Karen Chance Fans discussion

Here be spoilers! You have been warned.

Teaser chapters are out for Reap the Wind. You can read them here:

http://karenchance.com/books_rtw.html

Discuss!

'should have been an in and out kind of deal (....) but with the guardians of the time-line dead set on stopping anyone from mucking about...' *quietly sobs behind the reception desk* this is the BEST VALENTINES DAY EVER

They're TOO SHORT!!!!

But Pritkin... <3333

So damn perfect! This is gonna make waiting even worse...but it was so worth it!

Finished!

I actually wondered briefly if they were going to fix Pritkin right at the end of the second chapter, but of course nothing can be that simple for Cassie.

Well it looks like all our speculations about seeing Pritkin with Ruth are wrong. If they've already gone further back in time to before he met her, I can't see her making an appearance. I feel kinda silly because, amongst all our speculations, I didn't think about Cassie meeting Pritkin right after their 1793 meeting - and him recognising her!

Laughed at this comment about Rosier ... he slapped the side of the leather man purse he’d brought along, because I guess incubi are more secure in their sexuality than most guys.

Also laughed at this about Pritkin's, ah, bedroom skills ... Wow, I thought, faintly disappointed. That hadn’t taken long. Poor Cassie's fantasies are ruined LOL!

And this was kinda hot and steamy (and I don't want to be reading hot and steamy stuff at work! That's just wrong!!) ... He was trying to use incubus abilities on me and it wasn’t going to work. Because he could feed anytime—I broke off to bite on a luscious lower lip—when we weren’t—and to suck on his chin—in the middle—and along his jaw—of a goddamned damned crisis! *frantically fans myself*

I like how the Pythias from other times are being introduced. I hope we go a bit further and maybe meet a Pythia that Mircea knows!!

I need to go read the chapters again. I don't think I've taken it all in yet!

Yes, the Pythias were awesome! And surprisingly territorial hehe.

And definitely had to laugh at the stamina too at first ;) I kept thinking "no no, this can't be right!" since he took his sweet time in the car when Rosier put a compulsion on Cassie.

But you know, you get used to reading such things at work - I read too much at work not to have come across a scene where I might start to blush all of a sudden :-p

My first impressions of the other Pythias (and remembering Agnes too) is that every single Pythia we've seen is crazy. Cassie should fit in well! :D

Reading a bit slower this time. Wondered about this quote from Cassie when she's thinking about having to go seduce Pritkin.

the whole thing was uncomfortable in ways I didn't want to think about right now.

Like some of the things Pritkin had said recently, after he'd had his father's prohibition lifted, but before he'd gotten zapped with the curse. Things I had probably misinterpreted. Things that, even if I hadn't misinterpreted, weren't going anywhere, because my personal life was even more complicated than my job.

I'm assuming Cassie's referring to Priktin's comments near the end of TtS where he tells her he was glad she came to the demon realm for him, and that he'd never really lived after his wife died until he met her. I think the Prissies aren't going to like the sound of that comment that things "weren't going anywhere"! Is this Cassie's usual denial of anything connected to her emotions, or does she really believe she could never have a relationship with Pritkin?

Haha, so true!!

*stifled screams* THAT WAS AMAZING!! How do I wait x number of months for the rest?! Oh gooodddddd! There was so much stuff in there to discuss I don't know where to start!! I'm probably going to reread those two chapters another 42 times before RTW comes out hahahahaaaaaa~! *body floats away*
Well before I get into hugely detailed analysis (which is hard because of switching screens on my phone, so I'll wait til home time) I'm gonna comment on a few things here. Let me defend Pritkin's honour! Lmao
I'm not so sure that he did do anything er, MAJOR with that barmaid. He pulls Cassie into the room almost as soon as the barmaid has left, right? Almost like he had a light snack rather than a ~~full meal~~ because he wanted to dismiss the barmaid ASAP. I had the sneaking suspicion that Pritkin spotted Cassie before he took the barmaid in, and used her to lure Cassie closer and make her think he was distracted by the barmaid?? You know how paranoid our war Mage is! But I'm viewing the chapter through my rose-tinted glasses lol!!

Also if Pritkin had had some below the waist fun for himself, wouldn't she have seen Pritkin with an untucked shirt/open trousers etc seeing as how he pulled her in almost immediately after the barmaid left? (Although if Pritkin does turn out to be a SPEEDY GONZALES I have to admit I will laugh my butt off into the stratosphere)
I'm so happy we got to see him in 1794! I was actually hoping it would happen because I thought the reaction from Pritkin-of-that-era upon seeing her again would be PRICELESS and I was RIGHT lmao! KC you've done it again, delivered on my every dream and more! *fans self too*

LOL, I love your enthusiasm Duca!! :D

I didn't really think Pritkin had done too much with the barmaid. I thought it was maybe a bit of smooching and some mild groping. I'd like to think Pritkin likes to savour his 'food'! :P

(Although if Pritkin does turn out to be a SPEEDY GONZALES I have to admit I will laugh my butt off into the stratosphere)

OMG I nearly fell off my chair laughing at this!! Pritkin's new name is 'Dirty Speedy War Mage' LMFAO!!!

