Empty Netters Podcast - Sci Fi Section Ep 5: Red Rising Chapters 27-33

Episode Date: August 26, 2026

We are diving deep into Pierce Brown’s world of the Red Rising saga. Join us for Chapters 27-33 of book 1. Titus needs to be put down but who is going to do it. And people from Pluto are here calling for Darrows head. Better find out what’s in that Holocube! Chapters: 0:00 - Intro 1:31 - Chapter 27 The House of Rage 15:50 - Chapter 28 My Brother 23:07 - Chapter 29 Unity 35:08 - Chapter 30 House Diana 45:45 - Chapter 31 The Fall of House Mustang 55:30 - Chapter 32 Antonia 1:07:42 - Chapter 33 Apologies 1:19:47 - The Honors Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Explorers, warriors, magi, intergalactic voyagers, and hell divers. Man, your battle stations, draw your swords, and prepare for destiny, this is sci-fi section. A journey where we will be taking you through the epic expeditions of our favorite fantasy and sci-fi stories. The board is said, the pieces are moving. This adventure will be a deep dive. Dive, rig for deep submergence into the world. of Red Rising. I am Chris Powers, a man who stinks so badly. It's hard to tell if I haven't showered all weekend or if I have been sewn into the

belly of a dead horse. And by my side, a man who shouts his full name at the top of his lungs as he runs into a fight. Dan A. Powers! Wands at the ready, and it is a swish and flick on that subscribe button and that like button. Please, a swish and flick. Those who don't believe in magic will never find it, and those who don't subscribe to these videos will never get to watch them.

Today, we'll be talking about chapters 27 through 33 of Red Rising. However, we have read this entire series. There will be spoilers galore, so if you venture any further, do so with the knowledge that you may hear things that you wish you hadn't. And now we begin. We have just left Darrow and House Mars after a nice little trick on House Minerva. And now we jump back into our story. Chapter 27, the House of Rage. It feels like a game this night.

In a way it is, because I'm finally beginning to have fun. Darrow and the rest ride back to Mars's castle. Mustang has taken it with the rest of Hermannervin forces. They carry forth with their plan. Antonia is to flank them from the side while Darrow approaches head on. When Mustang sees him, she sees with anger at what she is found inside the castle. She calls him out for rape and mutilation. Not chill.

Darrow says he did nothing, to which Mustang agrees. You did nothing. Pax took out Titus, but now it's time to strike. Several from the darkness takes down a few men flanking Mustang. Medbots and proctors come swooping down from Olympus to watch the show. Darrow charges forward with his sling blade in hand. All the Minervans scatter except one. Pax.

Who tackles Darrow and his horse. His horse, dude. The Mars troops swarm house, Miner. Cassius snatches the standard as a few horsemen give chase. Darrow rises and takes out members of House Minerva one by one with his sling blade. Then he's forced into the clutches of Pax. He's about to pass out before driving his knee into Pax's nuts over and over. Darrow and his men capture many of the Minervans.

Mustang was able to flee with six of her men and hide out in the castle. Dero approaches to discuss terms with her. Roke and Antonia Flank him while Cassius is away with Minerva's standard to give it to House Sarius, if anything goes wrong. Darrow asked Mustang to flee the castle in exchange for her men that Mars has captured. But Mustang wants justice against Titus. She wants to keep him and make him pay.

She says the society doesn't want monsters. Dero says there are no rules and challenges her to wonder what she thinks would happen to Titus if he violated a red girl. Dero says they are all reds until someone gains enough power to earn rights. Mustang says he should hope that's not true.

There's another boy here who is like Darrow, smarter and more evil than the rest. They call him the jackal. Oh my God. Darrow carries the Minerva standard at the beginning of this when they're coming back. And it's really cool because he says, he points out to us in his internal thoughts,

Severo stole this. We'll remember from last episode, Darrow was floating in the fucking pond nearly freezing to death with Cassius. Mustang's a sex pod. You know, they don't know shit about what's going on. It's not until they would have drowned or frozen there or had to come up and surrender if Severo didn't save them.

And then Severeaux goes, by the way, I hit our standard, by the way, I hit the Minerva standard. Severo did everything. But yet it is Darrow here carrying it in on horseback, riding into battle to take their castle back. And it's not Cassius carrying it either. Darrow Cassius was needed for other things. Quote, plus, if he carried it, then he would look like the leader. and that will not do.

This is just like when Roak says, isn't a strong Mars with Titus in charge good? And Darrow doesn't really have an answer. Maybe Cassius, carrying the standard, would also make a strong Mars. But that's not why we're here. And it's an interesting thing that Darrow never has an answer for, or his answer is because I'm actually a red,

I've a carved red and I'm here to kill you. That's the thing. It's like, listen, are they trying to win here? Does he need other members of House Mars to be on his side and do good things? yes, absolutely, but the end of the day he has a mission. Yes. He's a mission and he needs to accomplish it. It's unbelievable.

Which I love because this ties into an internal thought that Darrow has right here that I think is amazing. Quote, it's hard to remember I'm doing all this for Eo, all this to start a rebellion. And then you had this. It feels like a game this night in a way it is because I'm finally beginning to have fun. Darrow struggles with that sentence for the rest of his life. I legitimately mean that. And in a way, it is... I think I disagree.

Okay. I think he struggles with it in a much more serious sense, because I think after the Institute, nothing is ever fun. Like this is, yeah. This is a game. Like he, in this moment, he's like, we are literally in a school playing at a war, and it is a game in a lot of ways. Yeah, the Institute in a twisted way.

And I do think the key in that one statement is, it feels like a game this night because it is. And he's like, and I'm having fun right now. Like when they trick Minerva and they're all fleeing and like, no one's dying in that moment. He's like, this is fun. And that is alarming because of what is to come. But that first half, though, it's hard to remember. I'm doing this for EO. For sure. I'm doing because it's, it's, I will say, again, I've said this a few times. EO had no idea what she was asking of him. None. She had no idea what it would take when she said, Darrow, break the chains. Okay. You bet, babe. You bet, babe. You bet.

Just fucking breaking chains. No problem. You got the bolt cutters? No worries. If we go back to the beginning and remember the first time he went up the lift to see a city, Eo didn't even know shit about that. Yeah, she was like, let alone all of this. You've got to calm down, sweetheart.

So she had no idea what she was asking of him. But it is hard for him to remember because of how insane it becomes. I love that. I also love how Severo, and you will see this many times over everyone. But Severo is like Batman. And, dude, Mustang is so pissed at Darrow. And fair, right? Because, like you said, you did nothing.

There's disgusting shit going on in here. You did nothing. Yes. She's seeing what's been going on. And Darrow goes, I didn't do it, but she's mad at him. And I think he does share some of that blame, right? Don't you? He puts it all on Titus, but she's like, bro.

I mean, listen, absolutely. This is a very cool, and you're so right, theatricality and deception. Savro does fight in the darkness. And it's unbelievable. I imagine people are walking around going, where are you? Yeah, yeah. It's unbelievable. But this is a cool thing that we will see later in this section, in this episode, was House Diana as well. These other kids are trying to win. They are gold. They know some atrocities that can happen, but none of them know suffering like Darrow does.

And as we learned in the last section, this isn't a fair fight. Yes. Mars's castle is shit. Like they have to go to lengths that the other houses don't. And we start to see a lot of people in these other houses have no clue how Darrow or any of these other people possess the capabilities to do some of the things that they have done. And it's even in this, like I love this quote, the enemy scatters as they see me raging toward them. It is the rage that confuses them. It is the insanity of Severo, the manic brutality of Mars. The horsemen scatter except one. Pax jumps from his horse and sprints at me. Pax Atelemananus. He screams, a titan possessed foaming at the mouth.

I dig my heels into my horse and howl. Then Pax tackles my horse. His shoulder hits my horse's sternum. The beast screams. My world flips. I fly out of my saddle over my horse's head and crash to the ground. That is awesome of Pax. But at the beginning, when he says the rage confuses them, it's even just that that all of

these golds are like, Jesus Christ, dude. Like this guy's out of his mind. And it is clear that although they all want to, get good apprenticeships and succeed in life, Darrow is literally trying to start a rebellion here. And they can't process that. Dude, remember that quote, try, because I'm actually going to forget,

remember that quote for later? The rage confuses them. And I'm with you, dude. Remember last episode Darrow says when they get to Minerva and you did the like, June, the soup's on? Yeah. They're like, come on in. There's bread on the table.

And you're like, wash your hair. Are you guys having a great time? He was in sight. They're on Summerkin. So he said Minerva wasn't in the war yet. This was still a fun game to them. Mustang enters Castle Mars. Welcome to the war, babe.

You know, take off the rose-colored glasses. This is what's actually going on here. This is genuinely a welcome to the fucking show. Welcome to the fucking show. You get in that castle and see the shit on the walls. No, no, we've been dealing. They're been tallying days and they're in shit and blood. And then I love, this is what I brought up in the first place.

She goes, come to cut my ear off, Reaper. And he goes, no, that's severo. And then it's, whoosh, someone's gone. And it's like literally, it's like, what is he? Genuinely, what is he? And then your Pax fight, Dan, amazing first glimpse at Pax. Re-readers, I know you got bricked up just hearing his name. Hearing Pax, I'll tell him.

New readers, I'm pumped for you. Yeah. And then also our first look at Dero using the reaping dance to fight with the sling blade. It comes even better later, but right here you've seen him, the way he moves, the way he fights with the weapon they are unfamiliar with. That is really important. I will say very Bilbo Baggins of Dero to pass out for the entire fight. Like he wakes up and several is like, anyway, we won't.

But at the end of the day, there was one that needed to be taken out and he did it. It cost him his consciousness as well. Yeah. But he did it. I love in The Hobbit how every big fight they're like, Bilbo got knocked out. And then we wake up and we won. And I'm like, Bilbo. So I love Mustang so much here because she, every bit we've seen of Mustang is she's incredibly smart.

