record_id: 30df8b3e-f83d-81ad-b808-e2cfd7589b1f
created_time: 2026-02-20T05:06:00.000Z
title: 02-18 To-Do Review: No Pending Items Identified
source_url: /

[TRANSCRIPTION]
Speaker 1 00:00:50
I'll Be back at six, period.
Speaker 2 00:01:09
I will return before dark. Nodding, the man took her fingers in his and bent over them, the picture of dignity in the face of adversity. He withdrew, And a moment later, the litter bearers hoisted Albus and the woman into the air once more. Twenty years ago, my nexis would have answered as you did. Albus glanced at the woman through the corner of his vision ;. She was looking through the curtain much as Aurelia had done that morning, but then she shifted on the bench seat and faced Albus. It was a ridiculous notion, unlikely to succeed, And I told him as such ;, but he can be very stubborn when he gets an idea in his head. The censure was spoken with obvious affection. Did you know the Macedonians have everything they eat and drink tasted for poison? Albus shook his head, trying to think back to the few meals he had shared with Aurelia. Out of sight, of course. They would never admit to such a weakness. They are beloved of Tuura and Talo after all. Here the woman's voice took on a mocking edge: Your Pelorin is very good, madam. May I ask how? Monaxos has been hidden from the world for many generations. Ah, so the secret never came to light? She smiled a little: I suspected as much. What do you mean? The woman looked at Albus for a long moment. A breeze blew the long white curtain across the litter, the fabric gently caressing her cheek.
Speaker 2 00:02:05
My name is Callisto Knox Philopos, and I am the last Venaxian ambassador to the Seven Cities. Albus gaped; he would not pretend otherwise. Ambassador? My name is Callisto Knox Philopos, and I am the last Venaxian ambassador to the Seven Cities. Albus gaped; he would not pretend otherwise. Ambassador? How? Callisto Knox Philopos reached up and removed her headdress, Revealing close - cropped white hair and a band of red where the headdress had clung tightly. The pearls shivered. She rubbed her temple, then returned her gaze to Albus. Forty years ago, when my nexi and I were young to the impulsivity of youth. But not yet beset by the troubles of age, we traveled in secret to Torridium. We did so as representatives of an illicit congress formed by certain citizens of Anaxos who saw our future, or at least glimpses of it, and did not like what we saw. We sought if not aid and alliance, at least a connection to the other cities of the Yannarian Sea. We had no plans, no real sense of what we could hope to accomplish. But Anaxos was a closed cavern swallowing, all that did not conform and fall in line just as shadows swallow light. What happened? Albus asked, as rapt as a child enthralled with a bedtime story. We spoke with the Vismarchas; the Imperator of Ria was there as well.
Speaker 2 00:03:03
We were welcomed cordially and with some curiosity, as you might imagine. The Imperator especially seemed understanding of our circumstances and empathetic. But we acted outside the will of the Wisdams, who those who truly ruled on Axia in their name. And so though we stayed nearly a year, in the end they dislodged us and released us to settle.
Speaker 3 00:03:18
From D R summarized appointment reminder for June eighth at two p m saved date to calendar.
Speaker 2 00:03:26
It was a banana could do nothing for us. The smile returned, sadder this time could do nothing would do nothing, I do not begrudge them their decision. In fact, I quite admire their ability to keep our visit a secret. Monexis and I returned to Oraxus, and have not left it since. And now, this illicit congress, these certain citizens? Calista sighed. Gone or nearly. Only one other of our small group was alive at that time. ;. The rest are few and younger, passionate but she paused and shook her head without experience. I fear our hopes are but a guttering flame. Hence the poison Albus murmured, The desperate choice of a desperate man, who knows he will die before. Change comes to the city, he loves'. Albus looked at her, the depths of her dark green gaze. 
Speaker 2 00:04:02
And the sorrow he saw there, searing into him. He opened his mouth to speak, but Callisto cut him off. Do not question your decision to deny him wine. In the end, Menexes would have come to regret it. Our life has taken joy from him, and it shows. He used to love dancing and music. Now he is stiff of body and mind, his heart heavy, cold even to those who do not know him. But he is still a good man. Then if not poisoned? What would you have of me, madam? Callisto studied Albus for a moment, then lifted the curtain with one crooked hand and took a look outside. It is not what I would have of you. My lord of A rc omnia ;. It is what you might have of me. She returned that gaze to Aldus. I fear my own city is lost, destined to wander through darkness until such time as she can be renewed. But I would not wish this darkness upon your city or any other. I may be able to impart some information to you that proves useful in the fights to come. What sort of information? There is one among our number who believes he has discovered the secret of how Philexianox Macedonos made the second spheres. Aldus frowned. Philexianox, mother of Aurelia and Aurelion, the very same. You said made? The frown deepened across Aldus's forehead. Callisto raised an eyebrow, "I did." I thought Aurelia spoke such with dramatic effect. 
Speaker 2 00:05:00
I did not think. He trailed off, then mustered logic and realism to his side. Surely what you suggest is impossible. Callisto offered merely a small shrug. I am far too old to debate what is and is not possible, my lord. I will let you speak with the child, And you can call it what you like after you have heard what he knows. Why? It is my hope that by learning something of their creation, you may learn something of their destruction, Callisto said, her voice taking on a steely edge for the first time. You understand they do not suffer pain and hunger as the rest of us? Yes? Yes, Albus murmured, his mind drifting back to his first glimpse of the second spheres. Covering the plains of Nexus like snow on a mountain. Then cold, he added, remembering Aurelia's words.
Speaker 3 00:05:36
Ashlynn liked your message.
