Thursday, August 31, 2017

Daemons Discuss - Podcast: Take 22! | Chapter Discussion about the All Souls Trilogy; Ch 30 - 34 of A Discovery of Witches

Deborah Harkness' inspiration for "The House" aka "The Bishop House"

Take 22 - The One With the Bite

Description: ADOW ch 30-34 -
Enter Baldwin Montclair! Valerie patiently indulges Angela and Jean (truthfully, she gleefully eggs them on -- that might explain the episode length!) while they spend time with their favorite de Clermont. This has been named 'The One With the Bite,' because of Baldwin's declaration to Matthew: "You bit me!" In this episode, we also head to America (Madison, NY) and meet Sarah Bishop and Emily Mather (and Tabitha. And the House).

This is our last recording in the age of innocence! It was produced 'BEFORE CASTING" aka "BC".  When we found out that casting choices for A Discovery of Witches TV would be revealed, we decided to go on and record this episode as planned to keep our regular schedule going. BUT, we did record a reaction! Make sure you check out our Special Edition episode for our reaction to the casting news on delivered on August 22nd, 2017 (hint - #MatthewSquared). Produced on the fly, so the audio is a bit dodgier than we'd like, but we figured it would be forgiven for this sort of thing! Listen/view show notes here: go.DaemonsDiscuss.com/SE04

Welp! Our. Longest. Episode. EVER! Eek 😳! We couldn't stay contained! Longer commute? Perfect for you -- you are covered both ways! Otherwise, pause it when you've had enough, and save the rest for later! Or binge your way through the whole episode all at once. #NoJudgement

SPOILER ALERT! We (The Daemons) approach this podcast with an assumption that the listener has read The All Souls Trilogy, including A Discovery of Witches, Shadow of Night, and The Book of Life.  If you haven't, and you don't mind, we certainly don't mind!  😊  Let's do this.

Listen:

Download .Mp3 of this episode

1. Show notes:

For newcomers to the series:- We'll start with the basics: The books in discussion are A Discovery of Witches, Shadow of Night and The Book of Life.  Together they make The All Souls Trilogy by Deborah Harkness.
- Our Daemon Guides to the All Souls Trilogy are available for download: ADOW, SON, TBOL

Deb's newsletter - The Blast; subscribe on her website
- If you'd like a ready-reference from the author herself, be sure to download the All Souls Real-Time Reading companion (free e-book at online booksellers via Penguin and Headline books).
- Deborah Harkness usually conducts a real-time reading on her Facebook Page (starting in September), and shares her posts across social media; check out the Real Time Reading FAQ. Visit her website for all of her social media links, and of course all that she has to offer her readers! Be sure to sign up for her newsletter while you are there!
- To see what's available on the web as far as the All Souls universe fandom, check our links page.

In this episode:
* (00:47) – Thanks to our Discussers, Kate H., Camille, Kate S., Dora & Rute! Read the full emails HERE

a. Chapter 30
* (06:14) – We should wait, Matthew.
We should wait, Matthew.”
 “Wait?” Matthew snarled. “For what?”
 “For Baldwin. He was in London and left an hour ago.”
* (06:39) – Stars and Stripes Forever by John Philip Sousa starts with the verse "Three Cheers for the Red White and Blue!" That's what Val’s idea of fanfare is (perhaps she spent too much time on military bases)!
* (06:55) – Since the link from Deb’s tweet no longer works, you can listen here to Baldwin's playlist song: Waitin' for a Superman

