I actually said that. She was there to murder Lord Nirall and his wife. Lord Nirall and his wife were sound asleep. Celaena briefly wondered what the lord had done to offend the king. That he wanted both of them dead, but no matter her freedom was on the line.

[00:03:22] It wasn’t her job to question only to obey Celaena pulled out her sword just as the Lord’s eyes opened wide Celaena dropped to one knee before the king of Adarlan and bowed her head as she had done the past three times She had done this Dorian stood next to his father, his eyes fixed on her. Chaol was also there, standing between the royal family and her.

[00:03:45] She risked a glance at Chaol, and his expression betrayed nothing, as if she were a stranger. She tossed a rotting head towards the dais, Celaena telling the king that the lord put up a fight. She handed Chaol a severed, rotting hand with the [00:04:00] Lord’s ring on it.

[00:04:01] Chaol offered the hand to the king. The king took it, grabbed the ring, and tossed the hand back to Celaena. Celaena confirmed that the wife was chained to her husband at the bottom of the sea, also offering a severed hand with a wedding band on it, but the king didn’t want that one. For her next assignment, the king told her, she was to root out and dispatch the group of individuals in Rifthold that are attempting to take him off the throne and interfere with his plans.

[00:04:27] Chaol and Dorian stare at the king, as if this is news to them. The king further tells her that he has a list of names but will only give her one at a time. The castle is growing with spies. First name on this list? Archer Finn. Quickly schooling her features, Celaena asks if only he needs to be taken out or his clients as well.

[00:04:48] Archer was a well known, highly sought after courtesan, one whom she had a young crush on years and years ago. The king never actually answers her question, which is kind of weird, but she has a month to dispatch Archer before she is given the next name. She quickly retrieves the head and the hand and leaves the throne room.

[00:05:10] Dorian watches the servants set up for the council meeting that’s taking place right after and can’t help but feel that Celaena hadn’t seemed like herself just now. Her wardrobe had changed, she’s now wearing all black tunics and pants. She was like a beautiful wraith.

[00:05:26] Dorian questions if she could kill people this easily when manipulating him and his feelings also had been just as easy. Did she use him to get this position? He wonders if he had meant anything to Celaena at all. Chaol followed Celaena to the castle sewer using the servant’s passage. Only Chaol could tell the difference when she was acting as the king’s champion versus when she was Celaena.

[00:05:49] He watches her toss the bag of severed body parts into the sewer. Chaol wants to debrief. He wants to know all of the details of what happened with the Lord. But [00:06:00] Celaena is tired, and she just wants to rest before she starts on her next mission. She tells him she doesn’t need to be debriefed. Nothing happened to her, and no one witnessed the murder.

[00:06:09] Chaol hugs Celaena. He’s been worried, but tells her she smells terrible. How romantic. When Celaena is alone, she reflects on how the King and Chaol both believed her lies about Lord Nirall and his wife’s deaths. Best lies were always mixed with the truth. Celaena still wore the Eye of Elena, finding some comfort in it.

[00:06:31] Her very first mission from the King was to dispatch Sir Carlin, and she tried. However, she just couldn’t go through with it. Not after watching him with his servants. Playing with a traveling minstrel. So, she offered him a choice. Flee, far, and never use their name, or he can die. Four out of four of the lords had chosen to flee.

[00:06:56] They would give up their tokens, their seal rings, even their nightclothes. Celaena acquired bodies in sick houses and used those to trick the king. Celaena had a month to figure out what to do about Archer. Covering up his murder with a decoy corpse would be a lot harder since he was so well known. And if the king were to ever find out, he’d destroy her.

[00:07:20] James: Dun, dun, dun.

[00:07:25] Ka-Ce: So right off the bat we got some action. Even though chapter one was like, teeny tiny. But a lot has happened in the past couple months since Celaena is named, uh, the king’s champion.

[00:07:39] James: Yeah, and, and, just when you’re reading through it and you’re thinking, man, she’s really going for it, like, And how can you even blame her, right? Like, she’s stuck between a rock and a hard place. And then you get this reveal at the end and you’re like, Ah, okay, got

[00:07:56] Ka-Ce: I knew it.

[00:07:57] James: Our girl is still our girl. Like, [00:08:00] um, But that actually, I have to find it.

[00:08:04] That actually brought up a thought that I hadn’t thought before. Because it kind of irked me a little bit. Um, When she comes in, Right? And she has the head and the hand, and she gives them to the king, and the king’s like, Yeah, cool, whatever, got the rings, throws it back. And then she leaves, and Dorian is sitting there, and he’s like, She seems like a completely different person, you know, has this been her thing all along?

[00:08:36] And then he says, his thought process is, did she use me? to get into this position so that she could do this. And it’s like, no, bro. You pulled her out of the mines. You gave her the choice to be in the mines or to be a champion. You did this. And you helped her all the way up the chain. And

[00:09:04] Ka-Ce: you wanted her to succeed.

[00:09:06] James: And You knew that this was the endgame for any of the champions who won. And you also knew that if she didn’t win, she’d go right back to the mines. So she didn’t have a choice.

[00:09:18] Ka-Ce: Yup.

[00:09:19] James: And yet, you’re sitting here going, Did she, you know, I thought she felt something for me, but she didn’t, and she lied so well. Was she using, it’s like, Really, was she using you? She’s been the victim of this entire process.

[00:09:35] Ka-Ce: Yup.

[00:09:36] James: Like, dude, get your head out of your ass.

[00:09:42] Ka-Ce: Tell us how you really feel. And

[00:09:44] James: And I like Dorian.

[00:09:46] Ka-Ce: yeah, I do too. I was rooting for him.

[00:09:48] James: Like, the whole first book, I’m like, yeah, Dorian’s a bro, he’s got some issues, whatever. And then we, and then this pulls out with this behavior from him, and I’m just like, bro. Bro. That is not [00:10:00] bro behavior. Like.

[00:10:02] Ka-Ce: And for him, because throughout the first book, we see him and he’s so on page with Celaena. Seeing her for who she truly is, you know, and even standing up for her. You know, to Chaol, and everything, and now it’s like a total flip. Chaol sees who she really is. Chaol can tell when she’s being Celaena herself, and when she’s being this cold hearted assassin, the King’s champion.

[00:10:30] And Dorian can’t? Like, it just, is the bro is the prince so caught up in his feelings and woe is me because she broke it off with him?

[00:10:42] James: That’s what it seems like. Like, it seems like he’s pouting so hard that he’s Because, I’m sorry, the Dorian from book one would have been questioning this and been like, she’s got an angle. She has to have an angle. The Celaena I know would have an angle.

[00:11:01] Ka-Ce: Yeah. Yeah, this doesn’t seem like real Dorian, true Dorian. This just seems like a, a pompous prince whose butt hurt that he got broken up with and not him doing the breaking up with.

[00:11:17] James: yeah. And on the flip side, we have Chaol who You know, Chaol bumbled his way through book one, and here he’s like, I don’t, I don’t know all the details. I don’t necessarily agree with what you’re doing. However, I’m gonna trust you on this, and, and he still keeps a little bit of humor, and he’s like, By the way, you know,

[00:11:41] Ka-Ce: You

[00:11:42] James: you, you don’t smell that great, like.

[00:11:45] Ka-Ce: And I mean, I didn’t put this in the recap, but in the chapter, he wanted to go after her. He was pacing and he was afraid of something might have happened to her. You know, not hearing back from her and [00:12:00] stuff. And she had noted that his horse was saddled and ready to go. Until she had shown up.

[00:12:06] we’re getting this whole flipperoo ever since the um, Not the tournament, but the final, you know, thing with the Cain and everything.

[00:12:20] James: Yeah, and wasn’t it, um, I think, wasn’t it near the end of Throne of Glass where, where Chaol was sort of questioning, like, what was this going to do to her? Was she going to be, like, was she going to revert just back to the cold assassin back to But the thing is, is that nobody really actually really understood her as an assassin, right?

[00:12:47] Like, we do because we’re the readers, but they’re not, they’re not privy to the information that, um, she didn’t kill in cold blood. She didn’t go after children. She didn’t go after innocents, right? Like,

[00:13:02] Ka-Ce: Yeah. She was selective about the jobs that Arobynn sent her,

[00:13:08] James: but that wasn’t her legacy because Arobynn made sure that everyone knew her legacy was. She got the job done when she had a job,

[00:13:17] Ka-Ce: Yeah.

[00:13:18] James: nobody talked about the jobs that she didn’t take.

[00:13:21] Ka-Ce: Yeah.

[00:13:22] James: And, and so you’re certainly not talking about, and I’m not going to say details, but you know that they’re not talking about what she did in Assassin’s Blade. Because that was a huge Not an accomplishment for Arobynn, right? So he’s not going to tell people that that happened.

[00:13:45] Ka-Ce: no

[00:13:45] James: So nobody knows about her good side of being an assassin.

[00:13:48] They just know that when she does a job, she does the job. and Chaol seems so much more accepting of that. Or maybe he just wants to be involved because he’s hoping to kind of [00:14:00] keep her From falling completely into that, you know? I mean, he understands that she doesn’t have a choice. Like, King says do,

[00:14:09] Ka-Ce: She has

[00:14:10] James: you have to.

[00:14:11] I mean, if the King says do, Chaol’s gotta do as well, you know? That’s something that he is also prepared for. At least mentally,

[00:14:19] Ka-Ce: Yeah, I mean, we even saw in Throne of Glass when the king came back from wherever he went and he came back with no guards left, Chaol wanted to question the king. He wanted to know more about the report and because the report was very vague, you know, Chaol wanted to question the king as to why the king didn’t take any of the guards that Chaol suggested.

[00:14:41] But Chaol was like, who am I to question the king? I have to do what he says.

[00:14:46] James: Mm hmm.

[00:14:48] Ka-Ce: And he’s doing that now, too, with Celaena. She is just another tool for the king. She has to do what he says. He doesn’t like that she’s going out and killing these people, but it’s her job. Who are they to question their monarch?

[00:15:04] James: That was the agreement. That was the literal agreement for pulling her out of the mines. but I also, that just branched me off into another thought. I have to make another comparison. Dain and Chaol.

[00:15:18] Ka-Ce: Another Dain and

[00:15:19] James: for the rules.

[00:15:21] Ka-Ce: Oh my god. Dain with his codex.

[00:15:26] James: And Chaol with the, I should question the king. Well, but he, uh, but I really should question the king because that’s protocol. Yes.

[00:15:34] Ka-Ce: And if any of you are confused we talking about Dain Aetos from Fourth Wing.

[00:15:39] If you have not picked up the Fourth Wing Empyrean series, we highly suggest that you do. There are three books out right now, two more to come, and we have started a deep dive of Fourth Wing. But yes, that’s just who we’re referencing.

