Onyx Storm
"Xaden is mine. My heart, my soul, my everything."
REVIEW
Would I read it again? Yes No Maybe
Spice Level Legend How spicy is this book?
SUMMARY
TL/DR: Quest Squad go on a search for Andarna's kind and a cure for Venin. Xaden channels a few more times.
Prologue: Andarna doesn’t know what kind of dragon she is either. She doesn’t know where her family is, or how she was able to burn the venin. She thinks maybe her family will know how to change, or cure, Xaden, if they can find them. Garrick, Bodhi, and Imogen know what happened. Imogen steals Jack's memory so that he can’t rat Xaden out.
1: They’ve killed 31 hidden venin; 17 of them being killed by Xaden. There is a lot of tension between Navarrian and Aretian (those who previously left Basgiath) riders. Some of the dragons want to go back to Aretia but the provinces are working on an alliance and they need to stay. Plus, Xaden doesn’t trust himself outside of the wards. Imogen, Bodhi, and Garrick want Violet to sleep elsewhere, they are afraid for her because of Xaden.
They go to visit Sawyer. In the Healer Quadrant, there’s a lot of patients, and a group of hooded scribes which Violet thinks are trying to get an accurate account of the battle.
Sawyer says he got a visit from Colonel Chandlyr, commander of the retired riders, but he doesn’t get to explain why before there’s screaming. All those patients they just walked by? Are now dead.
2: “The rarest of signets - those that rise once in a generation or century - have manifested concurrently with an equal twice in our records, both critical times in our history, but only once have the six most powerful walked the Continent simultaneously."
The venin have been disguised as scribes. They have come for Jack. One of them has silver hair and can go invisible…or she is so fast you just can’t see her move. One of them yells not to hurt Violet, they need her. Xaden shows up and kills the ones that Violet hasn’t yet.
Garrick is afraid to leave Violet alone with Xaden which pisses Xaden off. Xaden tells Violet Sgaeyl still isn’t talking to him, because she can sense he isn’t whole. He knew the venin were down there because he can sense them. He can feel them.
3: Violet has an audience with the Senarium. Six nobles each representing a Navarre province.
Duchess of Morraine
General Melgren
Lewellen
Duke of Calldyr
Duchess of Elsum
Duke of Lucerus
Violet wants to take a task force out to find the seventh dragon breed and get their help in defeating the venin. Professor Grady (RSC dude from Iron Flame) will lead the task force (which is not what Violet wants) and have a task force of his choosing (again not what she wants).
Xaden hasn’t let himself get jiggy with Violet because he's afraid that he’ll lose control.
But when they are messing around he says “I can feel it. I can feel you.” … How does he feel her? In the same way he feels the venin?
He pulls his hands off and out of her and onto the headboard and just barely….barely…channels. You can barely notice it.
4: Mira arrives. With a new conduit for Violet. And a wooden, runed practice disk. It has 3 runes, levitation in the middle, two overlapping layers for sound shielding and warmth. Violet says they can save the negotiations and she can keep her deal with Tecarus. Mira says they need to give the Senarium a chance to do the right thing and the less people who know, the less who can be tried for treason. From what I’m gathering, they want/need to find a way to keep the fliers at Basgiath safely. Somehow this rune is going to do it? But somehow also treasonous?
5: Violet realizes that the venin had silver hair. But her friends shake it off as nothing.
Aura Beinhaven, one of the riders, is holding a first year flier at knife point. She is trying to challenge him but he won’t accept. Everyone ends up in the courtyard. Aura wants to challenge anyone because she is pissed off that fliers might be allowed in. She is trying to challenge Dain, and Violet is like fuck that, no.
6: Violet lets her lightning flash across the sky, which is enough to back Aura up a bit. She tries to tell them that every single one of them is needed in this war, but they aren’t really buying it. Luckily, some professors show up. Emetterio says he likes the odds of them winning this war. Because the last time a shadow and lightning wielder fought side by side, they pushed the venin back into the Barrens for a few hundred years.
Halden, Aaric's brother, is going to accompany Violet on the search for Andarna's family.
Aretia riders have been fully pardoned for abandoning Navarre.
Treaty talks failed. The fliers will go back to Aretia.
Xaden is now Duke of Tyrrendor..officially..and has a seat at the Senarium.
7: They get Sawyer from the hospital ward and they head to the Wardstone. They being Imogen, Violet, Bodhi, Ridoc, Sawyer, and Maren. Mira and Brennan are already there, knowing Violet was up to something. Sawyer alternates the runes on the wardstone…to do something? And the stone in Maren's hands starts levitating. The fliers can wield now Ridoc says.
Next morning, Violet gets arrested for treason for fucking with the wardstone.
8: Dain's dad, hereby known as Asshole Aetos, takes her to the Senarium, to be brought up on these charges. But funny story, they signed the treaty that morning, pardoning all the deserters of their “crimes”. So anything they did last night…forgiven. Which really pisses off Asshole Aetos - he threatens her and Violet stands up for herself and is like you can’t fucking touch me or the Duke of Tyrrendor. So …. He punishes her squad instead. Sends them to Samara.
Also - the Queen of Poromiel is impressed with her and says she can have full access to their library as well to research Venin.
9: They arrive in Samara, which is destroyed. The Colonel says he doesn’t care what they did to piss off Asshole Aetos, but just try to make themselves useful after they rest. They go to Xaden’s old room, which is still warded. Violet has a weird dream where she is digging into her chest, trying to find a painting of her family, they are under attack. Cat is there trying to pull her out and she tells Cat to save herself, that Xaden will choose her, and that she is the future Queen of Tyrrendor. Cat refuses to leave, she finally finds the painting but drops it and then its her family on fire. When they wake up, they hear that a nearby village, where Maren’s family is, is under attack but they can’t spare any riders to go help. So … of course Violet’s squad goes.
10: When they arrive, there are wyvern and a storm. They see the silver haired venin, who waves at Violet. They kill a few wyvern, and Garrick shows up, then they get swept up in a tornado. They are thrown around, Tairn protects Violet, but he gets knocked out (for a minute, we think he’s dead). Violet’s knee is dislocated, Garrick helps her out of her seat and puts her knee back into place. He said that when Xaden heard she was going across the border, he lost it, Garrick has never seen him like that. Violet questions how he is there, if he just found out 40 minutes ago? Then they get distracted by the silver haired venin wielding fucking lightning. Violet doesn’t have any lightning since Tairn is out, she tells Andarna that now would be a good time for a second signet and she snarks back that she isn’t in control of how Violet uses her power. The venin lured them out of the wards, killed Maren’s parents (but not her brothers out of goodwill), because she wants Andarna, not Violet. The venin’s name is Theophanie. She calls Andarna a “irid”.
