Iron Flame

Violet fears which memories Dain might take and deliver to Varrish, who is already suspicious of her and Xaden. Varrish orders Dain to use his classified signet to pry information from Violet’s mind, but Dain refuses. Varrish decides to extend the interrogation another day and take the torture into his own hands. When Nolon is brought in to heal them, he leaves the window to the torture chamber door unlocked. Violet overhears him discussing a mystery patient with Varrish, important enough to draw them both to the infirmary. Somehow, the dagger Xaden gave to Violet unlocks the chamber door allowing Violet and her friends to escape.

At Battle Brief, pamphlets are left on class chairs, detailing how two days prior, a Poromiel city, Zolya, fell “to the blue fire dragons and their riders” (236), with a death toll of over 10,000. Violet deduces from the type of parchment, typeset, and smudging ink that the pamphlets were printed at Basgiath. Professor Devera seems shocked by the news while Markham discredits the pamphlets as lies and propaganda. As a diversion, Markham brings attention to an impressive medical feat that Nolon has spent the past several months working on mending Jack Barlowe, who was crushed under a mountain by Violet’s lightning during War Games their first year.

Jack Barlowe joins Battle Brief, offering a smile to Violet that perplexes her and her friends. Meanwhile, Professor Devera delivers news of an unprecedented attack on the Samara outpost, which suffered no casualties but left one rider severely wounded. Devera touches the left side of her neck, where Xaden’s relic mark is, subtly notifying Violet that he was the rider injured in the attack. Violet abandons class to fly to Samara.

At Samara, Violet finds Xaden unharmed and sparring with his friend Garrick, another recent graduate with a relic. Xaden reveals a recently healed scar down his arm that proves he was severely wounded. Violet admits she cares what happens to him and they become intimate, but Xaden refuses to have sex with Violet until she can say she loves him again. When she challenges him to make the first move, to risk his heart for her without hearing how she feels about him, Xaden gives in. Afterward, Xaden invites Violet with him to drop off the daggers with the gryphon fliers.

At the rendezvous point, Violet remains on Tairn’s back while Xaden meets with a drift of gryphon fliers. Two riders speak with Xaden, one of which is Syrena—a veteran who fought with them outside Athebyne during last year’s War Games—and the other Catriona, whose name Violet recognizes because of Bohdi. Xaden delivers 23 daggers to Syrena and warns them away from making any more attacks on Navarre’s border outposts if they wish to continue receiving weapons.

Violet questions Xaden about Cat, whom she has correctly identified as his ex-girlfriend. He assures Violet their relationship was over long before he met her. Violet then asks about Viscount Tecarus, whom Syrena and Cat mentioned at the rendezvous. He wants to witness Violet wield lightning in exchange for the luminary they need to complete a new forge capable of making alloy daggers, but he has a reputation for “collecting precious things and keeping them against their will” (264). Xaden is not willing to risk Violet.

Xaden gives Violet an alloy dagger for protection, which she sheathes at her shoulder. When Violet returns to Basgiath, Varrish is waiting near her dorm to search her bags. Rhiannon subtly helps Violet by teleporting the dagger into her room so that Varrish finds nothing incriminating. Professor Kaori interrupts the search to clear Violet from punishment for leaving campus without permission. After they depart, Rhiannon pulls Violet into her room, where Ridoc and Sawyer also wait. Rhiannon asks about the dagger as she returns it. Violet tells her it is to kill venin and decides it is finally time to tell them the truth.

Violet tells them about everything except for Aretia and Brennan. Afterward, they volunteer to help search the Archives for information on the wards. Violet has already read everything Jesinia could find on the First Six and the wards, but Ridoc suggests they look for the original journals of the First Six, which he learned about by reading one of Violet’s mother’s classified ledgers during the first-year Squad Battle when they broke into her office to steal a map. Ridoc claims they are hidden in a sublevel vault, but when asked, Jesinia knows nothing about it.

For the next several weeks, Xaden and Violet are unable to see one another. She suspects it is Varrish’s punishment for not following the rules. At Threshing, several first years on Violet’s squad bond dragons, including Aaric, Sloane, and Visia, a repeat cadet from last year. Just as Violet is scheduled to leave for watch duty, Rhiannon receives a letter from Jesinia asking to meet at the Archives. Realizing she is likely located in the sublevel vault, Ridoc offers to meet with Jesinia. When Violet arrives at the Academic tower to relieve Eya—another Athebyne survivor—from duty, they are attacked by four infantry soldiers who have been paid to execute the threat Aetos made at graduation. Eya is killed in the attack and Violet is pushed off the tower. As Violet clings perilously to the edge, the remaining two soldiers are killed.

The mystery savior is Jack Barlowe, who hauls Violet to safety. Violet is perplexed by his behavior, which contradicts their visceral hatred of each other in of first year. Ridoc returns after meeting with Jesinia. He reveals that while she knows where the wards are and how to get through them, they need someone from King Tauri’s bloodline to do it. Violet takes the opportunity to reveal Aaric’s true identity as the prince.

When Xaden and Violet finally get a weekend together at Basgiath, she tells him about revealing the truth to her friends and about their plan to break into the Archives for the journals of the First Six. Later that night, their group disguises themselves as scribes and meets Jesinia in the Archives. Rhiannon, Sawyer, Ridoc, and Bodhi stay behind as lookouts while Violet, Xaden, Aaric, and Imogen descend into the sublevel vault.

The group has 45 minutes to search the vault and return to the Archives before the wards either seal them inside or kill them. With minutes to spare, Aaric and Violet locate two journals, and the group races to exit the Archives before the doors close and the wards come up.

Everyone barely makes it through and disperses to cover their tracks. Meanwhile, Violet sends Xaden off to deliver one of the journals to Brennan. Unbeknownst to Violet, the Basgiath leadership was alerted the moment the wards in the sublevel vaults were breached. Nolon finds Violet with the intent to mend her shoulder but notices the cream-colored scribe patches she carries. He offers her lemonade laced with signet-blocking elixir and turns her in to Varrish.

Violet awakens strapped to a chair in an interrogation chamber with Nolon, Varrish, and Nora, a woman with a signet that detects lies. When Violet refuses to give incriminating answers, Varrish resorts to torture. After two days of brutal torture, Violet still has not spoken. She has begun seeing visions of Liam, who keeps her company in isolation and encourages her to remain strong during bouts of torture. Varrish reveals his signet, which enables him to see people’s weaknesses. For Violet, it is the people she loves.

After five days, Dain is summoned to help Varrish extract her memories for the safety of Navarre. Varrish appeals to Dain’s loyalty by accusing Violet of conspiring with the rebels to bring down the wards and destroy Navarre. Dain reads Violet’s memories, and she desperately shows him what she wants him to see. Dain attacks Varrish and helps free Violet just as Xaden arrives.

Violet convinces Xaden to spare Dain’s life to save hers. After Violet delivers the killing blow to Varrish, the group exits the interrogation chamber, where they run into Violet’s mother, General Lilith Sorrengail, who aids in her escape. Before she departs, General Sorrengail admits to keeping the truth hidden to protect her children. She describes how she put Violet in the Riders Quadrant so she would “have a shot at surviving” and tasked Xaden with keeping her alive (327).

With most leadership pulled to the border for recent attacks, Violet insists they seize the opportunity to reveal the truth to the students at Basgiath and let them choose whether to desert or stay. Reception varies amongst the students, but many choose to join the rebellion, including Professor Devera. Violet and Xaden return to Aretia with 200 dragons and 101 riders.