[00:15:52] Yes,

[00:15:52] James: Yes, we have one episode of Fourth Wing out so far, and another one coming out, uh, after this episode. This, uh, it’ll be a couple [00:16:00] days after this one. So, get on board.

[00:16:03] Ka-Ce: Nice plugin, right?

[00:16:04] James: That’s right. Hey, I’m, I’m, I’m putting it out there for everyone. But, I mean, the parallels.

[00:16:11] Ka-Ce: and Chaol and Dain. Yes. Super huge, uh, parallels. Would they be bros, would they get a beer together? That’s what I wanna know.

[00:16:20] James: No, I think they wouldn’t be able to stand each other.

[00:16:23] Ka-Ce: No.

[00:16:24] James: Yeah. Um.

[00:16:27] Ka-Ce: I would like to actually see not pouting. Dorian with Ridoc.

[00:16:36] James: I could see that. But Dorian’s got to figure his stuff out because this ain’t the way

[00:16:44] Ka-Ce: No. No.

[00:16:48] James: Yeah, so then of course we go through this whole thing and You get through and you’re really misled through the whole chapter about or you know The first two chapters about what’s going on and then you get to the end and and then there’s the drop and it’s okay Our girl figured it out At least for now, she’s figured it out, right?

[00:17:10] She’s giving them the ultimatums, she’s finding dead bodies that look similar. Because once a body is dead and, like, has been sitting for a couple weeks, it’s hard to tell what a person looked like. Um, You know, but of course now, yeah, she’s got a much more difficult one to go after, which is Archer. And, and that’s gonna just put a whole new level of complication on things, I think. <James chuckles>

[00:17:40] Ka-Ce: Oh, definitely. Um Everybody knows who Archer is.

[00:17:44] James: Um, and they have a past. So, it’ll be, uh, interesting to see, you know, what happens. But at least it, I was [00:18:00] happy at the end of that to be like, okay. She didn’t, uh, she didn’t have to fall back into her old ways of, of, because I mean the way I’m looking at it at this point, I’m like, you know, all the people that the King’s going after are innocent people.

[00:18:18] Ka-Ce: Yeah.

[00:18:20] James: You just, you’ve already figured that out. If you’ve gotten through the first book, Throne of Glass, you already know the King is not on the side of justice.

[00:18:28] Ka-Ce: No.

[00:18:29] James: And at this point I was kind of. Because you still don’t know a lot about all that, what’s going on, and my thought was, oh, the king is paranoid. Like, he’s worried that somebody’s gonna try and usurp the throne or take him out because they’re disagreeing with him or whatever, whatever.

[00:18:47] And it’s so much deeper than that. But, nobody really can question the motivation of what the king wants. It’s just, he says, do this. You do this, because you’ll die otherwise. And she hasn’t come this far to die now. Moving on to chapter three. we see that Celaena wakes up with a gasp clutching the eye of Elena. She was being chased through the secret tunnel. By none other than Cain and the Glowing Green wyrdmarks and the ridderak. Fleetfoot, uh, had put her head on Celaena’s stomach to comfort her. Celaena closes her eyes, reminding herself that it’s all over. There’s no more Elena. There’s no more ridderak. It’s all done. early dawn is the only time that Nehemia and Celaena have time to meet up. Nehemia is busy with winning over Queen Georgina and trying to figure out the king’s plans for Eyllwe. Celaena doing the king’s gruesome work. Celaena tells Nehemia that the next mission is Archer Finn, and Nehemia wonders why. But [00:20:00] Nehemia has no insights to depart regarding the king’s plans. Celaena tells her that she will impart any information she learns, but Secretly, she doesn’t want to know the King’s plans, let alone share any of the information with anyone. If the King were to find out about all the deaths that Celaena has been not deathing, it would mean the actual death of everyone she loves, and probably their extended families. which I think that was an actual threat at some point from the King, wasn’t it?

[00:20:31] Ka-Ce: Celaena become became the champion, he did threaten her that if she never came back from a job, he would kill Nehemia and her family and Chaol and so on and so forth.

[00:20:43] James: 🙂 Nehemia shakes her head but doesn’t reply. Whenever Nehemia, Dorian, or Chaol look at Celaena like that, it was almost too much for her to bear. But they have to believe the lies. They have to believe that Celaena is assassinating these people for the king. And it’s unfair. Celaena doesn’t know how much more of talks about the rebels she can take.

[00:21:05] She wants to be free of the king, both as a champion and as a child of a conquered nation. But she also wants no part in whatever the rebel plots are going on in Rifthold. And, I mean, honestly, yeah, why would she? She, she was drug into this, you know, against her will, really. I mean, not against her will, but she was given an impossible choice.

[00:21:29] She’s been through a lot, and she’s risking everything by helping these lords and ladies escape, and trusting them to, you know, live off of the agreement. Nehemia reports that Calaculla, the other labor camp, is swelling with more and more slaves. She has tried to see the king three times already, and each time he says he’s too busy to meet her.

[00:21:54] Apparently, he’s too busy finding people for Celaena to kill. [00:22:00] Nehemia tells Celaena that she must do something. She must find a way to help her people. When, you know, when is enough enough? When do we act? And the word act Scares Celaena even more. More than plans. When she says nothing, promises nothing, Nehemia silently walks away.

[00:22:18] Celaena waits until Nehemia’s gone before. She makes her way to where she’s meeting Chaol for their morning run and after she would go into Rifthold. She has blood money to burn and she needs to start investigating Archer so early on in the book and our girl can’t get a break, man.

[00:22:41] Ka-Ce: Nope.

[00:22:42] James: And then the people closest to her are doing the judging thing, knowing what she’s been through.

[00:22:50] Ka-Ce: Yep.

[00:22:50] James: And they immediately are already assuming the worst of her again. Except for Chaol. (LAUGHS)

[00:22:58] Ka-Ce: Which is very surprising, right. Because all through Throne of Glass he’s

[00:23:02] been such a stickler and been like, She’s so dangerous, Dorian, you can’t be with her alone, Nehemia, you can’t be with her alone, She’s this assassin, blah blah blah, and now, He’s had like this whole turnabout. Which

[00:23:20] James: right? And honestly I was a little, I was a little surprised and disappointed. By Nehemia in this chapter, too, because Nehemia went so far as to draw protective wyrdmarks under her bed. She was there during the last battle. She was doing the protect in the presence of the king. She was doing protective wyrdmark symbols with her hands

[00:23:49] Ka-Ce: Yeah.

[00:23:50] James: to get through

[00:23:51] Ka-Ce: to bring Elena to help her.

[00:23:54] James: and then and then she turns around and she’s like You know, we have to [00:24:00] help my people, we have to do this, we have to do it now, and you’re, you know, out killing people for the king, are you the king’s dog, and it’s like,

[00:24:07] Ka-Ce: Yes.

[00:24:08] James: yes, that was,

[00:24:10] Ka-Ce: That was the whole point. That was like the whole championship thing. That was the whole point. She got taken out of Endovier to put in this thing. And it was either do this or go back to Endovier and die. And now you’re adding extra pressure on her to help free your people and to get out from under the king.

[00:24:30] Celaena just wants her freedom. That’s all she wants. And everybody’s just like, pulling at her. Elena was pulling at her during the whole tournament thing. Nehemia’s like, you need to join my fight. Dorian’s like, why can’t you love me?

[00:24:50] James: and Chaol’s just like, you need to go take a bath,

[00:24:54] Ka-Ce: Yeah. Chaol got the priorities in check.

[00:24:57] James: but, and I was, I was really surprised by this because, Celaena has told the people who, you know, obviously Chaol and Dorian already know what the agreement is, but she told Nehemia the deal is I win, I live four years, and then I’m free. Why is it so hard for people to understand that she is just If nothing else, people should look at that and be like, I don’t agree with what you’re doing, but you are at least being honorable, like you are honor bound by your word, whether it’s to a tyrant or, you know, figure that out later. But Celaena’s doing what she said she was going to do, what she agreed to

[00:25:42] Ka-Ce: the best she can in the circumstances. I mean, the king is a tyrant. He’s conquered how much of this land?

[00:25:54] James: Yeah, most of it.

[00:25:55] Ka-Ce: Yeah, and I mean, it’s either do what the king says or you’re put to [00:26:00] death or you’re put in the mines. She’s already gone through the mines. If she goes back to the mines, she’s gonna die.

[00:26:06] She doesn’t want to be dragged through anything else. And I get that Nehemia is this princess, and she’s seeing the plight of her people, and she’s frustrated and, you know, torn and she wants to do more and she can’t or she’s feeling like she can’t, you know, the king won’t even grant her an audience and she feels this connection with Celaena but Celaena’s not ready for anything else yet and I feel like Nehemia is like pressuring her to do more when Celaena’s like, dude, I’m already up to here with things.

[00:26:42] James: Let

[00:26:42] me concentrate on surviving for the

[00:26:44] moment, because we’re figuring it’s been, what, a handful of months maybe? Like, if we, if we judge it based on the king gave her a month to figure out the archer fin thing, and she’s already dealt with four lords and ladies, and he gave her a month for each of those, presumably, right?

[00:27:06] Ka-Ce: I think it’s been about two or three months since she won the championship. I think. Because all the other, I think all the other ones were out of Rifthold, but they weren’t too far into the Continent. I could be wrong. It’s been a while.

[00:27:25] James: Might have to recheck that. But we figure, because the king is not stupid, and he’s not going to want people just assassinated, like, in the middle of the street, where, you know what I mean? That goes against the assassination part.

[00:27:41] Ka-Ce: Yeah, no, she’s supposed to do it, like, in quiet, like she’s not supposed to be caught or make a ruckus of herself, you know?

[00:27:49] James: Yeah, so she needs time to investigate. Maybe she’s got more time with Archer Finn because he is more of a public figure. Who knows? But we figure it’s gonna be [00:28:00] at least a couple months, right?

[00:28:02] Ka-Ce: Yeah.

[00:28:02] James: if it’s only been two, three, maybe four months, say four months that this has all happened, then Nehemia is completely in the wrong for pressuring her.

[00:28:15] So quick.

[00:28:16] Ka-Ce: Mm hmm.

[00:28:17] James: Celaena is still trying to figure out the best way to do what the king wants. Even just assuming that she is killing these people. Just assume that she is killing these people, right? Because that’s what Nehemia is assuming, right? It still takes so much time for Celaena to plan it, and then to do it, and then bring back the evidence, and then Recover physically, emotionally, spiritually, you know, I mean,

[00:28:47] Ka-Ce: Yeah. Yep.