So where do we all think Cassie might go next to find Pritkin? Do you think she'll end up at that auction that she went to Mircea? Because they haven't got an awful lot of time to spare before that, as Pritkin's in the demon realm and Cassie said her power is flaky there. She also said that she couldn't go back to before he left Earth because it was too far for her power (though I have this feeling that KC talked about this in a Q&A and Agnes was able to go thousands of year back, so Cassie might be mistaken.)

Maybe Cassie somehow recruits the other Pythias to help her? OK, probably not! :P

Ehehehe, thanks Lanni. I hope for Cassie's sake they won't have to travel anytime else (other than to return the AWOL 1794 Pritkin back to his proper place in history)! They've still got a chance to catch his soul with the current Pritkin (if they can catch him lol SPEEDY MAGE) because from what I remember of the first few paragraphs, the amount of time the soul stays each time varies. I think the soul was still inside him before he vanished so I hope Cassie has some luck for once!

Is anyone else really curious why Pritkin gave her that little energy boost kiss at the end? It's not like it's something he has to do, and Cassie remarked on how odd it was that they were both really energised, or something. But I am SUPER SUSPICIOUS.

SPEEDY JOHNZALES
THAT IS IT
THAT IS THE PUN I HAVE BEEN TRYING TO MAKE FOR THE LAST TWO HOURS

Hahhah, Duca! That's hilarious!

But, um, didn't they bring Pritkin to the present? Because if they didn't, why would she look for him when they ended up in the water? If Cassie pulled Pritkin to the present, does that open up the possibility for her doing the same thing with someone else, you know, like Mricea's wife?

Oh god that was an amazing first two chapters. Let me take a breath.

" I wasn’t one of Rosier’s succubi, some experienced femme-fatale. Hell, I wasn’t even a femme-slightly-nauseous. "

LOL oh, Cassie...

How does she get into these messes!

So does this mean they have to go further back in time? She has to avoid messing with the timeline of when she first met pritkin in the past in 1793 so as to not mess with THAT timeline...

I got a little confused by your question but she didnt exactly pull Pritkin to the present. If I remember well she jumped through one of those holes in time the other Pythia opened? And I don't think she meant to bring Pritkin to present day Amsterdam lol, I'm pretty sure that at the end there she was super panicky about it XD

wait they were in Present day Amesterdam? I missed something... Oh no I need to read it again. Such hardships ;)

Well, I might be wrong, but I am pretty sure Cassie saw a japanese guy wearing a T-shirt that said "I got high in Amsterdam" and after that she looked for Pritkin, and I took that to mean they are in the present and Pritkin is with them, with his soul, because it arrived before they jumped through time.

I think that whole battle scene was very jumbled. I didn't understand what was going on with that Pythia or what she did with time.

What has me so confused is how angry the other Pythia was. I mean, surely other Pythias have to travel back through time rather frequently. How come everyone is trying to stop Cassie so much?? I don't get it.

Okay I haven't read it yet but it anyone else bugged that this Cassie model in the background has long, smooth straight hair?

"Pritkin’s twenty-first century body was back where it belonged, and in decent shape despite being hit by a deadly curse."

I wondered where the body was going to come from, I guess the Demon Council just handed it back.


“—trying to eavesdrop on my conversation with their sister!”
“Their—you mean the barmaid?” I asked, strangely relieved

He didn't do anything(but talk) with the Barmaid then, yes?

And yes, to begin with they're in Amsterdam in the 1790's, and then some sort of magic happens:

"Outboard motors didn’t exist in 1794. But magic did. At least, I assumed there was some sort of spell involved when we zipped out into the canal, so fast that it felt like we were barely touching the waves. But I wasn’t all that curious."

Also, I think the Pythia said she was there for Rosier, not for Cassie?


Don't we usually not got teaser chapters until about 2 or 3 months before a books release? D'you think we're getting Reap the Wind sooner rather than later?

Lia wrote: "Okay I haven't read it yet but it anyone else bugged that this Cassie model in the background has long, smooth straight hair?"

I much prefer the covers to the KC website character pictures. Perhaps we'll get a sexy Mircea on the new Masks cover. Hmm better stop there!

