Onyx Storm: Book 4 Predictions (Part 2)

0:17 Got a baby can today? You literally just started the like like a Coke commercial like you're like. This is what I'm small indie. Small indie set of brand please small indie. Beverage brand. That's what in Bev stands for in Indie. Yeah, it's 7 1/2 oz, which is very baby, but I kind of feel like that's all you need. Maybe now.

0:37 I don't know. Are we going to talk about Diet Coke again? We can't. We actually, no one. No one cares except for actually. A lot of people do seem to care, but I personally can't bring myself to care anymore. I can't care. It's very hot. It's very hot. It's very hot. It's too hot. I mean, I ran for the first time since that, that relay. I woke up at 6:30 this morning to run with my friend. To beat the heat.

1:06 We did not beat the heat. The heat beat us. So that was fun, a classic. We're just at that stage where I can't stand to leave the apartment and I hate it so much. I hate living in a city and not leaving my apartment. It's like not what I want. I am not a summer girl. I'm a winter girl. Not even a fall.

1:25 I'm winter. I just like winter. The clothes are better. It feels better inside and outside. I don't like summer. Anyway, hi, I'm Abby. I'm Ronnie. This is Dragons in the details. Or we pick apart our favorite fantasy series over the course of an undetermined number of episodes. Listeners, we have promised this to you before, but I promise you from the bottom of my heart, this is our last episode on the Imperial.

1:49 I don't think after this anything else to talk about. And if we do, like one of us is quitting, like because we're both we're good. We're good on the imperial until this all again. We need to take time away. We need to touch grass. We need to get away from this series for a hot 2nd. We love you guys.

2:08 We were planning to be done with this 6 episodes ago, but we're happy to still be here and still be talking about it. This. Is Part 2 of our Book for Predictions episode. This is our last episode on the Empyrean, and if you haven't figured it out by now, I think everyone knows Season 2 is on Acatar.

2:26 So when you hear us talking about Acatar stuff, that's why we're both very, very deep in Acatar world right now. Disclaimer, these episodes contain spoilers for all of Onyx Storm, the whole Empyrean series. If you haven't finished the Empyrean series by now, I don't know what the fuck you're doing. I no longer have any sympathy for you. But this podcast will always be here, so go no farther. Go finish the Empyrean series, come back, it's a fun read. Come listen to these episodes.

2:50 Also, because of who we are as people and these books, these podcasts are rated R Don't listen to them with children. Each week we're diving into a specific topic in depth. As previously mentioned, this is Part 2 of our Book for Predictions episode. So last week we did Part 1. Part 1 was kind of more general. Now we're asking ourselves more specific questions. We're diving into our theories a bit deeper. We hope you enjoyed Part 1 and we hope you're back for Part 2. We're coming with receipts, kind of less so in these episodes, if I'm being honest.

3:18 These are more kind of recaps of our prior theories, but it's kind of our vision of how this could all play together in Book 4. If you want to hear the receipts, I encourage you to go back and listen to our previous episodes. We are good at coming up with receipts. We come up with really fucking crazy theories, but there's always some kind of through line to them and some kind of evidence for them.

3:36 There's a trail. There's no. And you know, some people come at us on social media with these crazy theories and I'm like, oh, what's your evidence? And they're like, we don't have any. And I'm like, OK, well that's great. But we run an evidence based podcast here. Indeed. All right. Announcements, Ronnie, do we have any announcements?

3:54 Aqatar is Season 2. I mean, if you want to hear us talk about Aqatar 6 and how Sarah J Maas broke the Internet, which I realized happened weeks ago, by the time that you're listening to this, go back to our last episode, go back to Part 1, but we have confirmation that Aqatar 6 and maybe something else is coming. So that's super exciting.

4:15 And then we're on Discord, join our community, It's LinkedIn, all of our social BIOS. It's super fun. And it's where some of our, I would say crazier theories come from with, with folks who are just talking amongst themselves and in that community. It's a really cute little corner of the Internet for for fantasy and and fantasy romance readers.

4:32 There is some Onyx Storm news actually that we didn't talk about last episode, but for the TV show, I believe I texted you about this, the showrunner. The showrunner was. Replaced, yeah, I think think they've been replaced at this point, but they had a Breaking Bad showrunner, she left and now I believe the showrunner for Wanda Vision isn't talks.

4:52 Which did you watch? Wanda Vision. Watch Wanda Vision now. I watched it and I thought it was really good, but it is surprised me. It's not as good as Breaking Bad, let me put it that way. Yeah, but not necessarily something to feel good or bad about, just kind of a change. So we're excited for that and we'll probably cover. I mean, it depends what's happening in Book World when the TV show comes out, but I think it would be fun for us to cover the TV show too.

5:15 I think we should, I think we should at least create a little bit on it. I mean, yeah, I'm super curious about Slash, nervous about honestly. Like whenever they make shows based on books, they always deviate a little bit. And I'm OK with deviation, but I really hope that everything, I don't hope that everything is out before the show comes out, because I want to see the show, but I don't want anything to be spoiled for the books by the show, you know? Well, I mean, we've talked about this previously. Some things are visual, right?

5:46 Like and I won't get to this point, but if they somehow aired the season 3 finale I'm assuming each book will be a season. Yeah, if we see the end of Onic Storm visually, like we know what happened. We know what happens and that's right. We know who the fucking brother is. We know if Violet hair is silver and like that's how are you going to navigate that?

6:05 So I think there's some interesting challenges and obviously that for us means there's interesting things to talk about. We might be living in a world very soon where next year both Akatar 6 and the first season of this TV show come out, among many other book things happening. So we could have a busy year ahead of us, but that's OK. We love doing this.

6:21 All right, Corrections, omissions, social media shout outs. You want to go first this. Week Sure I have one. Both correction and social media shout out these where correction was inspired by crochet ray and. We love crochet ray. And thank you for your comments. So this was actually on a really recent, recent and current time podcast, magic recent and current time clip that we posted about dragon scales being hereditary and black Dragons hatching. And like, who's are those black Dragons? We posted that today.

6:52 We posted it today. Yeah, this is a social media shout out from today. So I think the question still stands, regardless of what I'm about to say over like, who? Who are these black Dragons Dragons? Are they relatives of Kodak and Terran? Are they they progeny of Kodak war Terran? Don't know, but I do think I missed.

7:08 I just like conflated 2 things that happened in the same book in Iron Flame that are not actually related necessarily. It's the black Dragons hatching. So I just for some reason, and this just happens sometimes, you know, like you read a book and you think you know something. I thought that 2 black Dragons hatched in Orisha. They did.

7:27 That is not true. Well they do. Black Dragons hatched in the veil. So Terran says yes Terran I looked at this. Terran says in chapter 2 of Iron Flame that Kodak said that 2 black Dragons have hatched in the last year. He says it's in chapter chapter 2 of Iron Flame. 2 black Dragons hatched in the last year. That needs to have happened in the veil because we have not established re established the hatching grounds in Arisha. Then we hear later in Iron Flame from Terran that Arisha's first hatchling has chosen to to emerge. Taryn says this to Violet, his tone clipped considering the news, and Violet is excited.

8:04 She's like, we have hatchlings and he's like yes, we do have hatchlings, but the hatchlings choice transforms the valley back into a hatching ground. We don't hear the color of these hatchlings, which I think is interesting because Taryn is an elder now. So like does Taryn know the color of these Dragons? I don't know.

8:18 We think Taryn is an elder. We think Taran is not confirmed that Taran. Yes, we think Taran is the black dragon elder of Orisha. So that was my bad guys. The 2 black Dragons that hatched were unrelated to the Orishan hatchlings. There are 4 hatchlings that we know of in Orisha by the time we stop hearing about hatchlings in Onyx Storm. So.

8:39 There are 4 hatchlings in Orisha. Molly OK. Yes. So we both apparently just conflated those two. Things did not happen together. They were not necessarily related, but we did learn in revisiting this that hatching is a choice, Taryn says The first hatchling has chosen to emerge. The hatchlings choice transforms the valley back into a hatching ground. So I think it does also reopen the possibilities of these hatchlings actually being quite old and not necessarily progeny of Codagra Terran, but they could be. They totally could be, and dragon scales could still be hereditary.

9:12 But that was a correction on my part. Thank you crochet Ray and team and Bran everyone for pointing these out. We thought the Black Dragon Sash and Arisha. They did not. Yeah, we fully Mandela that affected that. Yeah, they could. The hatchlings could be black. We don't know what color the hatchlings are.