[00:28:49] James: She

[00:28:49] has almost probably no, I mean, she, she’s getting paid a lot, but she barely has time to even spend her money because she’s constantly doing stuff for the king, and so it is not, Nehemia is not in the right here.

[00:29:07] Yes, she cares about her people. And yes, that is a concern of hers. The king’s not going to meet with her. Frustrating. I get it. But Celaena is still, and I would even, I would even argue at this point that she is still recovering mentally from everything that’s been going on, right? She, she got drug out of the mines, she had to go through this intense training, multiple attempts on her life, and then the ridderak, and then Cain, and then the, you

[00:29:42] Ka-Ce: And I, and on top of that, I don’t think she’s fully processed what happened with Sam and all of that, that led up to the mines. She hasn’t had a chance to grieve and she hasn’t had a chance to fully go over [00:30:00] who betrayed them and come to terms with that.

[00:30:04] James: Yeah,

[00:30:04] exactly.

[00:30:05] She hasn’t had a moment to rest. And, and, I figure, it’s hard when you, you know, because you can feel the plight. that Nehemia has, right? Her people are being enslaved and they’re dying and, and is part of a position that that is for Nehemia? If Celaena wasn’t there,

[00:30:29] Ka-Ce: She wouldn’t have

[00:30:30] James: what would she have to, yeah, like,

[00:30:33] Ka-Ce: she wouldn’t have really gotten along with Chaol or Dorian either. Celaena was the bridge between all of them.

[00:30:42] James: because she spoke the slave language, like,

[00:30:46] Ka-Ce: Eyllwe

[00:30:47] James: yeah, um, Yeah, what I mean, the slave language, I meant the slave version, or what did she say, the common people’s version of Eyllwe. or whatever,

[00:31:00] Ka-Ce: Yeah.

[00:31:01] James: because there were two different, there’s the royal, I guess, pronunciation, and then the common, um, so yeah, I, like, it’s difficult, and just right off the, if I was Celaena, I would be so ready to just be like, you know what, screw all of you.

[00:31:18] Like, this is not fair to me, for you guys to be doing this. Dorian, you need to grow the F up, okay? You said we could still be friends.

[00:31:32] Ka-Ce: Yes.

[00:31:33] James: And you’re over in the corner here crying wah wah boo hoo. And Nehemia, I want to help you and I want to support you.

[00:31:41] Ka-Ce: But,

[00:31:41] James: I am not interested in being in your rebel fight. I just don’t have it in me.

[00:31:49] Ka-Ce: yeah.

[00:31:49] James: To do that, you know, but even if she said that, I don’t think Nehemia would, you know, give up on her, but, but everyone is judging her [00:32:00] so much. Um, yeah, it, it’s frustrating because I get where they’re coming from, but

[00:32:11] Ka-Ce: Yeah.

[00:32:11] James: just give the girl a break. And then you find out that she isn’t actually even killing these people.

[00:32:19] And so that just adds a whole level of, of, um, of, uh, I just lost the word. Complication of what she’s trying to do, because she’s doing the right thing and she’s letting everyone believe that she’s doing the wrong thing. And she has to live with their judgment. Their wrong judgment.

[00:32:43] Ka-Ce: Yeah.

[00:32:44] And she can’t tell them.

[00:32:45] James: You know how hard that is to keep that in you and be like, you don’t like me for what I’m doing, but I’m not actually even doing the thing that you’re judging me for.

[00:32:58] That would be so hard to just not blow up and be like, I’m not even freaking killing them,

[00:33:03] Ka-Ce: Yeah, it would

[00:33:04] James: you know?

[00:33:05] Ka-Ce: know my temper would . My temper would snap so like so fast after the first one I’d be like, fuck you guys. I helped save him. He’s sailing off to this other continent now. But

[00:33:15] James: And then a guard comes around the corner, you’re what now?

[00:33:19] Ka-Ce: say what? And then she’s back in Endovier. The end.

[00:33:26] James: Mhm. It was a good book series. Alright, see you guys next week.

[00:33:31] Ka-Ce: Where we will be starting the next, fantasy series. Alright, moving into chapter four. Chaol and Celaena somehow are able to run in the snow and ice in the castle grounds, and I don’t see how that is possible because I have slipped on black ice and that hurt. Keeping up their training. Chaol fighting it hard to keep his eyes off of her.

[00:33:52] He asks her, How often she thinks about the people he’s, she’s killed, and rightfully, Celaena is on guard and [00:34:00] pissed, assuming Chaol is passing judgment on her, but she quickly realizes he is still hung up on the fact that he took Cain’s life. Despite it being several months, he knows at some point, as captain of the guard, he was going to have to take a life.

[00:34:14] He’s already done other things as his duty for the king. Celaena tells him she’s never forgotten any of those she’s killed. Even the ones in self defense. It takes away a little piece of your soul each time, and she doesn’t think she’ll ever forget them. She tries to comfort Chaol, letting him know that he wasn’t dishonorable for killing Cain.

[00:34:34] It wasn’t an assassination attempt or cold blooded murder. He did it to protect someone. Chaol wanted to lean into her warmth, finding it harder and harder to resist her, but crossing that line with Celaena could be deadly for both of them. He did not want the king questioning his loyalty. He also hoped and prayed that it would never come down to choosing between his king and Celaena.

[00:34:59] Also, you know, Dorian’s his bro. He, he doesn’t wanna, you know, go into that. As they head back in to warm up and get breakfast, Celaena is annoyed with the amount of court women who had taken to gathering early each morning in all of their finery just to watch Chaol work out with her. I mean Chaol is a hunk, and Celaena can’t deny it.

[00:35:24] But she’s still annoyed, especially when Chaol doesn’t seem to notice, or he just doesn’t say anything about it. How much of you wants to bet that he does actually notice, and he’s just sort of playing into it just to make Celaena jealous?

[00:35:37] James: Chaol With Chaol it could actually be either way.

[00:35:41] Ka-Ce: Yeah, that’s true.

[00:35:42] James: Because I’m fairly oblivious to stuff like that myself. I mean, I have, you know, I have had, after our runs, straight up have had people come up and start to hit on me, and I’m just like, yeah, great one. I’m waiting for my wife. And it’s [00:36:00] just like, bro.

[00:36:03] Ka-Ce: I love your golden retriever energy.

[00:36:06] James: So I kind of, I kind of imagined that Chaol could be like that, like, what’s going on out here. They sure are brave in the cold a lot lately, like.

[00:36:16] Ka-Ce: Right. Chaol asks Celaena if she’s going into Rifthold today, and if she wants any help, uh, trailing Archer. Celaena is abrupt with him, telling him she doesn’t need help, as having him there could actually jeopardize our plans. Just as they turn a hedge, they run into Dorian and his cousin, Lord Roland, whom Chaol does not seem to like.

[00:36:38] But Roland seems to be a bit like his prince cousin, a ladies man, and Celaena knew instantly he had a history with women. She is introduced to him as Lillian, and she tells him that she buries the king’s opponents where nobody will ever find them.

[00:36:51] Slay queen. Roland is to start work in the king’s council and hopes to work with Celaena. Celaena would rather take care of him with a dagger. Her and Chaol leave, leaving Dorian to wonder why his father wants Roland on the council. He wasn’t well liked, not by him, definitely not by Chaol, and much of the guards.

[00:37:10] But Dorian didn’t want to work up the nerve to ask his father. Meah? Meah? Meah? Uh, apparently that’s where Roland is from, is a small coastal city in Adarlan. Not one with huge political power. So what was Roland really doing here? Later that day, Celaena stumbles into her room with so many purchases and more purchases.

[00:37:31] purchases coming later that she was surprised to find Dorian in her foyer. She is wearing a lilac and ivory gown. Is this the gown that she was eyeing at the dressmaker shop in the bonus scene with Nehemia? Hint hint. And Dorian teases her that at least she isn’t wearing that dreadful black. Dorian wanted to visit her.

[00:37:52] Aren’t friends allowed to see each other more than once a day? And Dorian is hurt. He clearly still has feelings for her and he is trying, [00:38:00] she is trying, but it’s hard when his father still holds the reins to her freedom. He asks her to play billiards, eat dinner, talk about books with him. Of course he would make time for her despite his flock of ladies that he has to attend to, he teases, but it still stings.

[00:38:19] Silence falls between them and she really hates the distance that has come between them. Dorian steps towards her, exposing his palms to her, and he asks, Do you want me to fight for you? Is that it? No, Celaena tells him, I just want you to leave me alone. It’s heartbreaking, but Celaena needs her space, and she needs to get out to Rifthold to track Archer.

[00:38:43] She stays in her room until Dorian leaves, and once alone, she felt disgusted with all of the pretty packages around her. So, the king never does anything without reason. So, what is the reason for Roland being there, being on his council all of a sudden?

[00:39:05] James: This is difficult for this, to talk about this because,

[00:39:09] Ka-Ce: Spoilers!

[00:39:10] James: spoilers, um, because reading it I had no idea. But considering where I am now, I’m like, uh, that’s f’d up.

[00:39:25] Ka-Ce: So, like, there was a reason for Cain. And a reason for Kaltain. Why Kaltain was, you know, sought after. Or targeted, I should say. Do you think Roland is being targeted? Or do you think Roland is in on it?

[00:39:42] James: I think, no, I honestly think that the only, um, the only people in on it. At this point are the King and Perrington. Uh, I think everybody else that gets involved is a pawn of some kind. [00:40:00] And, and even if they were under the assumption that they were there for some reason to be used or useful or whatever.

[00:40:10] Ka-Ce: No.

[00:40:10] James: No, I, I think, literally, I think everybody is a pawn from, from the king and, or, no, okay.

[00:40:18] I think everybody else is a pawn to the king and Perrington, um, for whatever, whether it’s a, um, power grab or it’s just to appease the courts to make things look like it’s normal or who knows, right? But everything is a smokescreen for something else, I think. Just whatever nefarious things are going on in the background.

[00:40:48] Um, yeah.

[00:40:55] Ka-Ce: Yeah.

[00:40:56] James: I don’t think even Roland really knows why he’s there, honestly.

[00:40:59] Ka-Ce: No, I don’t, I don’t think he does either. I think he just got summons from the king and he was like, Hell yeah! I’m in the royal castle!

[00:41:06] James: Yeah, I think he, he’s like, I’m at the royal castle and there are some fine ladies here. I’m gonna be bonin’ so much. And, (shakes head in disgust)

[00:41:15] Ka-Ce: I think he’s a worse ladies man. Like, Dorian’s a flirt. Like, he’s straight up a flirt. I feel like Roland is a flirt, but he takes things too far.

[00:41:29] James: He feels like the kind of character who would be like, Hey, pretty lady, take them to bed, and then the next day be like, Uh, you’re disgusting, get out of here. Like,

[00:41:38] Ka-Ce: Yeah.