11: Andarna remembers she is an Irid Scorpiontail. Theophanie says she's really got a prize there, and she forgets how short mortal memory is. She says when the shadow wielder comes, and Violet comes with, they should remember that she let her live, and choose her as their teacher. She says she will let them keep their dragons and then Violet will have what she wants most - control and knowledge. She leaves, Tairn wakes up, then Violet turns her attention to Garrick. She tells us (or reminds us) that Garrick's signet is wind wielder, and she accuses him of having a second signet of distance walking. Garrick never actually confirms it. She tells Garrick to get out before the rest of the squad arrives.
When they arrive back at Basgiath, Brennan mends her knee. Xaden is FURIOUS. Then Asshole Aetos comes in, running his mouth, again. He says that Xaden and Garrick have to head to the Eastern Wing as ordered by General Melgren, and they aren’t allowed to return and fraternize with cadets. He says Sgaeyl can go to the Vale but Xaden isn’t welcome in the college. Xaden kicks everyone out of the room.
12: Xaden asks is this what she wants…to have some kisses, no hands, fully clothed? She says I’ll take whatever you can give me.
When he yells, the shadows jump and flee - Violet thinks “that's different”.
Violet realizes that Garrick and Liam have second signets.
Violet tells Xaden that the venin have signets too.
Xaden goes to Samara. He sends Violet a note implying that he channeled again, on accident.
Violet goes to visit Jack, and gives him a conduit that she has shoved energy into (which proves my theory I had at the beginning of the book that she could use that to help Xaden), but he has to answer some questions. She asked if they can sense each other. He says the initiates and asims can but you could be in a room full of Sages or Mavens and you’d never know. She asks if they need to be taught and he said if you already know the flow of magic, like if you’re a rider, no you don't have to be taught. She asks if she knows what they're planning - no. She asks what the cure is and he said there is no cure, they are not diseased, they don’t want to be cured, they are free. Then Imogen takes his memory so he doesn’t remember their little chat.
13: The squad goes to see Jesinia. Funny moment between them as Ridoc mocks the way Violet and Xaden fight. Then they say they’re shocked that leadership hasn’t already married them and insisted on kids since they are the two strongest riders. Jesinia has been kicked out of the adept path of being a scribe because she’s a deserter.
Violet needs her dads unfinished research which is in their old quarters, which is now Asshole Aetos quarters. Violet needs Dain to sneak in and get them.
During Battle Brief, Devera gives every cadet a book “Guide to Vanquishing the Venin”.
They are adding more classes. A course to learn all about the Venin, Runes class which requires them flying to Aretia in two week cycles. And a hands-on class to fight signet to signet which is taught by none other than Xaden Riorson.
14: But there’s a problem. Professors can’t have relationships with cadets. Xaden was going to ask for an exemption as this is a pre-existing relationship but Asshole Aetos denies him immediately. Violet keeps saying our relationship is over (which is extremely annoying, just kill Asshole Aetos, problem solved), and Xaden says no, we just sneak around.
Violet talks to Dain about him sneaking into his fathers quarters and stealing her fathers research and he agrees to help.
Quest Squad, officially led by Professor Grady, has assembled. Violet gets no one she asks for other than Xaden. Grady has assembled a bunch of people he says he trusts.
Caption Henson, Air wielder. Lt Pugh, Farsight. Lt Foley, Agrarian. Cadet Beinhaven, fire wielder. Lt Winshire, infantry liaison.
Violet wants to go to Deverelli. Grady says no, we go north. Because he’s dumb.
15: First class of Xadens. He hands everyone their ass because he is that powerful.
16: Violet goes up against him. He plunges them into darkness and tells her she needs to figure out which thread of shadows is his, he needs her to be able to find him in the dark. When she keeps asking why he says it's because she’s the only one capable of killing him.
17: Garrick is at the next class, he almost hits Violet with some ice that Ridoc wielded at him that he blew away. Xaden gets real pissed and yells at him. Violet notices he's looking at Garrick like prey.
Prince Halden shows up. Aaric's brother. The twin to the brother Xaden killed during his Threshing. And Violet's ex boyfriend.
He comes with a note, addressed to Violet, from Viscount Tecarus. He tells her the King of Deverelli will meet, they just have to bring some gem (cetrine).
It's an amplifier worn by one of the members of the first drift. Halden says if she wants to go, he will throw his rank as Prince around and get Grady to change course for Quest Squad.
Halden says he wants to apologize for cheating on Violet while they were together. He asks if she’s with Riorson, and maybe they could have a quiet dinner, and let him say sorry the right way. He goes to touch her hair, and a blast of shadows knock him backwards against the wall.
18: Xaden comes over and says his bad, he was deflecting a blow from a first year. Then gets up in his face and says he has remarkable hearing, he doesn’t control Violet, and she has never thought about Halden, at least not since she laid eyes on Xaden.
Violet gets her dads book open. He has a letter in there for her and tells her that if she's not in a hurry to read through the book he wrote (“A History of the Second Krovlan Uprising”) in her own time and realize the connection between the uprising and the pursuit of feathertails. But if she's in a hurry, and she is trying to defeat those she only read about in lore, then ride for Cordyn. He says he knows she has always struggled with that language but that's why he made sure Dain would be capable. He wants her to go to Deverelli, and find Narelle Anselm.
Xaden shows up, even though he's not supposed to be there, and is super jealous. Violet assures him that she never loved Halden like she loves Xaden, and there will be no one else for her ever.
She tells him about her dad’s letter and he agrees they need to go to Deverelli.
19: They arrive in Anca - Grady, Aura, Mira, Xaden, and Henson. The village is abandoned, drained from the venin, and they can’t wield or it will attract the wyvern. They are there to find the cetrine. Cat somehow knows where it is and directs them to the right house with a map, because no fliers were allowed to go. Violet and Aura stand guard outside while the others go inside to look for it. Aura gets spooked and wields (fire remember?), which causes everything around them to go up in flames since everything has been drained, it's super dry. She accidentally sets Grady on fire, so he dies. As they are running to get back to the square so the dragons can pick them up, Aura gets taken by a wyvern. Henson makes the comment “Damn they got here fast” - seems suspicious.
When they get back to Samara, Xaden is pissed because the rest of the Quest Squad was supposed to be circling the village, and they weren’t. Mira got to the cetrine first, the stone looks drained, and Violet hopes it’ll still be good enough. There was also a letter to Violet from Theophanie (that venin) that says she wants Violet to come to her but she can take her at any point and why won’t she come to Theo for the answers she seeks?
20: Violet has to go talk to the Senarium again. Halden is there, telling her who her new Quest Squad is. She says No. I’ll pick my own, fuck off. She mouths off to Markham which was fantastic. Violet picks Xaden (of course), Mira, Ridoc (he insists on going because he says bad things happen when the squad is separated), Dain (he speaks the language), Cat (she is speaking for Poromiel, and Cat’s cousin (just cause it sounds like). Oh, and Halden, because she has to.
21: They arrive at Viscount Tecarus. Violet is worried about Xaden being outside of the wards, but he's a master of control. (Side note: Violet keeps mentioning how dizzy she is. At Basgaith and here). Xaden gets Halden to say that Xaden is there as a duke and not as a professor ("So not a professor.") so Xaden swoops Violet up and takes her into his room. Violet notices that Xaden’s signet is getting stronger because she thought something and he answered as if she said it out loud.
