Hello. Long time lurker. First time poster.
I had some thoughts about Peace Talks and no one to share them with (or get feedback from) so I thought I would post here.
1. Where was Bob during all of this? Is he still with Butters? Couldn't they just asked him really quick about conjuritis? It must be a plot point yet to be revealed. Maybe in Battle Ground? It seems so odd that they didn't even think of asking him.
2. Does anybody else get the feeling that the reason that Thomas kept saying "Justine" or trying to was that she may have something to do with all of this? Lara brought up that somehow information inside the house was being leaked. I think the offhand comment Goodman Grey made about the person Dresden wanted him to protect was a femme fatale and Harry denying it might have been a mislead because everybody likes Justine. She was in fomor territory on a job for Lara. Maybe she was infected by Nemesis while she was there. If so, maybe she put pressure on Thomas to do the job or else she would do something to affect Harry. Possibly reveal their secret? Maybe that was the treachery that Eb was mentioning might happen. She would be one of the people you'd least expect. It's also unknown if Luccio told the Black Council about Harry's relationship with Thomas before all the warden mind stuff was figured out.
Either way, I think Paranoid Gary might help solve the Thomas/Justine mystery.
3. Weren't the Denarians part of the accords? Were they kicked out of it after the Marcone incident?
4. What happened to Ivy when all this big stuff started happening? Wouldn't Ethniu look at her, too, if she were there? Knowledge is power.
5. Won't it be interesting to see who is a "monster" or not based on Butter's sword later? I have a feeling that it will be used as a litmus test in the next book
Re: 3. In Skin Game, Nick specifically mentions that he left the Accords.
Re: 2. Everyone in the book keeps assuming that Thomas is trying to say Justine. And he might be. But we don't actually know that, none of his speech is actually intelligible. It's a reasonable assumption, but it's still just an assumption. Mostly by Harry, but then by extension us the readers. Also note, that he's never fully alone with Harry at a time he tries to speak, so he might not be able to convey what he wants without being observed, and so decides to just wait until he can. (Not knowing that Harry is about to imprison him.)
Re: 1. Last we knew with Butters, so most likely there. Also, where's Bonnie? We see him whisk Maggie to safety, but unless I missed it, I didn't see it mentioned that he got her out to Micheal's as well.
Re: 2. Everyone in the book keeps assuming that Thomas is trying to say Justine. And he might be. But we don't actually know that, none of his speech is actually intelligible. It's a reasonable assumption, but it's still just an assumption. Mostly by Harry, but then by extension us the readers. Also note, that he's never fully alone with Harry at a time he tries to speak, so he might not be able to convey what he wants without being observed, and so decides to just wait until he can. (Not knowing that Harry is about to imprison him.)
You give me an awesome idea.
Maybe he tried to say "Justin". As in "Justin DuMorne"