Quicksilver | Bad Human

Welcome wonderful listeners to Episode 7 of the Shadow and Starlight Podcast // Bad Human!! Join us as we dive into the kiss to end all kisses, a tall ginger & handsome plot twist, and a dinner date gone wrong.

• For next week, please read chapters 19-27/pages 273-417 of Quicksilver by Callie Hart for your reread or to refresh your memory.
• This episode is based on Quicksilver by Callie Hart. Intro Music by Boomer, graphics by @reeseplantedesign. 
• Follow us on TikTok and Instagram @shadowandstarlightpod, watch us on YouTube, and listen to us on all major podcast platforms!
• Email: shadowandstarlightpod@gmail.com

Transcript

0:00

This isn't the end of the story. I'm gonna tell you the story. You've got the right story. And it's gonna be up to you. You can't change it. I'm gonna give you an opportunity. The story is over. I'm not all right. Welcome wonderful listeners to the Shadow and Starlight podcast where two friends deep dive into popular fantasy and romance ebooks. We get into the stories, characters, role building, lore, and more. And most importantly, we'll have a damn good time while we do it. So buckle your seatbelts for this wild rollercoaster ride of emotions, magical worlds, and laughs. I'm Kenzie. I'm Kena. Today we're covering chapters 10 through 18 of Quicksilver by Callie Hart. First and foremost, please listen carefully to our content warning. These are adult books we are covering, and neither of us have a filter, so this podcast is rated R and for those 18 plus. Regarding spoilers, if you haven't finished the entire Quicksilver book, please come back after you do so to listen to our episodes. While we are discussing a certain stretch of chapters, we will be doing so with the perspective of the entire inventory. events of the book. This will help us dive deeper into the theories and really appreciate the foreshadowing of Kelly Hart. So going forward, all episodes on our show will contain spoilers for the whole series in question. Next, if you like what you heard today and want more, please come back next Thursday and next Thursday and next Thursday. And next Thursday and every Thursday after that for a brand new episode. It's a baby podcast. We love to hear your feedback to better ourselves and expand our book loving community. Please feel free to give us reviews. Reach out to us on social media and follow us on TikTok, Instagram and watch us on YouTube at Shadow and Starlight Pod. Yes. I almost did finger guns when you're doing like next Thursday and next Thursday and next Thursday. And I was like, no, you got to maintain some sense of coolness. It's okay. We're all nerds here. Oh, yes. We are just getting worse by the day. I'm like wanting to play now saying, and I'm also wanting to start a dragon collection. So nice. Yeah. All right. as far as announcements go, the whipped cream video that Kenzie had to do for when the moon hatched trial by trivia loss is up. And it's hilarious. Her sister was her whole life. So go check it out on our Instagram. and the next announcement, so after we finish up Quicksilver, we have three more episodes after this, we are going to be doing the Empyrean, woohoo, so we're going to be doing Fourth Wing, Iron Flame, and it's going to time exactly to where Onyx Storm releases, so right as we finish covering Iron Flame, we're going to do, Onyx Storm coverage right as it releases. I'm so excited. It's finally getting closer. I feel like for so long, it's been like a year away. So far away. Yeah. Or like what? Three months or something. I'm excited to do my reread. I'm so excited. So this will be my third time going back to read, fourth wing. I'm excited. I feel like I am an expert because I've listened to the dramatized audio book, like. At least 10 times. All right, to kick off our episode, Kain is going to lead us through our Shadow and Starlight Synopsis, aka her unhinged summary detailing the events of these chapters. After brunching together, Everlane and Ceres head to study at the library. Not only does she learn the lowdown on alchemy and Quicksilver, she also learns the complex dynamics of the inner circle and just how big her and Fischer's H gap is in the forge with Fisher later. She also learned just how big something else is too. According to him, for her training, for her training, Fisher uses an unconventional, but effective method to teach terrorists how to control the Quicksilver, setting it in her hand, where it burns until she learns how to command it after doing so she punches him in the face. It's the start to any great love story. The girls are back together in the palace later and we learn that after Fisher got punched, he picked up a screaming Saris like a stack of potatoes and kicked in her bedroom door, dropping her off and saying, bad human. Finally, Lane divulges to Ceres that her and Fisher have the same mother. Fisher's father is apparently dead or chilling in Zilver and somewhere, and also might be a traitor to the Fae? Considering his bellican buttface that's blaming him and that he also married Fisher's mother after making sure her wealthy husband disappears, I'm not inclined to believe him at all. Sounds a little sus if you ask me. During her next alchemy lesson, Ceres begins to scheme her escape. Once again in the Blazing Forge, Ceres can't stop herself from eye fucking a sweaty Fisher who knows exactly what she's doing. Fisher continues to push every single one of her buttons, but he does teach her about relics. Just when they are about to make one, enter Onyx, you cute little fox. Just like me when I see a cat anywhere out in the wild, I gotta pet it. Ceres arm with its teeth. But after the two bond about how annoying Fisher is, Onyx lets go and the two become fast friends. Fisher must have felt a little bad because he does conjure up a little cage and a meal for Onyx and some pants for Ceres to wear. While they work, Ceres admires his inked body and begins her escape plan, asking to touch his pendant and almost touching other things. Hard things. Speaking of, first kiss scene, woo! The kiss to end all kisses, hot, hot, hot, hot, hot. Did I mention hot? Don't ask me how many times I read those. And then also, don't ask me why I blush every time I hear the word nectar. Like, forever, that word, I'm going to associate it with this one quote. Oh, this is hilarious. So hot? I remember when you were waiting on me to read the book and you were like, it's this one scene you gotta get to. And I'm like, I got to this scene and I was just sitting here so many like screenshots, like, is this it? Is this it? Is this it? It was such a like heavy packed scene. It's nice. Yes. I was like, wait till you get to this one specific line. And then you sent me another one. You're like, is this it? And I was like, no, honey. And then you got to the nectar one and you were like, oh, this is it. And I was like, yeah, Yeah. Alright. Kissing Fisher was a win-win situation. Baller kiss and now Ceres has his ring that she thinks is a relic, a packed bag, a little fox, and she's sprinting for the palace's quicksilver pool. An angry and hungover Fisher shows up in time to save her from a relic less portal journey and is pissed because she broke his no physical exercise rule. Her resolve still strong, Ceres tells him she is not going to try to stop escaping without knowing her brother is okay. Understanding this, Fisher finally offers to get her one person and as long as she agrees to help with the relics