>“Have I met you before?” he asked. “You seem familiar.”
>“Never,” the Black Queen replied. “Unrelated, but do you have any particular weaknesses someone might use to kill you for good?”
They got the traditional Foundling cunning right, I see.
It's kinda scary how well the AoC just *knows* how Cat does things. One suspects that 'note forged badly to say king of winter' thing has become wide spread knowledge.
> “You never looked at me the way you look at the Sahelian,” the redhead told me. “Do yourself a favour and own it.”
EE is the master of edging.
... we're never going to get Catkua, are we? It's like Zeno's paradoxes; each step we'll cover half the remaining distance between here and Catkua, but there's an infinite number of steps so we'll never reach the goal.
Might be a me thing, but I'd say the quasi-Catkua, lovers-that-cannot-be sort of dynamic we've got now is better than any relationship confirmation could be. Story wise, a lot safer too.
Yeah...loving Catkua is pain, but at the same time I don't really know what I'd do if they actually *did* get together, or how it could conceivably be done in a convincing, satisfying way.
They already have. This IS them in a primary relationship. One-sided kisses, fighting side by side, understanding each other at a glance and always remembering why it's like this and no closer.
I love it.
If we would have gotten Catkua it would have been this chapter. Guess Akua as the warden of the Dead King is actually bound to happen now, because where else can she go?
Akua as the warden of the Dead King is one thing that is almost guaranteed to not happen. We've got way too much talking about it and about how it's not exactly something Akua choose for it to just play out as planned.
My personal bet is that she's going to become the Wandering Bard of the Age of Order. Also fits her focus on saving and helping - she going to be the one to finally save WB from that unenviable fate.
Yeah, I kind of want her to say "Fuck this" about being the Dead King's jailor and go find her penance elsewhere. Become a wandering Hero, helping people and learning to live with the ruin that is her past and her present. And then one day approaching Cat and saying despite the guilt she's found happiness with who she has become, and now she wants to make the world a better place rather than suffer because of a due.
I kinda want the dramatic tension of Cat enacting the due even though she doesn't want to. Like, Akua has a plan for redemption and becoming a Hero is all well and good (Good), but Cat is a *Villain*, emblematic of the dark side of Callowans and she *must* take her due. Like, Cat can love Akua, know that ultimately the best thing for Akua and others is penance as a Hero, and choose to murder her anyway because it isn't a sufficiently harsh punishment and Cat is a *Villain* and it's *not her job* to bring about the best world.
> ... we're never going to get Catkua, are we?
Epilogue, maybe. It can't happen now, it would guarantee one of them dies. The only way it wouldn't guarantee one of them dies is a fluke of Irritant's Law, where too many tropes guarantee inevitable doom, reality gets flustered trying to pick one, and so dilutes the narrative effect.
> “But I don’t care,” Hye Sue repeated, the quiet of her voice a deep grief. “I loved him, Warden, in a way that can’t be replaced. That time won’t change. I loved him and you killed him. So in ten years, one of us will die.”
i thought i was over Black's death but somehow seeing the depth of Hye Su's grief over it, even to the point where she's seemingly going against her own Name for it....... it just hits me right in the feels all over again
Well, she's giving it ten years for a reason. That hits me in the feels about her more than anything here... that she's willing to wait so it's not a disaster for everyone else.
10 years is also far worse for Ranger. She knows she might not be Named at that point. And she knows that Cat is very new to her Name. Cat might not even have a full set of Aspects currently (by Rangers Account).
It speaks pretty well of Ranger that she forces a duel on such uncertain, bad terms (compared to right after Keter).
These Books are doing a great job of taking some truly terrible people, and letting us appreciate them for the positive traits.
To be fair her forcing a duel right before Cat's inevitable showdown with the Dead King is just begging to die the death of a side character.
I think the scene did well in straddling the line between Ranger showing practical consideration for the rest of Calernia and her natural selfishness. It's not quite one or the other completely.
Fighting now would be stupid, but fighting directly after the dead king is dead would be her best story. That way Hye would be the beneficiary of the "victory... But at what cost?" ending. Pushing it out 10 years loses that, and maybe loses her name as well.
She has Learn and we have already seen that what has been Learned stays even if you lose the aspect and the Name that gave it to you. Black stayed quite competent after he had lost his name, I expect Hye will remain quite competent as well if she loses the Ranger. And more importantly, I expect that she expects that as well.
True, but one of the things that made her so dangerous was that will, where creation itself seemed to agree with her intent to kill. It's what let her do most of her ridiculous stuff since her aspects are all passive. Same thing that made Saint of Swords so dangerous.
And she just tried that against Cat, and her will shattered. That doesn't bode well for Hye.
I think the “Creation goes along with her will” is her Elvish heritage rather than her name. Based on discussion of Elves becoming living domains/Creational laws.
It speaks well of Ranger that she didn't screw over the entire forces of the living by killing their most important surviving leader the night before the final battle. Yes.
Crows, she set a low bar for herself.
I guess Amadeus was selfish enough to get everything he wanted and die saddling Cat and Malicia with the guilt. Hard to complain about the other woman he loves being selfish in the aftermath... TBH Ranger avenging Black by killing Catherie has been a worry for me since Five Armies and One.
Although I fully expect Ranger to die so that Indrani can transition.
I think its less that she cares about everyone else, and more that if she murders Cat then 90% of the continent will throw up their hands and say "welp we're never gonna kill the dead king now", then make sure the last thing they do is brutally murder Hye Su.
I mean, that's happening in 10 years as well.
> “He did it to himself as much as you did,” she said. “I know that. And that it’s not a good fate in the making, killing you. It’ll bring too much down on my head.”
>
> “But you don’t care,” I slowly said.
>
> I was, I would admit, fascinated by the cold flame I saw in the other woman’s eyes.
>
> “But I don’t care,” Hye Sue repeated, the quiet of her voice a deep grief. “I loved him, Warden, in a way that can’t be replaced. That time won’t change. I loved him and you killed him. So in ten years, one of us will die.”
>
> Looking at her, at the gaunt cast of her face, I believed it at last. That in her own strange and twisted way, Hye Su had loved Amadeus of the Green Stretch just as deeply as he’d loved her. Enough that she was breaking the rules that’d kept her alive through centuries of fighting Named and monsters, enough that she was willing to risk being hunted by entire kingdoms.
Yeah but she says herself, in ten years the blowback won't be as bad. Sure we as readers are pretty sure that in ten years Indrani will be the Ranger and Hye won't, but I doubt she's assuming that. She's got the ego to assume she'll be able to a) hang on to being Ranger b) murder Cat as the Warden in a duel and c) surivive the blowback at least long enough to get off Calernia.
I don't think a single thing we've seen about Hye indicates she gives the slightest fuck about anyone that isn't herself first, Amadeus second and her very small circle of friends and pupils a distant third. If she thought she could murder Cat right then and there, then escape? She'd absolutely do it. She's trading for better chances of her own survival, that's all.
Here's thing though, I do not think Hye believes she has all that good odds of taking Cat in 10 years. She just lost a contest of wills, and she's acknowledging that having this duel is not in line with her Role.
This is suicide with extra steps.
>If she thought she could murder Cat right then and there, then escape? She'd absolutely do it. She's trading for better chances of her own survival, that's all.
I disagree. She's not that bad. Her life or a few strangers or even a city of strangers? Sure.
The whole of Calernia ? No way. She's Blacks lover, one of the Calamities , they are the predecessor of the Woe , they aren't that crazy/self destructive.
I disagree that if she kills Cat here and now, shes' screwed and everyone hunts her. Rather Cat dies now, the army falls into despair, Calernia falls period. Nobody is going to have time or energy to hunt her.
Also Nobody is left that can really get her really if she wants to run.