22: Viscount takes Halden on his ship while everyone else flies. Once they cross the ocean, they lose their signets. Violet can talk with Andarna and Tairn but not to Xaden. Tarin can’t talk to Sgaeyl either. When they land, they realize no one else can talk to their dragons, it's only Tarin, Andarna, and Violet. Xaden is completely relaxed, looking happy for the first time in awhile, because there’s no magic, no pull to channel. Why can’t they just live there? 🙁
23: They head into town to find the shopkeeper. Xaden is relaxed, happy, being nice, weirding everyone around him out. They find the bookstore and Narelle. She recognizes Violet immediately.
24: We call where they live, The Continent, because that's what they call it. But it's actually called Amaralis - for the god Amari. The shopkeeper mistakes Xaden for Dain - priceless. Narelle says twice that Asher (Violet’s dad) predicted or did not predict something (is the use of this word important?). The book Asher left for Violet: “Subjugated: The Second Uprising of the Krovlan People”, the uprising fell apart because of Deverelli. Krovla didn’t keep their part of the deal, and Deverelli withdrew, then told the Poromish King where to find the rebels. Two days before Deverelli ratted out the Krovla to Poromish, Korvlan forces were caught trying to sneak into Athebyne, into Navarre. They were sneaking into get feathertails - dragons. Deverelli brokered a deal with Krovla and another isle that the isle would provide an army and Krovla would provide dragons. But they couldn’t, so Deverelli ratted them out and the Midnight Massacre happened, and Krovla couldn’t break off from Poromiel. We find out that the reason Violet broke up with Halden is because she caught him having sex with one of his professors. Violet passes Narelle’s test and Mira gets an attitude - just seeming jealous that their dad left all of this to Violet. Narelle says to her that while Asher was raising Violet, Lilith was raising Mira, so wonder what legacy she has inherited.
25: We finally get a spicy scene and an amazing Ridoc quote: “You two totally broke it, didn’t you? LIke that armoire no one was supposed to notice getting hauled out of her room during first year?”. Violet says, why don’t we just stay here? Because Xaden is so relaxed and happy. He said that Sgaeyl is in pain (how does he know this because he can’t communicate with her?), and he could never let her be in pain. We also find out that the King that Halden was supposed to go visit has decided to keep him.
26: Violet asks Tairn if him and Andarna are in pain. He says he is inconvenienced, annoyed, cut off from his source of power and communication with his mate but he can handle it. Andarna does not seem bothered. Xaden tells the Kings guards that he doesn’t really care if they keep Halden but it would make things difficult for “someone I have … complicated loyalty towards” (Aaric) so he needs the asshole back. The King will only see royalty so Xaden has to tell them that he is the Duke of Tyrrendor. And who is Violet? Oh, his consort. Our little Xaden is growing up because when Violet questions the consort title, he says that girlfriend isn’t permanent enough, and she said this is not the time for this conversation and he says, completely serious, “When would be?” …. awwwwwwww….
They go into this room with a bunch of royal Deverelli, the King (Courtlyn), Tecarus, and Halden. Halden has pissed off the King by trying to barter with something that the King doesn’t view as his. Its a dagger - which is Xaden’s, well its the Blade of Aretia. Dessert arrives, as well as Courtlyn’s “babies” - three white panthers. And what is dessert? Oh it’s Halden’s guard’s head.
Courtlyn makes a comment about he needs to know that Xaden can uphold his end of a bargain, even if it's unpleasant, just like Xaden’s dad did.
Violet gets her orb out, out of habit she says, but she swears she can feel a hum, and thinks its in her head.
Courtlyn asks Xaden where his loyalty lies - with Navarre or Tyrrendor? Xaden says “Violet”.
Courtlyn says he won’t make a deal with traitors and thieves. Xaden asked him to make a deal with Tyrrendor and he’ll give him the Sword of Tyrrendor. Violet says nope. Halden is all like wah no one speaks for Navarre but me. We also find out that Halden has known about the venin. Then Courtlyn tells his guard to kill them all except Tecarus.
27: One of the guards elbows Violet in the face. Xaden had been fighting across the room but then appears next to Violet. Violet says she has seen Xaden angry before, but this is something else. He says “They’re all fucking dead” (Flashback to Fourth Wing.) There’s a shit ton of guards coming at the two of them, Xaden presses Violet to his chest, and channels, using Violet’s conduit for power. He killed the dozen guards without touching them. He explains to Vi and says “They hurt you. They were going to kill you.” His eyes are red, so Vi tells him to keep his head down, and trust her. Andarna shows up and puts a panther in her jaws. Helps with negotiations if Courtlyn thinks one of his kitties are going to get eaten. Xaden leaves with the Sword back to Aertia. Vi brokers an agreement with Courtlyn. She gives him pieces of Andarna’s shell. When she touches the inside she feels a charge of energy.
28: Battle brief shows the venin moving closer to Aertia, as if they know about the failing wards. But how? Unless there is a rat.
Xaden has been hiding out in Aertia for a week before returning to Basgaith, when he does return Violet notices his eyes appear different. They have amber flecks in them now.
They are also communicating via their bond, Violet says “I missed this” then thinks that being able to talk via the bond is even better …. “Than sex” Xaden finishes her thought down the bond. But she wasn’t thinking that down the bond…she wonders if he has been honing his signet like Ridoc?
Quest Squad has decided to disobey direct orders. The Senarium wants them to fly to an isle, then fly back and report, then fly to another, then fly back. It’ll take forever. They are going to just fly from isle to isle and return when they are done.
29: Mira returns from leave and won’t tell Vi where she has been. They are apprehensive about traveling with Halden again. But they don’t have to worry about it. Aaric shows up, tells Halden he will be the Royal that travels with them, and Halden can go home. Halden is shocked to see him because hes been missing for 8 months.
They realize on their travels that some runes work off the Continent, but they aren’t sure which ones or why.
Vi finds out that Mira went to go visit their Grandma Niara - their dad’s mom - in Luceras. Vi says she doesn’t even remember her, Mira said they cut communication with her when Vi was a toddler, right as her hair got long enough to pull into a ponytail. She encourages Vi to go visit her, she has a lot of stories.
The first isle they stop at is Unnbriel. They are woken up the next morning by Tairn yelling at them to get up. Soldiers have found them.
30: Vi requests an audience with their Queen. At first, the soldiers disagree, but Tairn and Sgaeyl make them see reason. Vi, Xaden, Dain, Aaric, and Cat head into the city. They head close to the temple and Vi notices that all the attendants have silver hair. What god do they serve? Dunne.
31: “Guardians are no longer permitted to dedicate children in service to their favored deity. The decision to serve the gods for life must be made after the age of majority and of one’s free will.”
Xaden asked “Are you dizzy?” … but like why?