She understands the game. She understands this world. But she also has a heart. She has empathy, which can. be good and can be bad. And I do like how we see a lot of it from Titus. We see some of it from Darrow, but it's also becoming something of house Mars now. And when Mustang is talking about what's gone on, the brutality, the mutilation, all this and all that, Antonia is even like, stop being such a bitch. Yeah. And Mustang says, Mustang looks up at Antonia incredulously and then shakes her head.

Mars, a gruesome deity. You're fit for this, aren't you lot? Barbarity, past centuries, dark ages. Spoiler. And I like how she is looking at all of House Mars and is like, what is this game done to you all? And it's interesting to see there are people like Vixus and like Antonia who are in the right house. Like it's... Yeah. It is gnarly how when you are in a deck that is stacked against you, a game where the deck is stacked against you, all of these students put in House Mars, they see it. they do resort to brutality before the rest of them.

Dan, I think it's a really astute point because I've never really processed this till this read, but in the same way, one of my favorite Dumbledore lines ever is he says, I believe we sort too early. And he says, you're just a kid and he's, I mean, I hope I'm not spoiling Harry Potter for anybody,

but he's referring to Snape in that way, who goes to Slythern, of course, but is so brave. And I, I love the quote because I agree with it in a lot of ways, but also I think the sorting hat deserves credit for seeing things in people that weren't blatantly there yet. Neville comes to mind, right?

Yep. A extremely worthy Gryffindor, who for most of the book, you go, how the fuck is Neville a griffindore? It's a dork. Yep. I feel that way with the picking here because it is very easy to go, Darrow is brutal, but not really. He's just brutal because of what he is truly. surely Cassius beautiful Cassius quippy Cassius poet Roke aren't house Mars and again like we've read the whole series but like they are House Mars is picked very correctly as as you come to learn of these people who are in this brutal house

two wonderful parts for me in that exchange with Mustang number one she she knows she needs to leave the castle but she's pissed about what Titus has done she says you know we're keeping Titus Roke or Darrow says no and it's really smart, by the way, from Darrow to say no because Titus is Mars. Even if Darrow completely agrees with her and says everything is bullshit that's happened here, he needs to do it on his terms. She doesn't need to do shit right now. So he looks like a worthy leader of Mars by going, Mars is in-house. Titus stays with us.

So easy. It would have been so easy for him to go, yeah, take him. I like him out of here. I like him digging his sling blade into the ground as he's doing that. And he's like, Titus is of house Mars. Yeah. And just. I get so horny every single time Darrow is wielding that thing.

I say, same. Like, yikes. So it's an amazing exchange with someone who is his adversary's worthy adversary in intelligence going, hey, this, no, I'm talking about Mustang. Like, Mustang is dialed and Darrow's going, yo, he stays with me. And it's, which is also great when Roeke's like, there will be justice. And Gerald's like, shut the fuck up, rogue. Tough.

But also, cool moment because it's the first time that other key Reds or Reds, other key members of House Mars start seeing him as a leader. Yeah. When he says that and Roke looks down, he's like, sorry. And he knows. He's like, I shouldn't have said down. My bad, dude. Very haggard.

Yeah. I think those moments are so important because this is the first time where it feels like Darrow is the leader and people are studying to listen to. Yes, agree. So unbelievable, that's first part of that excellent exchange. And then the second part, of course, the ending of the chapter is flawless because I'm on Kindle. Are you on iPad?

You're on iPad? Yeah. I'm on Kindle. So I'm at 50. At this point, I'm at 52% of the way through. I don't know what page we're on. But you are 53% of a book where I feel like I have a good sense

of who the players are. Not necessarily what side everyone's on, but who the players are. And then bam, you get a big bad now. 52% in, the jackal is smarter and crueler and stronger than you Reaper. Hurry up and evolve. And I'm like, what the fuck?

Who is the fucking just the jackal? Dude, yeah. Yeah. We're halfway through season one of the TV show that we're currently creating for all of you. And now you hear of someone to be terrified of. Oh, dude. Unbelievable.

Unbelievable plotting there. My last point that I love is how there are many, many times where, yes, Darrow has infiltrated all of these people. He is starting to understand the world. He is very smart. He's very sharp. But there are times where there are things that you're like, oh, well, you don't really know all about this world.

And I love it when he challenges the goals to think a different way, a way that only Darrow can think. And when he goes full Matthew McConaughey at time to kill on Mustang. And he goes, if Titus raped a little girl who happened to be read, how would you feel? I ask. And Mustang is like, she says nothing. Even Mustang is like, I have never processed that. Yep.

That is such an awesome moment. And I love every time Darrow does it. Yeah, me too. It's amazing. Chapter 28, my brother. I killed the bloody damn monsters. Now their daughters bloody well get what she got. June cooks the house a meal.

Remember June, the cook? Darrow's clan pretends to eat well for the first time while the rest are so hungry they don't notice the lie. Dero and Roke discuss what to do with Titus. Dero says Cassius should have a say in the justice, but Roke tells him Cassius cannot lead. Quote, Roke's narrow face tenses as he sets a hand on my arm. Cassius cannot lead this house, not after what happened.

Titus's boys and girls might obey him, but they won't respect him. They won't think him stronger than them, even if he is. Darrow, they pissed on him. We are golds. We do not forget. Darrow goes down to the cellar where Titus is tied up. He tells him he failed the gold's tests. He allowed himself to become a brute. Titus challenges Darrow.

He says he is in no place to speak about morality. He had fire and medicine and he didn't share it. Titus says he thought Darrow was hard, but then he watched Darrow makes friend with the golds. Darrow says so did Titus, and Titus spits. He hates these gold brows therewith, and he hates himself. Darrow asks Titus how he could possibly rape the girls he captured. and Titus says they did it first.

Quote, but he's not listening. Suddenly he tells me about how they took her and raped her in front of him. Then the slaggers came back a week later to do it some more. So he killed them, bashed their heads in. I killed the bloody damn monsters.

Now their daughter's bloody well get what she got. It's like I've been punched in the face. Oh hell. A chill spreads through me. Bloody damn. I stumble back. Titus slips up and only Darrow could notice. Titus is a red.

Man, dude, we'll get to that reveal, obviously, but one thing I want to point out about that Titus speech is I really like how Pierce has Titus say to Darrow, you had matches, you prick. And he's like, you think I didn't know

before the wood smoke smell. And I made fun of Darrow for showing up after rolling in the smoke and making smore, had smores on his hands. I was like, dude, and Roe, Credit to Roak, because he goes, bro, they are our peers, and you let this get out of control. Credit to Mustang for saying you did nothing. All of these things kind of pile up on Darrow's conscious, and that's even before you get the big bomb.

So really cool there. In this chapter, it is, there's just great buildup for Darrow. There's great buildup for Darrow's character into that big moment. Yes. his appreciation early in the chapter of Cassius kind of echoes our own, right? You know, because we, the reader, are really appreciating Cassius here.

But Darrow plays both sides in a way. In one moment, he's saying Cassius can't be the leader. That won't do, right, in that last chapter. But then in the next, he's trying to make sure Cassius has great prospects after school. Rokes saying they pissed on him. And Darrow's like, well, dude, he's the man. Like, we can fix this.

It's a reminder of that mental battle that Darrow's in. And even here, he notices it and calls it out to us three. He's like, why do I care? Yeah, yeah. And this is throughout the whole, you know, it really does happen. A struggle that Darrow has the entirety of this series is how he feels for all of these people. Like, he's like, I am supposed to hate all of these people, but I genuinely care about what happens to them.

Absolutely. That's why, that's a strength and a weakness for that. Yeah, so true. And pulling at him. It's the angel and the devil times a million, right? It's like pulling him in half. When we go to visit Titus, I loved how Darrow immediately. And that was such a cool part where he goes, this was a test dude. And you went to violence.

Well, I have this great quote, Chris. Yeah, do it. I think my favorite part here is how wrong Darrell got it. Okay. Yeah. And what's so beautiful about the way it's written by Pierce is Darrow goes in to preach to Titus about how wrong Titus got it only to realize he himself got this so wrong. He says, I'm afraid of him. I don't know why. Yet I bend on a knee and stare him in the eye. You are a pissing fool, Titus. You are a pissing fool, Titus. You never evolved, never got past the first test. You thought this whole thing is about violence and killing. Idiot. It's about civilization, not war. To have an army, you must first have a civilization. You went straight to violence like they wanted us to.

Why do you think they gave us Mars nothing and the other houses have so many resources? We're meant to fight like mad, but we're meant to burn out like you did. But I beat that test. Now I'm the hero, not the usurper. And you're just the ogre in the dungeon. He comes in to be like, dude, what are you doing? only to quickly realize I was so fucking

impossibly wrong about this guy. Yep. And I love how he goes, just one chapter ago, Mustang goes, hurry up and evolve, loser. And then here he goes, Titus, you haven't evolved. And I'm like, okay, paler, that is the complete, you have completely stolen someone else's tape. Plagiarism.

Presenting it as your own, you bitch, that killed me. And I just love it because everybody does that, you know? They're like, oh, that was good point. I heard something pretty cool today. I'm going to use it as often as I can other people. In the sentence. Oh, my God.

Okay. So, Dan, of course, the absolute hate maker, right? I didn't, I remember vividly, I did not notice it at all in real time when I first read this book. Did you? When he sang Bloody Dam? No. Yep.

So in the comments, please say if you did. Anyone rereading and reading. The topic is so intense. You're already meant to be like this. Oh, wait, who? Like, who got raped? Who did they violate? And then he says that.

