M: This is just read it, MCKay? And that's what we're here to do. Previously in Crescent City, one brutal murder, or possibly more, approximately four hundred unanswered questions, and a cast of suspects whose emotional baggage is probably enough to fill an airport. Today we are opening chapters 57 through 65, where investigation picks up speed. Masks are starting to slip and every revelation somehow makes the mystery even bigger. Grab some fresh pens because you're gonna need the extra ink. Make sure you have your ever building chaos notebook close by. And also I would recommend enough snacks and or beverages to prepare you for the mental overload where you join us in solving the newest quandaries. Let's get into it.

C: So we ended the last episode with a video chat with her parents and Hunt throwing her under the bus to them about going to a Medwitch to have her leg looked at. She is now changed into her sleep clothes and was brooding in her bedroom when Hunt decides to knoc on her door and her first sentence to him is You're a traitor because he threw her under the bus. And he says, Well, I understand completely why you moved here because you and your mom fight so much 'cause you're practically the same person. And he tries to tell her that he'll go with her to the Medwitch appointment tomorrow and she says she's not going. Until we finally get to the reason why she doesn't want to go, why she doesn't want to get rid of the pain. Because once the wound is gone, once it stops hurting, then Danika is gone and the pack of devils is gone. It will all be a memory, some dream that happened for a flash and then was gone. But the scar and the pain I can't let it be erased. I can't let them be erased. So she's holding on to the pain and the scar because she thinks that's gonna help her remember Danika and the pack of devils. And if she gives up that pain, then it's like she's giving up Danika when that's not the case. And that's exactly what Hunt tells her. That she's not going to erase Danika by giving up the pain. that her mother loves her and that she cannot bear the thought of her in pain, and neither can he. And her response is, Well, you barely know me. And he says, No, you're my friend, if you would like me to be. And for a moment she just stares at him, the offer kind of thrown out there, that quiet vulnerability, which they kind of go back and forth, throwing out a little bit of vulnerability to the other. And she finally says, Didn't you know that we've been friends for the moment? You thought Jelly Jubilee was a dildo. That's when she realized that they were going to be friends. So then he does actually slide into bed with her so that they can watch some reality T V together. and that's when she tells him about her mother, that she ran away from her biological father before he found out she was pregnant. And she wound up at a temple in to Cthona in Corinth, and knew the priestesses there would take her in and shield her I think this whole little story is super interesting. So I underlined like the majority of it because I don't know if it's gonna become something more. I don't know. But I think it's interesting because she talks about the priestesses agreed to take her in because she was her mom was like a holy pregnant vessel. I don't know if that's just all pregnant women are a holy vessel because they're pregnant, they're growing life, or if just for some reason Bryce's mom was. I don't know. But that she gave birth to Bryce in a temple. And that Bryce spent the first three years of her life there, cloistered behind the temple walls. Her mom did their laundry to earn their keep. Which I think is interesting because we didn't mention it, but we learned in the last couple chapters that Hunt's mom was also a laundress. And I'm pretty sure Cassian's mom in ACOTAR was also a laundress. So I feel like this is that job is kind of what signifies a very low level job. And so we see it commonly in those who are supposedly low level or low people on the hierarchy kind of thing. anyway, that her mom did their laundry to earn their keep and eventually the biological father heard a rumor that she'd had a child and so he sent his goons to come and get them, told them that if there was a child, that it was undoubtedly his, that they were to bring her back at any cost. And so the priestesses were able to get them out of the city, and they were hoping to get them all the way to the House of Blood and Earth headquarters in Helene, where her mom could beg asylum, and even her father, no matter who he was, wouldn't dare infringe on their territory. But it's a three-day drive from Corinth to Helene. And the priestesses didn't have the have the ability to defend them against fae Warriors. So instead they drove them five hours to Solas's temple in Oya, partially to rest, but also to pick up their holy guard. And that's when they picked up Randall. And Hunt's surprise, thinking, wait, Randall was a sun priest. And Bryce says, No, not quite. He'd gotten back from the war, from being on the front line. a year before and the stuff he had done and he had saw, he has PTSD and he's struggling with it very much at this point. And he didn't want to go home to his families. So he decided to offer himself as an acolyte to Solas hoping that he could somehow atone for his past. And that he was two weeks away from swearing his vows when the high priest asked him to escort them to Helene. Many of the priests were trained warriors, but Randall was the only human, and the high priest guessed my mother wouldn't trust a vanir male. Right before we reached Helene the Autumn King's people found them, and they expected to find a helpless hysterical female, but they found a legendary sharpshooter instead. And a mother who would move the earth itself to keep her daughter. So long story short, they killed all of the people that were sent after them. and that none of the fae returned to Crescent City. After that, the House of Blood and Earth literally deemed her mother a vessel for Cthona which again essentially making her a holy being, which makes me wonder. And that Randall a vessel for Solas Again, holy being at that point. And Bryce just says blah blah religious crap. So that's