Speaker 2 00:05:39
Exactly. They will be difficult to get, Callisto said briskly. And how am I to meet your friend? Plots upon schemes upon secrets, Albus felt his head filling up with them. He took refuge from that swelling storm in Callisto's steady gaze. It will not be easy, she admonished. Monexis and I planned this moment from the day we learned of your existence in our city. And despite having a spy in the Macedonos house, it was not easily designed and executed. A good deal of luck was involved. Do you think you could venture to create a little luck of your own, my lord? Albas thought back to his ill-designed escape attempt. He could still feel the prick of fish bones on his skin and swallowed. Of course, madam. The person you must meet is a priest of Talo, or at least this is the mask he wears. He will know you by sight. You will express a wish to Orrea to visit the great temple of Talo. The girl will be delighted, and surely she will accompany me, Albas said, His mind whirling with images of attempting a surreptitious meeting directly under Orrea's nose and failing. Calisto pressed her lips together, exhibiting a touch of her husband's impatience. You will make no objection to her company?
Speaker 2 00:06:29
The morning of the visit, you will hang a white cloth on your balustrade. This will signal to our watcher to begin the diversion. Aurelia will be kept occupied elsewhere, and you will have your moment at the great temple undisturbed. Skeptical, Albus began to speak, but Callisto went on. I assure you, my lord. I know the girl like I know the wrinkles on my face. I know what will draw her in. She placed a hand on Albus's forearm, her touch light but compelling. See that you suggest this visit soon. I know that departure is set for the anniversary of their birth. Your time here is limited. Albus felt his heart patter in his chest Her words invoking something deeper than just his time in Anaxos Since setting out from Arkonia a lifetime ago, he had become somewhat unexpectedly. Rather accustomed to notions of his own mortality occupying the corner of his mind, he nodded. "I will do as you say, madam," and I thank you. The litter drew to a halt, and Calisto replaced her headdress, patting it at the edges, setting the pearls dancing. She reached for the handle on the litter's door, then drew back. "My lord," she said slowly. "There is one more thing you must know." You have been speaking with a dead woman." And before that her dead husband Albus Blake." Aha? Calisto went on. " M axim us died eight years ago, peacefully in Lesleth within days of each other, at least that is what this city believes what the Matadors' parents believed, and now what their twins believe."
Speaker 2 00:07:27
Albus bowed as best the litter and his seated position would allow. Understood. With a smile, Callisto opened the door. Albus clambered forth. He was not far from the place that strange journey had begun. He placed his hand on the litter's window. Will I see you again? Albus was aware this was a frivolous question, and yet the answer was suddenly and utterly dear to him. He was not ready to walk away from this tenuous connection to something that might have been hope, Or at least the knowledge that there were those in Onaxos, who were not prepared to bend a knee to a pair of twins, no matter how godlike. Callisto Knox Philippus laughed. There was kindness in it, but no small amount of tolerant wisdom: "I very much doubt it." Archaeodyulus. Albus withdrew his hand and stepped back to allow the litter bearers room to move. They set off, brisk as ever, bearing away one small elderly woman full of courage and wisdom and gentleness. And Albus was very sure, in that sad sort of way one can be very sure, he would never see her like again. As the litter disappeared around a corner, her last words echoed in his head. And Albus wished only that he could have known her under his true name, that Callisto Oxphilopos had known Albus Courtney not Archaeodyulus, that it had been Albus the scholar not Archaeo the noble.
Speaker 3 00:08:25
Ashlien said, I just responded for you to that recruiter. She's sending you a message in your email inbox for a ten o'clock interview tomorrow.
Speaker 1 00:08:37
I Received it period. Thank you period. Smooches. 
Speaker 2 00:08:46
Stowed her grace and trust and confidence, but then who was Albert Courtney to be worthy of such gifts, chapter thirty like a heart from a living chest. Do you want to spend death underground? Manon frowned at the question as she peered between the branches of the last trees that stood between them. And their destination, Cyprien's destination. Most people end up there. That's not what I asked, Luca said, giving her a sidelong glance. He returned his attention to what lay ahead of them, his gaze tracing the shoulders of a mountain, A behemoth out of place amid the flat, green plain, stretching from east to west and disappearing into the sudden horizon, Foreboding, no matter how many growing things it welcomed onto its slopes in the warmer months. The peak lurked somewhere in cloud though the sky was otherwise spotless. Fine. I suppose I'll end up underground.
Speaker 2 00:09:24
Just as my ancestors have. Does that answer your question? Luka shook his head with mock seriousness. Actually, no. I didn't ask about your ancestors. I asked, what do you want? Menon sighed and shrugged. I hadn't thought about it. My family has a mausoleum and my place is marked. You've obviously thought about this. What do you want? She expected a ready answer, Something about returning to the forest to feed the worms and the birds and even the foxes, instead there was silence and she glanced at Luka, the hunter looked pensive, a furrow in his brow, the mountain claiming his attention. The ground seems very cold, he said at last, but cremation is he trailed off. I believe the word you're looking for is final. Perhaps non-negotiable, irrevocable. Luca laughed, the tension releasing from his face. All of that. Still, I wouldn't want my final home to be here, beneath an unfathomable weight of stone. I imagine you wouldn't want to be buried next to twelve alaskian skeletons either, no matter how many jewels sat on their bony fingers. Luca looked at Manon again, one eyebrow raised. You're surprisingly cheerful. I'm not sure I want to know why. Manon shook her head. No, I'm not. But I'd rather pretend to it than dwell on the dread filling my chest. Come on! And. With that, she urged her horse forward out from the shelter of the trees into the sight of the mountain of The Long Night.