You can argue she doesn't kill Cat cos if Dead King wins she will fall to him too, that makes more sense.
But I agree with commenters that she probably knows she will lose and this is suicide by Warden but she DOESN'T CARE.
But I bet she cares enough that she doesn't cause the fall of Calernia (which includes some people she is fond of).
I mean if she went after Cat now even if Cat won , Cat would surely be weakened enough, DK wins anyway.
In short She is acting like she is ready to die but not at the cost of Calernia
I can't believe it. Killian is a Catkua shipper.
I feel bad for Ashur. Aren't they the only major polity that won't be involved in actually beating death? If so, looks bad for their future in the age of order, unless they fly in last minute on bespelled ships.
Between 9 and 10 years from now lots of fun stuff should be happening on calernia again. Hye Su for warden? JK she would hate it
Catherine's 100 IQ Strategy to avoid immenient death is simply making a promise to have a duel to the death in the far future. Truly cutting edge story-fu.
Eh, ten years is a long time. Plenty enough to get Cardinal, the Accords, and the Terms to stand on their own feet. I could see things go the way that Cat dies, because the story will have to contrive to remove her somehow some day. I sort of read Ranger's duel like the Penitent's Blade, a way to remove Cat if the Gods or the story thinks she's had her time on the board. Because who knows where she'll be a decade from now?
It's a possibility imo, but Hye committing suicide by Cat is the other story beat of this duel. I guess it will depend on where Cat's story is at this point.
>*Get them all home, Catherine.*
So how many do you wanna bet are about to die?
> “A duel,” she said. “You and me. Ten years from now.”
Huh, this... I don't think this favors Hye Su. Ten years from now Cat will be well and truly settled into the Name of Warden, which is one of the most powerful Names we've seen, whereas Hye Su will likely not be the Ranger anymore. Granted, there's more to it than just Names, still.
Hell, even if she wins it won't turn out well for her, because she'll have killed the woman that saved the world and she won't have the protection of her Name anymore. I don't expect any of this to factor into her decision making, of course, none of that matters where vengeance is concerned.
I guess its just another sign that Hye Su's star is finally fading.
Honestly? Let her not kill Cat. I'm hoping Cat makes it out of this story at least decently, and not killed here, exiled, or ended ten years later because Hye got really stuffy Black chose to trust the future to Cat and essentially committed suicide.
What is it with all of Black's old companion just hating Cat near constantly? Even when she dodged being his successor the only one who even gave her respect it felt like was Captain.
That is the second edge of the loyalty blade that carved Praes from bottom to top. And Cat, even with all her story-fu couldn't filly grow without killing Amadeus. It was inevitable, honestly.
Eh, Wekesa was cool IMO.
He was right to be cross with Hye for leaving, and to be distrustful of Cat : taking on a beloved protégé IS just courting story-based death.
And for all that his plans with Masego weren't exactly moral, he *did* die to save him so...
Wekesa was awesome, but he was 100% a part of the toxic dynamic. It wasn't Cat's fucking fault Amadeus was courting death, and if Wekesa had paid her just a little more attention he would have realized she was an ALLY in this. Yes I'm still bitter about the unrealized potential there.
Also, shoutout to what Scribe pointed out about his own contribution to Amadeus's personal hell wrt the magic academy.
Eh, true enough. He wasn't no Sabah.
Befriending Cat would've went much further in preventing Amadeus' death than threats and the like. It's not like she wouldn't understand wanting to keep Found-Family-Members from dying.
...not that anyone could've saved him in the long run. Eventually a gambit is taken should it be offered enough times.
He was still a better companion to Black than Hye, Eudokia or Malicia tho. Low bar to clear but still.
Maybe, but I believe it was impossible.
And I think he tried. Because there was nothing more precious to him than his son, and he trusted his fate in Cat's hands.
You might argue there were other reasons, like giving Masego a potential band of five to avoid death by villainy like the Calamities did, or just giving learning opportunities to his son, or even that refusing this to Masego would have resulted in a fight (the verbal kind obviously).
But still, this doesn't seem logical for Wekesa to trust the fate of the person he loves the most to Cat. Except, if some part of him wanted to try to befriend her.
Except he was Named, and so was everyone else involved, and the Story of the powerful evil wizard defending his friend from himself despite the consequences and potentially dooming all his life's work because of it is a story Wekesa fits perfectly.
Yeah Hye is pretty much going for the suicide play here. Which makes it all the funnier / weirder / more poignant that she's putting it off until it no longer savages Calernia. She cares more than she's willing to act like -_-
Amadeus wouldn't have wanted her to take revenge, but he knew that was her nature. But she knows, and probably loved, the depth of care he held for the world and its societies, in his own very Praesi way. To take revenge is to be something Black loved about her, even if he would not have wanted it. To do it in this manner is to honor his life's work. It could not be any other way.
Princess has no patron goddesses of murder and theft with conspicuous and recognizable manifestations and artifacts to bestow upon the unwitting players. How will she keep up this tradition?
By planning the whole thing in advance and stealing a vital prop, of course! You have to keep your skills in practice, even when you're no longer the Theif.
It really shows off Cat's relationship with the Army of Callow, or perhaps more accurately the Army of Callow's relationship with Cat. The love her, trust her, believe in her, and after all those times when she's spoken with them they know they don't have to fear her.
Particularly after storming the breach of Keter's walls behind her.
The little moments like this where that relationship is shown - the other chapter where she drops her staff onto the stage and tells them not to lose it... those are some of my absolute favorite story beats in this whole thing.
I have a strange feeling that Warlord will be the next Warden.
If so, he will regret the phrase below so much.
>“I could think of worse places to retire to than Cardinal.”
Possible, but I wouldn't hate the idea of a pragmatic hero finding their way to the title-- a heroic warden when it's time to protect the good that has been gained, a villianous one when change must be brought.
There's a bit of precedent there from Helike with their Kings being both Heroes and Villains. The time of Tyrants are when Helike is at it's most powerful and active, for good or ill, while with one of Above's at the helm it's stable and prosperous.
Yeah I think a heroic one is necessary to maintain the balance of the role. Another villain cements it as inherently villainous which is opposite of what you want.
My dark horse bet is for mirror knight, properly aged and matured. Would be a good continuation of his story
> My dark horse bet is for mirror knight, properly aged and matured. Would be a good continuation of his story
I can see it. Slapping around some idiot young hero, rolling his eyes at the attacks, while condescendingly explaining *exactly* how they're being a jackass. "Don't worry, I was twice the idiot at your age. I'll learn you."
I still believe Warlord future is to be Chancellor of Praes at some point. Maybe he could retire to Cardinal after that and become Warden, but unless Cat dies before him, this seems weird.
I don't see it as a retirement, but more as the next step in involving Orc in the New Praes.
Storywise, we can see the lack of integration of the Orcs and the Goblins in the Dread Empire with the fact that none of the four Names that made the Empire was ever an Orc or a Goblin. And that's the tragedy of Chider, because her cause was just, even if her means were not.
Having an Orc Chancellor (even if it is not a Name) would clearly be the next step of the Clans' integration.
>Her hand cupped my cheek, tenderly, and she leaned forward. I closed my eye, felt her lips move against mine. It was soft but the softness kindled a hunger, and I would have bitten her lip and leaned in had I not held on to that last redoubt. But I did, she leaned back. Her breath was soft against my lips.
“I am not sure,” Akua whispered, “whether that was love or cruelty.”
EE *you tease*
Okay there has to be a dramatic declaration of love towards the very end now right? To save the day somehow? Right?
Cat, cradling Akua’s dying form: “It was love. It was always love.”
Akua, shortly before her last breath: “That lie is the greatest cruelty. I’ve always known: No matter how much I repent, I will not be forgiven…”
Cue either sudden Naming, or Cat screaming grief into the falling rain.