[00:41:39] James: that kind of, like, that’s the energy I feel. And apparently I think that’s the energy that Celaena also feels.

[00:41:45] Ka-Ce: Yeah.

[00:41:46] James: is why she wants to bury a dagger hilt deep into him.

[00:41:49] Ka-Ce: Yeah. And of course Roland is like, instantly intrigued with her. Despite her

[00:41:54] James: who wouldn’t? I mean, come on now. A lady who’s not immediately trying to, like, [00:42:00] get into your pants to get on the good side of royalty, of course he’s gonna focus in on that and be like, I must have her.

[00:42:08] Ka-Ce: I mean, Dorian kind of felt the same way, didn’t he? Cause she didn’t, she wasn’t all, you know.

[00:42:14] James: She wasn’t fawning over him?

[00:42:16] Ka-Ce: Yeah.

[00:42:17] James: I mean, yeah, um,

[00:42:22] Ka-Ce: I felt like Dorian was more actual Dorian in this last scene. Where he’s waiting for her in her room and like, trying to joke with her. And it’s just falling flat because they don’t know how to be friends yet.

[00:42:38] James: Yeah, no, and, and, yeah, that’s

[00:42:41] Ka-Ce: Mm

[00:42:42] James: that I think a lot of people do go through, and And he, you know, probably never in a million years has ever thought that he would be on the other side of the rejection. And that’s a weird place for him to be. You know, like, no, I’m the one who says no. I’m the one, because they’re always trying to get to me.

[00:43:03] This is not right. How do you do this? Um, but it is, you know, You know, he, Is trying to come around and, and be like, you know, can’t we be friends? Can’t we see each other? But then he immediately falls into the like, did I do it wrong? Do I need to do it better, harder? You know, fight for you, whatever, and, and I feel like she wanted to be nice. But she can’t be nice because of the things that she needs to do. You know, she’s killing, not killing, people.

[00:43:45] Ka-Ce: hmm.

[00:43:45] James: And she cannot risk another distraction, because this is literally taking all of her mental energy to figure out how to do this, you know, without, and one more person finding out is one more step closer [00:44:00] to her being found out and, and she just, she, she can’t risk that with Dorian right now, you know, unfortunately it’s kind of like, I want to be your friend.

[00:44:12] But right now, being your friend is too hard.

[00:44:17] Ka-Ce: Yeah.

[00:44:17] James: So I need you to just go away.

[00:44:21] Ka-Ce: Yeah.

[00:44:21] James: And, and it’s hurtful. Um, but it, you know, it has to be done. She just, she can’t. Um,

[00:44:34] Ka-Ce: Our poor girl has way too much on her shoulders.

[00:44:37] James: yeah, exactly. She just, she doesn’t have She doesn’t have the extra spoons needed to, uh, to take care of Dorian.

[00:44:47] Ka-Ce: Yep.

[00:44:48] James: you know, I did really also like the exchange in the beginning with her and Chaol. Because, you know, Chaol asks her if she thinks about the people that she’s killed. And given the interactions that she’s already had with Nehemia and Probably Dorian and other people she’s immediately on the defensive like you two like mother effer and He is immediately Like the energy is different and she’s like, oh wait, he’s not accusing.

[00:45:22] He’s adjusting

[00:45:25] Ka-Ce: Mmmhmm.

[00:45:26] James: And she immediately flips into like support mode

[00:45:31] Ka-Ce: Yea, because she can understand, she can relate. She was quite an young when she had to take her first life.

[00:45:37] James: Yea um, but it was, it’s, you know what it is, the way I think is I think that Chaol being forced to take the life of Kain forced him into her shoes, at least from his kind of perspective, [00:46:00] he has an understanding now of her that he never afforded her in the beginning.

[00:46:08] Ka-Ce: Yea, I agree

[00:46:11] James: And so while he doesn’t, I wouldn’t say he like quite gets it, but he’s now looking at this entire thing different because, because she is the champion of the king. She has to go out and she has to kill these people, right? She has no choice.

[00:46:32] Ka-Ce: Mmmhmm

[00:46:33] James: When Cain, after she won, and then Cain was coming over to kill her, Chaole had no choice.

[00:46:42] He reacted because he knew that she won, she was right, and Cain was wrong, and he stepped in, and he killed Cain. And it wasn’t a matter of, of, um, thinking about it. It was he had no choice. He had to do the, the, the right thing, right? And so, I feel like that has just really flipped, at this point, made him very sympathetic to her situation. Um, and brought him more in line, you know.

[00:47:18] Ka-Ce: Yeah, he’s being less douchey so far in this book.

[00:47:21] James: Yeah, so.

[00:47:24] Ka-Ce: Who would have thought that taking a life would have mellowed Chaol out?

[00:47:30] James: Yeah, right? Um. you know, but it’s good because she needs it, you know. She needs at least one person in her corner.

[00:47:40] Ka-Ce: Yes, she really does.

[00:47:42] James: And, and, you know, he’s like offering things like, you know, I’ll help you. Can I, I, and she’s like, No, you will make it harder for me. Um, but you notice that he doesn’t, like, he doesn’t press it.

[00:47:57] Ka-Ce: Yeah, not like Dain.

[00:47:59] James: [00:48:00] yeah, um. You know, just a, I felt like that was just a worthwhile, like,

[00:48:07] Ka-Ce: Yeah, he’s offering. He keeps offering his services because he does really want to go. He really does want to help support her and keep her safe. But he’s not being What’s the word? He’s not overwhelming her either. She says, no, he’s disappointed. He’s a bit sad. But he backs off.

[00:48:28] James: Yeah. But you notice he’s not being super whiny about his problem either, right? So, uh, okay, I feel a little bad about saying whiny because Nehemia is not being whiny about her. She has a legitimate problem, right? Um, but she keeps trying to push it on to Celaena. And Dorian’s problem is that his heart was broken.

[00:48:56] And while that is a very real, you know, whatever, issue, that’s really not as important as everything else going on. And, and, but he’s still, like, making it very much a, uh, it’s, it’s Celaena’s problem. Right?

[00:49:12] Ka-Ce: Yeah.

[00:49:12] James: Whereas Chaol came in and he’s just like… (pondering), Obviously he really wants to kind of talk about it, and he doesn’t know how to broach it.

[00:49:20] And so he’s just like, how do you, do you deal with this? And she immediately picked up on it and was like, you don’t. You compartmentalize it.

[00:49:32] Ka-Ce: Yeah,

[00:49:32] James: And you just move on to the next thing.

[00:49:36] Ka-Ce: Yea

[00:49:36] James: But he wasn’t sitting there like, you know.

[00:49:39] Ka-Ce: Feel sorry for me

[00:49:40] James: How do I yeah like I can’t believe I had to kill Cain and I did it for you And I had to protect you and and now my whole thing is messed up and like he didn’t do any of that.

[00:49:50] Ka-Ce: And He could have

[00:49:52] James: Well, I mean everybody else is

[00:49:55] Ka-Ce: Yea

[00:49:56] James: Right?

[00:49:57] Ka-Ce: Yea

[00:49:58] James: Um. [00:50:00] So, yeah, it was a good thing For her, she at least feels like she has one sort of tether to reality, whether she wants to take it or not, you know. Chaol is at least there for her right now, without being overwhelming and oppressive with his, you know, wha wha me, uh, my needs, you know. Um. But, I mean, yeah, I do feel bad saying whining and wha wha me because, you know, the other ones, they do have legitimate, uh, issues, but they’re going about it completely wrong. Because again, Celaena is still recovering all the BS that just happened. None of them had to do the, the championship contest.

[00:51:00] Ka-Ce: Nope.

[00:51:01] James: (reflecting on thoughts) People gotta chill, man.

[00:51:07] Alright, moving on to Archer.

[00:51:12] So, chapter 5. Archer had been with two clients for an hour each already.

[00:51:19] Um, this client he had been with for almost two hours. It had been so long since Celaena had scaled roofs like this in Rifthold, staking out her next job. She was really feeling it. It felt different when the king sent her to other cities, but doing the job here just didn’t feel, um, it felt like she had never left.

[00:51:42] Like she could look over her shoulder and, and Sam would be sitting there next to her, ready to return to the Assassin’s Keep instead of the Glass Castle. and that goes back to the whole not really ever getting over, you know, no time to process, [00:52:00] right? there were answers across the city to what had happened to Sam and from, and her from a year and a half ago.

[00:52:07] Answers that she knew would destroy her again. Archer finally comes out and she trails his carriage, knowing that whatever truth she, whatever truth she uncovered about the rebel movement and the king’s plans would also destroy her too and everything that she’s grown to care about. Celaena has taken to escaping to Chaol’s room when thoughts of Cain and Elena and secret tunnels become too much for her.

[00:52:36] Tonight, Chaol was working on paperwork. Cause that sounds like fun. and Celaena reviewing her notes on Archer. Chaol questions her on why preparing so much when she could easily shoot him from afar and be done with it. And, dammit Chaol,

[00:52:54] Ka-Ce: practical

[00:52:55] James: sometimes, you know.

[00:52:56] Ka-Ce: A little too on the nose there

[00:52:58] James: Chaol’s like, work smarter, not harder. And Celaena’s like, I need you to be dumb again. This is not helpful.

[00:53:09] Ka-Ce: You’ve had one kill, and now you’re suddenly an expert, back off.

[00:53:14] James: Celaena tells him that if the king actually has a group working against him, then she needs to gather as much information as she can before killing Archer, and following him might reveal more conspirators or clues. It’s a quick, good recovery, Celaena. Like, uh, Celaena studies a map and asks Chaol if he knows who uh Rourke Farran is. The name made her sick saying it. She wasn’t ready for the full truth of her capture, but she needed some questions answered. She finds out that nine months ago, Farran and his three top men were all murdered by Wesley. Wesley was Arobynn’s personal guard. Chaol [00:54:00] asks if she knew Wesley. And I actually don’t remember this at all from, uh, when I was reading the other one.

[00:54:11] Ka-Ce: No?

[00:54:12] James: No, and this is actually a really good, obviously a good throwback, and I’m

[00:54:17] Ka-Ce: I just saw the lightbulb go

[00:54:19] James: Yeah, exactly. I was, uh, was like, oh, damn. Did we, did we get that? But it had been, I mean, so I read what, what, 1, 2, 3, 4 and then, and then Assassin’s Blade. So yeah, I had forgotten. ’cause there’s so many details. Um, dang. Like . That’s good, like, yeah, now I’m putting it all together about the, yeah, the murder and the, oh man, you guys, yeah, I will tell you right now, I was a little peeved about it at first, but definitely you gotta read Assassin’s Blade, cause, and keep, I’m telling you guys right now, keep this particular scene in mind when you read, um, the Assassin and the, is it Underground or Empire?

