Onyx Storm

Two weeks later, Violet is summoned to meet with the king’s council, who are struggling to negotiate a peace deal with Poromiel. The riders have been actively hunting any venin left behind after the battle, eliminating 31 so far. Imogen, Bodhi, and Garrick express their concerns about Xaden sharing Violet’s bed, fearing he might unintentionally drain her magic. Violet dismisses their concerns, refusing to distance herself from him.

Later, Violet visits Sawyer in the infirmary, where he is recovering after losing half of his leg in the battle against the venin. His friends are growing concerned that he’s considering giving up riding because of his injury. Their visit is interrupted by a bloodcurdling scream. A cadet stumbles in, screaming that everyone is dead, his neck marked with a grey handprint. Violet realizes that venin have not been detected on patrols because they’ve already infiltrated the keep.

Most of the people in the infirmary have been drained of life. When a scribe charges toward them, Violet knows it is a venin—since a real scribe would have run toward the Archives—and throws a dagger into its heart. They quickly realize that the venin have disguised themselves as scribes to infiltrate the keep. Violet, Ridoc, and Rhiannon come across venin attempting to free Jack Barlowe from his holding cell. Among them, Violet notices a venin woman with a long silver braid. While some escape with the silver-haired venin, the rest are eliminated by Xaden.

After the battle, they report to Colonel Panchek, the commandant of the Riders Quadrant, before Violet and Xaden talk privately. Xaden reveals that his dragon, Sgaeyl, is still not speaking to him, resentful of his decision to become venin to save Aretia when it was besieged by venin in the last battle. He believes she can sense that he is no longer whole. However, Violet insists that he has not changed because he still loves her. Xaden affirms that he will always love her but admits that with his mental shields up, he didn’t sense that she was in danger—he sensed the presence of other venin.

Violet is summoned to meet with the Senarium, the kingdom’s aristocracy, to discuss Andarna’s conditions for her upcoming quest to find more of her kind. The Senarium wants Violet to join a task force assigned to locate the seventh dragon breed and convince them to join their side. Violet presents Andarna’s list of demands. The request for Violet to personally select a squad of six riders is denied. Instead, General Melgren announces that Captain Grady, a professor at Basgiath with experience behind enemy lines, will lead the task force and choose its members. Afterward, Violet receives a note from Viscount Tecarus of Poromiel, reminding her that she has three days to fulfill her end of their agreement: an alliance with the gryphon fliers in exchange for access to the king’s library of information—hopefully on venin and the Great War where they were first defeated.

The next morning, Violet wakes up next to Xaden. They are physically intimate, but Xaden abruptly pulls away when he loses control, leaving two grey thumbprints on the headboard. Violet realizes that he channeled on instinct.

Violet makes Xaden promise not to become withdrawn. Xaden agrees but insists they cannot fully give in to their desire for each other, as it makes his venin cravings harder to control. Their conversation is interrupted when Xaden notices Brennan, Garrick, Lewellen, Bodhi, and Imogen are waiting in the hallway.

Mira returns from a trip and brings Violet a new conduit from Felix, designed to give her better control over her lightning signet. She also gifts her a wooden disk that contains levitation, sound-shielding, and warmth runes. Violet realizes they have found a way to alter its material without destroying it. They have also discovered a method to activate one rune independently of the others. The disk is crucial to salvaging negotiations, maintaining the gryphon fliers’ presence in Navarre and ensuring Violet can uphold her deal with Viscount Tecarus.

Mira estimates the wards around Aretia will completely fail in about six months. However, it could take Violet decades to find Andarna’s kind. Mira believes the mission is too dangerous and is frustrated with Brennan for allowing it. She gives him the rune disk, and Violet instructs him to present it to the Senarium.

A few hours later, Violet is in the gathering hall with her friends. A commotion draws Violet and her friends to the courtyard, where an elite First Wing rider, Aura Beinhaven, has challenged a flier to a fight. She holds a knife to the flier’s throat. Violet calls Dain over to intervene. He attempts to deescalate the situation, but Aura refuses to listen, stating that he is no longer in Navarre’s chain of command. She considers him a deserter and says he no longer speaks for Fourth Wing. She also refuses to accept the gryphon riders. Aura challenges Dain to a fight, but Violet sees that Aura intends to use her fire power against him. Violet steps in to accept the challenge instead.

Violet draws lightning to her fingers. She argues that they only survived the venin attack because she and the so-called deserters uncovered knowledge that Navarre had deliberately kept from them and used it to save lives. She insists that an alliance with the gryphon fliers is necessary for their survival in the coming war. Aura, however, argues that supporting Poromiel’s forces could weaken Navarre’s wards and endanger their own people. Violet advocates for supporting both kingdoms and urges everyone to rise above the failures of past leadership. As the crowd reflects on Violet’s words, Professors Devera, Emetterio, and Kaori arrive. The professors inform the cadets that training will resume the next day, regardless of whether a formal deal is signed.

After the crowd disperses, Brennan, Mira, and Xaden approach Violet and Aaric—a first-year rider who is also Cam, a Navarre prince. They reveal that a deal has been reached, though negotiations were complicated by Aaric’s brother, Halden. Aaric’s royal status remains a secret to his peers— except Brennan, Mira, Xaden, and Violet—because Aaric left without his family’s knowledge. As part of the agreement, Halden demands to accompany Violet on her mission, which she is unhappy with. The Senarium has agreed to grant full pardons to those who deserted Basgiath for Aretia. However, Violet’s most important demand—securing an alliance to protect the fliers and their squads—was rejected. Despite the wooden, runed disk she had Brennan present to the Senarium—which will allow for them to safely alter the wards to allow gryphon riders to channel lesser magic while inside—the Senarium voted 6-1 against tampering with Navarre’s borders. Violet learns that the accord with Aretia will be signed in the morning.