Great teaser chapters! Had me grinning all the way through and left me suitably confused as always! Rosier and Cassie are going to be a hoot! Loved the Pythias lol; especially the ear horn. I thought they ended up on modern day Amsterdam too.

I'm wondering if Pritkins power burst has a permanent effect on Cassie (she has no other power source if Rosier is a dud). Wouldn't Pritkin remember that exchange in his future existence...seemed memorable to me *fans herself*

Lia wrote: ...RE possible earlier release of RTW

I don't think so Lia, if you look at KCs recent website posts I think this early taster is an apology/gift for not posting Masks. I suspect this was her concession from Penguin.

Scarlet, I thought the same as you, that Cassie and Rosier ended up in modern Amsterdam, but I'm not quite certain if Pritkin is there. It's a little ambiguous. I think Cassie definitely tried to take him with her, but I'm not sure if he made it or not. Cassie says ...

And then I shifted to the boys, not even waiting to get a good grip on them before shifting us all through the rapidly closing time portal behind us.

After they surface (literally!) in Amsterdam, Cassie looks around and Pritkin isn't there. It's possible he's frantically swimming off in the other direction, but it's also possible that he slipped through Cassie's grasp as she shifted away.

Lia, on the release dates of the teasers, it varies. Hunt the Moon's were released something like 8-9 months in advance, Fury's Kiss teasers were nearly six months, and Tempt the Stars teasers were about three months. I'm thinking that Anna has the right of it though, that these teasers are a consolation prize for not getting Masks. The very fact that KC said release date will likely be Autumn/Fall confirms that the book won't be out any time soon. :(

Lannister wrote: "After they surface (literally!) in Amsterdam, Cassie looks around and Pritkin isn't there. It's possible he's frantically swimming off in the other direction, but it's also possible that he slipped through Cassie's grasp as she shifted away."

I had similar thoughts...

Presumably that will happen a few times ;)

OK it's time for my in-depth discussion of the first 2 teaser chapters. HOLD ON TO YOUR BREECHES PEOPLE I'M GONNA TALK MY BUTT OFF HERE!

First, some favourite lines:
'It looked like barmaids dressing for tips wasn’t a new concept, I thought, scowling.' (....) 'I looked back at the bar to see that, sure enough, Pritkin was being led off somewhere by the blond. I felt my face flush. I thought he’d have better taste.'
LOOKS LIKE WE HAVE A JEALOUS CASSIE HOHOHOHO

(Fave parts include literally the whooooooole sex scene so no need to quote all that)

“This ... is no time ... for a snack!” (I hooted like an animal I swear to god, oh Cassie)

'Hurricane Pritkin' Best. Nickname. Ever.

'Crap. I should have known. Rosier. He was just the gift that kept on giving, wasn’t he?'
' Until my damned useless partner sank like a stone.' Basically Cassie's whole attitude to Rosier coming along cracks me the hell up (it was absolutely useless, thanks.)

'And that included one extremely odd-looking demon lord who scowled in slow-mo when he saw me run through with his son, still doubled over with laughter' This image is HILARIOUS

'“Does nobody in this benighted place have any respect for private property?” Rosier demanded.' BLESS HIM HE'S LOST ALL HIS MAGIC, HE LOOKS LIKE POPEYE AND HE'S STILL HAUGHTY AS FUCK
'I screamed and grabbed Pritkin, who was clutching Rosier in a death grip but manfully keeping silent. Unlike his father, who was yelling right along with me' ROSIER.

'“Well, hello,” she said, smiling at me evilly, as I looked up from a pile of demon.
“Well, goodbye,” I gasped, and kicked her into the canal.' I think I was actually breathless with laughter by this point.

Ok now some things that intrigued me...
Firstly, I think I've figured out that Pritkin actually paid the barmaid?
'the blond emerged with a giggle and a wink, tucking something down the front of her front.' and a little later...
'adjusting a bit of material over the assets between her assets.' I'm pretty sure she put some money between her boobs! The only question is did Pritkin pay her for a 'meal' or information... :P
Sorry if this isn't news I just noticed it today!

And now the bit that REALLY intrigues me
' Although in fairness, it felt like I’d gotten back more power than I’d given. Like, a lot more.
Which was weird, because he was looking kind of energized himself.'
WHAT COULD THIS MEAN?!? Is there something else we don't know about incubi and their powers? Could it be something special that only happens when a couple have exchanged power back and forth (like C & P have now done)? Or is this something completely new as a result of our demi goddess mixing her powers with a half incubus???
I. AM. SO. EXCITED. THE POSSIBILITIES ARE ASTRONOMICAL!

(cough. Please excuse how long and rambling and utterly overenthusiastic I am. I know how annoying I must be I just really need to get this out. I'm super excited!)