and the war, And so the two enter into a bargain sealed in blood until death. Like Feyre from Agatar, she might want to consider the exact language of this bargain before agreeing to it. But, you gotta learn the hard way sometimes. Fisher leaves to retrieve Hayden, and Ceres cuddles with her new fur baby, Onyx. Fisher returns with Hayden. Wait. Swifty's cheer everywhere! Carrion's back in our store, everybody! I'm so excited. Oh, whoo! Fisher almost died retrieving who he thought was Cerys's brother when he tracked her bloodline, so it's Carrion or nobody else for Cerys. She follows him in an unconscious Carrion to the stables, Fisher informing her that due to his exact worrying of their bargain, she is now held by blood oath to assist him in any way she is told. The two begin their escape from Belican Buttface, carrying and dangling like a limp noodle on the back of Fisher's horse, getting whacked by trees and almost getting bitten by Ceres horse. Poor guy. The three trek on in the dead of night in a haunted forest, the Wickerwood. And I'm not sure why, but it was cracking me up that Fisher's horse was named Bill. I was like, we can't even get like a fey name? Which is Bill. Bill. It just seems so out of place for me, but anyways, such a glorious thing. They come to a run down tavern, leaving poor Carian to slum it in the stables while they grab a beer and a bar abuzz with different magical creatures. Ceres learns that they are going to Kaelish, Fisher's place of birth, that is on the edge of Ivelia. Oh, and it's basically a war zone. Oof. Ceres curses the day she ever stole that damn gauntlet because she is now trapped in a totally different world with her ex. The last of her family might be dead. And also she's trapped in a blood oath with a shadow daddy. I'm like on the bright side, at least he's hot girl. Come on. Ren arrives to inform Fisher that he's basically screwed. Lane is pissed and so is Belican considering he kidnapped his prize alchemist and took the Alchemerian sword Solas. When the tavern guests start murmuring about King Fisher and Renfis or Rithian they're like, we got to get out of here. On their way out, several patrons come to toast to Fisher and Remphis's feet, which is apparently an honor since he is a legendary commander who has saved many lives over the centuries fisher storms out and disappears while Sarish tries to reconcile the Fisher she knows at this point with who the patrons were just toasting to. The crew travels via Shadowgate to Fisher's family home on the Abelian borderlands. After a nap, Ceres awakes to her ex, seeing that recent events haven't exactly dimmed his personality. He does have a few questions, starting out with where he is, why he was kidnapped, and where the fuck his other shoe is. He informs her that Hayden not only has a job, but he has a home and extra water, thanks to him. Satisfied with this knowledge, Ceres explains all that has happened, to which Carian responds, You kissed the guy with the bad attitude and creepy sword? God, I love this man. Callie, I'm begging you for a spinoff, please. Fisher shows up, convincing Cerys to come with him and work on Relic so he doesn't have to use the Blood Oath to compel her. Saris watches a fire sprite cry where Fisher's arrival, perplexed again. The two show up to the forge and Saris asks him questions, like a toddler that just learned how to say why. After answering as many as he can tolerate, he shows her the 15, 000 rings she's supposed to turn into relics. She's obviously pissed, but she gets no sympathy from him. While Onyx has a jolly little frolic in the snow, Ceres locks in to make some relics using her own version of the scientific process. After no success, she runs into Remphis, and the two begin building their friendship. He lets her know that he has Fischer to get to know her a little better. So he set them up, on a little dinner date with the quote, Slippery as bastard alive. Later on said date, they banter and argue and Fisher is wearing that green shirt that Kenzie mentioned last episode, really bringing out his eyes and making Ceres lose focus. They both attempt to keep their pants on while Fisher explains the lack of silver in Bellicantbuttface's lack of hope in the current war. Fischer informs Ceres that she marked him up with her scent on his lap, causing him to recognize her scent on Carian, not noticing that it was not a familial bond. Before Ceres can pross process this, feeders emerge into the dining room. We learn just how terrifying and deadly they are and are treated to some Ceres and Fischer badassery. This stretch of chapters ends with Fischer carrying out a wounded Ceres. I love that. Oh, I'm so excited. I love talking about this book. It's just going to keep getting better and better. Dude. I hate that they literally just left Everlane with no warning. I know. It really was Fisher's fault. It was really Fisher. Also, they did have to get out there. Yeah, I guess it was kind of sad though, it was especially knowing when she comes back into the story, it's like, damn, we really stayed and helped her. Yeah. Now that we're finished with the summary time to head into our chapter chat section, where we will discuss all the little things in this stretch of chapters, including theories, foreshadowing, and more. The first bit of foreshadowing that we get, and we do get quite a bit in this stretch of chapters. I feel like I missed a lot of this on my first read, but let's talk about the triumvirate. That just sounds so weird. I know it, it sounds like you're not saying it right, Yeah. So as we know King Mara, she rules over zant and she's ruled over, she's ruled over Zant for many centuries. However, you said King Mara because she's a bad queen, so I'm gonna call her kink. You never know. She could have something else down there. So, as we know, Queen Madre has ruled, over him for many centuries. And I don't know about anybody else, but on my first read, I never thought to question how she's been able to keep her crown this long. I don't know, I just overlooked that, which I, it's just weird. Cause I mean, it's a big old red flag just waving in front of our faces. Quote, we don't know how she did it, but yes, Madra should have died centuries ago. It must be some form of magic, end quote. I love how Callie Hart just drops these hints here. Like the readers as well as the characters in the story are clueless on how Madra has even been alive so long, even though she's considered to be a human, they like refer to her as a human, Everlane calls her their human queen multiple times. So we're under the impression that she's a human. Well, we are. Mistakenly wrong. We are way wrong because how foolish of us think there's some type of witchcraft going on here that she's been living for so long. No, Mildred, along with every other main character in this book is a fae. And we learned this after her reappearance later on in the book. She and King, bellicose butt face, along with the stupid vampire King, who weirdly reminds me of the guy with long hair, dude, you remember the guy from the council in Twilight, the one with the long hair, this is who he reminds me of. Okay, thank you. I'm going to picture that. That's how I picture him, yes. That's perfect. So, Madra, Belican Buttface, and I don't even, oh, Malcolm, the King, the Vampire King, they're all siblings and they refer to themselves as siblings. So when the portals between these realms closed, Madra took over Zilverin