9:28 We don't know what color the hashtags are. And we we think that Taran is an elder, but we don't know. We don't know. Cool. That's my correction. What's yours? I had two. So one we got an e-mail from a listener named Jerrica. She was responding to our dreams episode and our theories on the wooden dagger meaning something specific to Berwyn. I really love her theory.

9:49 I feel like we've kind of flirted around this theory, but I feel like she presented it much more clearly. So her theory is that Menon of a certain level can only be killed by something personal to them basically, right? So like the Theophanese dagger was Dune's wrath, but also it was something connected to her past.

10:06 And that's kind of a question we don't know now. Like was it Dune or was it that it was something personal for her? What this means is for book 4, Violet will have to do research on Berwyn specifically to find out what his kind of Achilles heel is. I think this is interesting because it also fits into two of our other theories. So it fits into and and the idea being that the the dagger with the wooden handle is something that is specific to Berwyn, obviously.

10:30 The dagger with the wooden handle that Violet creates that Violet. Creates and dreams that means something specific to Berwyn and is potentially what could kill him. But I think this is interesting for two reasons. It kind of fits into our ideas of tethers, right? And violating A tether or a leash and something that like there being something from your human past that holds you to that human past when you turn venom and it can potentially be wielded as a weapon.

10:55 I mean, we know Theophany was really fucking old. Berwyn seems to also be really fucking old. So my question is kind of like, if we did this for Zaden and we found something specific for Zaden and we stabbed him with it somewhere non lethal, would he die or would he just turn back into a human? Like Theophany obviously died because she was centuries old and she kind of withered away.

11:14 Yeah. So that's, that's question #1 it's also interesting because we've talked about Venom potentially changing their names, right? So we, when we said it's yours now, it could be the name Zaden Rearson, basically Zaden Ryerson. And this could be why, right? Because maybe they don't want people finding their identity so that they could find that specific thing that's tied to them and then use that as a weapon against them. It also could explain why we see the sword of Tyrion door in Zaden's dreams all the time.

11:42 So we have, we have the dagger, right? We have the Dagger of Arisha, and then we have the sort of Tyran door. Could one of those be one of the weapons that could potentially cure or kill Zaiden? Yeah, I don't know. We also clearly have the Onyx bracelet. That could be like, could a piece of Reorgson House be what brings Zaiden back?

12:02 We don't know, but I thought this was a good, interesting, interesting theory. Yeah, Yeah, I really like it. Yeah. Because then it opens to your point, like we've kind of wondered what the importance of the blade of Arisha's, the emerald that now is Violet's wedding ring that's in it. The sort of tear and door in general, like we've not seen, we've heard a lot about them.

12:23 They've been presented to us, but their significant has significance has not been clarified. And so if it can, if it can either prove that it can like on Vennon A Vennon through Erwin or actually brings Aiden back or and brings Aiden back, that would be pretty cool. I like it it. Also leans into this idea And.

12:43 And Jerrica called this out in her e-mail too, of like, research kind of being the weapon and like Asher's research being a weapon, like having to do your homework, basically, Yeah. In order to to get this right and to do it correctly, which I like. Yeah, OK, we have a 2nd. I have a second shout out.

13:01 This one's totally random. I just a user commented that they think Kaori is a venin and I've heard this elsewhere, but I hadn't heard the argument. So I was like, hey, can you tell me why you think Kaori is a venin? And I haven't looked into this, but I thought they had a really good list of reasons. So I'm just going to read them verbatim so that this and this is a user comments a lot.

13:18 Their username is Kel for Zim KELLFER Zim. I don't know what that means, but thanks Kel for Zim. All right, so they said at drink drags in the details pod. So many reasons. 1 he is an illusionist. Well, they specifically think Kori is Berwyn. I'm not totally sold on that, but I think the Vennon reasons are interesting. So 1 he is an illusionist and therefore can probably change or project his own appearance, right? So we know that Kori can project what's in his mind's eye. Potentially he could change his own appearance. I'm not totally sold on that because we already have Asheville projection that can do that. But interesting.

13:52 Interesting point in Fourth Wing, Kori was the first person to see Slash be left alone with Jack. Fucking Barlow Threshing. Which is when Jack finds out that Taran bonded Violet. Jack later admits I think an iron flame. He decided to turn Bennett upon learning this information. Kaori is with him during this scene and is underhandedly poking his ego.

14:12 I did not go back and verify any of this. I should say that, but I don't specifically remember that. But I think that is an interesting point that Kaori is specifically talking to Jack 3. The Venom wants that Violet and Zaden alive and he's always protecting them, garnering info from them or in the right place at the right time.

14:26 Think when Violet returns from Samara with the knife. So he's always protecting Violet and Zadan. Yeah. Four. He doesn't go to Arisha until after the wards are down. That's true. He shows up at Arisha later. 5 He is the first person Zaden allegedly reports to slash visits upon returning to Baz Gaya to teach.

14:45 I think Zaden was summoned to him slash his office, which is interesting. And maybe Zaden was under some kind of like bond thing where he couldn't tell. But I think that summoning is maybe really just with your sage. So that would mean that Gary is Berwyn. He has insight into what happened with Naolan. That's definitely true, right?

15:03 Like we learn about what happened with Naolan and Brennan from Kori from Kori. Yeah. During flight removal, this is this one's a good one. During flight maneuvers throws his axe at Kori and not the illusion of the venom. He knows Kori is the threat, which is true. I remember that there's a weird moment with Arc and the axe, and he throws it at Kori instead of throwing it where he's supposed to, which is intriguing.

15:27 I again, I didn't really dive into this, I just thought this was a good list. Yeah, I wanted to hear your. Thoughts. Yeah I really like it. I think the arc 1 is super interesting because of the like lack of clarity around when Arc started manifesting. I think if I went back I would reread and take note of everything that arc did because I think he could be hinting towards a lot. Here's the thing with Kaori right? If this all does point at him being Venom then I think this furthers the what WTF is going on with Brennan's situation because Brennan specifically points out Kaori is a Goodman. Kaori is a Goodman.

15:58 Yeah, Yeah. And here's the other thing is that I guess Kaori doesn't specifically know that Andarna is an Irid until after this happens. But Theophany says she finds out about the irids because she overhears it. I guess Theophany could be lying. But like, see, Theophany says she finds out she heard talk. She heard talk among the scribes or something about Viola's dragon, and she figured out that it's an Irrid. Not.

16:24 We've been hunting your Irrid, you know. Yeah. And I feel like if Kaori were Venom, he just doesn't seem like evil. So didn't. Kaori stay. Kaori stays initially because he wants to be with the Imperium. Yeah, Dragons are divided. I don't think this place is definitely divided. Interesting idea, not totally sold on it but intrigued. I do think someone else pointed out too that Kaori says he doesn't remember Dreyfus very well, but he can project it perfectly basically.

16:51 Yeah, I do think Kaori is suspicious. I don't believe he's entirely good because I think anyone who's entirely good, like we have Devera like come over to to Tierra Endor. Like I think everyone who's fully on the right side of the story came to Tierra Endor came to Orisha. And if they didn't, it doesn't mean they're bad, but it means they have something.

17:12 But Kaori specifically said like he he wanted to come, but he didn't feel like he could leave the Baz Gayath Empyrion and then something changes. So that is a question like, what changes? What makes him decide he wants to come to Orisha? Yeah, yeah. Maybe it's an imprisoned man. I mean, Theophany does say we're excellent actors about Venom, so maybe we haven't really seen any Venom be excellent actors yet as far.

17:36 As yeah, and we've only seen the venom who are just being obviously venom in front of our faces. Right. But if the people we think are venom are venom, Varish and a toast, they're not doing a good job of hiding it. Right, right. Yeah, I think, yeah, to our earlier prompt, I think there is, there are definitely plot twists coming for people we don't think are Venom becoming like revealing themselves as Venom because we've been told that's going to happen and it hasn't. Like everyone that we think is that we know is Vennon confirmed is just like obviously Vennon.

18:06 Yeah, yeah. OK, cool. All right, deep dive. Time deep dive. All right. So again, as previously mentioned, we're doing before predictions. Again, these are kind of more specific questions rather than last time, which was kind of more general. Our first question Ronnie what will Violet do in dreams?

18:24 In this book, think a lot. I have quite a lot, like a lot of things. We could take this question two ways. We could take it like, what is she actually going to do in book four, and then what can she do, or what do we think she'll be revealed to be able to do? I took this kind of both places, but mostly the latter because I think there's so much that she can and will do as far as like finding things out in dreams, right?

18:46 We know that Violet now, we know she now can create things in dreams and that it surprised Berwyn that she could. His eyes widened when she saw that she created the stagger. We don't know whether that was related to her ability to create it or there was related the dagger itself. But I would like to think and predict that this is him realizing that she could maybe do things that he can't or couldn't have done as quickly in that she's actually influencing dreams and minds and creating potentially full dreamscapes.