We find out that Aaric is fluent … in a lot of languages, which really pisses off Dain since Aaric has been watching him struggle.
The priestess agrees Xaden appears to be the strongest, but she doesn’t think he should fight alone. She quickly chooses (by slicing his arm with a dagger) Dain. Then she turns her attention to Violet. She asked Violet if she chose this path. Violet said she chose her own life. The priestess says “It is good we did not complete your dedication then.” Then asks if Vi doesn’t yearn for temple? Usually just a touch creates longing, or maybe she just favors another god. Vi says “I choose him” - Xaden or Tairn - both of them.
Then she slices Vi’s arm too. They all get to fight.
32: They all face their opponents. Dain gets knocked unconscious, shockingly, very quickly. Violet does some weird ninja-like moves and manages to put her opponent on the ground with a dagger to her neck. It has started raining and as Violet is getting pissed off that her opponent will not yield, Xaden’s opponent is trying to stab him in the face, Vi feels the air charge. She yells for the chick to yield, then “the heat within me snaps outward and breaks with my voice.” Lightning strikes twice right by them. Her opponent finally yields and the first thing Xaden says is “Was that you? The Lightning. Was that you?”
She says it wasn’t, just a coincidence. But she felt the heat, the anger, the snap.
Vi, unknowingly, was fighting with the Queen of Unnbriel, Marlis. She calls Violet “Amarali”. Vi asks about the seventh breed of dragon, and she says nope, not here. Then asks for allies in the war against the Venin. Marlis says you can’t afford our help. She wants dragons. Then she asks Violet how she did it, not taking her down, but the lightning.
33: She wants 12 eggs, 2 from each breed, and they will bring their army to the Continent. Violet is like fuck you lady, we don’t deal in dragons.
The next isle they go to is Hedotis. The land of wisdom. We find out that Cat definitely has a thing for Trager. Drake annoys….everyone. And…Xaden’s mom is alive…and on this isle. This isle has a ruling body called the triumvirate and Faris is the second of that. And Faris’ wife is Talia…Xaden’s mom.
34: Xaden’s mom left when Xaden was 10 years old. She moved back to Hedotis, got married, and started a new family. She tells Violet she wants to see Xaden, and tries to blame it all on Fen. Violet tells her maybe at dinner. Sgaeyl is mad - at his mom, at Xaden, at the world. Xaden finally agrees to have dinner with his mom and the rest of the triumvirate. His mom sends her two youngest sons away, and Vi has Andarna follow them.
35: At dinner, they are joined by Xaden’s mom, Talia, her husband, Faris, and the other two members of the triumvirate - Nairi and Roslyn. They are testing their knowledge by dissecting their life choices. They are wondering why Xaden and Cat aren’t together to create a solid alliance. They tell them that it would be wise of them if they joined forces for 3 or 4 years…maybe then they would think they are worthy. Xaden says draw up the papers now, and better make it a lifetime because “anything less is unacceptable. And her full name for the papers is Violet Sorrengail. Two R’s.”
When dessert comes, Nairi teases Talia that she has been hoarding the chocolate coming in for weeks. Talia asks Xaden if chocolate cake is still his favorite. Everyone gets served, but the members of the triumvirate seem to be lacking forks. Violet feels like something is wrong - why was Talia stockpiling chocolate? She knew Xaden was coming? How? She squeezes Xaden’s leg to prevent him from eating, knocks the fork out of Aaric’s hand, and by her actions Mira and Cat don’t start eating. But Garrick - he’s already chowing down before he passes out and stops breathing.
36: This was Faris' test. He tells Talia she should be proud that her son didn’t eat it. Violet offers to give him the antidote for what she has poisoned them with in exchange for Garricks, but he doesn’t seem to be interested. Even though Nairi is already vomiting. Mira has people start sealing off the house, the dragons are racing back, Drake, Trager, and Xaden are working on keeping Garrick alive. Ridoc and Aaric stay with Violet. Ridoc and Violet go into the kitchen to try and see what was put into the cake. Violet figures it out but the cook comes out and stabs Ridoc in the side.
37: Luckily, it only stabbed Ridoc’s flight jacket but this pisses him off because he really hates sewing. After he punches the cook and yells at him, he realizes Vi is freaking out. He hugs her and says “Yeah, I love you, too.”
Dain shows up with Violet’s dads book and she knows what to give Garrick. Garrick wakes up and Xaden turns on Faris. Ridoc tries to push him away but Xaden’s glare turns to Ridoc. Violet gets up in his face and tells him to get off the ice. Xaden lets go of Faris and steps away. Violet tells Dain to get everyone and all their shit and get ready to leave. Faris says there is no way they are leaving the Isle even if she gets him the antidote. She disagrees. Because Andarna is currently outside of his sons bedroom and she will handle things if Faris doesn’t let them leave. She gives all 4 of them the antidote and they leave.
The next isle they visit is Zehyllna. A whole bunch of people are waiting in the amphitheater for their arrival which they find odd. The next thing they notice - magic.
38: Since there is magic here, that means the dragons can communicate and Xaden and Violet have their bond back again. And the first thing Xaden wants to do is argue with Violet over her getting in between him and Ridoc.
The Zehyllna spokeswoman, Calixta, says they can speak with the Queen right after they get their gifts from Zihnal. They must accept their gifts without complaint and if they do, then they can be allies. They all agree.
Violet chooses this moment to ask Aaric how come he never told them that he was fluent in every language. And he’s like why? And give Dain a reason to not be here?
Calixta has them approach a table where she gets out cards that are as big as Vi’s face. She shuffles them and calls them up 1 by 1 to draw a card that calls to them.
Mira gets wine. Maren - two orange tunics. Dain gets slapped really hard in the face and then has to say thank you while Ridoc and Xaden try not to laugh. Garrick - a rusted steel bucket. Aaric a fractured hand mirror. Xaden gets an empty glass box. Violet gets a broken compass. Ridoc gets kissed on both cheeks by a dude. Cat - a gold necklace with a ruby hanging off of it. Drake gets the claw - it’s a kitten! Trager goes last and gets the arrow….a shot in the heart. He stumbles for Cat (they have developed a relationship) but falls before he gets there. Ridoc and Violet both reach for him but he’s dead before he hits the ground.
39: Violet goes into shock for a half a moment and it's a good thing that Xaden and her have the bond back because he uses his Wingleader voice to get her attention back. Trager’s Gryphon tries to get to him but dies before she can. Everyone is in shock and Violet still has to turn around and tell Calixta “Thank you”.
They choose to stay the night in the theater. Then they will fly to one of the smaller isles to burn their bodies. They will then do flyovers looking for Andarna’s family.
Cat is obviously heartbroken but tells Violet that she was the one who asked Trager to come, not Violet. And he didn’t die in vain, the Zehyllna will send an army to help fight the venin.