and ruled there until the portals opened again and her siblings retrieved her. Again, I think this is genius on Miss Callie's part because we weren't really expecting her to be one of the main villains in this story after Ceres is taken away from, Zilverin. Yeah. I also didn't expect them to be actually working together. Like, Velakin and Madra. That was a shock to me. And I really did overlook on the first read, too. She's so old and it's obviously a red flag. but there's so much other stuff happening. I was just like, nah. Yeah. It was so weird that they were working together.'cause she seemed like she was so afraid of them. It seemed like they were afraid for the realms to open. Like her and her were like freaking out about the realms opening and they were so afraid of what was like on the other side. And then Mm-Hmm. boom. Like they're all actually. I really liked that in the writing. It was a plot twist. I did not see it coming and I love that. Yes. Now we're going to briefly touch on Everlane's grief. So though it may seem lovely that our girl Sarah's got a new buddy, she isn't featured for much longer. So let's deep dive into her character while we still have a chance. So up until this point, we learned that Fisher and Everlane are siblings. And we learned that their mother died giving birth to Everlane. Even though Callie emphasizes on Fisher's mysterious past and trauma, we also get a very vulnerable scene from Everlane. Quote, According to the king, everything's always Fisher's fault, but our mother's death wasn't because of him, it was because of me. End quote. But this scene was like really sad, and we do get some vulnerability from Everlane, I feel like she's kind of been more of like a happy go lucky, cheery character and we finally get to see what she's actually feeling and I know she's going through a lot after seeing Fisher for, after not seeing him for over 100 years, so I think she's just experiencing a lot of emotions and a lot of this trauma is like resurfacing for her, so. I know. This girl's got a hard life. Her dad is so mean and he's evil., This is totally unconnected to her sadness, but do you think her and Remphis Dude, literally put that in my notes in my book. I was like, couple question work. I know it's subtle. I feel like there's definitely going to be another couple. Within our inner circle and I'm trying to figure out. I feel like it's obviously going to be Everlane, possibly Rumpus. That's my guess. I feel like Karrion, I don't want him to like date someone in the inner circle. I want him to like, keep living his best fuck boy life for my own entertainment. So I'm shipping Everlane and Rempus. I do think I, I put that in my notes about Everlane and Rempus. I was like, it was the one quote where he was talking about forgiveness for Fisher or something. I don't remember, but it was like the way he worded it. And I was like, I think carrying in that one girl, the feisty one, uh, the one. From the war camp and Sirius, liquefy her sword. I feel like they're gonna Ooh, pretty interesting. Ooh, like they might be a thing. I'm really curious to see where all these relationships go, because there's just so much that happens in this book, especially Everlane's story, like, she literally gets turned into a vampire. And she's like beholden to Malcolm question mark. So I'm like, how's that going to come into play? All right. The next piece of foreshadowing we're going to talk about is, The history of the DIYs family and how Baan basically killed them all, or he thinks he did. So we touched on this briefly last episode, but I wanted to read this quote. Start us off quote, the last time he touched the sword, he used it to murder the true king in the whole fucking DIY line. I just love how Belkin thought he just ate with this and off the whole family line, but little does he know, little Dianthus still lives and now he's in Evilia, so shit's about to get real interesting. Yes. I also love that Fisher took the sword from him because. He's pissed too, that Belican used the sword to kill the whole, the true king and the whole family, yeah, that's so cool though, because wait, they carry and get the sword at the end of the book. No, not that one. He gets a different one and he names it Simon. Yeah, I think it would have been cool if he would have got that one just because like, that was the sword that was used to kill his family. So now he's like using it, you know, to his advantage. I don't know. Yeah, but he has Simon. All right. We're going to talk about Fisher being a great warrior. Dragonsbane and the group that they call the wolves. So after Fisher hijacks a very talented alchemist and takes her to a bar before they depart to Kalish, Fisher is recognized by other Fae present. They begin to tell war stories of Fisher and praise him for his sacrifices. One man referred to him as Dragonsbane. Interesting. We did touch briefly on the mention of dragons in this series, Interesting that they refer to Fisher as the Bane of Dragons. This raises a few flags and has me asking if he was the reason behind the extinction of dragons, or if he's just so skilled in a depth that dragons themselves would fear the great King Fisher. If so, that would be really hot. Ryley. I love like learning all of his nicknames like towards the beginning and then as the story unfolds, we are learning the meaning behind each nickname. Yeah, it's cool. I love Viol love. So another male continues to fawn over Fisher by saying quote, my cousin fought with you and your wolves at age and sky. And the way he described you, you're the King Fisher and you can't be anyone else end quote. So they continue to tell these various stories about the great adventures of Fisher and express their gratitude for these many deeds. This scene also introduces Fisher's group of fearless warriors and they're known as the And of course, Fisher is their leader. And this is why his neck plate that has a wolf embedded on it is featured so much up to this point. Can this man get any hotter? I was gonna say he's reached maximum hotness. But that's because I just read the spicy scene and I'm like, can't get any hotter than that. If it does, I'll die. I don't think so. I think it gets hotter. Okay, while you're raving about Fisher's reputation, I'm going to circle back to Renfis because we also learn a lot about his reputation in these chapters as a legendary warrior. So this, I don't know how to say this, Satyr, some magical creature, speaks about how Fisher, Renfis, and others saved a small town called Innistar to save 400 people. And while we're talking about this man, I just love how kind and compassionate he is to Saris. He's like, Especially knowing that he's this brutal warrior too. I'm just like, Oh, I love that. Like both sides of that. And it really just speaks to his character and also makes my panties drop. We also learned some more about Wren's magic, which we really haven't heard much of to this point. So in Fisher's estate, he tells Cerys that Wren has magic that makes We're unable to enchant doorways, making them able to enter the forge through a doorway even though it's located outside the house. Which is kind of cool to me, because Fisher's not able to do that, so I'm curious to learn more about the different kinds of magic and abilities of just the whole world in general, and especially the inner circle. I'm just wondering, what different abilities all of them have, because I feel like the magic's pretty