[00:55:07] Must be Underground, no?

[00:55:09] Ka-Ce: It’s the very last one. So the Assassin’s Blade, if you don’t know, is made up of five short stories in one book. And it’s the very last story.

[00:55:17] James: I think that’s the Assassin and the Empire

[00:55:20] Ka-Ce: Ok.

[00:55:21] James: Yeah. Um…

[00:55:23] Yeah. So keep this in mind when you guys read Assassin’s Blade. Cause, oof. Uh,

[00:55:29] Ka-Ce: It also depends on when they read Assassin’s Blade. So if you’ve read Assassin’s Blade first, then you already know about this

[00:55:36] James: That’s true.

[00:55:37] Ka-Ce: If you read Assassin’s Blade after this book, come back to this to refresh yourself. Um, a lot of people say to read Assassin’s Blade 3rd, I made James read it 4th, after Heir of Fire.

[00:55:51] Because I wanted him to remember the details of Assassin’s Blade before going into, um, the next, the last three books.

[00:55:58] James: Yeah, but [00:56:00] that’s hard because reading it to prepare for the last three, but reading it closer to this, then I might have remembered this instead. So (shrugs)

[00:56:09] Ka-Ce: I mean, at least you got it in the middle, I did not even know about the Assassin’s Blade until I had read all of the books, finished Kingdom of Ash, was on a total, just like, (frantic gestures) what am I going to do with my life, I’m not ready to leave this world, and then Amazon kindle was like oh, you enjoy Kingdom of Ash. You should read Assassin’s Blade. And I was like, oh, there’s another one. Yay! I start reading it and I’m like, oh my god, this would have been so much better if I had read this in the beginning. Or, you know, somewhere in the middle. Um, so, when you started this series, I was like, okay.

[00:56:44] Somewhere in between here, you have to stop and read Assassin’s Blade. And we’ll talk about that towards the end. About where you should read this book. Um. But yeah, so this does, this is one of the tie-ins to Assassin’s Blade.

[00:56:59] James: That I completely forgot about. Man. But no it actually was, it was, that was a nice aha moment, just remembering, that like, oh dang, like (waves)

[00:57:09] Ka-Ce: That was, that was so great to captured right now. Sorry for those of you listening on the podcast, check out the YouTube to see his epiphany moment.

[00:57:20] James: It actually just kind of makes it a little bit sadder, too, when you get through the whole thing. Ah, ah, damn. Okay, anyway, um, so, okay, so Chaol asks if she knew Wesley. She replies only with, I thought I did.

[00:57:40] Ka-Ce: You are having all the feelings right now.

[00:57:43] James: It turns out she thought Wesley barely tolerated her while she grew up, always making it clear that if she threatened Arobynn, he would kill her, but on the night she was captured and betrayed, he had tried to warn her, tried to stop her from going after Sam’s killers. Wesley, sadly, was found a day later, impaled [00:58:00] on the iron fence outside of Rourke’s house. Oh, that must have been a typo earlier. Um. By none other than Arobynn. As an attempt to balance the blood feud. So the next crime lord wouldn’t view Arobynn as an enemy. Wesley was alive when he was impaled on the iron fence and left there to die.

[00:58:27] Ka-Ce: That is a horrible way to go.

[00:58:29] James: Right? That’s like straight up Dracula vibes. Celaena tried to shut down the thought of Wesley trying to stop her that night, trying to tell her it was a trap. She would have to examine that truth later when she wasn’t dealing with Archer and the rebel movement. That’s when she could try to understand why Arobynn Hamel might have betrayed her and how much she would make him suffer and bleed for it.

[00:58:54] Yeah, you know what, just another side thought. I feel when I was reading You know assassin’s blade. I was like, oh, he’s trying to warn her He’s trying and I just got that from the book because I had completely forgotten about this And if I had read this a little bit closer, I Think I would have seen more of how the story was going with with him in particular.

[00:59:18] But yeah, I Feel like now I like I have to reread After, but I still have to get through the other three books, so. It just, it does, it makes it so much more heartbreaking when you get, like, both sides of it, uh, the details, which is just like, ugh, damn.

[00:59:37] Ka-Ce: Yep.

[00:59:39]

[00:59:39] James: She told Chaol it was an act of revenge. Farran had captured, tortured, and murdered one of her companions, and she had gone out to repay the favor, but it didn’t end well.

[00:59:48] Chaol put the pieces together and realizes that’s when she was caught. He thought she didn’t know who betrayed her. Celaena tells him she still doesn’t. Someone hired her and her [01:00:00] companion to kill Farran, but it was a trap, and Farran was bait. She tells Chaol that her companion’s name was Sam, and she had failed him.

[01:00:08] He told her no, she didn’t fail. Sam would have wanted her to live. Chaol tells her about,

[01:00:20] Ka-Ce: I think Lithaen.

[01:00:21] James: Lithaen. She worked for one of the ladies of the court and Roland thought it would be hilarious for Chaol to find her in bed with Roland. Roland even convinced her to go back to, I’m guessing, Meah, with him. Uh, Chaol doesn’t know what became of her.

[01:00:38] He loved her and thought she loved him. Chaol walks her back to her room and she tells him that Lithaen was a fool for picking Roland over him. Midnight hour chimes throughout the castle, and despite having a huge pile of books, Celaena finds herself headed towards the library and froze. There, concealed in a black cloak, was a figure standing between the open library doors.

[01:01:02] Something felt wrong. Really wrong. The figure sniffed, like an animal, making its way towards her. And there, faint warmth at her chest and the eye of Elena starts glowing. The thing hissed, moved back. The blue gem in the amulet continued to glow brighter and brighter. Celaena closes her eyes, and when she opens them, the creature is gone and the amulet is dark again.

[01:01:27] Forget the library. Celaena quickly goes back to her room.

[01:01:31] Ka-Ce: Same girl. I would be running.

[01:01:35] So, reading this backstor or reading this scene again with Wesley and Sam and everything, and then having read Assassin’s Blade after Heir of Fire, do you wish you had read Assassin’s Blade before Crown of Midnight? Or right after Crown of Midnight?

[01:01:55] James: that’s hard because there’s honestly, there’s [01:02:00] like no really like perfect place to put that book because you do want to read some of it in preparation for the end stuff. But, uh,

[01:02:10] But reading it so far away from this. Like I said, I forgot about this when I was reading Assassin’s Blade. Um, I also thought that she did know who betrayed her.

[01:02:27] Ka-Ce: Yea, she pretty much said it, you went over it in your recap. She just can’t can’t come to terms with it herself.

[01:02:35] James: Right, and she’s just not telling Chaol who it is, cause

[01:02:39] Ka-Ce: Yea

[01:02:39] James: Oh, well, I mean, I guess if Chaol knew, then that would mess up stuff for the future books.

[01:02:45] Ka-Ce: Yea, I, I think it’s just she is still grasping, grappling?

[01:02:51] James: The fact did it

[01:02:52] Ka-Ce: The fact that he did it, fact and if she can’t be honest with herself, she can’t be honest with Chaol, or Dorian, or whoever else about it.

[01:03:01] James: And wait until you guys find out why he did it. I’m not, we’re not telling you who did it, but we are, uh, When you find out, when you find out who did it, you’re gonna be like, Oh, okay, but when you find out why he did it, you’re gonna be like, What the actual hell?

[01:03:19] Ka-Ce: I should have, looking back at this, I should have pieced up Uh, the Assassin’s Blade and had you read Certain Chapters, or certain books At certain times while you were reading these main books I think But that just gets complicated and like Oh, you’re reading this book. Okay, stop what you’re doing and now read this section of Assassin’s Blade.

[01:03:45] Okay, now stop there and go back to there. That just gets

[01:03:48] James: How is that any harder than doing a tandem read between Empire of Storms and, um, Tower of Dawn?

[01:03:53] Ka-Ce: I mean, that’s true, too.

[01:03:58] James: Which I still haven’t. I gotta get [01:04:00] through Fourth Wing first, so. Too many books to read, guys.

[01:04:07] Ka-Ce: Ugh, and not enough time

[01:04:08] James: And, really, I gotta work, too, you know? Makes it very difficult to find time to, uh

[01:04:16] Ka-Ce: Yep.

[01:04:17] James: Um, I think it might have been beneficial to read this maybe before Heir of Fire. Just because the events would have been a little bit closer together. Because by the time you get to Heir of Fire, there’s not a whole lot really connecting these side stories, you know, to the other things.

[01:04:42] Um, but, you know, it’s kind of up to whatever flavor, you know, people want to do. You guys want to read it first? Go for it. You want to read it after Throne of Glass? Go for it.

[01:04:52] Um, just keep things in mind that, uh, there’s gonna be things here and there as you read through it, that there’s gonna kind of shed some light on some things here and some things over there and pay attention to everything and, forget nothing.

[01:05:11] Ka-Ce: There is a lot that happens in these books.

[01:05:14] James: Yea really, and yeah, and, um, yes. So back to the haunted library. What are we thinking this, yeah, what are we thinking this creature is?

[01:05:33] Ka-Ce: Gargoyle, Ridderak, something else? Something evolved?

[01:05:38] James: Initially, my thought was it was not a gargoyle, and it was not a ridderak, because I don’t think either one of those things would have taken any time to stop and smell the air. I think they would have known she was there before she knew it was there.

[01:05:57] Ka-Ce: Again, great assassin skills right there.[01:06:00]

[01:06:00] James: Right. She’s so like involved in her world. She’s just like, I’m going to the library. La da. What the hell is that? Why is the thing go? Um,

[01:06:11] Ka-Ce: So, some other creature is what you’re thinking.

[01:06:14] James: well, I mean, there’s a lot of stuff going on in the castle that we don’t know about, and honestly, with, with the way that Cain was pulling ridderak after ridderak out of the damn portals, um. Um, I, my first thought was that it was some sort of, um, like acolyte from something because she’s not going to be privy to everything that goes on in the castle, right?

[01:06:42] Um, I don’t care if she’s a champion or not, the king’s not going to let her just run amok through the, through everything. Um, when her necklace started glowing and I’m like, oh, the Eye of Elena is actually working again. That’s nice. You know? Like, it helped her during the, you know, during the contest and, um, everything else.

[01:07:03] But, when the Eye of Elena started glowing, I was like, Oh, this is one of those kinds of things. Like, um, but apparently the thing didn’t like the light. Like, at all, right? Um, so, my guess was that it was some sort of demon.

[01:07:26] Ka-Ce: Something.

[01:07:27] James: Thing, but definitely more on the human side, because it didn’t outright attack.