* (07:22) – Enter Baldwin! Baldwin’s introductory quote - Angela was in love after this
Baldwin Montclair, as he was known in the financial markets, strode down the hall of the ground floor. His copper-colored hair gleamed in the electric light, and his muscles twitched with the quick reflexes of a born athlete. Trained to wield a sword from childhood, he had been imposing before becoming a vampire, and after his rebirth few dared to cross him.
* (08:44) – Baldwin and Matthew go at it right away. Valerie is pleased to see “proper Matthew” fight another vampire, Angela likes the mind movie of two hot guys fighting! She cannot wait to see it on TV. Jean said we will witness two sets of that (in SON; Philippe and Matthew).
Baldwin had him by the throat before the words were out of his mouth. Their heads close together, one dark and one bright, they rocketed to the far end of the hall. Matthew’s body smashed into a wooden door, splintering it with the impact.
* (09:25) – Cut from the same cloth…and "amiable characteristics," Angela argues that the "amiable" part is overlooked. Jean explains that the longer we were exposed to the characters (we had time in between the books), the better we comprehended Baldwin’s POV. Valerie says that many readers put Baldwin aside, and don’t give him a lot of thought after the brief encounter with Diana. When we see him again in TBOL people tend to brace themselves for “this guy, AGAIN?!”
They were cut from the same cloth—fond of war, women, and wine, in that order. Despite these amiable characteristics, those who faced him in combat seldom lived to recount the experience.
* (12:32) – Jean contemplates Ysabeau and Baldwin’s relationship; she likened it to a sibling rivalry (with the strange vampire dynamic, its understandable)

* (14:56) – Philippe did not want to prolong war . . .
“The decision to engage in open hostilities with the witches was not yours to make then. It was your father’s—and he expressly forbade prolonging a world war.” Ysabeau stopped behind Baldwin and waited until he turned to face her. “You must let this go. The power to punish such atrocities was placed in the hands of human authorities.”
 Baldwin looked at her sourly. “You took matters into your own hands, as I recall, Ysabeau. How many Nazis did you dine on before you were satisfied?” It was an unforgivable thing to say, but he had been pushed past his normal limits
* (16:37) – Baldwin’s full name
“if your father were alive, Lucius Sigéric Benoit Christophe Baldwin de Clermont, he would be out looking for her—witch or not. He would be ashamed of you, in here settling old scores with your brother.” Every one of the names Philippe had given him over the years sounded like a slap, and Baldwin’s head jerked back when they struck.
* (17:40) – The Grand Master
“Then you leave me no choice.” Matthew’s response stopped him in his tracks.
 “Choice?” Baldwin snorted. “You’ll do what I tell you to do.”
 “I may not be head of the family, but this is no longer a family matter.” Matthew had, at last, figured out the point of Ysabeau’s earlier remark.
 “Fine.” Baldwin shrugged. “Go on this foolish crusade, if you must. Find your witch. Take Marthe—she seems to be as enamored of her as you are. If the two of you want to pester the witches and bring the Congregation down on your heads, that’s your business. To protect the family, I’ll disown you.”
 He was on his way out the door again when his younger brother laid down his trump.
 “I absolve the de Clermonts of any responsibility for sheltering Diana Bishop. The Knights of Lazarus will now see to her safety, as we have done for others in the past.”
 Ysabeau turned away to hide her expression of pride.
 “You can’t be serious,” Baldwin hissed. “If you rally the brotherhood, it will be tantamount to a declaration of war.”
 “If that’s your decision, you know the consequences. I could kill you for your disobedience, but I don’t have time. Your lands and possessions are forfeit. Leave this house, and surrender your seal of office. A new French master will be appointed within the week. You are beyond the protection of the order and have seven days to find yourself a new place to live.”
The Siege of Acre - the beginning of the third Crusade
 * (19:04) – The heroics of the Knights/Baldwin’s speech:
“The Knights don’t come to their master’s aid because of a love affair gone wrong, Matthew. We fought at the Battle of Acre. We helped the Albigensian heretics resist the northerners. We survived the demise of the Templars and the English advances at Crécy and Agincourt. The Knights of Lazarus were on the ships that beat back the Ottoman Empire at Lepanto, and when we refused to fight any further, the Thirty Years’ War came to an end. The brotherhood’s purpose is to ensure that vampires survive in a world dominated by humans.”
* (19:30) – Spellbound!
Baldwin let out a frustrated sigh. “Why can’t Matthew’s witch defend herself?”
 Marthe came into the room, wiping her hands on a towel. She and Ysabeau exchanged glances. “Elle est enchantée,” Marthe said gruffly.
 “The child is spellbound,” Ysabeau agreed with reluctance. “We are certain of it.”
 “Spellbound?” Matthew frowned. Spellbinding put a witch in invisible shackles. It was as unforgivable among witches as trespassing was among vampires.
 “Yes. It is not that she refuses her magic. She has been kept from it—deliberately.” Ysabeau scowled at the idea.
* (21:23) – Baldwin realizes his family is palling around with witches!
Matthew reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. He had the house in Madison on speed dial, Baldwin noticed.
* (23:07) – Jean poses the question: How would Ysabeau's number show up on the screen when it rang (how does he have it listed in his contacts)? Jean says "WTF NOW?" Val says "HER" and sings the Wicked Witch of the West's theme song from the Wizard of Oz as the ringtone! 😂

