Touch the Dark (Cassandra Palmer #1)

[Bell]

Have they ever taken someone out of one time and into another? I can't think of a time it's happened in any of the books. With Radu, he had to hide out for like a century, and not sire any new vampires (which Dory comments on as being weird) just to keep from messing too much with the timeline. With Francoise, it seemed like she jumped forward in time but that's because she went to Faerie and time moved differently.

Mircea saved Radu because he was continuously being tortured and couldn't die, and laying low for a century and siring no new vampires wouldn't be such a bad thing compared to never-ending PTSD. But what would you do with a woman who has been dead for centuries? Let her live out her human life without contacting her? (But how? He didn't have that many resources back then in Romania.) Or turn her into a vampire but then keep her isolated so she can't mess with anything for 5 centuries and tell her she's not allowed to contact her daughter or her husband until then?

I can totally buy Mircea being obsessed with his dead wife. But I just don't see the logistics of what he would do after saving her.

[Lannister]

I wasn't really thinking that Mircea's wife would live out those ~500 years isolated, or whatever. I was thinking that she would be physically brought from her own time in 15th Century Romania to the present time. I know we haven't seen that before in the books, but that doesn't mean it can't happen! Cassie should just about be able to shift two people (i.e. herself and the wife) 500 years.

I'm not saying I definitely think this will happen, but I don't think there's anything to absolute prohibit it (well, beyond Cassie saying no way LOL!) It would be a huge culture shock to go 500 years into the future but Mircea and Dory would both be around to help her acclimatise. And Mircea could make her vamp so that they can spend the rest of eternity together. There's your HEA! :D

[Josie]

Bell, I think if Mircea did what Lannister said, take her out of the timeline and put her in the present, time wouldn't be affected. What would be interesting to see is the (different!) reactions from Cassie and Dory - Cassie having a love rival but Dory having her mother. It would have a pretty big impact on both series so it might not happen, seeing as the war is taking up a lot of the storyline. Though I can see Mircea having his own side plans/goals.

[Lannister]

Maybe when Cassie gives Mircea the breakup speech, as she leaves him for Pritkin, he begs a favour from her: that she rescue his dead wife. Cassie's feeling guilty about dumping Mircea so she agrees to do it, as she wants Mircea to be as happy as she is with Pritkin.

IT ALL MAKES SENSE! ;)

[Josie]

Hahaha! A new theory from you? This one is definitely less insane than some of the others :P

[Lannister]

LOL! Dammit, I'm not interested if the theory isn't completely crackpot. I have my reputation as the Crackpot Queen to uphold, you know!!! :D

[Bell]

It would solve the HEA problem for me, I admit.

[Cameo]

Haha mee too! XD But how many books is it that KC has planned for the two series? I can't remember...

[Josie]

I think it's 9 for Cassie. I can't remember the number for Dory though I do recall seeing KC write about how she thought she'd get through a certain amount of plot in a certain book but couldn't quite do it (so I hope that means more books!).

[Lannister]

I think it was five books originally for Dory, but Josie's right that KC thought she'd get through more storyline in a shorter period.

I hope we get a few more books about Dory, since she's my current fave.

[Josie]

Do you prefer Dory to Cassie then, Lannister? Or is it because the most recent book has been Dory?

[Lannister]

Yeah, Dory's my favourite. She grew on me gradually. I think I still preferred Cassie the first time I read the Dory books, but when I reread them just before Fury's Kiss was released, I realised how much I love Dory and her screwy world! And Fury's Kiss just confirmed that sentiment. :)

[Josie]

I think Cassie is just about my favourite probably because I read her first, though I absolutely love Dory too. She was awesome in Fury's Kiss, there's something so kind about her.

[Claire]

About Mircea's wife- do we know that she would survive the trip? It's a challenge for Cassie to shift herself a few hundred years, yet alone 5 centuries, and she's a demigoddess. From what I understand, Mircea's wife is a regular, non-magical human.

And Dory's mother surviving would definitely change things. Drac would notice, for one, and that would alter his behavior.

[D.C.]

Dory's the best. I knew after I read the first Midnight's Daughter book that she was top end; I don't mean the "Buying Trouble" that mainly featured Clare either. I think Dory is a much more well rounded character, and I love the interaction she has with the vamps; she has as much distain for them as they do for her.

