Ep. 16 Onyx Storm Deep Dive: Ch. 53-57 | Easter Eggs, Theories & Key Moments

Summary

Dear Fantasy Reader Podcast: Episode 16 Summary Onyx Storm Deep Dive: Chapters 53-57 | Easter Eggs, Theories & Key Moments
Release Date: June 17, 2025

---

Welcome to Episode 16 of the Dear Fantasy Reader podcast! In this deep dive, hosts Hannah, Kinsey, and Carly explore chapters 53 to 57 of Rebecca Yarros' enthralling fantasy novel, Onyx Storm. This episode is packed with insightful analysis, heartfelt reactions, intricate theories, and a thorough examination of Easter eggs and foreshadowing within these chapters. Whether you're a seasoned Empyrean series fan or new to the world of Onyx Storm, this summary captures all the essential discussions and highlights from the episode.

---

Chapter Recaps and Initial Reactions

Kinsey kicks off the episode with a detailed recap of the pivotal events in chapters 53 to 57. The hosts discuss the emotional turmoil surrounding the character Andarna's departure and its profound impact on Violet and the broader narrative.

Kinsey [03:10]: "The joy of Leethan's return is short-lived when he announces Andarna can come with him to learn about the Irids, but Violet isn't welcome after debating which dragon bonded to Violet first..."

Hannah and Carly share their immediate emotional responses to these developments, expressing heartbreak and betrayal over Andarna's actions. This segment sets the stage for a deeper analysis of character motivations and plot twists.

---

Emotional Analysis and Character Development

The hosts delve into the complex emotions experienced by the characters, particularly focusing on Violet's grief and the strained relationship dynamics introduced by Andarna's departure.

Hannah [05:07]: "Worst part of the book."

Carly echoes this sentiment, highlighting the heartbreaking moments that resonate deeply with fans.

Carly [05:21]: "It was the most heartbreaking, but it wasn't my least favorite. There's something about the way Taryn took care of her that every time I think about it, I start crying."

Kinsey emphasizes the sense of betrayal felt towards Andarna, adding layers to Violet's character development.

Kinsey [05:27]: "I sobbed way more over this. It was such a betrayal. We never thought it would be Andarna hurting Violet like that."

---

Theories and Speculations

A significant portion of the episode is dedicated to unraveling who bonded with Violet first. The trio passionately debates whether it was Andarna or Taryn, presenting compelling arguments and textual evidence to support their theories.

Kinsey [13:12]: "I will die on the hill. That and Darna bonded Violet first. I thought this before Onyx Storm came out. I thought this scene would be confirmation."

Hannah counters with nuanced interpretations of the text, considering the possibility of consent and the mechanics of dragon bonds.

Hannah [07:46]: "I had picked up on so many clues to understand why she did. We'll get to whether she did here in just a moment."

Carly introduces the idea that Taryn might possess unique qualities that distinguish him from other dragons, suggesting a hidden layer to his character.

Carly [18:05]: "I think it might explain why he's so powerful, why Violet can wield pure power through him. I don't think he's an Irid, but I think we're gonna find out that there is something special, different, unique about Taryn."

The hosts collectively agree that these bonding dynamics are crucial to the unfolding story, hinting at future revelations in the series.

---

Easter Eggs and Foreshadowing

Transitioning to Easter eggs, the hosts meticulously dissect subtle hints and foreshadowing elements within these chapters, enhancing the listening experience for avid fans.

Chapter 53 Highlights:

• Epigraph Analysis: The quote, "Asher returned today. God’s help us if anyone finds out. I’m not sure I’ll ever forgive him for what he’s done to her," is interpreted as referencing Asher's failed attempt to have Violet dedicated to Dune.

Kinsey [54:23]: "This is most likely referring to Asher's failed attempt to have Violet dedicated to Dune, and instead Violet returned home touched by the goddess and blessed with that silver hair."

Chapter 54 Highlights:

• Bonding Significance: "No rider has ever survived the loss of their dragon." This epigraph underscores the gravity of Violet's situation after losing her bond.

Kinsey [55:29]: "This epigraph could definitely provide some insight into Violet's state of mind. She survived the loss of her dragon, but we see from her grief in this chapter that she really didn't want to."

Chapter 55 Highlights:

• Teladium's Role: References to teladium as a crucial resource hint at its importance in upcoming conflicts and its potential role in the villains' plans.

Hannah [57:05]: "Both of these epigraphs mention teladium, which is used for the alloy in the daggers and is how they defend against the Venon. So if the Venin somehow destroy the teladium, it's game over."

Chapter 56 Highlights:

• Accelerated Time and Dreamwalking: Violet's ability to use her dreamwalking signet despite unbonding hints at unique magical properties tied to her character.

Kinsey [62:14]: "We always talk about how Rebecca doesn't like fated mates, but the Oracle literally knew Zayden and Violet would be in love, that he would be her heart and that he would turn. So that sounds like fate to me, because they didn't have a choice. So I'm just saying they're fated mates."

---

Favorite Moments and Hot/Not Lists

The hosts share their personal favorite and least favorite moments from these chapters, providing a glimpse into their emotional journey alongside the characters.

• Favorite Moments:

  • Hannah: Taryn and Violet sharing emotions, especially during moments of vulnerability.

    Hannah [50:37]: "Taryn leaves our bond wide open, giving me unfettered access to him in a way I've never had. That line literally stopped me. I put my Kindle down and was, like, choking back sobs."

  • Kinsey: Taryn's role as a steadfast father figure.

  • Carly: Brennan's unwavering trust in Violet, highlighting sibling bonds.

• Hot Picks:

  • Hannah: Taryn, due to his deep emotional connection with Violet.
  • Kinsey: Taryn, appreciating his compassionate nature.
  • Carly: Brennan, for his supportive relationship with Violet.

• Notable Dislikes:

  • Hannah & Kinsey: Mira, due to her antagonistic actions against Violet.
  • Carly: Only Mira made the cut, pointing out her betrayal.

---

Theories and Speculations Continued

In this segment, the trio engages in spirited discussions, presenting and refining their theories based on the chapters' events.

• Andarna's Departure:
  Kinsey's Theory: Andarna's weakened wings symbolize her innate nature to avoid bonding, suggesting a deeper conflict within her character.

  Kinsey [77:02]: "I think another reason that Andarna's wings didn't form correctly was because the innate nature of Irids are to never bond with riders."

• Rebellion Relics and Teladium: Carly theorizes that teladium's disruption could signal a larger impending conflict, possibly orchestrated by Venon forces.

  Carly [77:05]: "Melgren warns me not to fly into battle or will lose. Just a few days late with that warning. He believes the warning is late because he thinks it's a warning for the battle where Leathan showed up and fired the Wardstone..."

• Dreamwalking Signet Evolution: Hannah speculates on Violet's growing abilities and how they might influence future battles, especially regarding her interactions within others' dreams.

  Hannah [33:04]: "Violet will be able to do that too. They are not able to wake up unless someone wakes them up in real life, which we see Violet do with Satan."

---

Epigraph Analysis

The hosts provide a comprehensive analysis of the epigraphs accompanying chapters 53 to 57, uncovering hidden meanings and future plot points.

1. Chapter 53:
   “Asher returned today. God’s help us if anyone finds out. I’m not sure I’ll ever forgive him for what he’s done to her.”
   Interpretation: Likely refers to Asher's attempt to have Violet dedicated to Dune, which resulted in unexpected blessings instead.

2. Chapter 54:
   “No rider has ever survived the loss of their dragon. I can't imagine wanting to Colonel Kaori's Field Guide to Dragonkind of course this.”
   Interpretation: Highlights the perilous nature of losing a dragon bond, setting a somber tone for Violet's struggles.

3. Chapter 55:
   “As our largest province, Tyrandor provides the most conscripts for our forces. However, the strength of Navarre isn't only found in their soldiers, but also in the province's most valuable resource, teladium. Losing it would doom Navarre.”
   Interpretation: Emphasizes the strategic importance of teladium in the ongoing conflict against the Venon.

4. Chapter 56:
   “If Tyrandor does not immediately restore the flow of teladium, the consequences will be dire... This is an order from your king.”
   Interpretation: Foreshadows the Venon’s potential plan to disrupt teladium supplies, escalating the stakes.

5. Chapter 57:
   “But even harder than taking a life is doing nothing while one is extinguished beside you. Keep your eyes Forward, Mira.”
   Interpretation: Reflects the moral dilemmas faced by characters, emphasizing the theme of sacrifice and duty.

---

Easter Eggs and Foreshadowing Highlights

Kinsey and Carly bring attention to subtle hints and symbolic moments that Rebecca Yarros expertly weaves into the narrative.

• Andarna's Relic:
  The mention of Andarna's relic suggests her potential return, aligning with theories about her unbonding and future significance.

• Teladium as a Pivot Point:
  The emphasis on teladium underscores its critical role in the power dynamics and military strategies within the story.

• Violet's Dreamwalking Signet:
  Discussions about Violet retaining her signet despite unbonding hint at unique magical properties, setting up future plot developments.

• Correlations Between Characters' Losses:
  Parallels drawn between Violet losing her dragon and Zaden's descent into Venon hint at interconnected fates and shared destinies.

---

Final Thoughts and Anticipation for Next Episode

The episode concludes with the hosts expressing excitement for future developments, particularly how Violet’s burgeoning powers and the escalating conflict will unfold in subsequent chapters.

Hannah emphasizes the emotional depth of the characters and the high stakes involved, while Kinsey and Carly anticipate further revelations about the magical systems and character arcs.

Hannah [80:49]: "Next time, Dearest Fantasy Readers, prepare yourselves for the final battle as we continue our journey through the Empyrean series."