varied here. Yeah, I feel like this is when we really start to get more of like the magic system and understand the different Methods they use as forester their powers I didn't think this was cool how he can just create these weird like passageways to make a doorway seem like it's in one place But it's actually like somewhere else. Yeah, this episode these chapters we learned so much about the Fae like their magic and the bargains and the blood curse and How they're like bound and they have war rules and shit. I just thought that was really interesting. Yeah, same. All right, now we're going to talk about Ceres attempt to guess Fisher's 100 plus torture era. So, since she's entered the Fae world, Ceres is just full of questions. I mean, granted, like, whole new world. Fae, that she didn't think they were real. She tries to question Wren about Fisher's past while he isn't there. Everlane and Wren have mentioned a few times they haven't seen Fisher for over a hundred years, a hundred and ten to be exact. And she asks, quote, you said you haven't seen him for a hundred and ten years. Where was he? then she thinks, quote, my permanent guest, he got stuck in the pool when the portals were sealed, end quote. Close, but not quite. I think this was Callie's attempt to get our wheels turning and to try to figure out what exactly happened to poor daddy Fisher. and we will soon learn that he spent over a hundred years with Malcolm and his vampire realm working to find a certain coin that'll undo a certain bargain. Wren also reminds Everlane that Fisher was in there for that long and that he has no home or welcome in Ivelia when reminding her to be patient with his grumpiness all right. We're also going to talk about bargains in this. Cause this is an important dynamic of her and Fisher's relationship. And also key to the Fae in this world. So Callie really hints towards the fine print when we're talking about bargains. Like, you always need to make your intentions clear when bargaining amongst the Fae. So if any of us ever end up in a Fae world, that's the first thing you need to remember. Words can be manipulated and a bargain can easily go wrong if you don't play pay close attention to the fine print. And I was actually disappointed with Fisher in the Stretch of Chapters. After he low key tricks Aeris into the blood oath so she can make his warrior's relics. I get the stakes are pretty high, but again, I was just, Ugh, I don't really like when males take away free will, even though, It wasn't terrible, it could have been much worse, but this really does raise problems for their relationship later on, understandably. Just know that him robbing her of her free will almost ends it all. And I also really love this trope of the Fae being like, tricksy. I feel like, bargains and us are integral failure and they're not really included in most fantasy. I've seen it before, but I actually really like this trope and I think it really makes the stories interesting and the relationships. Yeah. Again, the bargain between Ceres and Fisher before he goes to retrieve what was supposed to be Hayden, really foreshadows this portion of the book, like really pay attention to what you're agreeing to, so Fisher, the way he worded it, he was like, I'm going to try to find your brother and bring him back here and you will do whatever you need to do to help me win this war. At that point, she was just wanting her brother. she really wasn't thinking about the fine print and he came back with, thank God, Carrie and Swift. And so she was still stuck trying to help him get these relics together for the war while stuck with her ex in the fate realm. So I feel like this is like a really big, pay attention to the fine print. And I also, like Kayla said, I'm very disappointed in Fisher in this scene. But also I feel like this is kind of his way of teaching Sirius the hard way about the Fae because this is how Fisher ended up in the situation that he was in for over 100 years just because of a bargain that he didn't pay close attention to. So, think this is his way of really easing her into it and showing her. I don't like that he did take her free will against her though, like he's Did certain things or made her do certain things that she couldn't help because she was part of that blow. So that was, the downfall of that. Yeah. Yeah. At this point he's still trying to drive her away cause he knows she's his mate and he doesn't want her to love him. So that's also part of it. I think is he's wielding it as kind of like a, yeah, I mean, I'm evil. Blah, blah, blah. I'm hate me. Exactly. But I wonder if we're going to get some more bargains in the series. I feel like we probably will. I wonder who's going to bargain what, but I just love it. All right. The last piece of foreshadowing we're going to talk about that we just touched on is Sarah and Fisher's relationship slash mating bond. So let's dive into a quote first and then we'll talk about it. Quote, at first I didn't feel it. I was too aware of his proximity and the wild array of different scents that kept rolling off of him, slamming into me. Wood, leather, spices, and something green. And faint musk. The scent mention in fantasies, I'm like, they're mates. It's a dead giveaway. And she's talking about the scent all the time. And the fae are so primal and she just can't help but get turned on by his scent. let's read one more quote about how she describes Fisher. And it's pretty telling. Quote, Fisher was the epitome of everything that was strong and male and powerful. He was so much more than anything I'd experienced before. He was beautiful. Looking at him made me feel like I couldn't catch my breath. So even his sweat smells good to her, and she is so drawn to him. She almost like leans in to smell it when they're in the forge. And I'm like, girl, do you hate this man? Or do you want to, you know, but as the chapters continue and she gets to spend some more time with Fisher, she's just increasingly drawn towards him and has physical reactions to his voice, his presence, his scent, and just general. Hotness. And also I just noticed how she's observing every little thing he does, like when he has his cool, cold mask on and when he lets it drop or when he's surprised, she's already picking up on these things and she hasn't been around him for very long. So it's just telling how much she's paying attention to him and because they're mates, just love each other. Never, not at first. we love a good slow burn though. Yeah. All right. Ready to get some theories? Yes. So, of course, I'm going to talk about Fisher's father. I'm kind of obsessed with this theory. I swear he's going to come back into the series later. Or they're at least going to learn, something about how he died or what he did in Zilverin is going to be important to our plot. That's my prediction. But anyways, we do get some key insights on his disappearance and also Fisher's life afterwards in these chapters. quote, when Fisher was 10, the king sent him on a mission to Zilverin. He never returned. That's when the gateways were stilled. The king said that Finran, Fisher's father, was responsible for the quicksilver stilling and declared him a traitor. Uh, another quote that's connected to this. My father and Belican had a long history. He saw what Belican was planning long before he murdered the royal family and stole the crown for himself. He took precautions and warded his lands. He was powerful and his wards