[Scarlet]

Claire, when Cassie brought the Codex from the past to the present, it was unaffected by time, so I think Elena(Helen) would survive the trip.

Lannister, I love your theory and I was thinking the same thing. But I don't see Mircea asking for that favor after Cassie gives him a break up speech.
It all ties together. The fact that he kept Dory a secret from Cassie: well Dory is, for Mircea, the greatest treasure and the only legacy from the wife he loved. May be he's afraid Cassie will know that Dory is not the product from some fling- he's already told her that many women are "attracted" to him for his wealth and power, and I am sure Cassie will know that for Mircea it was the same in life too. That is why the doubled geis complicated stuff for Mircea-if it wasn't, Cassie the Pythia would have ended under Mircea's control and she wouldn't have minded at all to go back in time and bring to the present Mircea's about-to-die wife. But, the free willed Cassie that we have now will need coaxing and seducing and a lot more work instead, or at least from Mircea's perspective, it seems lime that.
But Mircea fogets that Cassie really does care about him, and the situation from DM with Dory and Christine comes to mind. Dory took Christine with her, even though she believed she was LCs mistress. When you care about someone, you help them no matter what. It doesn't mean that Cassie will not hurt herself by doing this, and she will probably be crushed to realize that she'd been protected by Mircea all her life as a conduit to power, but that doesn't disprove the theory-it can be done, and that's probably why KC tapped around the question of whether Cassie can bring someone from the past to the present.

But, the problem with the timeline is with Drac. He believed that he killed Helen, impaled her on his blunt, oiled spears(or whatever they were called), and h defined the relationship between him and Mircea for five centuries. Although, may be Helen disappeared after she went to see Drac(Cassie took her to the present), and he probably knew that Mircea would blame him for it.

[Bell]

Scarlet wrote: "and that's probably why KC tapped around the question of whether Cassie can bring someone from the past to the present..."

Has someone asked KC this question already and she's evaded it in an FAQ?

[Scarlet]

No, it was my bad. KC evaded the question of whether Cassie can go to the future. I checked only after I posted it and realized my mistake.

[Bell]

Oh right. Well then it's worth asking her, isn't it? She probably won't answer, because it's spoilerish, but you never know what you'll get answered unless you try! How do we ask KC questions? Post something to her wall in FB?

[Lannister]

Bell, you can send an email to karenchance@hotmail.com

[Bell]

OK I'll ask.

[Lannister]

I finished my read of Claimed by Shadow and it struck me that Cassie (or whoever) wouldn't need to bring Mircea's wife forward 500 years through time. They could use one of those snare boxes that Drac was trapped in.

It said somewhere in the books that, after Mircea became vampire, Radu became ill but Mircea couldn't turn him because he was still a baby vamp at that point. He couldn't wait until he became a master as Radu would be dead by then so he trapped him in one of those boxes. This proves that very early on in Mircea's life he was already familiar with these traps and was using them. All he had to do was persuade a Pythia to take one of these back in time with her (and since it fits in the pocket of a dress, it must be a fairly small thing) and trap Mircea's wife within in. The Pythia brings the box to the present time and releases Elena. If they timed it right, to a day or so before she died, Drac would maybe think the locals had taken her body and buried her or whatever, and once she's back in present time, even if she's near terminal, Mircea would be able to heal her back to full strength. Then he could make her vampire. And we have a HEA, no Missie required!

[Cameo]

Ohh that could work! LOL I wonder if any of this is actually what K has planned or if we're just waaaaayyy off in our speculations :p

[Lannister]

Probably waaaayyy off LMAO! :D

Hell, I don't care if I'm wrong about absolutely everything. It's a lot of fun to speculate and theorise. I don't care if I'm actually correct LOL!

[Duca]

Doesn't matter, we'll just add it to the crackpot theories along with all the other awesome stuff :D

[Cameo]

Haha oh come off it Lannister, if you're actually right about some of it you're gonna gloat! But in that case you're totally allowed to be a smug bastard ;)

[Lannister]

LOL! I might feel a little smug for 5 minutes, but honestly, coming up with crackpot theories is the most fun ever!