After the others leave, Xaden tells Violet that the king has reinstated his seat in the Senarium and granted Xaden the title of Duke of Tyrrendor. He makes Violet promise to sound the alarm if he ever loses control. She agrees but doesn’t believe that will happen. Violet is determined to find a cure for veninism. However, since she needs the rider-flier alliance with Viscount Tecarus of Poromiel to search for the cure, she resolves to commit treason.

That night, without Xaden’s knowledge, Violet, Ridoc, Rhiannon, and Imogen head to the Healers Quadrant, where they meet Quinn, Bodhi, and Maren. Dyre, a healer whose life Violet saved, sneaks them into the infirmary to retrieve Sawyer. Sawyer’s signet is needed to alter the runes on the wardstone like the rune disk from Mira was modified. Upon reaching the wardstone chamber, they discover that Mira has already dismissed the guards and taken their place. She suspected Violet’s plan and waited for them. Brennan is also waiting inside. Sawyer works on altering the wardstone while Maren, a flier, attempts to use lesser magic. When Maren successfully summons some, they confirm that the wards have been modified.

The next morning, Violet and her friends attend Battle Brief. During class with Professor Devera, Professor Kiandra, a flier, arrives to co-teach. This is made possible because the riders and fliers are reconsidering an alliance now that Viscount Tecarus knows of Violet’s modifications to the wards. The class is interrupted when General Aetos arrives and formally charges Violet with treason against Navarre.

Violet is taken to the Senarium. Violet admits to altering the wards, explaining that they still function against dark wielders but now allow fliers to wield lesser magic. She argues that her actions have enabled negotiations for an alliance. The Senarium wants to punish her, but she strategically timed her treason. As of that morning, the accord with Aretia is signed, granting pardons to all deserters for any past crimes, including the events of the previous night.

Queen Maraya of Poromiel arrives and expresses her approval of Violet’s efforts to secure the fliers’ presence at Basgiath. The queen grants her access to the king’s library and her own private collection. As a slight punishment, General Aetos orders Rhiannon, as squad leader, to take every second-year under her command—including Violet—for a two-day duty assignment at the Samara outpost, starting the next morning.

After a 22-hour journey, Rhiannon’s second-year squad arrives at the Samara outpost and reports to Lieutenant Colonel Degrensi. He informs them that Aetos’ intelligence was outdated, and the fighting ended the previous day. Maren asks about Newhall, a nearby village where her family is staying. Degrensi tells her that, according to a report from that morning, the village is still standing. He also warns Violet to keep her dragon hidden, as the enemy may recognize it and launch an attack to eliminate her, as she is rare.

The squad spends the night in a room previously warded by Xaden. That night, Violet has a strange nightmare where she frantically searches for a painting of her family while Cat screams at her to leave because they are under attack. Cat refuses to abandon her, insisting that she needs Violet. Just as Violet finds the painting, it is engulfed in flames, and Cat pulls her away.

The next morning, the squad overhears two riders discussing the evacuation of Newhall. They tell Maren that the village is under venin attack. Cat asks if they will fly out to help, but the riders dismiss it, saying the village is too small to justify the risk. Unwilling to abandon the people of Newhall—including Maren’s family—Violet and her squad go on their own.

Violet and Tairn are the first to arrive at Newhall. Violet spots the silver-haired venin from Jack’s cell, who waves at her: Violet realizes they were expected. A battle ensues in the middle of a heavy storm, and while fighting wyvern, they get caught in a tornado that slams Tairn into a mountain and knocks him unconscious. Violet quickly sends Andarna to hide, as Garrick arrives unexpectedly. He helps Violet with her dislocated knee and reveals that Xaden lost control when he realized she was crossing the border. To alleviate Xaden’s concerns, Garrick teleported to her location—revealing that distance wielding is his secret second signet.

The silver-haired venin arrives, and a bolt of lightning strikes nearby. Violet is startled, believing the venin wielded it: Venin are not supposed to have signet powers. The venin introduces herself as Theophanie and admits she lured Violet there by threatening Maren’s family; she already killed Maren’s parents but left her brothers alive as a gesture of goodwill. Theophanie asks Violet which of her dragons bonded to her first—Tairn or the irid.

Theophanie reveals that irids are the seventh breed of dragons, unseen for centuries. Violet refuses to let her see Andarna. Theophanie tells Violet that Xaden will eventually join the venin, and when he does, she will follow. She insists that she has spared them so that when the time comes, they will choose her as their teacher instead of Berwyn. Theophanie flies away on her wyvern, leaving Violet and Garrick unharmed.

Before the others arrive, Violet tells Garrick to leave so people don’t ask questions about how he got there. Violet and her squad fly back to Basgiath, bringing Maren’s brothers with them. General Aetos refuses to let Maren’s brothers stay, but Xaden intervenes, proclaiming them new citizens of Tyrrendor, his ward-protected region. Frustrated by Xaden’s interference, Aetos orders both Xaden and Garrick to join the Eastern Wing in an attempt to keep Xaden and Violet separated.