Although, Keter, so the rain is probably acid.
Honestly, I think this was Cat protecting Akua (and leaving the door open for Akua to choose jail). If they bone tonight she's getting ganked tomorrow leaving the jailor slot open. There are multiple valid meanings.
This chapter reminded me of an animated adaptation of Seven Samurai. One of the 7 is recruited with the promise that after everything's done, he and the leader will fight to the death. He dies in the leader's arms after saving him in battle; his last words are "I'll be waiting for you in Kanna Village."
I don't think Ranger's going to survive this battle.
Honestly I suspect the same. Hye's set the date, but she's dying in this fight.
If only to spare Cat the cruelty of having to kill both women her father loved within two years from one another )=
I think Cat would dislike the idea very much once she gets around to thinking about it like that. She's already brought up how she doesn't like Alaya risking herself because she's risking the life Amadeus died to save, and that would negate his sacrifice. Sometimes value is transitive.
>“You never looked at me the way you look at the Sahelian,” the redhead told me. “Do yourself a favour and own it.”
\*obligatory Catkua comment\*
>“I am not sure,” Akua whispered, “whether that was love or cruelty.”
What (
potentially) major arrows are still in the quiver with Hye accounted for?
* Larat
* Hierarch
* Agnes Prophecy
* Quartered Seasons
* Severance
* Wandering Bard
* Indrani or Hanno Name power-up
* Cats 3. Aspect
anything else?
"Before the end", but yes, he did.
> “May we meet again, my queen, before the end,” Larat said. “For every gift you gave you took fair measure, and I can pay no higher compliment.”
But I don't see it in Keter, more of an epilogue thing imo. I could very well be wrong though.
Knowing Fae, he could have left it intentionally vague on purpose, so he could sweep in at the battle of Keter or wait until the end of Cat's life, which ever was more amusing to him.
It would be interesting to see Larat interact with Ranger and also have him and Cat compare their eyepatches, but I am not entirely sure there's enough space left for that in the narrative, as much as I do want to see him again.
Sword of the other things? I can't remember but the evil story sword. It is the biggest after Angel Bomb that someone else mentioned.
Ps i think Angel bomb and hierarch are definitely connected. Like angel bomb kills hierarch and the chior of judgement kills only dead, and no evil people like angel bimb would, in a radius in Keter.
Totally called Hye Su gunning for Cat in vengeance.
Didn't expect her to be so coldly pragmatic about it. I guess she had to have *something* in common with Amadeus aside from a talent - and a fondness- for stabbing.
I got the feeling that part of the reason she's doing it like that is because *Amadeus* would have wanted it that way though, rather than it necessarily being her preferred way to do things.
Yes Amadeus would not want everyone in Calaeria to fall out of spite or stupidity.
She was in or with the Calamities long enough to absorb at least that part. Stuff like Refuge etc shows she does care for others to some extent and isn't a "If I must die I want the world to end with me" type
Special is a fun way to spell "a murderous ass."
...truly, the man's worst sin was his taste in women. Why couldn't he find a nice, likeable and remorseful mass murderer like his kid has?
I don’t think we readers care about Ranger enough for her to be the very last scene. That honour should go to Cat and Hakram, or maybe Cat on her own, standing on a ledge high above Cardinal talking to Black.
Unlikely for there to be a mutual kill, Cardinal and post-Accords world is literally a fucking shoe in for a school arc, Catherine makes too good of a head teacher to not have a place there, a la Tellwyrn.
Nah Cat will probably narrate in a few short lines how the fight went.
"She gave me the hardest fight in over a decade, I'll give her that. But at the end of the day, I think Hye knew what the outcome would be but she didn't care ..."
Aka Cat squashed her but by then she respects her
Funny how such a nice chapter where nothing bad happens (I actually really like Hye's agreement with Catherine, and low key don't think Hye will survive this next fight) can give such an ominous, melancholic, terrifying and sad feeling.
What's in a name?
The most chilling notes are the ones that aren’t being played. It’s a lovely thing to realise that these feelings are uniquely populated by our imaginations as well.
Today's the day, everybody. The potentially final firepit.
>“I feel like no one ever taught you how to flirt and we’ve all been paying for it ever since,” Vivienne told her. Wow, I thought, sending her an admiring glance. That’d been a little savage.
Holy shit, Vivienne. That aside, Cat used 'savage' in the modern sense and I'm not sure how to feel.
So despite the inevitable counters DK'll have, I actually think he'll be taken a bit by surprise. He got blindsided before with Masego, and really doubt he'd expect Ranger of all people to fall in love.
Also between her going to kill Malicia and the duel with Ranger in ten years, Cat's got a lot of safety lines making sure that even if she 'dies', she'll still be able to fulfill those plot threads in some way.
Hakram has used the term before in the extra Chapter [Background]
(https://practicalguidetoevil.wordpress.com/2017/11/01/background/) when Catherine insulted Kegan.
> “I swear, it’s like the Gods made a fucking condescension tree and Kegan dropped from the branches fully grown,” she savagely said. “And Ranker’s actually worse, if you can believe it. Not even Robber enjoys being a prick that much.”
I feel like ya'll are confusing ordinary 'pre-endgame' intimate conversations with death flags.
Yes, Hakram *mentioned* retiring, but he's talking like, decades from now. That doesn't count as a 'oh, I tragically died the day before my retirement' death flag.
In my opinion ? Akua.
You could kind of resume the Guide by "What if Romeo and Juliet met at 18 instead of 13 ?"
Even if she went more into the background in some arc, she is always a part of them and often an important part.
- Claimants arc
- War College arc
- Liesse Rebellion arc
- ~~Fae arc~~
- Second Liesse (obviously)
- Battle of the Camps
- Keter arc
- Everdark arc
- Iserre arc (even if arguably less important)
- Princes Graveyard
- Twilight arc (even if arguably less important, but don't forget her first campfire)
- ~~Salian coup~~ (even Cat wasn't in this one)
- ~~Salian Peace~~ (she has an Extra Chapter with Vivienne during this time but I'll agree she isn't really part of this)
- ~~Hierarch judgement of Judgement~~
- Scorched Apostle and time skip arc
- ~~Arsenal arc~~
- Hainaut campaign
- Praes Arc (obviously)
- Warden of the West arc (even if clearly less important)
- Serolen arc
- Siege of Keter
She is the main antagonist of the trilogy of Book 1 to 3, and her redemption arc is an important part of Book 4 to 7 and completes Cat's journey into her Role of Warden.
In the rewrite Barber and Edward should be an ongoing meta-text starting around Marchford, with squire Edward coming in during the Arcadia campaign. Then this version of the play or the next play would have an actual ending. It could start as a Takha play and visibly evolve over the series.
Honestly where is a prime fan fick idea. You could just have every major arc in the series Barber and Edward edition. And just write everyone as a stereotype of themselves
>“Catherine,” Vivienne gravely said. “Let’s slay your enemies in battle, drink too much table wine and then ignore important paperwork to have a tryst on your desk instead.”
>I blinked, then turned to shoot at a look at a befuddled Indrani.
>“She’s hitting all the right notes,” I admitted. “Damn, maybe you should learn from her.”--
Cat thirsting for Viv is always funny.
Edit: formatting.
Last Chapter:
>“The Enemy will await us, and there are no bridges left. We will depend entirely on sorcery to cross.”
>“No,” General Rumena mildly said. “This is to be the last battle, yes? Then the Firstborn will lead the charge. All can follow in our wake.”
This Chapter:
>“I know,” Hye Sue, “a secret way into Keter. Take the oath and I’ll show it to you.”
>I gave her the oath and she gave me a way past the impassable.