Speaker 2 00:10:21
It wasn't until the cloud - dipped mountain filled nearly her entire vision that Manon caught sight of a sign of the Fisher King. Several sets of hoofprints, in a bare patch of earth. Unidentifiable as specifically belonging to Cyprian and the three men from Verdiant Court, but the plain around the infamous mountain was known to be uninhabited, And Manon did not think the casual traveller would stray so close to the tomb of the Eleskues. More than that, They'd found a body strung up between a pair of trees as day, faded to twilight the night before. Straddling what passed for a road heading south from a small village. Stripped naked and branded, The charred mark on the man's belly as clear, a sign of the dead king's presence as could be wished for. The village had been shuttered Nothing but dark windows and cold hearth, like a wounded animal trying not to draw a predator's eye. It was only later, when Manon was trying to find sleep behind her eyelids, that she realized the body could have been a signal directly to her. A breadcrumb to follow. A life ended abruptly simply so Cyprian could be assured she would not get lost. There beneath the spreading limbs of an ancient oak, the night song of birds and insects drumming a persistent chorus in her ears, Manon had understood this to be the truth. Understood that the king wanted her present for whatever came next, for whatever he wrought deep within a mountain tomb. This ought to have been a bone-chilling thought and it was. 
Speaker 2 00:11:18
To be the object of the king's attention, whether in favour or out of it, seemed to invite the certainty of a painful death, later if not sooner. But, the chill was offset by the barest warmth of the memory of Perrin's face. Perhaps it was Perrin who wanted her there. Perhaps he still had the power to sway Cyprien. Whatever sleep she found that night was bought with that thin sliver of possibility. That possibility seemed to fade with every step. Her horse took closer to the base of the mountain. Though the ground was rich with wildflowers in shades of pink and yellow, and Manon even saw a pair of burrowing weasels scamper across their path, there seemed a shadow in the air, not quite malevolent, given shape as the mountain blotted out sun.
Speaker 2 00:11:48
Manon shook off the feeling as best she could, but a glance back at Luca brought it rushing back, stronger than before. The hunter's face was pale, his reins limp in his hands, his lips slightly parted. His horse drifted onward, nose dropping to sniff out a tasty flower, directionless in Luca's slack grip. Manon reached out for the loose reins and stopped them both. "Luca?" Without a word he slowly brought his hand to his chest, his fingers groping at the collar of his shirt. Tugging it down, he revealed the glassy black mark of Cyprian's hand and Manon saw it was smoking. "Luca, " she repeated panic rising to her throat. Absently. He looked down taking in the faint tendril of smoke. As though he could not quite comprehend. Are you all right? Does it hurt? He shook his head, a slow ponderous movement. No, he said at last, the word passing like thick mud through his lips. And then he raised his gaze and sought Manon's face. I can feel them, the words came slowly on a shallow exhale. All of them, he blinked and his fingers tightened around his shirt. Like the very sun has gone from the sky, a sharp inhale, a tear falling down one cheek, Fear in those eyes eyes that Manon had come to think of as unbreakable they are everywhere. Manon watched helpless she angled her horse closer. 
Speaker 2 00:12:47
Bringing herself alongside the hunter, his eyes lingered on the place she had been, seeing without seeing, locked in his own intimate prison of horror. She leaned over and grabbed at his hand. "What can I do?" Luka? "What can I do?" Nothing was the answer, though he did not speak it. And so she remained there, her fingers wrapped around his, the beat of his heart pulsing through his skin to hers. Until at last he sagged into his saddle, his arm dropping to his side like it was made of iron. His eyes closing against the darkness only he could see, the unseen battle won for the moment. From the corner of her eye, Manon saw a plume of dust drifting above the plain to the west. Moving away from M elton—the telltale signature of travelers. Horses, for certain. Perhaps a cart or two, moving at an unhurried pace. Unexpected as that was, it was not enough to draw Manon's attention from Luka. Whoever it was would pass on soon enough, ignorant of what was taking place in the mountains. We can go back, Manon said. To the village. You can rest. The notion that a nap could cure Luka of what ailed him could drive out the power of the Alessis dead as they might be was laughable. The glossy print of Cyprian's gauntlet riddled with buried light as though mocking her, but Manon had no other words to give him Luka shook his head. I will manage Brave words spoken with certainty.
Speaker 2 00:13:44
Then yet his next words offered something closer to the truth. This place feels like him, Luka whispered. But infinite. All the stories about the Unaskeds, those backed up by evidence and those of a less factual nature, agreed on one thing: that their powers had been nearly limitless. Manon had grown up hearing those stories, had thought she understood. After all, they had conquered kingdoms, destroyed cities and subjugated proud and fierce rivals who did not break easily. And Manon had seen that power firsthand in the shape of a city turned to glass and swords, forged from the spirits of the dead. But, it was only there in the place where they were buried, where earth and grass. The tiniest petal on a sun- kissed flower were imbued with their cruel essence simply for being close to their bones. That Manon truly understood. "You don't have to follow me inside," Manon said. "Why not?" Simply stated, simply acknowledged with a nod that did not convey Manon's gratitude. Less simple was the matter of actually getting inside. The mountain of the long night was said to hold a doorway, but Manon could not recall detail beyond that. She looked up at the sloping stone and all of its smooth planes and sharp edges. "I don't suppose you know how to get in?" They say the entry was torn from the mountain by the first syprian, one they called the Dreaming King," Luka said softly.
Speaker 2 00:14:43
Like a heart from a wooden chest. He dreamed of this place and forged it by his will alone, carving out the tombs for his father and the descendants to come. He looked at Manon, still pale but a whisper of a smile on his lips. "I think we'll know when we see it." "And if they made it like one of those ivory reliquaries?" Manon asked. A puzzle box for the dead? Of the two of them, Luca turned out to be more accurate, but neither of them was quite prepared for what they found. Manon spotted it after they had worked their way around to the mountain's southern face. She raised her eyes to the stone, searching, When a glint of gold caught her gaze, more than halfway up the slope catching sun. Manon indicated this to Luca and they dismounted No longer able to traverse the increasingly treacherous ground on horseback, after weighing down the reins with a few large stones, Manon took a moment to scour the contents of her saddlebag for anything that might be of use. Even, as she innately understood that the only thing of any consequence in her possession was small and bronze and already on her person, tucked in her chest pocket. A vial of carrier substance might settle her nerves, slightly ;, the ivory grains offering at least the illusion of power. Still, She checked the blade of her knife ; Victor and Perrin, both would have chastised her for the state of the edge. - then slid the worn leather sheath into her boot. Luca, far more thoroughly armed, Patted their horses on their necks and whispered in their ears -. Then they set off, unable to avoid the inevitable any longer.
