I want to tell you how wrong you are, but that's well reasoned. It's not anything like proof or conclusive, but it's certainly suspicious.
Eb recruits Harry into a shadowy sub-organization that is deliberately working secretly and counter to some of the White Council’s goals. I’ve wondered if the “Gray Council” could actually be the “Black Council”. The only thing that says no to me is Odin’s presence on the Gray Council.
Unless we’re all wrong and the White Council is truely rotten and evil and the “Black Council” is really on the side of the angels? That seems really unlikely.
A good first reason to put him above Marcone is that he is Santa Claus.
Another would be that his primary activity seems to be keeping humankind safe from monsters. It is the main good thing about him in Norse mythology and in the dresdenverse the earliest deeds we have heard of from him helping the Vikings fight the Grendelkin.
It so also my impression that the Einherjaren are not for fights with other mortal gangs, but a counter for supernatural threats.
Against Odin being a nice guy, Gard thinks Marcone is too soft because he won't kill the workers that builds his secret hideout to be sure they keep silent.
That's not what we see when Eb is on-screen, and it's not what we see in how other people react to Eb, and it's especially not what we see in Peace Talks.
Every book where Eb is on-screen, we learn that he's not at all who Harry thought he was. In Summer Knight we learn that the irascible hermit is politically connected enough to swing a Senior Council vote. In Blood Rites we learn that the "magic is not for killing" sensei is actually the White Council's dirty-jobs assassin. In Changes we see him ripping the life out of humans, just shredding the first law and everything he's taught Harry.
And Harry's still isolated -- which we're told in the text is "what abusers do". After years of living with Eb, and years of living after that, he doesn't have a single wizard friend until Luccio drags him into the Wardens and he meets Carlos. That made some sense when we thought Eb was a loner hermit, not so much now that we know he's a political mover and shaker with lots of wizard friends.
What are the big fights about in Peace Talks? Eb wants Harry to cut himself off from Maggie -- to whom he says exactly four words, upon first meeting his great-granddaughter, before disengaging from her completely to have a knock-down-drag-out fight with Harry insisting that he has to send her away.
The other is about the White Court Vamps -- but is that really about protecting Harry from them, or about a predator marking his territory? If Eb does use subtle mind-control magic, he might worry that WCVs would be able to spot it in Harry. Could he have been freaking out about Thomas because he thought Thomas could expose him? (Did he arrange Thomas's death for that reason, and to isolate Harry from both the Whampires and the Svartalves?)
And then there's the cornerhounds... we see Eb getting Harry to do two things which are explicitly Warlock-bad things: using a ring of fire and making direct mental contact with the Outside. We only have Eb's word, in a vague and shifty fashion, that the latter is actually safe for Harry. And the former seemed like an unnecessary risk.
And imagine what that scene looks like to a White Council that's thinking about kicking Harry out, again.
Anyway... if we imagine that Ebenezar McCoy was Peabody's boss and has been trying to isolate and mold Harry into his tool, a lot of these things make sense.
However what Eb himself does is represented in the real world by paramilitary police death squads. Murderers above the law. I don't really get the urge to give Harry the Black Staff given that, but whatever.
No Einenjaren in jury Duty, is was Riley and his ex-Marines.
I would point out Hendricks now has a beard, which appears to be part of the uniform code for the EinenjarenDid he get killed at some point? Because to become a Einenjaren one has to be a warrior that dies in battle that the Valkyrie deem worthy to go to Valhalla.. So if he isn't dead, he is working closely with but isn't really a Einenjaren.
Did he get killed at some point? Because to become a Einenjaren one has to be a warrior that dies in battle that the Valkyrie deem worthy to go to Valhalla.. So if he isn't dead, he is working closely with but isn't really a Einenjaren.He is mortal. Gard likes it that way, Freydis said mortals are better lovers. But prolonged contact with valkyries and einherjar might rub off the same way contact with the Sidhe does.
How immortal Einherjarin are is an interesting question.
I think this is Eb trying to end the Whites.
The mythology is they all die for good with Odin at Ragnorak. Of course, Jim could change or modify this, and for all I know there may be different versions of the story where only most of the Einherjarin die with Odin.They were technically at war with the White Court for years even if the White Court didn't go for as many big charges vs them.