And like, Darrow, not only does Darrell stumble back and he. he's like, oh my God. Titus is like, what's wrong with you? Yeah. Like he, Titus doesn't even know. Right, right, right. So true, dude. So for the uninitiated, there are a lot of twists in this series, but this is really the first proper. Plans have gone sideways. You know, Lambda didn't win the Laurel. Darrow wasn't actually dead. Yep. But this is, this is the gut punch. Oh, this is a shell shock. That makes you rethink the entire book so far, right? Because A, you go back in the obvious, you go back and revisit everything Titus has done has said how they've treated him all that shit. B, don't forget the Harmony quote from I think episode one. Ninety-seven people have tried to be

carved that we know of. All of a sudden, all of this starts to get confusing because of course the Sons of Aries would put more irons in the fire, right? But Darrell felt special, right? Remember? Youngest Hell Diver ever. His uncle taught him to dance. He has pit fiber venom in his heart. It could only be Darrow, right? Mickey says he's the only one who could ever start this carving. I don't want to make a man. I want to make a gun. Yeah, yeah.

Darrow's the chosen one. I love fantasy books. I've seen this story. All of a sudden, our perception, just like Deros, is completely shaken to its foundation because we have no idea what else is going on here. We and Darrow right here, 53% end go, wait a minute. Literally what is happening. And that is fucking awesome, dude.

Two just chapter endings back to back that are like, oh my God, dude. Absolutely electric. It's just another element where the game is different than Darrow even knew. Unbelievable. To chapter 29, unity. I failed the test. He's right. It wasn't justice.

Justice is dispassionate. It is fair. I am the leader. I pass the sentence. I should have done it. Instead, I gave license to vengeance and vendetta. The cancer will not be cut away. I made it worse.

Darrow reels at the realization. Titus cannot continue like this, or he'll put everything at risk, everything EO stood for. He brings Titus into the square. All of House Mars is there to watch. All of their captives are there as well, and so are the proctors. No medbots float nearby, a sign of their quiet consent for whatever justice they choose. Darrow sentences Titus to death and asks if anyone objects. Titus does, and he challenges Darrow to a duel, which Darrow accepts.

but Cassius steps forward and asks permission to honor House Bologna and fight him. Roken Quinn shake their head no, but Darrow allows it. Cassius kills Titus with vengeance. He takes his time. He screams, you killed Julian with every new blow. Darrow failed this test. It was not justice, and he weeps as he buries his red brother. Fitchner flies to Darrow while he's on watch duty. Darrow shares his frustration, and Fitchner keeps teaching him lessons. This is the perfect place to make mistakes, to learn about life.

he also tells him that he should care about what the proctors think of him. Apollo seems to have an issue with Darrow. Fitcher says Darrow is like a wolf, part of a pack but a lonely soul. Dero marks that Fitchner is as well. He choose metabolizers when he could just be carved. His lower looks are the only thing that makes him different from the other golds. When Fitchner mentions all his accolades and capabilities, Darrow asks why he is only a proctor. He's hit a small nerve in Fitchner. He asks Darrow what he wants for them a nerve and stand. He asks for more matches, horses, and weapons. Before he flies away, Darrow grabs his arm. A massive shock of paralysis flows through him. Fitchner is wearing hidden pulse armor. He asks about the jackal. Who is he? Fitchner says he's the arch governor's son,

and he makes Titus look like a piss ant. Fuck. This guy's getting worse and worse and worse. Do you think, I've always wondered this, do you think, Darrow makes a big speech about not public speech, kind of internal thoughts of that he goes, I will not, Eo's dream is not dying for fucking Titus. He puts all, he puts me and any other potential carved reds in jeopardy. Yep.

And I buy that. When I read it, I buy it and I go, yeah, okay. I just wonder if he should have tried to swing Titus. I've been like, dude, I am also carved, dude. I wonder it too, but it's the grand question, because you tell one, then a secret is not a secret. And Titus could tell anyone. Yeah. And this guy already hates him.

And sure, would that information be good? But think about it. Darrow gets this information. And his first thought is, I need to kill this person. Right. What would then happen if he told Titus, hey, me too. Titus might go, I need to kill you. Or I need to betray you immediately.

It's just when you believe that you are on a sacred mission, you cannot risk anything. And it's just absolutely brutal for them. Dangerous game. And it's tough. I have a comment about that later. And I think it is too risky. The more I process that I'm, I think it is too risky. risky. But, man, I almost wish he had thought about it. It doesn't even cross his mind. You know,

to your point, he just goes, I got to kill him. And I'm like, well, or, or let's think about it. And maybe if we even ended killing him still. I know. But it's brutal. The quote, how many more are there? How many has Ares planted here in the society, in the institute? It doesn't matter if it is a thousand or just one. Titus's instability puts every red ever carved into a gold at risk. He puts Eo's dream at risk, and that is something I cannot abide. Eio did not die so that Titus can kill a few kids. And it's said perfectly, the dude does not abide to this one. But he's also so reckless.

Darrow seemingly is on the same mission here, and he's like, this guy is out of control. Talk about, you know. He says she's harmony. Remember, he's like, this is what dancer didn't want me to become. And he's like, keep a low profile, buddy. Try to rise gracefully. And this dude is doing it with a fucking slight. He wants to kill a couple kids.

So it's a great point there. It's a great point there. Also, I've promised these are coming. This one is also not that bad. And none of them are bad. They're just funny. This one isn't that egregious but I love the Cassius is doing the, you killed my father

prepared to die. You raped her. You murdered her. Absolutely. It is very much both of those things and I love to. You killed Julian. You killed Julian. I was like, okay, great. Darrow doesn't, he goes against Roak here, which is cool. In the previous chapter, we got the Roak shut up thing. We get the,

we get the goal against Roak thing and letting Cassius kill Titus. It's a Ned Stark lesson, though, right? You make the sentence, you swing the sword. Yeah. And I'm curious if you think, Dan, part of it, this is what I wanted to call back to, I personally have always believed that Darrow, even though he never brings it up internally, and he's so disgusted with Titus, couldn't bring himself to kill a red. Absolutely agree. I think a huge part of the reason, I think there are two very good reasons. I think one is he literally looks at this, this chapter is called, uh, unity, right? Like it's, uh, before that it's his brother. Like it's, you know, he's talking about like

holy shit. This dude is a red as well. Yep. Yep. And he does, I believe, go, I can't do this. Like, yes, he's here. Yes, he needs to die, but I can't do it. But I also think equally important. it has become clear that Cassius is a person he needs by his side. Yes. He cannot do what he's doing without Cassius, and this is truly the only opportunity he can possibly see to let Cassius get any sense of his honor back. I don't think it's a power thing.

I do think it is honor, but to your point about killing Titus, Arred, here he says to everyone, for crimes of rape, mutilation, and attempted murder of fellow house members, I sentenced Titus Aladros to death. I list the reasons. Does anyone contest my right to do so? First, I glance to the proctors above. No one makes a sound. I stare at cruel vixis. His bruise is not yet gone. My eyes go to Cassandra next. I even look at craggy Pollux. The one who saved Cassius and opened the gates for us. He stands by Roke. How loyalty shift here. How my own shift. I will make a red die because he killed Golds. That is the like, what? I'm doing the opposite of why I am here. And no, doubt. I think that reality is part of the reason why he's like, I can't swing the sword. Yeah. And as you said,

that combined with genuinely wanting to help Cassius, remember at the very beginning when he meets Cassius, he kills Julian, figures out what happens. And he goes, oh, wow, for the first time, I am legitimately scared because I have someone who wants me dead. I have made a powerful enemy. Yeah. There's a little fear here too. If he listens to Roak, after Cassius says, you promised, remember, you promised me Titus. now if he listens to Roeke and goes Cassius, no. Yeah. Now you're creating a new enemy maybe. Now maybe Cassius hates you for taking that away from him, not letting him honor his family.

And now you're like, great. I'm back right where I started where there's the baddest dude, the other baddest dude in the house hates me. Because it's not just the Julian. Like that is the big, you know, he talks about the honor, but it's like this dude got pissed on. He got circle pissed. He got circle pissed. And he's like, yeah, I'm out about Julian. But also they pissed in me.

Yeah. They pissed in my open mouth. Unfortunately, the Institute is not the hockey locker. hockey locker and that's cool everyone goes that was hilarious slide around and p yeah oh my god have a good time here it's not cool at all but it is very important here how this you know this is this crazy moment where i'm sure darrell kind of wants to deal with and like think about the reality of what the fuck just happened this he's a red this is insane like i i there's another one here and then on top of that he makes the wrong choice by letting cassius do this he knows that the second he watches

Cassius kill him. He's like Titus is a monster. He's huge. He's strong, powerful. He's brutal. Cassius works him. Yeah. Dog walks him in this doable. It's brutal. So it's a, like he keeps saying, the quotes we've read, this was not justice. This was vengeance. But also he now has another example where he's like, God damn it, Cassius is dangerous. Yeah, yeah. Oh, so true, Dan. And then on top of that, he has the conversation with Fitchner. where he does notice something interesting with Fitchner, but also gets the information of the Jackal is the arch governor's son, and you thought Titus was bad, buddy?

You guys are fricked. Yep. And so, dude, the Fitchner Convo is awesome because, and I won't do any major spoilers here, but there's something, Darrow's on to something here, and it's that know-your-enemy attitude. I'm not saying Fitchner's his enemy.

He's his proctor, but that doesn't stop Darrow from observing, right? He goes, smart yet so fat. Why are you chewing metabolizers but not getting carved? He's asking these questions. This doesn't add up really. And another aspect, like you said, of the game being unfair is that the proctors do nothing but booze and watch these kids die. And even when they do come down, they're protected by this invisible shield. Right. So there are things off limits even to the students. I will say, as observant as Darrow is in this scene. When he goes, Cassius just killed.

Julian's killer. Aren't you watching? And Fitchner's like, I forget which one he says. He's like, one of them thinks, Mercury thinks you're hilarious. Apollo thinks you're a bad dude.