19:15 So I think that Violet will be spying on others, will be getting information out of them in dreams, but I think she'll struggle with it because she's a pretty moral individual with a good sense of what's right and what's wrong. And so I think she'll have like a little bit of a like character development moment where she's coming to terms with the fact that she now has to use this weapon that she previously would have deemed super immoral, right?

19:37 She's like really concerned with Dane stealing her memory worries. Like she views it as a huge violation. And we know she's thought the same thing when it came to Zaden's signet and like the fact that he did not reveal that to her and thought that that was a huge violation on his part as well. So I think she'll struggle with it.

19:52 I do think Violet is going to search for Zaden and talk to him in these dreams as well. I think this will be how she knows that he's still him. I said this in our last episode, right? But she can't share that she knows he's still him with everyone else without revealing that she is intensic. And I think she'll learn that she can trap people. And dreams too, and maybe kill them. I'm not sold on the killing them apart yet. But I think she'll realize when she walks into people's dreams, potentially Berwyn's, right, potentially other people's other Benin's, that she's able to kind of hold them there and interrogate them, learn things from them. And this is off the cuff prediction. Like, I'm not actually sure that

20:29 this will come true, but I think it would be cool if her powers were different from Berwyn's. Because if Berwyn had what she has, what she seems to have in creating things in out of thin air, I think this war would be over. Like, I think it'd be over, yeah. So that's how I I feel about South. Two things. We know that Berwyn can get rid of things, right? Because he gets rid of Zaden's swords. Like Zaden reaches for his swords and they disappear. Yeah.

20:55 So we know he can at least get rid of things. When they create things, Yeah, yeah. I and this is we've talked about this, we kind of talked about it differently, but like, I don't think that she can kill people in dreams because if Berwyn could do that, that as you said. The war's. Over Yeah. It's too much of A trump card. It's too powerful.

21:15 But I think communicating and spying and like fighting are enough. Why are you laughing? I'm laughing because in a prior episode you said I definitely think she can kill people in. This dream, yeah, I as and I have previously said in episodes, I reserve the right to change my mind. Yeah, no, I agree with you.

21:32 I think if like if she can then Berwyn can't because Berwyn like it would be over. I feel like, I feel like what's happening is they will fight. They will fight to the death in the dream, right? But then whoever dies just wakes up. It's not a real fight. But like they will fight over Zayden or they will she will fight to get some information or something.

21:52 But I think. She might be able to hold people in dreams though. Because he can, right? Like she has to wake Zadan up. Zadan cannot wake himself up. Right? But maybe he would have woken up if Berwyn had just killed him and so he was holding him instead. Yeah, I agree. I agree. What do you think Pilot will do in dreams? I I had all that, but I, I had a couple more things. So I think, I think she sees Zayden's dreams. I think she sees the Berwyn's dreams to get information, right.

22:19 I think she might walk into Terence dreams too, while he's recovering, maybe unintentionally. But she might also start to realize that Taryn is just keeping way too much information from her. It feels like a huge violation. I don't know if she would do that, but I think maybe she'll realize that she can do it.

22:38 Yeah, I also feel like she might. It feels like we need, we've lost her connection to Baz Gaia that I feel like we're going to need or to Navarre in general, Right. So like, is she going to Dreamwalker to King Tari? Is she going to dreamwalk into Bren? Sorry, Atos like Melbourne. Melbourne. Will be huge.

22:57 Yeah, because like, she can. Now we've talked about when people sleep, they don't have any Shields. Yeah. So it feels like this could become a huge tool in the war too with spying and stuff. Especially Melgren, Like if she can know what he's going to see. Although they have ARC, they don't need Melgren.

23:14 Nevermind. Yeah, I think, I mean, if I think if Arc's still in Arisha, like her walking to our extremes would be fucking crazy. I think we also have a bit of an unanswered question in how close she needs to be to people in order to walk into their dreams. We know that Satan has been really far away, but we also know that they have this this bond. So I think like most signets seem to be proximity based. Most intensive signets that we've seen need to be proximity based.

23:42 And so I don't know that she could like I would love for her to walk into the dreams of people in At Bezgayeth, but if she's in Orisha, I don't know if that's going to happen unless. We know, we know Berwin can do it. Berwin is clearly very. Far away, right? Yeah. She's got the power of the gods, I think. I don't know.

24:02 I think we should assume. But she can do anything Berwyn can do. And Berwyn can clearly dream, walk over great distances. What I'm thinking. And behind the wards, it doesn't matter. Yeah. Yeah. Well, at least the best guy. At least the best guy of wards. Yeah, which are crap, but also like she'll be able to dream walk behind any wards because she's using safe power, Yeah.

24:22 Agree. OK. And we talked about this a little a little last episode, but I think there is a question of how she learns how to do all this if Berwyn is the only one who can really teach her. So we've we've talked about potentially Zaden being able to share this signet with Berwyn because it seems like that that the venom can share signets and then maybe he teaches her.

24:40 She might learn on her own. She might like unintentionally walk into Berwyn's dream and then learn from him, right. She know, we know. She gets the contextual knowledge of whoever's dream she's in. Yep. I I have other these are these are, I'm going to say my crazier options. Just Berwyn turned good somehow. Does Berwyn actually become one of the good guys and just teach her because out of the goodness of his heart? I don't think so.

25:06 I don't think he's redeemable, but that's the potential option. Does Asher know? We've talked about Niara giving Nira the tourmaline bracelet, which I think means that Asher knew about the dream walking because it protects from psychic attacks. So did Asher know, did Niara know or Asher and Niara, we, I know Asher's dead, but if she can somehow talk to him, are they going to teach her?

25:27 And then my last one is we've talked about the potential also of dream walking specifically being a gift from the Irids and that Berwyn was also potentially gifted this from the Irids. Does that mean, and Dharna knows more about it and she can teach Violet? So yeah, I think it's Berwyn, Zaden, Niara or and Dharna and Rebecca has said only one person can actually teach her. So I do think Berwyn is the answer. I do think it's Berwyn.

25:50 Yeah, yeah, yeah. The Berwyn turning good thing is intriguing. I probably don't think so. But if Berwyn is in captivity and he is Zaden's relative, which we think both of those things are true, then like can he be reasoned with or at least used? Maybe we do know that he's on an opposing side of Theophany, and theophany reports to this big bad he like.

26:15 Are they indifferent? Very little on Berwyn and his motivations. Really. Yeah, Yeah, I think we'll find out more about him. I'm excited for that. All right, What will happen with Violet and Zeidan's relationship? So I think I don't think she's mad at him for Dreyfus, because I think if she were mad at him for Dreyfus, she wouldn't have married him. But I think she's mad at him now because she doesn't know where he is.

26:37 So I think we start off in a fight and I think we're about to find out, as we mentioned previously, a lot of secrets about Zaden that he did not previously reveal. And I think that that might really piss off Violet. Yeah, yeah, I will piss off Violet. I do think she'll try to find him or at least recover her memories when the time is right, but also if she has dream walking, maybe she doesn't really need to find it.

27:05 I don't know. Maybe it is better if he's far away. As long as they can still communicate. I don't know. I was thinking like I have a note. She might be mad at him for making her Duchess and abandoning him, right? He basically didn't set her up for success with this at all. But maybe he's left her little like letters or clues around Arisha to like help her.

27:25 Like we know he's left her letters in the past. We know Asher is fond of doing this. Maybe Zayden kind of saw that Asher was doing it was like, oh, I can do something similar to that. Yeah. So that's, I don't know. That's what I think. I think she's mad at him. But I think obviously they're still together.

27:41 I mean, they're married now and Rebecca's at their end game. Yeah, I agree. I think this is the book of doubting Zaden, but I don't think that Violet will ever doubt her and Zaden's relationship. I think they are perpetually on. I don't think there's any off for them. Yeah, I don't think there's any off anymore. Yeah.

27:57 They're married. But I think like you, I think Zaden has tons of secrets. He has shared with Violet, a bunch of them, but he's also specifically said he would tell her anything that impacted her agency, which is not everything about his own personal secrets, secrets of others close to him, his lineage. And now that Zaden being Venom is out, I think there's going to be an immediate Ryerson smear campaign that Violet is going to have to wrestle with every single day that she's in Tyrandor.

28:24 And it's going to jeopardize her own position. And she's going to have to maneuver appearances in such a way that she shows faith in Zaden, like maybe she needs to behave like she's almost mourning him, but also makes her loyalties clear enough that she can maintain that title and lead tier endorse. So I think she's going to be like, privately really wrestling with everything that Zaden hasn't told her, everything that he's left with her.