I thought the power exchange was interesting as well! If they're both exchanging power, then surely on demon terms, they're practically married... ;)

Josie wrote: "I thought the power exchange was interesting as well! If they're both exchanging power, then surely on demon terms, they're practically married... ;)"

Well it means they had sex, but technicality ;)

Anna wrote: "Presumably that will happen a few times ;)"

Anna,
I can't deny that I was hopeful that they were going to rescue Pritkin's soul right there in Chapter Two, so that this particular storyline could be wrapped up in three or four chapters in total, then we could move onto the Mircea/senate/war plotline, because 1) I enjoy that story more, and 2) we had enough of Pritkin in the last book! :P

It doesn't look like it's going to be that simple, unfortunately.

Duca,
Yay! Don't hold back :)

Pritkin was being led off somewhere by the blond. I felt my face flush. I thought he’d have better taste.

Yup, a definite case of the green-eyed monster from Cassie. She should be pleased that Pritkin likes blondes!

Firstly, I think I've figured out that Pritkin actually paid the barmaid?

Well spotted! I missed that, but yes, I think you're absolutely right. He wasn't 'snacking' at all on the barmaid. They talked and he presumably paid her for information. Damn, Pritkin, you're so bloody honourable! :P

'Although in fairness, it felt like I’d gotten back more power than I’d given. Like, a lot more.
Which was weird, because he was looking kind of energized himself.'

I think I need to go back and read the Paris scenes from Embrace the Night again, to see Cassie & Pritkin's interactions there. I seem to remember him forcing her up against a wall in some sort of tower and kissing her, and I think Cassie thought he was using his incubus powers on her there. Cassie was properly Pythia by that point (and therefore had the power of the Pythian office) and obviously she's always been a demigod, so maybe Pritkin picked up something about her that she didn't even know herself at that point?

It's a very interesting situation, though. Pritkin sees her as a sort of frenemy at this point, I think. He doesn't trust her at all, but he wants his Codex Merlini map and she's the only route to it, so it's in his interest I suppose to protect her from what he thinks are dangerous magic users. But who has ever heard of an incubus giving back power? I feel like there's more going on here than I know. I think I need to read it all again.

You know... The Incubi of this world are not particularly good at the game of "charm". I mean Rosier is good, but he hates Cassie. Casanova...pshhh. fail. Pritkin would rather just watch things go boom and bang... Chavez may be the only one! LOL

And this is even before he met Ruth-and unless they cause trouble with the timeline, this means that Pritkin knew he could give power back just as easily as take it, and that if Ruth told him what she planned to do, the whole thing with her could have played out differently.

Zeenat wrote: "You know... The Incubi of this world are not particularly good at the game of "charm". I mean Rosier is good, but he hates Cassie. Casanova...pshhh. fail. Pritkin would rather just watch things go ..."

With Casanova, particularly, I don't think we see him actually trying. He doesn't like Cassie because she causes too many problems and, as he doesn't see any benefit in charming her, he doesn't bother to try. But that doesn't mean he can't. We saw a tiny flash of it at the start of Claimed by Shadow when Cassie first learns of the existence of the geis.

"Rumor has it that you're Pythia now," he finally said, stroking the back of one long-fingered hand lightly over mine. "Can't you use your power to deal with this? It would be worth a lot to me." My skin felt warmer than usual where he touched me, a feeling that spread outward along my arm. His voice dropped an octave, going husky. "I could be a very good friend, Cassandra."

He raised my hand, turning it over to run a finger lightly down the middle of the palm. I was about to make a sarcastic comment about my so-called power when he bent his head. His lips brushed along the line he'd drawn, silken soft yet feeling like they left a brand, and I forgot what I'd been about to say. He looked up at me through dark lashes, and it was like staring into the face of a stranger, one with a darkly beautiful visage and a hypnotic gaze.

Whew!

We've seen Pritkin turn on the incubus charm too, and the effects that it has on Cassie. I'd guess that incubi don't leave 'seduction mode' switched on unless they're trying to feed, so their own lovely personalities shine through .... Yeah. OK, maybe Chavez was just naturally charming. And had the incredibly bad taste to fall for Drac. All right, incubi are just weird!!


Scarlet wrote: "And this is even before he met Ruth-and unless they cause trouble with the timeline, this means that Pritkin knew he could give power back just as easily as take it, and that if Ruth told him what ..."

Yeah, quite probably. Although incubus feeding is different from the energy exchange/demon sex thing that he did with Ruth, though maybe the underlying principles are much the same.

Jeez, what he did with Cassie is helluva similar to demon sex, but obviously it can't be since Pritkin's not allowed to do this.