Yeah. Darrow right there, right there, dude, should be like, okay, well, the proctors know what I've done. Yes. I, like,

in the whole book, you're kind of going, this is Darrow's secret. So it's not going to get out unless he tells. And now I'm like, Darrow is like, you guys see everything.

And he's like, even when you wipe you, yes, dude. So I'm like, bro, like you said, as soon as it's one person knows, His Julian secret is not a secret.

So I think he needed his guard up a little bit more about like this is going to come for you. No doubt about it. The jackal being the arch governor's son is amazing because it's Pierce going deeper and not wider in the story. Nero A. Augustus is our bad guy from the moment he hangs the rusty bitch lest she continue to howl, right? You know, that's kind of our anchor the whole fucking time. And now 50-something percent in, everyone's talking about the jackal. that that fumeke is some kind of something and I'm here for it dude

like it's completely water cooler but it feels like it's pulling us in a completely different direction as the reader you go oh okay so I hate Nero but now I also hate this random kid and then they go whoops it's his son yes and you're like oh dude yeah yes

because I didn't as fun as this is I didn't want to get pulled in a second bad guy direction all good bro all makes sense yep that is that is just fucking that's clean living pal That's clean living. Read your last quote because this was a cool thing too. This was another thing that I loved about the end of this is as he says,

like, I made a mistake. He also, Darrow talks about how he's like, my standing isn't that strong. And when they take all the supplies from House Minerva, they get their horses and the group names his horse Quytis, which means the final blow. And his quote says, I do not realize till days later that when they named my horse Quidus, they were mocking me for my part in Titus's death.

And dude, I always read it as quietus, which I think makes sense because he was just silent, you know? I don't speak Latin. Yeah, yeah. It might be quietest. And then I thought that was so cool because of the line earlier that you read

when it goes, how quickly loyalty shift here. Right? Like, he gets the sick. I think that horse, like, kick the fucking something to death. So he's like, oh, I have a sick horse. And they're like, actually, we were making fun of you. Yeah. You're like, God damn it, dude.

We got to stay on your toes. Stay on your toes in the instance. Stay sharp. Chapter 30, House Diana. I forget that Cassius, Roke, Severo, and I are enemies. Red and gold. I forget that one day I might have to kill them all. They call me brother, and I cannot but think of them in the same way.

A month passes since Titus's death. House Mars grows strong. They have a proficient system for making food, storing supplies, and even the house seri slaves are put to good use and forbidden to be abused. Eventually, their water is cut off by the property. proctors. They build the trench system to the river. Darrow asks Cassius how to use the straight blade after he saw how easily he killed Titus. He's a fast learner, but he feels guilty knowing about Julian. The war with House Minerva gains no traction for either side, but the lust for Darrow is strong.

Pax hates him, and Mustang makes offers for his capture. With Antonia, we see, You would betray me in a heartbeat if it got you to Primus, I tell her. Yes, she says irritably, as I interrupt her fastidious nail maintenance. But since you expect, it. It shan't really be a betrayal, darling. Then why didn't you accept the offer? Oh, the dregs look up to you. It would be disastrous at this point. Maybe after you have failed at something, yes. Maybe then when momentum is against you. Or you're waiting for a higher price. Exactly, darling. Can't trust anyone around here. Severo has become attached to Dero's hip. He says he killed the wolf pack leader, and now that's

why the beast follow him around. Many of the dregs in House Mars take a liking to Severo, and soon they all wear wolf skins as well. They're called the howlers. Severo's followers are thistle, clowns, screw face, pebble, and weed. Darrow knows they need to make a move. Taking out House Minerva is the best play, but they need an alliance. He and Severo are to go, and Cassius says he'll come, but Darrow orders him to stay and watch the castle.

Cassius doesn't like this, but he relents. Darrow and several continue their scouting. They speak of the game they're in, and Darrow mentions that Severo has taken to this game brilliantly, but gains no merit. He suggests that he was a late draft pick, and was placed in the passage against what the proctor's thought would be a sure thing. He killed Priam, and now the proctors refused to give him fair treatment.

Severo says yes, and he says that Darrow killed Julian. They continue through the forest until they notice they're being watched up from the trees by House Diana. Darrow and several wait for them to speak. They put furs over their eyes and try to confuse them, but Darrow and Severo are sharp to their game. A brutish boy named Tactus tries to intimidate them as they're brought to the gate of House Diana. A girl named Tamara seems to be their leader. Darrow asks her to help take out House Minerva in exchange for House Saras. They need their bread and the rest of their food.

And an alliance is born. I want to point out here that I love a good, clean time jump in a fantasy series. Potter does this so well. It'll be like... Seasons change. Autumn turns to winter. And you go amazing. All good.

So here, just we jump a month and I go a month. But then it goes, well, listen, Darrow learned to fight with a straight blade. he's faster now. We fortified the castle and I go, oh, yeah, amazing. These are all things that you need to be done and I'm okay with that being done while we have moved into fall. Thank you so much. Expert work there. Also expert work. We get the formation of the Howlers here. I'm only calling this out to give Pierce credit again on naming stuff because Severo and the Dregs all wearing wolf cloaks and being called the Howlers is molten lava fire flames. Cool. Unbelievable. And they howl.

They howled. They how it's so cool how they see several, like, running around in the dark, killing fucking animals and eating them, just living on his own. And genuinely howling to the moon. And it makes sense that the dregs, like the low drafts who no one is really claiming would be like, I mean, dude, we're going to go hang with him. Because several's like, yeah, come here. Get a wolf pelt.

Let me teach you my ways. So they start howling to. It's so easily could have been called the wolf pack, Dan, or something, right? It felt like the obvious answer, but just the howlers is. fucking awesome, dude. That's why I have decals of houses all over my stuff. Holy shit. I really love how here we get the, not the first, but we get more evidence of not only

that the game is rigged, but Proctor's interference. It says the pumps to the washroom shut off after the first day and we have no buckets to store water inside in case of a siege. I doubt it was an accident. Yes, the game is rigged, but now also the Proctor's are interfering. They start doing shit. which is just one of those moments that makes Darrow and everyone be like, okay, I mean, we literally can't get too comfortable. And I think that's such perfect timing here by Pierce because they've done a

great job of taking House Minerva. They have way more stuff than they've ever had. They get to share fire with everyone. They're cooking meals. June. We've got a mission. We've got a chef here. It's easy to just get comfortable. Sit back in your castle and be like, yeah, we're chilling. But the proctors are like this. No, we will not allow that. You have to continue with the game. Yep. Challenges, challenges, challenges, right? Fitchner just told Tara, many. more mistakes will come, which I love. And this is just great writing, but there's constant push-pull with Darrow doing well and failing, doing well and failing. And Darrow isn't perfect, right? People, as you said, are whispering behind his back. His leadership fades. Cassius not coming with him and Severo

to the Great Woods literally makes perfect sense, which Darrow tries to point out. He goes, we can't leave Antonia here. Like, that would be literally insane. You and I are the most important guys. We need to split up. It's like when the like massive companies do trillion dollars. deals, they put them on different planes. Because they're like, if this crashes, there goes all the money. That's all that's happening here. But I feel like Darrow is cracking a bit mentally too, Dan, because a more clear thinking Darrow that we've seen many times already, in my opinion, would have incepted Cassius

to make him feel like it was his idea to stay, or at the very least made him feel part of the plan. But here, he just kind of recklessly orders him to stay. and it creates more of a rift, right? Because he's just like, you're staying. Yeah. And I'm like, then Cassie's like, fuck you, dude. I'll do as you suggested Reaper.

And I'm like, God, Darrell, like, do we? Well, what's so great about that moment is, I mean, you're right. But I, to me, it's not reckless. To me, it's embracing power. I mean, he is, he is the leader here. And also, he just did Cassius a fucking favor. Agree. So they're all getting comfortable.

And was Cassius, I'll come. I, you know, I even had an adventure in a while. That's annoying. Agree. You're Darrow being like, I'm trying to win, dude. I am the fucking leader here. Everyone looks to me as the leader. Don't clap at me after I just gave you a gift.

Yeah. So I don't really think it's him doing that because also. And he doesn't say, when he goes, was that an order? Darrow doesn't say yes. Severo goes, yes. And he's got, let's several being like, shut the fuck up and sit down. Yep. And I think that that's important because, yes, Cassius relents and he's like, yeah, I'll do as you suggested.

That's for his own ego because he knows if he tries. because he knows if he tries to stand up to Darrow there, he will lose. That's true. You're right about that. Even Quinn, his little girlfriend, would be like Cassius stop. Yeah. So it's like this is more honor from him. And I don't say that in a bad way.

But it's like I don't think it's short thinking from Darrow. I think it's Darrow embracing war and the reality. And it's like you can't always worry about everyone's feelings when you're trying to make tough decisions. That's extremely fair. Cassius is definitely doing his Malfoy, Pansy, Parkinson's. and like head in his lap, petting his hair moment here. But it's just, when that's your inner circle, I do think you're right,

but my only semi-counter is part of being a leader is making your inner circle feel appreciated and important. Because in that he's like, I need you here. Yeah. Like he literally says the word I need. He's like, I need you here, Cassius. Like otherwise, we are so exposed. Yeah.

So he is doing that. But Cassius's ego is so big that he still needs to say something. Yeah. So it's like, ah, shit. But also in that, what I really love, is the relationship of him and Severo. Yeah. I mean, we see for the first time in this chapter,

Severo and Darrow really starting to get along to bond to understand each other. I also think there is an element here of secrecy throughout the whole story. And Darrow feeling comfortable enough to kind of prod at things with Severo, which he wouldn't necessarily do with other people is very interesting. And I love this quote as we learn what we just revealed. I tell him what I've heard. He was the last one drafted. Fitchner didn't want him, but the drafters insisted. Several watches me in the dark. He doesn't speak. You were picked because you were the smallest boy, the weakest looking. Terrible scores and so small. They drafted you like they drafted all the other low drafts because you'd be easy to kill in the passage, a sacrificial lamb for someone they had plans for. Big plans. You killed Pream, Severo. That's why they won't let you be primus. Am I on target? And to this, Severo says, yes, I killed him. And he says something like I... No, it's, I wrote it down because this is, I put, this exchange is literally perfection.