* (24:05) – Not safe from what, but safe UNTIL
“Not ‘safe from what.’ Safe until.” Em’s voice dropped further. “Rebecca  said she would make sure Diana was safe until her daughter was with her shadowed man.”
* (25:05) – The flour scene (Jean really wants this for the TV production)
Baldwin shouted for Ysabeau and strode into the kitchen, grabbing a handful of flour from an open bowl and scattering it onto Marthe’s worktable. He traced the outline of the Auvergne into the flour and dug his thumb into the spot where Sept-Tours stood.
“Where would a witch take another witch that is south and west of here?” he asked.
* (25:12) – What’s between here and the Cantal?
“No. You need to be smart about this. The witches wouldn’t have brought her into Gerbert’s territory—not if they have any sense. If Diana is spellbound, then she’s a mystery to them, too. It will take them some time to solve it. They’ll want privacy, and no vampires interrupting them.” It was the first time Baldwin had managed to say the witch’s name. “In the Cantal the witches would have to answer to Gerbert, so they must be somewhere near the border. Think.” Baldwin’s last drop of patience evaporated. “By the gods, Matthew, you built or designed most of them.”
* (25:55) – Matthew and Baldwin storm the castle.
When they were still twenty feet off the ground, Matthew jumped out and set off at a dead run toward the castle’s gate. Baldwin sighed and jumped after him, first directing the pilot not to move until they were both back on board.
b. Chapter 31
* (27:07) – It's time to wake up!
Diana, it’s time to wake up. My mother’s voice was low but insistent.
Too exhausted to respond, I pulled the brightly colored patchwork quilt over my head, hoping that she wouldn’t be able to find me. My body curled into a tight ball, and I wondered why everything hurt so much.
* (27:31) – Was the loss of memory of her powers have something to do with being spellbound?

* (28:37) – Just like Rebecca’s story . . .
Don’t you want to fly? my mother asked.
Magic is in the heart, Diana, my father said. Don’t forget.
I shut my eyes and imagined a ribbon into place. With the end securely in my fingers, I threw it toward the white ring that flickered in the darkness. The ribbon unfurled and soared through the hole, taking my body with it.
My mother was smiling, and my father looked as proud as he had when he took the training wheels off my first bicycle. Matthew peered down, along with another face that must belong to his brother. With them were a clutch of ghosts who looked amazed that anyone, after all these years, was making it out alive.
* (29:47) – Diana arrives at the lobby!
“Thank God,” Matthew breathed, stretching his long, white fingers toward me. “Take my hand.”
The moment he had me in his grip, my body lost its weightlessness.
“My arm!” I cried out as the muscles pulled and the gash on my forearm gaped.
Matthew grabbed at my shoulder, assisted by another, unfamiliar hand. They lifted me out of the oubliette, and I was crushed for a moment against Matthew’s chest. Grabbing handfuls of his sweater, I clung to him.
“I knew you could do it,” he murmured like the prince in my mother’s story, his voice full of relief.
“We don’t have time for this.” Matthew’s brother was already running down the corridor toward the door.
* (30:38) – I thought you were dead.
My foot brushed against Baldwin’s thigh as he sat down, and he gave me a look of hatred mingled with curiosity. His face was familiar from the visions I’d seen in Matthew’s study: first in light caught in the suit of armor, then again when touching the seals of the Knights of Lazarus. “I thought you were dead.” I shrank toward Matthew.
* (31:30) – Knock her out! We discuss Baldwin's intent here.
“Knock her out,” Baldwin said impatiently.
“I don’t have a sedative with me.”
“Yes you do.” His brother’s eyes glittered. “Do you want me to do it?”
Matthew looked down at me and tried to smile. My shaking subsided a  little, but every time the helicopter dipped and swayed in the wind, it returned, along with my memories of Satu.
“By the gods, Matthew, she’s terrified,” Baldwin said angrily. “Just do it.”
* (33:40) – Jean brings up that Baldwin at that time knew about Matthew’s blood rage.