Speaker 2 00:15:42
The climb was arduous, Made more so by the nun's constant urge to crane her neck upward in search of that flashing gold. At length, she gave up and concentrated on maneuvering the stretches of loose rock and steep pitches that required scrambling on hands and feet. Reminds me, she called back to Luca, panting slightly, of climbing in Katarina. An odd thing to say, Given that the one and only time the nun had climbed in those particular mountains, she'd been with her father and a small bark crew. Luca looked up, a bead of sweat trickling through one eyebrow and forcing him to blink rapidly. He was moving slowly though without complaint. The weight of the power of the rescues Burden only he could feel. Calvarino? Manon shook her head. Though now she could not shake the image of Julian Barker, there on the slope, next to Luca. Never mind, a place I went once, she fumbled. With my father. In search of ancient scrolls, she remembered. She'd been quite young. Her first extended journey with the company. They hadn't found the intended prize, an early lesson in failure made all the harsher by the news later that summer that Valentin de Caravel had discovered by mere chance while fishing on holiday off the coast of Ria. A small sunken chest containing a pair of the very scrolls Julian Barker had climbed mountains in search of.
Speaker 2 00:16:40
The discovery had sent her father into a spiral, A ruinous darkness that Manon now understood had triggered the first loans he could not easily repay. Manon, she'd been staring, she realized, off across the wide plain and the southern sky, Seeing her father's face the way it had looked that summer in the mountains, : smiling. No, not smiling. At least not in the way smiles ought to be. Eager, intent, determined and possessing a certain fierce energy but not happy. Manon forced herself to take in Luca's questioning face. "It's nothing," she turned her back and began the ascent once more. It was under this weight that she caught sight of the gleaming gold again and came to an abrupt halt. Cyprian the Second, the Fisher King, the Prince beneath the Moon, was waiting. He stood on a jutting slab of rock, black cloak rippling gently, the golden skull nearly too bright to look upon. His death-forged blades resting at his sides. His dark gaze fixed intently on Manon though she was yet some distance away. At last he called out, His voice springing across the stone and through the wind- ruffled air, with unnatural ease, both whisper and roar, just as it had been when he stood atop the wall of Verdienne and called for her to kneel. And yet for all his power to command the eye, it was not Cyprian to which Manon was drawn, nor was it the three men from Verdienne insignificant as their plume of dust.
Speaker 2 00:17:39
Travelling across the plain. Nor was it even the door in the mountain, visible over Cyprian's shoulder, a yawning portal to eternity and the secrets of the Aleskys, framed by black polished stone, towering as high as the walls of Arconia. No. What Manon could not look away from was the two additional figures, unfamiliar yet instantly known: a forgotten story clad in steel and legend. Bane's bagged balls. Manon did not disagree with Lukas' sentiment. They stood as still as statues, Winged helmets shining with a light to rival Cyprian's golden skull ;, the hilts of their swords clasped between gauntleted hands, ; the tips of their blades, resting on stones beneath their feet. Sentinels, watchers. They had more than one name, seldom spoken of, perhaps out of fear of the dead they watched over. Knights of Valara, named to guard the tombs of the tyrants, protecting the treasure and darker rumors. The queens and kings had taken into death. Manon had heard of the watchers as a child, heard and not given them a second thought. The Alethian kings and queens after all were not to be thought of. So, too, then was the fate of those who spent their lives on mountain with a long night, a lonely act of service to the seven cities. Manon continued her approach, wary her gaze flickering between the silent watchers and dead king My little rabbit has found her way.
Speaker 2 00:18:39
Ciphrin said, his voice a caress on the breeze, "I had begun to despair." He strode toward Monn, the dust billowing at his feet with each step, in the manner Monn had come to anticipate. He seemed to look her over, the dark gaze roving, then gestured toward the entrance to the mountain. "My namesake built this place," The Prince of Silence. "I never set foot inside in my first life." He swung his heavy golden head back around to face Monn. The shards of his crown as dark as the skull was bright. "Tell me," Does that dishonor him?" Tombs are not for the living," Monn said. "The dead should not demand such fealty." A fine notion but one Monn herself had violated countless times. She knew the cold marble of the barcarouge's hull all too well, the smell of the wet leaves, the feeling that death sat at her shoulder. Cyprian looked at her in silence, perhaps weighing her answer, perhaps weighing the memory of the moment lightning had split the air between them. At length he nodded toward the watchers. "I bade them wait," and they have done so. Because in their hearts, like all men and women, they desire to be commanded, to be ruled." Manon swallowed. "What are they waiting for?" "For me to kill them," of course. And I was waiting for you." Why? The word was nearly inaudible and Manon could hardly take a breath. Without warning Cyprian leaned in close to her. 
Speaker 2 00:19:39
Close enough that if not for the mask he wore, She would be able to count the flecks of ice in the brilliant blue eyes she had beheld in Elysium. Close enough to feel the warmth of his breath, perhaps even hear the beat of his heart. Her own raced beyond her control. "I don't know." The whisper lashed through Munon, but there was no anger or fear in the dead king's voice. What, she heard was fascination and a promise that he would bend his mind to the task of discovering exactly that, but not just yet. He had another labor to perform. Slipping away from Munon without a sound, Cyprian drew his dark swords in one fluid motion, their twin blades sighing into the air, His long strides eating up the ground between him and the door to The, Mountain and The Watchers.