why it makes me wonder like, is there something more in blessing them, a vessel of Cthona's and Solas? But that it it basically amounted to an official order of protection that the Autumn King didn't dare mess around with, and that Randall finally went home, taking them with him, and obviously didn't swear his vows to Solas and then he proposed to her mom at the end of the year. And they've been disgustingly in love ever since. So then Hunt does stay and they do watch multiple episodes of reality TV in Bryce's bed together. essentially cuddling. They're super close. And then we switch to Hunt's perspective and he's thinking that friends doesn't remotely cover what was between them, but they were friends. And all of it felt natural and he let himself settle into that feeling. And wasn't that the most dangerous thing he'd ever done? Was settle into feeling that this was normal and natural. So the next morning Bryce does not go to the Medwitch for the appointment that her mom scheduled for her. She wants to go to the meat market and Hunt isn't able to keep her from going any longer. he wanted to wait until night, but Bryce wanted to do it during the day when people the vendors were more likely to start chatting. and weren't trying to push people to buy things. But after every vendor that they went to, everyone just said no, they didn't know anything about any of the drugs. while they're walking around, Hunt says, Don't think I haven't forgotten that we're missing that Medwitch appointment right now. Bryce's response is, I don't remember giving you permission to shove your nose into my business. And he says, Well, we're back to that, really. I thought cuddling in front of the TV allowed me to at least be able to voice my opinions without getting my head bitten off. And she's like, We didn't cuddle. And he's like, So then what is it exactly that you want? This boyfriend, mate, husband, whatever, you want him to just sit there with no opinions and agree to everything you say and never dare ask for anything? And she's like, no, of course not. He says, just because I'm male and have an opinion doesn't make me some psychotic domineering prick. And she says, I know, but look at what my mom went through. a lot of thanks to multiple psychotic domineering pricks. And he says, I know, but even so, look at her and your dad. He voices his opinions and he seems pretty darn psychotic when it comes to protecting both of you. And then Bryce changes the subject a little bit and says, I know, I didn't go on a single date until I got to college and he's like, There's no way. Why? And it's all because All of the other boys around her were either afraid of Randall or they saw him as like a god. He was someone that they looked up to. And Hunt's response is, Well, that wouldn't have given me reason enough to stay away. And her cheeks heat a little bit as his voice lowers because that's how things progress with them. And she says, Well, idolizing Randall aside, I was also different. Too fae for the humans, woe is me, yada yada yada. And then they walk up to another vendor, and this one is selling opals. White is for joy, green is for wealth, red for love and fertility, and then blue for wisdom. So Hunt does buy her a white opal and gives it to her as a gift and says that she could use some joy. And he realizes that she had pocketed it immediately and would treasure it. Whereas this is the first time he's given or thought to buy anything as a gift to a female in two hundred years. And the last one would have been Shahar, and that if he had bought it for Shahar, she would have thanked him. been appreciative, but then she would have forgotten about it because she had so many gems and jewels herself. then they go up to a different stall and Bryce starts asking her questions and it's a teenager who's in charge of this one because her mother has made her work the stall on the weekends. And she the girl says, Okay, let's hear it. What questions do you have? And Bryce is like, What do you mean? And she's like, Well, let's put on your fake act and ask me your questions. Because don't think that everyone in here isn't on the same text thread and that I haven't been warned by at least ten different people that you're gonna come around with questions. And to not answer any questions that you have about whatever drugs. And at this point, Bryce has no response. She's flabbergasted, and Hunt has to step up because she doesn't have any words. And he realizes this is one of the first times he'd ever seen her run out of something to say. And so he steps up and asks about the drug. If she knows anything. And she says, The vipe told me to tell you that it's nasty and she doesn't deal in it and never will, and that you should check the river. That's the place for that kind of crap. And to ask them more. So Hunt tries to get her to hold off for them to kind of put all of the pieces together before they start accusing the fae Bryce's response it's too late because she has already sent one of the cute little otters with a message to Tharion And he hadn't been able to stop her. So she's making her way to the water's edge in the meat market, which is apparently the gross area because lots of bodies end up getting dumped there. As they're walking there, Hunt is trying to persuade her not to look into this or to hold off on looking into it, saying that it's probably has nothing to do with the murders and that they don't need to spend their time looking into it. They need to focus elsewhere. And that's when she makes it to the docks. Tharion jumps out of the water and Bryce immediately asks Who is selling Synth in the river? Tharion's response is not in, but on. And if that's true, then who was stealing the drug and who leaked it from the lab? Hunt tries to stop Tharion from saying it, but Tharion does say Danika Fendyr that Intel came in the day before her death. She was spotted doing a deal on a boat just past here. Tharion says, I don't know if she was the one selling it or buying it or what, but right before Synth started appearing on the streets, she was spotted on an auxiliary boat in the dead of night with a crate of Synth on board. And Hunt's response is it always comes back to Danika.