@Lannister The sex ban only came after he met Ruth, went crazy when she died, and tried to kill Rosier. So he's allowed to have sex now and I'm pretty sure that's exactly what he did with Cassie. Pritkin described it as an exchange of energies that leaves both parties stronger. If Cassie and Pritkin both felt energized after that little interlude, then I'm pretty sure demon sex is exactly what happened.

Edit: Just had another thought. Is Pritkin going to remember any of this when he wakes up

and: If Cassie's whole plan involves shifting past Pritkin back to the present to rescue his soul...will Pritkin gain back any of his memories after the counterspell is performed?

Claire wrote: "Edit: Just had another thought. Is Pritkin going to remember any of this when he wakes up

and: If Cassie's whole plan involves shifting past Pritkin back to the present to rescue his soul...will P..."

I fear this. A lot! I will be really pissed if all the memories prior to the century they (cassie and rosier) finally catch up with Pritkin and perform the counterspell is erased, as if it never happened! I mean, OMG, all the Cassandra Palmer books adventures erased rom Pritkin's mind!!! I refuse to believe it.

I think we could see a brief period of amnesia, while we waited for everything to come back. I do not think Pritkin's memories will be lost permanently, because that would really damage the storyline. We know there's supposed to be more Mircea in RtW, which means Cassie can't spend the whole book a) heartbroken over Pritkin or b) trying to help him recover his memories.

Claire wrote: "@Lannister The sex ban only came after he met Ruth, went crazy when she died, and tried to kill Rosier. So he's allowed to have sex now and I'm pretty sure that's exactly what he did with Cassie. P..."

Doh! You're right, of course. I've got my timelines mixed up. Well then, it really does sound like an energy exchange. But I thought Pritkin said somewhere that he didn't do that? I need to research this. There's something weird here ....!

I'm trying to get my head around the timeline with past Pritkin/present Pritkin. When you think about it, bringing the Pritkin of 1794(ish) to modern day Amsterdam was a really bad idea on Cassie's part. How could that fail to impact the timeline as our (modern) Pritkin would surely carry these memories? Or is it all cancelled out as part of the spell? I just can't see KC wiping out great swathes of Pritkin's past and changing the story dramatically. Unless it's done in an extraordinarily clever manner, I feel this would undermine the whole story. I could understand little changes (similar to the way LC changed in small ways after his past was altered) but surely Pritkin's whole life can't be radically altered?

I feel it's all moot in this particular instance, because I really don't think Pritkin made it to modern time, but that doesn't mean they can't try again. I'm assuming Cassie wanted to come to modern times to avoid treading on other Pythias' turf?

WAIT... what if Pritkin's makeout session with Cassie led him to believe he could do it with Ruth? Granted, Cassie isn't half demon, but he could have thought "Well Pythia's are magical and we were both the stronger for it, why not?"

Oh no... !!

Why would he have amnesia? I'm confused...

@Zeenat Because Cassie tried to bring Pritkin from 1793 back to the present. So 1700s Pritkin wouldn't know anything that happened in the 2000s. We're worried the regression back through time lost his modern memories permanently.

@Lannister I agree something weird is going on with the whole energy exchange thing. It could be that Pritkin only did it because he could tell she had enormous amounts of magical power to pull from, as opposed to Ruth who had none. But when Pritkin said he "didn't do that", technically he hadn't because Cassie hadn't visited the past. Maybe after Pritkin's memories are restored in keeping with the modified timeline he'll change his tune.

Oh my gosh the theories are flying fast and loose everywhere! So much info to take in I hardly know where to start! So of course I started on the one that would give me the biggest headache.

When trying to figure out time travel, I always fall back on that old classic Back to the Future. Doc will help explain this! I think Cassie’s time travel antics work in a similar fashion: when she goes back and changes something, it alters the timeline into a new timeline (Doc: ‘in THIS reality’ http://geeknerd.co.uk/wp-content/uplo...). The only confusing thing is, in Cassie’s world, sometimes the changes made to a timeline are already apparent (like when in the first book Cassie spots Radella and Francoise on a mission that first-book-Cassie hasn’t done yet, but eventually will in the future, or how Pritkin already knows her from the 1790’s), and other times you don’t see the changes in her present until after Cassie has gone back in time and meddled with something (the best example of this is recently in TTS when her Court was set on fire and many of her acolytes died. If she’d already been to the past to fix that, then there would have been no problem in her present, right?). SO. This has got me to thinking that all of this time travelling stuff that Cassie is doing now in RTW is new, and she’s currently creating an alternate reality for her future... which we have yet to see the results of (it’s worrying me a lot aaahhhh how will KC get us out of this one??). It couldn’t possibly be something that she’s already altered, otherwise we’d have seen the results of that evident in present-day Pritkin being curse free and waiting for her in the demon realms, or wherever the council is keeping his currently cursed body.)