* (34:29) – Angela makes the observation about their religions, and using diety's names in vein; Matthew: "Christ!!", Baldwin: "By the Gods!"

* (34:53) – Matthew worries about Baldwin being around.
“The water would be full of her blood,” he said tightly. “Baldwin would smell it.”
* (35:10) – This isn’t Jerusalem.
“What happened in Jerusalem?” I asked again.
“Later,” he said, lifting me gently upright.
“The time for secrets has passed, Matthew. Tell her, and be quick about it.” Ysabeau spoke sharply from the bathroom door. “She is your wife and has a right to know.”
* (36:26) – The witch is dead.
“What is it? What did she do?” The room was swinging like a chandelier in an earthquake. Matthew whipped me around to face his mother. Grief and sympathy were etched on her face.
“La sorcière est morte,” Matthew said softly.
* (37:00) – The mirror scene.
The women returned with one mirror in an ornate gilt frame from the salon and a tall cheval glass that only a vampire could have carried up to the tower. Matthew positioned the larger mirror behind me, and Ysabeau and Marthe held the other in front, angling it so that I could see both my back and Matthew, too.
* (37:35) – The dogs . . .
While he was gone, Ysabeau muttered every now and again in a language that was neither Occitan nor French, and Marthe clucked and fussed. They’d removed most of the ruined clothes and bloody linen from the room by the time Matthew reappeared. Fallon and Hector were padding along at his side, their tongues hanging out.
Ysabeau’s eyes narrowed. “Your dogs do not belong in my house.”
Fallon and Hector looked from Ysabeau to Matthew with interest. Matthew clicked his fingers and pointed to the floor. The dogs sank down, their watchful faces turned to me.
“They’ll stay with Diana until we leave,” he said firmly, and though his mother sighed, she didn’t argue with him.
* (40:16) – The seven letters . . .
“There are seven letters in Father’s study,” Matthew told her when his brother was gone. He spoke low and very fast. “Alain will come to fetch them. He knows what to do.” Ysabeau nodded, her eyes bright.
* (42:10) – Why did he write the letters in Philippe’s study? We're just curious!