28:46 But she's going to have to do some serious political maneuvering because her husband who left her this title is now like known to be Benin and Public Enemy #1. So I think in the midst of these inevitable attempts to uproot Violet from being Duchess, I think there's going to be a lot uncovered about Satan's lineage, secrets He kept enough that Violet is sitting back there into your door, like believing in him, like she believes in him as a person, but in the back of her head is like shocked at this.

29:11 And it's like, is he even who I think he is? Like, what the hell is he doing? I think that's like the through that we get into in this book. And then in Book 5 we come fully out of that, or maybe even in the end of Book 4. Someone told me and I was trying to think this through because I feel like this doesn't make any sense, but Rebecca said the books are written in like a new format.

29:31 So like book 4 will kind of mirror book 2. But why? That doesn't make sense? Because one and three are supposed to have 1-3 and five will have like happy endings and two and four will have sad endings. I would not argue but three was happy. Fucking sad ending. Yeah. But I think what you said is interesting. It fits because like that was the thing in Iron Flame, right? Was the secrets.

29:51 So it's again the secrets, but at a much bigger scale, with a much bigger impact this time. And like, she knows that she's living with them at this point because, yeah, they are married. Like they are. Yeah, kind of. So it's. Still moving the plot forward, but it's revisiting the truth, which I think works.

30:06 I think there's one other thing that I think will I hope will happen and I think it will happen. I think she might seek out his relatives, like potentially go back and revisit Talia to get some of these answers. I think a lot about is what he's just going to come out and I can, she's going to be like who the heck can actually answer these for me? I'm going to go find Talia and ask her what the fuck was this contract marriage and what do you know about the Ryerson's? Yeah, and I think Llewellyn maybe too, to find out well enough.

30:33 Yeah. Which someone sent me a theory that Llewellyn and Fen were lovers, which I kind of liked. I like them. I like the idea that Fenn just contract marriage his way into progeny and doesn't actually like women. That's. What that works? That's kind of Yeah. Yeah, that works. Yeah. But the reason was because Llewellyn, like, makes it sound like he knows how hard it is to love someone in power.

30:54 But I feel like if that were the case, I guess Fenn didn't get to decide where Zaden went, so never mind. It's going to say Zaden would have gone to Llewellyn, but it's not like Fenn got to pick that. Yeah, Right. Cool. All right, all right. What will we learn from Grandma Niara? I hope a lot. So I think I don't have a very long answer for this one. I feel like we already talked about it a little bit in our first episode on book predictions. But I think Violet is going to go visit Grandma Niara, potentially with Mira.

31:21 So like Mira comes with her. I think Grandma Niara is going to tell us the story of what happened when Brennan and Mira were left with her while Lilith and Asher took Violet to the aisles. And I think we'll hear like Grandma's perspective and maybe get some of those missing journal pages back, too. I think we'll also learn about her and Asher's connections to Tyrandor, maybe through Asher's father, maybe through another relative.

31:45 I don't know that it's her because I don't know why she would live in Luceris if she herself were from Tyrandor, unless she was just uprooted after the Rebellion and then like never went back. We know that Asher has links, some links to Tyrandor because of Grandma Nyara's bracelet with the Tyrish knots and the fact that he knows ruins and in fact, that he traveled the aisles I think is also a reason he's connected to Tier Endor. So I think we'll learn those things from Niara, and I would like to learn from her some of like the softer sides of what Lilith has done, because we know that Lilith was not the person behind Violet's dedication.

32:18 And so I think Niara might be able to tell us some more things about the disagreement between them from her perspective, and we might get a little bit more Lilith sympathy than we've had to date. Yeah. I agree with all that and I have similar stuff. The only only additional thing you mentioned Asher traveling around the aisles. I think Niara might tell us how like you might actually it's going to be either Niara or and Dharna, I think telling us how Asher did that, how he had the time to do that. Also, you kind of touched on this, but just what Lilith and Asher were doing during the Tears rebellion, like what? What were they actually doing?

32:55 Because they clearly both knew about the Vennon. So how those choices were justified and what their role was? I think Niara might also be able to tell Ellis and may have even already told Mira. But what kind of Mira's? Role in all this is. Yeah, we know that Lilla's parents are dead, so it's not going to be that. So I think, I think we might learn that. Yeah, I would like it if Mira already knew and just, like, didn't realize the significance of it. Like knew what she was supposed to be harboring. We got to visit Grandma.

33:29 We got to visit Grandma. We got him. I was. Just thinking, I wonder if we've talked a lot about Mira's signet and we've talked about there potentially being a need for another ward stone in multiple places. Like maybe if you have Mira you don't actually need all six all 7 Dragons, but I doubt it.

33:46 I feel like you still need all 7 Dragons. Yeah, I mean, her segment is crazy. I wonder whether like she can now hypothetically also protect Violet from Zayden with the. Wards. With the wards, yeah. I assume her wards are like fully. I don't know. Does she get to decide what her wards block out?

34:06 Because the wards themselves are like ruined to be specific to specifically allow and disallow different types of power. Like what? Amira's ward? I don't know. Yeah you're right. Like can Mira extend the Arisham wards? And if so, can the Flyers real wield within them? Or does Mira basically also just wield pure power and she chose for it to be defense? Yeah, yeah.

34:31 I mean, she's the only other signet that creates from scratch. But she doesn't think that. She thinks that she can only extend the words. That's what she says. But then she does it in Corda where there are daggers but there's no ward stone. Yeah, but there's no ward stone. Yeah, yeah, she manifests her own wards. So crazy.

34:47 It's got to matter. It is so wild. No, I agree. OK, what will become a Baz Gai in? Book 4 So again, I was trying to picture like what is actually happening in this story, like what is being shared with us that we're learning about this guy. I think Atos will put on a big show of traitors in our midst, but is also a traitor.

35:09 I don't know whether Pan checks betrayal is going to go noticed because it was only Zayden and the brother who saw it. I don't know, like I can't piece together in my head exactly how Pan checks feeding knowledge to the Venn and like, makes out of that valley, honestly. And they're both like, Staden and the brother are both presumably on the run.

35:32 If the brother's not on the run, like, then that's an option. He's still around. We have 12 hours. I mean, they didn't could have told Violet. Sure, but then Violet remembers nothing about the 12 hours. What an excellent point. So to get back to Best Guy, I'm not 100% on whether Best Guy will still exist in its current format based on the conflict that happens at the end of this book at the end of Onyx Storm. But if it does, I think there's no way that we're not in full civil war mode again with Navarre and militia and terrorist Tirish militia.

36:05 And I think the propaganda is going to continue because I think by process of elimination, we've agreed that, or at least I've worked out in my head that the only people who could have stolen these dragon eggs are Navarre as a sign of aggression or the Erisian Empyrean making a decision based on the events of that battle that some other deal had to be made.

36:24 So if if Navarre is being aggressive and we think that they are because Holden showed up at the border right then is Bezgayeth just now a rival war College? And Arisha is the new like Cliff Spain effectively. Yeah, I I agree. I'm kind of like what is the role of Bezgayeth in book 4? Like what, what is the purpose of it anymore? I agree.

36:45 I also, I think there's two tricky parts to this. One, we've talked about how the Venom have presumably infiltrated leadership at Bezgaya. So is it just basically becoming like a well, it always has kind of been a Venom factory, right? We've talked about that. Yeah. But like, and this, we talked about this earlier too, but like, what about the Dragons?

37:03 Like, how the fuck we know the Dragons? What was it 6 years before this book went to war against Tyrandor? But that was kind of more of a secession thing. Presumably now the Dragons are much more informed about what's actually going on and understand the real threat that's out there. We know that some of them know. We don't know that all of them know, but I think at this point basically all of them know.

37:23 So like. I think they all knew. I think they were more divided on whether they protect, they basically like retreat and protect the veil or whether they just have to face the problem head on. And I don't know how as a dragon at this point, you're not like we have to face the problem head on, right?

37:36 I don't know how at this point, you're like, OK, we're still safe here. We're still safe. Yeah, like. Your words don't fucking work right. So that's that's. Kind of my my thing is like, will the Dragons and and Even so, what threat does tier and door pose to the veil? Right? Tier and door is not going after the veil. So why would the Dragons fight against tier and Door right when there's when they know the real threat is the venom? Yeah, I don't know.

38:01 So I think that's the tricky part is the veil. I'm very curious to see what happens to Bezgayeth in Book 4, if we are even still really tracking Bezgayeth. I mean, it kind of like the second-half of Iron Flame and Onyx Storm. We're just kind of not really dealing with Bezgayeth anymore. All right.