were strong. So, as long as Fisher lives and carries on his father's line, that's the explanation we get for why the wards are still up around. His family's estate. And I was just thinking about this. I was like, maybe the wards are still up because Finneran's still alive, but maybe it's just because Fisher is, I don't know, that was another moment where I was like, maybe he's still alive because the wards are still up, but I do wonder if Finneran ever returns. I'm assuming he will want revenge on Billiken and may work with the gang to end the triumvirate. That would be an interesting dynamic between Fisher and his long lost father if he does appear back into our story and I am predicting, maybe some hostility from Fisher. even though it wasn't his father's fault, like it's obviously Pelican's fault that all this happened, but I wonder how his, him and Fisher's relationship is going to go. Could be interesting. Yeah. I think Farron's story is one of the things I'm still always super confused about. Cause it says he was trapped in Zilberin. So like, how do we know if he died or not? you would think that. He would still be in Zilberin somehow because he was Fae, so it's like, how did he just up and die in Zilberin? I don't know. It's, it's really weird. And I think that Fourth Wing and Iron Flame taught us a lot about wards. So I think that you're onto something with the wards are still up, so this has to mean something. Yeah. But. I don't know. I'm just, I feel like it's mentioned so many times at this point already to not circle back in our story. And also if Ben Ren is actually Elroy, that would also make the dynamic even more interesting. Cause Saris like knows and respects and loves him. So if that was actually Fincher's father, that would be interesting. It would be weird though, because Elroy was in love with Sirrus mother, so they would also be like, kind of, kind of weird. I didn't think about that. That would be so crazy. Like she's Fisher's mate and she knows Karen, who's also a Fae from that world, who's connected to Fisher's family and also from Evelia. And possibly Elroy is as well. That would be crazy. I just feel like it's very fated destiny. She's predicted to be Fisher's mate by his own mother. And she knows all these Fey and Zilver in this huge city. I'm like, what are the chances? I'm curious to see where Hayden falls and all this too. I definitely think they're half siblings or possibly, I don't know. I feel like, well, okay. Hayden at first sounded like just a regular bland human name, but. It's pretty close to Hayden, who was also a fang in our last book coverage. Cause I don't know. Maybe. Maybe. I know too many people named Hayden out in the world. I'm like. All right. The next theory we're going to get into is the Corcoran gods. Um, I don't know. I just noticed in my reread at this point in the book, the Corcoran and the gods have been mentioned so many times and I'm like, I feel like this is going to be important. and I'm also theorizing, where did the gods and the Corcoran go? So Ceres asks this, and Everlane begins to answer before she cuts herself off. Quote, they set off on a pilgrimage thousands of, ugh, another time. She never finishes, we never get to figure out where the gods went on their pilgrimage. Interesting. So this was definitely a moment I wish Lan could have informed us and it feels really pointed also that she cut herself off from finishing. It gets our wheels turning but we're not going to get the full answer yet. So I definitely feel like this will connect to our story slash plot later on. So keep that in your brains. So I think that Everlane's constant feeding us little information bit by bit and not finishing it. It's yes, a way for Kelly Hart to really get our wheels turning, but I don't know. It's kind of making me question Everlane because she's has all this information and she's just not giving it up or like she's like acting really weird around questions and history. I don't know. It's weird. I'm interested or intrigued to see what role she plays in the second book. I feel like she, at some point might. I know for a fact that she's hiding something. I don't know what. I feel like she's hiding something. I'm curious to see if it's to help our inner circle or if it's going to be against our inner circle. I never thought she was like hiding something, but it could be. You really never know. I mean, we don't get much of her in the whole book. It's just at the beginning at the end and not, not even really at the end because she's preoccupied. She does have motive though. So she has lots of motive if it comes to that. All right, let's hit our favorite and notable moments. Kenzie, you start. Okay. The first part that just had me like kicking my feet and giggling was the mention of volleyball. Aside from the fact that Ken and I met. After she asked me if I wanted to get combat lessons, we were in a volleyball gym, so that's how we met like volleyball. So I felt like this was really cool that volleyball was mentioned, in this set of chapters, Callie Hart mentioned Faye Wimmon volleying a ball back and forth over a net. And I just thought this was so cool. And if we ever interview her, I need to ask her why she added this, this small detail, like what made you just throw that like human thing, like that human sport inside of this Faye world. Like what made you do that? And I think that Faye Wimmon would be actually really great at volleyball because they're so tall and they're probably like stupid strong. They can probably jump so high. Yeah. Dang. Yeah. I just thought that was really cool. That was something I definitely did not overlook my first read. I was like, volleyball, volleyball. And I was like, volley, dare I say volleyball? The next bit that I, one of my favorite parts was the delicious banter between Fisher and Saris. and part of the reason why I love Fisher so much from the beginning was his teasing of Saris. I love that. I feel like, okay, this is my way of flirting. I feel like I'm like a teaser and I feel like I'm like kind of mean and just Playful, I guess in a way at first. So this is one of the reasons why I really liked him at first. Cause I can tell he was flirting with her. Cause this is just like, I don't know. I don't know. A lot about this guy. It's he's my type of flirt for real. Yes, for sure. Unlike Khan from when the moon hatch Fisher is trying his best to ignore his feelings for serious. And it's so fun watching him epically fail. Kena is going to touch on this as well, but their time in the forge is some of my earliest favorite moments of them. And I'm pretty sure Fisher fell a little bit serious when she punched him in the face. And I absolutely lost it when he called her a bad human. She's not a dog, sir. What I love so hard. I laugh so hard. He's like bad human, especially after he's just throws her over his shoulder and he busts in her door. The whole thing is hilarious. This is my like absolute favorite. It's probably like my favorite part of the book, like the entire book, just like such an epic line. Like why this book is definitely funnier than wouldn't be attached for sure. Yeah. Yeah. I love humor. It really lightens up the. Death and destruction of the fantasy world. So much going on and you just get a good laugh. So it just makes everything so much better. And one of my favorite quotes from this stretch is quote, are you thinking about running gods? I hope so. I'll give you a head start if you