They finally made it to The Circle Of The Suns but I do feel sorry for Hup because he got a bit of air sickness after Rian, Hup, Brea, Deet & Lore landed. I don't really want to know how much sickness could come out of a podling but thankfully it did pass. I wish that Rek'yr of the Dousan clan would of given them another lift to the top of the mountain of the Circle Of Three Suns but I don't think Hup would of enjoyed it, but he did promise he'll take them as far as he can. But they had no choice but to continue on foot. But they faced a mountain sized challenge, how on Thra are they going to get up to the top of the mountain before the sandstorm comes. Thankfully Lore helped them get to the top even though he nearly just took Brea up to the top of the mountain with it, (sorry can't say "him" or "her" because you don't know whether Lore is a boy or girl) but they made it to the top and met some very weird character who are not supposed to get along with each other. They creature they met were a Skeksis named skekGra the Heretic and a Mystic named urGoh the Wanderer living together under or should I say on top of one mountain. Rian, Hup, Brea & Deet did look worried and frightened because they thought that skekGra was going to drain them of their essence. skekGra did explain to them that he and urGoh built Lore 379 trine ago in order for their message to be delivered, that's a real long time ago, longer than the Vikings came to Yorkshire. skekGra was formerly know as skekGra, the Conqueror, but the other Skeksis' cast him out and branded him a heretic. It was time for them to get the answers they're looking for. Rian, Hup, Deet and Brea were finally introduced to urGoh. Brea explained to them that they got a message saying that skekGra and urGoh held th ekey to ending Skeksis' power. urGoh took his time in preparing the surprise that he and skekGra have for their guests. With a sad heart Brea hugged and thanked Lore before skekGra ended Lore's quest and Lore was once again nothing but a pile of rocks. Even though they don't have time for fun but Rian, Deet & Brea must rest.
At the Castle of the Crystal skekSo brought General skekVar to the Arathim nest and made contact with their hive mind, the Ascendancy. He offered their ancestral home, the Caves of Grot, in exchange for them crushing the Gelfling, to which they agreed.
Whilst Brea slept Rian doesn't have the patients to wait for skekGra and urGoh to get the surprise ready, but Deet was feeling homesick. I'm with Deet on that because I know what homesickness feels like because I've been away from my mum and dad a couple of times in my life and it's hard at first but when you got friends surrounding you they do help make things better and help you feel better by comforting you because it is actually OK to miss your family naturally and talking about your family helps too.
Back in the Castle, skekSo revealed to skekVar that he is harnessing the Darkening and ordered skekVar to comply with the Ascendency's request for a powerful Gelfling, and then to crush Stone-in-the-Wood. At the same time, skekMal the Hunter demanded Rek'yr to tell himwhere Rian went. Rek'yr refused to tell but assures skekMal that they would all gladly die than submit. His last surviving servant betrays him and revealed that Rian is in the Circle of the Suns.
In Stone-in-the-Wood, Maudra Fara returned and prepared the Stonewood Clan for their own war against the Skeksis, but Aughra attempted to dissuade her, to convince her to "survive" instead but Fara wouldn't listen and insisted on fighting. At the castle Tavra, still imprisoned was selected by skekVar and skekTek for the Arathim assault on Stone-in-the-Wood.
As urGoh and skekGra prepared to see their guests off, skekGra reached to shake Rian's hand but was struck by skekMal's knife causing skekGra and urGoh to scream in pain at the mirrored injury. SkekMal attempted to strike Deet but Hup blocked it with his spoon. Brea tried to revive Lore but it wouldn't revive and Rian tried to fight against skekMal but that hunter effortlessly sliced Rian's sword and prepared to strike Rian down but before skekMal kills Rian urVa the Archer shot an arrow into skekMal's chest which drove him back. UrVa shoots him once again, explaining that skekMal can't defeat him without defeating himself because they are two halves of the same whole. In response, the badly wounded skekMal bid his farewell and kidnapped Brea as he retreats on Bennu. Brea manages only to scream for Rian to "find the Glaive!" and to drop her journal for Rian to recover.
Back in Stone-in-the-Wood, Maudra Fara planned for a morning attack on the Castle of the Crystal due to their lack of guards but was interrupted by the arrival of skekVar the General. SkekVar activated a blinding light on his carriage, and numerous Arathim Silk Spitters emerge out of the woods. Tavra walked forward wearing a cloak, and when Fara challenged Tavra for standing with "the very monsters who murdered your mother", possessed Tavra replied, in a multifaceted voice, "We are not Tavra" and revealed that she was covered in Arathim Threaders, a mind-controlling parasitic spiders. They flooded from her and overwhelmed the Stonewood defenders and incorporating them all into the Arathim's Ascendancy hive mind. As one, they willingly go into Skeksis custody and depart for the Castle of the Crystal. One of the last of the Threaders even attempted to take control of Aughra's mind, who had been neutrally watching the events unfold. But she pulled it aside, prevented herself from being taken and tossed it away. But the entire Stonewood clan walked towards the Castle of the Crystal.
This episode was confusing to me at times mainly because of skekGra and urGoh but it also has to be the first dark episode I ever watched. I do hope that Rian, Deet, Hup would find the rest of their friends to help them rescue Brea and also find the Dual Glaive whatever that is.