c. Chapter 32
* (43:37) – Baldwin’s goodbye . . .
 “Thanks.” He might be Matthew’s brother, but Baldwin’s close physical  presence was unnerving. I extended my gauze-wrapped right arm to him in farewell.
“Sister, that’s not how family bids each other adieu.” Baldwin’s voice was softly mocking. He gave me no time to react but gripped my shoulders and kissed me on the cheeks. As his face passed over mine, he deliberately breathed in my scent. It felt like a threat, and I wondered if he meant it as such. He released me and stood.
* (44:00) – Jean’s inscription - Jean loves this quote, therefore she had Deb inscribe it on her copy of The Book of Life. If you think about the quote, it's very reminiscent of Philippe's sentiments: "Think and stay alive".
“What happened at La Pierre feels like a gambit to me,” Baldwin continued, his eyes never wavering. “The Congregation let you go for some reason of their own. Make your next move before they make theirs. Don’t wait your turn like a good girl, and don’t be duped into thinking your current freedom means you’re safe. Decide what to do to survive, and do it.”
* (44:20) – You both look like hell.
“You both look like hell,” he commented.
“Ta gueule,” Matthew said with a false smile, his voice acid. Even with my limited French, I knew this wasn’t something you would say in front of your mother.
* (45:08) – The drive to Sarah’s; Matthew managing the situation.
“We’ll be home just after breakfast. That will be interesting.” Sarah was not at her best before coffee—copious amounts of it—had entered her bloodstream. “We should call and let them know when to expect us.”
“They already know. I called them from Sept-Tours.”
Feeling thoroughly managed and slightly muzzy from morphine and fatigue, I settled back for the drive.
One of the messages on Sarah's car!
* (48:39) – Sarah’s bumper stickers!
Matthew pulled in to the driveway, which was pitted with ice-crusted potholes. The Range Rover rumbled its way over them, and he parked next to Sarah’s beat-up, once-purple car. A new crop of bumper stickers adorned the back. MY OTHER CAR IS A BROOM, a perennial favorite, was stuck next to I’M PAGAN AND I VOTE. Another proclaimed WICCAN ARMY: WE WILL NOT GO SILENTLY INTO THE NIGHT. I sighed.
* (47:50) – The note for Diana and Matthew:
A note in Sarah’s dark, decisive handwriting was taped to the staircase’s newel post.
“Out. Thought the house needed some time alone with you first. Move slowly. Matthew can stay in Em’s old room. Your room is ready.” There was a postscript, in Em’s rounder scrawl. “Both of you use your parents’ room.”
* (48:23) – Sarah’s healing powers. We discuss Sarah vs. Rebecca’s powers here as well.
When Sarah returned with a pot of one of her ointments, Matthew had my foot propped up on his thigh. “There are scissors in my bag upstairs,” he told my aunt, sniffing curiously as she unscrewed the pot’s lid. “Shall I go get them?”
“Don’t need them.” Sarah muttered a few words and gestured at my ankle. The gauze began to unwind itself.
“That’s handy,” Matthew said enviously.
“Show off,” I said under my breath.
* (50:34) – The almost witchfire scene:
 Em put her hand on Sarah’s arm in alarm. “Don’t push her. She’s not in control.”
I could see a bow in my left hand, an arrow in my right. They felt heavy, yet strangely familiar. A few steps away, Sarah was in my sights. Without hesitation, my arms rose and drew apart in preparation to shoot.
My aunt stopped muttering in midspell. “Holy shit,” she breathed, looking at Em in amazement.
“Honey, put the fire down.” Em made a gesture of surrender.
Confused, I reexamined my hands. There was no fire in them.
“Not inside. If you want to unleash witchfire, we’ll go outside,” said Em.
“Calm down, Diana.” Matthew pinned my elbows to my sides, and the heaviness associated with the bow and arrow dissolved.
“I don’t like it when she threatens you.” My voice sounded echoing and strange.
* (51:51) – The chapter in Oneida 😝
“The Knights of Lazarus of Bethany.” He said it quickly, as if afraid he’d lose his resolve. “It’s an old chivalric order.”
Sarah snorted. “Never heard of them. Are they like the Knights of Columbus ? They’ve got a chapter in Oneida.”
“Not really.” Matthew’s mouth twitched. “The Knights of Lazarus date back to the Crusades.”
* (52:53) – Matthew’s hypocracy (pointed out by Angela)!
“But it’s a secret,” I said, confused. We had to keep our secrets—from everyone—whether they involved my abilities or Matthew’s knights.
“No more secrets,” he said firmly, his breath against my neck. “They’re not good for either of us.” When the winds died down, he spun me tightly against him.
d. Chapter 33
* (53:37) – Diana eavesdrops
Too groggy to sit up, I turned my head toward the door. A large key sat in the lock, and there were low voices on the other side. As the muzziness of sleep slowly gave way to awareness, the mumbling became clearer.
“It’s appalling,” Matthew snapped. “How could you let her go on this way?”
“We didn’t know about the extent of her power—not absolutely,” Sarah said, sounding equally furious. “She was bound to be different, given her parents. I never expected witchfire, though.”
* (54:25) – Diana feels sorry for herself; Matthew has had enough.
Matthew stood, extending one hand. “Get up,” he said abruptly.
I slid my hand into his, expecting him to comfort me with a hug. Instead he pushed my arms into the sleeves of the blue parka and stepped away.
“You are a witch. It’s time you learned how to take care of yourself.”
* (55:04) – Peter Knox; there was an incident when she was a child.
“Before they spellbound me, Peter Knox came to see my father.” I shuddered, hearing the doorbell ringing and seeing again the expression on my father’s face when he opened the door. “That creature was in my house. He touched my head.” Knox’s hand resting on the back of my skull had produced an uncanny sensation, I recalled.
* (55:43) – Jean imagines Stephen and Peter going at it with dualing wands at dawn … (Harry Potter-style), Angela imagines a Hamilton-styled "hop over to Weehawken!" Angela is referring to the Weehawken Dualing Grounds.