Speaker 2 00:20:09
They moved as one, raising their swords, as fluid as water, as strong as stone. Nameless, faceless and beautiful. And dead. It was only a matter of time. The watchers appeared to be his equal at first. They separated, one taking Cyprian's left, one his right. A simple but effective strategy: dividing the dead king's attention. In any other fight, Against any other opponent, even Manon, who was not particularly schooled in such things, could see that a soldier beset on both sides. Against opponents of this quality might last three moves four, if he was skilled, and some god wished his heart to beat a moment longer But Cyprian. The Second dead or alive was not just any opponent. He had no need of a benevolent deity. He was the closest thing to a god Milon would ever know. Each strike from the watchers was both savage and precise, Trading blows one after the other with the sort of timing that takes years of practice to achieve. And yet, had become as natural to the pair as breathing. A ferocious flurry of perfection. Cyprian blocked each deftly, unhindered by extraneous movement, his dark sword singing sweetly, his footwork a flawless effortless weave. Milon felt Luca. 
Speaker 2 00:24:05
Tear her gaze from the dance of death being performed in front of her, and it was a performance. She knew this somehow, knew she was witnessing Act One, the prologue, the scene setting. It remained only to be seen how many acts would fill Cyprien's play. She knew the denouement already. There, a breath, a moment. The air ringing still with the memory of steel on steel. The watchers circled their quarry. Cyprien stood still, Swords an extension of his hands and tips hovering just above the stone slope of the mountain. The golden skull tilted just so as though it basked in sun for a single heartbeat, Menon saw Cyprien's face saw his eyes close as a smile, lit his features, and then Cyprien moved. Sweeping the swords in an arc above his head, the Fisher King spun, then thrust his arms out, sending a shiver of sparks down the length of each blade. The embers hissed, flared, then vanished. Cyprian looked from one watcher to the other, turning his head slowly, mocking them with his golden grin. The watchers sprang once more, and it was as though the swords had been waiting for this movement, this ill intent. Fire flared engulfing the dark blades. And at last, Manon saw what it meant for Cyprian to attack. The dead king moved with new speed and waking fury, a brutally elegant whirlwind unleashed, devastating the watcher on his left with a series of strikes that drove the helmeted warrior back with a sort of desperate steps that death.
Speaker 2 00:25:04
Easily tracked. With one more vicious blow, Cyprien sent the watcher to one knee, the gleaming sword clanging to the stone at his feet, rattling out of reach. A short play then, two acts. The Fisher King did not hesitate, Driving one flaming sword through the watcher's arm and chest and withdrawing it in a single motion. Then surging away as though on winged feet to meet the oncoming second, flames blazing to a hot white. Only this attack he met with his bare hands. Pushing off the top of a boulder, Cyprien leaped and released the swords, then brought one palm down to meet the mountain as he slammed into it. The mountain broke-not a great shattering, not an abyss opening-but all hardened felt the tremor Which he faintly understood to be a reflection of an esquiline precision and power, Instead of the brute force, she had always needed to produce more than a flickering flame, hardly fit for a candle. A fissure opened, running across the stone to meet the watcher's feet. The warrior darted right. The fissure followed. The warrior danced back. The fissure pressed on with renewed speed, a snake hunting its prey. The moment it caught up to the watcher, Cyprian closed his hand and shoved his fist into the stone, and the mountain ate the watcher half of him at least. There was no other way to describe it :. The silver steel'd warrior was submerged in stone to his waist, Caught fast ;. His sword useless in a hand attached to an arm attached to a body that could not move.
Speaker 2 00:26:02
Cyprian approached and went to one knee. Then slowly raised a hand, gauntleted in dark steel, to remove the watcher's winged helmet. He let it fall. It clanged and rolled, and the sound of it seemed to echo in Manon's chest. The man beneath was no vainglorious youth. This was a warrior trained for a single purpose. The face was grave and grizzled, not old but lined by the sun and the wind. Manon suddenly wished she knew a name for that face. The watcher's dark hair dripped with sweat, grey eyes stared up at the golden king. There was resignation in those eyes, But defiance too, an understanding that death was coming and a willingness to meet it head on. The watcher opened his mouth to speak But a flick of Cyprian's hand seemed to take the air from his lungs. I do not wish to hear you speak. Not here among the bones of my ancestors, Cyprian said. You are not worthy of that. There was no trace of exertion in his voice, No heavy breathing or rapid rise and fall of his chest beneath the dark armor. One steel clad finger traced down the watcher's cheek. Your swords, he said so softly it almost seemed strange to hear them, they are an entirely different matter. The Fisher King stretched out his other hand and picked up the watcher's sword, forged by a steel heart I. Think one of my kind or they would have shattered at first strike. Cyprian tested the weight and balance of the sword.
Speaker 2 00:27:01
Then brought it close to his golden face. Again, Manon had the notion that the eyes behind that skull were closed, as though the dead man's other senses were at work, breathing in the carry forged sword. And then that golden skull returned the weight of its gaze to the watcher. My grandfather would have admired this blade. He would have wanted me to keep it, not to wield no, but as a prize. The heavy gauntlet clapped the watcher on the shoulder. I have a. 
Speaker 2 00:29:28
Ciprin stood and reached for the bronze disc around his neck. Drawing it over his head, he took a step back, and then looked around, his gaze falling on Manon. Satisfied that she was watching, he pressed the disc against the hilt of the sword. Nothing happened-until it did. Manon saw the sword flicker, the steel passing in and out of existence like a heat mirage. And then it shattered-not into shards, into dust-oblitereated, drifting away into nothingness. She watched the dust until there was nothing left to watch - until it had become one with the mountain and the air. Something deep inside her, wondered - unbidden -. If the dead buried beneath Stonehold had felt the death of that sword. It was only when Manon looked to Cyprian once more and saw the bronze disc between his fingers had awoken, glowing with a faint light tinged green, that Manon felt the disc hidden against her chest stir, emitting a pulse that beat unevenly, out of rhythm, uncomfortably so with her heart. She dared not drop her gaze, Dared not glance down, though she was desperate to see if her pocket was glowing. Only, when Fisher King returned the disc to hang around his neck, was she satisfied she had not been discovered. He killed the watcher then. Not as a man kills a man but as a god destroys life. Manon watched, Struck into silence, hardly aware of Luka at her side or the three men from Vadiane. She saw the dead king raise his right hand. 