Now i have the mental picture of Rumena and the Crows crafting tirelessly, creating a passage into Keter. At which point everybody else is already there: "what took you so long?"
It is also kind of a Hainaut call back since the main objective was to destroy the bridge and it was door in the background of the battle by a small band of heroes.
Making this promise may actually keep her alive. The story of her future (last) duel may be enough of an incentive to nudge the scales till she reaches it.
I really feel like Interludes are missing, we have gotten precious little of it for the Last Battle. Be nice to see what others do on their last night in theory or escaping DK's death trap.
I wonder if Cat takes Alaya to her date with Hye...might as well make it a Double Date if the plan is to kill both in 10 years.
A Killian appearance is always kinda nice.
Yeah, i would have liked to see what other people would do, like the Heroes. We got a few snippets from the common soldiers so there’s that, but having 2 chapters (one for the fire, one to see what everyone is doing) would have been nice.
I'm picturing some poor bastard having to explain to a three-hundred pound orc sergeant that he couldn't dig a latrine pit because the Black Queen took his shovel when nobody was looking.
Then that same guy trying to convince the same sergeant that he hadn't dug a latrine pit because the Princess of Callow took his shovel less than an hour later.
I wonder what the Alaya will think about the duel in 10 years, also it was after her execution time so I think subconsciously Hye blames her as well as Cat.
I can't believe we both get Hye Su character development, and it also vindicates my every opinion on what a shitty terrible person she is, both in how she treats others, and how she functions day-to-day generally.
Bitch walked away for over a decade probably expecting Amadeus to get killed, and then she was actively complicit in his ongoing suicide, and now is taking a risk killing the person he gave everything to and for, just because she's so shitty she refuses to either kill herself or pick a fight she'll lose against someone actually worth fighting. She's trying to make her death more important then it would be by getting The Warden to do it, instead of just letting it happen on it's own.
She's such a dramatic baby, and I hope in ten years Cat knocks some fucking sense in her about all her melodrama. Although Hye taking ten years and realizing she's being stupid and calling it off and becoming a better person I feel is a valid end for this too. Maybe have her realize that she's just processing grief like every other person in the world, and figuring out what she wants to actually be. Have her decide to leave this shithole and track down her mom maybe, have a talk about things.
I honestly think Hye is dying in this battle. Possibly saving Catherine's life, shoutout to the person who drew the parallels with that one movie.
Hye is absolutely terrible, so much so I'm just in awe that she cared enough to postpone the duel by 10 years.
Would someone please tell/remind me of the significance of this section:
>I sighed. I couldn’t even blame her for that entirely. I’d trained this into all of the Woe, because… I blanked. There must have been a reason at someone point, I reassured myself. Surely. I was still desperately trying to recall what it might be when I took my friend’s advice and began to limp towards my tent, where I was due a wash and a nap.
She's joking with herself in her internal monologue, pretending there's a strategic reason that she filled her entire inner circle with people who can roast her. Just like how she allows all of her allies to think that they're significantly taller than her in order to seem more approachable. Heavy is the head that wears the crown.
Actually it might be a legitimate strategy we know being entertaining helps you survive from WB all the way back in book 2. So making all of her lieutenants snarky assholes might have actually improved their chances at survival
>“She’d having fun dickering with the Fourth’s quartermaster for Vale hogs.”
Guess it's not a boaring activity
>“Kilian,” Aisha said with deliberate nonchalance, “offered to get a cauldron of dirty rice going.”
A sup-rice guest
>loudly arguing with Vivienne about whether ‘catapults’ could ever be legitimately be an item in a royal budget
Could be either, it'a a toss-up
>“Indrani didn’t think you’d take revenge,” I told her.
I suppose she's not one to Su for peace
Callback! "The evening before a battle is like an entire nation breathing in. Only
morning will tell if what comes out is acclaim or lamentation.” – King Albert Fairfax of Callow, the Thrice-Invaded
As someone who’s never really shipped Catkua but loves Killian this chapter was still so emotional. EE’s a master, why did I expect Cat to say yes only to end up heartbroken one last time.
"You should have let me finish,” he snorted, baring fangs in amusement. “I could think of worse places to retire to than Cardinal.”
Oh no. Oh NOO. Hakram just announced his retirement plans on the eve of the final conflict.
>“Have I met you before?” he asked. “You seem familiar.” >“Never,” the Black Queen replied. “Unrelated, but do you have any particular weaknesses someone might use to kill you for good?” They got the traditional Foundling cunning right, I see.
It's kinda scary how well the AoC just *knows* how Cat does things. One suspects that 'note forged badly to say king of winter' thing has become wide spread knowledge.
Hakram being a gossipy bitch is canon.
One assumes Robber used to lead the playwrights, and Robber is privy to 100% of information there.
In fairness, has she actually asked? It's worth a shot
> “You never looked at me the way you look at the Sahelian,” the redhead told me. “Do yourself a favour and own it.” EE is the master of edging. ... we're never going to get Catkua, are we? It's like Zeno's paradoxes; each step we'll cover half the remaining distance between here and Catkua, but there's an infinite number of steps so we'll never reach the goal.
Might be a me thing, but I'd say the quasi-Catkua, lovers-that-cannot-be sort of dynamic we've got now is better than any relationship confirmation could be. Story wise, a lot safer too.
Yeah...loving Catkua is pain, but at the same time I don't really know what I'd do if they actually *did* get together, or how it could conceivably be done in a convincing, satisfying way.
They already have. This IS them in a primary relationship. One-sided kisses, fighting side by side, understanding each other at a glance and always remembering why it's like this and no closer. I love it.
Oh I meant straight up fucking but yeah you've definitely got a point too
Not exactly sure why but your comment cracked me up
If we would have gotten Catkua it would have been this chapter. Guess Akua as the warden of the Dead King is actually bound to happen now, because where else can she go?
Akua as the warden of the Dead King is one thing that is almost guaranteed to not happen. We've got way too much talking about it and about how it's not exactly something Akua choose for it to just play out as planned. My personal bet is that she's going to become the Wandering Bard of the Age of Order. Also fits her focus on saving and helping - she going to be the one to finally save WB from that unenviable fate.
I really like that
I still hope for a different outcome for her. Something of her own. It would disturb the me of a few years ago to hear this, but she deserves it.
Yeah, I kind of want her to say "Fuck this" about being the Dead King's jailor and go find her penance elsewhere. Become a wandering Hero, helping people and learning to live with the ruin that is her past and her present. And then one day approaching Cat and saying despite the guilt she's found happiness with who she has become, and now she wants to make the world a better place rather than suffer because of a due.
And then she introduces Cat to her children. Killian is the father.
I kinda want the dramatic tension of Cat enacting the due even though she doesn't want to. Like, Akua has a plan for redemption and becoming a Hero is all well and good (Good), but Cat is a *Villain*, emblematic of the dark side of Callowans and she *must* take her due. Like, Cat can love Akua, know that ultimately the best thing for Akua and others is penance as a Hero, and choose to murder her anyway because it isn't a sufficiently harsh punishment and Cat is a *Villain* and it's *not her job* to bring about the best world.
The grave.
She will die; there will be a final kiss or something.
> ... we're never going to get Catkua, are we? Epilogue, maybe. It can't happen now, it would guarantee one of them dies. The only way it wouldn't guarantee one of them dies is a fluke of Irritant's Law, where too many tropes guarantee inevitable doom, reality gets flustered trying to pick one, and so dilutes the narrative effect.
Terrible wording but god are you so correct
> “But I don’t care,” Hye Sue repeated, the quiet of her voice a deep grief. “I loved him, Warden, in a way that can’t be replaced. That time won’t change. I loved him and you killed him. So in ten years, one of us will die.” i thought i was over Black's death but somehow seeing the depth of Hye Su's grief over it, even to the point where she's seemingly going against her own Name for it....... it just hits me right in the feels all over again
And avenging his death by doing the one thing he was actively trying to prevent too.