I've been thinking exactly the same thing. Did you also notice that the wardens who stopped Harry outside the Raith compound asked Harry what Lara's plans where? I mean not completely trusting Harry is one thing, but they seemed awfully interested in and scornful of the White Court at the same time. It sounds like something that Ebenezer and other Senior Council members would have been hammering into them. Consider that they all fought the Red Court and then the Fomor. It seems unlikely most of them would have a great deal of experience battling the White Court. Even Carlos and Harry's duel against two White Court vampires was a one off action.
I notice, even though the blackstaff keeps him from going outright insane, it does not stop him from the consequences of his own magic. The things he not only believes he can, but SHOULD do... What he did to Harry... Smdh...
I'd really love a scene where someone is caught in the crossfire of a magic spell and it does them no harm whatsoever.. like a child, simply because the caster does not believe they should ever hurt a child. I feel like Harry or Morgan would have such an ability..
I’m not sure it works that way. You have to have the will and belief to cast the spell in the first place, but after that it’s “actions have consequences” time.but that's just what it does it seems.. that's why not being burned by your own flame, like Justin, is considered high level skill for instance... Or an overpowering alteration of reality basically. Look at Harry in GP, he stands amidst the flames but isn't truly burned by them. Totally different then what Asher does with her counter spell for instance. Your belief goes into the spell, but most people are not Neo minded to break reality itself. Dogmatic ppl could do it. This is also part of why Harry is so disturbed by the human he kills while fleeing the wild hunt I think.- he certainly didn’t want to, but once let loose, the spell proceeded to its conclusion.(click to show/hide)
They were technically at war with the White Court for years even if the White Court didn't go for as many big charges vs them.
I overemphasized that the younger wardens probably didn't have as much experience dealing with the White Court. We only know that Carlos told Harry (in White Night, I think) that the White Court wasn't much of a problem on the West Coast.Okay, that's a good question.
My main point is the wardens were interested in what Harry could tell them about Lara's plans relating to Thomas and the Svartalves. That's not a topic the wardens should really care about. In general, it doesn't have anything to do with their usual duties, unless Captain Luccio or a Senior Council member told them to gather intel on White Court intentions; and that raises another question. Why would the White Council; or if it's not the entire Council, than why would a specific Senior Council member, care about Lara Raith's plans? The attempted assassination doesn't directly involve the White Council or any specific Senior Council member, unless it does.
There's also the question that wasn't asked, "Why did Thomas Raith (or the White Court) want to kill Etri?" You'd think one of the wardens would have asked Harry that or some variation of that question. "Did Lara Raith let on why she wanted Etri dead?" or "Why have the White Court targeted the Swartalves?" Any of these questions would have made more sense for them to ask. But that's assuming the Council; or at least one specific Senior Council member, doesn't already know the answer.
This doesn't automatically mean that Ebenezer or the Council as a whole is responsible for the attack on Etri. Though there's no evidence to support this idea, it could be that Ebenzer or the Senior Council knows what really happened and know who was really responsible, but see the current situation as an opportunity to weaken the White Court and Lara Raith specifically.
I am certainly leaning more towards Eb is bad or nfected right now, or at the very least there are some massive things we don't know about his past. What exactly do we know about Harry's grandmother/Eb's wife? Or even his family growing up?
Part of what bothered me the most about Peace Talks was that it seemed like most of the book happened off screen, which was annoying. I'm just hoping Jim got his desire to experiment out of his system and now goes back to writing like he had the previous books since they all work so much better.
When Eb first showed up he didn't call Harry "hoss" once, which was one the first signs something was off with him. Don't know exactly what that means, but I really don't need to go into just how horribly bad it would be if the Blackstafd went darkside.
Normally I love speculating and theorizing after reading a new book, but I feel like I don't have enough of the story to really do much speculation yet.
Part of what bothered me the most about Peace Talks was that it seemed like most of the book happened off screen, which was annoying. I'm just hoping Jim got his desire to experiment out of his system and now goes back to writing like he had the previous books since they all work so much better.
I think we're going to find that a number of the "deleted scenes" -- like the wardens' meeting before the talks -- will be where various parties discussed the distractions and misdirections. Like in Skin Game, when we got Harry's meeting with Kringle out of sequence, so we could enjoy the reveal.
Or be pissed because of the confusion.. ::) One can go to that well once too often and the effectiveness goes down. 1] Because it becomes too predictable. 2] It begins to smack of sloppy and lazy writing. It isn't just the warden's meeting missing here, but the meeting between Lara and Mab before they pop up in the Monstermobile, a conversation between Thomas and Justine about just how much danger she really is in from the Hunger.. In a case like this would Thomas have perhaps pushed for her to abort? Can one even abort this kind of pregnancy? Or would the Hunger protect itself? Or would Justine totally refuse? Where is the conversation between Lara and Thomas about this?Lara did't know ;D
Lara did't know ;D
Harry told her during their sparring session. He scored a hit with that one.