38:17 Anything else on that one? No. OK. Will there be venom offspring? Who will it be? OK. So I think probably both Dane and Zaden, Fen and descent. So I think Dane is a direct offspring and I think Zaden is a descendant, depending on where Berwyn is in the Rios and family tree. And I think that's interesting because I think we'll get to see it play out on both sides.

38:46 So like Zayden has turned Venom. What does it mean for him that he's also a Venom offspring? Dane stays human, does have a lot of power, seemingly, but like what? What does that open for him? Yeah, I don't know. I think that's, I think that was interesting. Those are my thoughts. The other thought I had was with the Fen not dying theory that we've had, if Berwyn is Grandpa rearson or even a farther back descendant, that means Fen is also a venom offspring, right? Yeah.

39:15 Could that have been without him turning? Could that have been how he survived his execution? Because just by having venom like blood in you, maybe you are immune from dragon fire? I don't know. Just a thought. Yeah, I think that honestly the only thing I'm left struggling with in that theory, and I know there's ways around it, is like, what do you see?

39:37 Because like when Venom are fired in other scenarios, they just like stay there and like what? Yeah, what do? Right, Theophany. Theophany was fine. She just like walked away. Yeah. But I do think it's interesting to think about what happens, like what kind of what kind of venom traits can you inherit if you are venom offspring?

39:58 I think that's fun. What did you think? I think Dana's still a candidate. Like, he's the only one in my head where I'm like, this is definitely still on the table. I do think over the course of our episodes, I've moved further away from it being Violet. I know Violet was my first thought, yeah, Because I think like, I liked the thought of her being like quadruple power effects that like all of the different forms of power would converge to her if that were the case, right?

40:27 She'd have dragon power, she had the power of the gods, and she'd have like whatever the fuck the Erids have going on. And if she were Venom too, then like, she would be all of them, which I think would be an interesting plot mechanism. But I don't see how Lilith could have turned and then unturned.

40:42 We've been over this many times. She died of draining. And then two, I struggle with Asher too, because he spent so much time in the aisles. We don't really have anything to go off of that turned. Well, and with later, I actually don't know if we've ever talked about this, but it's so obvious Theophany is her ballots, so she's.

40:57 Not yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I think we're like, I have fewer. I have less of an ability to disprove, but like we haven't like no reason to believe that Asher was Venom. Yeah. So I don't, I'm kind of discounting Violet from that. The Zayden piece I think is interesting. I mean, I think if we find out that someone of his line turned before they procreated, basically, like before they had a child, then yeah, of course he's totally on the table. And I think it's super interesting. Yeah.

41:26 I don't know what to make of that. Offspring could evolve comment unless we have been an offspring. Like, will there be been an offspring? My answer is yes. My answer is wholeheartedly yes. Does it currently exist in any characters that we know? I think Dane, I think like, I kind of think we shouldn't discount Jack, honestly, from this conversation because he's. We don't know.

41:46 Anything. About that, yeah, We know nothing about his lineage. He's Russian avalanche and live. Yeah. How did that happen? And channelled to survive. Yeah. I don't have super strong opinions other than Dane. I think Dane is and maybe that's his role. And just so everyone knows, the line that we're referencing is the Irid say when asked how they how the venom can be solved for, they say perhaps their offspring could evolve.

42:10 So then and offspring are on the table. And maybe it's Violet and Zane's future progeny. Maybe we just never see them in this book. I don't know. All right, what are we going to learn about the Venon? Look for so where we leave off, right, is the Vennon attempt to take Dreyfus and lose, right? They came in, they tried to claim Dreyfus.

42:28 We raised the wards. There's celebratory sounds coming from within Ryerson House at the conclusion of this book. So clearly we had some form of victory here. But they did get something that they wanted and that seemingly was Satan. I think as far as like what the Vennon are doing next, they seem to be after the veil.

42:48 So I predict that the reason that they're coming up through Tyrandor in general is 1 for Zaden, but two, because they are still trying to move towards Navarre. I think they're going to continue moving towards Navarre. I think we will learn. And the thing I'm most excited to learn about in Book 4 is that the men and are not all one unified army here. And I think there's maybe a group of them, maybe not an organized group because they all seem like if I were them and this happened to me, I would not try and team up with anybody. But I think there's a group of them that turn for love. I think they're going to find each other in or they're going to be like all working towards maybe in parallel, maybe together getting out of this

43:24 mess. And I think nail in is one of them. So I do think it's likely that Zaden went lone wolf in his event and operations and just said like, screw everybody, I'm going to go like figure my own stuff out. He. Says I can think of at least one. He knows someone. You know someone else who hated his sage? Yeah.

43:42 So I think we will learn that not all then in our bed. That's my official prediction. Or not all then in our bed. As bad as we've been led to believe. I think there are venom who don't want to be venom who made this choice because there was no other choice or they're perceived. They perceived there to be no other choice, and I'm hoping that we get insight into how they work. What do you think we'll learn about the venom in book for? So I think for Berwyn, I specifically we're going to learn about what the wooden handle, the Polish wooden handle dagger is and how that ties to him and what that means. I like Jericho's theory that I think no matter what that's specific to Berwyn and his past.

44:17 Whether it can kill him or cure him or do something else is a question. But I think I do think that what he was reacting to was the dagger and not violence creation of it. Because a polished wooden handle dagger is like a really weird thing to make, right? That's not the dagger she would have made.

44:35 So I think I think that will be part of it. I think we're going to learn how the Venin can wield multiple cygnets. I think Zaden will tell us that. I think we're going to learn who the Venin are that have infiltrated Baz Gaiath and our existing behind the wards and how we're doing that. I don't know how I'll learn it, but I do think that's a reveal coming.

44:52 This book. Yeah. I think we might learn who he is. Slash, the one who watched Slash, potentially General Daramore. I think we'll find out all of those things. And then I wrote, maybe we learned the Venn and ties to the Irids. Maybe we find out there's something there. Maybe that's still in Book 5. Maybe we learn about the Venn and ties to the Irids. But maybe that's a book five thing. Sure, sure.

45:15 All right. What role will the gods play? So as we've talked about, I think this book is where we find out that the power of the gods is a real thing, especially if Violet has been dedicated to either Malik or Dune at the end of book four, I think we find out in a big way what that means and what powers that gives her. Now, I think we'll find out more about the presumed dedication at the end of book 4, just like what happened, what that means now, what it means to be dedicated. And as I've mentioned, I think we find out about Taryn's connection to Do and maybe all of the Dragons, at least maybe black Dragons connection to the gods and what how that plays out and whether or not the Dragons

45:53 stole the power of the gods, how the power of the gods and the power of the Dragons works together. I also think we find out why Malik, because we do think it's Malik is Currys Violets favor, right? What? What that's all about Why he's trying to gain her favor. Yeah. And to be clear. We think it's Malik.

46:10 If you don't agree with us, go listen to I forget what episode actually, we talked about it. Go listen. It's a Violet episode. It might be the Violet episode. Might be the Gods episode. We inevitably talk about it in both of those. So we think it's Malik. Malik is the other who curries their favor right accord over this we also. We brought this up, but we never really dove deep into it. The reacquainted line, right?

46:32 So the priestess says I hope she does not have to use it. It being the dagger, the Dune Temple dagger, to avoid reacquainting herself with the other. Who curries her favor? Yeah, reacquainted in my mind. If we're talking Malik, which again, we think we are, that really means two things to me. Either she's is either resurrected or she has been reincarnated.

46:52 That's what I think. So if she's resurrected, who resurrected her? Who had that power? Why did they resurrect her? When did they resurrect her? Right. When did she die? If she's reincarnated, who is she? I think we have really only two options, which are Lyra and Dune herself. Is she somehow a reincarnation of Dune in a human body and she will be unleashed at some point?

47:14 Yeah. I don't know, but that's kind of where my brain. Went I think the reacquainted line to me at first it was like not out of the question that it could be Malik because we got that hint when Violet was talking with Liam, the Malik sent maybe Malik sent him as a kindness. Like maybe that was Malik kind of like sensing her death in the room.

47:34 He was there via Liam speaking with her, which is right because that means I wasn't really Liam or it was Liams like spirit that that Malik harbored when I first was defending the the reacquainted line. Like that was where I went. I do think both of the options you brought up were totally on the table. I also think we don't know the story behind what Asher was doing when he was he was dedicating her to Dune. Like, did he did he try to do that with Malik? Like, I don't know, Like, what else could have transpired? The only physical manifestation that we've seen is the silver hair.