(god just don’t ask me how many times I backtracked and second-guessed myself while writing this theory. Every time I think I have a firm grasp on this stuff I confuse myself and throw all my papers into the air. I have a sizeable headache right now.)

Which brings me to my second theory: how does the whole curse being lifted on Pritkin work?
I don’t think KC is that cruel XD. She couldn’t possibly save Pritkin only to give him amnesia! We’ve had a ‘Saving Private Commander Pritkin’ plot for the last two books, I think another one might be overkill. I think when Rosier (finally) manages to successfully cast the antidote spell, the curse will sort of re-ravel itself backwards this time, so basically it will undo all of the soul vanishing it’s been doing and restore Pritkin’s soul through each stage of his life forwards through time until everything is as it was before, and Pritkin will be waiting for Cassie, healthy and whole, to come pick him up after school exactly where she last left him. Think a reverse Benjamin Button! Or watching an unravelled tapestry sew itself back together! (am I making any sense oh god) At least that’s what I’m hoping it does XD The council had better fucking hope that was a cure-all counter spell otherwise Cassie will rain fury down on them all!

edit: I just realised what a dumbass I am oh my god. I haven't asked myself what the heck is happening to Pritkin's body each time his soul moves on to its next destination in the past! I mean for example, when his soul moves on will 1794 Pritkin just collapse like present-day Pritkin did back when the demon council laid the curse on him? ARE THERE A BUNCH OF SOULLESS UNCONSCIOUS PRITKIN BODIES CURRENTLY LITTERED FROM 18TH-21ST CENTURY?!?! I HAVE MUDDLED MYSELF UTTERLY OH NO

There's so much more to comment on in this thread omg sorry guys you'll never get me to shut up now XD!

RE: Cassie/Pritkin & previous incubus powered activities, I decided to take Lanni's advice to herself and read up on those scenes from ETN too! He never did any feeding off Cassie, he was only using his powers of suggestion, so that Cassie would tell him where the map was. Their energies were both running low, Cassie from resisting the suggestion and Pritkin from Cassie resisting him (“It drains your power, doesn’t it?” I said instead. “Seducing someone who resists you?”) so I think it's safe to say no energy absorbing was going on here. The only thing Pritkin noticed about Cassie was her geis :) (well, magic-wise anyway ;D)

It's super interesting seeing the difference a year makes to their relationship dynamic, I think Lanni was right in saying that in 1794 Pritkin came to see her as a sort of frenemy. Oddly, in a way it makes me think of their dynamic at the beginning of the very first book; the only difference is that in 1794 Pritkin allowed himself to think of her in sexual terms, whereas TTD-Pritkin did not see her that way because of years of not allowing himself that luxury. So 1794-Pritkin is not completely trusting of Cassie, but asks for her help out of necessity. Simultaneously I think he feels a spark of attraction to her, as he keeps on finding excuses to use some of his sexier incubus powers on her XD
which brings me toooooo....

what the effing hell was Pritkin doing with Cassie in RTW??:
After re-reading the teaser chapters ANOTHER time (oh no, woe is me :D) I am of the opinion that Pritkin was doing a James Bond (or something Marlowe and Dory did on that mission once!) and faking some tragic love story to trick the lavender-haired pythia into going easy on Cassie and him. This bit when he 'glanced at the curtain and then at me' just before he goes all lovey-dovey (or sexy-wexy rather) on Cassie made me think he heard something behind the curtain and cooked up that plan on the spot to make them look less suspicious to whoever was coming to investigate.
What I CANNOT FOR THE LIFE OF ME FIGURE OUT YET is whether Pritkin gets kind of sucked into his own ruse and ends up really meaning it when he does the classic play 'One kiss before you go' or if he's just a really good actor. For all I know he might be both! Fuck it I'm saying Pritkin was bloody enjoying his little performance for the other pythia. He's not as good at separating business and pleasure as Marlowe is, amirite?

(is anyone following me? oh god)

Duca, someone asked KC about the time travel stuff in a Q &A. I've copied it below and hope it helps you figure stuff out.

This is probably the prime example of me overthinking, or not quite catching everything. Feel free to simply tell me to read TTD again, as this is obviously a very long question… From my understanding, Cassie and Mircea change history in TTD, to try to keep Myra from altering history in a way harmful to them. They free Radu, and change the way Louis-Caesare was made. This is referenced again when he becomes a more prominent character in the Dory books. Does Cassie retain the memories of how it was before she changes it, while everyone else remembers the changed version? Does Mircea remember both versions? It severely messes with my head. If she changes history, wouldn’t that negate the need to go back and change it at all, thereby preventing her from going back to change it? I understand when she goes back in time to stop others from altering the time line, but freeing Radu seems like it is outside of the “rules” as it were.
Warning: long, boring answer ahead. Proceed at your own risk.