Speaker 2 00:30:27
Saw him turn his palm toward the watcher. Saw him spread his fingers and flex them, as though trailing his hand through water. And then she saw him clench each finger into his palm, slowly, one after the other, forming a fist with exquisite care. And with each bent joint, a sickening crunch of steel and bone cracked across the face of the mountain. And the watcher's torso compressed, the shining armor folding in, melding into itself. The bones and blood and flesh beneath all the things that make life possible burst and twisted reformed by the sculptor with the golden face. Manon supposed that man might have screamed were his lungs something other than a pulverized ruin. The watcher's last act was to arch his neck Raising his contorted face to the sky, and then he sagged into himself and was still. She was staring. She knew this but could not alter it. She was aware of Cyprian shattering the other watcher's sword, of him stalking ahead, the dead discarded and already forgotten, retrieving his own blades and turning toward the door in the mountain. Only when Lucu's hand touched her elbow, Only when the hunter forced her to look at him, did Manon manage to shake free from the shadow of death, Cyprian had cast. Lucu's concern was written into furrow of his brow and depth of his eyes. We must not be afraid. She was afraid, But it was not fear that cleaved her heart open ;. It made her tremble at hope offered by a friend.
Speaker 2 00:31:26
Perhaps her only friend. No, what twisted inside Malon, what demanded to be set free was longing, a ravenous yearning for the power that could break bodies and cleave mountains. Interlude Eight: Court Document Dated Eighteen Years Ago. The court beneath the sun fourth circle case number nine thousand two hundred and nineteen presiding justice Aldric de Ida third celestial rank in the matter of Alexandra de Minos minor against Rodrigo de Minos guardian. The court rules on the following emancipation confirmed by a vote of five to two justice Margessa. Second Celestial Rank, in favor. Justice Quizaro, Second Celestial Rank, in favor. Justice Ilia, Third Celestial Rank, against. Justice Vello, Third Celestial Rank, in favor. Justice Jorella, Second Celestial Rank against. Justice Olarda, Second Celestial Rank in favor. Justice Ida third, celestial rank in favor Alexandra Dominus is hereby granted full authority over all funds, properties and titles associated with and belonging to the Dominus family, and is elevated to the vacant title of Lord Dominus effective immediately Criminal charges against Rodrigo Dominus. The plaintiff's uncle will be heard by the Fifth Circle Court at a date to be determined.
Speaker 2 00:32:25
Check.
Speaker 4 00:37:27
I haven't started on our dinner yet. I'm just trying to get the boys. How was your day? I. 
Speaker 1 00:37:34
Get to wear a night guard now. Good! Did you have one? Wait, what did you say? A night guard. What's a night guard for? Um. Is this where this goes? What is. what's a night guard for? Keeps me from grinding my teeth at night.
Speaker 5 00:37:50
It is mine! You're growing. It's bad for my teeth! They ever tell me. What was the bonnet? Can I see what a night guard looks like?
Speaker 1 00:37:60
Um, I forgot it in my truck. If you want to go get it.
Speaker 5 00:38:03
Is it one of those rubbery things?
Speaker 1 00:38:06
It's not rubber. Where's Eric? He's outside running. Hmm. What's that after homework?
Speaker 4 00:38:21
And. Eric!
Speaker 4 00:38:26
Here's the kitchen. He emptied the dishwasher and then didn't finish. And then Ben, I don't, I'm not quite sure what Ben did if he did anything because he has homework. But, I don't know. Ben, did you get to any chores or was it all homework? Um, I helped my sister fold the laundry. I asked him to focus on the laundry to get this stuff out of the front room. Fine.
Speaker 5 00:39:06
Alright. Why do you have vitamins? Okay, so this is your. Yeah, it is rubber. It's not rubber. Hey hey! Why?
Speaker 1 00:39:19
Don't do that. It's hard. Hey, but think about it, dude. This isn't something like I gotta put this in my mouth, and you're just like swinging it around and touching it with your dirty hands. Not funny. You get my DNA. No.
Speaker 5 00:39:38
How much money is it?
Speaker 4 00:39:39
I don't. 
Speaker 1 00:39:40
Know.$ 105.$. 
Speaker 5 00:39:41
105 just for that piece of plastic? Yeah.
Speaker 4 00:39:45
Why? It's overrated. Well, Whether or not you think it's overrated or not still doesn't take away the fact that we own the program Did you write your name on it?
Speaker 4 00:40:02
I have this for sure.
Speaker 1 00:41:11
Cheater. Did you really do your stretches this morning? This morning, no. My glutes hurt so bad. So where'd you mark them all?
Speaker 5 00:41:26
What? No, I did them after. Oh, I did them when.
Speaker 5 00:41:39
So bad. At the end, I'm gonna have two. Two minutes twenty. 
Speaker 7 00:41:52
Five point nine minutes for every five hundred meters. I only twenty minutes. Two minutes left? Two minutes twenty two minutes twenty five point. 
Speaker 1 00:42:34
I Wonder if uh I think it the last one I did was two, but I had I. I think it just worked out at all last week.
Speaker 1 00:42:47
Oh no, this one's actually better. Hm? Yeah, no, I like. But actually that actually was my best so far. What? Two twenty? One hundred and twenty- one. Two twenty- one.