---

Support and Connect with Dear Fantasy Reader

If you enjoyed this episode, consider supporting the Dear Fantasy Reader podcast by subscribing on your preferred platform, leaving a review, or joining their Patreon for exclusive content, including ad-free episodes, video content, and behind-the-scenes discussions. Engage with the hosts on Instagram or join their free Discord chat to connect with fellow Romantasy enthusiasts.

---

Stay tuned for Episode 17, where Hannah, Kinsey, and Carly will continue their in-depth exploration of Onyx Storm, covering chapters 58 through 62. Prepare for exhilarating discussions, new theories, and more heartwarming fangirl moments!

---

*This summary is crafted to encapsulate the essence of Episode 16, ensuring both avid listeners and newcomers gain comprehensive insights into the podcast's exploration of Onyx Storm. Dive deeper into the Empyrean series with the Dear Fantasy Reader podcast every Thursday!

Transcript

[Kinsey]

Foreign.

[Hannah]

Dearest Fantasy Readers, welcome to the Dear Fantasy Reader Podcast, where we travel through the pages of our favorite Romantasy novels. I'm Hannah.

[Kinsey]

I'm Kinsey.

[Carly]

And I'm Carly.

[Hannah]

Join us as we take flight into the world of the Empyrean series, diving deep into Onyx Storm, breaking down characters, scenes, foreshadowing and lore, fangirling over shadow daddies, building theories as we go, and more.

[Carly]

With that content warning and spoiler alert, we will be covering anything and everything Empyrean series to this date and any content Rebecca Yarrows has given us. So if you haven't read 4th Wing, Iron Flame and Onyx Storm in its entirety, go do that and we'll be here waiting when you are done.

[Kinsey]

Also, due to the nature of these books, this podcast is rated R in content and language.

[Hannah]

As Rebecca Yarros says, readers who may be sensitive to these elements can please take note and prepare to face the storm. We have dragons to ride, jumping straight into our lightning round of current reads. I just finished Shield of Sparrows. I say just finished, but I've actually read three other books in the meantime since then. I read Below Zero, Under One Roof and Two Can Play by Ali Hazelwood, which were like the perfect little snack novellas, Highly recommend. And started the Night in the Moth by Rachel Gillig, which I'm actually super excited. I actually restarted the book and I'm so glad I did.

[Kinsey]

Nice. I also read the Night and the Moth by Rachel Gillig.

[Hannah]

Did you finish it?

[Kinsey]

I finished it, yep. And I finally finished the Inadequate Heir by Daniel L. Jensen. I've been listening to that audiobook forever and I reread Assistant to the Villain and Apprentice to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Meyer.

[Carly]

I just finished Daydream by Hannah Grace, which was part of the Maple Hills series and it was my favorite one in the series, so I'm so glad I read it. And I am currently reading Lore of the Wilds by Annaleigh Sobrana.

[Hannah]

Ooh.

[Carly]

This week's Star of Navarre Award for a review that made our heart soar goes to Raising three Saints who wrote I've learned that I read for the vibe. I've read 4th Wing at least four times and I still didn't catch everything. I started listening to the Onyx Storm recaps, but I've gone back to episode one and and I'm listening to everything. I'm in awe of you ladies. My mind has exploded so many times trying to follow along. Acotar got me back into reading, but Fourth Wing lit the fire for my obsession of romantasy. Thank you all for all the summaries, Easter eggs, theories, all of it. Also, I need to start reading the books, not just listening to audio. Thank you so much raisy3 saints. Your feedback and support mean so much to us. If you are also enjoying the show, please consider leaving us a review. It's a small thing that makes a big difference.

[Kinsey]

Thank you.

[Hannah]

As a reminder before we dive in, if you would like to jump around to any section of any of our episodes, you can find the timestamps for each down in our show. Notes first objective breaking into the Archives vault for a summary report of chapters 5357 with our squad mate Kinsey.

[Kinsey]

The joy of Leethan's return is short lived when he announces Andarna can come with him to learn about the Irids, but Violet isn't welcome after after debating which dragon bonded to Violet first, Laithan declares that Andarna must break her bond with Violet, and just like that, Andarna's gone, along with any shred of happiness we readers were clinging to. Violet suffers, Violet suffers through the loss of her dragon, and Mera's arrival is what finally gets her out of her four day stupor. While Zaden helps Violet bathe, Meera and Brennan argue about their father taking Violet to be dedicated. Mara reveals that the priestess refused to complete her dedication, predicting that Violet's heart would turn for love, and assumes this means Violet herself would turn. Zaden outs himself, explaining that his heart beats for Violet so it must be about him. Meera is pissed, but agrees to not tell anyone about Zaden. Needing a distraction, Violet goes from bedbound to burnout and trains with a vengeance. She isn't the only one, because Zaden continues preparing for his demise by training Bode as his very unwilling replacement. Zaden tells Violet that the Oracian priestess of Dune owes them a favor and gratitude for saving the temple, and that General Melgryn sent him a warning letter that they'll lose their next battle. Violet has another dream, but this time she realizes that she's actually inside Zaden's, which shouldn't be possible without Andarna. Berwyn taunts them both, acknowledging Violet directly as a dreamwalker. Violet wakes them up just before Garak pounds on their door to explain that Theophany ambushed him while on patrol. She has taken Meera captive and demanded that Violet and Zaden's brother come to her within five hours or Meera dies. Brennan assigns different objectives to the writers, insisting they must each trust each other and Stick to their assigned tasks. They he tells Violet that she can't be everything to everyone, that she must pick one, and she chooses to save Mira and kill. Theophany.

[Hannah]

Grab your leathers, quest squad. As we are officially consenting to abandonment trauma.

[Carly]

Yay.

[Hannah]

Diving right into our analysis and discussion.

[Kinsey]

Section to start things off, we obviously need to discuss and Darna leaving. My personal goal for this episode is to not cry. So who wants to go first?

[Hannah]

Worst part of the book.

[Kinsey]

Yeah. Of the series, I would argue that was my least, least favorite part of the entire series.

[Carly]

It was the most heartbreaking, but it wasn't my least favorite. There's something about the way Taryn took care of her that every time I think about it, I start crying. So I'm not gonna cry. But it was definitely the most heartbreaking of the series for me. It's up there with, like, Liam. Like, that just. That was really hard. Yeah.

[Kinsey]

I sobbed way more over this. I just, like, it was such a betrayal. We never thought it would be in Darna hurting Violet like that. And it happened.

[Hannah]

First read experience. I had two very, very strong opinions of it. One was that it felt very out of character to me for Andarna, and I was very upset about it. And then also denial, which go hand in hand. Right. I was just like, this doesn't make sense. Annotating this time. I was like, you know what? I picked up on so many clues to understand why she did. We'll get to whether she did here in just a moment. But I think that it was hard for me to see that she is still an adolescent to an extent, and longed so deeply for this idealized, romanticized version of her family. And you could see her kind of rebel against Violet and Taryn and Sigail, this whole book up into this point to kind of, like, foreshadow why it actually was in character for her. But I still don't like it.

[Carly]

I think it helped give us a deeper understanding of the trauma and Darna went through of being abandoned by her family. Like, I don't think we had enough of appreciation for that until she was so desperate to understand her family.

[Hannah]

Well, and I think up until this point, not. I think I have plenty of evidence to back up that I was totally convinced that Andarna was, like, a consenting participant and very much so was aware of this prophecy that she had been told of by her family and explained to her and, like, why she waited. And so I think I still had a. A bit of that perspective going into this book. And Now I'm like, wait, no. Like she really can't remember anything. Like she didn't know that she was the criterion. And that lack of consent and just like being in the loop.

[Carly]

Yeah. Like she has no context for why she was left.

[Hannah]

I can understand it a lot more. It still hit like, I think each one of us, Carly, you did it, but I know that you still experience. We crash out on voice memos to each other. Kinsey was first and I was like, oh, she's being so dramatic. And then I literally was like sobbing, messaging you guys mostly on this round. It got Taryn got me the worst. I mean, he got me the worst time. But like, I'll get to that later. But yeah, straight up. Not having a good time through this set of chapters.

[Kinsey]

No.

[Carly]

Speaking of Andarna unbonding, do we think Andarna decided to leave or did Leathan actually make that choice for her?

[Hannah]

I am absolutely convinced that he made that choice before she had even decided whether or not she was going to unbond.

[Carly]

Which.

[Hannah]

Just speaking about that like consent thing, this is even more impactful. But specifically. Well, there's a lot of things there that are like the way this section is described. So Andarna is responding to Leathan and she says, I do not know how, and she cuts herself off and then they unbond. And so that to me implies that she was not the one who did it. If she is actively saying that she doesn't know how. And then all of a sudden it happen. It was like she just didn't expect it. Not only that, but then she like looked over at Leathan like he was the one that did it, roars at him and then looks at Violet like she's shocked and confused and is trying to say something to Violet. So like there is not a single context clue there that would imply to me that Indarna actually unbonded. Which is why I was so in denial. I mean, like part of me still wonders if they even ever actually unbonded. And it wasn't just like something Leathan did, but I don't think I'm like on that train anymore. I've got like a pinky toe on it, but I just am not convinced for that. To me, I get that irides have a different magic and that they can bend it, but it's wild to me if he was the one that did it, that that wouldn't change something about how it was broken or their bond that it was not done by Indarna herself.

[Kinsey]

I fully agree. I Got the same vibes. Cause like, Taryn and Sigale were cut off before Violet was cut off. So she didn't get to say goodbye to them. She didn't get to say goodbye to Violet. I think even if Indarna did choose to break her bond, she still would have at least wanted to say goodbye and explain herself. And Violet was like, she really wants to go. She realized she wants to see her family, but it just was so abrupt. I definitely think that Lean was like, time to go. We're getting out of here.

[Carly]

But I agree. I don't think that she was ready to go quite in that second and that she wanted a little more time. And he just like jumped the gun and made that choice for her in that moment. I don't love that I still think she wanted to go. I just think she wasn't expecting it to happen right that second. And that makes me sad for her because I just keep wondering what she wanted to communicate to Violet right there at the end. It makes me sad.