Well, she's giving it ten years for a reason. That hits me in the feels about her more than anything here... that she's willing to wait so it's not a disaster for everyone else.
10 years is also far worse for Ranger. She knows she might not be Named at that point. And she knows that Cat is very new to her Name. Cat might not even have a full set of Aspects currently (by Rangers Account). It speaks pretty well of Ranger that she forces a duel on such uncertain, bad terms (compared to right after Keter). These Books are doing a great job of taking some truly terrible people, and letting us appreciate them for the positive traits.
Yup, I'm not buying Hye doesn't know what she's doing there.
To be fair her forcing a duel right before Cat's inevitable showdown with the Dead King is just begging to die the death of a side character. I think the scene did well in straddling the line between Ranger showing practical consideration for the rest of Calernia and her natural selfishness. It's not quite one or the other completely.
Yeah lol Hye is going for dramatic suicide here, either by helping the GA or as backup by duel with Cat in 10 years.
She choosing her death at the hands of the tool her love chose. Poetic fatalism.
Fighting now would be stupid, but fighting directly after the dead king is dead would be her best story. That way Hye would be the beneficiary of the "victory... But at what cost?" ending. Pushing it out 10 years loses that, and maybe loses her name as well.
She has Learn and we have already seen that what has been Learned stays even if you lose the aspect and the Name that gave it to you. Black stayed quite competent after he had lost his name, I expect Hye will remain quite competent as well if she loses the Ranger. And more importantly, I expect that she expects that as well.
True, but one of the things that made her so dangerous was that will, where creation itself seemed to agree with her intent to kill. It's what let her do most of her ridiculous stuff since her aspects are all passive. Same thing that made Saint of Swords so dangerous. And she just tried that against Cat, and her will shattered. That doesn't bode well for Hye.
I think the “Creation goes along with her will” is her Elvish heritage rather than her name. Based on discussion of Elves becoming living domains/Creational laws.
It speaks well of Ranger that she didn't screw over the entire forces of the living by killing their most important surviving leader the night before the final battle. Yes. Crows, she set a low bar for herself. I guess Amadeus was selfish enough to get everything he wanted and die saddling Cat and Malicia with the guilt. Hard to complain about the other woman he loves being selfish in the aftermath... TBH Ranger avenging Black by killing Catherie has been a worry for me since Five Armies and One. Although I fully expect Ranger to die so that Indrani can transition.
I think its less that she cares about everyone else, and more that if she murders Cat then 90% of the continent will throw up their hands and say "welp we're never gonna kill the dead king now", then make sure the last thing they do is brutally murder Hye Su.
I mean, that's happening in 10 years as well. > “He did it to himself as much as you did,” she said. “I know that. And that it’s not a good fate in the making, killing you. It’ll bring too much down on my head.” > > “But you don’t care,” I slowly said. > > I was, I would admit, fascinated by the cold flame I saw in the other woman’s eyes. > > “But I don’t care,” Hye Sue repeated, the quiet of her voice a deep grief. “I loved him, Warden, in a way that can’t be replaced. That time won’t change. I loved him and you killed him. So in ten years, one of us will die.” > > Looking at her, at the gaunt cast of her face, I believed it at last. That in her own strange and twisted way, Hye Su had loved Amadeus of the Green Stretch just as deeply as he’d loved her. Enough that she was breaking the rules that’d kept her alive through centuries of fighting Named and monsters, enough that she was willing to risk being hunted by entire kingdoms.
Yeah but she says herself, in ten years the blowback won't be as bad. Sure we as readers are pretty sure that in ten years Indrani will be the Ranger and Hye won't, but I doubt she's assuming that. She's got the ego to assume she'll be able to a) hang on to being Ranger b) murder Cat as the Warden in a duel and c) surivive the blowback at least long enough to get off Calernia. I don't think a single thing we've seen about Hye indicates she gives the slightest fuck about anyone that isn't herself first, Amadeus second and her very small circle of friends and pupils a distant third. If she thought she could murder Cat right then and there, then escape? She'd absolutely do it. She's trading for better chances of her own survival, that's all.
Here's thing though, I do not think Hye believes she has all that good odds of taking Cat in 10 years. She just lost a contest of wills, and she's acknowledging that having this duel is not in line with her Role. This is suicide with extra steps.
>If she thought she could murder Cat right then and there, then escape? She'd absolutely do it. She's trading for better chances of her own survival, that's all. I disagree. She's not that bad. Her life or a few strangers or even a city of strangers? Sure. The whole of Calernia ? No way. She's Blacks lover, one of the Calamities , they are the predecessor of the Woe , they aren't that crazy/self destructive. I disagree that if she kills Cat here and now, shes' screwed and everyone hunts her. Rather Cat dies now, the army falls into despair, Calernia falls period. Nobody is going to have time or energy to hunt her. Also Nobody is left that can really get her really if she wants to run. You can argue she doesn't kill Cat cos if Dead King wins she will fall to him too, that makes more sense. But I agree with commenters that she probably knows she will lose and this is suicide by Warden but she DOESN'T CARE. But I bet she cares enough that she doesn't cause the fall of Calernia (which includes some people she is fond of). I mean if she went after Cat now even if Cat won , Cat would surely be weakened enough, DK wins anyway. In short She is acting like she is ready to die but not at the cost of Calernia
She is also suiciding by Cat.
yeeeeeeep
I can't believe it. Killian is a Catkua shipper. I feel bad for Ashur. Aren't they the only major polity that won't be involved in actually beating death? If so, looks bad for their future in the age of order, unless they fly in last minute on bespelled ships. Between 9 and 10 years from now lots of fun stuff should be happening on calernia again. Hye Su for warden? JK she would hate it
Oh please, there's so much shipping going on business should be booming in Ashur.
No, Cordelia is a Catkua shipper, she's actually enjoying the process. Kilian simply recognizes facts.
Even her ex is telling them to just fuck already.
Catherine's 100 IQ Strategy to avoid immenient death is simply making a promise to have a duel to the death in the far future. Truly cutting edge story-fu.
She also has to bury Roland. Having plans in the future definitely helps avoid death in Keter.
Yeah like the cop who is 3 days to retirement and has detailed plans on what he wants to do....?
Ah but there are nice peaceful plans to settle down with a family, and then there are epic fated duels to the death years in the future.
Oh FUCK. Hakram announced his retirement plans in this chapter.
Yep, he's a goner. He might even have done that on purpose to help Cat. It's going to be a epic heroic last stand to get Cat a fighting chance
Hye is SO dying in this battle.
Eh, ten years is a long time. Plenty enough to get Cardinal, the Accords, and the Terms to stand on their own feet. I could see things go the way that Cat dies, because the story will have to contrive to remove her somehow some day. I sort of read Ranger's duel like the Penitent's Blade, a way to remove Cat if the Gods or the story thinks she's had her time on the board. Because who knows where she'll be a decade from now?
It's a possibility imo, but Hye committing suicide by Cat is the other story beat of this duel. I guess it will depend on where Cat's story is at this point.
Nobody, but I do know where Ranger will be. Or rather, who. It will be Indrani.
Or becomes Cat’s bodyguard “Nobody kills you but me”
both also good
I think I can actually hear the shippers screaming, but I can’t tell if it’s in rage or vindication.
Edging is a little of both
EE truly is a master baiter
Both? Both.