48:07 But like, were there other attempts? Were there other, like, did she die at some point? Yeah, I don't know. All on the table. Intriguing. Yeah. All right. That's what I had for the gods. OK, I think the gods are, if not the answer, at least part of the big answer, which I like. I I think I'm willing to die on this hill. I think this is how I would die on that the gods play a huge role into in like how this whole story is is solved. We learned through Theophany's death that their power has the power to seemingly heal venom.

48:40 I know I like the theory about that being because it was something that was close to theophany. Maybe it's Theophany specific, but like we know that the power of the gods is active power. I think we are going to barter with Malik in some way shape or form to get back Zaidan's soul, whether that involves dedication or not.

48:58 We know that from the Irids, which aren't the most reliable sources, but we know from the Irids that that the soul dies when you channel from the ground at least partially dies. And we that's corroborated by Zadan feeling it flaking off. So even if it's not dying like it's going somewhere, it's leaving him in some way. I kind of think that Zadan either has or is on a mission to be dedicated to some God and that will be used to heal him. My vote is loyal for that because I think that. I think that.

49:28 Can I ask why? Why do you think that? Only because the only thing we've seen to successfully solve this abandoned problem is the power of the gods. So if he, like, is dedicated to loyal and returns to Violet or like, then Violet and his love for Violet could potentially be the thing that brings him back. It's also the only thing he has left is love. Yeah.

49:48 All he has left is his love for Violet. That's true. Yeah, I do agree with your theory that Violet could have been fully dedicated to Malik at this point. I like that. I do think those are both kind of stretch. I think actually they're big stretches because all we know that happened was that they went to the temple of Dune to get married. So like, how did they get to these other gods? Like what else of?

50:06 Course, it's a stretch. There's no I know. Yeah. No, it's definitely a stretch that also assumes the IT is his soul. But we explain those stretches in our ending of Onyx Storm. We do explain 2 stretches. Yeah. Cool. Yeah, I agree with you. I think the power of the gods just plays into this in a big way. I think we spent way too much time with the gods at this point for it to not matter.

50:28 So I think it matters. Yep, it matters. All right. What role will the Dragons and the Eurids play? So we already talked about in these predictions episodes that Asher leaves, all of these texts that people have accepted are related to feather tails, which we then accept are related to irids that will somehow solve this problem, like somehow defeat the dark wielders, he says in a letter to Violet. In these books.

50:51 Like if you if it's too late and you're out of time and you need to defeat the dark builders read this. And we've not actually seen how the earrids do solve this problem. I mean, I suppose like if he was trying to lead her to the fact that they're needed to fire award stone, sure, but that's like incredibly anticon.

51:08 I would be really mad if that were like the way that the earrids play into all of this. So I can't I don't imagine that the earrids are done in how they fit into kind of this puzzle of how this whole story resolves. And I also can't shake the feeling that earrids are also linked to the power of the gods.

51:26 Theophony was reverent when she looked, and Dharna, yeah, I can think the word that was used was reverent. And I don't think that term should be used lightly with Theophany, who is a high priestess, right? Like her being reverent to anything when we know she still has this like pole to temple, I feel like has to mean something.

51:42 And so we've made predictions that the dragon colors are associated with different gods. There's six dragon colors and there's six gods. And so we think we think they might be linked, but then there's there's the 7th, there's the Irids. And so I don't know, are the Irids associated with this king of gods who was erased or they was there a seventh God that we don't know about?

52:03 I think that the Irid's power is and the fact that and Darna's magic feels different when this her scales are changing is going to play into the cure. Separate from all of that. I also think the Dragons have now taken sides. And I think if we're if we are in civil war like Navarre and Tyrandor are in civil war, I think the Empyrean is as well.

52:23 The Empyrean are at war this. Is what I was trying to get before with Baz gaeth. It's like how as a dragon at this point do you justify fighting against Tyrandor? Like what's Tyrandor threat does Tyrandor pose to you as a dragon? I mean I guess they got to get that to Ladium. I don't know. I don't know whether we're going to find like, do you think we'll find more Irids? Like, do you think we'll get more about the Irid den? I do, but I don't think it's because we go back. I think it's because and Dharna and Leothan tell us things. Yeah, yeah, I buy that.

52:53 I think we're too, too soon in the Eared plot line for us to have the Den and the Den themselves play a role because Indarna and Leosin are the only sympathizers with the human cause. Yeah. The other Eareds are like, you've learned nothing. Go figure your shit out. Yeah. So I did have my first note on here is I think the Earids will tell us more about what happened with the 1st 6.

53:17 I think we'll learn that they'll tell us why they left. I don't think they know the cure. But Violet never asked them if they're the weapon, right? Violet never is like, hey, by the way, can you defeat the Vernon? So I still think they could know of or be the weapon because Brennan is right. Something did wipe out the venom 600 years ago Yeah, and I don't think it's the alloy and I don't think it's individually researching every high up venin and figuring out their Achilles heel, so to speak. I think that would work, but I don't think that's whatever beat them back 600 years ago Yeah right. So I think that's still a question is what is the weapon. I think for the Oration riot, the number one goal is going to be finding those missing dragon

53:58 eggs. And I, I think we'll get into that a bit more, but that I think it's going to be top of the list for the Arishan riot as Guyath, right? Yeah. We talked about it like they're going to have to justify to themselves fighting against Tyrandor for the second time in a decade. And I'm questioning if it's worth it, Like maybe more Dragons come over to Tyrandor. I don't know.

54:19 That's, I think a really tough one for Rebecca. I think that'll be a tough one to kind of navigate. Yeah. And then we have the Dragons with Satan. So we know that Segal and Chadra at the very least are with Zadan. I think they're going to be hunting down as many venom as they can. Also possibly we've talked about them possibly putting up another word stone, the possibility of the eggs being with them to raise another word stone and then also trying to find the cure.

54:45 Yeah, Satan had all the time in the world. I do think that Zadan could eventually just wipe out the venom himself and be the last one. But Zadan does not have all the time in the world, and the venom are big and bad and scary. Yeah, yeah. Yeah, makes sense. OK, All right. What else will be uncovered about the history of the continent and the Isles? I love this.

55:03 So I kind of put this as the things we don't really know the answer to. Yeah. So we still don't really know what caused the start of the Perot mission of Aryan conflict, right? Because that's 200 years after the Ward stone was erected. I would have thought it would have started right there, but we have a 200 year gap, so that's a little weird.

55:23 I think we still need to find that out. We also need to know you, you bring this up a lot, but I think it's a good point. I think we need to find out more exactly about what contact the continent and the aisles have had over the past centuries, right? Because we've told that it's been completely cut off.

55:39 That's clearly not true. Clearly, clearly Cortland has been dealing with Navarre, dealing with Tier Andor. Like there's what? Are the services. Yeah, What are the services rendered over the past centuries? So I think, I think we need to find that out. I think we also need to find out if the venom have been to the aisles, if they're still on the aisles. It seems like they have.

55:59 Yeah, that seems to still be an open question. And then I I also put we kind of glance over the fact that Violet mentions that Deverelli is a civilization that's been around for thousands of years, at least 1000 years. And she never like dives into the knowledge there, right? Because that's such a big thing when she's in bar that everything is only 400 years old, right?

56:22 Then she's literally on an island that's 1000 years old. And at no point she was like, hey, can I go to your library, by the way? Yeah. And I think, I think that's going to come back. I think she might have that light bulb moment. I think she might be like, it'll like Devorelli will know. I don't think, I think we go back to Devorelli.

56:38 And Courtland is like a really great character too. And he's got all these weird ties to Fen. So Courtland might be another person she goes to to find out more information about Satan. Yeah, Yeah, I don't. But now we're talking about going back to basically every aisle. And I don't think we're just going to, like, retread the same path.

56:55 So I don't know. Yeah, I think we mentioned this in maybe the Devrelli episode, but I think the history that we have yet to learn exists on the aisles. I totally agree with you that we have to go back to at least Deborah Ellie to learn like what all has actually gone on. But I agree with you, I don't think we can make it to every aisle in this next book. I think we're done with Super Sahelna, right? I think we're done with Sahelna.

57:19 I think we probably aren't done with Deborah Ellie, right. Like Takaris is now king. He's got a home there. So yeah, we can go back to Takaris's summer home and we have to go back to Unbriel and we have to go to Lyson. Yeah, we don't necessarily have to go to Hiddosis in this one, maybe the next one. Yeah, maybe the next one.

57:36 Yeah, Yeah, unless Violet is like I have to speak to Talia's stat. Well, but maybe she could just walk right into her dream. True, there's no magic there, but there's Endorna's magic, Apparently so. Yeah, I mean, Violet can wield. There's also no magic in the Barons, which is presumably where Berwyn is, and he's still doing this, so yeah, right. I agree with all that.