[Hannah]

I would hope that it was an apology. And like her, I know that we got the context clue in there that this wasn't forever. Right. He says that she can come back in a few years and choose to rebond if she wants to, which I'm convinced she did. I know that's kind of up for interpretation, but I already don't trust Len. His all high and mighty. Him and the other Irids, their perspective on how things should be handled. This doesn't feel like a responsible way to mentor, to just bulldoze straight through a really traumatic decision for both of them. Like, we get to see the effects that it has on Violet. I can't even imagine. We don't even know how far they were even able to make it as far as to the aisles after this. What that experience was like for Indarna. Like, did she have to sleep to be able to process this? Like, she can't fly very far anyway for like a long length of time. So we don't get to see that on page. But all of it is just like trauma. It's just. He just dished out a bunch of trauma for what to make a point.

[Kinsey]

And they weren't in any danger. Like, the wards just went up, the Venin had left, the Wyvern were gone. It didn't need to be that immediate. But yeah, I just don't get it.

[Carly]

I think it's clear that the Irads either don't understand or don't have any respect for those bonds. And he didn't really have any care or empathy for, like, how traumatizing it was gonna be for either of them. Like, he just didn't care or understand. Like it's one of the two.

[Hannah]

And I wanna be clear that if and Darna had not come back at the end of this book, this entire conversation, this whole episode so far, would be a different conversation. I would be livid.

[Carly]

Or still sobbing. You just would have never stopped sobbing. All right, now that we all manage to not cry, let's talk about who we actually think bonded Violet first. I know Kenzie's got some strong feelings.

[Hannah]

On this matter for us all.

[Kinsey]

Yes, I will die on the hill. That and Darna bonded Violet first. I thought this before Onyx Storm came out. I thought this scene would be confirmation. I'm still in denial. And I still firmly, firmly believe that she bonded first. So Andarna isn't one to give Violet answers. She wants Violet to figure it out herself. When Len asked who spoke to her first, and Violet speaking for the very first time, this entire conversation said tern. And Andarna just blinks in response. I think Andarna was trying to communicate with Violet here, but needed Violet to figure it out. Then Len went, see? And Andarna tried to interject with but Violet, and then was cut off. There's a moment in chapter 10 of fourth wing that's italicized and says, but you've already made it this far. Then Violet thinks, ah, there she is, the little voice that's been riding my shoulder lately, daring to give me hope that I might actually survive presentation. I think this was Andarna speaking to Violet, not Violet's inner voice. Sure, there wasn't the signature whistle sound that people hear before an Eard speaks to them, but. But maybe it's because Andarna already chose Violet when she decided to hatch just in time to bond the girl with the heart of a writer and a mind of a scribe. And Darna literally said that she knew Violet would be hers. Also, in chapter 52 of Onyx Storm, Violet says, quote, I don't need you to be anything but who you are. You always say that you chose me, but I stood in front of you on that threshing field, and I would do it again. If just standing on the threshing field was Violet choosing Andara, and that was a reciprocated choice, then there's no way in hell Andarna didn't choose Violet first by sitting there calmly waiting for the attack. In reference to what happened at Threshing Andarna said, quote, maybe I was saving you. So to me, this is clearly all just a sneaky plan to have Violet bond to two dragons. And Andarna was the mastermind behind the entire situation. Then in chapter 10 and 11 of Onyx Storm, when Theophany asked Violet who bonded her first, the one that gifted you the power of the sky or the Irid, the first words out of Violet's mouth was the Irid. Then they just moved on. Violet may have been asking a question here, but I think she actually gave the answer. Rebecca wouldn't have both Theophany and Leathan ask Violet if Andarna bonded first if it wasn't important. And I'm telling you, Andarna bonded first.

[Hannah]

You blew my mind back in season two of our Onyx Storm prep when you brought up your theory about her speaking to her back and forth wing. And I was like, no way. That would be the cool first of all. The coolest twist ever.

[Kinsey]

Right?

[Hannah]

And both of these scenes when I read an Onyx Storm, I was like, oh my God, we are going to get confirmation. And you're right. I just don't see why it would matter so much if And Darna wasn't the one who bonded. Like, why bring it up at all? I don't know. I just.

[Kinsey]

Exactly. Why would that even be a question?

[Carly]

Back in Iron Flame, allegedly, like, Koda is the only one that really knows that and Darna is not what she appears. Right. Because she's not a black dragon. And he would have known. And so when he knows that she's not, he's like, oh, she's this secret seventh breed.

[Hannah]

Yeah, well, and whoever else is an Elder and in the Empyrean, they would have to know because she was given beautiful Dun.

[Carly]

And so I'm like, okay, did the dragons know before this that you could not bond? Like, is it the fact that there was two dragons bonded to this person sign enough for them to know something was weird was going on?

[Hannah]

Yeah.

[Carly]

Or like, did they not realize until that point? Because Leo and is saying like, this is a rule, like two drag like there. What he is explaining here is like two dragons can't. Like two regular dragons can't. So I'm just like wondering, was that the first sign that like, there's something very different about the Irides? Do they even know they could do that?

[Kinsey]

Yeah, it should have been pretty obvious to the entire Empyrean if that's like not feasibly possible that like. Yeah, because she manipulated a bond by making sure. That Violet could bond two people, and that's an Arid magic.

[Hannah]

You know, there's still some things about this, even though I do fully think that she did bond first, that just leave me with extra questions. And there's a quote that Leathan says that very much so does that. He says humans should only be capable of bonding a single dragon. So what you were just saying. And yet you forged a second connection where there shouldn't be one. Only an Irid could do that. So that's what you guys are saying. But how do we explain this if and Darna did bond first, how could Taryn do that if the dragons aren't supposed to be able to do that unless they're an aid?

[Carly]

I mean, for me, that's the million dollar question, because I am on team and Darna bonded first. Kinsey has to be 100% convinced. And I think that that indicates that there is something special or different about Taryn.

[Hannah]

Like he's not just a regular dragon.

[Carly]

Yeah. I think it might explain why he's so powerful, why Violet can wield pure power through him. I mean, I don't think he's an arid, but I think we're gonna find out that there is something special, different, unique about Taryn and that he did fond her second.

[Hannah]

I don't know who started this theory, and so I'd have to find it, but there are a lot of people circulating a theory that Taryn is actually Thrax is, how you say his name, which is like the last Thoreau, the last dragon in his line that he mentions. And he says, you know, Violet says something along the lines of, I guess after they bonded humans, his lineage didn't, like, he didn't care to say their names, but they were saying, like, maybe either he was that dragon or that was his direct parent. And so I've been wondering how that could make sense unless just all dragons can live way longer than they tell people they can. But if something's very special about Taryn specifically, that could go hand in hand with that theory.

[Kinsey]

There definitely have been inconsistencies with Taryn's age and what he claims he is.

[Hannah]

And a lot of jokes made about it. I know we've talked about that before and how Rebecca calls him an old man. And I've been like, kind of like, oh, she's just playing into that. But, like, maybe she's actually being literal.

[Kinsey]

Yeah. Now, since we all seem to be on the Andarna bonded first train, what do we think this could mean to have an Irid bond first. Like, what's the significance? Why do theophany and lething care so much?

[Hannah]

I don't know that I have an answer for you. I haven't figured that out because, like, I am fully convinced that she did bond first.

[Kinsey]

Mm. Like, I'm like, does this mean there's, like, extra special magic? Like, is that why Andarna came back? Like, at the end of Onyx Storm, she didn't really go very far because it turned out she was first bond.

[Hannah]

Leathan is implying that because she bonded second, she could unbond. Or is he implying, which I think it actually is this, that, hey, you've already bent magic to bond her to begin with, so he was just using that as an example to show her that she could do it. Which, again, is like, just tell us she can bend magic without bringing up who bonded first. So I'm inclined to be like, technically, that could mean they never unbonded, but I really am. I'm gonna keep mentioning this, so I'll just clarify why I thought that at the beginning was like, oh, well, Len cut Taryn off from Violet being able to communicate with him, so maybe he just cut and Darna off from the feelings of all of this. Again, I'm not convinced now, but. Because when Taryn's cut off, Violet can still feel his presence there. She just can't communicate. There's still a wal. But when Andarna is cut off, she's described as being gone. Like, it's a void. So, like, ugh. I don't think it's that, but I don't know what else could matter.

[Carly]

I mean, I think the significance would have to be that if Andarna did bond first, and that means Taryn bonded second. I think the significance is about Taryn, actually, and that maybe there is too much focus on Andarna. Because let's remember, Andarna was not an original part of this script. When she first imagined fourth wing, it was Taryn, only not in Darna. Her editor convinced her to add in Andarna. And I'm wondering if that means that this whole time she's setting up this twist about Taryn, because there was always going to be a twist about Taryn.

[Kinsey]

Well, now I'm nervous.

[Hannah]

I really like that idea.

[Carly]

I like the idea that they're both special in their own way.

[Kinsey]

Everybody's special.

[Carly]

Yeah. Taryn's too cool to not have, like, something interesting or significant about him. That's different. I feel like.

[Hannah]

Well, and I do feel like he kind of had to Take the back burner in this whole book. And I'd like to see him not be second to Endora being an Irid.

[Carly]

Yeah, agreed.

[Kinsey]

He's already cool because he chose to stay, so.

[Carly]

That's true.