Actually here to quote someone who has posted a lot here, I think Lara is lying. ::)She took a hit for that one. And I think it completely in character Thomas told Harry before Lara. It is something personal after all.
She took a hit for that one. And I think it completely in character Thomas told Harry before Lara. It is something personal after all.
Harry told her during their sparring session. He scored a hit with that one.
I don't think so, or rather we don't know, we don't even know how far along Justine is.
It isn't just the warden's meeting missing here, but the meeting between Lara and Mab before they pop up in the Monstermobile, a conversation between Thomas and Justine about just how much danger she really is in from the Hunger..
Actually, I think we do... Thomas says "She's going to be fed upon continuously for the next seven and a half months." So presumably a month and a half in.
That is merely one missed cycle, a lot of things can account for that. What if Justine isn't pregnant at all?There are tests for that.
I don't think Eb is necessarily the bad guy BUT I do believe that he's willing to perform heinous acts in a twisted attempt to save Harry.
Why? Well Harry has gone down the same path as his mother Margaret LeFay and got mixed up with some shady folks:
Margaret:Raith, Lea and Adriana.
Harry: Mab, White court, Red court, Denarians, Hades, etc.
I think that Eb told the truth about separating himself from his loved ones (Margaret) and as a result she died.
He then refused to claim Harry UNTIL the boy was about to be executed. At which point, Eb stepped up and trained Harry in isolation with a specific moral compass. This resulted in Harry becoming a private eye who wanted to help folks.
However, Eb kept the family connection a secret from Harry...maybe to protect himself or Harry.
Now Eb sees Harry's connection with the most powerful and potentially dangerous characters in Dresdenville. Also, the wizards are whispering amongst themselves and Harry is both powerful and obstinate as hell. Oh no.
So Eb, being the Blackstaff, is deploying every skill and tactic available to SAVE HARRY! I will not be surprised if the following is revealed:
1. Eb mind-screwed Carlos to track Harry & add him to security detail.
2. Eb magicked his way into Svaltalves compound to get eyes on Harry then later set it on fire to allow Thomas an opportunity to kill Etri.
3. Eb mind-jacked Thomas to kill. (#2/#3 effectively removes Harry's and Maggie's home-base and forces Harry to find a safe-haven from Maggie).
4. Eb has mind-jacked Harry (or his a tracker on him) which is how he keeps finding Harry in the damndest of places: Outside Justines apartment, on a dock in a marina.
5. I think Eb summoned the cornerhounds because...we only saw them the one time, with Eb. He also conveniently drops the "You're a Starborn, Harry" info. Probably designed for Harry to seek his mentor for answers.
So I don't think Eb is necessarily the bad guy but I do think he has some deep/twisted shame from his past (Lefay? Wife? Work?) and is hellbent on saving Harry at any and all cost.
Side note: did anyone notice his deep rage upon finding out that Thomas is his Wampire grandson? I'm starting to wonder if Lefay herself is a product of Ebs wife and another Wampire. Maybe the HUNGER killed Mrs. Eb during her pregnancy.
---Could create another parallel...Harry had a kid with a pseudo-Rampire. Hmmmmm...
Does anyone, aside from Harry?Michael does. Mab does. I think Molly does. And that's just what I recall of people who have been on page when it's mentioned.
Butcher's done a great job of making Harry look reasonable from Harry's point of view but you really have to think about how he looks from the outside.And he's also hinted, if not stated, throughout the series that Harry is reasonably viewed with fear and suspicion.
Side note: did anyone notice his deep rage upon finding out that Thomas is his Wampire grandson? I'm starting to wonder if Lefay herself is a product of Ebs wife and another Wampire. Maybe the HUNGER killed Mrs. Eb during her pregnancy.Had that last been the case the bloodline curse wouldn't have worked. Which makes the conceit behind Changes moot, which would make Jim look like a dufus. From the conversation in Peace Talks it looks like someone ate Mama. Maybe a White Court ally of Eb's. You know what they say, once bitten, twice shy. But you never know.
---Could create another parallel...Harry had a kid with a pseudo-Rampire. Hmmmmm...
There are tests for that.