K: Was that kinda suspicious to you guys when Hunt stepped up? He he already knew, but Hunt and Bryce are on the same page with the information they know, so why did he step up to try and stop him from saying her name? Right?

C: Yeah, exactly.

K: But that so so from that though we can gather he already knows more and he's just not telling Bryce, right? Okay. All right. I just wanted to make sure.

C: Exactly.

K: Okay.

C: Either he already knows and he's not telling Bryce or based on this interaction in the meat market, he's put something together or is suspicious and either he doesn't want Bryce to immediately go into it, maybe he wants them to go back and lay out the pieces so that he can kind of Soften the blow some. I don't know for sure. But yes, he's definitely knows or suspects something more than he's leading on.

K: I was just surprised that she didn't catch on to that.

C: Right?

K: Just

C: And

K: she catches everything. I just it kinda surprised me that she didn't catch that. You know?

C: So is it because

M: I don't remember

C: we're starting to see her feelings for him blinding her?

K: Maybe.

M: See, I went with the flip side as it not necessarily her feelings toward him, but the fact that they're starting to get some answers and she feels like there's movement in the investigation for the first time in the two years. So she's so hyper focused on answers. She's not seeing the signs.

C: Could be. and he hasn't stopped. He is still pushing her to stop looking into synth. I think in this next chapter that she does maybe not realize that he's trying to push her away from looking into synth, but I think she does realize that he's not connecting the two of them. And so whether she thinks he's doing it on purpose or that he just doesn't think the synth is connected to the deaths, because when she makes the phone calls to Fury and then to Ruhn it is with Hunt. Elsewhere in the building. So I think she notices it a little bit, but not to the extent of he's trying to handle the investigation. Tharion goes on to tell them that it is synthetic magic. It started off as an aid for healing, all very similar information that we got from Ruhn and the Medwitch. that someone apparently realized that in super concentrated doses, it can give humans strength greater than most vanir for short bursts, but it's potent. They've tried to make it for centuries, but it seemed impossible. But most people thought it was akin to alchemy, but apparently modern science made it work this time. And he wants to know if this is anything to do with them hunting the demon. Hunt says is a possibility, but they don't know for sure. So then Bryce kind of is talking, thinking out loud, maybe she was killed by whoever was creating the synth. She was on that boat to seize their shipment. Could the person selling the synth and the person searching for the horn be the same? if the synth can possibly repair the horn? Maybe she stole it. she's kind of going down the rabbit hole. Hunt is then chiming in. Well, maybe this could be a dead end. And Bryce is thinking, well, I don't know why she never mentioned it. And Hunt's response is, Well, maybe it wasn't worth mentioning. So multiple times he is protesting in regards to looking for the synth. So then they make it back to the apartment and she waits until Hunt goes down to the gym in the apartment building before she calls Fury. And she's surprised because Fury actually answers. And Fury says she is between jobs and she had actually found the person who had bombed the raven. And it led to the human rebels, and that she actually did kill them, so there's nothing to worry about in that regard. And then Bryce asks if Danika ever mentioned Synth to her. And Bryce could have sworn something heavy and metallic clunked in the background. So maybe Fury dropped her phone. Something like that. Or, you know, some kind of weapon. Who knows? And Fury then says, Who told you about Synth? And Bryce says, I think it's getting spread around here. I met a mer today who said Danika Was seen on an aux boat with a crate of it right before she died. Fury tells her it's dangerous, really dangerous, don't mess around with it. And Bryce says, Well, I'm not going to. If you'd bother to take any of my calls or visit, you would know that. And she goes on to say, I just wanted to know if Danika had ever mentioned synth to you before she died because she didn't mention it to me. And there's another pause because something else is going on. So that's when Fury goes on to say she might have said that there was some nasty stuff being sold. And Bryce's response is, Well, you never thought to mention it to anyone. And Fury says, Well, actually I did. I mentioned it to you that night that Danika died when we were at the White Raven. Because someone had tried to sell it to you and I told you to stay away from it. And then sh Fury goes on to tell her, Danika didn't want to tell you because she didn't want you getting near it, even thinking about trying synth. And Bryce's response is, well, why on earth would I ever try it? And Fury says, because we've literally seen you try everything. And Bryce says, Well, you've been right there with me, taking everything with me. And Fury says, that synth is synthetic magic as in replaces real magic. of which you have none. It gives humans vanir powers and strength for like an hour and then you get addicted and worse for the vanir it's even riskier. It's a crazy high and super strength, but it can easily turn bad. And Danika didn't even want you knowing something like that existed because with Bryce not having any powers or very little powers, They were afraid that she would try and take it just as she was on some sort of level playing field with the rest of them. And Fury tells her that Danika's goal was to protect Bryce always, even from herself. And Fury kind of backpedals a little bit, realizing that was a little harsh and says, I know that came out harsh, but take my word for it. Don't mess with it. If they're actually managed to mass produce the stuff and make it in stronger concentrations, then it's bad news and stay away from it and anyone who deals it. Fury then kind of gives her a little bit of an olive branch and says, I'm going to be coming there for the summit. Maybe we can have dinner or something when I'm there. Bryce then hangs up with her and immediately calls Ruhn because she wants more information from the Medwitch, if there is any. And she starts the conversation with spare me the lectures and the warnings and all of that crap and he's like, Okay. Ruhn, before she gets to ask anything, says, What's going on with you and Athalar And she says, Nothing, he's not my type. Ruhn actually means, why is he not on the phone with her? Because for the last couple of weeks, she can't do anything without Hunt. And his response is, Well, I was asking about why he's not on the call, not whether you're dating, but that's good to know. So that's what, like the third person that she said, he's not my type, or no, we're not together in like the last two episodes? Take your own advice because that's definitely not the case. She's asking Ruhn about the information the Medwitch sent over to him. and he's telling her that he thinks the Medwitch is more concerned about its origin and finding an anecdote. That she told me she's actually tested some of the Kristallos's venom she got out of Athalar from the other night against the synth, trying to formulate an anecdote. Because we realize that the venom come from the Kristallos demon eats magic. That's how it was worded. And since the synth this synthetic magic kind of gives magic, gives you powers, maybe she's thinking that the venom could eat those powers and nullify the the synth drug. That she the Medwitch thinks her healing magic can act like some kind of stabilizer for the venom to make the antidote, but she needs more venom to keep testing it out. And then he ends it with so if you run into the Kristallos again, try and get us some more venom, if you get a chance. If you wouldn't mind. And then as she's talking to Ruhn, she has also Googled this synth drug and realized that Redner Industries filed for a patent for it 10 years ago. Now that was way before Danika started working for them, but she puts the pieces together that if the formula and a shipment leaked two years ago from Redner and Danika had been sent to track it down, that could be why she had Synth on her clothes the night that she was killed because she had contact with it from Radner Industries. And that maybe she realized whoever wanted to steal the synth planned to use it to repair the horn, and that's why she stole the horn before they could, and that's why she got killed. But Ruhn doesn't understand why she would keep it a secret then. Why wouldn't Danika tell other people if that was the case? And Brace isn't sure. But that's essentially the end of their conversation. So then Hunt comes back and Bryce lays out everything all the information she just discovered. that Danika worked part time for Redner and she rarely talked about the stuff that she did for them, but she was some kind of security for them, and maybe her work led her to have contact with the synth. Again, Hunt throughout all of this conversation is trying to push her, let's focus on the horn or let's focus on the murders. Let's not focus on synth. He wants her to focus on everything other than the synth. And her response is it all ties together somehow. I just don't know how. And it isn't until she mentions the Medwitch was looking for an anecdote that Hunt kind of gives in a little bit and says, Well, we'll need to keep looking, but if the drug explodes, then not just in this city, but across the territory, then the world is going to need an anecdote. And Bryce starts to say, Well, we could summon the kristallos

M: Mm.