[Hannah]

That was a dig. Okay, next topic. Of course, we have to talk about the Oracle. Gonna give you some context. First, Mira says that, quote, the priestess started the process, then told mom and dad that they only accepted children whose futures are certain. And Violet still had paths to choose from. And one of those paths, they refused to take her. And while Mira is saying all of this, Violet, in her mind, recalls the priestess of Dune asking her, tell me, did you choose this path yourself? And we've spoken on the Pod quite a bit about these paths. We get multiple references to what paths could be, one of which they go on to say is that her heart turns venom. But there's an interesting distinction here that kind of, like, maybe it's not an epiphany to other people, but it was to me that Violet didn't choose this path. Zaden did. And I know that, right? I know he is the one that turned Venon. But this line that. Where the priestess said that, did you choose this path yourself? And Violet herself thinks back to choosing the riders quadrant, and she's like, yeah, like I actually did. But Zayden chose this path. Violet did not have a say in this.

[Carly]

It's maybe like that she chose who she would love, and that was the path that she chose by choosing Zayden in the first place. That was choosing her path.

[Hannah]

That makes me think about the letter that her dad left her about Dane, which prompted a really cool juxtaposition with Zaden. Is that the proper use of that word?

[Carly]

I think so. Well, yeah, because her dad warned her to only be with Dane if he was a scribe, not if he was a writer. And Jack tells us that writers can, like, naturally sense the power. So maybe he assumed that if Dain became a Rider, he would become Venon and put Violet on this more dangerous path. And so that's why he was warning her away from Dain, not realizing that it was never Dain that was that path, but he just assumed that because that's who she was kind of in love with when he died.

[Hannah]

Okay, so two things. One, that would imply that her dad did understand the Oracle correctly and didn't misinterpret it like Meera and her grandmother did, that he read between the lines and knew that it could be who Violet fell in love with and not that she, in her Heart would turn. That's really interesting, actually. Two, it could explain why he was so adamant about her not becoming a writer. Because, like, forced proximity. Three, I always interpreted that letter and that part about Dane to be more of, like, clues about his dad and how awful his dad was and how Papa Sorrengale would have known how awful. General Atos. Well, he's general now. Is. And could that imply that her dad actually suspected Atos? Father Atos was Father Atos. I didn't want to say daddy. That sounds weird. Dane's Father Atos. That sounds fucking weird, too. What is his name? That he was a Venin or suspected. But I guess it doesn't have to be about him at all. It literally could just be like, we see you falling in love with him eventually, and it could be that he turns. But you know what? I think it'd actually be opposite. I'm spiraling. You're seeing me do. Could be opposite because, like, I guess if Dain made the active decision to stay in the scribes or to choose the scribes, then maybe that meant that he wasn't after power. But if you try and enter the writer's quadrant because you want power and then you fail, then you're definitely a candidate for Venon.

[Carly]

You know, I just think it's interesting that Asher would trust Markham so much more than the leadership in the writers quadrant. And so I find that odd because I trust him maybe the least of everybody.

[Kinsey]

That's true.

[Carly]

So I think it's weird. But I also think it's interesting that the dad is making an assumption that this is romantic love. Like, that's also the assumption that's being made here. Cause, like, what if it's one of her siblings that's trying to protect her and take care of her and they love her? Like, it's familial love and it's one of them. I just think the dad, I think, made a lot of assumptions here. But I would find it interesting if this is, like, the confirmation that it really was.

[Hannah]

I think this speaks to your point that you've made off air, which is that we don't get the exact wording. We just get Mira's regurgitation of hearsay from her grandmother.

[Carly]

She said something like this or this.

[Hannah]

Something like her heart or the one who holds her heart or whatever. Asher would have the exact wording. And so maybe it was more direct that it was her spouse or, you.

[Kinsey]

Know, so even those missing pages from Lilith's journal probably don't have the exact wording. Because Lilith wasn't with Asher. At least I think that's what we assume. I think Asher went by himself.

[Hannah]

Well, not to get too off, but are they missing pages? As in she didn't ever write them intentionally, which is the vibe I got. Or were they ripped out? So I don't think we get clarification on that. So maybe she didn't even write it to begin with.

[Kinsey]

Yeah, I don't think we know.

[Carly]

We don't. And Jessinia makes that clarification when she's talking about another journal in the beginning of the book where she's saying, like, there's pages missing. And someone asks her about it, and she's like, I can't interpret what's been ripped out. And so she uses missing to mean ripped out. And she only clarifies further when somebody asks her about it. We only know that it means ripped out because she clarified further. But to her, missing meant ripped out.

[Hannah]

Yeah. I want to say that Mira says something about her intentionally not writing in that time.

[Carly]

Yeah.

[Hannah]

Or maybe Violet makes that connection. It's in that same scene.

[Carly]

Maybe there's a missing journal.

[Hannah]

I mean, I love Kinsey's theory that Mira is reading things and hiding it from Violet.

[Carly]

Well, it's interesting that you say that, because in that moment, like, Meera is telling Brennan this, and Violet goes, wait, I've read that journal. Like, almost like a crush.

[Hannah]

Why did I not pick that up?

[Carly]

Yeah, like, she's confused by what's being said because she's read it. But then we never get any more clarification, and I give her a pass because that was when she was grieving and Darna. And you get a pass.

[Hannah]

Well, I actually want to say that that's the exact moment where she connects that there were missing pages, but not. I really don't think it was said as if the pages themselves were missing so much as she just noticed a time jump in the journals, and she was like, wait, I've read that. That's how she made the connection, that there was a time jump. And she's like, oh, that makes sense. It explains why she wouldn't have written it. At this point, I kind of want to just, like, look it up really quick.

[Kinsey]

It was a gap. Like, it was a few months worth of time was missing. Which is interesting because none of the journals have dates that we have seen.

[Carly]

And I think we get into this pretty in depth.

[Hannah]

In the epigraph section, Mira says the months are missing in the middle of the book, and they're from the summer mom and dad left us with Grandma Nira. Mom purposefully didn't write anything. So that is what implies it wasn't ripped out. She just didn't write it. Just it time jumped. And then that's when Violet says, wait, I've read that journal too. And then, yeah, you're right. You just don't get her response to it.

[Carly]

I just found interesting where she's like acting like this is new information to her.

[Hannah]

Yeah, you're right. She doesn't even follow it up with anything. That's so like Violet.

[Carly]

It is. I will say, it's like the one area where I'm like, okay, you get a pass. Like your dragon just left you and you're not doing so hot. So, yeah, most of the time I get frustrated by it, but here I'm like, you get a pass, girl.

[Kinsey]

She gets a pass this time.

[Hannah]

Yeah, they do jump into a straight back into conversation where they start revealing this stuff about the Oracle right then. So also, she didn't really have a chance to go further with that.

[D]

Yeah, drivers who switch and save with progressive could save hundreds. With that kind of money, you could go big time on a fancy water bottle with ultra titanium alloy metal. You're not sure why you need all that. I mean, it just holds water, but you're getting it anyway. Because if you're hiking near an active volcano and you accidentally drop the bottle into molten lava, your water will still be icy cold. Switch to progressive and you could save big time for water bottles. Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and affiliates not available in all states. Potential savings will vary.

[Hannah]

So we talked quite a lot last episode about who the dreamwalker could be, that somehow Zaden was getting the name Dreamwalker from if it wasn't Berwyn. And this is just me doubling down that everything in this new dream screams that it has to be him. And it wouldn't make sense if he was not this dreamwalker. And also, this is the first time that Berwyn shows that he knows that Violet is a dreamwalker as well. He calls her one and that she is in the dream, which he could have known sooner, but he's very direct about it at this point. And that he is keeping Zaden in his dream. Like he's not just controlling his dream itself. Like he is keeping him there until he feels pain. Which is really interesting context for us to consider as far as when we think about what Violet is going to be able to do when she starts dreamwalking into people's dreams. Also, I want to talk about these vague References that he keeps making, including the she and her, that seem to change as he's talking. First, he says, you lost something I wanted. How vague. Second, it's simple dreamwalker. You come or she dies. And Violet thinks, she who? So in the first quote, Violet, I feel like he's referring to Andarna. But I think that when Berwyn is talking to Zayden about a her that he wants to come to him. It's Violet. Which we also get confirmation of in the last dream from Zaden after he wakes up. But when Berwyn is speaking directly to Violet in this dream, he is threatening that if Violet doesn't come to him, that he will kill Meera. I'm not gonna tell you how long it took me to just make sure I understood exactly who she and her was that was being referenced in this dream.

[Carly]

It really does bounce around a lot. And when I read it, I like kind of pulled them into different sections of when he was like talking to Violet and when he's talking to Zayden and like, how is it switching back and forth? Because I was wondering if when he is talking to Zaden and he's like, you will bring her to me. It's likely Violet, but I actually also think it's possible that he means Sigail. Because we're not in there for this whole conversation. Because I had theorized that Sigail's previous rider is out there in Venin and it's either Berwyn or it's the higher up person in the Venin that they're all trying to impress. Whoever the boss man is, I think it's one or the other. And if it is and he wanted to bring Sige, I'm wondering if there is some anger towards Sigale for like when they turned and the way she treated them versus the way that she's treating Zaden. Like, because maybe she broke the bond or abandoned them. Because like Zayden at the end's like, oh, are you going to forsake me now? And I wonder if that's what happened with her previous rider. And so I'm wondering if this is them trying to get revenge on Sigale forsaking him, unlike with Zaden. Or if they are trying to prove to Sigeil that anyone would turn under enough duress and that she was wrong for abandoning him.

[Hannah]

Do you think it's personal?

[Carly]

I think it's personal. I think it's real personal.

[Kinsey]

They also have that dragon killing dagger now. So like at one point I also Interpreted what? If he's referring to Sigale, I'll let her live. Like he's saying he'll let Sigeil live versus killing him. Because, I mean, Jack killed his own dragon. We don't know what their rituals are. If that's something that they regularly do to a rider turned Venon, if they kill their dragon. So it could be Andarna, it could be Sigail, it could be Mira, it could be Violet. Who else do we know?