40: They fly all day until finally they see a little isle. And there’s magic on it. We find out that Drake named the kitten, Broccoli. And that they aren’t really sure where they are. The map they have isn’t this far out. Violet makes pairs and sends them off to check the surrounding isles. Her and Ridoc stay there, while Andarna gets some more sleep, and Trager finishes burning. Violet is sitting with Andarna when six massive dragons appear in front of her. They have found the irids. And they speak into Violet’s mind.
41: Ridoc shows up and then they can all hear each other. Tarin and Aotrom also arrive but everyone stays back and tries to be peaceful. The Irids want to know why Andarna chooses black as her resting color and why her tail is a scorpiontail instead of feathertail. Andarna tells them her story. (I always think of Olaf telling the Frozen story in Frozen 2). The six wander off into the water to talk, three fly off, and three come back. They tell Andarna that she was never being tested, but humans were. They tell Violet that she failed. They tell Andarna that Violet uses her and has made her into a weapon. They told her, “You were left behind as the criterion. The measurement of their growth, their ability to choose tranquility and harmony with all living things. We’d hoped you would return to tell us the humans had evolved, that they had blossomed under the wardstones and no longer used magic as a weapon, but instead you have shown us the opposite.” Then they tell Andarna, “And you, our very hope, have handed this human something far dangerous to wield, haven’t you?”
42: Violet is confused because she hasn’t manifested a signet from Andarna. Xaden and Garrick come back just as the Irids are saying they will not help them. Andarna asks about a cure and they tell her there is none. When they wield from the earth, the soul is killed one piece at a time, and you can’t cure death. Leothan, one of the Irids, doesn’t feel the same towards Andarna as the rest. But they say that the majority have determined that Andarna is not worthy of entrance into their land or their instruction. Leothan asks again if Violet didn’t know that Andarna was a juvenile when they bonded. Then the female Irid sees Xaden and his red rimmed eyes and calls him an Abomination. They both fly off. Andarna goes into the forest alone, upset. Xaden slams his shields down from Violet. And Ridoc tells Violet she has one chance to come fucking clean.
43: Everyone makes their way back and Ridoc tells them all what happened - minus the Xaden part. Ridoc and Violet go off to go “hunting” but really to talk. Ridoc is super pissed that Vi has kept secrets again. He agrees to keep Xaden’s secret but only if there is a way out. Violet agrees that if Xaden hurts someone, person, dragon, or Gryphon, or her, then Ridoc can do whatever he thinks he needs to. She gets mad and a lightning strike comes out. As they are walking back down to everyone else, Xaden is there. Ridoc was like oh that lightning strike…that wasn’t us. Xaden says he knows because it wasn’t nearly big enough. Ridoc tells Xaden he wants Rhi, Sawyer, and Jesinia to know about Xaden. Xaden agrees. After Ridoc walks away, Xaden says he ruined this whole thing. If he wasn’t there, the Irids would probably have sided with them. He ruined it and he is the very worst thing for Violet. She of course disagrees.
They fly towards home and the whole trip Xaden and Violet barely talk to each other. (WHY! He knows when they get back to Basgaith that they won’t be able to be together SO WHY ARE THEY WASTING THIS TIME?!)
When they land at home, Rhi and Sawyer meet them on the flight field. And, unfortunately, so does General Aetos (why isn’t he dead yet?!). He hands Vi a note from Theophanie and tells Cat that Suniva fell to the Venin - Queen Maraya is dead.
44: Quest Squad gets interrogated for 12 hours but the King is so happy to know where Aaric is and that he is alive that he declares no one will be punished.
They were gone for 3 weeks and are surprised to find out how much area the dark wielders have already taken over. Mira and Garrick go to Draithus, Drake to Cordyn, Brennan shows up from Aretia, and Xaden goes back to being a professor. During Battle Brief, Devera tells them that 12 wyvern/venin took our Suniva and 25,000 people died. They apparently set a lot of shit on fire and it spread rapidly. Devera tells them that there were six crates of alloy hilted daggers and they made sure to hit the armory first. They discuss how there is a rat in their ranks to know about the distribution because the daggers had just arrived that day. Devera tells them that they flew the venin in with a thunderstorm and everyone starts talking about how that's not possible, but Violet says it is, with their lightning wielder. She can control the lightning just like Violet. At the end of Battle Brief, Ridoc makes Violet take Rhi and Sawyer down to see Jesinia and Violet tells them that Xaden is turning Venin.
45: Violet dreams about the Sage threatening Andarna and wakes up before he stabs her in the chest. She got a package from Xaden - a nightgown and a note saying “For the nights I can’t sleep next to you.” She sends a message down the bond saying that she loves him and for him to quit brooding. The next day they are practicing new battle maneuvers. After, Violet gives Xaden a handwritten letter and a present for his birthday (March 31st). Felix arrives from Aretia with news for Xaden. Venin got through the wards again. Which is news to Violet but not to Xaden. That’s twice since last week. Felix says he is here to help Violet with Signet Sparring since she won’t work with Carr anymore.
46: Dark wielders are surging towards Draithus. Xaden gets called back to Tyrrendor. The Aretian riders and Navarrians hate each other and it's getting worse. They are walking towards the great hall when the door flies open and the Duke of Calldyr flies through it. Lewellen comes through it, daring him to say something again. Calldyr says that the desire of one province cannot outweigh the good of the kingdom. Lewellen wants to open the borders to people outside of the wards. Calldyr continues arguing and Xaden walks out and says, “Enough. The discussion is over. You were informed as a courtesy.” Then Halden walks in and says he forbids whatever it is that Xaden is going to do. Xaden says he doesn’t give a fuck. Ridoc is also there with Violet and he offers all the commentary and I just love him. Halden tries to say that Xaden has no real control because Halden is the prince. Xaden tells him that if he tries to stop him then Aaric will find himself next in line for the throne. Halden tries to get Aaric on his side and all he says is that he is actually under Xaden’s chain of command, as is a third of Halden’s troops.
After Halden huffs away, Xaden tells Violet that a wyvern made it halfway to Aretia. As they are talking, shadows start appearing behind Violet. They aren't coming from Xaden but from a first year, Lynx. Xaden helps him, calms him, and directs Rhi to take him to Carr. Violet is like wtf, you’re our generation’s shadow wielder. Xaden says that the magic knows, it’s trying to restore balance. Xaden tells Vi that he has resigned as a professor because he is needed elsewhere. She begs him to stay just for a bit to talk but he’s Xaden and won’t listen and he flies out two hours later without saying goodbye.
47: Sawyer finally makes it back up to his seat and the whole gang flies to Aretia for rotation. When they arrive, Xaden isn’t there. Violet seems lost because she doesn’t have a room there. Bodhi tells her to go to her room, which is Xaden’s, it's what he would want. Brennan shows up and tells Vi that he knows about Xaden, he’s tried to mend him, but he can’t. He said Xaden sent a letter from Lewellen yesterday and wants to try mending the spot he channeled from at Basgaith. Vi starts smiling because she now knows that Xaden hasn’t given up.
48: Xaden comes home. He wants Vi but he’s scared to hurt her.
49: They celebrate Xaden being home and him maintaining control.