The training scene (featuring Catherine Zeta Jones) from Entrapment
* (56:06) – You’re dead! Valerie and Angela love the scene where Matthew takes the reins of Diana's magical training. Jean recalls a movie, it takes a while to remember which one, but Angela looks it up. The movie is “Entrapment” there was a laser scene where Sean Connery used the line “you’re dead”
“I’m not a colleague you’re having an argument with. This isn’t an academic dispute—this is life or death.”
“Come down from there,” I said sharply. “You’ve made your point.”
I didn’t see him land at my side, but I felt his cold fingers at my neck and chin, twisting my head to the side and exposing my throat. “If I were Gerbert, you’d be dead already,” he hissed.
“Stop it, Matthew.” I struggled to break free but made no progress.
“No.” His grip tightened. “Satu tried to break you, and you want to disappear because of it. But you have to fight back.”
* (57:44) – Diana’s third eye
There was a tightness between my eyes. I breathed into it, too, remembering Amira’s yoga instruction and Marthe’s advice to let the visions pass through me. The tightness turned to tingling and the tingling to a sense of possibility as my mind’s eye—a witch’s third eye—opened fully for the first time.
* (58:09) – Diana flies (VALERIE NEEDS THIS SCENE TO BE IN THE TV SHOW!)
Fly, I thought, a second before his fingers touched my skin.
The wind rose from my body in a sudden whoosh of power. The earth released me with a gentle push upward. Just as Matthew had promised, it was easy to let my body follow where my thoughts had led. It took no more effort than following an imaginary ribbon up to the sky.
* (1:00:35) – He's mine . . .
It was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen. There was a surge of desire, strong and visceral, and a rush of pride that he was mine
* (1:00:45) – Stay away from me . . .
“Stay away from me,” he growled, “just for a moment.” Matthew was  struggling to master his predatory instincts. He wanted to hunt me now. The king of beasts didn’t like to be bested.
'Hochzeit' by Chuckometti
* (1:01:17) – The Aurora Consurgens references we made in relation to this scene; see our post - Aurora Consurgens: A Relationship Roadmap, and the episode we did on it as well.