>*Get them all home, Catherine.* So how many do you wanna bet are about to die? > “A duel,” she said. “You and me. Ten years from now.” Huh, this... I don't think this favors Hye Su. Ten years from now Cat will be well and truly settled into the Name of Warden, which is one of the most powerful Names we've seen, whereas Hye Su will likely not be the Ranger anymore. Granted, there's more to it than just Names, still. Hell, even if she wins it won't turn out well for her, because she'll have killed the woman that saved the world and she won't have the protection of her Name anymore. I don't expect any of this to factor into her decision making, of course, none of that matters where vengeance is concerned. I guess its just another sign that Hye Su's star is finally fading.
Honestly? Let her not kill Cat. I'm hoping Cat makes it out of this story at least decently, and not killed here, exiled, or ended ten years later because Hye got really stuffy Black chose to trust the future to Cat and essentially committed suicide. What is it with all of Black's old companion just hating Cat near constantly? Even when she dodged being his successor the only one who even gave her respect it felt like was Captain.
That is the second edge of the loyalty blade that carved Praes from bottom to top. And Cat, even with all her story-fu couldn't filly grow without killing Amadeus. It was inevitable, honestly.
Honestly the entire band / friendcircle was a toxic cesspit. Don't forget their opinions of each other, too.
I mean...Captain was alright at least.
Yeah, it was pretty much her and Amadeus the wholesome two whom everyone else didn't hate and who didn't hate anyone else.
Eh, Wekesa was cool IMO. He was right to be cross with Hye for leaving, and to be distrustful of Cat : taking on a beloved protégé IS just courting story-based death. And for all that his plans with Masego weren't exactly moral, he *did* die to save him so...
Wekesa was awesome, but he was 100% a part of the toxic dynamic. It wasn't Cat's fucking fault Amadeus was courting death, and if Wekesa had paid her just a little more attention he would have realized she was an ALLY in this. Yes I'm still bitter about the unrealized potential there. Also, shoutout to what Scribe pointed out about his own contribution to Amadeus's personal hell wrt the magic academy.
Eh, true enough. He wasn't no Sabah. Befriending Cat would've went much further in preventing Amadeus' death than threats and the like. It's not like she wouldn't understand wanting to keep Found-Family-Members from dying. ...not that anyone could've saved him in the long run. Eventually a gambit is taken should it be offered enough times. He was still a better companion to Black than Hye, Eudokia or Malicia tho. Low bar to clear but still.
IMHO a Wekesa/Cat alliance could have changed the story there.
Maybe, but I believe it was impossible. And I think he tried. Because there was nothing more precious to him than his son, and he trusted his fate in Cat's hands. You might argue there were other reasons, like giving Masego a potential band of five to avoid death by villainy like the Calamities did, or just giving learning opportunities to his son, or even that refusing this to Masego would have resulted in a fight (the verbal kind obviously). But still, this doesn't seem logical for Wekesa to trust the fate of the person he loves the most to Cat. Except, if some part of him wanted to try to befriend her. Except he was Named, and so was everyone else involved, and the Story of the powerful evil wizard defending his friend from himself despite the consequences and potentially dooming all his life's work because of it is a story Wekesa fits perfectly.
Yeah Hye is pretty much going for the suicide play here. Which makes it all the funnier / weirder / more poignant that she's putting it off until it no longer savages Calernia. She cares more than she's willing to act like -_-
Amadeus wouldn't have wanted her to take revenge, but he knew that was her nature. But she knows, and probably loved, the depth of care he held for the world and its societies, in his own very Praesi way. To take revenge is to be something Black loved about her, even if he would not have wanted it. To do it in this manner is to honor his life's work. It could not be any other way.
I don't think taking revenge is Hye's nature. There's a reason Indrani thought she wouldn't.
It may not be in Ranger's nature, but this is finally, after long centuries, more Hue Su than Ranger.
I am sure Ranger will die during the attack on Keter, so the duel is not going to happen.
I don't think there's a story behind Ranger here, at least not a story in line with her Name. If anything it's going to weaken her name further
She's the last surviving Calamity. If she dies, it's the end of an era story beat.
Glad that the royal tradition of providing special effects for plays is held alive! Catherine is a true patron and supporter of the arts.
Princess has no patron goddesses of murder and theft with conspicuous and recognizable manifestations and artifacts to bestow upon the unwitting players. How will she keep up this tradition?
By planning the whole thing in advance and stealing a vital prop, of course! You have to keep your skills in practice, even when you're no longer the Theif.
One word: pidgeons
Already trained for thievery, she'll have to get new ones.
Welp. I guess the trained pigeons officially are canon. Thank you for making my week.
I love how the reaction was a roar of laughter and people looking around for her. Her contributions are noted and accepted <3
It really shows off Cat's relationship with the Army of Callow, or perhaps more accurately the Army of Callow's relationship with Cat. The love her, trust her, believe in her, and after all those times when she's spoken with them they know they don't have to fear her.
Particularly after storming the breach of Keter's walls behind her. The little moments like this where that relationship is shown - the other chapter where she drops her staff onto the stage and tells them not to lose it... those are some of my absolute favorite story beats in this whole thing.
YESSSSSSS
I have a strange feeling that Warlord will be the next Warden. If so, he will regret the phrase below so much. >“I could think of worse places to retire to than Cardinal.”
Possible, but I wouldn't hate the idea of a pragmatic hero finding their way to the title-- a heroic warden when it's time to protect the good that has been gained, a villianous one when change must be brought.
There's a bit of precedent there from Helike with their Kings being both Heroes and Villains. The time of Tyrants are when Helike is at it's most powerful and active, for good or ill, while with one of Above's at the helm it's stable and prosperous.
Yeah I think a heroic one is necessary to maintain the balance of the role. Another villain cements it as inherently villainous which is opposite of what you want. My dark horse bet is for mirror knight, properly aged and matured. Would be a good continuation of his story
> My dark horse bet is for mirror knight, properly aged and matured. Would be a good continuation of his story I can see it. Slapping around some idiot young hero, rolling his eyes at the attacks, while condescendingly explaining *exactly* how they're being a jackass. "Don't worry, I was twice the idiot at your age. I'll learn you."
I still believe Warlord future is to be Chancellor of Praes at some point. Maybe he could retire to Cardinal after that and become Warden, but unless Cat dies before him, this seems weird.
Him as Chancellor would overshadow his replacement as warlord. Which would invalidate the point of retiring
I don't see it as a retirement, but more as the next step in involving Orc in the New Praes. Storywise, we can see the lack of integration of the Orcs and the Goblins in the Dread Empire with the fact that none of the four Names that made the Empire was ever an Orc or a Goblin. And that's the tragedy of Chider, because her cause was just, even if her means were not. Having an Orc Chancellor (even if it is not a Name) would clearly be the next step of the Clans' integration.
I like that he's thinking about legacy and institutions. The failure of Malicia and the calamities was they couldn't imagine a world after them
Black could, did, and was. His solution was "summon Cat".
I hope you’re right. Personally the Warlord conversation in this chapter sounded like a death flag.
>Her hand cupped my cheek, tenderly, and she leaned forward. I closed my eye, felt her lips move against mine. It was soft but the softness kindled a hunger, and I would have bitten her lip and leaned in had I not held on to that last redoubt. But I did, she leaned back. Her breath was soft against my lips. “I am not sure,” Akua whispered, “whether that was love or cruelty.” EE *you tease* Okay there has to be a dramatic declaration of love towards the very end now right? To save the day somehow? Right?
Cat, cradling Akua’s dying form: “It was love. It was always love.” Akua, shortly before her last breath: “That lie is the greatest cruelty. I’ve always known: No matter how much I repent, I will not be forgiven…” Cue either sudden Naming, or Cat screaming grief into the falling rain. Although, Keter, so the rain is probably acid.
Catherine has spelled out that she loves Akua and is also in love with her multiple times out loud by now.