Speaker 5 00:43:04
No. Daddy! Daddy! How come, we couldn't just make a wait, did they make a custom mold of your mouth? Mhm- hmm They did? Yes And it takes one, Hundred dollars. Oh yeah, is it like? No. Is it a night guard? She doesn't grind her teeth. Does it perfectly fit? Do you think it perfectly fits? Can you talk?
Speaker 1 00:43:29
Start up. Not really.
Speaker 5 00:43:32
Have you already tried it on?
Speaker 1 00:43:35
I did them all there.
Speaker 5 00:43:38
How long are we trying to talk to you again? None of us are going to go to you anymore because of that. Good.
Speaker 5 00:43:46
Well, you're gonna not be able to wait. You only need it for a couple weeks. No, and so they they scan,
Speaker 1 00:43:54
They stuck a wand in my mouth and like scan my mouth and then send it in. I'm sushi. Do you have clips in your mouth to like hold it? It's like kind of just pops in there.
Speaker 7 00:44:08
So just like'cause with Invisalign, like they have like clips on the teeth. Mhm Is it like that with yours?
Speaker 4 00:44:15
No, it's just a protection, Like when he grinds his teeth, the like.
Speaker 1 00:44:22
But I was thinking, you know, of our little package I might use that.
Speaker 5 00:44:27
Wait mommy, I got an idea. What's in here?
Speaker 7 00:44:31
What's in here? What's in here? Oh wait. All right.
Speaker 7 00:44:50
Something like this, I've always done best when I haven't rode in a while and then I rode again.
Speaker 1 00:45:15
Um. Like, I don't want you to like not come with me. It's just.
Speaker 1 00:45:21
I wasn't trying to like. I know, and it probably over. But it's just like. When. 
Speaker 7 00:45:33
I said I don't want to, it was more of like a, like a dang it than. Like I'm not going to do it.
Speaker 1 00:45:43
You know, but his wasn't and and am not trying to but it was like, This and this and it's just like. Mmm. So. Because there is a point, like if you go someone. Yeah! I don't know how to help you. Like at all honestly, like I don't feel bad for saying that. You know? I felt bad for saying "don't come to me." You know? 'Cause I always want you to come to me if you need help. You know? Right. I don't want you ever get.
Speaker 1 00:46:18
Yeah, he told me to. I didn't listen to him. And so now I can't talk to him. He's like, I don't want that. I'd rather be king than you said. Alright.
Speaker 7 00:46:47
Have a conversation. Hey Ben. Keep on happening where he says, ow, and you don't let him go.
Speaker 1 00:46:55
Ben, respond to him. Okay. Um. Hi! I don't want to act. You gotta feel like you can't come around even if it's something I said. You also make me do it. I wanna always be open so. Yeah, Um, but there is a point where I just want to go. I'm just going to go. You know, so if you don't want me to suggest this kind of stuff, then I'll let you know. Yeah. So you tell me.
Speaker 7 00:47:34
Well, I want you to suggest it. Like, have you ever been excited to go to fitness? Hmm? You ever been excited to go to fitness? Me? Yeah. No, hey. Yeah.
Speaker 1 00:47:46
I don't want a row, I don't want to work out. I don't want to do anything. Sometimes when I start like really getting into working out, you know, I like it. But I don't know that ever gone, you know, someone getting me a rowing thing or a lot of it. Although I will say though, like if there's three weeks of rowing.
Speaker 7 00:48:09
You're doing pretty good..
Speaker 1 00:48:10
I feel great and people are like," You've been working out?" You know? Which is kind of nice. Um, but there's never been a point where I was like, you know, twenty minute runs are awesome right now. Just like clear my head and stuff. Soum even he doesn't like anymore. Like he'll do it. You know, um I. 
Speaker 7 00:48:36
Should probably go and see because I got to the shower.
Speaker 1 00:48:38
Yeah real quick though. I, you don't have to answer this right now, but I talked to Sean this morning about. You know, reading and he was he basically said the same thing that I said. You know, it's different. You know, Cause you can read the Bible, and you can even like even he started out like read the Bible all the way through. He needs to see that you know God's covenants are always coming, God's doing this and He needs to do that. But, he's not going to ;. He's just gonna read the Bible, and then you gotta learn that stuff. And know what you're looking for.
Speaker 1 00:49:15
Dive into the Bible. It confirms all that stuff. You know what, you're right.
Speaker 7 00:49:19
It's funny, we're actually on like a, we're on a topic called the Bible. Justin made a comic, a comic of how uh. Imagined it the title was, but it's like it's supposed to be like about how likeum. Like how to read the Bible kind of. Mhm. And like how to find stuff.
Speaker 1 00:49:47
Yeah, but. Why? You know?
Speaker 7 00:49:52
So you could like understand.
Speaker 1 00:49:54
Like right, But it's like so when I was being shown to read the Bible, there's like you can read a little section and ask good questions about it. I'm like I didn't even know what questions to ask. Yeah You know and it wasn't until, Like I really start talking to people and understanding things, and then reading later and going," Yes," you know. Um,
Speaker 7 00:50:25
The other problem is like every single thing we've done, like church and core groups, they've given us a pen and a paper. And that has like that has a bunch of stuff, and we're expected to take notes. And, of course, I don't want to take notes because like I am basically just taking notes on the stuff that they say, which is like,
Speaker 1 00:50:42
Right, well, what that'll do. Is that will you got to think about what you are telling your brain to do on this when it's when you are not actively doing so. So, when you take notes, it's a mindset. There is something about actually writing stuff down, or at least taking the note, ; doesn't have to be pen and paper. But I am learning that like you can train your brain, how to think by what you actually do. And so because I've done that so many times, there is a point where you. 
Speaker 1 00:51:15
You know, all of a sudden it just doesn't work anymore because you don't want to. Right? Because you're not interested. Um, but yeah, all that to say, you know, I just want to be careful about your time. Um.