Yes, Cassie remembers things the way they were before they were changed. You know, it’s easy to keep this sort of thing straight if you recall that Cassie’s timeline is the only one you need to worry about. She is Pythia. She is the linchpin on which everything else turns. Concentrate on her and it all becomes clearer.

So, before Cassie left her own time to go back to seventeenth century France, things were in a mess and her help was needed. She goes back and rescues LC, and changes time in the process. She then returns to the present day. But here’s the kicker: she didn’t go back and relive her life again, did she? She didn’t experience the new timeline for 23 years. She entered it only when she returned to the Senate and found that the world had changed (subtly) because of her actions. Everyone else who was left behind had lived through the changed world but Cassie had not. Because she hadn’t been there. Time had been one way when she left, and was another when she returned, as a direct result of her actions. The same was true for Mircea, because he was with her.

As far as what that meant for the book, keep in mind that all Cassie had done was to insure that the attempt Myra made on LC’s life had failed. She didn’t change anything else. The reasons for the war were still there, and it was still brewing behind the scenes. And since MAGIC was in shambles after Cassie returned, obviously Rasputin and co. had still attacked the Senate.

Remember, their back-up plan in case Myra failed had always been a frontal assault on the Senate. Rasputin preferred to challenge (as long as he wasn’t going to be facing LC) because gaining control of the Senate that way was more of a sure thing than an open assault. But once Tomas spilled the beans about the Senate’s plan to save LC, he said screw it and just attacked anyway. And that assault came before Cassie went back in time, so it wasn’t dependent on anything she did or didn’t do.

So in the altered timeline, the frontal assault on the Senate just went from Plan B to Plan A, with the challenge that Rasputin sent to the Consul merely being used to throw the Senate off guard. It worked. The Senate wasn’t expecting an assault, they were expecting a challenge. Because that was how these things were always decided and because anything else would start a war. The Senate just didn’t realize: they were already at war.

As far as freeing Radu being outside the rules, oh, hell yes. But since when does Mircea follow rules when they aren’t convenient for him? And he was the only one who knew what the rules were at that point; Cassie certainly didn’t. So, basically, Mircea pulled a fast one. Is this at all a surprise?

So does any of that help or does it confuse even further LOL?!

About the kids dying at the Pythian Court, after Cassie went there and saved them, those deaths simply didn't happen. Cassie is the focus for the timeline, so if she changes things, that becomes the new reality that everyone else lives through.

So with regard to Pritkin, ordinarily I'd say that if Cassie changed Pritkin's life in the past, then the Pritkin she meets at MAGIC that first time has already lived through the changes she made. But ... I dunno if this is complicated by the demons' spell. Pritkin's soul could certainly return to his 21st century body and anything it experienced could be wiped out as the spell is undone. But, Pritkin's soul is separate from Pritkin's body in this case. If everything pivots around Cassie, then (if everything stands as it does right now) Pritkin of 2014 should remember meeting Cassie in a bar in Amsterdam in 1794. The demons can't do time travel (I don't think) so anything Cassie does should become part of Pritkin's history. That's why I thought it would be weird to bring 1794 Pritkin to the modern era. That would surely be a huge change to someone's life? (I mean, if we all had a peek at life in 200 years, that surely couldn't leave you unchanged. Also, I would LOVE that!!)

But, I dunno. If I start thinking too hard about this stuff, I get a headache!!

Claire wrote: "I agree something weird is going on with the whole energy exchange thing. It could be that Pritkin only did it because he could tell she had enormous amounts of magical power to pull from, as opposed to Ruth who had none. But when Pritkin said he "didn't do that", technically he hadn't because Cassie hadn't visited the past."

Claire, I looked up that passage in Hunt the Moon where Pritkin tells Cassie about Ruth's death. He says there that he hadn't fed from demons (that's what I was thinking when he said he didn't do that.) This quote is particularly interesting ...

"That night ... I should have been able to shut things down before they progressed that far. But I couldn't, because I'd refused to mate with demons, had restricted myself to humans, and therefore knew little about the process."

And later on, he says ...

"As I told you, I had never merged with other demons, never tried to enhance what I was born with, as it would have merely made me more useful to my father.

I had never even considered Pritkin taking energy from humans (I mean the actual energy exchange, not just incubus feeding), but Pritkin's comments and Cassie's reactions in RtW strongly hint that's what happened. Pritkin obviously sensed her power and he wasn't hamstrung with guilt at this point, so why not?