57:55 Did you have anything else on history? So I wanted to come back to this Vennon cover up. I think we're like, we're going to have to find out more about what happened pre the 400 years ago wipe out of of the archives. But we're told like I just assumed and we've talked about this, right. I've assumed the Vennon cover up happened when the Piromish conflict started, when the archives were wiped 400 years ago.

58:22 We have no records in the archives older than 400 years, but I think she separately says that then and we're wiped. OK, OK. 200 years ago. She thinks Venna were wiped out 200 years ago. We hear from Jazinia when Violet is is like recalling this right? She's like, Oh yeah, I think, I think everything here is not older than 400 years old.

58:40 We hear from Jazinia that the exact quote is it's hand copied from an original about this text about five years before the quadrant receipt, the printing press. And Violet thinks right because nothing in the archives is old and 400 years old except for the scrolls from the unification. And she says it's like they hid the knowledge when they changed our history, which I think happened 400 years ago.

59:01 She says that later just any separately mentions that they're working on removing all the dead languages from the public section of the archives and translating them for easier reading. What I'm wondering is they're making an effort to remove dead languages. What if they used removing a dead language as the excuse for this like 400 year erasure? And what if the dead language was whatever rooms are? My wild prediction for this episode. Maybe it's wild is that we go back to Deverelli and we find a bunch of texts that are from pre 400 years ago that are written in another logosyllabic language. Maybe the one that runes represent. Maybe.

59:41 And I really hope that we find out more about what happened with the original six other history. Like, again, another wild theory. So do you remember when I brought up that Violet knew about a king, an ancient king? So Justinia asks Violet a question when she's translating works, and the answer to the question is the name of an ancient king.

59:59 And so Violet is signing the letters that spell out that ancient King's name that Violet knows. There's another point in which Violet specifically, and seemingly nobody else. Knows about a king and it's when they were in the archives and Imogen says there's you know that no rider has ever been named king, right?

1:00:18 And Violet starts to say that's not entirely true. And then she's cut off because they're in the archives and they're pressed for time. Like I think Violet, either through Asher or through just like being more thorough than literally everybody else, seems to be the only person who knows about this ancient king. Like why does nobody else know about this ancient king? Was this king a rider?

1:00:36 Are we going to learn about a rider Kingdom or a rider king that was linked to, I don't know what type of dragon. Maybe maybe it was one of the original six, maybe it was an ear aid. But I think there was something big, like something big from a Kingdom perspective that was potentially wiped out, and the knowledge seems sparse.

1:00:55 So you think the ancient king is the king that? Was a rider. I think they could be the same. I don't know why we would hear about a king that only Violet seems to know about twice. OK. Because I was thinking that it could. That could mean the fact that a king has been a rider. Potentially it could mean Arc has a second segment if he's a descendant of Arcs and if Malvik is the same Dragon I.

1:01:16 Like that better. There's a lot of ifs. I think both of those could be true also. Yeah, I like them. Could be. I also like the thought that Arc, I mean ARC is shaping up to be really fucking. Powerful. I know. If that's the case, too powerful. Yeah. I'd have to die. OK, cool. I like all that. All right.

1:01:32 Will we find a cure? So I think we will find a way to make Venom mortal, probably towards the end of book 4, is my prediction. I think this will mean that Venom who have lived beyond their mortal lifespan will die, and I think that it means that Venom who have not lived beyond their mortal lifespan may be able to return.

1:01:54 I don't have anything better than that. Seriously. Like as far as what the cure could be like, I don't know. Love the earrings the gods. Like I feel like we're we have too many options for me to thread together into a single unified theory over what the cure actually is. So I don't have a theory on what the cure actually is. I said yes, we will find a cure, but Zadem won't be cured and I will talk you through why.

1:02:16 But first I want to talk out about how she might find the cure. So the first is dream walking, as we've discussed, basically getting into Berwyn's head and Berwyn knows the cure seems a little simple, doesn't really fit in with the themes of this book of like, I guess academic research. I don't know, I don't know about that one, but that's one option. The next option is talking to the dead through Malik. So Malik sends I think Theophany or Asher. Those are my my pics.

1:02:44 And Violet is able to talk to them and get the cure. I don't know why Theophany would willingly give up the cure, but maybe she would or maybe Violet could get it from her some way. And then I also also put potentially an ancient text endeavour early, but that would be really unsatisfying. I don't think that's what it's going to be because if that's the case, it was there the whole time.

1:03:00 Yeah, I like dreamwalking the best of those. I think we've talked about it before, since we think that the Ven know how to they won't view it as a cure, but we think the Ven and know how to sever themselves from the source of power. Yeah, no. And it could be the dreamwalking. I mean, the dreamwalking seems pretty important, so it could be that. I think what's going to happen though, is that it's going to be really dangerous.

1:03:20 It's going to be really dangerous and Violet will be scared to try it on Zaden, but she might be in a situation where she can try it on the brother. Like maybe they get the brother back, Maybe the brother is willing. Or on Jack. Or on Jack. Try it on Jack, who cares about it? But I think whoever she tries to cure first will die. I think they will die.

1:03:40 And then I think she'll be scared about trying to cure Zaden. Yeah, whether it's Jack. But now I fucking hope it's Jack. Hope it's not fucking Bodie. Yeah. Yeah, you're right, it could be Jack, but I don't think this is a 1 and done situation. Like they had to try twice with the Ward stone, right? I think it's going to be a similar thing where we have to try multiple times to get it right, and I think there will be much more dire consequences this time. Yeah, which makes me sad because I think that Zayden would probably like, say, I would rather be dead, so just do it, which is sad.

1:04:12 Yeah, I don't know. And I think just, you know, plot wise, story structure wise, you can't drag this same question out for three books, Right. So we have to find the cure of this book but not be able to use it until the next book, I think. Yeah, I agree. OK. All right. Will we finally learn what happened with Naolan and Brennan?

1:04:31 My answer is yes, but yeah. Is that the end of your? Answer That's the end of my answer. If you want to know what we think happened with Naolan and Brennan, go listen to our event episode. Yeah. Yes, I think it has to have in this book. I think next book is too late. I think we just have to find that out this book.

1:04:47 So I think if we find that out this book, I think it might come in Book 5 or right at the end of Book 4. Like we know that she loves ending books on big, big reveals. And I think if Nalan is alive or anything here happened that wasn't exactly what we were told happened, I think it will be a huge reveal that will probably come at the end of Book 4. And I honestly think it's too big of a reveal for us to get like any earlier than the end of book four. I think it's going to involve a lot. Naolan was there, Brendan died and came back to life, and Fen was there too.

1:05:20 And and Brennan was a Soren Gale when when all of this went down and came out like Tearish convert basically. So I think this piece of the plot is going to touch multiple threads. I think it's going to it's going to reveal Naylan's fate, whether he's venom alive, dead, etcetera, Brennan's true nature, like whatever happened to Brennan, I think it's going to be revealed with this.

1:05:42 The Soren Gale's roles in the Tearish Rebellion I think will become more apparent after we learn about this and potentially something that happened with then. The whole thing doesn't, I've said this before, the whole thing doesn't work like it doesn't work in my brain like Brennan is. Brennan died and allegedly we just siphoned enough power into him that he somehow came back to life and mended himself, then shot him in the chest with an arrow, and then this ended in his capture somehow.

1:06:10 When this is revealed, it's going to be huge, is my prediction. I don't know if it's going to come true, and I think it could be the big reveal at the end of Book 4. Yeah, it kind of has to be, otherwise there wouldn't be so much foreshadowing, right? And Taryn would speak of it and like, just like a.

1:06:27 Really. Yeah. And we would just know. Yeah, we would just know. OK, Yeah, I think, I think you're right. I think maybe at the end of book 4. But I do think we find out what happens this book. Yeah, OK. How will the six missing dragon eggs play into the plot? I think you'll have a better answer for this. I honestly think we're going to find out very fucking quickly what actually happened here, because I think as soon as Violet has access to either of her Dragons, she's going to be like, what is going on and what happened here? And we will find out from the oration in Pyrion and the oration riots in general, like what occurred. I think we're either going to learn, Yeah, like Taryn Segal and Dharna did this thing as

1:07:05 part of this plan that was cooked up by Zaden that Ark saw. And the elders of the oration in Pyrion said that it was permissible maybe to establish new hatchet grounds, maybe to establish reward stone. I think it'll either fall into a plan or it will be the ultimate crime committed, committed by Navarre. And I'm hoping that there's another hatching ground or some sort of alliance with the Nile Kingdom that they're trying to make.