like it's been an age since i've hunted anything in quote You know, I love that I love the fact that Fisher just wants to hunt her. he's just so dark. I don't know. I'm just so toxic, I guess. I don't know. It's just weird. Like, yeah, it's chase me. Uh, that's not toxic. Well, I mean, we'll get into this in therapy. My next favorite part was the Carrion and Hayden mix up, but I'm pretty, I don't know if Candace gonna talk about this. I'm pretty sure she is, but for some reason, I just had a feeling that something was going to go wrong when Fisher went to go grab Hayden from Zilver and I was like, he's about to bring either the wrong person or he's going to come. I don't know. It was so weird. I just knew that he was, something's going to mess up, but I did not expect him to come back with Carrion. I said Smith, Carrion Swift. I did not expect him to come back with Carrion Swift. That was kind of a plot twist. Literally, I was not expecting it. Especially one that was like so well explained. Cause after he breaks it down, he's like, you got your scent on me, I found your scent on Karen, I thought it was your brother, and I'm like, okay, that makes so much sense. For such a big plot twist. I just thought it was great writing. Yeah, I think this also makes sense now that we're like rereading it, we know that Kyrian is actually Fae. I think it makes sense now how he just fit right in. He never had any problems fitting in with the Fae and he never cowered to the Fae. He was still his Joking self around them, even when they were like, dude, like you better chill. I'm going to knock you out. Like you never, ever, ever coward to them. And this was like the start of me to actually like in carrying. And I, like you said, found it so funny that her scent was all over him. And we do get like some foreshadowing towards Fisher's jealousy coming up. And I love that. The jealousy is. All right, my favorite moment, shockingly does not start out with Carrie. It actually starts out with that cute little fox, Onyx. Can I pet that dog? Can I pet that dog? Can I pet that dog? As someone who loves her pets, I love, love, love, love, love, love, love when the main characters have like a cute little pet in fantasy books from Fleetfoot to Syrinx to Knee and all the little dragons that are basically cute pets in my brain. I just, my little heart can't handle the cuteness. And I just love it brings like such a lighthearted element to the story and something so cute and sweet. I also just feel like the fox suits Saris's personality very well. And it's just cute. So win win. my favorite moment from Fisher and Saris's interactions in these chapters is when she punches Fisher. This whole scene, I just loved it from the banner, the sexual tension, the mystery around the Quicksilver saying Anna Rathmore all the way up till she punches him in his face. And it's even funnier, like we were just talking about how he dumps her in her room and it's like, Kicking her door. It's like bad. I also said, like, she's a dog because that was clearly, we both thought that was very, very funny, but really just any scene with them. I loved how sassy and unafraid Saris was a Fisher. Like she was just so horny the whole time. She couldn't, there was no room for fear. And I also feel like her lack of fear towards him is actually what is making him. Like, his resolve weaken about trying to push her away because I think he loves that feisty side of her, like you said, I think that's when he probably fell in love with her for sure is when she punched him in the face. Alright, I'm going to talk about Kareem. Here we go. And first I want to talk about his career as a saddlebag. This is even more than the bad human part. This is what has had me like, literally laughing out loud, just cracking up thinking about what Karrion must have been thinking when some random scary, angel of death shows up and kidnaps him and he wakes up in another world that he's actually from. Like, what are the freaking chances, first of all? But anyways, back to the funny part, I was just dying thinking about how he was like limp noodle on Fisher's horse, just bouncing around while he's totally unconscious. And his boot is missing and like, Oh my God. And they just throw him in the stables. He's just chilling. He's chilling on the back of Beale. Like, not even a cool horse. A horse named Bill. Fucking Bill. And then Ceres horse wants to bite him. He's really having a rough time. But, anyways, I'm just so happy that Carrion is back in our story. Like I just said, such an unexpected event on my first read, and it really livens up just the comedy and all the character interactions. my second favorite Carrion moment was him and Ceres first conversation in the Fey Realm. I don't even know where to begin, but he was just so unbothered when Sarah's first woke up, he was just like cracking jokes, insisting. She thanked him for pretending to be Hayden. So the quote psychotic monster wouldn't kill him. And this is so funny, but it's also kind of sweet. Karrion Loki was ready to sacrifice himself because, you know, how much Ceres values her family. So he obviously does care about her on like a friend level, not just a, you know, level. But not only did he do this, after Ceres left, he got Hayden papers to live in a different ward, a whole ass job, a place to stay, triple water rations. So that again is showing how much she actually cares about Saris to take care of the one person she loves. And their dynamic is just so funny and continues to be for the rest of the book. I think on my reread and deep dive, I'm figuring out all the little details that explain why I have this obsession with him. And I feel like carrying is one of those guys where even if he wasn't hot, he would make you laugh so hard. Your panties just gradually fall off, but he is so hot. So it's like double whammy. It's over. Yeah. He's really cool. This is again, like when I really started to like carrying stuff, like when he first introduced, we're like, I don't know about this guy, but when he pops back up, he's surprise. Like, I don't know. It's cool. He was just so unbothered. Yes. I love it. I love their friendship. I can't wait to talk about his bath next episode. I know I've been, I'm so ready to talk about it. I already put it in my favorite moments. All right, folks, time to close our chapter chat section and move on to our myths and magic portion where we would dive into the mythology that inspired Quicksilver as well as explaining a world bending topic Today we'll be explaining the alchemy and quicksilver of this book. Feel free to skip ahead to our mini series if you feel like you're already an expert. Yes, so our mythology portion, we are going to be talking about a history of alchemy in our world, so not in the Fate world. So before we get into the specifics of how alchemy and the Quicksilver work in the book, we're going to first talk about the history of alchemy in boring old reality. So the word alchemy itself comes from the Arabic word alchemia, likely derived from the late Greek word, alchemia. No idea if I'm saying this right, by the way, meaning art of transmutation. Alchemy is basically the forerunner of chemistry based on the transformation of matter. So very much like in this book. So she derived a lot of the principles of alchemy from where it originates in our world. In alchemy, the magnum opus or great work is a term for the process of working with the prima materia. Yeah. Which