It's perfection. Everything you just read, that's why they won't let you be primus. Am I on target? You're on target. I killed him like I'd kill a pretty dog, quick, easy. He spits the bone onto the ground. And you killed Julian. Am I on target?

We never speak of the passage again. It's so great. That is fucking incredible. It's so great because our theme in this section here is secrets. Yep. And who can know what? not only does Severo yet again

show that he is much more privy to this game than people suspected and that people even want to realize he's much better at this game than people realize but he also reveals to Darrow that he knows that

and has known the whole fucking time and guess what he told no one yeah it's awesome dude these initial schemes in these books in these chapters even though everything everything always gets so fucked up, which is realistic, by the way. Even though everything gets so fucked up,

these initial schemes are some of my favorite parts. This negotiation with Diana when they first get there. Darrow getting dressed pretty so he doesn't look like, you know, he's covering the scar, stitching the clothing, so they don't really know what he's done. But oh, they've heard of the Reaper. They fear the jackal too, right? They're like, we've heard of the jackal. They don't know where Sarie's castle is. Darrow needs help with Minerva. Tactis is a prick immediately. Darrow goes, oh, negotiate with food. Make a note of that, right? These moments where Darrow is plotting are very, very intriguing and are the chapters that you finish where you just, you go one more chapter and then you read this and you go, I have to keep going. Absolutely.

They just keep you humming along when Darrow really gets in his scheme game. Absolutely. That fires me up big time. On to chapter 31, the fall of House Mustang. I ride dressed for war, all in black, hair wild and bound by goat gut, forearms covered with Durosteal Vambruses looted in battle. My Deiro steel Quaris is black and light. It will deflect any edge less than an ion blade or a razor. My boots are muddy.

Streaks of black and red go across my face. Sling blade on my back. Knives everywhere. Darrow and Cassius are dressed for war. They ride to the gates of Minerva with their whole house behind them. They get to the gates and Mustang rides out to meet them. Darrow challenges packs to a duel with a couple snide insults about his balls. Mustang burns the grass surrounding them to make sure none of Mars hover.

for an ambush. Darrow and Pax square off and then the proctors come down along with a massive table full of food and wine. It's a compliment of sorts for them to want a front row seat. The fight begins. Pax's all strength, Darrow, all speed. Pax lands a few blows that send Darrow flying, mouth filled with blood. Finally, Darrow gets inside. He manages Pax's axe from his hands and strikes him on the head so many times that Pax finally crumbles. Daryl howls in victory and he's joined by the howlers and the rest of his armory. The howls echo as dozens of Mars and Diana soldiers emerged from the stomachs of the dead horses littering the ground leading to Minerva's gates. They're in the mud, Mustang shouts. She's almost right, but she thinks like a gold. Someone screams

as they see Severo and his howlers cutting their way out of the stitched up bellies of the dead bloated horses that litter the mud up to the gate. Like demons being born, they slither from swollen guts and parted stomachs. Unbeable. House Minerva is taken in less than 10 minutes. Mustang flees on her horse for the woods, followed by Vixus and Cassandra. Darrow follows knowing what Vixus does to prisoners. Darrow finds her first, but as he's accompanied by Vixus, he leads him away and lets her go to spare her shame. First major plot hole in this entire series.

Interesting. Right here. I know you of all people will agree. Okay. in Dara's fight with Pax, he gets banged around pretty good. Oh yeah. Cracks a molar. No way you survive the rest of this game with a cracked muller.

You got to go full Tom Hanks and castaway after that. 100% did. Figures skate to the tooth, knock it out. And later in the thing, he says many times. Like he's like, oh yeah, my mole. And I'm like, dude, a cracked molar. I don't give a fuck what color your body is. gold, silver, fucking pink.

How? A cracked molar is the end of it. Some of y'all have never had significant tooth pain, and it shows. Hey, Pierce Brown, go to the dentist one. Have us a real fucking pro. Try getting jerked off under the table. It's a real fucking promise. Get a root canal and then tell me if you think even Darrell could survive that.

Dad, he can't eat. He can't live. He can't live. He's going to starve to death. This is over. Cracked molar. Boom, boom. Give it to the jackal.

We're done here. We are done here. Fucking tremendous chapter, Dan, honestly. Tremendous chapter. I love this one because it's one of the, obviously we've seen so much brutality. I keep talking about all the times where it's like we have a fun chapter and then something horrendous happens. I just love the beginning of this when the quote that was read, I ride dressed for war. They are full battle armor, war paint, ready to rock.

And these are the times where it's like sling blade on his back, knives, everywhere. Sure, they're not killing each other, but I mean, kind of. Look at these fights. People are dying on accident. I mean, this shit is serious. Yep. It's sick that we get our Hector Achilles moment with Darrow and Pax. We've established a duals are a thing and it's cool and single combat is amazing. That was great. And I also loved that it's an awesome fight that Darrow kind of cheats. That makes it believable for me, honestly. With the way they describe Pax,

I kind of hate when they go, oh, there's any book or movies, like, this guy can't lose. And then our hero wins. And I'm like, how did he beat him in a fight? So it's kind of cool that Darrow is like, I had to blind, you know, he's like one hit. Oh, yeah. He's launching me through the air. And then I had to blind him basically with mud. And that's how I get my act.

That's how I get his axe. And that's how I win. Awesome. Great writing, great, great descriptions of fights, which is not easy to do. And leading up to it, there's a few funny moments where Darrow says to us, the reader, he's like, I just, you know, there's a big, plan here. We see that bigger plan. The howlers jumping out of the horses' stomachs dead on the ground. But he even says, he's like, I need to gain back some power, so I got to keep this deal-go. Yeah, I need a win for me too. He could have stopped the duel early. But I think in that

moment, he's like, this dude's huge, but I can win. I'm going to fucking win. And I'm going to fire everyone up. And he does. It is Achilles beating Boagrius. Yeah. Because it makes everyone in House Minerva be like, holy shit. Yeah. We've heard about the Reaper, but did he just beat Pax one-on-one in a Is there no one else? Unbelievable. Such a sick moment. So sick. I also, I like the reminders from Pierce, too, when they're talking about the gravity in that fight

where Darrow's like, I jump nine meters in the air. You know, he's like, Pax could throw me 30 meters. I'm like, Jesus Christ. House Minerva is getting a raw deal from House Mars in this, in this whole situation. That was a bad year for Minerva. I mean, we get Cassius and Darrow storming their castle, making them think they're overrun, stealing horses, stealing their cook, June. Yeah.

And then here, he'd do. their best guy, and then demons pop out of horse bellies to storm their castle and get inside the gate before they can lift up the drawbridge. That shit is so electric. The horse bellies, that is, I said the Titus is red is your first gut punch twist. This is your first, Jesus Christ, of which you will get plenty, but this is truly your first Jesus Christ. And I love to think the members of House Diana. So in this moment, Mustang is going down counting their number, She's like, this looks like Mars. This looks like everyone from Mars.

She even asks, like, where is your little goblin? Yeah. And Severo is on horseback in his wolf pelt and he raises his hand. Turns out those were House Diana's people in disguise. I love to imagine House Diana watching how that went down and being like, this is awesome. Yeah. Like, we have been out here just fucking eaten bread, being bitches. And House Mars is literally zipping themselves up in sleeping bags of dead horses.

Dude. They are nuts. Yeah, the legend, the true legend and lore of the howlers grow here. And it's fun to hear Darrow talk about them right before this, where he says, I give them the missions that need to be done quietly. But it's a totally different thing to sow them into the belly of dead horses overnight. Overnight. People scream from the rooftops that we need to give Leonardo DiCaprio an Oscar for sleeping in a bear.

Give every howler. Every howler deserves a statue. It's unbelievable. What do you think it was like in there? I bet it was warm. And did you think, by the way, did they bring, it was several hours. Did like, they bring snacks? Like, do you, do you get sewn in with some supplies? Got to. When I get hungry, I'm going to be snacking. They've got some deerling meat in there. Some goat. Yeah, yeah. Sure. I also wonder if you could tell when the sun came up even. Like, is it so dark in the horse that you can't tell it's become day. Because if you can tell it's day, you go, nice, we're almost. I think you can see through the stitching. We're almost out of. Dude, if it's pitch black and it the whole time, you're going like this. It's dark. What time is it?

Like, are we, you're starting to lose your mouth? Are you, I'm just waking up every day praying for a hell. Prayin for a howl. That absolutely insane. That last bit of this chapter, I think, is so important to point out, though, in that Darrow again shows empathy and compassion to these goals, the people he can't really figure out why he has some sort of feeling for. Yeah.

And chasing after Mustang, first and foremost, he's just won this huge battle. They're storming this castle. He leaves it. because he sees the wrong people chase after Mustang. Yeah. And he's like, dude, Vixus and Cassandra are psychopaths who are following Titus so happily because they are evil. I cannot let them get Mustang. Because as we've seen, Mustang is smart.