50: Violet is having her recurring nightmare about the Sage. Except this time she looks down at her hand and its not hers, its Xadens. She wakes up and Xaden is still asleep next to her and he also looks like he's having a bad dream. She gets him to wake up and she tells him about her dream. He kinda freaks out because there’s a reason it doesn’t look like her hand. Its because its Xadens hand. Xadens dream. She tells Xaden every dream she has had with th Sage and they’ve all been his. She thinks it's because of the bond. But she tells him about the dream she had about Cliffsbane…what if she was in Maren’s dream? Xaden thinks she got dreamwalking as a second signet from being bonded with Andarna. He says it's a form of intrinsic. Vi immediately asks Andarna down the bond and she just responds with it’s fine, it’s harmless, Vi is mostly drawn to Xaden’s dreams. Tairn gets mad because Andra didn’t tell Vi and she shoots back well he didn’t tell her about th lightning either. Xaden says Violet will be viewed as especially dangerous if anyone finds out because she cant control it and they wont know she’s even in there. Tairn warns her that they are under attack.
51: They all meet in the foyer and Violet finally realizes that Xaden is not just a wingleader, not just in charge, it’s his army, it’s his command. He gives everyone their orders and tells Bodhi he needs to stay behind with the first years. Bodhi is super pissed but Xaden tells him it's because he’s the next in line and the only heir left. Before Vi leaves, Aaric yells for her. He tells her to protect Dunne’s temple. She is super confused and he’s like you HAVE to. He tells her "it's how you save Tyrrendor”. She doesn’t really listen and tells him to go be with the first years.
She flies off with Tairn with Rhi on Feirge. They take down a couple of wyvern and then Vi notices that there's a group headed straight to Andarna…who was supposed to be guarding the wardstone but instead is at Dunnes temple. Theophaniephanie is on one. Tairn gets hurt by a wyvern’s wingspur.
52: Violet is mad at Andarna and asks her why she is there. She said because the Prince said to guard it. Rhi lands and uses her signet power to get the wingspur out. VIolet wants Rhi to leave but Tairn said they have minutes because three wyvern ar approaching. Vi tells Andarna to fly back now but she says she won’t leave the temple defenseless. Some priestess come out and Violet tells them to get inside. They refuse. One of them asks Violet if she uses lye and some juice from a flower like they do on her hair? She’s like wtf are we talking about this right now? She tells them it grows like this and they’re like huh….
Feirge hasn’t left yet even though Violet told them to go. And then fucking Theophaniephanie shows up. Theophanie tells Violet if she just comes with her, Theophanie can give her what she wants. A priestess steps in front of Vi and says, “Heretic! You are not welcome here.” Vi realizes that Theophanie used to be a priestess of Dune. That's why their hair matches. Two more venin appear and Andarna blasts Theophanie with fire but nothing happens. Theophanie looks up then shouts “Leave them and go! Now!” She grabs the other two venin’s hands and disappears. Vi thinks, “Just like Garrick.” There are more wyvern approaching and Vi hits one with lightning but the other three just fall as magic washes over Violet. One of the bodies goes flying into the temple and rock is falling everywhere. Xaden shows up and uses his shadows to lower all the pieces of the pillars down to the ground. He said Sgaeyl wouldn’t hold position when she felt Tairn get hurt. Xaden said he was almost there when the wards went up. Violet realizes that's what Theophanie looked so scared of and why the wyvern fell out of the sky. She's like wtf, how? Out of the shadows, the irids appear. Leothan says, “it seemed necessary to fire your wardstone.”
53: Leothan tells Andarna that he is her family. He wants her to come with him and learn their ways. Andarna tells him she can’t go, she’s bonded. And he’s like meh, big deal, she bonded Tairn first, just break the bond, you can always reforge it when/if you come back. He tells her he fired the wardstone so that Andarna would want to leave with him. Violet obviously doesn’t want her too but tells her that she loves her and wants her to be happy even if that means they wont be together. Leothan is like ok good and breaks their bond. Andarna can’t communicate with her anymore and stares at her like she wants to say something before flying off with him. Tairn is pissed. Sgaeyl is upset. Violet can’t breathe.
54: For three days Violet doesn’t get out of bed. Mira shows up. Brennan had written to her and she came. They start fighting which gets Violet out of bed and into the bathroom. Xaden comes in and helps her wash her hair. When she goes back out into the bedroom, Mira and Brennan are still fighting. Mira tells Brennan there are months of their moms journals missing - months when Mira and Brennan were left with their grandma while their mom and dad took Violet with them. When their parents returned, that’s when their grandma stopped speaking to them. Brennan’s like that doesn't mean she got dedicated at Dunne’s temple. Mira said they did do it though, the priestess told them that they only accepted children whose futures are certain and Violets wasn’t. They said if she chose her future poorly, she could still earn their mentorship but that she’d turn. Brennan cuts Mira off when he realizes Violet is back in the room. Brennan asks what the priestess' exact words were. Mira says “the heart that beats for you - or within you - would do the wrong thing for the right reasons, reach for unspeakable power, and turn dark.” Xaden says that's me. His heart beats for her and he did all those things. Mira reaches for her dagger and Violet is like absolutely not. Mira is hurt when she realizes that both Brennan and Vi have known and hid this from her.
55: Mira leaves two days later. Violet still sucks real bad at runes. Brennan is mending her when Bodhi and Xaden come in. Bodhi is pissed at Xaden, he wants to drop out of school and be put to use on a line. Xaden says no, he needs Bodhi to be prepared to take over. Bodhi makes sure to look at Violet and then tell Xaden that he will be his right hand man but Xaden is the duke and he needs to get his shit figured out. Brennan leaves and Violet asks if Xaden is preparing Bodhi for his death. Xaden tries to avoid the question by asking how her day was. His day? Well he talked to the high priestess at the Dunne temple who said that they are in his debt and will grant him whatever favor he wants. Violet asks him again and he says yes. He isn’t giving up but he knows it's a when he turns complete and not an if.
56: Violet is in Xaden's dream but this time she recognizes it and calls for him. He turns and looks at her. He tells her she shouldn’t be there, she tells him this isn’t real, and then the Sage appears. He says “Its so nice of you to join us, lightning wielder. Or should I call you dream-walker?” Violet tries to get Xaden to wake up but the Sage says that he can’t. “And here I’d hoped you’d be a quick learner.” He tells Xaden to bring her and he says never. The Sage says their wards won’t save them and if Xaden won’t deliver her, she’ll come herself. “It’s simple, dream-walker. You come or she dies.” After they wake up, someone is banging on the door. It’s Garrick - he looks awful. He tells them that they were ripped out of the sky and he only got away because he was to deliver a message. Theophaniephanie has Mira. They’ve reached the walls of Draithus and if Xaden doesn’t bring Bodhi and Violet within 5 hours, Mira will die and they’ll destroy the city.