[01:07:35] Ka-Ce: Yea

[01:07:35] James: So it must have some sort of, um, deduction skill,

[01:07:42] self preservation, you know, things that a normal person and, and something that was more person and less creature would have. But then of course, the detail of it smelling the air is like, but that’s more creature than person.[01:08:00]

[01:08:00] Ka-Ce: It’s very animalistic.

[01:08:01] James: So, you know, I’m immediately my guess is either an acolyte that has, um, entered into a pact. And so, you know, they’ve been changed somehow, or it’s a new creature that slipped in from another portal somewhere. I mean, we’re operating under the assumption that, you know, um, that somebody else can open portals, right? I mean, it can’t be just Cain.

[01:08:33] Ka-Ce: No, and Nehemia knows about wyrdmarks and how to open them

[01:08:36] James: Yeah, so we’re assuming that somebody else can do it.

[01:08:42] Ka-Ce: Well, and we learned that the king actually knows about wyrdmarks.

[01:08:45] James: Right, yeah,

[01:08:46] Ka-Ce: So, who’s to say that the king isn’t opening things and summoning things?

[01:08:51] James: exactly. So at this point it could be anything.

[01:08:55] Ka-Ce: Do you think Elena’s going to come back?

[01:08:58] James: I mean, she was a little useful in the last book, you know?

[01:09:03] Ka-Ce: At the very end

[01:09:03] James: Girl pulled up at the very end, right? Or, I’m sorry, woman pulled up at the very end there.

[01:09:10] Ka-Ce: Thank you for the correction.

[01:09:11] James: or should I say battle queen pulled up at the very end there. Um, she did alright. She did alright. For being not helpful for the majority of the book, she’s alright in my book now. Um, uh, honestly, I figure Elena has to come back because Celaena didn’t really like conquer the big bad.

[01:09:39] Ka-Ce: Celaena thought she did.

[01:09:40] James: I think, I mean, yeah, Elena thinks, no, Celaena thinks that she did. um, but that’s not the big bad. I mean, anybody, huh?

[01:09:54] Ka-Ce: Cain was not the big bad?

[01:09:56] James: No, Cain was a tool. Like, very [01:10:00] clearly Cain was being used. Um, to assume that he was the final threat would be, um, I mean that’s a novice mistake. I would be on pins and needles, like, constantly, like, that could not have been it. For all of the, all of the stuff that Elenia was like, You’re gonna have to find this out, and you’re gonna have to abandon your friends, and you’re gonna have to, or the world’s gonna end, and then it’s Cain? I’m sorry, no, Cain is the mid level boss, at best.

[01:10:38] Ka-Ce: Yea.

[01:10:39] James: And he wasn’t even a big enough bad that he, that they thought that he, they could win without poisoning her first.

[01:10:46] Ka-Ce: That is true.

[01:10:47] James: Mid level boss, at best.

[01:10:51] Ka-Ce: I mean, yeah, we still have Perrington to deal with, so.

[01:10:56] James: And even just based on the assumption… and again we’re assuming things that maybe Celaena doesn’t know because of the Black Rings and, you know, we know that the Black Rings exert control over people and things. Um, but even Celaena had noticed. The way that the rings, you know, with the eyes and the rings and Cain being weird and he had a ring and I feel like she is willfully forgetting because she doesn’t want to deal with it. But if she really, yeah, but if she really took the time to think about it, it’d be like, no, this is not This is not over. There’s, there’s something else. Like, Yeah, You know, but you can’t blame her. She’s got a lot on her plate and a group of very unsupportive friends.[01:12:00]

[01:12:01] Ka-Ce: Rolling in to Chapter 6. Of course, as if the night couldn’t get any creepier, there is an eclipse. But who would have been at the library at midnight? She was told reading was out of fashion amongst the courtiers. So is a noble person hiding the fact that they love to read? And they just happen to make animal noises and make her amulet glow?

[01:12:22] Come on girl, let’s use what you just learned with Cain and the wyrdmarks, etc. to some use.

[01:12:28] James: What I just said.

[01:12:31] Ka-Ce: Grabbing a candle, Celaena and Fleetfoot venture into the secret tunnels to visit Elena. Just to make sure nothing else is going on. Hesitating just outside the door to the tomb, a skull shaped bronze knocker seems to smile at her. What the fuck. As she reaches for the door handle, the skull talks to her.

[01:12:53] James: Surprise, surprise.

[01:12:57] Ka-Ce: She tells it that it’s magic, and magic doesn’t work anymore. The door knocker tells her new magic doesn’t work anymore. The king can’t erase old spells made with older powers, like the wyrdmarks. Those ancient spells still hold, especially the ones that imbue life. The skull is called Mort, and has been waiting until she has seen enough weird shit before making himself known.

[01:13:22] King Brannon. Put himself on the door. Wait. King Brannon put him on this door to guard over Elena. When she tells Mort her name is Celaena Sardothian, it laughs, saying that that is the funniest thing it’s heard in centuries. Eventually, she uses him to knock three times on the door and the door swings open.

[01:13:46] Much to Celaena’s disappointment, Elena is not there waiting for her, and apparently she wouldn’t be coming, according to Mort. Elena needed to recover her energy from helping her the past few months. Celaena studied the [01:14:00] weird tomb, where the stars were etched on the floor and the trees and flowers on the ceiling, walls etched with wyrdmarks.

[01:14:07] Celaena thinks to herself, if the king ever found out about the wyrdmarks Nehemia and her family knew how to use, the ones Cain learned and used to summon creatures, the king could unleash endless amount of evil upon Erilea. Mort tells Celaena that Elena did leave a message with him for her. That made Celaena feel like standing in front of a cresting wave.

[01:14:32] Another oncoming burden. Instead of listening, she walks over to the sword Damaris, that once belonged to Gavin. When Gavin wielded Damaris, he would see only the truth, and that was why he was crowned king. Or something like that. It’s hilt was silvery gold and had little ornamentation save for a pommel in the shape of an eye.

[01:14:55] No jewels adorned it. The scabbard decorated with wyrdmarks. Gavin’s armor was there too, but not Elena’s. Where was her armor? Forgotten somewhere? The same way Legend had reduced Elena to a damsel in a tower needing rescuing? Celaena finally listens to Mort’s message. As King’s Champion, she is actually in a position of power.

[01:15:17] She can make a difference in the lives of many. Cain and the ridderak were just the beginning. There is a far deadlier power poised to devour the world. Refusing to kill the king’s targets is only the first and smallest step. Celaena tells Mort she saw something in the library and it did not feel human.

[01:15:36] Closing her eyes, Celaena knew. She’d been waiting months for this. And Mort confirms that all of this is related to the king. And naturally, Celaena lashes out. Elena should be the one to take care of this. Mort points out that this is Celaena’s fate. It’s Celaena’s responsibility. She needs to find out where the king’s power comes from [01:16:00] and what he plans to do before it’s too late.

[01:16:03] Celaena snaps back that it’s already too late. Ten years too late. Where was Elena ten years ago, when they actually had heroes? It doesn’t end on a good note between them, when Celaena storms up the stairs. And, one of my first questions, about this was, Why does a tomb need a door knocker?

[01:16:24] And why is it a skull? Like, couldn’t have Brannon put something else in place?

[01:16:30] James: No, skulls are awesome.

[01:16:35] Ka-Ce: Okay, but like,

[01:16:36] James: Especially when they’re sarcastic skulls.

[01:16:39] Ka-Ce: I know, you really like Mort.

[01:16:41] James: I do. He’s an awesome character.

[01:16:44] Ka-Ce: I just felt like, She saw some pretty weird shit, especially after the ridderak chased her into the tomb and she slayed it with Damaris. I feel like that would have been a, like, hello, I’m Mort.

[01:16:59] James: I mean, he opened the door for her.

[01:17:01] Ka-Ce: That is true. That is

[01:17:03] James: The door has always been closed, but it just happened to be open that night. So she could get to the sword.

[01:17:09] Ka-Ce: That is true.

[01:17:10] James: Telling you, Mort’s a bro. He knew what was up.

[01:17:14] Ka-Ce: My other question is, what counts as old magic? Like, wouldn’t you think that someone who’s like middle age or older, who had their magic all their lives, um, would have been able to keep their magic or like, what is the timeframe for old spells and old magic a hundred years, 200 years ago, a thousand years ago?

[01:17:40] James: I think that that really would just depend on how a person, uh, gets their magic, right? So we already know that the wyrdmarks and the wyrdgates and all that stuff doesn’t play by the rules. So that stuff is all old magic. In fact, that stuff is like the magic. Original [01:18:00] magic. Um, so when you assume that a person who had magic, they were probably using, um, like, uh, An ability to channel the ambient magical energy provided by the wyrdmarks in, like, the air, right?

[01:18:26] In, in the atmosphere. Um, and so when you take away that ambient magic, people lose their magic, right? But that doesn’t get rid of the, the thing that still provides it. So you just basically have to go back to the crude way of using it, you know, directly on the, um, you know, drawing them out. And, um, I feel like this is a thing I just read in fourth wing too.

[01:18:57] Um, just,

[01:19:03] Ka-Ce: Don’t get your stories crossed.

[01:19:05] James: no, I know, but so. That’s what I’m trying to say. It, it, depending on how the, how the magic in the universe, in this universe works. As it does in a lot of things, there’s magic where it’s the kind of magic that you have to, um, you know, draw out. It’s kind of like, um, like in D& D. Like, uh, when warlocks and, and sorcerers, they have to manually, like, write out their spells and recite their spells.

[01:19:36] But then you have other types of, um, magicians and whatever who can just kind of like, do magic because they pull it right out of the air, but their magic isn’t as powerful, but they can do more of it. But the ones who actually write it all down and perform the, like, ceremonial magics, it takes longer, but it’s almost always [01:20:00] more powerful.

[01:20:01] Um, and so that’s how I imagine the wyrdmarks being in existence provided ambient magic in the world. And then it was cut off by something, but that doesn’t cancel out because the thing that cut off the magic is also magical in nature.

[01:20:24] Um, so you can’t, like, you can’t kill magic with magic. You can nip the excess, right?

[01:20:34] Ka-Ce: Yea

[01:20:34] James: Um, but yea, I don’t know if anybody actually followed me on that thought, but That’s the way I look at it. wyrdmarks are the original, so you cannot get rid of because, yeah, I mean, they are the source. You can’t get rid of the source with something inferior to the source. Basically.

[01:20:59] Ka-Ce: Yeah.

[01:20:59] James: So.

[01:21:01] Ka-Ce: Okay. Uh, something to make note of. What does Mort know about Celaena if it thinks her name is funny? Um, you know, we get these references in Throne of Glass. Um, you know, she goes by Celaena Sardothien. The assassin. Dorian gives her the name Lillian. You know, as the court lady. Nehemia also gives her a name.

