So, about the cold open. To me, it's now increasingly clear that Primus is a red herring villain. He's impatient, rushes plans, and only cares about magic and sorcerous abilities.
However, in their letter Petra and Ryah have demonstrated to be far more intelligent, patient, and with a knack for politics and mundane aspects outside of magic. And we also saw how terrifying they were in the previous seekers arc.
I think Brennan's plan, unless disrupted, was always to have Julien or someone else get Primus eliminated. Then Petra and Ryah ascend as the heads of house Tachonis. With their capabilities they will prove a far superior villain and a much more difficult fight, turning the tides and increasing the stakes of the story. It's genius, really.