* (1:01:32) – The fireworks.
Stars burst into life at the peak of my pleasure, and a few still hung beneath the ceiling, sparkling and sputtering out the remainder of their brief lives while we lay in each other’s arms and waited for the morning to find us.
e. Chapter 34
* (1:02:47) – Matthew practicing yoga in the backyard.
“What are you looking at?” I expected them to name some rare bird.
“Matthew.”
I backed up a few steps.
“He’s been out there for hours. I don’t think he’s moved a muscle. A raven flew by. I believe she plans to perch on him,” Sarah continued, taking a sip of her coffee.
Matthew was standing with his feet rooted in the earth and his arms stretched out to the sides at shoulder level, index fingers and thumbs gently touching. In his gray T-shirt and black yoga pants, he did look like an unusually well-dressed, robust scarecrow.
* (1:03:40) – Bad dreams…
My sleep had been fitful, full of dreams, snatches of alchemical poetry, and mumbled tirades directed at Satu. Even my grandmother had been worried. She’d been leaning against the chest of drawers with a watchful expression while Matthew soothed me back to sleep.
* (1:04:04) – Diana pulling water out of the ground.
Calmly I breathed in and out. The water level in my palms rose and fell in response to the changing tides within and underneath me. When I could control the water no longer, the mudras broke open, water cascading from my flattened palms. I was left standing in the middle of the backyard, eyes open and arms outstretched, a small puddle on the ground under each hand.
* (1:04:20) – Dowsers! We talked about the art of dowsing being popular in Maine, although we suspect it's popular throughout the northeast and different rural communities throughout the world. Here is a Maine Facebook group for dowsers!

* (1:04:36) – Flying butter, and Tabitha’s gift.
Smiling broadly, I returned my attention to the toaster. I scraped the last of the butter onto my toast and wondered idly if there was more.
A plastic tub appeared at my elbow.
At the mention of another member of her species, Tabitha strutted into the house through the cat door. With a look of complete devotion, she dropped a tiny, dead field mouse at Matthew’s feet.
“Merci, ma petite,” Matthew said gravely. “Unfortunately, I am not hungry at present.”
* (1:05:11) – The house has something to say. It’s bears gifts.
“Come on, out with it,” she snapped several minutes later. “I’ve got things to do.”
A thick brown envelope wormed its way through a crack in the green-painted paneling next to the fireplace. Once it had worked itself free, it shot across the keeping room and landed, faceup, in my lap.
“Diana” was scrawled on the front in blue ballpoint ink. My mother’s small, feminine handwriting was recognizable from permission slips and birthday cards.
* (1:05:34) – The knitting . . .
A ball of green wool and two knitting needles rocketed down the chimney and rolled across the hearth.
“Does the house think I should take up knitting?” I asked.
* (1:06:09) – The contents of the envelope (TOO SOON!)
I unfolded the wrappings. On top, blocking Mathew’s view and separated by still more tissue from what lay beneath, was a piece of ordinary white paper, the edges brown with age. There were three lines written on it in spidery script.
“‘It begins with absence and desire,’” I whispered around the tightness in my throat. “‘It begins with blood and fear.’”
“‘It begins with a discovery of witches,’” Matthew finished, looking over my shoulder.
* (1:08:36) – A caulbearer -- we've seen the photos of actual caulbearers (aka veiled babies), rather than us actually posting a picture, if you are interested, you can click here. *WARNING: not for the squeamish!

“‘I cannot shield you from the challenges you will face. You will know great loss and danger, but also great joy. You may doubt your instincts in the years to come, but your feet have been walking this path since the moment you were born. We knew it when you came into the world a caulbearer. You’ve remained between worlds ever since. It’s who you are, and your destiny. Don’t let anyone keep you from it.’”
* (1:09:01) – The phonebook!
“Cauls have enormous power. Stephen and Rebecca would have saved it.”
We all looked at the crack in the paneling. A phonebook landed in the grate with a thud, sending a cloud of ash into the room.
* (1:09:48) – The phone calls – Alain called, Jean figured out what the “unexpected situation” was (*cough!* FERNANDO *cough*)!
Matthew’s hands pushed my shoulders gently away from my ears, kneading the tight muscles. “She’s fine. This had nothing to do with Ysabeau. It was Alain. He was doing some business for the family and ran into an unexpected situation.”
* (1:11:11) – Miriam and Marcus are inbound
“He and Miriam are on their way to New York. They have something to discuss with you.” Matthew’s face looked like a thundercloud.
“Me? What is it?”
“He wouldn’t tell me.”