is the primitive, formless base of all matter AKA, the quintessential element, AKA, the ether to create the philosopher's stone. So hang with me here, I'm gonna explain all that So the philosopher's stone is a mythic alchemical substance capable of turning base metals into gold. And some even believed it could be used to make an elixir of life to achieve immortality. So for many centuries, this was the most sought after goal in alchemy. Achieving the philosopher's stone was the central symbol of alchemy, symbolizing divine perfection and the ultimate goal. Other aims in alchemy were to purify, mature, or perfect certain materials. It was historically practiced mostly in China, India, the Muslim world, and Europe. Regarding the actual chemistry, it's basically just as hopelessly confusing as Saris finds it to be. It mostly revolves the succession of heating different materials. so, that's where alchemy came from in our world. And while we were doing some mythology, I wanted to touch on a couple names. So I kinda looked up and found the meanings. So, Everlane, this name is either Anglo Saxon or Irish. And it can mean the road to forever or also beautiful forest. No idea if that's where Kelly got this from, but I thought her name was really pretty, like the meanings, I liked it a lot. Yeah. Remphis may be derived from the Scots Gaelic name Renfri, which means warrior of darkness. And I was like, wow, that fits him freaking perfectly. Yeah, that was cool. And then Loreth, the name Loreth derived from the old Germanic personal name Lor, means crowned with laurel. This is given to individuals known for their achievements or victories as laurel was a sign of victory in ancient times. And since he's also a legendary warrior. I also feel like that's kind of connected and it's also just. Yeah, yeah, those are cool I love when You look at like the minimum different names in the series and you just see how like they connect to the story It's really cool. And you just want to like, hmm. Did you do this on purpose or it's just like a weird coincidence I want to interview her so bad so I can be like, where did you get all this stuff from? literally like shout out to all fantasy authors because I know the world building and everything is It's crazy. It's just so cool to read about. I love it. Yeah. Nerd! Nerdy! Alright, now we're gonna, we're gonna talk a little bit more about alchemy, but in terms of like the actual book and the fey world. In itself, alchemy is an ancient type of magic that is long forgotten. An alchemist by definition is someone who transforms or creates something through a seemingly magical process. Specifically in this series, alchemists were the masters of the quicksilver, most only being able to command objects made of at least 5 percent quicksilver and forge things into powerful weapons and relics. However, saris could command objects with only just a trace amount. Of Quicksilver in it, making her the most powerful alchemist ever documented, which is super bad ass to me. We also learned that there are three levels of alchemists in this series. And I think this really relates to the actual human history that, That kind of just went over. So in this series, you have the alchemists who sought to discover a path to immortality. The ones who sought to create and invent, things by transmuting various metals and ores and the fay who sought to cure illnesses and disease. I feel like these are the equivalent to the healers and the scribes and the Roonies from when the moon hatched. I've always liked the like, underrated, magical beings in the series, I don't know. Cause you have these badass warrior fakes, and then you have the alchemists who can assist in war. they're not doing all the fighting, but they're assisting, nonetheless, I think this is like, really cool. I don't know. I would definitely be an alchemist if I was in this series. I wish I could be a cool warrior, but probably not too clumsy. I just think it's so cool. Like the premise for the book, based on alchemy and Sarah's story. Also Everything you just explained really connects to the history of alchemy. So Kelly obviously did her research and I just find it really interesting. It's very unique. Okay, now we're gonna touch on the history of alchemy in our Faye world. So while Alchemists use their gifts to transform compounds and to precious metals to fill the royal coffers for thousands of years, eventually they discovered the Quicksilver. And along with that, they also made the discovery of the portals and the different realms able to be used for travel with the use of relics to protect the body. So let's talk about the Quicksilver and the pools. When one pool of Quicksilver is activated, all Quicksilver everywhere is activated, joined by a little ribbon of energy. To travel in the pools, one just has to fix their intentions on a place I want to go or the kind of place they want to go to discover new realms. And I'm like, dude, if I had a Quicksilver pool, I would be thinking of like hot shadow daddies. And then I would just go there. I'd be scared to even get in one. Such a high risk, high reward. You could find Fisher, maybe. I could. Why can't he just come to me? Cause life sucks here. I don't want to come to Earth. Hello. All right. So Quicksilver is only able to be manipulated by alchemists and was believed to possess low levels of sentience and pushes living things beyond the brink of insanity. We know that to be true because the Quicksilver is actually talking to Saris a lot of the time, sometimes even laughing at her. So it's very sentient. And it's also, this is also like why it's likely known to be dangerous. And when. When used the Quicksilver always does come with a price. So being as dangerous as it is, the relics are required to be worn before physically contacting it to protect the body and the mind and relics are items made from a compound binding with Quicksilver when equipped in one form or the other, they can be used to protect from the adverse effects while traveling through the Quicksilver. So Sarah says to make 15, 000 of them and she hasn't even made one yet. She hasn't figured it out. You got this girl. That would be a very daunting task. Yeah. So like for you to be the sole reason why we lose or win this war, for people to be dependent on you that bad is that's a lot of pressure. Honestly, she's handling the pressure pretty well. She is. Especially considering all the other shit that's happening. Yeah. All right, moving on time for our mini series, mix and match where every week Kane and I will do two to three minute series, unique to our podcast. They won't be the same every week. So keep tuning in for all the fun. First, we're going to do, who am I? We've done this one for when the moon hashes. Well, so we're going to read off a quote and then the other has to try and guess. who said it? And you guys can also participate. Okay. So my first quote is you're too pretty to wear pants. Fisher. Nope. Oh, it was probably Everlane. Yep. I'm gonna say Fisher wouldn't say that cause he actually is for her not wearing dresses. Yes. Yeah. And I love that. I wouldn't want to wear dresses either. All right, your turn. The real war with Censureth is killing members of our court, your court every single day. Ah, shit. Fisher? No. Renfis. Mm hmm. Ah, I should've known. Dang it. I think he was talking to Fisher when he said that. Yeah, I was trying to figure it out. Ugh. Okay, my last quote. Look at all that