She's worthy. She's someone who would be good to have on your side. And the quote is, EO didn't deserve to die a slave to the society. And despite her color, Mustang doesn't deserve any sort of bridle. Yeah, yeah. And he's talking about because they said, Vixen says he's like, I can't wait to give her. bridal. Like, literally treat her like an animal. Yeah, like the horse. Yeah, dude, Darrow carrying what Severo thinks, caring what Cassius thinks. Dude, Christ, he almost

tell, don't forget, there's a part in this section where he almost tells Severo he's a red. Like, it just goes through his mind where he's like, this kid, I just, I feel I want to tell him. I bet he would like me even more. Yeah. Yeah. So think about that. This internal conflict roaring inside Darrow in these moments when he goes to save Mustang is the exact internal conflict that Titus couldn't access. Absolutely. He, that he did not survive that conflict and let one side win. Darrow having this internal internal conflict is what makes him different is why he goes, I love that. My last thought

for this chapter was I love the Proctor's dropping wine and stuff. You know, like they dribble wine on Darrow by accident. I would literally be staging big events just to get the Proctor's to maybe drop some food. Like I'd be like, hey, I'm going to go fight the Jackal. I'd be like, those are some nice duck legs. Try to

juggle them. Try to see how it goes. Oh, we're raiding a Minerva again. Everyone come watch. So real. I mean, you're gonna be kidding me. They're spoiled up, pulled rotten up there. I mean, some of that down. Derry even makes the joke.

He's like, pours him down. It's been a while. And then some drips on his armor, right? You've got to be like, yeah, yeah. He's like, it looks like blood. I'm like, let that up, baby. Lick that up. Okay, chapter 32, Antonio.

You can tell your master, he should come face me himself, I say. I make no words with dead boys, Lilith says to the air. The Diana soldiers attempt to betray Mars when they get inside the walls of Minerva. Darrow anticipated this. That's why Severo snuck inside as well. He burns all their food stores and shits in the water supply. Mars camps outside and sets bonfires around the castle to make sure they can't sneak out. Tamara tries to offer some Minerva slaves in order for safe passage and Darrow refuses.

On the fifth day, they try to escape and every single person is captured, except for Tamara, who falls from her horse and is trampled to death. Tactus cut the straps on her saddle. Several says he knew him growing up. He beat a girl half to death for refusing to kiss him. Darrow talks with Cassius and Roke. Cassius says Darrow will now be Primus after this victory. He calls Darrow his brother, and he means it. A girl named Lilith is brought to Darrow with a bag on her head by Quinn.

She says she comes from house Pluto and is there to speak to Cassius. Lilith says the jackal is offering 50 ion blades in exchange for the Reaper, dead or alive. Cassius tells her to slag herself, and Lilith tosses him a pouch. The jackal declares the Reaper dead by winter. Cassius tucks the pouch into his boot. Darrow fears the jackal knows about Julian. They're left with two ion blades, and Cassius says he can now teach Darrow to duel properly. Darrow knows a war is coming with the jackal, and they need to strengthen their position.

He sends Cassius and the howlers to take the rest of House Diana, but not before telling Severo he needs to steal what's in Cassius's boot. Cassius makes swift work on House Diana, and Darrow has earned his final bar to become primus. They will have the power of four houses and descend upon the south before the first snowfall. Roke tells Darrow he wants to kiss Leah. Darrow says he needs to take her someplace special.

And that night, Darrow is woken by Leah who screams saying that Roke has fallen into a crevice and broken both legs. Dero sprints out and soon realizes it's a trap. He dives into the brush in the night and covers himself with plants. It's Antonia, Vixus, and Cassandra. They threaten Leah's life if Darrow doesn't come out.

He hides as they cut her throat. wrote. Darrow waits until morning. He avoids Antonia and her henchmen and waits for Cassius and Severo to return from Diana. He tells them what happened and when they returned to the castle, Roque is nowhere to be found and Antonia and her henchmen have fled. They discuss what to do. Severo says he wants to go south to kill the jackal. They all argue about honor. The death of Leah weighs heavy on Darrow's mind. Tamara, Tamara, whoever you say it, audiobook people, is a backstabbing bitch. She's playing the game.

She's playing the game. But this is another example of these people don't know of a game. Dude, back in the game, I am the fucking game. I am the fucking. Like literally, dude, this is Darrow. I am the fucking game down. I mean, De House Diana is, listen, we have tactis here who clearly might be a problem.

Yeah, oh yeah. This guy is beating girls half to death because they won't give him a smooch. not a dude to associate yourself with. But otherwise, House Diana has been pretty simple. Yep. They are very much a pawn for Darrow to use in his chess match. And they have fallen for everything. He and Severo go for a nice walk into the woods.

They're found and he's like, I bet they're going to put for over our eyes and try to trick us and we'll easily figure them out and we'll just convince them with food, at which they did. And then they get here and he's like, Tamara's going to run in there and she's going to try to just take the castle for herself and then play games of Severo. Make sure you get in there too.

And several's like, I did and I shit in their water. They're dead. Like, House Diana just has no idea how to play this game. He even lays out all the options. He goes like this. Oh, yeah. Here are the three things that they could possibly do.

And here are the ways I'm going to fuck them in the face when they try to do them. And then they choose one of the three and then several fucks them in the face. It's just so awesome. But it's really great how Pierce gives and take groups with Dara where he fails. He's a mastermind. He fails. He's a mastermind. And the failures aren't stupidity.

It's just things go wrong. That's what happens in life and in. war. It really keeps you on your toes the character and us, the reader, which is great. Absolutely. So remember that thought for later. And then also when she's trampled to death, ooh, the saddles cut through. Tactus, most likely, another looming problem, always in this book. Another looming problem. Another looming problem. Tytus is gone. Don't worry. Here's the jackal and tactus. It's like, Jesus, fuck. Well, what's so electric about that and scary about that is, yes, there is another looming problem, but the problems get so much bigger.

Yeah. Because like any game, you can watch a game show on reality TV, something like traitors. The further you get in the game, the better the players are. Yep. So, of course, things are going to go worse and internally as well. Antonia has been in your house from the very beginning, has not liked you from the very beginning. And even in the little moments when he's earning Primus, when he's doing well, she gives him a nod

here and there. Like, I'm not really going to associate you, but you're, you're, you are leading. And it's a can't fall for it. Because yes, as the game goes on and other threats are much stronger and scarier because they've also gotten to this point. Internally, you also have people who are going, the game is almost over, which means someone's about to win. And I want it to be me.

So it's just every turn you are up against it. Someone has a knife ready to be at your throat. Yeah. And dude, the Cassius conversation that you brought up, I wanted to call out to when he calls Darron Roke's brother. Just two really important things here. One, I love the constant reminders of how absolutely fucked Daraways if Cassius finds out, you know, where he's like, I may have lost a brother here, but you are my brother now. And we go, oh my God, dude. And two, I brought this up early, early,

one of the episodes, Bologna is the main rival to Augustus. And Cassius, Abalona, brother to the guy you secretly murdered, going, I will make you an imperator in my first. fleet. It's amazing for Darrow. He says, oh, the Sons of Ares would come themselves to death if they found out I was an Imperator for the Bologna fleet. But it's not even that. It's for him too because he goes, oh, wow, I have an easy attack angle at Nero Augustus because this is his main rival. Yep. So great stuff there, just showing the stakes and the consequences of the actions that are taking place. And it's also just so crazy. We have two chapters ago, Darrow gives Cassius an order, which Cassius does not like. And then here, he is like, you're to be primus now. Yeah. And

Darrow says he can only see a teeny bit of jealousy in his eyes. He's genuinely like, you did it well, you led and you led well. And these two quotes kind of back to back, this is Roque. Lord on high, I never thought I would see the side of our handsome friend, Roak says. Humility, Cassius, is that truly you? And it is in that moment. Cassius is like, dude, I came in here, the cock of the walk, I am an alpha. And this guy has fucking blown me away.

And that's when he is like, dude, you know, he's, He says, I may have lost a brother here. That pain won't fade, but I feel like I've gained two more. He looks up fiercely, and I mean that, lads. I gory well mean that. We'll have to do ourselves proud here, but some more houses win the whole damn thing, but my father will need officers for the ships in his armada. If you're interested, that is.

The house polona always needs praetors to make us stronger. That is for Adaro. Yes, it is a good position, but it's as we keep talking about, the themes in here of secrets, the themes of your love for people you're supposed to hate is constantly at odds inside of Darrow. In that moment, the reader, you are with Darrow and that you're like, fuck, this is awesome. Yeah, yeah, yeah, dude, dude, totally. I'm going, I literally I'm going like this, I'm going like this, you get a tear in your eye being like, this is, yeah, dude, Cassius, you are his brother. I feel like you guys are brothers. It's just, amazing. The,

The battle inside, the torment is insane. Yep. Lilith arrival reinforces so much fear for me, and I'll tell you why. Every other house, how much have we been saying this the last two apps? Every other house we've encountered with Darrow and Mars hasn't seen shit. Sari's then Minerva, then Diana. It's all fun in games. Every time we meet someone, they go, whoa, the britt. There's the soups on.

It's all funny. The woodpeckers, we'll try to confuse them. They're all a fucking joke. Drinking fucking olive oil and eating bread. Yeah. Even the ones led by Mustang. Every house they've encountered in this entire book has been a joke compared to Mars. Then Pluto shows up with fingers cut off, cauterized by ion blades, teeth in their hair,

saying, I don't make words to dead boys. A mark has been placed on the Reaper. And you're like, holy fuck. They know exactly what's going down in here. No doubt, CP. And it's just like you have those moments with Diana. They're like, we've heard of you Reaper. And it's a, they're trying to sound strong and be like a little daunting.