Speaker 4 00:51:29
Eric, This will burn your mouth if you start eating it, but you can eat some strawberries because he needs to eat, and he needs good shoes. So he's got nutritious food.
Speaker 1 00:51:36
Okay. Um I haven't solidified it yet but I'm thinking of you and Ium, Going through a book together. So,
Speaker 7 00:51:47
Is it about Christianity?
Speaker 1 00:51:48
No. Um, there's a book called The Prodigal God by Tim Keller.
Speaker 7 00:51:58
The Prodigal God.
Speaker 1 00:51:60
Mhm. I'm sure you've heard about the prodigal son, right? Yeah. And so he goes through and basically shows how that story is really about, you know, our relationship with the Lord. Yeah. Um.
Speaker 1 00:52:15
And I was messing around with Chat GPT today. While I was talking to Sean. We were just kind of playing, like, you know, we should really. Cause what's funny is I said, "We should," I am thinking this, this and this. And he goes, "Yeah." You know, cause at first it's like the reason for God would be really good. And he's like, "I think that's more of a podcast. " And then he started typing out my fourteen year old just came to me, and it's like thinking I want something that Tim Keller based that will kind of define, you know, and it goes.
Speaker 1 00:52:45
Really good book for that. It's a reason for God, and I am like, "ha ha ha." But then it came up with the prodigal God, And then we could read through John because a good job of saying here is who God is in Jesus within that. And then after that, we could go through Knowing God by J.I. Packer, which does a wonderful job of saying let's talk about his attributes, let's talk about who he is, let's talk about what that looks like.
Speaker 1 00:53:15
Because you do stuff. A lot of what rules you is what I am. Because you don't want to disappoint me, am I right? Five seconds more. I've intentionally been working you that way. I mean, it's a normal son-father relationship, but I've intentionally been working you that way so like one day go, no, I'm out of the picture and that's gone. That's, What I want, I want you looking at him. I want this on him, but you've got to have that understanding, you know. And. So that's what i I think the first place we got to go is, how do you understand what who he is to be able to have that yearning? Then the right because if not, it's just even no read the Bible.
Speaker 1 00:54:16
Having you all of your rules on what good Christians do. Yes, I have to. Yeah. Make sense? Mhm. So think about that.
Speaker 4 00:54:25
Eric's gonna take a shower and I'll convert this over to uh.
Speaker 1 00:54:30
Should he eat it first and then?
Speaker 4 00:54:31
Well, he needs to take a shower, right? Or do you want.
Speaker 1 00:54:34
Oh, 6:20. I'm sorry, I thought it was closer than.
Speaker 4 00:54:37
Mhm. Okay, go take a shower.
Speaker 1 00:54:41
Shower and eat at the same time? Go. 
Speaker 4 00:54:43
Well, I was saying I can put that onto a different plate that you can eat.
Speaker 5 00:54:54
Don't hit me. Don't you hit me ever. I found out that this can connect to this, which is good. You might wanna You might wanna share it? My watch can connect to this. So.
Speaker 1 00:55:06
You want to share your watch stuff with me? Sure If you want to, you don't need to.
Speaker 4 00:55:11
I just want to keep it. 
Speaker 4 00:55:14
He doesn't take 15- minute showers, then.
Speaker 1 00:55:16
He'll take a quick one. Does he have a You know what?
Speaker 4 00:55:19
We can all stop at the post a little bit. He does too. Yeah, He has flag football or capture the flag after church at six, thirty, and he doesn't want to be late.
Speaker 1 00:55:31
Okay. Um, what are your plans with these?
Speaker 4 00:55:37
I think Eric will need more than just three pieces.; he'll probably have those two too.
Speaker 4 00:55:46
I kept the oven on. Do you want me to just make you a pizza? Whatever you want. What do you want? Pizza or something. I have burgers and pizza that I can make right now for real.
Speaker 1 00:55:58
Let's make pizza. They should be like a buck fifty, um, buck ninety three. Home, pizza or burgers? So it. One of the reasons why I did have that conversation with him is because he's pushing me to. I know you showed me that text.
Speaker 4 00:56:16
You know,
Speaker 1 00:56:17
But I have a different plan, and I want him to have the flexibility to not commit to Aidan. If he doesn't want to. And say," Hey, I've been talking to my dad about this thing." That's why I said it'd be quicker. So.
Speaker 5 00:56:48
Daddy, It's just a computer. And then I asked you to check. Maddy. Maddy, be good with it. Presents with big girls.
Speaker 1 00:56:59
I'd like to share some data from help at home. Did you hear that?
Speaker 5 00:57:05
Yeah, am I right in testicle? I like these and Daddy, do you think he's flicking pepper on your back? What? Do you think he's flicking pepper.
Speaker 5 00:57:18
Oh, that's fine.
Speaker 6 00:57:22
That's a bad idea. Psst, psst, psst. Did I throw you off any?
Speaker 4 00:57:51
How many calories is a chicken breast? A skinless, boneless chicken breast has about 284 calories. That's for a six-ounce cooked serving. Would you like to know about other nutritional facts of chicken breast? No, thank you. That's not that much. Perfect. Hope that helps with your meal planning.
Speaker 5 00:58:31
It Was in her mouth. Daddy, I've heard that the true purpose of flipping that. Of you flipping hair is to see how pink Mom's face actually was back then. That's why she wears it about six hours a day.
Speaker 4 00:58:45
So, Mommy and Ronnie are a lot. Okay, Well, I mean, I'm glad they're gonna go with that's a lot. But I would say that like'cause each piece of bread was like a 120. So like look at it this way, one fifth of the pizza is three twenty. So if you had two fifths, that would have been six hundred and forty calories. I think I think that sandwich is the way to go. Better proteins, more filling.
Speaker 1 00:59:16
I think you asked me to share instead of sharing with me.
Speaker 6 00:59:34
Yeah, I'd like you to share some data from the health app with me. So you got to do the other thing.

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