Pritkin mentioned that he eventually recognised Cassie from 1793, because of the dress she wore. You'd think he'd say "Oh by the way, we also hooked up in a bar in Amsterdam the following year." I don't know whether his silence means the memory was somehow taken from him or never happened, or if he doesn't want to say anything that might upset the timeline.

Pritkin will remember this stuff- because when Cassie met Mircea in the past, and then asked him about it in the future he explains that he thought she was just some witch or whatever- implying that after she goes back and changed the past, those in the future suddenly retain the memories... Right?

I think it is definitely screwy to have brought Pritkin to modern Day Amsterdam (if that is in case what happened) although it shouldn't be too detrimental as long as she gets him back soon enough, especially as he's not going to take a lot in, in regards to his surroundings, in the midst of their current catastrophe.

Pritkin’s twenty-first century body was back where it belonged, and in decent shape despite being hit by a deadly curse. But only because it hadn’t been the target. His soul had. The demon spell had sent his spirit sliding back through the eras of his life, and would destroy it once it reached the beginning of what had been, thankfully, a very long existence.
At least, it would unless we put the counter-curse on him first.

While at first I worried he would lose his memories- after reading this part I changed my mind. Looking back now I realise nothing here implies that his memories will be completely restored- but I don't know, it's just the feeling I get from reading it. Plus, how tragic would it be for all of the character progress Pritkin has made, as well as his and Cassie's slow building friendship to be wiped away?

Oh thanks a lot Lanni that does actually help! Although again I can't think about it too much otherwise I'll get an even bigger headache trying to remember who was time-travelling with Cassie and who remembers which timelines... nope. NOOPE. Not going there!

but that info is super useful for future reference! I don't suppose we can somehow have Pritkin remember two separate timelines at the end of this rescuing business? Probably not but aarrrggghhhh THEY'RE CHANGING SO MANY THINGS HOW ELSE ARE WE GOING TO GET OUT OF THIS??? Unless... Pritkin didn't end up with them in modern-day Amsterdam? You said it best yourself a few posts back Lanni, Cassie didn't even get a good grip on them both before shifting. Maybe we're all worrying for nothing and Pritkin is still safe and sound back in good old 1794!

Duca, going by what KC said in her Q & A, I don't think Pritkin could remember two timelines. Cassie will, but Pritkin will only experience one life and have one set of memories. Mircea only remembers different timelines because he was with Cassie. (This would therefore imply that if Cassie were to make big changes, Rosier should also remember the before and after timelines.)

I started to type more in the above comment then had to revise my opinion halfway through so deleted it all. Before my head explodes and I confuse myself utterly ... I need to outline this curse thing for my own understanding, and to see where everyone else stands.

My first impression was that the curse, on its own, wouldn't change history or wipe Pritkin's past life out. Although Pritkin's soul is travelling backwards through his life, I didn't think it was destroying or unravelling those parts of his life or his memories as it went. I assumed that if the counterspell were successfully cast, everything would come together again and it would be back to status quo. Adra says "If you can find him before the curse concludes, you can save him." That implies Pritkin will be restored. He also says "His soul will pass through each year of his life only once and then never again." He doesn't say anything about memories being lost or destroyed, simply that the curse will pass over them until it reaches zero.

So then I started to think that, as Cassie and Rosier travel to the past, they might make changes that could affect the Pritkin Cassie meets in the future. So let's say, for instance, if Pritkin were stabbed in a bar in Amsterdam in 1794 as a result of Cassie's actions, the Pritkin Cassie meets at MAGIC would remember the stabbing and still bear the scar (let's forget demon healing for a moment!)

But, is this idea correct? Isn't your soul the essence of who you are and therefore your memories must be part of your soul? So the soul that's travelling backwards - and the memories it holds - is the soul of Pritkin of 2014(ish). So doesn't that mean if this soul is 'restored' when the curse in defeated, Pritkin should be exactly as he was when the spell was cast, and anything Cassie changed wouldn't have happened.

Here's my crappy computing analogy: let's pretend Pritkin's soul has been stored on a hard drive. This hard drive is travelling through time until Pritkin's birth. If the hard drive reaches the time of his birth, it'll self-destruct (in true Mission Impossible style!) If the counterspell is cast before this, Pritkin's backed up personality is fully restored to his body in the 21st century. So this would mean any changes Cassie makes simply wouldn't have happened when the backed up soul is restored. Have you ever used Restore Points in Windows? So ... just like that, then!

Does anyone else think this is possible or have I missed something stupidly obvious? I think I have a different theory every time I think about this!