Magic Story - Burn
* Maybe it was because I was mostly reading this standing up on a train, but some of the action bits were hard to follow at times. Anyway, this is a long one.
* Parts were good, parts were weak.
* Tezzeret and Baan plot. The former is short-tempered, while the latter is cool.
* Baan idly wonders about how society will adjust when the Planar Bridge is complete and everyone learns of other worlds. Will they realize Tezzeret's origin? How much speculative fiction will there be?
* Baan provides a plan to take back the Aether Hub. Tezzeret makes his own addition, calling in Baral.
* Baan questions Baral about his report about the Nalaar family deaths and the fact that 2/3 are still alive.
* Tezzeret interrupts and informs Baral to act as a distraction for the Nalaars, at his own prerogative, but taking Baan along to hold his leash.
* Chandra is feeling bad. She's home, but it doesn't provide the comfort of her childhood.
* The Consulate is using Panharmonicons to blare "The Gremlin's Wedding March" at the Renegades (blaring loud music is commonly done in sieges), which isn't helping Chandra's mental state.
* Chandra wants to see her mother, but stops herself because she's busy with the revolution. She worries about whether she blames her for Kiran's death.
* We get details of what's canon about
The Purifying Flame.
* Gideon talks to Chandra. He's worried about her.
* Chandra talks to him about a moment from
The Purifying Flame where he hugged her.
* They attempt to reconcile the differences between Chandra's backstory now and as given in
The Purifying Flame, with her saying she didn't tell him the whole truth because she didn't really know him. Gideon concedes that the Purifying Flame must have decided that was enough. He still thinks he wouldn't have survived the flame, which requires acceptance of responsibility.
* Chandra's mind goes back to the start of the book (I assume), where she blew up a museum to get something. In the process, the building collapsed on innocent people. Gideon tells her the fact that she regrets it is a sign that she changed.
* Chandra asks for a hug, and gets it.
* Nissa walks in at that point, and Chandra gets embarrassed.
* She brings food, including a mango that she was apparently growing from her clothes.
* Chandra tries to explain what's going on, but ends up blurting out her and Gideon's entire history, including that they fought a "I'm-a-gentleman-m'lady vampire".
* Baral announces his presence through the Panharmonicons, and taunts Chandra by telling her of how he told Pia that Chandra killed Kiran and others with her flames.
* Chandra rushes off, against Gideon's wishes. Nissa doesn't stop her, and when Gideon asks why, she explains that this is just who she is.
* At that moment, Gearhulks start attacking their position. He reflects on the lessons he learned from Hixus (on Theros, in his backstory) and decides it's best if he stays there, and sends Nissa to go with Chandra.
* Baral runs away from Chandra on foot. He reflects on how the burns she gave him had changed his life. As he runs away, he counters her flames.
* He draws her toward a trap designed by Baan, but he finds his path blocked by brambles.
* He quickly turns back and is able to catch Chandra off guard, kicking her and then attacking her with his sword. He easily dodges her attacks and wounds her, but is caught off guard by the brambles catching on fire.
* The soldiers stationed at the trap point move toward his position.
* Baral is about to finish off Chandra with his sword, but Nissa comes to the rescue. Chandra sends flames through his armor, but he laughs it off.
* Nissa's elementals swat away thopters.
* Baral flees in a thopter, and Nissa attends to Chandra.
* Baral asks Baan to call in a Gearhulk to their position, thinking a Torrential Gearhulk would easily stop Chandra, but Baan insists that they're just a diversion.
* Thus, Baral goes back to taunting Chandra with a megaphone. He counters her flame attacks. With Chandra's attention, he directs his thopter to go closer to the Aether Hub, where Pia would be able to see.
* Gideon protects an old man from a Gearhulk attack using his invulnerability.
* To get a better vantage, he climbs up the Gearhulk. Torrential Gearhulk is spraying water, Combustible Gearhulk is shooting flames and lightning, etc.
* Shadowblayde talks to Gideon using mechanical insects, addressing him by his code name Beefslab. Jace is Cloak Boy and Liliana is Night Queen; Gideon realizes Liliana is the one who provided the code names.
* Liliana destroys a Verdurous Gearhulk by rotting the tree making up its spine and sprouting fungus.
* The Gearhulk Gideon is on (Cataclysmic Gearhulk) is about to crush a group of renegades, so he climbs inside and uses his indestructibility to smash the gears, which makes it fall apart, but he's quite sore after.
* Renegades salvage the broken bits, and Liliana notes that Gideon once again lost his shirt.
* Gideon sees that the thopters are swarming like harpies (like his backstory) and orders everyone into the Aether Hub.
* Chandra follows after Baral, and is ashamed that Nissa is seeing her like this.
* They reach the Aether Hub, where Baral taunts her, saying that even more Renegades would be dead if she was there.
* Chandra and Nissa attack with fire and an elemental respectively, and Baral counters both.
* Automatons come behind them, but Nissa fights them with her sword. Chandra is surprised she has a sword.
* While Chandra is distracted, Baral attacks. They fight, including with Baral flinging ice at her and countering her spells.
* Heart of Kiran lifts off without much fanfare.
* Chandra punches Baral in the face, but he's wearing a helmet covering his face, so she just hurts herself. He kicks her down.
* Oviya Pashiri comes to her rescue with a bird automaton, along with Ajani.
* Everyone is evacuating Aether Hub, getting on Heart of Kiran.
* Baral uses
Insidious Will to redirect Chandra's flames towards her allies (I think), badly hurting Oviya.
* Chandra decides that she screwed up enough, so she might as well use all of her flames to take everything out, including herself.
* Nissa talks her down.
* Baral continues taunting her, but then Nissa blindsides him with an elemental, sending him flying.
* Baan comes to his rescue in a thopter. He notes that Baral's trajectory was interrupted by a helpful roof fence, and points out this is why he insists on proper safety features.
* Baan recorded what Baral said to Chandra, which demonstrate that he lied about what happened to the Nalaars. He arrests Baral for murder, attempted murder, and other crimes.
* The Consulate recaptured Aether Hub, so Baan doesn't care that Chandra and the others have escaped.
* Gideon carries Chandra away.
* The Renegades whisper about how Chandra screwed everything up.
* Ajani uses magic to treat Oviya.
* They tell Chandra that it wasn't her fault. Pia hugs her.