C: Because why not? is her response. And he says, No, we can't risk that. We'll figure out how to get the venom another way and she starts to say, I can handle myself and he's response says, Well, I can't handle myself if you're in danger. But before they can continue their conversation, his phone rings and he has to take a few and have Naomi watch her while he goes off to do something. We don't know what, but they go off to do something. And Bryce says she can feel them narrowing in on the truth. But she's not sure if she's ready for whatever it's going to reveal. So the next morning she wakes up on her cycle and thinks that it is very fitting, giving what day it is, because it is Danika's birthday. So she makes some stupid excuses not to be around hunt, is mean to Lehabah because of it. Lehabah brings up the knoc again, the new creature in the large tank in the library, that it wants to kill her and knows that if it submerges Lehabah in water, that she'll be dead because she is a fire sprite. And Bryce kind of realizes that having a fire sprite in this space, that large tank was a sure fire way to intimidate the fire sprites into obeying. and it isn't until Bryce ends up running to a bakery and then running to the edge of the river to sit down on a bench that Hunt lands with her and discovers that it is Danika's birthday and she is eating chocolate croissants because that was always what Danika wanted on her birthday. Because they were her favorite. And that's when Hunt remembers that she has had chocolate croissants multiple times in the time that he's known her as a way to kind of remember Danika. and Bryce is saying to him, It sucks that everyone just moves on and forgets that they expect me to forget, but I can't, I can't forget, and maybe it's weird that I bought my dead friend a bunch of birthday croissants, but the world moved on like she never existed, and I can never do that. And Hunt gives her a little piece of him and says, Sha Shahar was that for me. I'd never met anyone like her, and I think I loved her from the moment I laid eyes on her. She made me feel special because she picked me out of all the others. And at the very least She brought me out of my grief, made me feel alive, and made me see my potential. And at the very least, I will always love her for that. And that's when they realize that they're essentially mirrors of each other. They both dealt with very similar things, lost someone that they loved very strongly. and Hunt kind of teases her and says, So you don't have an issue with the Umbra Mortis being your emotional twin? And she says, That's what they call you, but it's not who you are. And so he asks, Well then who I am I? And she says, Well, you're a pain in my butt, but you're also my friend who watches trashy TV with me, puts up with my crap. You're the person I don't need to explain myself to, not when it matters. You see everything I am and you don't run away from it. And his response is I like that. So then she goes to open the box of chocolate croissants and They have actually the chocolate drizzle has been drizzled over with the word trash. So it's pretty safe to assume who did this prank. but it is bad enough that she there's no defiance or anger in her face, just exhaustion and humiliated pain. And at see in seeing that, Hunt's response is his head went quiet, terribly quiet. She tries to get him to just throw the the croissants away, tries to stop him, but he ends up jumping into the sky to head over to the den. To attack Amelie Ravenscroft because she is the one who did it. So she is in a bar laughing with her friends. And he comes in and pins her against the wall by the throat that her pack tries to growl and attack the lightning shield that he's kind of put up between them. But it was pretty much just background noise for him. It took very little effort for him to keep them out. and so he warns Amelie not to speak to her, don't go near her, don't even think about her. And uses his lightning to shocker multiple times. Eventually Amelie agrees. And at that point, Ithan Holstrom has come up and wants to know what's going on. but he doesn't come up and ask what's going on. He immediately says to Amelie, what did you do? Because he knows Hunt would just attack her out of no for no reason, that there has to be a reason behind it. So finally Amelie, after being shocked by his lightning multiple times, agrees and Ithan then sees the box, wants to know what those are, and Hunt tells him to ask his alpha, and then leaves by telling them that they are all pathetic. and then finally he gets back to the apartment building. she's afraid for him for what he's done because she's afraid he'll be punished for his actions. Wants to make sure that Amelie isn't dead only because she doesn't want him to be punished for killing Amelie. And so the next morning then Bryce finally agrees that she is going to go to a the Medwitch. So she contacts the Medwitch that Ruhn's been working with, tells her that she knows where to get more of the Kristallos venom. So the Medwitch agrees to meet with them And the Medwitch confirms that the Kristallos demon's venom is still inside her and asks for permission, obviously, to get the venom out and then use it to research a an anecdote. Bryce gives her the permission. that the trauma to her leg was done nearly two years ago and that it closed the wound closed but it still hurts. When she runs or walks too much, it burns right along the bone. the medwitch wants to know how long it's been burning and Bryce says since the very start. The Medwitch glances at Hunt and asks if he was there for the attack, and he says, Yes, I arrived three minutes after it occurred. Her leg was ripped open across the thigh, courtesy of the Kristallos's teeth, and that he used one of the Legion's medical staplers to seal the wound as best he could. The medical note about the injury is from me. She didn't receive any treatment afterward. That's why the scar is so bad. It is his fault. And that's when Bryce finally realizes that he is the one who did it and he feels guilty that he did such a terrible job in healing it in the first place. The Medwitch wants to know why she has left it and hasn't gone to see anyone and she said her response is because I wanted to hurt. I wanted to be reminded every single day. and so the Medwitch tells I can treat you today. And if you stick around afterwards, you're welcome to watch me test it to see if it'll work. and she talks about her healing, how she's gonna try and stabilize it with her magic, and then she needs to try and find a way for them to stabilize the venom and the antidote without using her magic, because right now she has to be there and involved the entire process for the antidote to work. And that's obviously not feasible for it to be mass-produced. to fix any mass production of synth But she does tell her that she's gonna have to open the wound and that she can numb the area, but that because it's so deep and it's practically lived in her body for two years, feeding off her body and kind of becoming one with her body, that it's going to be incredibly painful to extract because it's not going to want to leave. And it's going to be an incredibly

M: With that.

C: painful thing.

M: So with that, and when she says again, she was raised by tutors versed in the oldest forms of magic, did you not go to Tower of Dawn immediately after Yrene had healed him initially, when he could start walking again? And then it references when he'd do too much, his back hurt, and it would get worse and he'd have less mobility, like a living organism living through his body. Did you not feel that? The entire time

C: No

M: I was reading it, I was like, this is reminding me of Tower of Dawn. Because I keep I keep going back to the theory of the orders of the books, because you know, I'm very focused on organization of how things go. And this is where I'm questioning it again in the order. And of course, I don't know what's coming up in the other two books, but I'm questioning it again because the way it's described is exactly how. Maybe not the exact same wording because I don't have Tower of Dawn here to have referenced this weekend. But the way she said it won't go easily, especially after so long of it meshing into your body. And Yrene did have times where she said she was using her own magic or what she had of healing magic to pull the magic from what was in him or to attack the darkness. So she didn't say the word magic. I think she said darkness when it was That whole section just had me thinking about it. Even when it goes further and further, and there's well, the next couple pages as we get into them, as she's talking about feeling it pull and that kind of stuff. That's where my mind went to immediately. And I don't know if it's just because we read Throne of Glass so recently that it's just there, or if it's the theory, or if I'm looking where there's not something to look.