But they themselves are like, yeah, dude, you're a savage. And this house Pluto Lilith comes up here like a girl with a heart-shaped face yet again comes up and is like we have a message for Cassius yeah about you fuck boy yeah we're going to kill you and you'll be dead by winter like dead dead not like hey we're gonna knock you out we and I have human teeth in my hair and like Roke notes it he's like did you hear the clattering yeah you see her hair it's those were teeth yep like this house there are no there are no tricks going to beat house Pluto, dude. This house plays no games. And dude, and then also the ion blade she gives Cassius with the promise of 50 more plus the secret gift for the millionth time,

this game is not fair. Yes. And Darrow is admittedly, immediately suspicious of the secret gift, but this goes back to what I was saying when Fitchner is like, the proctors know what happened. We watch you wipe your ass. I'm like, dude, that could literally only be one thing. Well, they do such a good of every time Julian is brought up, Darrow mentions to us the reader, there is a pit in his stomach and chill goes through his spine. It's always on his mind. And he also, they appears to such an unbelievable job, even with how much their friendship is growing, of being like, dude, Cassius is so dangerous. He sees him kill Titus with ease, the way he fights with a straight blade. Now we have two ion blades here. and he's like, hey, dude, I can teach you how to duel. And you're just like, oh, my God. Yeah. This is so bad.

And then some psycho girl shows up with teeth in her hair and gives him like a secret gift after being like, I am not talking to you. I'm talking to him. Yeah. We have a price on your head. You are like, I make no words for dead boys. Am I in trouble? Yeah, bro.

And then, of course, the end, the wind up and the pitch, Pierce Brown, four, seamer alert. Oh, my God. Roke is going to kiss Leah. We just are kids with crushes at the end of the day. I'm having so much fun. This book is intense, but now we get to relax for one second. Incorrect. Antonia and the scumbags have been bribed and trapped arrow and literally slit Lee's throat.

Are you having fun? Are you relaxed? Did you kick your shoes off? And I'm like, bro, what the fuck? Dude. What the fuck? And it's also another moment where who came down to help them? Yeah, as Fitchner says, if a few people die here and there, we won't make a fuck.

Dude, we were talking about off air about what Leah knows, because I do think that's a confusing part in this. Yeah. Is she part of the trap? Is she running out to be like, Darrow, Darrow, Rokes hurt. I can't reach him. Or does she literally not know? She has a gun to her head and they're like, say this to Darrow or we kill you. Oh, and and we kill Roke too.

Yeah. I think she don't know where Roke is yet. She plays a part. She is a, she is bait. Yeah. And she's doing it to try to save herself and Roke probably. Which was not worth it because Darrow has given you everything. Yeah.

And you need to stay in your fucking lane. Brutal. Brutal, but. Finally to chapter 33. Apologies. To turn down an invitation to the institute is an illegal act. And he was so delighted. And we, my mother and father and brothers and sisters and cousins and loved ones,

were so hopeful for him. He trained so hard. His voice takes a mocking tone. But in the end, Julianne. was fed to the wolves, or should I say wolf? Darrow wakes to Cassius telling him they found Roke. They begin riding in the night, as Darrow sees the two eye on swords he realizes the truth. Cassius knows.

He tells Darrow about Julian. He was never made for war or the institute. Some feuds never die. They were shocked when he got his acceptance into the institute. He trained so hard, but the arch-governor made sure to pair him with someone he stood no chance against. Cassius was going to ignore the pouch that, Lilith gave him because he trusted Darrow. Then several tried to steal it. It was a hollow of Darrow killing Julian. The game is rigged. The proctor sent it to him. Dero tries to reason with him.

Of course, the arch-governor would make sure his son got something like that. We have a quote. The jackal got a hollow, I snort. His proctor gave it to him then. Guess that means the game is rigged. Suppose it doesn't matter to you that the jackal is the arch-governor's son and that he's manipulating you into getting rid of me. He flinches. Didn't know the jackal was his son, eh? I reckon you'd recognize him if you saw him, and that's why he sent Lilith. I wouldn't recognize him. I've never met the bastard's spawn. He kept them hidden from us before the institute, and my family kept me from him after. Cassius feels betrayed. There's nothing Darrow can say, and they begin their duel. Darrow doesn't stand a chance. Cassius stabs Darrow through the stomach,

and leaves him to die in the cold, wet mud. What a dozy, dear. This section is awesome. This is what I wanted to call. I have a couple of things I wanted to call back on here. The Darrow is a genius. Darrow fucks up. Derro's a genius.

The back and forth on and on we go. That continues here because telling Severeaux to steal Lilith's gift costs him everything, right? Now, would Cassius really have never looked? Tough to say. He says he was going to. Tough to say. And probably more importantly, the Proctor's would have just kept trying. The Proctor's would have found a way to get it.

get him. But this slip-up is what pushes Cassius over the edge. And it's this dynamic of something that you and I are about to debate in a second. But before we do debate that, not for nothing, I kind of need Severo to update Darrow on status of this mission. Like, they're back, you know. And Severo has plenty of time to be like, so I did try to steal that. And he stopped me. Well, we don't know that. Cyber doesn't know he got seen. Yeah, I believe Severo tried. And like it didn't work out. and Cassius noticed. Yeah.

But Severo did not notice that he noticed. And so in Severo's mind, he's like, I'm still working on it. Yeah. But dude, they come, this is, this is the beauty of the writing of this chapter in this section by Pierce. There's so much distraction. Yeah. That makes so much sense.

They take down House Diana. They are riding back. Severo in his head is like, yeah, I try to steal it, but I didn't pull it off yet. I will tell Darrow that. But then they see Darrow outside the castle. And they're like, what the fuck are you doing here? He looks pale as a ghost. Yeah, yeah.

like they literally cut Leah's throat and Roque is missing. Yeah. That distracts several from saying anything. And then on top of that, Darrow, in this moment, should be on his edge all the time of like, he's back. Has he watched, or what was in that? Yeah, yeah. But instead, Darrow is now like, I just heard Leah's throat got slept.

I could have helped, but I didn't because I need to save myself and I need to save our whole movement here. And now where's Roak? He is distracted too. It's just such perfect setup. There's a reason. Severo doesn't say anything and why Darrow isn't thinking on his feet. It's brilliant.

It is brilliant, Dan. And this plotting of this whole thing is brilliant because, and this is what we can get into, Jackal gets the hollow, obviously rigged, blatant cheating. Cassius, not knowing, it's the arch governor's son, is just awesome. Because he's so high and mighty here about Nero is a rat. Look at what Nero did to my family. He sent Julian here. It's illegal for us to refuse.

He sent Julian here just because he's. a balona. I hate Augustus. And Darrow's like, well, hey, moron, killing me, you just let Nero win. And it's Nero's son win. And to Cassie's point, he's like, fuck, you killed my brother, though. And this is what we wanted to debate because the manipulation that I was talking about with Severo is it's not just that he killed his brother, it's that he lied. I think that weighs really heavy. Oh, I mean, listen, it is, it is brutal. We could talk about this forever. And I go back to the, what is your opinion on something. Yeah. Did he lie? No. He just never said anything. He manipulated. He didn't lie. He manipulated. I disagree because I believe manipulation requires

action. Darrow. With the tightest thing, he looks like someone else, he killed someone else. But it's Cassius's thought. And Darrow just says nothing. He's like, I'm going to let him believe that because it's good for me. I believe manipulation takes action. But it's similar to what Virginia says about Titus. When he's like rape, mutilation, and Darrow says, I did nothing. And she goes, correct, you did nothing. So here as well, Darrow did nothing.

He could have been like, no, dude, Titus didn't kill him. Yeah, he could have done that. Yeah. But instead, he chooses to do nothing and let him believe the lie. Yes, that is a form of manipulation. But I don't believe it's active manipulation. it's passive manipulation, which still feels like manipulation.

Yeah, if you were a casting. Totally. But at the same time, I said to you earlier, I love this from Pierce and I love this from Darrow because all the time in movies and TV

when someone gets called out for someone, someone is about to be executed for something, we want them as the reader or as the viewer to go, fucking say what happened. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Tell everyone the truth. Darrow does it here.

It's amazing. He's like, dude, what would you have me do? Let Julian kill me? Would you have been, would you have allowed yourself to die because it was someone's brother it's the game it's the passage and you just you admitted yourself the arch governor clearly put him against me knowing he would die that's not my fault and then what do you want me to do as i look at you as a brother and my greatest

ally am i just supposed to tell you right off the bat hey dude i killed julian by the way and then we're dead it better to have you understand me to us forge a bond and we get to it when we get to it and here we are are you going to kill me for it and cassis is like Yes. Yeah. So there's a part of me that's like Cassius, again, twice now in this same section, in this same episode, allows his emotions and his vengeance to take the better of him. And that's why I'm like, yes, I feel for Cassius, but I'm also like, you're a bitch.

Yeah. You are being ruled by your emotions when logic is put directly in your face and you spit on it. Yeah. I don't forgive Cassius for that. I don't either. And I think you're right that logic is put in his face and he goes, well, I'm killing you just for, for honor. Because what I presume to be honor, like, I am killing you to honor my brother who you go. The part we disagree on and we don't have to, like, we'll never agree on.

Sure. Is I think Darrow needed to tell him right away because there was a chance in the beginning. Yeah, because I just think this building this bond is too much manipulation for me. Whereas if right away he went, dude, maybe not at that dinner when everyone was hot, but right after that he was like, dude, I just let's get this out of the way. It was me. It's the passage. Cassius would have been fuming mad at him. And then maybe, maybe they could have built something back someday because when he thought it was Titus, he didn't go try to kill Titus. In fact, he didn't threaten Titus's life at all till he found out Titus was raping people. And he believed he killed his brother the whole time. So it's like, it's not like he would have just been like, I'll kill you. And his only hope, Darrow's only only hope ever, was to tell him first, and then the more he let it go, the more he was always going to be stabbed in this situation. Yeah, yeah, I know, and I just said, I don't disagree, I do disagree with that because there's, there's a couple things. One, to that point with Cassius, his only bonds have been surface layer jokes. Yeah, and if he went

like this, dude, I was with Julian. There's nothing I could do. After everything he knows of Cassius, his ability in dueling, his this, his that. If Darrow gets killed there, and then there was a way in the veil to address dancer to Mickey to go, you fucking idiot? You told Cassius immediately and that's why you, Chris Powers,

would never win a game like traitors or something like this because you would allow your empathy to be like, well, let me just, I'm gonna want to keep everything above board here. That's how you get killed. And his not only chance was to tell him right away.