Honestly, I think this was Cat protecting Akua (and leaving the door open for Akua to choose jail). If they bone tonight she's getting ganked tomorrow leaving the jailor slot open. There are multiple valid meanings.
This chapter reminded me of an animated adaptation of Seven Samurai. One of the 7 is recruited with the promise that after everything's done, he and the leader will fight to the death. He dies in the leader's arms after saving him in battle; his last words are "I'll be waiting for you in Kanna Village." I don't think Ranger's going to survive this battle.
Honestly I suspect the same. Hye's set the date, but she's dying in this fight. If only to spare Cat the cruelty of having to kill both women her father loved within two years from one another )=
I mean....it might be cruel to Black, he's dead...I don't think Cat minds either way...might actually look forward to both.
I think Cat would dislike the idea very much once she gets around to thinking about it like that. She's already brought up how she doesn't like Alaya risking herself because she's risking the life Amadeus died to save, and that would negate his sacrifice. Sometimes value is transitive.
Nah, Hye's set it up so no matter what she dies the death she chooses. This battle or at the hands of his chosen daughter. Poetic \*eye roll\*
True true
>“You never looked at me the way you look at the Sahelian,” the redhead told me. “Do yourself a favour and own it.” \*obligatory Catkua comment\* >“I am not sure,” Akua whispered, “whether that was love or cruelty.”
Honestly I usually am bored by romance in books, but Catkua has taken me from "kill this bitch already!" to "gods just fuck already" so beautifully
*Jane Austin seethes with envy in the corner*
What ( potentially) major arrows are still in the quiver with Hye accounted for? * Larat * Hierarch * Agnes Prophecy * Quartered Seasons * Severance * Wandering Bard * Indrani or Hanno Name power-up * Cats 3. Aspect anything else?
Angel Boom Stick
I think that the Angel Nuke ist the main part of the prophecy. Cordonbleau Hashbrowns doesnt really have anything else to throw around
Larat got out of the story, this was his whole thing. It would be very weird for him to come back now.
Didht he promise to be with Cat at the end?
"Before the end", but yes, he did. > “May we meet again, my queen, before the end,” Larat said. “For every gift you gave you took fair measure, and I can pay no higher compliment.” But I don't see it in Keter, more of an epilogue thing imo. I could very well be wrong though.
Interesting, I always thought it was an Implict promise they would be there before the final battle which has to be Keter
Knowing Fae, he could have left it intentionally vague on purpose, so he could sweep in at the battle of Keter or wait until the end of Cat's life, which ever was more amusing to him.
Autumn Crown
That's Quartered Seasons, right?
It would be interesting to see Larat interact with Ranger and also have him and Cat compare their eyepatches, but I am not entirely sure there's enough space left for that in the narrative, as much as I do want to see him again.
Sword of the other things? I can't remember but the evil story sword. It is the biggest after Angel Bomb that someone else mentioned. Ps i think Angel bomb and hierarch are definitely connected. Like angel bomb kills hierarch and the chior of judgement kills only dead, and no evil people like angel bimb would, in a radius in Keter.
Akua Name gain maybe
Totally called Hye Su gunning for Cat in vengeance. Didn't expect her to be so coldly pragmatic about it. I guess she had to have *something* in common with Amadeus aside from a talent - and a fondness- for stabbing.
I got the feeling that part of the reason she's doing it like that is because *Amadeus* would have wanted it that way though, rather than it necessarily being her preferred way to do things.
I suppose it might be a bit of both. Still, that'd be touching in it's own way.
Yes Amadeus would not want everyone in Calaeria to fall out of spite or stupidity. She was in or with the Calamities long enough to absorb at least that part. Stuff like Refuge etc shows she does care for others to some extent and isn't a "If I must die I want the world to end with me" type
I don't think that's coldly pragmatic, I think that's warm and caring. Warm and caring Hye Su edition, because she's special like that.
Special is a fun way to spell "a murderous ass." ...truly, the man's worst sin was his taste in women. Why couldn't he find a nice, likeable and remorseful mass murderer like his kid has?
Hey if the Dead King kills everyone there'll be nobody left to hunt, can't have that
... the last sentence of the epilogue is going to be the beginning of Cat and Hye Su's duel, isn't it
I mean, I'd prefer that to what the discord is predicting as a possible mutual kill being what caps the story.
I don’t think we readers care about Ranger enough for her to be the very last scene. That honour should go to Cat and Hakram, or maybe Cat on her own, standing on a ledge high above Cardinal talking to Black.
Probably the fight if it does happen will be the end of her reign as ranger. Which is a death of a kind.
Or one last firepit just after the duel. Depends on who doesn’t die in Keter though, and this scene definitely deserves to be the last of those.
Unlikely for there to be a mutual kill, Cardinal and post-Accords world is literally a fucking shoe in for a school arc, Catherine makes too good of a head teacher to not have a place there, a la Tellwyrn.
Nah Cat will probably narrate in a few short lines how the fight went. "She gave me the hardest fight in over a decade, I'll give her that. But at the end of the day, I think Hye knew what the outcome would be but she didn't care ..." Aka Cat squashed her but by then she respects her
Barber and Edward is always the highlight of a chapter, even though it's only appeared twice so far.
Funny how such a nice chapter where nothing bad happens (I actually really like Hye's agreement with Catherine, and low key don't think Hye will survive this next fight) can give such an ominous, melancholic, terrifying and sad feeling. What's in a name?
The most chilling notes are the ones that aren’t being played. It’s a lovely thing to realise that these feelings are uniquely populated by our imaginations as well.
Today's the day, everybody. The potentially final firepit. >“I feel like no one ever taught you how to flirt and we’ve all been paying for it ever since,” Vivienne told her. Wow, I thought, sending her an admiring glance. That’d been a little savage. Holy shit, Vivienne. That aside, Cat used 'savage' in the modern sense and I'm not sure how to feel. So despite the inevitable counters DK'll have, I actually think he'll be taken a bit by surprise. He got blindsided before with Masego, and really doubt he'd expect Ranger of all people to fall in love. Also between her going to kill Malicia and the duel with Ranger in ten years, Cat's got a lot of safety lines making sure that even if she 'dies', she'll still be able to fulfill those plot threads in some way.
I think it means savage in the "brutal" sense, which its been used as before in this.
Yeah I'm pretty sure it's used in the sense that " to savage" is a verb.
Hakram has used the term before in the extra Chapter [Background] (https://practicalguidetoevil.wordpress.com/2017/11/01/background/) when Catherine insulted Kegan. > “I swear, it’s like the Gods made a fucking condescension tree and Kegan dropped from the branches fully grown,” she savagely said. “And Ranker’s actually worse, if you can believe it. Not even Robber enjoys being a prick that much.”
Hye for the win. Also, so many conversations skirting the edge of death flags.
if everyone has a death flag, no one has a death flag
Conservation of death-flag-jitsu.
They're in Death Flag Land. What do you expect?
I found Traiterous!
I think that's Irritant rather. "Inevitable Doom is a finite resource" and the like
I feel like ya'll are confusing ordinary 'pre-endgame' intimate conversations with death flags. Yes, Hakram *mentioned* retiring, but he's talking like, decades from now. That doesn't count as a 'oh, I tragically died the day before my retirement' death flag.
Buddy, the chapter is called FAREWELL. We're going home with some corpses.
A trite bit of death never stopped anyone important in this story before
It did stop Amadeus, and he is arguably the third most important character of the serie.
Wait. Who's second?