57: Everyone gathers to figure out what to do. The second years all want to go. The assembly says no. Xaden overrides them. He asks Garrick why would Theophanie want Bodhi? Garrick says, “She said to bring Violet and your brother, and they’ll let Draithus stand.” Xaden goes all tense and says, “She said ‘brother’?” Garrick assumed she meant Bodhi because they grew up together. Violet immediately thinks of Liam but then thinks it's Jack Barlowe.
58: They fly to meet Theophanie. Tairn tells Violet that Molvic has been spotted, aka Aaric. Tairn tells Violet that he was seen flying south, away from the fight. The wyvern have Teine (Mira’s dragon) tied down. Theophanie is there with a knife to Mira’s throat (how long do you think she's been standing there? The entire time? That seems exhausting). Tairn lands, and Violet dismounts. Xaden, Brennan, and Bodhi also approach. Theophanie says she didn't ask for either of them. And Violet is like uhhh brother? Theophanie says you didn’t bring the brother he wanted, “Berwyn will be disappointed.” Violet says he is on the way. Xaden tenses and says, “Berwyn.” Theophanie says, “Yes. Hence the term brother. I won’t make the mistakes with you Berwyn made with Jack.” Violet says she won’t turn and Theophanie seems confident she will and then says time is up just as Garrick arrives with Jack. Then Theophanie slices Mira’s throat.
59: Theophanie then hurls her dagger at Jack. Xaden sends a stream of shadows towards Theophanie but they fly southward (...didn’t Aaric fly south?). Brennan is there, luckily, and he works on mending Mira while Xaden uses his shadows to create a wall around them. Garrick pulls the dagger out of the door of the chest and Bodhi shuts the other door. Tairn goes off to kill wyvern. Violet notices Sloane and Dain are approaching on their dragons. Brennan is struggling. Xaden tells Garrick to get Jack out of here so he and his dragon do their winnowing thing. Bodhi asks how much are we trusting Dain because he just watched Garrick “walk”. Xaden asks wtf are Dain and Sloane are doing here. Dain said he’s following Sloane and Sloane gets a package out of her jacket and said Aaric said you’d need this. Violet asks Sloane to please help. Sloane is hesitant. Dain tells her to take his power, he doesn’t have to wield today. Sloane wraps her hand around Dain's wrist and says, “Someone like you shouldn't have this much power.” Dain tells her to pull the excess power from him into Brennan. She says but I’m going to hurt you and he responds, “Gods, don’t I know it.” and we all forgive Dain a little bit more. Brennan heals Mira and takes her off. Sloane is supposed to go back across the wards and Dain tells Xaden he will meet him down there. Violet notices that Brennan doesn’t have a mark on the back of his neck like his palm and Dain doesn’t have one either. Xaden leaves Violet but tells Bodhi to stay with her and not to forget his promise. Bodhi responds, “I don’t want your fucking province.” As soon as they leave Bodhi tells Violet that they have a problem.
60: Mira’s dragon isn’t waking up. Violet begs Tairn to take him beyond the wards. Tairn doesn’t want to but finally agrees. Bodhi, his dragon (Cuir), and Violet wait there. Theophanie shows back up. Taunts Violet and Bodhi. Violet realizes that Theophanie is not a lightning wielder but she controls the storm like Violet's mom did. Theophanie says her mom was the answer to Theophanie not the other way around. Bodhi is trying to counter her powers with his signet but he can’t. Vi tells Bodhi to go and he doesn’t want to, he wants her to come with him. But he doesn’t get a say when Cuir grabs him around the waist and takes him away. Violet fights with Theophanie. Theophanie tries to get her to channel. Violet thinks that she isn’t the best of them, but that “she” is. The next POV is Rhi.
61: Rhi is at the Pass with Ridoc, Sawyer, Cat, and Maren. They fight the wyvern. Ridoc touches one and it turns a pale gray and drops out of the sky.
62: Violet is still fighting with Theophanie. Theophanie starts draining the ground, Violet runs and climbs onto a dead wyvern and gets grabbed by a claw. She thinks it's Tairn but it's Sgaeyl. She left Xaden for a hot minute to literally throw Violet at an incoming Tairn. Theophanie is gone. She is joining the wyvern that’s attacking Draithus. Violet sees Glane, Cath, and Cuir near and on the northern wall fighting off wyvern. Violet’s like well shit Bodhi isn’t supposed to be there. Violet unleashes and starts firing off lightning bolts like crazy. Theophanie starts sending out tornadoes. Violet sees Molvic come out of the south. Tairn says, “The Spare brings the advance party from Zehyllna. A thousand soldiers and their horses. They landed at the port of Soudra by accident instead of Cordyn and will be here in less than half an hour." Cuir disappears into the mess of wyvern. Glane follows. Violet tells Tairn to fly for Theophanie.
63: Imogen POV. Imogen chases after Bodhi. She wonders where Xaden is because she hasn’t seen him in 20 minutes. Cuir is hurt - a deep cut across his chest that's bleeding. Cuir also has a hole in his right wing. Quinn is in the armory in the tower. Three dark wielders are headed there. Imogen gets Glane to take her there and she races to save Quinn. Imogen starts running right at a dark wielder and Dain appears on her right. The dark wielder sends fire towards them. Imogen grabs a shield from Dain, yells at him to get behind her, and she turns the shield into stone, as her and Dain both throw daggers at the venin. Dain is like wtf is that we gotta talk about that later. He takes off after one and Imogen goes after the other one. Imogen finds Quinn, battling a venin, she is using her signet to create illusions and distract him. Her and Imogen throw a dagger at the same time striking the venin but the venin stabs Quinn with his poisoned dagger. Quinn makes Imogen promise to tell her girlfriend that she loves her. As Imogen holds Quinn after she dies, she notices the stones on the staircase begin to pale and lose their color. Garrick appears looking for Quinn. Garrick tells Imogen that they have to go because the venin are draining the city. Garrick grabs both of them and ‘walks’ to where Professor Trissa is. He asks her if she's weaving and she said yes but they’ll be weak. Garrick says it's not enough and walks out - Imogen follows. Imogen sees wyvern and gryphon dead bodies in the streets, there’s screaming and crying. Crutch is in the sky killing wyvern. She sees Bodhi “on his hands and knees across the town square, retching.” Garrick is walking off saying he can’t ‘walk’ again, so he “better find some fucking way to do something.” Imogen tells Glane to tell every rider within the walls to come to where she is and disarm.