In fact, I think his only chance was to pray to God he never finds out. Yeah, but unfortunately the proctors were always going to make sure he knew. But he didn't know that at the beginning. Fair. The game is rigged, dude. Yeah.

Darrow played everything correctly. The game is rigged. But this also didn't work because he died. Like, he has been killed and now he has to go meet dancer in the veil and go, hey, I lied to Cassius for too long. Correct. But in my version, he made it way longer and got cheated. In your version, he dies because he's a moron. I want, I just want you.

I want you to know that. With the hope of never dying. Like, your version has no chance of ever surviving. That is not true. Again, we can't waste air time with this because the reality is there is the hope that he never finds out that is the same level of reality in hope as hoping he'll go, I forgive you, stranger. And you know. I don't.

I don't know it. There's a brutal part of this where we have two chapters in a row where Darrow rushes out with Leah to get Roke and realizes, oh my God, I have run into a trap. The literal next chapter, he is awoken by one of his brothers and best friends here in the Institute and walks outside and he says, wiping sleep from my eyes, I look over to Cassius. He has our two ion swords and suddenly a pit opens in my stomach as I realize what's what. Foreshadowing. He doesn't know where Roke is, but he knows something else.

Two evenings in a row. Tough couple nights. Woken up in the middle of the night to stumble out into a trap and you're just like, oh, dude, this game's getting too much. Dude, the thing I asked you to remember from the beginning, rage confuses them. Credit to me for remembering this. I really love to. This wouldn't really have changed it, but Cassius says it's not that you kill them. it's how you killed him.

Yeah. We turned into monsters at this institute. You showed up a monster. Yes. And it's, that's true. And for those that, that means literally how we learn that Cassius does a dance while he fights. His cravat is beautiful. Darrow bashed his skull into Julian.

And yes, Cassius sees that and is like, you mutilate him. The rage confuses that. What is, yes. And then here's my other, this is just a funny aside, dude, but they separate the kids. It is funny to me that every other kid pretty much knows each other. Like, yes, it's like, Priam, Antonia. It'd be funny to me that if there's famously sets of kids that are separated and you get to school and you know everyone except one person, there's one really good powerful gold,

you're like this, oh, that's probably the other family's kid. Because I know literally everyone else at this school. No, because he doesn't know Darrow, right? Yeah, but he's from like a far asteroid belt. Yeah, sure. But I mean, like, they live, you know, semi-separable. It's a big planet, dude. Yeah, like, it is what it is.

Multiple planets. It's just hilarious. I mean, it's the Montiuse and the Capulets. Like, that is 100% what it is. Like, you don't know each other because they're like, do not ever fucking look at that family. Yeah, they don't exist. They do it probably because they're like, we can't have you guys fall in love, man. Like, it's, oh, Drew, yeah.

They claim it's for assassination attempts. If we know anything about Pierce and his references and the things he pulls from of classic literature and great stories, this is certainly that. Yeah. It's, you know, it's amazing. That takes us to our. honors for this episode. We will start with, from the scrolls of Tyrion Lannister, given to the character who provided

the most impactful words. This episode, we are giving it to Mustang. For me, Mustang here, as we met her last episode, continues forth with the way that she reacts to what she sees in Mars's castle, with the way she reacts to Titus, and then the things and the wisdom she gives to Darrow. just shows that she, like Severo in a much different way, understands this game. She understands this world, the people, the golds. And it feels like every time she heeds any sort of warning, it quickly comes back around and is like, yeah, Darrow, you should pay attention.

He even does it immediately, as you called up with the evolution line. He's like, you didn't evolve, Titus. Like, come on, dude. Virginia, I think, represents truly the best of all of the goals that we have met up to this point. every time we see Fitchner, it feels like he gives a little bit of wisdom. Every time we see Daryl interact with Virginia, she just like knows something. She has a grasp on something very impressive. Yeah, dude, for me, she's such a genius, and I know that she gets tricked

because she couldn't have seen the horses, the horse bellies. But it's literally her for that opening line at the beginning, warning him about the jackal. Which is she doesn't care. I go back to that roke line again. Isn't a stronger Mars, blah, blah, blah. Virginia is literally looking at this so big picture that she's going, I don't care if we don't win. You need to win better than that guy. And that is something that we haven't seen from any gold ever, putting the big picture better than themselves.

And what's so sharp about that line by her is when she says, you should hope that that's not true. Darrow's talking about it. He's like, dude, it's a game, man. Like, you've got to be brutal. You've got to do this. You've got to do that. And she goes, you should hope that's not true because there's. another boy here like you, but he is more evil. So if it actually is that way, you will lose.

And we're all fucked. She sees Indaro that he's not a monster. She's like, you are good at this. Yeah. And you do have compassion. But there's another person in here who doesn't. So if this game is in fact this brutal, you will lose. So pray to God, it's not. That stuff is just why Mustang is the goat. the next honor Dobby the house elf given to the character who is the unsung hero providing aid behind the scenes

could have gone to Cassius in a lot of ways we had a long discussion because he was instrumental in many parts of the section taking Diana taking Minerva mostly accepting Darrow's rise minus that one I'll do as you suggested Reaper it was so nice to Roken Darrow

calling them brothers vulnerably offering them jobs in the fleet all amazing but we are actually going to give it to the howlers. Haulers. Because this is the section of the book when they are formed. They sneak inside Minerva when they knew Diana was going to betray them and they're lighting fires

and ruining the water. Several taking dumps everywhere. They're also buried in the horses, which is just nasty work. Nasty nasty, nasty work. But it's from the asides that Darrow gives for me. The howlers are given the quiet jobs and they don't complain. In fact,

relish in those opportunities. And it's the loyalty of the dregs that, as Antonia says, is what keeps some of Dero's enemies at bay. The howlers are vitally important to everything Dero does most visually in this section so far. So if anyone is the unsung hero to the rebellion at this moment, it is certainly the ones with wolf cloaks on their back. I mean, they are true glue. If you sleep in a horse's belly. Oscar. You were going to get an Oscar. Should have got And you were going to get Dobby the House cell phone. The way of the Benegeserate given to the character who cannot be trusted or shows outright devious nature. A lot of backstabbing in this section and a lot of devious nature, but it goes to Antonia.

From the moment we met Antonia, it felt like we could not trust this son of a bitch. She's rotten. Cassie has told us she's a peach, a rotten peach. She is truly a rotten peach. and at no point through all of their plights and struggles, does Antonia show any sort of olive branch with Darrow? To the point where it was almost foolish of Darrow to not completely suspect something from her at any moment.

Maybe he did, maybe he didn't. But Antonia sitting there, waiting in the wings, waiting for her opportunity to manipulate what feels like genuine romance between Roque and Leah and take that and use it as a way to try to either capture, kill what I would assume Darrow. And then when Darrow doesn't show to slit the throat of her bait is just horrifying. She finds the most evil crony of Titus to immediately bring into her ranks. This person is evil. Dude, I would argue, after everything we've seen with Titus and all this

bullshit, Antonia's act is possibly the most senseless act of violence in the whole book so far. Because Titus's tricks, I re-raped people, which is not chill at all. No. But when he gets so-and-so trampled outside of Minerva after they gave him the razor bread, he's retaliating things. You know, this is straight up. Yes. I'm going to slit your throat just to try to get primus, basically. Yeah, it's brutal because the argument is Titus was playing a game.

Yeah. And you could say, so is Antonia here. They're playing a game to get Darrow to take his. power away, but slitting Leah's throat felt senseless. Oh my God. You still, you have her captured. We don't know where Roke is. You don't need to kill her.

Cut off her ear. Mm-hmm. Cut off her legs. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. But to just slit her throat in cold blood, knowing that the medbots can't come down and save her that quickly is just horrified. The medbots leaving her dead body there so fucking gnarly. Absolutely real.

And our final honor, sword, axe, and bow given to the character deemed to have earned our loyalty, belief, and trust above all. In this section, we are going with the goblin, Severo. Last episode, we talked about how incredible Severo's reveal was by Pierce, waiting until such a great moment to bring him back out of the woods. But in a book where we spend a lot of time, truly a lot of time, not being sure who we are actually rooting for, who we love, who we're against, Julian is our best friend, just kidding, he's dead. Cassius, is my brother, just kidding, he killed me. We're caught with all that constantly flipping. Severo spends this section establishing himself as Darrow's right hand man, as his shadow, as Mustang says. He does the jobs and there

Darrow needs him to do without a word and when he does have thoughts, he has the confidence to voice them, bitching about how stupid this game is. Why aren't we going to fight the jackal that whole scene when he runs off? Darrow feels so connected to him during this time. I mentioned before he almost tells him he's a red for crying out loud. We've talked a lot about Mustang and the compassion the higher thinking she shows in this. That's why we gave her scrolls, even as a gold. But Darrow notices unique qualities in Severo, too, and it's because he is different.

He hasn't had an easy upbringing. That shaped his POV in something not that dissimilar to a red. And I will say one minor demerit for not successfully stealing Cassius as Hollow. We needed that one, buddy. He didn't have enough time. But otherwise, otherwise, Severo, you have my loyalty, belief, and trust above all, buddy. in a time in this book and in the game where darrow needs anyone to be able to lean on and rely on i mean

severo i'm clinging to severo like severo was clinging to darrow i am clinging to severo because he is a hero in this moment that we do let's go back to batman he's not the hero we deserve but he's the hero we fucking need that we need well mustang rides hiding in the woods darrow lies dying in the mud with a sword wound gaping through his gut we leave this episode and we'll head next week into section four of these books to see darrow's fate this is sci-fi section and we'll see you next time hail reaper