* (1:11:40) – Diana: The hostess with the mostest!
“No son of mine is checking in to a hotel. He belongs in the Bishop house, with his family, and Miriam shouldn’t be alone. They’re both staying here, and that’s final,” I said firmly.
“Son?” said Sarah faintly.
“Marcus is Matthew’s son, which makes him my son, too. That makes him a Bishop, and this house belongs to him as much as it does to you, or me, or Em.” I turned to face them, grabbing the sleeves of my shirt tightly with my wet hands, which were shaking
* (1:12:40) – Surprising Witches
“With all that’s happened this morning, the one thing you’re worried about is whether Marcus wants a stepmother. You confound me.” Matthew shook his head. “Are all witches this surprising, Sarah, or is it just Bishops?”
Sarah considered her answer. “Just Bishops.”
* (1:13:06) Housekeeping! – Our awesome iTunes review, an email from Michelle (congratulations on your upcoming wedding, Michelle). We also got a couple of nice Facebook messages from Teresa & Carmen.

* (1:17:11) Save It For the Show… Topic – Bad reviews and reader distress. Jean’s rule of thumb: "STAY THE HELL AWAY FROM GOODREADS!" Val wonders why someone would read bad reviews on a book that they love? Who cares what others think! Angela believes some reviewers of this series don’t give it a chance before getting indignant. Jean wraps it up by saying this series doesn’t fit a specific genre, or "box".

* (1:22:53) – No news, because we got an announcement about the big casting announcement on the day we recorded.

* (1:23:06) Promo breakscroll down, or click here to get a hold of us and/or become a Discusser.

* (1:24:32) – Last thoughts/things we can’t let go of:  Jean is at the point where she reads real history and sees the historical figures as AST characters! She sees Eustace Chapuys playing a role Fernando would easily fit in, and she says Count Axel rescuing Marie Antoinette was a total Baldwin move. Val’s last thought: the fandom is awake, and she’s frustrated (a little bit). She didn’t know we could take a break until the TV show arrives! Val brings up All Souls Con, and talks about the Daemons being there for 5 days; we’ll probably put out an episode while there. Angela says “I know what we’re working on!” to taunt you into watching out for the things we unveil in the future.

Thank you, Kate S. Kate H, Rute, Camille, Carmen, Teresa, Michelle & Stephen (he sent us a voice mail, but we didn’t play it here because the episode wound up being so long! We are planning a smallish Bonus episode right before All Souls Con – look for it there. He’s got a question for ALL OF US). Stephen: we'll get pictures once she's been captured, we promise!

All Souls Con Info:
Previous Episode
Special Edition, The One With Our Witch & Vampire
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Until next time...



Credits/Copyright Information 
* Intro music: "Ghost Dance" (edited down to second chorus) by Kevin Macleod, licensed for use by Creative Commons.
* News intro: by AwesomeMusicVideos21; provided for fair-use/royalty-free.
*  Outro music: Rimsky-Korsakov - "Scheherazade Symphonic Suite for Orchestra Op.35 - IV. Allegro molto," Public       

domain/copyright-free.
* Cover art (+ all variations associated w/ it): © Daemons Domain 

* The term "unofficial" is explained in our disclaimer located in Terms of Use - item 14.
* The Daemons Discuss podcast is hosted and produced by the owners (Angela, Jean and Valerie) of Daemons Domain and can also be found by entering the url http://www.DaemonsDiscuss.com in your browser, (listed on the various podcast syndicates like iTunes, Stitcher, etc.) which will redirect you back to the parent site, Daemons Domain.
* This podcast is intended for personal download/consumption.  Please see our Terms of Use; item 3.

* Our episode titles are a loving tribute to the show "Friends" just 'cause we love Friends and - let's face it - it's easier! Here's how one of the show creators explains their reasoning:
Jeff Greenstein: "When Marta & David & Jeff & I did 'Dream On', we used to spend a lot of time thinking about titles, because they were on-screen at the top of each episode. On "Friends", we decided that was a waste of time. We figured, why not name each episode after the thing that people will ostensibly be talking about around the water-cooler the next day?"
This was a Daemon Production

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