[Carly]

Well, I just think it's interesting at the end because Sigale is like. Even when they're threatening to kill her and he goes to channel and she's telling him, don't. Don't do it. And what's the other option? Die. Both of you just die. And so I'm wondering if it's because she knew they were trying to make a point and they weren't really going to kill her and that he was going to. And it wasn't even like they really weren't gonna kill her at that point. Because she realizes that her previous rider wants her for something more.

[Kinsey]

And Zaden wouldn't have died, but Taryn and Violet would have. So even Zaden wouldn't want that.

[Carly]

Yeah, well, and I don't think Sigil would want it either. And so I don't think she wants Taryn to die. And so he didn't need to channel that moment. She was like, don't do it. And I'm like, what is the other option?

[Hannah]

Well, part. The way I interpret that part was that it's safer for all of them. Like, they're all fucked if he turns fully anyway, basically. So it's like, I love you. I don't want you to die. But if you're gonna turn instead, you're gonna throw off the balance of magic. There's gonna be no hope left if you are now fully venin.

[Carly]

Yeah.

[Hannah]

She couldn't have predicted that he was gonna hold on to a sliver of his soul at this point. She knows he's a lost cause if he turns. And he just did it in that moment.

[Carly]

That's true. But I just wonder if she knew they weren't really gonna kill her.

[Hannah]

Yeah, well, the thing that that makes me think of is that Berwyn seems to have something against dragons. Not just for them being like enemies so much as Theophany says, I'll let you keep your dragons, unlike Berwyn. So it's like, he definitely has. Even if the dragon is like, bayed and under the Venon's Control. He. He's like, absolutely not. So there does seem to be some backstory there that we're missing and maybe.

[Carly]

Could be this, because we see how much disdain Jack has for the dragons based on what he's being told by his mentor. And so it's like, why is there this?

[Hannah]

Well, and also, it makes sense now why Jack did kill his dragon, even though he was controlling him, because Berwyn is his sage and told him he had to do it. Like, I just. I don't know why I just now, in real time, put that together. I just didn't think about that before.

[Carly]

That would make sense of why he did it. Because I'm just like, that could have been your ticket out of there. Like, you could have flown away. Like, why would you.

[Kinsey]

Yeah.

[Carly]

But I've also wondered, though, in that moment, though, if he had to do that, like, if that was part of destroying the wards was like, maybe the flame could only be extinguished by dragon blood or something like that. Because, like, we never actually really understood how. Like, because the way he did it. And I'm, like, wondering, maybe you had to do it that way. Maybe that's the only way to do it. So. But I also want to know why Berwin is pushing them in this dream to go to Theophany to get Mira. He is, like, letting them know, like, you're gonna have to go get her back, basically. And they are supposed to be rivals. And I find it so weird that he's pushing them towards Theophany instead of himself. It makes me wonder if Berwyn has, like, a second signet and it's precognition, and he knew that these dominoes would fall in this way, and it would all end with Zaden turning with him at the end.

[Kinsey]

I mean, I get that they're rivals, but the way I thought of it was they just needed to have some way of getting them there. And they're probably not the highest ranking Venon. So they're on a team, even though they don't like each other. And they're both just commanded, like, by any means necessary, make sure you get them there. So Berwyn had his dream. Theophany had kidnapped Meera. Because at this point, neither Violet or Zaden know that Mira has been taken. They just know that. They say, you're gonna come to me. So it could be he's gonna scare him psychologically, and then Theophany is gonna actually do the kidnapping and then get them physically there. But because of the dream, they know, like, where to go. I Don't know.

[Carly]

That could definitely be a possibility. I just find it interesting. Cause I'm like, Berwyn could have shown up too. Like, they both could have been there. He could have tried to like, kidnap Xaden or something if he wanted to. He knew right where they were going to be, but he just like, left them there with Theophany.

[Kinsey]

But he did summon Zaden's shadows because when Zaden was fighting against Theophany, his shadows started to turn south.

[Carly]

Yeah, I have thought about that. It is interesting how that happens. But like, I don't know, Zaden almost seems confused that it's happening when it happens. Like, they seem surprised. I've wondered if they have the ability to do that, or if it's just because the shadows move because he was directing them at Theophany. And maybe he really just can't hurt.

[Hannah]

The upper level Venon the way it's described. Yeah, I just recently read those. It happens multiple times. And both he and Violet seem very confused by it. And it's when he tries to go after Theophany and he can't. And I have a theory that contradicts. So I'll say that for next episode. But what I wanted to say was it makes me wonder when Theophany was able to capture Mira, because it seemed like it just happened to Garak. And Garak can distance wield. So how fast, from the moment that Mira was captured, did Garak arrive and wake them up? Because it was still minutes after they woke up from this dream. And Berwyn, is he in the dream somehow after they captured Mira and then had this whole interaction? Is dreaming the same length of time as real world interaction? It just begs a lot of questions about how his signet works. And also if that was the case because he might not have needed Precog or has a son of his that has Precog to your theory. But it also could just be that Mira was captured before they went into the dream and said he said all of this and wasn't predicting it so much as this was just a part of their process of working together. They clearly take orders from a higher him, this mysterious him. So if that him is telling them to orchestrate this, they're just gonna do it together. And it might not be up to Berwyn. It might be this. Hire him.

[Carly]

Yeah. I just think it's interesting that Berwin seems to know that it's going to work out in his favor. And it makes me think that somebody on that side has precognition and that he knew he was going to get what he wanted.

[Hannah]

Yeah. I've got some thoughts on that for next episode, too.

[Kinsey]

For the quote when he says, you lost something I wanted, do we think that that was him talking to Zayden or Violet?

[Hannah]

I think in that moment, he was talking directly to Zayden, but I think it was about Interna. Whoever. Whoever they were talking about.

[Kinsey]

I thought about Andarna, but then I was like, if it's directed to Zaden. The only other thing that I can think that he lost was the emerald jewel from his dagger when he made the ring.

[Carly]

But I wonder how they would even know that or realize that. And it's not lost. He still has it, like, technically. But yeah, I did wonder about that, though. I was like, I wonder if he means Zandarna, because he is talking to Zaden, and I'm like, I wonder if there's something else that's been lost that we just don't realize.

[Hannah]

That's also a possibility.

[Carly]

Yeah.

[Hannah]

Theophany makes it clear that Violet was wanted not just for her lightning, but because she had an Irid in the next set. And it didn't seem like it just for her. It seemed like that. Again, that mysterious hymn over top. But we'll talk about that next episode.

[Carly]

Cool. Yeah. The other thing that's notable during this scene is that Violet is still able to use her dreamwalking signet after Andarna has unbonded her. And Dane says, maybe the power's gone, but the ability still remains. So they keep their signets even if they unbond. And I'm wondering if it's like, even if they survive their death.

[Kinsey]

I mean, I think this adds to your theory that you have, Carly, about Violet keeping Andarna's feathertail gift of time. So once a rider is given a power, I think that they keep it regardless of whether it's a feathertail gift. Their dragon unbonds them, their dragon dies. If the writer's still alive, I think they're able to keep it. We know they're a Venin out there with signets. We haven't seen Jack Wheeled after Bade died, but I definitely think that it's possible for him to continue wielding as long as he has a source of magic that he can use.

[Carly]

Well, then I think it's incredibly ominous that we don't know what his signet is yet.

[Hannah]

Still, I don't think we can make inferences based off of Violet's experience with it. For one, she's got an Irid, right? So, like, it could be an irid specific thing that she can keep it, whatever. So it would take us seeing Jack still use it after Bade, but we don't even know what he has. And then it begs the questions of, okay, did Venon get a specific Venon signet, but based off of Zaden? We don't think so. But who the fuck knows? Because he has so many secrets. I'm not inclined to think that, but, you know, just for the sake of saying it, part of me does. This was kind of part of why I was in denial about Violet and Darna actually fully unbonding, because maybe it is an irid specific thing, but if there's not really been another rider who has bonded two dragons, which we don't think that there has been. We don't know. We don't think that there has been. And what they're saying, Len is saying, is that Indarna is the only one as an Irid who would be able to unbond to bend the bonds. We're really not gonna see it again. And so, like, what are the circumstances outside of Bade and then turning venom, that you would see a rider survive this? You technically wouldn't. I still stand by. I think that if Rebecca does kill one of Andarna or Taryn, that she's gonna find a way for Violet to still have her signet. I don't know so much about the dreamwalking, but we're so late in the series in getting this gift, it would be really terrible for her next book to just take it away. As far as perception of that, I don't think it would be received very well. But with Tearne, it's like, I just can't see Taryn dying and Violet not being able to wield pure power anymore, which is like, the progression we've been able to follow along with with this whole series so far. So my overarching answer to do I think an unbonded rider can retain their signet? Is yes, if it's Violet, you know, like, when are we going to see it again?

[Carly]

Violet's just special.

[Kinsey]

I just think it's yes, as long as they have a source. So now we know Panchak's dragon's dead. If Panchak turned, we could see confirmation from him. We can see confirmation from Jack. We have confirmation from Violet. I think so long as they can still use and access magic, they were given a gift.

[Hannah]

The hard thing about that for me, though, is how much it's emphasized that a signet is Based off of a unique chemistry between a dragon and a rider. And so if that dragon is gone, I guess the argument could be, well, it's already manifested, but if the dragon was the source and that was how that chemistry informed their signet, then take that away. And it shouldn't be. Based on my understanding of how this magic system is detailed, it shouldn't be possible to then have that same signet. But we also have a whole bunch of Venin, and we don't know who was Dragon Rider before then.

[Kinsey]

So things to think about till book.

[Carly]

Four, Things to be scared of. What's gonna happen with Jack in book four.

[Kinsey]

Yeah. All right, time to head on over to the healer's quadrant to take a temperature check on our characters, our favorite moments and standout quotes. Who was hot for you this week, Hannah?