[Cameo]

And you are very good at it ;) So keep it up our own crack-induced Sherlock :D

[Lannister]

LOL, thank you! I will do my best! :D

[Aileen]

I like my own crackpot theory that Marlowe and Marco are going to run off together because they are tired of all the drama, between the Consul and Cassie, and then Marlowe also having to chase Dory all over the place, they are just going to run off and be happy together, spying on everything and everyone they want to. Oh god, they would be the BEST P.I./bodyguard service EVER. For humans at least...

[Lia]

I don't know whether Mircea'd make the best bodyguard if his idea of protecting a powerful someone is to handcuff them to furniture and keep them from trouble ;)

[Lannister]

I approve of this theory one-thousand percent! :D

They could be a crime-fighting duo like Sam & Dean from Supernatural. Or Batman and Robin LMAO!

[Claire]

Lannister wrote: "I approve of this theory one-thousand percent! :D

They could be a crime-fighting duo like Sam & Dean from Supernatural. Or Batman and Robin LMAO!"

Lannister, was that a subtle hint that you ship Wincest? =p

[Lannister]

LOL, nah, not really. I'm ridiculously behind with Supernatural. Like about five seasons. I keep meaning to start watching again, but then I can't be bothered watching TV and go do something else instead. Maybe once if I ever start watching again ....

[Zeenat]

I wincest :D lol j/k

[Aileen]

Lol I had a feeling at least Lannister would approve of M&M...since Marlowe was in the mix, and it didn't involve him getting it on with Snakey...

[Claire]

I stopped at season 7, I think. Season 6 just made me so mad....

I like how no matter what thread we're on, it inevitably involves some sort of crackpot romantic theory.

[Lannister]

Crackpot romance theories are the secret sauce of the universe. ;)

[Cameo]

Hear hear Lannister!

And guys you really gotta start watching Supernatural again Season 9 starts in about a month and a half. Not that big on Wincest, more Destiel ^^

Aaaaannyyhooo... Loving the dynamic duo, but I think Marlowe, secretly can't leave Dory.. He's been keeping (or trying to) taps on Dory for a while now, I actually thinks he.. well not actually like, but I think he respects her.. in his own Marlowe-y way :)

Oh and I got to thinking yesterday (yes it happens!) and I couldn't remember if Cassie still has the god-awful looking Ward on her back.. anybody know?

[Duca]

I'm a destiel :D but tbh every season since 5 has been a big disappointment, I would just not watch anything after s5 :)

[Mello ❣ Illium ✮Harry✮ ☀Myrnin☀ Torin]

Leodora wrote: "Hear hear Lannister!

And guys you really gotta start watching Supernatural again Season 9 starts in about a month and a half. Not that big on Wincest, more Destiel ^^

Aaaaannyyhooo... Loving th..."

I think she did put it back on after that mess with Sal.

[Cameo]

Well the whole Leviathan storyline was really.. just no. But it's gotten good again :) And with more Crowley!

But does she still have it in Hunt the Moon?

And why has Pritkins chesthair not been mentioned again in the books?! (Apart from the manscaping - but more on that later :P )

[Claire]

Cassie doesn't wear the ward anymore because of the collective decision that it's too dangerous for her to wear a direct conduit to her power on her back. I think it sits in a jewelry box in the suite.

[Mello ❣ Illium ✮Harry✮ ☀Myrnin☀ Torin]

That's right Claire. After that mess with Sal and Apollo, she ends up leaving it off.

[Claire]

I wonder if she'll ever put it back on

[Cameo]

RIGHT! Great somebody remembered - nice work Claire ;)

And while we're at it.. I can't remember if Pritkin still has the sword..??

[Claire]

Well, since it's a tattoo, he must. He just hadn't had reason to use it, since it's a Fey sword. Actually...about that...Spoiler for Hunt the Moon (view spoiler)[ Why doesn't Pritkin use his sword when he goes into Faerie? He probably could have avoided getting speared. Unless he held off because he was hoping to convince them he was friendly? (hide spoiler)]

[Cameo]

Yeah but it's magical, so he must be able to take it off, like sheeba or he tattoo parlor. Cassie never mentions it when she's up close and personal with Pritkin. Or maybe she's just to distracted by those dimples on his back :p

Hmm we have to keep an eye out for it in the next books :p

[Lia]

While I don't know whether he has it up to Hunt The Moon / Tempt the Stars, I'm suuure I remember it mentioned in a future book.

[Aileen]

Is it mentioned during the body switch?? (Easily, one of my favorites parts EVER.)