[01:21:30] But, there, there was mentioned a couple of times that there was another name that haunted her. And, this just seemed kind of a throwback. Maybe Mort knows. Something, um, we, we do learn that Elena has told more everything concerning Celaena, even how her parents died. So it’s kind of rude that he, it, he, it, [01:22:00] the skull starts laughing at her when she says that she’s Celaena.

[01:22:03] Um, but it’s interesting that we’re seeing this tie in with names. At least through these two books.

[01:22:15] James: I feel like it was, she comes up and she tells Mort and she’s like, yeah, Celaena and Mort is just kind of like, oh, yeah. Okay. Sure. Sure. It is like, like, I know who you are. And, but if, if Celaena is what you want to call yourself, that’s okay. Okay, like, he had thumbs, he would be like, okay, that’s how I imagine, like, he’s just going along with it because he knows that, you know, she’s just, she’s calling herself something different to protect herself, but also to kind of get away from the past and, and he knows, I think he just knows that and he’s just like, okay, whatever you got to tell yourself, I That, that we’ll roll with that.

[01:23:06] And, Yeah. but that’s more, more it is a smart ass, like…

[01:23:11] Ka-Ce: Which is why you’re so drawn to him.

[01:23:13] James: It’s true.

[01:23:16] Ka-Ce: Golden Retriever Energy, who likes smart ass-isms. Is that a thing? Smart ass-isms?

[01:23:22] James: It is now. Smart ass-isms TM. You heard it here first.

[01:23:27] Ka-Ce: Oh dear lord,

[01:23:29] this seems like it’s, um, part of every hero’s journey. The like, No, you can’t ask this of me. I’m tired. Find somebody else. You had your chance of finding somebody else. I’m not it.

[01:23:46] James: standard formula for the hero’s journey. A person, a thing, an entity, whatever, comes to the person and says, Guess what? You get to save the world. And the hero [01:24:00] goes, Certainly not I. I don’t have any special skills. And the person, and the thing goes, in time, and you’re like, no, no, in time, like, I don’t want to do this.

[01:24:10] And then they go through the journey and then they save the world. And that’s, that’s a standard formula. And

[01:24:16] Ka-Ce: I mean, we wouldn’t have 8 books otherwise, you know? But

[01:24:21] James: Well yea, she doesn’t want to do this, and why would she? Um, she just wanted to live in her apartment and,

[01:24:29] Ka-Ce: Read books.

[01:24:30] James: Read books and and not have to work anymore after things happened that I’m not going to talk about And she didn’t get that and Obviously, you know as you go through this journey You see that she has to go through a lot of this journey Even though I don’t still at this point even even I still don’t know why she has to be the one to do it

[01:24:54] Ka-Ce: You will find out, and I bet that you’re gonna be pissed.

[01:25:00] James: I mean probably

[01:25:04] Ka-Ce: I called it right now, everyone. He’s gonna be pissed.

[01:25:08] James: Is that on the tandem read I’m gonna figure that out, or? Or is it when I get to Kingdom of Ash?

[01:25:14] Ka-Ce: Um Little bit of both.

[01:25:18] James: Oh, okay.

[01:25:19] Ka-Ce: But yeah, I think there is this big reveal in Kingdom of Ash, and you’re gonna be like, Son of a bitch! And toss my book, and then I’ll be mad that you tossed my book

[01:25:29] James: About why she’s the chosen one? Like,

[01:25:32] Ka-Ce: Yes.

[01:25:32] James: It’s gonna just be absolute BS, isn’t it?

[01:25:35] Ka-Ce: Yes. And that’s all I’m gonna give you and our listeners.

[01:25:41] James: I’m looking forward to that. But, um,

[01:25:46] Ka-Ce: I mean, isn’t every hero’s journey, like, once they find out why they were the chosen ones, it’s always some BS reason anyways?

[01:25:54] James: Yeah, pretty much. So, She has every reason to be upset about this. Cause [01:26:00] it’s, Well, I’m gonna say, It’s not fair, but, Life’s not fair. Sorry, girl.

[01:26:08] That’s just the way it is. Um,

[01:26:13] Chapter seven, the next morning, Celaena wakes up with a pounding headache. Her candle is proof that her encounter with Mort was not a nightmare.

[01:26:22] Although the way he’s kind of insulting, it could have been a nightmare. Um, but he was right.

[01:26:29] She only had gone to the tomb, just to have Elena deal with the creature in the hallway. She was looking for someone to deal with it so she wouldn’t have to. Celaena, I mean, right? Be like, you came in with battle armor and helped me with Cain, so I got another one for you?

[01:26:50] Ka-Ce: You go deal with this.

[01:26:51] James: Right? Celaena concludes two things. If she didn’t uncover the threat, it might be a fatal mistake. Elena said she had to find it. She didn’t say anything about destroying it. And two, she needed to speak with Archer and find some way to fake his death. Chaol accompanies Celaena to Rifthold to, accidentally, bump into Archer.

[01:27:23] She reminds him not to speak. He is her worthy accessory. And to…

[01:27:28] Ka-Ce: I love that.

[01:27:29] James: Huh?

[01:27:30] Ka-Ce: I love that, he’s arm candy.

[01:27:32] James: Right? And he leans into it. and he has to stop looking like he wants to punch someone. Chaol has resting bitch face. They waited at the bottom of the stairs, and when Celaena caught a glimpse of Archer coming out of the willows, a fancy tea spot, her and Chaol head up the stairs and smack into Archer’s broad muscled shoulder. A blink, [01:28:00] two blinks, and Archer grins calling her his old pet name. Laena, which immediately puts Chaol at edge.

[01:28:08] There’s that good old Chaol jealousy energy. They descend the steps to catch up. Archer sends his condolences about Sam; wonders if Arobynn knows she’s here. Celaena tells him that she works for the…. She works for the King now. Doesn’t introduce Chaol, but tells Archer that Chaol knows everything and he’s a friend.

[01:28:29] She asks him to dinner the following night. He hands her a card, telling her to let him know when and where. He will move his appointments around. Chaol kept quiet on the way back to the castle, though he was near bursting with wanting to say things. And out of all the things that burst from him was Laena?

[01:28:52] Ka-Ce: Weird thing to focus on.

[01:28:54] James: I just now realized that that was the last part of her oth, other name

[01:28:59] Ka-Ce: Celaena, Laena,

[01:29:01] James: Chaol has no claim on Celaena, but still he wishes he did. He was jealous. Knowing that some of Celaena’s blushing and smiling earlier with Archer wasn’t faked. But she is quick to remind him that her history with Archer will allow her to get vital information. He had heard of Sam’s death before in passing, but never knew that Sam and Celaena crossed paths.

[01:29:26] Ka-Ce: Never knew that Celaena had ever loved him fiercely. Celaena throws Chaol a bone as they continue their walk, letting him know that she absolutely hates it when Archer calls her Laena.

[01:29:39] She, she, her and Chaol’s relationship, it does grow on you from Throne Glass. but it, it’s kind of funny how, how she’s, keeps throwing him bones so far in these first few chapters, like she quickly, ya know, tries to help him deal with his still lingering feelings [01:30:00] about Cain’s death, and now his jealousy with Archer, and like yea she’s like yea, I absolutely hate this pet name, but I’m gonna lean into it

[01:30:09] James: Right, he, um, I had a thought that I just completely lost, uh, um, I feel like, oh, I feel like she is being a lot more receptive to Chaol now. And so, you know, if you remember in Throne of Glass, she was kind of going back and forth between the way she felt for Dorian and for Chaol, right? She was like, Dorian is a guy, like, he gets me.

[01:30:41] We can talk about books and we can play games and we can flirt and he’s hot and, but then she flips and she’s like, but Chaol’s a good dude, you know, strong values and strong morals and a good friend and a protector and he’s easy on the eyes. And, you know, then she kind of, she went on the road towards Dorian, but then pulled herself out of it because logistically, getting involved with a prince is just not going to be a thing that she can do. Um, and so, I think now, and particularly because Chaol has been, um, not as, um, Judgmental. And so it’s really helping her to open up to him more emotionally. Because she’s like, he is being the friend I need right now. He’s not pushing his ideologies on me. He’s trying to help, even though I don’t really need or want his help for this particular thing.

[01:31:49] And he’s just, he’s not judging me. And, and so you’re seeing this growing, and it’s probably growing more because [01:32:00] of the fact that Nehemia’s pushing too much on her, Dorian’s crying like a baby,

[01:32:07] Ka-Ce: And now Elena is like, you have a job to do

[01:32:09] James: and Elena’s like, you know, your job’s not done, you gotta save some more shit, and she’s just like, Chaol is the one person who is, like he wants, he wants to ask her, uh, All the things.

[01:32:23] But he’s not, he’s literally, he’s just like, I know that you are dealing with this the best way you know how. And that’s okay, that’s good enough for me right now, like

[01:32:38] Ka-Ce: He wants to help her with her job. He wants her I don’t want to say succeed, because that just sounds bad when you’re talking about assassinations.

[01:32:51] James: Do good tonight! You murder them good, alright?

[01:32:56] Ka-Ce: Here’s a gold star for your murder. Um, this is horrible. Um,

[01:33:00] James: One sticker for each finger.

[01:33:03] Ka-Ce: Oh dear lord. Chaol wants to help her. He doesn’t want to see her get thrown back into the mines or killed by the king. he’s trying to help her in any way that he can, you know, both as captain of the guard and as a friend. And not one other person has stepped up to do that for her.

[01:33:27] and as much, I think as much as Celaena appreciates him for that, She’s like, dude, you’re gonna be in my fucking way. Because I got secrets. You know, so I think this whole scene was awesome because she found a way to use Chaol to bring him along so he feels included, he feels useful, but he was just arm candy the whole time. That was just awesome.

[01:33:52] James: Yea, he, he can’t ruin anything, um, because she didn’t give him anything to do.[01:34:00]

[01:34:00] Ka-Ce: But at the same time, like, you know, this whole line of, he looks like he wants to pummel someone, it reminds me of, like, you know when you read stories or you watch movies or whatever, and the cop or the bodyguard or whatever, they’re supposed to be in civvy clothes to go out with whoever, and they just have that persona on them still, no matter what.

[01:34:22] That’s what I feel like Chaol was. He was this arm candy draped on her arm. But he still exuded

[01:34:30] James: Yeah, because –

[01:34:31] Ka-Ce: Captain of the Guard.

[01:34:32] James: he’s probably standing up a little too straight.