C: Gotcha. I did not think about that whatsoever. I I see where you're comparing that the act of pulling it out, pulling the venom out, very similar to Tower of Dawn.

M: Exactly. Not saying it's valg but the practices taught to remove it seem very similar to what was taught at the

C: Are similar. Yes. And

K: Not just that, I thought sorry, I was comparing it to how it was essentially not feeding on her, but just kind of affecting her like the Valg was. You know? That I 'cause my mind went to that too. I was like that that's really similar to what was going on with Chaol and that kind of surprised me that your mind didn't go there.

M: I

K: It it really it w I think it was

M: I

K: similar just be just how it was 'cause I mean she's essentially healing. She's not using, you know, the same thing that Yrene had, but she is essentially healing her and just the way that she could see how it was embedding and kinda getting w it it was almost like a living organism and the way she pulled it out and it looked like a worm to me.

C: It's like a parasite.

K: Yeah. Yeah.

C: So how do we know she doesn't have the same powers Yrene?

K: Mm. I don't know.

C: Because she has healing magic.

K: Yeah.

M: And if it was from the old studors

C: She just has

M: of the

K: Yeah.

M: But now now that sorry, go ahead.

C: When she talks about old tutors, I that's not where my mind goes, just because I know the other things that she's learned from them that I can't talk about yet. And so my mind goes to that instead. So I think that's why I didn't make that connection, because I'm thinking of something else. But I I do think I think the magic is very similar, if not the same, because it does talk about in a couple different spots the Med Witch's healing light sounds very similar to the light from Yrene, which we've talked about before. And it is an actual healing magic. So I would say they are probably the same or the same type of magic. Now how she has that magic, I don't know.

M: Well, I'm glad you kinda answered my follow up because I was gonna say, so if your mind didn't go there, what aren't you telling us? But you kinda told us you can't tell us, so

C: Uh-huh. Yep.

M: get to glare at you again.

C: Yeah, pretty much. So I just I don't know, like the med the med witches are witches, and from what we've seen in Throne of Glass, witches don't necessarily have magic. So how are these witches different? Because they do have magic. Or have they found a way to harness magic? Or if we're going with the theory that Crescent City is in the middle and throne of glass comes after. what happens that those witches lose the magic if these witches turn into the witches of Throne of Glass? I don't know. But I do think that the magic, the healing magic between the two characters is very similar, if not the same. So I will give you that.

M: We got a partial theory going.