There are, I know that, but if they are using birth control even though Thomas is convinced he is sterile.. Don't you think it kind of strange that the first thing you run to is a pregnancy test if you are a couple of weeks over due?I don’t know about the US but here those tests are cheap and available everywhere without prescription. It is the first thing you do when you are young, have regular sex and a couple of weeks over due.
Unless Justine was trying to get pregnant and didn't tell Thomas.. Or yeah, Thomas may not be the father.The second does not follow from the first.
Mab would definitely have called Ebenezer an abuser; if she understood the concept, that is. I'm disappointed that Harry didn't learn from Mab and turn Eb's argument about abusers against him, the way Mab turned Harry's argument about Molly against Harry in Cold Days. It would have been quite stunning if Harry had said something like, "Abusers isolate their victims. Like I was isolated when I left in the foster system, and again when I was left to be trained by Justin and when I saved from the Council's wrath by you. Yea, I think I know all about being isolated by an abuser." Harry could have felt really guilty about saying it later, but it would have been awesome at the time he said it.
Harry with his Wizards senses was able to ascertain that Justine was pregnant separate to being told Thomas. Any practitioner with sufficient sensitivity would have been able to determine this, including any Wizards surveilling the White Court.
Information had been getting out for several weeks at the White Court, this would indicate that the surveilling wizard had been in Chicago for weeks/months, and that would leave a physical trail Harry can find. The wizards are at the Four Seasons, should be possible to check whether any were there in the preceding months.
I wonder if Chandler is in fact the White Council’s surveillance and information expert amongst the Wardens, he isn’t a fighter, but is strangely present during the Peace Talks, and may be Eb’s man on the ground.
Well, Harry sensed something. He interprets it as being a pregnancy aura, but he really doesn't have a whole lot of experience in the matter. Certainly nothing like this was described with Charity back in Grave Peril.
I think he sensed something, but is misinterpreting it...as fits the big theme of the book.
Harry with his Wizards senses was able to ascertain that Justine was pregnant separate to being told Thomas. Any practitioner with sufficient sensitivity would have been able to determine this, including any Wizards surveilling the White Court.They may needed to have been in close proximity, so it's not necessarily true that they would have detected it.
Well, Harry sensed something. He interprets it as being a pregnancy aura, but he really doesn't have a whole lot of experience in the matter. Certainly nothing like this was described with Charity back in Grave Peril.Why mention the obviously pregnant lady has the aura of a pregnant lady?
don’t know about the US but here those tests are cheap and available everywhere without prescription. It is the first thing you do when you are young, have regular sex and a couple of weeks over due.Even if your partner is pretty sure he is sterile and you, yourself are carefully using birth control? Okay, Thomas could be using a condom, but the long and the short is according to Thomas they were taking measures.. So, no, two weeks late I must be pregnant isn't usually the first thing that should have popped into Justine's head, and I am well aware that the tests are easy to acquire. Unless, she was lying to Thomas and she wasn't using protection or she does have a lover on the side and that is how she turned up pregnant. Now the latter would really be tragic if Thomas was motivated to make the assassination attempt in an effort to get her protected from the embyro Hunger demon, and in reality, there is no demon because Thomas isn't the father.
Even if your partner is pretty sure he is sterile and you, yourself are carefully using birth control? Okay, Thomas could be using a condom, but the long and the short is according to Thomas they were taking measures.. So, no, two weeks late I must be pregnant isn't usually the first thing that should have popped into Justine's head, and I am well aware that the tests are easy to acquire. Unless, she was lying to Thomas and she wasn't using protection or she does have a lover on the side and that is how she turned up pregnant. Now the latter would really be tragic if Thomas was motivated to make the assassination attempt in an effort to get her protected from the embyro Hunger demon, and in reality, there is no demon because Thomas isn't the father.Depends how regular Justines cycle usually is and how alert she is. but for about 5 euros you can get two tests. It is cheap, it is easy and fast and you can stop asking yourself what is going on and make evidence based decisions. Some people will start thinking about it after a week, others will put their head in the sand for months but I can totally believe that after two weeks Justine bought one and used it.
Depends how regular Justines cycle usually is and how alert she is. but for about 5 euros you can get two tests. It is cheap, it is easy and fast and you can stop asking yourself what is going on and make evidence based decisions. Some people will start thinking about it after a week, others will put their head in the sand for months but I can totally believe that after two weeks Justine bought one and used it.
And maybe there are other signs that Thomas can detect.