[01:34:34] Ka-Ce: Mmmhmm

[01:34:35] James: He’s probably glancing around a little too much. You know, but you can’t just get rid of those. I mean, that’s training.

[01:34:43] Ka-Ce: Yea

[01:34:43] James: He’s not gonna just Not do that.

[01:34:48] Ka-Ce: So it makes me wonder, because Archer is a highly sought after courtesan, especially amongst, you know, the higher ups, the lords and ladies and stuff, Does Archer suspect who and what Chaol is? And is that going to be a problem leader?

[01:35:06] James: I think he definitely knows that he’s not just arm

[01:35:10] Ka-Ce: A “friend”.

[01:35:11] James: Yeah. Um, but I would also, I would also risk by saying even that, even if he does, doesn’t know that Chaol is the captain of the guard. I think that he would know Celaena’s reputation well enough to know that she’s not going to bring a defenseless person as her arm candy. She’s going to plan. She’s going to be prepared. And she’s going to try and pass it off as normal. But she would not be so careless as to bring some hapless civilian to be her arm candy that could get in the way. She’s going to have somebody. Maybe he’s just a regular soldier, maybe he’s a bodyguard,

[01:35:56] Ka-Ce: Mercenary.

[01:35:57] James: whatever.[01:36:00]

[01:36:00] But just by the default of knowing Celaena and her history of being an assassin, I imagine he would look at that and be like, This guy is something. There’s no way he’s just a regular dude. Knowing what she is? Nah, not a chance in the world. But that would be expected, I think. Even in his line of work, I mean, he’s gonna have protection and, you know, watch out for things like that, so.

[01:36:30] Um, I don’t think it would necessarily cause a problem because I think it would just be, you know, it’s just par for the course. Like, you know, yeah, of course she brought muscle back up. Just.

[01:36:43] Ka-Ce: Yea

[01:36:44] James: If nothing else, just for intimidation tactic. Ya know. He’d probably be more disappointed if she didn’t. Be like, Girl, you okay?

[01:36:56] This is not in line with how you typically, uh, You know what I mean?

[01:37:01] Ka-Ce: Yeah.

[01:37:03] Um. I know you haven’t read Hunger Games, but you did watch the movies, right?

[01:37:08] James: Yeah.

[01:37:10] Ka-Ce: So, I couldn’t help but feel like there was a comparison with Archer and, um, Finnick O’Dare. He’s the one that came from the Seaside type village. The really gorgeous cut one, um, has a trident.

[01:37:30] James: Ohhh.

[01:37:31] Ka-Ce: He was the big flirt.

[01:37:33] James: Yeah.

[01:37:35] Ka-Ce: And, you know, um, Snow uses the winners of each games and whores them out to the rich people and Finnick didn’t have a choice. He had to go along with it because he was very desirable and people would feel bad and give him money and riches and whatever.

[01:37:57] But then he started dealing with [01:38:00] secrets and trading with secrets. And so he learned a lot about the higher ups in the Capitol. And so when I was reading Crown of Midnight and learned that Archer is this highly sought after courtesan. My mind instantly went to, oh, he’s like Finnick. Like, how, you, you can’t be dealing with all of these lords and ladies in these higher positions without learning secrets and shit.

[01:38:32] Like, somebody’s gonna let something slip in front of him. always, yeah.

[01:38:38] yeah, or, you know, they’re gonna brag about something and those type of people, they look down on. Slaves and servants and courtesans and and think like, oh, you’re not gonna repeat this. You’re not gonna whatever. You’re, you’re too dumb for this.

[01:38:55] You’re, you’re pretty and fuckable. That’s it. Um, so knowing that or suspecting that, like, Archer is probably Also dealing in secrets. Is he actually part of this rebellion? Or do you think he’s safe from the rebellion and has nothing to do with it? And has Celaena thought of that? Cause Celaena, Celaena had contact with some of the courtesans when she was training and brought up with the assassins.

[01:39:28] Arobynn was highly connected to them. And I feel like at this point, Celaena’s not even questioning that. She’s just like, I knew Archer. Now I have to save him.

[01:39:46] James: I don’t feel like she wants to save him necessarily because of who he is. I think it’s more along the lines that she wants to save him because she just really doesn’t want to kill the people that the king wants dead.[01:40:00]

[01:40:00] Ka-Ce: I feel like The people that she has saved so far from the king didn’t des like, okay. Nobody really deserves to be assassinated by the king. But you know, we learn that one of the lords is actually really good to the servants. And when a traveling minstrel came, he played music with this minstrel like he was a people’s people sort of thing.

[01:40:23] And I feel like the king is trying to off those type of people. Those type that won’t be corrupted, and I don’t feel like Archer fits into that kind of category. Yeah, he got a bum deal. He is a courtesan, but he’s probably not, He’s not as dark and scheming and everything, but he’s also not innocent innocent either.

[01:40:48] James: No, I mean he, yeah, he’s gonna, he’s gonna have information because he services a, a level of high clientele. And that’s always the way that it works. Um, people get a little drink in them, they get a little, you know, whatever, and, and the tongue gets loose, and, like I said, they brag about it, or they, um, talk about it in their sleep, or, you know.

[01:41:19] they’re going at it and they’re like, you know, here’s what I did today. I, you know, brokered a deal with the other, you know, and then Archer is going to be there like, oh, that’s fantastic. You know, let’s switch positions, you know, sort of like they make it so because they figure a no one’s going to believe a courtesan, maybe, you know, because they’re lower status, lower class, whatever.

[01:41:43] Or, like you said, they don’t think they’re smart enough to remember it, or they would never go against them, or, for any myriad of reasons, or, they’re just drunk and they don’t even remember talking about it. Or, you know, it’s um, it’s like they say about when [01:42:00] guys go to the strip club. Um, they go to the strip club and guys who have a real serious problem with this kind of thing.

[01:42:10] It’s when you go and you believe that the stripper cares about your feelings.

[01:42:15] But People tell, mostly men, but women too, tell strippers the weirdest things. Deep, dark secrets that they would never tell anyone. Why they’re divorcing their husband or their wife, why they don’t talk to their children, why they embezzled 50 grand from their things that they wouldn’t tell people because people in that position make a living off of, off of making you feel like they care about you even if it’s only for 10 minutes because you become the center of that person’s attention And I’ve imagined that the courtesan is exactly the same way.

[01:43:03] He gets in there and it’s like, for the next hour or two hours, it’s just you and me. And I’m hanging on every word you say. You’re gonna start talking about shit. Because you feel like, and maybe that, maybe that feels like the one person that you can trust. Because, I mean, they’re with a courtesan, so they obviously already have issues with their spouse or, or whatever, right?

[01:43:30] Ka-Ce: Yeah.

[01:43:31] James: They’re not talking to them about it, and, and that puts a person like Archer in a very, um, uh, what do I want to say, um, a very sought after position of being able to broker information. Because people just don’t think about it.

[01:43:52] Ka-Ce: So do you think the king is targeting Archer because he’s actually part of a rebel thing? Or because Archer was [01:44:00] told, or heard something, a secret, about the king? Not necessarily that he’s a rebel, but he found out Like, maybe part of the king’s plan or something, and he wasn’t supposed to hear it.

[01:44:11] James: It could be either, I mean, if the wrong You know, if the wrong, um, court person let something slip and, and then later went, oh crap, I told that hooker that thing and the King’s like, okay, we’ll take care of it or, or, you know, maybe he is part of a rebellion. And I mean, we don’t know where the King’s getting his information from. We don’t even also know if it’s just, um, um, paranoia, fanaticism, and he’s just like, I don’t trust any of these people, like,

[01:44:48] Ka-Ce: Or is he testing Celaena’s loyalty because he knew that Celaena and Archer had a past?

[01:44:55] James: that could be as well. And that was actually, I think that was what my initial thought was when I was reading it. I was like, um, cause I was always actually wondering, like, does the king know that she’s not actually killing these people and he’s just going along with it because she is still getting rid of the problem

[01:45:14] Ka-Ce: Yeah.

[01:45:14] James: and he’s just going along with it because the king is playing the long game?

[01:45:18] Ka-Ce: Hmm.

[01:45:19] James: Or, does he really have no way to verify it, and so he’s gonna, he’s gonna test her with one now, just to make sure, and see how she does, right, like, you know, is she gonna screw up on this one, and if she doesn’t do this one, do I need to question the other ones? Or, it, that’s the thing, it could be, without knowing where the king is getting his info, and why he’s targeting these people, and any of this stuff? I mean, you can make just conjecture about all kinds of, you know, things.

[01:45:56] Ka-Ce: And that’s what we’ll be doing, each episode

[01:45:59] James: [01:46:00] Yeah, I mean, we’re going to get closer and closer to, um, figuring out who’s involved in what and why, and Trust me, people are going to get screwed, guys. So, uh, yeah, so that wraps up, uh, chapters 1 through 7 of Crown of Midnight. Come back next week for chapters 8 through 14. And, so try to, try to read up to, uh, chapter 14. Crown of Midnight by that time, so that you are up to date with the conversation and everything that we’re gonna be discussing. You can read farther ahead too if you want.

[01:46:51] Um,

[01:46:52] Ka-Ce: we highly encourage that

[01:46:53] we highly, yeah, I mean, honestly, try to get through the book as fast as you can so that, uh, you can just enjoy each episode without, um, having to focus too much on possible spoilers. As another reminder, we have also, as we talked about earlier, we’ve started to do deep dives of the Empyrean series because we just couldn’t wait and I started reading it on a whim as I was taking a break and I got wrapped up in it. I’m almost done with Iron Flame and I’ll be starting Onyx Storm soon.

[01:47:28] And then I will be suffering with everybody else waiting for the next book to come out. So we’re talking about it now. We’re doubling up on the stuff that we bring to you guys. So, uh, Crown of Midnight on Tuesday and Fourth Wing on Thursday. We will have that for you guys. We want to thank everyone so much for joining us again.

[01:47:52] We really love it when we see that you guys have been listening on the Apple podcast or watching the YouTube videos [01:48:00] So keep doing that, please. Subscribe, like, follow, comment, email. Do any of the above. We love it all and If you have any thoughts or theories Also, let us know

[01:48:19] As we head out, please don’t forget to give some love over to our friends at K911 ResQ, that is K 9 1 1 R E S Q. They have been working around the clock to help share, post, and highlight as many animals that are in need as possible. Um, and also our friends over at Pasadena Humane Society, they are still working so hard, um, rescuing, treating, and trying to reunite animals from the LA fires to their owners.

[01:48:49] We will drop both links in our show notes and we just highly encourage go visit their websites, go visit their social medias, donate if you can, see if you can volunteer if you can. We love them both. All right guys, so happy reading and we will see you guys at the next episode.

[01:49:09] see you later