grace. What? It has to be carrying. Yeah. No. What? It's not Kyrie? What? Who the hell said that? It's Rosarius, the librarian. Remember when Fisher's eating in the library and Rosarius is like, oh my god, look at all that creepy stuff. I forgot about him. I forgot he even existed. That was like at the beginning of the strip chapters, I think. Yeah. I feel like this was pretty easy. Are you thinking about running? Gods, I hope so. I'll give you a head start if you like. It's been an age since I've put in anything. For sure! Yes! Yeah, that was pretty obvious. No one else would be saying that shit. Alright, our next meaning series is where we're going to talk about things we are desperate for. In book 2 and book 3. I'll start us off. I do have a few things. And I had to limit myself because the list was like ten things, and I was like, this is too much. Yeah. Obviously I want more of Cariann, annoying both Ceres and Fissure, because, comedy. I would love to see more of Renfis and Loreth and exploration into their backstory. I really love them both and they have a lot of depth we don't even know yet. more interactions with the Quicksilver is also something I would love to see. I love how it's sentient. It makes it so entertaining and interesting and also just traveling to more realms or like exploring in the Quicksilver would be cool. I don't know if that's gonna be something that happens, but. There's a lot of potential there. My last thing of course, is I am desperate for info on Fisher's father. You can't convince me that he died off screen after dropping off Kerrigan. If he did, I'm guessing we'll find out what happens to him and it'll be something really important that connects to our plot, but I'm pretty convinced he's alive and that just needs closure. Yeah. I'm excited for all those things. The things that I'm most looking forward to in the next book, is a little bit more of Everlane's past. I don't know. I'm just, I'm very curious about Everlane. She's not raising any red flags, but she's not raising any white flags either. Or green flags. another thing I'm looking forward to is, of course more of Fisher and Ceres relationship. I'm also looking forward to Ceres and her new role as the Vampire Queen. That'll be very interesting to see how that plays out. yeah. I'm looking forward to, I want to know about these freaking dragons. Like what happened? Where are they? It would not be an episode of shadow and starlight podcast. If we didn't mention dragons, how we want more dragons, dude, I have to send you. I found this thing that it's literally like multiple feet long. It's like a giant. Dragon plush that's for reading where you can lay on it and read. Ooh. And it's huge. It's like a little baby dragon. Anyways, you would love it. I would love that. Ah, you saved my money. Also, I think it would be very romantic if Fisher and Ceres go to see the O'Shea Love Butterflies patch. I'm looking forward to that. That would be so cute. I hope they do. I think it would be like a cool, like almost starfall moment. But in clicks over and then they just like do it. And I feel the butterfly all the butterflies watching. Yeah. Dude, what I just thought of is so unhinged. I'm not going to say it. Of course you should say it. We don't need more unhinged on this podcast. So, okay. Like what if they're doing it right. And then like a butterfly, like an Ocealoof, like lands on one of their butt cheeks or something. That's unhinged to you? In my head, I had something that I was going to say that was also unhinged. But I was like, they're doing it in the field of butterflies. And then Karen comes in and then he joins. And then, so. Why is Kirian here? Because it's hot. Fisher would never let him touch her. Well, true that. In my brain I'm just like Alright. Yeah. I've been reading too many reverse harem books. Oh, I just learned what that was. Yes. Yeah. And now it's like at work. I'm used to FMC getting multiple men. I'm like, hell yeah. Yeah. I, I learned about that at work. Cause one of my coworkers is obsessed with dark romances and she was like, Oh, this book is reverse. What is it? Reverse harem. Harem. And I was like, what the heck is that? And she's like, it's like her and five other guys. I'm like, well, what do you have to read the. Havoc series. Okay. Are we on Trial by Trivia now? Yes! Yay! Okay, before we close out our episode, time for Trial by Trivia. So we gotta lock in, I can't lose, because I'm pretty sure Mackenzie will give me a super mean, embarrassing punishment after she got Smacked with whipped cream. But anyways, each week Kenzie and I give each other and you guys are awesome listeners to trivia questions each at the end of our Quicksilver coverage, we'll tally up who has the most points and loser will have to do something embarrassing or funny that the winner or anything that you guys suggest as well. So we'd love to hear your feedback ideas and participation in this section. Kenzie, you're up first. I feel like my questions are very hard this week. I'm very proud of myself. I'm stressed. What is the name Of the tallest peak that means sleeping giant i'm surprised you didn't put this in the the mythology person portion Um, i'm the marin What the hell? Why? How do you know that? Did I get it? Wait, that was it? How do you know that? Yes! How the hell did you get that? I just knew I had you. Well, in the third episode, that stretch of chapters, I'm like halfway through my reread, and they mentioned that mountain. I didn't know if that was the same one, but I guessed that one. Damn. Yes. Damn. What do the people in the tavern say to salute Fisher and Remphis? Fuck. I do remember this. I don't remember what they said, though. I remember this part, though, because they said it multiple times. Shit. I'm also pretty proud of my questions today, to be honest. Freak, freak, freak, freak, freak, freak, freak. Salute. Salute. Honestly, that was kind of close. It's sa roosh. I don't know if that's how you say it. Sa roosh. Okay. I don't know. Yeah. Next question. Okay. What word is used to describe distance specifically when using the portals? Oh, leagues. Stop it. Stop it right now. I'm killing it. No. I'm very impressed with myself. Damn it. Okay. Ready? Yeah. Okay. How many guardians awaited Fisher when he came out of the quicksilver pool in Silverin? A dozen. Damn. No. Two dozen. No. How many? Fifty. Fifty? Goddamn. Yeah, that's how powerful Fisher is. Dang it. Well, I got two, you got zero. So I think you have four in all and I have one and a half. Oh yeah, that's right. All right. Well, don't worry. There's three more episodes. You can still catch up I got to make my questions harder. Yes, you do. All right. That is a wrap folks. Thank you for listening. We hope you're enjoying our Quicksilver coverage and we're so happy you're here. Join us next Thursday for our Quicksilver coverage where we will be covering chapters 19 through 27, pages 273 through 417 for your reread or to refresh your memory. Yes. As always, we appreciate any and all feedback you guys give us. So please reach out to us on our socials. Tell us what you liked, what you didn't, or just reach out if you want to talk about. This is a new podcast and we would like to see it grow with your help. So please take the time, leave us a review, follow us on social media and all major podcast platforms for a freshly baked episode to be delivered directly to you next week. Bye friends. See you next week. Bye friends! Bye!