1:07:29 But I think it's more likely an act of war that's going to spark like this, the beginning of this like more complex conflict between Navarre, Tyrandor, Peromial and the Benin. Yeah, yeah. I mean, yeah. So I kind of looked at it a different way. I was just like, OK, the Arishan riot, it's going to be their number one goal to find the eggs.

1:07:48 And we might end up with like a Quest squad 2.0 situation. And I think the question is, which we talked about before, does Violet go on that Quest squad? Like does she leave here? And or it feels like she has to. Yeah. But then who who does she leave in charge? Yeah. So I think that's, yeah, I think I agree with you.

1:08:04 I put together a little summary of our theories. We've talked about where they could be taken. So theory one, they've been taken by Zaden as an offering to the gods to cure him. So we talked about that. There's six Dragons, there's six eggs. Maybe Zaden is out looking for the gods. Maybe Segal knows that they are real or something, so that could be potentially how Zadan gets cured.

1:08:25 Option 2, they've been taken by Zadan and Segal and the ear aids to fire another word stone, what we just talked about. I kind of like that theory. Option three, we actually haven't really talked about this one that much. They've just been taken by the ear. It's to start a new dragon society, like a peaceful dragon society, basically just to wipe the slate clean and start over with six dragon eggs. And what would we get back from the ear aids in that deal? Nothing.

1:08:48 They're just done with us. Yeah, they're just like, fuck you guys. And then the other one is they've been taken by Navarre, as you said, as an act of war, maybe as a hostage negotiation tactic too. It could be that could be give us to Lady and we'll give you your Dragons back. Yeah, that would be pretty, pretty good chip to have. Yeah, that's my thoughts.

1:09:08 All right. That's our last question. That's our last question about the imperial, about the imperial. Last time you'll ever hear a song with the Imperial, that's not even close to true. But it's not true. It is not true. But it is the last time for now because. We're moving on. There's there's nothing more to say we. Have nothing more to say, we're moving on. We just did an entire episode where I feel like every question that we asked, we already had a theory out and published about it.

1:09:33 But that is what we expect to happen in Book 4. Yeah, but I still feel like it's good. Like it's good we're summarizing it for people. This is how we think it will be all woven together. That is what the people asked for. So we are giving the people what they want. I hope. Hope we did a good job.

1:09:47 I hope. I hope you enjoyed it. Yeah. I hope this was a fun ride for everyone. We had fun. We had for moving. On to ACOTAR, and I think ACOTAR is going to be a fucking blast if I'm being honest. Yeah, I think it's. Going to be a ride. I'm excited. Yeah. I hope you're all excited too. All right.

1:10:02 What are you reading? I know the answer. Do you want? To tell everyone the answer. Ronnie is reading a Court of Piston Fury. No, no, sorry. Ronnie's reading a court of Wings and Ruin. We talked about this like two hours ago, an hour time. Honestly, get them confused like I get the names confused. Yeah.

1:10:21 I don't know why, because like, mist and Fury doesn't have that much to do in the second book. Like all the misting happens in book 3 for the most part, and wings very much happen in book 2. Wings are very much a book two thing. Yeah, true. So this is my petition for Sarah J Maas to switch the title.

1:10:39 Yeah, let's do it. Sarah J Maas, switch your titles that have been out for many years. Many years. Yeah. Yes I am reading Court of Wings and Ruin. I'm enjoying the reread. I'm excited for season 2. What are you reading? I am reading The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by. You were reading that one?

1:10:59 I am reading it. I'm about halfway through. I actually very forced to take my time with it because I'm so busy with this podcast and other things. So I'm, I'm taking it slow. Yeah. Which is really good. I, I think I told you this, the 1st 50 pages of this book are, as far as I can tell, directly lifted from a court of mist and fury.

1:11:22 Like the plot points are so so so similar, but this takes place in the real world. Interesting. Which is really good. I'm really liking it. I could see myself hating it depending on how it goes, but I'm certainly intrigued by it. The characters are good. There's a really interesting well, I think he's supposed to be the villain, but I think he's the most interesting character and I want her to end up with him, obviously, because that's the type of reader that I am. I don't know if she does, it's not looking like she's going to. I think he's supposed to be kind of an abusive ex girl, ex-boyfriend, and I'm like, you should go to him. He seems interesting it.

1:11:56 Seems like a you problem. It does seem like a me problem. I mean, we don't have the full story yet. He's just very alluring and very intriguing. But it's really good. I do think I would recommend it to you. It's beautifully written. Yeah. I'll let you know how I feel about it when I finish it. Yeah, I recommend it way over Anathema, which we discussed last week.

1:12:15 This is a much, much tighter book. Yeah, I know I need to figure out what I'm actually reading next if I ever have time to read. Not Sarah J Mass. I started one Dark window. Yeah, I was gonna say. To it yeah. What do I think with one dark window is my next one. But I'm also toying with this non fantasy book called I am Pilgrim that's like a more of a thriller vibe, which is also a a genre that I really enjoy. Like I think my my roots of reading are obviously fantasy, but like if I had to pick a next favorite genre, it would be like mystery thriller.

1:12:51 Like I read tons of Agatha Christie when I was a kid. I'm blanking on every other author that I've enjoyed to date. I mean, like Dan Brown, I know he's controversial, but like, I ripped through his books and ripped through them again. And so I just really like, I think like complex, suspenseful plots in general.

1:13:09 So I may try I Am Pilgrim by Terry Hayes. Let me know again if that's a terrible idea in the comments, because in all likelihood I will probably not get to it by the time this episode is out. Yeah, yeah. I need to like, not read fantasy in my free time anymore because it's like the world's are getting mixed up in my head.

1:13:26 Like I, I just have so many worlds in my head now and I'm like, where is that a thing? Where is that relevant to? Yeah, I know. I was also like when even in the last episode when we were talking about when I oh, it was, I guess this episode. No, it was the last episode. I don't even know what's going on.

1:13:44 When we were talking about Norse mythology and one of the like geographical locations in North mythology was Midgard. I was like. I know I always said like wait wait wait wait wait wait. I was like, now I need to go learn all of Norse mythology to figure out this other series that we read. So Midgard is just Earth, though? What?

1:14:06 Midgard is just Earth, I think, is my understanding of it. Yeah. Yeah. I don't know. All right. Anyway. Yeah, yes. So. For season 2. We'll get there. It's gonna be at the end of a Season 2 episode because we're doing our Outside of Akatar spoilers elsewhere. But yeah, we need to talk about it. We need to talk about it.

1:14:25 We are bursting at the scenes to talk about Akatar with you guys and the next time we record that is what we will be talking about. That is what we'll be talking about. I guess we'll give you a little sneak peek. Why not? If you've, if you've gotten to this point in the episode, in this point to the season, you deserve our sneak peek.

1:14:39 So our first episode is just kind of going to be a general. This is how we feel about each book. We have some questions that we're going to ask each other. Not really deep dive, just kind of an intro episode, but our second episode is going to be a Tamlin deep dive. And I know a lot of you might be surprised that it's a Tamlin deep dive, but just bear with us.

1:14:57 I promise it'll be good. Our reasoning for that was kind of like Tamlin is basically our introduction into this world and he deserves to be chatted about and there's a lot of things about him that are so very interesting and we think it's going to be a great episode. We're very excited about. I think they're both going to be great episodes, to be clear, but I'm so excited for the talent episode.

1:15:15 And then the next episode that you tuned into will have an Aquitar spoiler warning at the front. And if you have not read. The entire series, you can't stay. I'm sorry, but that's how it is with all our books. Yeah, all our podcasts. You have to have read all the books. Yeah. Yeah. Cool. All right, OK.

1:15:33 We're on social media, drags in the details pod, TikTok, YouTube and Instagram. We are on Discord, drags in the details pod server. We always have links in our show notes. We have a link in our bio. We also have, I mentioned this a couple weeks ago. We have a Google Sheet with a little TBR from our listeners that is in our link tree on our Instagram and TikTok BIOS.

1:15:53 And our e-mail is dragonstonedetailsspot@gmail.com. We love hearing from you guys. I think we'll still do. If we get a really good Empyrean theory, maybe we'll still read it during Acatar episodes, but maybe we won't. I don't know. We'll have to decide that. We'll figure it out. We'll figure it out.

1:16:09 Maybe we'll do some special clips online where we're just reacting to your theories. Yeah. Maybe we continue social media shout outs in a different format. Yeah. Cool. All right, that's it, guys. This is the end of our Empyrean journey. Thank you for joining us. Journey it has been. What a journey it has been all. Right.

1:16:28 Love you. Bye. Love you. Bye.