[Hannah]

Tarn. It feels weird saying hot in this context, but Taryn. All I could think about as I was reading was how Taryn and Violet share each other's emotions. Right. Like, when they're not shielding, it can be full fledged, depending on, like, how much they're in control of that. And knowing that Taryn left himself just wide open, he's not at that moment, specifically when he gets to reconnect back with Violet after Andarna leaves, he doesn't really know what just happened. And then all of a sudden, he gets this information and he's just flooded with Violet's reaction to this. So it's not just his own loss of Andarna in that moment, it's also Violet's, and that continues for days. So I just can't imagine, like, I'm.

[Carly]

Not gonna do it.

[Hannah]

I'm not gonna get choked up. I just can't imagine what that must have been like and how that must have felt for him to experience it and have to hold it together to then take care of Violet so that she doesn't die and how triggering that could have been. Literally, it's a fictional dragon. Chill out. How triggering that must have been with the loss of Naolyn. We don't know the context of how that happened, but I'm sure there was overlap of him begging him not to die and telling him not to. And, like, he couldn't save him. And so he's just having to set all this aside for his daughter, essentially. Like, and Darna is their chosen child. Right. I just get me worked up. Anyways, what about you guys?

[Kinsey]

Daddy Taryn was hot for me this week.

[Hannah]

Yeah, way to come off of that and just make it sound sexual.

[Kinsey]

No, because he was just so, like, he was just such a good father figure. He's very caring.

[Carly]

Yeah. But also Brennan. For me, he really had trust in Violet, and I can't imagine it wasn't hard for him as her big brother to be like, yeah, go off and kill a maven as a second year. He let her choose, and he had faith in her, and I just. I thought that was really.

[Kinsey]

I really liked that.

[Hannah]

I'll also say that I really liked how he handled, like, letting her take her own time and being there for her, but, like, talking her own time.

[Carly]

Yeah.

[Kinsey]

Just his presence, like, sitting there waiting for her.

[Hannah]

Which brings us to my knot.

[Kinsey]

Yeah.

[Hannah]

And how much that contrasts with Mira. I did not expect this, but I have turned into, like, a Mira hater. This weekend. Darna did make my not list. Even though I'm very hurt. I have more grace for her than I. Than I do for Mira. For one. I just didn't like how she came in guns blazing and was like, you have to talk. But I. It works for Violet, so that's. That's fine that. That works for her. But it is not just Zaden that Mira threatens when she finds out he's Venon. Mira holds her dagger up to Violet, specifically Violet, and I am really over her. I don't trust her. I no longer like her. And absolutely on my knot list this week.

[Kinsey]

Yeah. Our hot and not lists are very similar because I have number one and Darna number two. Mira.

[Hannah]

Mira. Yeah.

[Carly]

I just have Mira. And it's too bad because, like, she comes back and she's the one that's able to get Violet talking again and out of bed again, and then just very quickly ruins all of it.

[Kinsey]

Yeah.

[Carly]

So quickly.

[Kinsey]

On a more positive note, our favorite moment for me, mine was Taryn leaving the bond wide open for Violet. While she mourned Andarna's loss, I was sobbing, like, even harder than when Andarna actually left. It was this paragraph right here that just got me the most same.

[Hannah]

That's my first favorite moment, but I'm actually gonna read the quote because I feel like the way that it is written hits so hard, and it's why we were sobbing. Taryn leaves our bond wide open, giving me unfettered access to him in a way I've never had. That line literally stopped me. I put my fucking Kindle down and was, like, choking back sobs.

[Kinsey]

Yeah.

[Hannah]

And then, of course, we have my next favorite moments is how Zayden cares for Violet. He's unbraiding her hair. He's washing her. And I fangirl over spicy moments, more than enough to go around, but it's these gentle, intimate moments that just are my absolute favorite. I love it.

[Carly]

Yeah, I do really appreciate those. As somebody who had to have a pretty serious surgery on her spine and, like, there's so much I couldn't do for myself. And my husband had to help me, like, put on socks every morning because, like, I couldn't bend to reach my feet. And so, like, he would do that for me every morning. Like, it is, like, the way you feel loved the most.

[Kinsey]

Yeah.

[Carly]

I have Violet choosing that her objective needs to be to kill theophany, because I will always choose violence. Apparently in this section.

[Hannah]

I know you've got us covered. I usually have us covered for Zaden. You got us for Violet.

[Carly]

Yeah.

[Kinsey]

And our favorite quotes.

[Carly]

I have this interaction between Brennan and Zayden. Brennan says, I'd love to know why the King of Devarelly referred to my sister as your consort in his last offer. And Zaden responds, I'd say it's a long story, but it's really not.

[Kinsey]

All right, I have two interactions. So between Violet and Zaden, she said, I've missed three days of rune instruction. And he replies, hate to break it to you, love, but three days was never going to help you in that subject. And then, of course, Violet and Riddick. Harder, rougher. I can do that. And Riddick says, I'm sure you can, considering who you're sleeping with.

[Carly]

Love that.

[Hannah]

I actually forgot that I had so many this week. So mine is a follow up to Carly's. She stands at my side. Remember that? And Brennan says, starting to understand the consort missing, which is so good. If you guys haven't noticed, the consort lines throughout this book is just like my favorite. You thread a needle through it and that's like, my favorite part of the book.

[Carly]

Yeah.

[Hannah]

Also, we get. And if Cadet Sorengale is abducted while securing her objective and Zaden responding, Bodhi will make an excellent duke. I mean, I know that it's, like, completely illogical for him to be going against the strategist in the room. Right. Brennan has a point, but he's like, fuck everything else. If Violet's in trouble, I'm there. And I love it. Also, we get Taryn. Focus on now on him if you have to. Which is just. It speaks volumes because we know how many sassy, passive aggressive comments we've gotten from Taryn about Zaden. I felt like that just got me. And another honorable mention from Taryn. I have encountered this as many times as you have. His sass is so it's so good.

[Kinsey]

It is.

[D]

Drivers who switch and save with Progressive could save hundreds. With that kind of money, you could go big time on a fancy water bottle with ultra titanium alloy metal. You're not sure why you need all that. I mean, it just holds water, but you're getting it anyway. Because if you're hiking near an active volcano and you accidentally drop the bottle into molten lava, your water will still be icy cold. Switch to Progressive and you could save big time for water bottles. Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and Affiliates not available in all states. Potential savings will vary.

[Carly]

Now let's stop by the scribe quadrant for our epigraph analysis of the most thought provoking epigraphs.

[Hannah]

The chapter 53 epigraph reads, quote asher returned today. Gods help us if anyone finds out. I'm not sure I'll ever forgive him for what he's done to her. Journal of Captain Lilith Sorengale this epigraph.

[Kinsey]

Is most likely referring to Asher's failed attempt to have Violet dedicated to Dune, and instead Violet returned home touched by the goddess and blessed with that silver hair. Zedan knows and loves Lilith was only captain at this stage in her life, not General. If Asher and Lilith were promoted at the same rank around the same time period, Asher would have already written his research on Unbriel at this point, so he likely knew about Dune's temple attendance and their dedication process.

[Carly]

I want to point out that what was written about the parents leaving actually contradicts what we seem to get from this epigraph, which the conversation in chapter 54 Brennan and Mira talk about how there are months missing in Lila's journal, quote and they're from the summer mom and dad left us with Grandma Niara. Mom purposely didn't write anything, and Mira goes on to say that she was 8 when their parents returned with Violet and their grandma stopped speaking to them. However, Violet points out that Asher is the one that took her, not Lilith, because they had never seen dragons on the isle. So Violet knows that her dad left with her. But if her mom wasn't there, where was she?

[Kinsey]

Ooh, running that country, man. The chapter 54 epigraph reads, no rider has ever survived the loss of their dragon. I can't imagine wanting to Colonel Kaori's Field Guide to Dragonkind of course this.

[Hannah]

Is different when you are bonded to a second dragon, which according to Leathan could only be an Irid, and that Irid leaves or you turn Venon and murder your dragon. But this line where Taryn orders, we remain, and Violet thinks, as if I have a choice not to, makes me think that Violet did have a choice and would have died had she chosen not to.

[Kinsey]

This epigraph could definitely provide some insight to Violet's state of mind. She survived the loss of her dragon, but we see from her grief in this chapter that she really didn't want to.

[Carly]

The Chapter 55 epigraph reads, as our largest province, Tyrandor provides the most conscripts for our forces. However, the strength of Navarre isn't only found in Teerish soldiers, but also in the province's most valuable resource, telladium. Losing it would doom Navarre on Teerish history. A complete accounting, third edition by Captain Fitzgibbons. And the Chapter 56 epigraph reads, if Tyrandor does not immediately restore the flow of teladium, the consequences will be dire not only for the province, but the continent. This is not a request. It is an order from your king. Official correspondence of his Majesty King Torrey the Wise, to His Grace Lieutenant Zaden Ryerson, 16th Duke of Tirandor.

[Hannah]

So both of these epigraphs mention teladium, which is used for the alloy in the daggers and is how they defend against the Venon. So if the Venin somehow destroy the teladium, it's game over. This could be what the Venin are after and why they are attacking Dreythus specifically. I looked up teladium surprise to no one and found that there is a medical grade alloy with titanium in real life called Tylite that is made by the Teladium company. And it's weird to me that Rebecca used a brand name and not the actual name of alloy. As these epigraphs demonstrate, Teladium gives Zayden and Tirandor political leverage. And on a related note, teladium is also mentioned in chapter 55. Quote, Halden has troops stationed along the Caldir border, just waiting for his father to give his orders. Which prompted Xayden to cut off shipments of teladium and goes on to say, quote, all but stalling the War College's forge, which is going to have major repercussions.

[Carly]

In book four, the chapter 57 epigraph reads, quote, but even harder than taking a life is doing nothing while one is extinguished beside you. Keep your eyes Forward, Mira. Page 71, the Book of Bren.

