Reddit Post by u/GenderDojoEnjoyer on June 6th 2022

This week on the Hot Tomb Summer: Investigations! Secret rooms! Deadly trials!

Chapter 17

The necromancers attempt to summon the spirits of Abigail and Magnus. The awful teens are extremely distraught, the Sixth go CSI-mode, Harrow passes out, Corona and Ianthe do necromancy together and Dulcie is prevented from trying by Protesilaus.

The Eight come down and Silas starts soul siphoning Colum, though it affects everyone else around them as well. Dulcinea screams and collapses and Pro punches Silas.

Teacher comes in through the hatch, terrified, but doesn’t descend. He warns the necros of dangers of soul siphoning there and pleads with them to get the bodies out and leave.

Chapter 18

The corpses are put into the freezer room. Judith wants to call in the Cohort and start a murder investigation. Teacher forbids any communication and claims that it wasn’t a murder because it wasn’t committed by the living. Everyone learns that the Sixth, Seventh, Eight and Ninth have the hatch keys. Silas admits that he told Abigail about the facility at the party. Dulcie apologizes for Pro punching Silas, Silas wants a duel between their cavaliers, but is prevented by Corona, who wants everyone to make a pact of not suspecting each other. The teens want to hunt whatever has killed Abigail and Magnus. Pal objects, he wants to examine the bodies and invites everyone who wants to join him. Teacher reveals that Ianthe also has the facility key, a fact she apparently hid even from Corona and Babs.

Camilla, the Second and the Seventh go to examine the bodies, while Pal has a chat with Harrow. Silas beckons Colum’s soul to return to his body. Jeannemary asks Gideon if she knows anything. Colum’s soul returns.

Harrow is agitated and leaves with Gideon to use their new key and open its door.

Chapter 19

The key turns out to have the same symbol as the door Gideon found. After opening it they discover a study untouched by time. On the wall there is a photo of a group of people around a table with their faces scribbled out. Harrow is drawn to the laboratory part of the room, while Gideon goes upstairs to find a bedroom/lounge. Gideon explores the room and finds evidence of the Second House necromancer and cavalier living there; she picks up a crumpled piece of flimsy next to the nightstand but doesn’t have time to read it. Harrow finds the theorem behind the transference experiment.

After a comment from Harrow, Gideon grieves Magnus and opens up to Harrow that he treated her as less of a stranger than she does. Harrow commits to no longer treating Gideon that way and earning her trust. After this uncomfortably honest dialogue (!), they go to sleep and Gideon finally has a chance to read the piece of flimsy from the study—her name is written in the note.

Chapter 20

The Ninth go back to the facility to try the next challenge. Harrow explains to Gideon that not only did she learn the theorem behind the transference, but also now knows how to make her constructs regenerate. They are intercepted by Dulcinea who proposes to team up. She figured out the solution to another trial but cannot physically complete it, so she offers to give the solution to Harrow in exchange for sharing the key. Harrow agrees because she doesn’t want her to make the same offer to Palamedes. While walking to the lab Gideon notices that Dulcie has a thick gray key on her key ring.

At the lab Harrow checks out the challenge. It turns out to be a field of two overlaid spells that make anything inside decay and disperse any magic within it, with the key on the other side of it. Dulcie admits that she asked Pal for help first but he refused to do it. She explains that the solution is a kind of soul siphoning. Harrow and Gideon leave the room to discuss it. Despite Harrow’s warnings, Gideon agrees immediately, just because Harrow asked.

Harrow starts her attempt at the trial. Gideon falls over in pain, Dulcie comforts her and helps her stay awake. Gideon screams while Dulcie soothes her and apologizes constantly. Harrow gets the key and starts to go back. By the time she returns Gideon is almost completely out of it. Harrow calls her by her name for the first time and Gideon passes out.

Gideon wakes up cradled by Dulcinea. Harrow gets really protective and even more curt with Dulcie than usual and wants to leave immediately. While hauling Gideon out of the laboratory Harrow asks Dulcie for her reason to become a Lyctor. She, looking sad and regretful, admits she didn’t want to die. After Gideon confronts her Harrow admits that she doesn’t like Dulcie or Pro. After returning back to their quarters Harrow chastises Gideon for not valuing her life and lets it slip that she didn’t have the luxury to leave like Sextus, because she has to become a Lyctor now. Gideon falls asleep.

Thoughts/Takeaways/Discussion Starters

This is where the book starts to get darker. Magnus and Abigail's deaths threw everything in disarray and not only is there now some unknown deadly threat, but also a growing conflict between the Houses. Most of the heirs are more ambitious about the trials than it appeared, almost everyone has a facility key and all of them bar Dulcinea treat them as a race. Only half of the Houses are interested in solving the murders and they all disagree on methods.

On the other side the relationship between Harrow and Gideon continues to improve. Harrow is more open with Gideon, asks for her trust and is willing to compromise. During the avulsion trial she gets angry at Gideon for not valuing her life and agreeing to risk it just because Harrow asked. Gideon for her part admits that she is willing to trust Harrow and her being considerate of Gideon was all she ever wanted from her.

SPOILERS BELIOW

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Re-read Discussion Thoughts

• Once again, there is plenty of foreshadowing about Cytherea and the twins. For me it was interesting that on my first read I caught on to Ianthe and Corona pretty early and was suspicious of everything they did, but Cytherea completely flew under my radar, despite there being way more hints about her dropped constantly.

• Why did Cytherea ask for Pal and Harrow’s help to get the Eight’s key? The only key she needed was the one she hid inside Abigail’s corpse. My only theories are that either this was her attempt to kill Pal or Harrow and make it seem like an accident or she is just that much of a method actress. There’s a possible hint at the first theory in that the field was much more vicious than Cyth told Harrow and she seemed very apologetic to Gideon during the trial, claiming it was all her fault. But, on the other hand, she was always acting with way more flourish and commitment to the role than she had to.

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END OF SPOILERS

Link to full discussion on Reddit with Comments