C: Partial partial theory. Okay. So the Medwitch does go on to say that the extraction is gonna take a while. and that it's going to be incredibly painful. She does kind of scan Bryce's body both with a machine and with her magic to show her that there is essentially a form along her bone and that is the venom and the form that it's kind of taken inside her body. the Medwitch kind of helps Bryce out of her her street clothes and into a gown and mentions the tattoo on her back, saying that it is lovely, but she doesn't recognize the alphabet, wants to know what it says. I'm not convinced that she doesn't recognize the alphabet, but we'll get to that. and so Bryce tells her through love all is possible, basically my best friend and I will never be parted. And so the Medwitch looks between Bryce and Hunt and says, You two have such a powerful bond. And Bryce doesn't correct her assumption. But I'm also not convinced that Hypaxia is talking about Danika and Bryce. I think she actually means Hunt and Bryce have a strong bond. And the way she words it, Bryce doesn't pick up on it because Bryce thinks that it's Danika she's speaking of. Just based on what I know is coming in this book, I think Hypaxia is actually speaking about Hunt and Bryce. Then she does ask Hunt if the halo hurts, and he says only when it went on. And she wants to know what witch inked it. And he says, some imperial hag, one of the old ones. And the witch says it is a darker aspect of our work that we bind individuals through the halo and it should be halted entirely. So Hunt kind of jokes around and says, Well, do you want to take it off of me? Foreshadowing! So her response then is, what would you do if I did take the halo off? Would you punish those who have held you captive? And Bryce starts to tell them that this is not the a topic of conversation they should be dust discussing. And he says, I'm not here to talk about my tattoo, but in his eyes she can see the answer, the confirmation that yes, he would kill all of them. So then she has Bryce lie back and she begins and it is incredibly painful. Like super, super painful. because yes, the witch cuts open everything. Cuts open her thigh, has to cut through the scar tissue, and then use her magic to draw out the venom. Hypaxia starts cutting into her leg that she doesn't understand how Bryce is walking with the amount of venom that is in her leg. And wants is doesn't understand how she hasn't been on painkillers for the last two years with how bad it is. But Bryce describes it as someone was pouring acid into her legs, her skin was sizzling, her bones were melting away, then it burned. And as she's dealing with this, Hunt is trying to get her to focus on something else. So obviously he's holding her hand because that is the best way that he can help comfort her. He's telling her about the night that the Kristallos attacked, that he was there. he came to her and She can remember him holding her and that there had been utter stillness around her and then it was his voice that had been a bell and that those strong arms on her thigh holding her as she sobbed and screamed. He saying, I got you over and over again, which is kind of similar to what they say to Feyre when they take her out of being locked up in Tamlin's mansion is I've got you, you're out. You're free. and then Hunt goes on to tell her that when they got to the alley that she wouldn't let anyone near Micah. She was protecting him, wouldn't let them through until she saw the badges and they proved they were with the Legion. And at that point Hunt thought to himself, this is someone that I would want guarding my back. There's a friend I'd like to have. And I think I gave you such a hard time when we met up again. because some part of me knew that and was afraid of what it meant. But I've always known who you were this whole time and I never forgot you. and again he keeps murmuring, I've got you, I've got you, sweetheart and she mentions that usually when he calls her sweetheart it's a little bit annoying, but this time she didn't feel annoyed at it at all. So he tells her to breathe, you can do it, we can get through this. And she's thinking we could get through it together, get through this mess of a life together, through this mess of a world. And she starts sobbing, not entirely from the pain, but Hunt can sense it too. And so he leans forward and brushes his mouth against hers in a very soft, very simple kiss. First official kiss that we have between the two of them. And It was just a hint of a kiss, feather soft, but she says a star bloomed inside me at that kiss, a long slumbering light began to fill her chest and her veins. And then it's over. Like a switch that had been flipped, the pain stopped. And she then looks at her leg as if surprised and there's a good six inch gouge in her leg where it's lying open and the thing the medwitch held between pinchers as if it was indeed a worm. that which does tell her that if her magic wasn't stabilizing the venom like this, it would be liquid and that it kind of writhed like a living thing. And so she puts it in a jar and as soon as she closes it, the magic is gone. That's been stabilizing it, and so it does turn into a puddle. And it is still writhing as if it's looking for a way out of the glass jar. she's been stitched up, bandaged up, they're watching the witch use her magic to pull apart a little bit of the venom, and she has a synth pill that she is using she's sta using her magic to stabilize the venom and put it in the tablet. And it takes a couple of minutes, but eventually The pill turns gray and then dissolves into nothing but little bit little minuscule par particles. So it does take the witch's most of the witch's concentration. So we do find out that she is a very powerful witch. So it's taking most of her concentration to stabilize this venom as it's inside the pill. And so that's what she needs to figure out now is how to stabilize it without using her own magic. So she can take herself out of the equation. And they can find a way for it to work on the synth without her being there, but it does work. And she does tell them that when she's done, she will send a sample to Bryce because some people want to keep such reminders of their struggles. So Bryce does take the next takes the rest of the day off because she is still in a lot of pain from all of this. and that she's curled up on the couch, snuggled up against Hunt, and that she might have stayed there all afternoon and evening if Micah hadn't called and demanded both of them come to his office, which is not a good sign. Hunt does carry them there, carry Bryce pretty much all the way to his to Micah's office door and notices that there is no one around. Where these halls are usually bustling with people, no one is there, which is also a bad sign. But he does ki he is thinking back to that very brief kiss and that they'd kind of stepped over a line they couldn't go back from, but that that kiss had been enough for now and so had the light he could have sworn glowed in her eyes as he pulled away. So that was the moment when she mentioned feeling like a star had awoken in her chest and she kind of glows in her eyes. And he can see it, which sounds a little bit similar like somebody else glowing in another book, but we're gonna talk about that later on. Okay, so they get to the door to the office, he sets her down, kind of gets her to stand up and jokes around with her and says, Let's see you do that fancy trick where you somehow look down the nose of people who are a foot taller than you. And she smiles a little bit, but then they step into the office and all of the smiles fade because in the office not only is Micah flanked by Isaiah and Viktoria But Sabine and Amelie are also there. So Amelie has essentially told Sabine what Hunt did in the bar. And so, of course, Sabine is using that as a way to get back to Hunt and Bryce for accusing her for killing Danika. Because of this, Micah has to punish Hunt. There has to be some form of punishment. They can't just get away with attacking. Essentially Sabine's second is what she calls Amelie. Amelie is trying to kind of calm Sabine down, take it down a level, doesn't feel that it needs to be as like the punishment doesn't need to be as harsh as Sabine thinks it should be, but again, Sabine isn't doing this just because they attacked Amelie. Sabine wants wants it done right then in front of her so that she knows it was done. And Sabine is trying to get Micah to actually fully kill Hunt, that that's what their histories would have required. That a slave assaulting a free citizen should automatically forfeit their life. Micah's response to those are old traditions for Panjira, not for Valbara. Hunt will be punished, but he shall die in the way that angels die. And it is called the living death. And Bryce looks to Isaiah 'cause she's not sure what it