64: Violet and Tairn are chasing Theophanie and her wyvern trying to kill them but the wyvern is fast and Violet keeps missing her with her lightning. They hear a roar of agony and Tairn screams Sgaeyl’s name. A massive net then falls onto Tairn - they fall out of the sky. They need to get the net off of them. Violet applies a rune she made and shockingly, it works. She feels Aaric’s package in her jacket and looks at it. It says, “For when you lose yours. Strike in the dark, Violet.” It’s a marble dagger and there’s a note from a priestess from the Dunne temple, “A gift from one servant of Dunne to another. I must warn you - only those touched by the gods should wield their wrath. I will pray to Her that she need not use it to avoid reacquainting herself with the other who curries her favor. Her path is still not set.” Violet unseats and Theophanie says how easy it was to bring them both down. She has Sgaeyl too. Violet tries to strike Theophanie again and again with lightning but she’s too fast and Violet keeps missing. Violet decides to play a psychological game with her. She asks Theophanie if she “yearns” for the temple. Theophanie asks if Violet yearns for it, or maybe she doesn’t because she was only “touched” and not dedicated. Theophanie asks, “Do you know the pain of never being allowed to return, of knowing that it would sever the very thing that’s kept me untouchable all these years?” Violet feels pure fear down the bond. Violet shouts “Don’t!” down the bond to Xaden as she looks towards Draithus and it's blacked out in shadows as the shadows are headed straight for her. Shadows throw Theophanie to the ground and caresses Violet's face as they are plunged into darkness. Tairn tells her to use the darkness. Just like Aaric’s note says. Violet realizes that Aaric wields precognition. Violet uses the dagger Aaric gave her and releases her power. The lightning strike is continuous. Theophanie runs into an invisible wall that snarls at her. Andarna’s scales come into focus as she appears. Theophanie holds her hand out towards Andarna in wonder and Violet thinks not my baby dragon you bitch. Violet stabs her marble dagger right into Theophanie's chest. Theophanie asks how and Violet says you weren’t just venin and that Dunne can be wrathful towards those who have turned their backs on her. And then Theophanie desiccates and Violet finally lets go of the continuous lightning.
65: Xaden POV - Sgaeyl is caught. Xaden is pissed - no one will harm her. Xaden says the normal venin aren’t the problem. “But the one who walks forward toward Panchek’s cowering, traitorous ass, putting himself between Sgaeyl and me… He’s the problem. Not because he’s more lethal. Not even because he’s supposed to be dead. But because I. Can’t. Kill. Him. I could no more raise a blade to his throat than I could Violet.” Also, “now that my Sage has another sibling he can use against me…I’m screwed.”
Xaden says he looks to his “new brother and the unconscious dragon…How could he do this? Choose this after watching me stumble and fall over the last five months. How could he willingly walk the path I've fought like hell to leave? He’s the last person I ever would have expected to turn, and yet here we are.”
Panchek is shrieking this is not what he agreed to. Panchek has sold everyone out. Xaden decides he will die for selling out Violet's location. Sgaeyl begs him to not lose himself. Xaden tells her there isn’t any other way. Berwyn asks Panchek isn’t he happy with the power he has gotten? Panchek says he knows Berwyn won’t hurt him because he’s the only one who can get him to his son. Berwyn’s like meh I have another and stabs Panchek’s dragon with his poisonous dagger and it desiccates. Berwyn turns towards Sgaeyl and tells Xaden she’s next and he’s like hell to the no. Sgaeyl is screaming at him to not do this to save her. Xaden thinks fuck it and throws his hands to the ground. Xaden uses his shadows to kill some venin and “shadow drags Berwyn from Sgaeyl and knocks both him and my new brother unconscious.” Then it says he keeps going, “surging outward simultaneously, finding the identical heartbeats that mark wyvern and slicing though scale with shadow, ripping their runestones free. I start with the one who dared set its teeth in Sgaeyl’s shoulder, skim past the one who now thinks himself my brother.” His shadows keep going, killing every wyvern he sees. He kills one that has Dain and his dragon cornered. He sees Imogen. He only stops when he hears Violet saying she loves him down the bond. He clings to her and her love. He finally lets go of the power and asks Sgaeyl if she will forsake him now. He considers killing Berwyn but says he has something he needs. Sgaeyl’s like what is left of you.
““You tell me.” I lower the ice and let her in.
Her next breath is laced with sulfur, and her eyes widen. “You cannot mean to -”
“You saw what happened. It is the only way.”
She glances over her shoulder. “And you think she’ll help?”“She loves me.”“Tairn does not, and you haven’t looked in a mirror yet. The red veins branching from your eyes look like her lightning.”
“She’ll help. She promised.”
“Even if she agrees, no one will -”“Someone owes me a favor.””
Sgaeyl tells Xaden that Violet is hurt but she’ll survive and the wards have been extended to Draithus. Xaden begs Sgaeyl to persuade Tairn and Sgaeyl says, “We will ask and her decision will determine our fate.”
66: Violet POV - Violet and Imogen appear outside of Riorson House and Brennan races outside. Andarna tells Violet she won’t let them burn her. Brennan tells her it's 3am, where has she been. Some riders report to Brennan - four riders, their dragons, and 3 elders were murdered in the valley; four riders are missing as well as six eggs from the hatching grounds.
Violet tries to reach Tairn but Andarna says that he will need a cycle of rest to recover.
Violet is so confused.
Brennan asks Violet if she knows where Xaden is. Violet says she doesn’t know. He asks Imogen, she says she hasn’t seen him since yesterday, where is Garrick? Brennan says he’s missing. Brennan is like holy shit Vi. Imogen says, “Your finger” then she stares at the ground.
There’s a ring with a giant emerald on it. The emerald appears to be the missing jewel from the Blade of Aretia from Xaden’s room. Violet has a paper on her that has the seal of Dunne and Brennan opens it.
It’s a blessing on her wedding. By the head priestess of Dunne’s temple.
There’s a note written on it by Xaden - “Don’t look for me. It’s yours now.”
She tries to throw herself down the bond but it's gone.
Brennan says she’s been missing for 12 hours.
She swings her head towards Inogen and asks her what she did.
Imogen slowly looks up at Violet and says, “What you asked me to.”
WHAT THE FUCK REBECCA!!
Ok - what do we know?
Imogen erased Violet’s memory.
Violet and Xaden are married.
Tairn needs a cycle of rest to recover … did Andarna break his and Sgaeyl’s bond?
Garrick is missing - we last saw him walking away from Imogen saying he needs to figure out something to be able to help out.
Bodhi was last seen on his hands and knees throwing up in the town square.
Dain was last seen fighting a wyvern that Xaden’s shadows killed.
We haven’t seen Ridoc or Sawyer since Rhiannon’s POV and they were killing wyvern.
We haven’t seen Aaric since he was spotted with the additional fighters arriving into the city.
Garrick ‘walked’ Jack back to Basgaith (or wherever he was held) while he was in the case.
So … who is Xaden’s new brother? The only ones we know for sure that it isn’t are Brennan and Dain.
Why did Violet question the lack of mark on Brennan after mending Mira? Why does Violet always draw attention to his mark on his palm?
Does Dain have power he isn’t displaying?
Who is Berwyn’s son that only Panchek can give him?
How many “siblings” is Xaden talking about? He says, “knocks both him and my new brother unconscious.” Then he says that his shadows keep going, killing wyvern, and “I start with the one who dared set its teeth in Sgaeyl’s shoulder, skim past the one who now thinks himself my brother.”
How come Violet could talk to her dragons when everyone was cut off without magic?
Comments