[Kinsey]

Here, Brennan is stating that sometimes they have to accept people will die around them and they just have to deal with it and move on. It's fitting because this is the chapter where they have to decide their plan of action for Dreythis and know that it's unlikely they'll be able to save everyone and they have to stick to their objective and not act or change plans even if their friends fail.

[Hannah]

Now take flight with us over to the hatching grounds for our Easter eggs and moments of foreshadowing, including moments that stood out in this reread and may.

[Kinsey]

Spiral into theories starting with chapter 53. Leah then makes a comment that this was not meant for you, nor any of our line. If he's only referring to bonds here and not the war Andarna is participating in, then does this mean some Irids do bond riders, but only certain familial lines of Irides don't? It's notable that he specified line and not kind since we know that they're actually from the same family and den and there are other types of Irids out there.

[Hannah]

We also get an Easter egg about Andarna's bond, foreshadowing that we get her back whether she is bonded at the end or not. Should you choose to return, you can always reforge the bond. I stand by that she did. We will talk about that in the last episode.

[Kinsey]

Speaking of bonds, we get a new description about bonds from Andarna and Len, which again confirms that Zaden and Violet's bond is deeper than just a connection between their dragons and Darna says, quote, our lives, our minds, and very energy that forms us are intertwined. Laethan responds that bonds are merely magical ties, and Violet later describes her bond with Zaden as quote, the connection anchors my heartbeat.

[Hannah]

We also get this moment where Len somehow has knowledge on green dragons. He says, quote I would expect a warmer greeting from a green. And this just prompts several questions for me, including does Leathan know other non Nevarian dragons? Or did the Irid somehow retain this information for that long? Or I mean, I guess I suppose that they could just be popping in and spying on them all the time since they can go invisible. It's notable.

[Carly]

And the last one for chapter 53, we have this moment right after and Darna leaves and Violet is crashing out. She thinks the sky darkens and the ground trembles. I look up into the black void and my vision narrows in an ever shrinking circle. Not the sky, a wing. And you realize it is Taryn there with her? However, I find it interesting that it is written to say the sky darkens to show that Taryn has arrived here because the sky darkening is used several other times in the book, and it is heavily implied in those other times that it is tied to the gods, which makes me wonder if Taryn is connected to one of the gods, perhaps dune or malak.

[Kinsey]

Ooo. For chapter 54, we get a parallel between Violet losing Andarna and Zaden turning Venon. After Andarna leaves, Violet says, I was whole and now I'm not. In chapter two, Zaden said Sigail knows and senses that he's not whole, and Violet and Zaden regularly make comments about Zaden being whole after losing a piece of his soul. Also, Violet admits, in that moment, I didn't know who I was, where I belonged, or why I should bother breathing. If Taran hadn't grounded me, I think I would have willingly floated away. Which is similar to the final time Zaden channels in chapter 65, when he loses all of his emotions and sense of self. It's described as pieces of his soul flaking like ash, drifting, blowing and floating away. But where Violet feels loss of power, Zaden becomes power. So, yeah, I think dragons building and breaking bonds can be partially to blame for the existence of Venon. And that's probably why writers die with their dragons as a law of magic.

[Carly]

Oh, love that tie in. We have another mention of time seemingly working differently in their bedroom. It says, it doesn't matter how impossible everything feels. The world is still spinning beyond these doors, and I have to catch up to it.

[Hannah]

Next, we have this strange reference by Mira that says, quote, the priestess spoke all cryptically, but basically said if Violet chose her future poorly, she could still earn their mentorship. But she'd turn. And Violet calls back to this in chapter 60, when Theophany says, I'll be happy to mentor you, and Violet describes, my eyes flare. Was this the path the priestess foresaw for me? Not their mentorship, but theophanies. Ooh.

[Kinsey]

If Violet and Zaden's bond is as strong as we think it is, then I think we get foreshadowing on what to expect with Violet's state of mind. In book four, Mira said, quote, she lost a dragon, not a boyfriend. It's not a breakup. No offense. If Zaden or Sigail severed their bonds and Violet's bond with Zaden is broken too, then obviously we can expect lots of anguish and pain. Because losing Zayden and Sigil is far worse than a breakup. Especially if Taran is also suffering the loss of a broken bond. I also hate to say it, but in the same conversation, Violet thinks, quote, I still have both of them. Taryn And Zaden. And then Zaden responds to Mira that they're, quote, past the breakup stage. Yes, they didn't technically break up, but he did leave her. And this passage definitely foreshadowed Zaden leaving Violet.

[Hannah]

I'm going to pretend like you said, none of that. Thank you. You're welcome.

[Carly]

Next. When Mira finds out that Zaden is Venon, Meera unsheathes her dagger. Violet steps in front of Zaden, and Meera raises her dagger at Violet. Zaden then pulls Violet to his side and says, I don't take kindly to blades being lifted towards Violet. Before Mira says, that's right. Like, I'm the dangerous one, and flips the dagger in readiness to throw. I'm sorry. So Meera was just going to kill Zaden and potentially kill Violet, like, very over her massive, massive shift in her priorities. For me, it's absolutely wild.

[Kinsey]

And it's the fact that she was pointing the dagger at Violet, didn't raise.

[Hannah]

It until it was at Violet. Like, she unsheathed it for a second, raised it.

[Carly]

Even just being willing to kill Zayden means she's willing to kill Violet because they don't know if it'll kill her. So I'm just like. The massive shift in the priorities here is absolutely wild. And it's just blown right past. And I'm like, what on earth?

[Hannah]

So, yeah, I feel like Mira started distancing herself after the conversation with the grandma to begin with. So I actually don't think it's a massive shift in this moment. I think it's just compared to, like, maybe last book, you know, distancing yourself.

[Carly]

From somebody and being okay with your sister dying and being a part of that are two. That's a leap.

[Kinsey]

I almost think that Meera's like, you know what? I can't defeat Zaden in a battle, but I can defeat my sister. So she was raising her dagger to Violet to kill her, to kill Zaden.

[Hannah]

Yeah, that's what I was worried about. And I especially worry that Violet just turned around and saved her ass. And now Zayden is like, full Dark One, and I don't trust Meera.

[Kinsey]

She's gotta keep both eyes open when she's around her. I just.

[Carly]

This moment, to me, was just wild.

[Kinsey]

Yeah, it's like, how much does she love her sister versus hate Venon? Because that's what she's gonna be choosing between. Anyway.

[Hannah]

I can keep talking about. Anyways.

[Carly]

Yeah.

[Hannah]

Next we have this mention of Andarna's relic. And if she returns to find Me like this, huddled in on myself. I won't be worthy of her relic. So this prompts for me the question of, did Violet actually lose her relic? Because that's a big indication that the bond did fully break. Because, again, I'm still, like, a little delusional and hopeful. Next.

[Carly]

When Meera finds out Zaden is Venon, he reads her intentions and tells Violet, quote, she doesn't intend to tell anyone about me. And Violet thinks he cut through her shields. I'm sorry, Zaden's just out there cutting through people's shields now. So, what, there's just no thoughts that he can't read?

[Hannah]

It's especially telling that he's cutting through the shields of a SHIELD signet.

[Carly]

Yeah, I'm just like, I'm sorry, but that, like, leveling up in ability and power is frightening. A little terrifying. Yeah.

[Hannah]

I keep telling Rebecca that I want the stakes to be raised so that Violet can use more of her power. Because if you. You can't claim it's overpowered. FMC if, like, the villains are overpowered. But I don't want that to be Zayden.

[Carly]

Careful what you wish for.

[Kinsey]

We always talk about how Rebecca doesn't like fated mates, but the Oracle literally knew Zayden and Violet would be in love, that he would be her heart and that Zay turn. So that sounds like fate to me, because they didn't have a choice. So I'm just saying they're fated mates.

[Hannah]

Rebecca's never said she doesn't like fated mates. She has just said she hadn't decided on it. Whether she wanted that integrated into this story in ways that she hadn't already flipped on their head with the dragons being fated mates. So just to clarify on that.

[Kinsey]

Well, she should have thought about that before she made Zaden her heart in an Oracle's prophecy.

[Carly]

Fair. I'm still wondering if Zaden is the one misinterpreting, because we never get the exact words clarified. Maybe Violet will be the one to turn. Or still also to turn. I'm just not buying that we have a complete understanding of this person.

[Hannah]

I'm with you there.

[Carly]

Yeah.

[Kinsey]

I mean, Violet was originally supposed to be the one to turn, so.

[Carly]

Yep. All right, for chapter 55, we get foreshadowing for the favor that Zayden will use to marry Violet. Quote, the high priestess of Dune's temple has written to say that Dune holds you and Rhiannon in her regard and that she is in my debt and owes me whatever favor I see fit.

[Hannah]

It's not Just Violet that is favored by Dune in this instant and her priestess. It's also Rhiannon, so we can call in more debts.

[Kinsey]

Foreshadowing. Put that down. Speaking of foreshadowing, we should have known with more Quinn involvement that her death was incoming, but especially after Quinn says they're going to be hopelessly lost when we leave them in July. Yeah, then she left them forever.

[Hannah]

I noted that line as well, because in it she's referencing we as in herself and Imogen. And I'm wondering if that means that Imogen will be leaving at the start of book four, following the end of book three.

[Kinsey]

She better be present in book four. You can't just erase Violet's memories and dip just because you graduated.

[Hannah]

Well, I've got more for you. So, speaking of book four, Violet thinks if Brennan wasn't needed to run the place when Zayden isn't here, he'd be gone too. So this is a clear indication that Violet will be relying a lot on Brennan now that she is technically in charge for him to lead for her in her absence as she goes back to her third year at Bestgaeth. Though, to your point, Rebecca did set up for them not to go back to Buzgaeth immediately at all. Quote, do you think we'll go back if Tari hasn't confirmed he won't burn the place down like he did six years ago? And Violet thinks there's a growing part of me that wouldn't mind staying. And Brennan starts to explain that that would not be good for Arisha. Keeping a squad of Bisgae cadets would complicate, but he gets cut off by Bodhi. So I actually do feel inclined to think that they're not going to leave at the beginning of book four for a while, and we're actually going to see what exactly this will come to complicate in Orisha.