is, and so Isaiah explains that it is when an angel's wings are cut off and they can no longer fly for the time it takes for them to regrow their wings. Amelie tries to say, I'm not pressing charges. I don't want to do this. No one is listening. Bryce is pleading with whoever she can, crying at this point. Hunt is just looking at Micah, telling him he agrees he agrees. He understands he must be punished. He knew the moment he flew off to hunt down Amelie that he was going to be punished for it. So he knew he was gonna have to take the consequences. and so finally Hunt or Micah does come over with a sword and does cut right at the essentially where his wings meet his back, cut his wings off. And Hunt mentions it was pain that he had such as he had never experienced in the two hundred years. And he does pass out for a couple brief seconds, then jolts back into consciousness because Bryce is screaming. And that kind of summons him back into consciousness, which we've seen before. When Cassian was bleeding out in the end of book two of ACOTAR and Nesta is screaming, he comes out of consciousness multiple times because of her screaming. So a little bit of foreshadowing that they might be mates, just like Nesta and Cassian might be mates. Maybe we don't know yet. Afterwards, Bryce then turns to Sabine because now she's super pissed off, screaming at Sabine that she's a disgrace, she never deserved Danika. And then Sabine goes so far as to tell her that last year Sabine sought out the underking because she wanted answers from her daughter and that she was told That Danika refused to see her because of the shame that Danika felt having been accepted into the bone quarter, but having still died a coward's death. the under king tells Sabine that Bryce gave up her soul, made a bargain with him so that Danika could have Bryce's place in the bone quarter, essentially. Micah does get Sabine to leave before anything else happens, but afterwards afterwards Bryce takes Hunt back to her apartment, has Isaiah and Viktoria lay him face down on her bed. There were med witches that were allowed to stitch up the stumps left from his wings so that they stopped spreading blood and to kind of bandage them up. But they weren't allowed to use any first light and actually start healing them because that was part of having to feel that and live with that was part of the living death, part of the punishment. And that's when we find out that yes, Bryce did make a deal with the Under King, that she stole a death mark from Jessba as payment to the Under King, a coin of pure iron from an ancient, long gone kingdom across the sea, passage for a mortal on a boat, and that the underking had come to her and she had told him she wished to trade her place for Danika Fendier. He says your balance still remains skewed towards acceptance. If you continue on this path, you shall be welcomed when your time comes, and that if she gives this up, that she will no longer enter any of the quiet realms of Midgard, as in the Bone Quarter, the Catacombs of the Eternal City, the Summer Isles of the North, none of them will be open to her after she passes. And she continues to just repeat, I wish to trade my place. And he finally says, Say it a seventh and final time, and let the gods and the dead and all those between hear your vow, say it and it shall be done. So she does say it without hesitation. I wish to trade my place, and so it had been done. And that had nothing to do with shame, but because she felt that no matter how Danika died, that she was still worthy and that Brace was willing to give up her eternal place for Danika. She does send Ithan Holstrom a text message for the first time in two years and says, Tell your alpha that Connor never bothered to notice her because he always knew what a piece of crap she was, and tells Sabine that if I see her again I will kill her. And his response is I had no part in what went down today. She says, You disgust me, all of you. And then she puts her phone away. we get a small section where Hunt wakes up. His pain is a steady throb thanks to some of the medicine that he's taken that Bryce has essentially force fed him. does notice her, it's about four o'clock in the morning, so he doesn't wake her up, but he does notice that she is in bed with him realizes that they were kind of in some deep crap, but that something was settling inside of him. And what she revealed to the world in her pleading in that office was very dangerous for both of them. And if he were wise, he would find a way to pull away before this thing between them met with an unevitable inevitable, horrible end, as all things in the Republic met in a horrible end. But he can't bring himself to do that just yet. So instead he wraps an arm around her, pulls her close to his body, and they both fall asleep. And he is trying to savor the scent and feel of her for now. Okay, so the following morning Bryce goes to work and she has to tell Lehabah what has happened. Of course Lehabah cries because she loves hunt. But Bryce now no longer has venom, Kristallos venom in her leg and she barely even remembers what it felt like. And she doesn't even notice that her leg has no pain, not even a whisper of it. But as she spent the morning filling out more job applications and ended up sending every single one of them out. That Hunt had still been asleep when she'd left her apartment, so she had Ruhn come over to take care of him. And Ruhn kind of tells her that Hunt is lucky to be alive. As a slave he probably should have been killed, which thankfully he was not. And Ruhn thinks that it should have been him to shut Amelie up and that in the future he would like it to be. But they don't get to have any more of a heart to heart Ruhn stays there and that's when Bryce goes to work. Bryce is still working to get into Danika's Redner account to try and see if there's any information there. Ruhn texts her at one point, says that Hunt woke up, took his medicines, demanded to know where you were, and that he wants to tell you thanks for everything. And it's kind of during that. That she is now realizing what the password is to Danika's Redner account. And it is the only thing that the Oracle told Danika It is literally tattooed on Bryce's back and it is on the back of the leather jacket that Bryce has worn around for the last two years, which is through love, all is possible. So she types that out. in the common language. It doesn't work in the old language of the Fae or in the formal tongue of the Asteri. and it does work and she is able to get into all of Danika's Redner files. there are lots of normal things, some of Redner's latest projects, but what stands out is a subfolder for party invites, and Danika had never been organized enough to keep track of party invites. And it was enough of an of an anomaly that Bryce clicked on it and then found a folder within that titled Bryce. So she clicked on that again, and all it is is a photo of the back of her leather jacket, Danika's leather jacket that Bryce, of course, has in the showroom with her because she doesn't go anywhere without it. she runs over, grabs the jacket, and is kind of feeling around in the jacket. And right around the L in love, there is something something hard. There's a lump that she can feel in the jacket. So she does pull out a flash drive, and on the flash drive are three unmarked videos. So she does watch them with Lehabah in the library, but it isn't until she gets home later that night and shows them the hunt that we actually find out what is on the videos. So we switch back to hunt. He has awoke and Ruhn has finally left. Bryce has finally come home and she is white as death. he's not sure what's wrong. it'll be another day or two before he can walk without pain and another several weeks until his wings grew back and a few days after that until he'd be able to test them for flying. And then tomorrow, most likely the insufferable itching would begin. So he's had his wings cut off before after the fall and they lost the rebellion. So he knows what to expect. So then Bryce does come in, they both sit down on the couch so that she is able to show him the videos. it is a human woman who's in a test room and she gets injected with synth. And then a few minutes later, two large veneer serpentine shifters come in and they were prisoners. She can see the prisoner. the slave mark, the slave tattoo on their wrists, and they lunge towards the female to attack her, but then the female launches herself at the vanir as well, and she ends up ripping them to pieces. And it is eerily similar to how Danika and the pack of devils died, as well as Maximus. after the human woman on synth kills the two first two veneer, they send in more veneer and she kills all of them. And after a certain amount of time, then the human woman turns on herself and ripped herself apart until she too was a pile