Hear me out.

It's interesting that Nicodemus and the Denarian Bunch has fought tooth and nail to acquire various religious artifacts.  The same items that Harry plans to use at the end of Peace Talks to fight against Ethniu.

I imagine 2 possibilities:

1.  Nicky and crew foresaw Ethnius eventual arrival and wanted to stop it...OR
2.  Nicky is in league with the titan but failed so badly that the her only choice was to appear early before the Accord Members could officially band together under a new treaty.

What struck me is that the Knights are in play and Butters light saber can cut metal and kill monsters without harming humans.  Which titan just happen to be covered in rare metal alloy?  You got 2 guesses...

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...

1.  We have been told that Nicodemus has a very specific target in mind, ostensibly kept in the Labyrinth of Daedalus.  What is Nic trying to get his hands on and why?

-   He’s after the shroud of turin.  He believes that Marcone has built a new labyrinth in Italy and had the shroud placed in it.
-   He needs it to activate another type of curse plague.

2. Nicodemus apparently called in a marker from Mab to get Harry on the team.  Does he have a specific plan for using Harry or did Mab twist his request?  Which of Harry's capabilities will he admit to needing, and (given that this is Nicodemus after all), which abilities is he scheming for Harry to use?
   
-   He plans to force Harry to play on his team.  That way, he can have some type of control over Harry.  If Harry has to work for Nic, then he is forbidden from working against him.

-   I don’t think that he needs Harry for any specific skill.  He’s going to use Harry as a shield to prevent Harry’s friends from attacking his team.

3.   Jim has mentioned that the book will be "Ocean's Eleven".  Who else did Nicodemus recruit?  How will they interact with Harry?

-   Nic recruited his daughter:  Deidre. (sp)
-   He may also use the Vagassi Family (sp:  I think they had issues with Marcone in the past.)
-   I’m going to throw in Ms. Demeter as well.  (I think that he’ll convince her that her daughter is alive and the shroud would save her.)
-            Lara Raith and the White Court of Vampires (to keep Harry from using Thomas)

4.   Harry's general method of operation is to call on his friends for help.  In this book, Harry is (initially) allowed one extra backup member on the crew.  Who will it be?  Which of Harry's other allies will "interfere" before the plot is over?  9/10/13 an interview was published that answers the first half of this question.  (edit:  Sort of)  Those that guessed what he said in that interview (at least partially) have been logged by the curators, but this will probably go down as some kind of extra credit or something, so keep Predictin!  (edit:  And things might not be binary simple...)-Serack-   
-   
        Harry hired Kincaid as his assistant.  However, Ivy will interfere before the end of the plot.

5. This is a Denarian book, so (unlike the last "end of the world" showdown), the Swords will almost certainly be present.  In fact, there have been various hints...  Which Sword wielders will appear in the next book and how will their interference/help affect the plot?
-   
-   Sanya, Murphy and Michael.
-   Michael and Murphy may have trust issues when it comes to Harry.  However, Sanya will convince them that they need to support Harry.


-   6. Mab is apparently against Nicodemus succeeding in this heist.  In the Cold Days, we found that Mab had complex reasons for wanting Harry to kill Maeve.  What are Mab's reasons in this book?  Is it simple thwarting or is there something deeper?
-   
-   Mab is using Harry.  She’s going to swoop in later and help save the day, thereby indebting both the white council and the sword weilders (Catholic church) to her for later use when she needs it.

7. At the end of Cold Days, Harry needs to stay on the island to keep his growing headaches at bay.  The start of Skin Games implies that those headaches will need to be resolved by the end of the book.  Who or what is causing those headaches, and how will the whole thing get resolved by the end of the book?-   
-   I think that it’s a shadow of Lash that’s causing the headaches.  I think that Harry will get stabbed by one of the swords which would release (kill) her shadow and clear his head.

8.  One of the key components of the "Ocean's Eleven" movie is that there is a final twist/reveal.  Given that we've got Nicodemus, Harry, Mab, and potentially Hades (and who knows who else) all trying to get the better of each other, if there's one thing you can count on it's some sort of last minute quintuple-cross.  What will be the nature of the twist and how will it all fall out?
-   
-   The triple cross would be performed by Mab herself.  Once Nic obtains the shroud and tries to kill Harry (Winter Knight) Mab would see it as an act of war.  She would then send in the Sidhe Army to help neutralize Nic.

9.  (Extra Credit) There are many WAG ("Wild A$$ Guess") theories on the boards, some crazier than others.  Write up to three WAG theories (or make up your own) you believe are correct that will be confirmed (or at least have evidence in favor of) in Skin Games.-   
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              1)  Charity Carpenter will help Nic because she wants Harry dead for what happened to Molly.  She will act out of vengeance and pain.  Nic will make her believe that he can kill Harry and return Molly home.
-   
-   2)  Uriel will appear with a group of angels to help defeat Nic and his crew.
-   
-   3)  The whole heist is a red – herring.  The real mission of Nic is to trap Marcone and take over his business as revenge for denying him access to the shroud in the first place.

10. (Extra Credit) This is that "free form" question where you can come up with anything else you think will be in this book.  Specific quotes Harry might say (will he actually quote Ocean's Eleven?  The movie will have come out already in Harry's timeline)? Tidbits about the White Council? The fate of Molly? Write down anything you want.  Note that whatever you write must be specifically mentioned or hinted at in Skin Games in order to be worth credit.

1)    Harry will make a comment about going down a rabbit hole.
2)   Harry will tell Hades that he’s “taller than he is on tv.”
3)   Harry will turn to Deidre and say, “love the hair.”