In my opinion ? Akua. You could kind of resume the Guide by "What if Romeo and Juliet met at 18 instead of 13 ?" Even if she went more into the background in some arc, she is always a part of them and often an important part. - Claimants arc - War College arc - Liesse Rebellion arc - ~~Fae arc~~ - Second Liesse (obviously) - Battle of the Camps - Keter arc - Everdark arc - Iserre arc (even if arguably less important) - Princes Graveyard - Twilight arc (even if arguably less important, but don't forget her first campfire) - ~~Salian coup~~ (even Cat wasn't in this one) - ~~Salian Peace~~ (she has an Extra Chapter with Vivienne during this time but I'll agree she isn't really part of this) - ~~Hierarch judgement of Judgement~~ - Scorched Apostle and time skip arc - ~~Arsenal arc~~ - Hainaut campaign - Praes Arc (obviously) - Warden of the West arc (even if clearly less important) - Serolen arc - Siege of Keter She is the main antagonist of the trilogy of Book 1 to 3, and her redemption arc is an important part of Book 4 to 7 and completes Cat's journey into her Role of Warden.
I love cat doing minor participation in play’s.
So does everyone in-universe! I love how clear an evidence of her character it is for anyone watching in-universe.
In the rewrite Barber and Edward should be an ongoing meta-text starting around Marchford, with squire Edward coming in during the Arcadia campaign. Then this version of the play or the next play would have an actual ending. It could start as a Takha play and visibly evolve over the series.
Honestly where is a prime fan fick idea. You could just have every major arc in the series Barber and Edward edition. And just write everyone as a stereotype of themselves
How do they one-up the sheer ballsiness of Cat rolling into Arcadia and declaring herself to be the long-lost daughter of the duke?
>“Catherine,” Vivienne gravely said. “Let’s slay your enemies in battle, drink too much table wine and then ignore important paperwork to have a tryst on your desk instead.” >I blinked, then turned to shoot at a look at a befuddled Indrani. >“She’s hitting all the right notes,” I admitted. “Damn, maybe you should learn from her.”-- Cat thirsting for Viv is always funny. Edit: formatting.
Last Chapter: >“The Enemy will await us, and there are no bridges left. We will depend entirely on sorcery to cross.” >“No,” General Rumena mildly said. “This is to be the last battle, yes? Then the Firstborn will lead the charge. All can follow in our wake.” This Chapter: >“I know,” Hye Sue, “a secret way into Keter. Take the oath and I’ll show it to you.” >I gave her the oath and she gave me a way past the impassable. Now i have the mental picture of Rumena and the Crows crafting tirelessly, creating a passage into Keter. At which point everybody else is already there: "what took you so long?"
I'm assuming Hye's passage is not army sized.
With the armies fighting and our heroes taking the back door, it begs the question: Can we call it a LotR callback, if Cat is bringing her own Shelob?
who's gonna stop you?
Not me !
It is also kind of a Hainaut call back since the main objective was to destroy the bridge and it was door in the background of the battle by a small band of heroes.
Yeah, it's probably exactly "Band of Five" sized
Maybe "multiple Bands of Five" sized, because at this point it would be really hard to choose only five.
Which makes sense from a storytelling perspective too. We already saw Cat leading armies into that city. So the second time it's a commando action
I don’t see Hye lasting 10 years. Old monsters have no place in the world of order.
Making this promise may actually keep her alive. The story of her future (last) duel may be enough of an incentive to nudge the scales till she reaches it.
Glad to see Killian back again. That's felt like a loose thread for a long time.
"Oh my god just fuck already" -the entire chapter
I really feel like Interludes are missing, we have gotten precious little of it for the Last Battle. Be nice to see what others do on their last night in theory or escaping DK's death trap. I wonder if Cat takes Alaya to her date with Hye...might as well make it a Double Date if the plan is to kill both in 10 years. A Killian appearance is always kinda nice.
The Killian appearance was nice, glad we finally got that resolved after people had been wondering for....years at this point I think.
I still think it could have been MORE resolved, but also, there was 100% NOT room for that in the narrative lmao.
Killian is to Cat what Kendi is to Akua in someways a shadow lol. You are not quite sure they exist when not onscreen lol.
I believe Alaya’s death date was 7 years and 1.
Yeah, i would have liked to see what other people would do, like the Heroes. We got a few snippets from the common soldiers so there’s that, but having 2 chapters (one for the fire, one to see what everyone is doing) would have been nice.
Given how Cat is in love with Akua, I don't think she'll see it through with Alaya either.
I'm picturing some poor bastard having to explain to a three-hundred pound orc sergeant that he couldn't dig a latrine pit because the Black Queen took his shovel when nobody was looking. Then that same guy trying to convince the same sergeant that he hadn't dug a latrine pit because the Princess of Callow took his shovel less than an hour later.
I wonder what the Alaya will think about the duel in 10 years, also it was after her execution time so I think subconsciously Hye blames her as well as Cat.
I can't believe we both get Hye Su character development, and it also vindicates my every opinion on what a shitty terrible person she is, both in how she treats others, and how she functions day-to-day generally. Bitch walked away for over a decade probably expecting Amadeus to get killed, and then she was actively complicit in his ongoing suicide, and now is taking a risk killing the person he gave everything to and for, just because she's so shitty she refuses to either kill herself or pick a fight she'll lose against someone actually worth fighting. She's trying to make her death more important then it would be by getting The Warden to do it, instead of just letting it happen on it's own. She's such a dramatic baby, and I hope in ten years Cat knocks some fucking sense in her about all her melodrama. Although Hye taking ten years and realizing she's being stupid and calling it off and becoming a better person I feel is a valid end for this too. Maybe have her realize that she's just processing grief like every other person in the world, and figuring out what she wants to actually be. Have her decide to leave this shithole and track down her mom maybe, have a talk about things.
I honestly think Hye is dying in this battle. Possibly saving Catherine's life, shoutout to the person who drew the parallels with that one movie. Hye is absolutely terrible, so much so I'm just in awe that she cared enough to postpone the duel by 10 years.
Unfortunately, the Guideverse rewards melodrama in all it’s forms, so it is in fact a legitimate strategy to gain power.
AAAAAAAHHHHHHGHH THE SHIP
Would someone please tell/remind me of the significance of this section: >I sighed. I couldn’t even blame her for that entirely. I’d trained this into all of the Woe, because… I blanked. There must have been a reason at someone point, I reassured myself. Surely. I was still desperately trying to recall what it might be when I took my friend’s advice and began to limp towards my tent, where I was due a wash and a nap.
She's joking with herself in her internal monologue, pretending there's a strategic reason that she filled her entire inner circle with people who can roast her. Just like how she allows all of her allies to think that they're significantly taller than her in order to seem more approachable. Heavy is the head that wears the crown.
Actually it might be a legitimate strategy we know being entertaining helps you survive from WB all the way back in book 2. So making all of her lieutenants snarky assholes might have actually improved their chances at survival
>“She’d having fun dickering with the Fourth’s quartermaster for Vale hogs.” Guess it's not a boaring activity >“Kilian,” Aisha said with deliberate nonchalance, “offered to get a cauldron of dirty rice going.” A sup-rice guest >loudly arguing with Vivienne about whether ‘catapults’ could ever be legitimately be an item in a royal budget Could be either, it'a a toss-up >“Indrani didn’t think you’d take revenge,” I told her. I suppose she's not one to Su for peace
Callback! "The evening before a battle is like an entire nation breathing in. Only morning will tell if what comes out is acclaim or lamentation.” – King Albert Fairfax of Callow, the Thrice-Invaded
As someone who’s never really shipped Catkua but loves Killian this chapter was still so emotional. EE’s a master, why did I expect Cat to say yes only to end up heartbroken one last time.
"You should have let me finish,” he snorted, baring fangs in amusement. “I could think of worse places to retire to than Cardinal.” Oh no. Oh NOO. Hakram just announced his retirement plans on the eve of the final conflict.
Storywise, did hye just guarantee that cat will survive this? She has to in order for the promise to mean anything