on the floor. So this is what happens with the synth. They're actually seeing footage of it where it gives the human abnormal gifts or magic, synthetic magic. And She is able to overcome vanir but after a certain amount of time she kind of goes crazy and then turns on herself. Hunt then tries to deter her further from looking into synth. Bryce's response is Danika left this for me. She must have known someone was coming for her, must have known when she was on that aux boat confiscating the synth that someone would come for her, and that there wasn't a second type of demon alongside the Kristallos just a person. from this world who was actually on Synth and that's who had ripped up Danika and the pack of devils. That is what Bryce assumptions is after seeing these videos. Hunt's response is we need to take this slow. We need to put all the pieces together first. That Micah has already demonstrated what it means to step one foot out of line. We need to be careful and be certain this time before we take anything to him. Which he's not wrong because Bryce is not right. what she's decided happened is still the wrong thing. to an extent. It was someone on Synth who killed the pack of devils and Danika. She just hasn't figured out who it is. because they don't have the all the pieces, she really doesn't have a whole lot to take to Micah anyway, but she's ready to go tell somebody. Hunt then says if we pursue this and we're wrong, Micah learns about another screw up, forget the bargain, it'll be over. I might not even walk away from that next punishment. And that's when she kind of starts to slow down, back up a little bit. And he says, this synth is bad. It's horrific. I've never seen anything like it. And then in this instance we are in Hunt's mind. We're from his perspective. So he is thinking it changed everything. He didn't even know where to begin sorting out all he'd seen. He should make some phone calls, needed to make some phone calls to make sure there's an afterword. but to find the murderer and maybe the horn and to make sure there's an afterword for Bryce and Hunt, they needed to go slow and be smart and make sure that they are able to figure this out before they take anything to Micah. So he wants her to forward the information to him and that way he can get Vik to look at it on their encrypted server and see what she can dig up. So that's one mistake right there is forwarding all the information over to Hunt. And he does mention thinking that Bryce was scanning his face just to determine, what his motives are behind why he's trying to take this slow. And he says the openness in her expression nearly sent him to his knees because he's not being completely truthful with her. So then instead she asks, what kind of afterward are you thinking for the two of us? And he says, the good kind. And she doesn't ask about how it would be possible for him or for them what he'd have to do to make it happen. But she says, sounds like a plan to me. And then she brings up the kiss at the Medwitch's when the Medwitch was pulling the Kristallos's venom out of her leg. And Hunt gave her a quick little peck she asks if he meant it. he says yes, and then asks, Did you want me to mean it? And her response is, You already know the answer to that. And he says, Do you want me to do it again? And her response is no, I want to do it, if that's all right with you. She wants to take control. And I think it's kind of funny that she's not asking for his permission, but kind of is asking for it because this is not the usual Bryce. Like the usual Bryce just takes charge, doesn't care if anyone agrees with her or not. So I think it's interesting that she's kind of slowed down a little bit with him because it's different with him. his response is to smile, a little half smile at her, and then say, Do your worst. And it takes her kind of a minute. to get close enough and to actually kiss him. And Syrinx apparently takes the hint and saw himself into his crate. And then they do finally kiss. And yeah, then it leads to a little bit more. They just kind of erupt into lots of devouring, kissing, savage, unrelenting. they end up on the couch, kind of enjoying themselves and It isn't until after Bryce gets to enjoy herself completely that she realizes Hunt is actually groaning in pain and not in pleasure. And that is because sh they've essentially ground hi the stumps of his wings into the back of the couch. And so he is bleeding pretty badly now, as well as staining the couch. She gets him to go to bed. they call a medwitch? he doesn't want to stop. And her response is, Well, why didn't you tell me? So that we could stop. And he says, As you like to say, it's my body. I decide it's limits, which I thought was so funny. He's throwing it back at her a little bit. But Bryce is the alpha in the situation, so she's not letting anything continue. She has a med witch come to take a look at him to kind of stitch him back up. And the midwitch says that he is not. cleared for sex or anything close to it. that he needs to go to bed instead. So she puts him to bed, even though he's not happy about it, but she does. His door is shut. she goes to her room to sleep for a little bit, but she ends up waking up at like three o'clock in the morning. And she sends out an email and receives one shortly after and ends up leaving the apartment. But she does mention that Hunt's door was shut, his room dark beyond. He didn't so much as come out and investigate as she slipped out of the apartment. That's because he's already slipped out of the apartment. He doesn't know that you're leaving as well, but we're gonna find out that out in a minute. So the email she sent was to the landlord of her last apartment building. The apartment building that she and Danika lived in, where Danika and the pack of devils were murdered. By the time she gets close to it, she can start to see the smoke and the light from the fire, and the entire thing is on fire. Thankfully, no one was hurt. however, she assumes that someone was tracking Danika's Redner account. And noticed whenever Bryce accessed the account and so she is assuming whoever it is is trying to cover their tracks Before she's able to make it back to the apartment, Tharion texts her and lets her know that there is a deal going down in regards to Synth on the river right now, and if she gets to the black dock, he'll take her out to see it. she realizes that she can't call Hunt or Ruhn because they'll want her to wait, and so she decides to go meet Tharion by herself. so she Tharian a little a wave runner, Like a little jet ski for on the river that's nice and quiet, super stealthy. So she does climb on with him. And there's lots lots of mist around it, which we don't think is suspicious at the beginning, but by the end of this chapter we realize is it's going to be suspicious that there's mist all around. But they do get close enough to see that there are six people, most of them in a humanoid shape, that it is the Viper Queen who is selling the synth, which the Viper Queen had specifically told Bryce and Hunt that she was not interested in selling synth. And we find out why she's made an exception in a little bit. And there are three buyers. All of them are in cloaks, so she can't tell who they are. they're in darkness, so she isn't able to see them. She does pull out her phone and is able to snap a few photos of the boat, the Viper Queen, and the tall dark figure she faced. But she couldn't tell because of the jacket and the hood. She goes to pull up Hunt's number to call him, to let him know what's going on. And it's at that point that the cloaked figure turns, and every thought eddied out of Bryce's head. Because it is Hunt's face that becomes clear. He is the figure who is buying synth from the Viper Queen. So my gosh, what the crap is he doing? Like, really, Hunt? Really? Why are you being stupid? So this is most likely why he has been trying to push Bryce from looking into Synth, from trying to figure it out. But that is where we are going to stop. for this episode and we will jump into all that craziness and hopefully get some answers in our next episode. We'll see. Who knows, 'cause now we have more questions than answers.

K: And that's where we leave the city tonight. It's neon lights flickering over secrets no one wants to name. Somewhere in Lunathion, a killer is still moving through the shadows. A clue is sitting in plain sight and the truth is waiting for someone reckless enough to dig it up. We're looking at you, Bryce. The investigation is far from over. The suspects keep shifting and every answer seems to uncover an even darker question. As we close the file for the night, we're left staring at a final scene that changes everything and a plot twist that demands answers. Join us next time as we pick up right where this jaw-dropping moment leaves off. Until then, happy reading.