[Kinsey]

I disagree to an extent of, like, Brannon being the main person helping Violet, because I think she will actually primarily take care of Tyrandor and actually plans on dropping out of Basgiath. So Bodhi and Zaden had argued about Bodhi wanting to leave Basgaeth for the front, and Violet thinks, wait, Bodhi wants to drop out? So now that we know that dropping out is an option, maybe this is foreshadowing her leaving in book four because she's Tyrandor's duchess and she has way more important stuff to do than homework. Like she's running a province, surviving a war, and finding her husband.

[Hannah]

I like that. And I love Your point? I do not see Rebecca actually encouraging dropouts. I think she's setting up for, like, how she's actually still able to lead. And I also think that she's going to continue her line of you can't be everything to everyone and that Violet still has so much more to progress. Like, she's only in her second year, she's already missed so much of her schooling. Yes, she has this massive general of a dragon, but she needs to keep honing her signet and maybe that does look like she continues outside of training and stuff, which I don't think she ever wouldn't. I don't know. I'm super eager for her to get to the point where she is like super skilled with her powers, but I would rather see a time jump than I would her dropping out.

[Kinsey]

Yeah, she does have Felix and Trissa at Risha to help train her still.

[Hannah]

So very true.

[Kinsey]

Speaking of Bodhi and his plans for the future, he made it clear that he won't be Zayden's backup and that he will stand by Zayden's side and be his, quote, right hand for the rest of their lives. I think this could foreshadow Bode being the brother or just being missing in book four and following Zaden.

[Hannah]

If he's not the brother, he is with him.

[Kinsey]

Agreed. Full heartedly.

[Carly]

I definitely think he's with him. Next, we have a callback to the last episode regarding that book Violet was reading. It says, quote, I read a book on the emergence of Venin. This was likely the book Violet was reading with that mysterious mention of. That makes three. Where she finds a pattern to something. We had suspected that it was a resurgence of evil during the last episode. And given the description of the last book she read, we are likely correct for chapter 56.

[Hannah]

Berwyn is described as having a freakishly young face, which I just could mean nothing. I just think it's really weird and I don't know if that's just to show that once again, Venon don't age. But like, how young was he when he turned? Maybe that's the point.

[Carly]

I want to know all the Venon rules way more than we do. Next, we have, quote, we were on patrol when she found us, but I wasn't strong enough or quick enough. She ripped us straight out of the sky like a pair of pigeons in a windstorm. More evidence for Garak needing to be more powerful. Rebecca Yarros literally said, the brother is someone who feels they don't have enough.

[Hannah]

We also get Some context on what to expect for Violet's dreamwalking signet in book four, based off of what we see Berwyn doing or Violet doing in this dream. This chapter. So Berwyn is keeping Zaden in the dream. Violet will be able to do that too. They are not able to wake up unless someone wakes them up in real life, which we see Violet do with Satan. Violet's actually armed with her own daggers in that dream, which I found really interesting, and couldn't wake herself up until she inflicted pain on herself, which tells us that if she is in someone's dream and she tries to inflict pain on them, they're gonna wake up. Also, the person whose dream she is in will know that she is there if she is a separate being, which she became when she recognized she was in the dream, which is gonna be really interesting to see her navigate.

[Kinsey]

For this week's cold ice watch. Violet notes that Zaden seems more like himself, but is still icy in moments. Then in Zaden's dream, Violet can feel Zaden's hand and it's ice cold, which again shows that Venon have icy skin. It could be a sign he's progressing and will turn Asym soon. Since the sage's fingers were cold in her last dream, we will be looking.

[Hannah]

In book four for cold fingers.

[Kinsey]

Yes, we will.

[Carly]

Next, when they're discussing who can defend Dreyfus, they mention that the Nightwing Drift is there. Drake was likely at the battle as the Nightwing Drift is mentioned and he is their leader, so he is on our list of people who who could be the brother. Unfortunately, an ever growing list.

[Hannah]

Yes. For chapter 57 we get some time context quote, it's a four hour flight to Dreythis. So for the 12 hour window, at least four hours of that was them flying back to Orisha.

[Kinsey]

We get more foreshadowing that Panchic is the traitor because he supposedly already launched to request reinforcements. But he didn't. So what he really did was leave early to go tell Theophany what their plans were so he could snitch for the Venin and potentially give Meera's position away.

[Carly]

Next, when Theophany takes Mira and Brennan needs help planning, he uses Kaori. And he asks Kaori, can you give me a roughly scaled projection of the territory? Kari lifts his hands and a three dimensional projection of Dreyfus and its surrounding areas appears over the table. Highly suspicious. Carrie helped with the planning. He could easily be working with Venon and sabotaging their battle strategies.

[Kinsey]

Ooh, and finally, my favorite Easter egg of them all. All aboard the slain train. We are blessed with foreshadowing for Dane and Sloane's relationship. When Sloane loses her temper during the assembly meeting and then pummels the shit out of Dane, he holds her tight and says something into her ear, and then she calms down. I'm sorry, what? Rebecca, for the love of God, please give us a slain scene in their point of view. Please and thank you.

[Carly]

And finally, let's talk theories. Time for your signet sparring professors to help you hone your farsight and precognition.

[Kinsey]

Cygnus, you're just still like slay train.

[Carly]

I am. I'm just. I want it too, Kenzie.

[Kinsey]

I want it so bad. Okay, in chapter 53, Leathan makes a comment that quote, this was not meant for you nor any of our line, in reference to being bonded to Violet and fighting in a war. I think another reason that Andarna's wings didn't form correctly was because the innate nature of Irids are to never bond with riders. And by having weakened wings, she can never physically bear a rider. She may have been left behind and forgotten her purpose, but the dreamless sleep is instinctual. And that's why she didn't grow properly. It created a physical barrier that aligned with her instincts, but against her desires.

[Carly]

Ooh, I didn't even think of that.

[Kinsey]

Yeah, poor baby.

[Carly]

I have a theory regarding the rebellion relics. We get two mentions of a missive. Melgren send Zaden. First. Zaden says, quote, Melgren warns me not to fly into battle or will lose. Just a few days late with that warning. He believes the warning is late because he thinks it's a warning for the battle where Leathan showed up and fired the Wardstone. However, when Meera gets taken, they realize there is another battle ahead as the Venon are about to descend on Dreythis. And Daedon says Panchec has already launched to request reinforcements, which we know Melgren won't send. Apparently that late warning was actually an early warning for this. How is it possible that Melgryn could have seen a version of this battle without three rebellion relics being there? In what scenario are they going to sit out? It just doesn't make sense that there was a version 2C without the marked ones. So what if the rebellion relics are not working anymore? Rune things can run out of power. And that might mean he was trying to stop Zaden from turning, since he would have seen the outcome of the battle that did happen if this were true and his missive specifically warned Zaden not to fly into battle. It's specifically written to say Melgren warns me, not Melgren warns us.

[Hannah]

Oh, I like that.

[Carly]

Yeah. However, if Melgren really did see a different version of events, that would mean that the only way for them to have won was for Zaden to fully turn. Violet says, quote, choice determines our future. Melgren's only seen the outcome of one path, so this battle that he did see could be a path where Zaden would not have turned and Violet wouldn't have used a dagger and whatever those potential implications are, which is that they.

[Hannah]

Would have lost and probably all died, which we still almost saw happen if he wouldn't have had his Onyx Storm.

[Kinsey]

Yeah, and finally we get an interesting moment where Leathan blocks Violet from Taryn and Violet says it's, quote, oddly similar to the effects of the serum they dosed us with during rsc. I think it's possible that the serum used in RSC and the poison used on Venon, Daggers and Fourth Wing came from the Irids, because both of those items can block Riders from their magic and dragons. There could have been an older Irid who bonded to a human, taught them how to block magic, and then that human turned Venon and used it as a weapon. Maybe that's why Irids now swear off riders, because they gave away too much of their magic and gifts, and why the Empyrean have stricter rules with their writers. And that wraps up our deep dive into Onyx Storm chapters 53 to 57. Thank you so much for listening. Don't forget to join us next episode as we break down chapters 58 through 62 and make sure to subscribe wherever you're listening.

[Carly]

Don't forget, you can access all of our episodes ad free a day early and in full video over on our Patreon. Plus extras like my weekly Onyx Storm PDF, annotations, shoutouts, bonus resources, and exclusive access to our Dear Fantasy Reader Book Club.

[Kinsey]

You'll find our Patreon link in the show notes along with all the ways you can support the show, whether that's joining a tier, subscribing, leaving a review, or just sharing us with your fellow Romanecy readers.

[Hannah]

And if you haven't already, check out our season one Fourth Wing through the Lens of Iron Flame Deep Dive.

[Carly]

We'd love to hear from you. Send us your thoughts, tag us on Instagram, or come fangirl with us over in our free Discord Chat. If you've enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review. It would mean the world to us.

[Hannah]

Until next time. Next time. Dearest fantasy readers, prepare yourselves for the final battle as we continue our journey through the empyrean series.

[Kinsey]

I didn't cry.

[Carly]

Good job.

[Kinsey]

I thought I would. I thought I would in the summary and during favorite moments. And I didn't cry.

[Carly]

I'm proud of you. Thank Good girl.

[Hannah]

High interest debt is one of the toughest opponents you'll face unless you power up with a Sofi personal loan. A Sofi personal loan could repackage your bad debt into one low fixed rate monthly payment. It's even got superspeed since you could get the funds as soon as the same day you sign. Visit sofi.compower to learn more. That's sofi.com power loans originated by SoFi Bank NA member FDIC terms and conditions apply. NMLS 696891.