Ep 5 Onyx Storm: Chapters 23-27

Summary

Fantasy Fangirls Podcast: Episode 5 Summary – Onyx Storm Chapters 23-27

Release Date: March 6, 2025

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Battle Brief: Chapter Summaries (23-27)

In this segment, Nicole provides a comprehensive overview of chapters 23 through 27 of Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros.

• Chapter 23: The Quest Squad ventures into the Matias Market to locate Nerelle. A mix-up leads to a confrontation where Nerl Anselm reveals that Violet is Asher's daughter and must answer riddles to receive six tomes left by her father. (03:39)

  "Nerl Anselm casually glides down the stairs before dropping some serious heart-stopping tea." – Nicole

• Chapter 24: Violet successfully answers Nerelle's riddles, demonstrating her intelligence and worthiness to receive the locked tomes. This interaction underscores Violet's strong sense of self-worth and her preparation for the challenges ahead. (04:53)

• Chapter 25: A tender moment unfolds as Zaden checks on Violet, leading to a significant sex scene that highlights their deep connection and mutual care. (07:18)

• Chapter 26: The team faces turmoil when Prince Halden is captured and used as leverage by King Cortland of Devarelli. A fierce battle ensues in the King's dining room, showcasing Zaden's formidable prowess as he defends Violet and disrupts the proceedings. (25:53)

• Chapter 27: Amidst the chaos, Violet takes charge, negotiating with King Cortland to secure Deverelli as a base for their missions. This chapter emphasizes Violet's growth into a decisive leader and her ability to handle high-pressure situations. (07:01)

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Don Our Signets: Insights, Character Analysis, and Theories

Character Development and Relationships

• Zaden Ryerson: Lexi and Nicole delve into the evolving portrayal of Zaden. Once perceived as stern and unapproachable, this episode reveals his softer, more personable side, especially in interactions with Violet and Dane. This transformation raises questions about his past and the events that shaped his current demeanor.

  "Each episode features significant character growth, and this time, it's Zaden's unexpected warmth that catches everyone's attention." – Lexi (11:36)

• Violet Sorengale: Violet's intelligence and resilience shine as she navigates complex negotiations and uncovers her father's hidden research. Her ability to remain composed under pressure highlights her as a strong protagonist poised for leadership.

• Prince Halden: Halden's actions, including his attempt to steal magical artifacts and subsequent capture, position him as a pivotal antagonist whose desperation threatens diplomatic relations. His complex relationship with Zaden adds depth to the unfolding political intrigue.

Lore and World-Building

• Devarelli: The sisters explore the intricate lore of Devarelli, a neutral isle kingdom with a rich history of trade and brokering deals involving magical artifacts. Their skepticism and fear of dragons reveal deep-seated cultural prejudices that influence their interactions with outsiders.

  "Devarelli's stone architecture not only serves as a practical defense but also symbolizes their hardened stance against external threats." – Nicole (15:42)

• Alloy and Magic: The concept of alloy, an amalgamation of teladium and dragon eggshells, plays a crucial role in the narrative. The ability to imbue objects with magic is a recurring theme, raising questions about its limitations and potential as a weapon against formidable foes like the Venin.

Foreshadowing and Theories

• Weaponry and Venin: The introduction of the dragon eggshell and its potential use in crafting powerful weapons hints at forthcoming battles and the escalation of conflicts. Theories suggest that these artifacts may hold the key to defeating the Venin, adding layers to the protagonists' quest.

  "The shimmering onyx dragon eggshell is more than a mere artifact; it's a beacon of hope against the looming Venin threat." – Lexi (25:53)

• Zaden's Dual Nature: Observations about Zaden's red-rimmed eyes and his struggle with control suggest deeper internal conflicts, possibly linked to his heritage or external influences. This duality may foreshadow future challenges as Zaden grapples with his identity and powers.

  "Zaden's transformation isn't just physical; it's a battle between his duties and the shadows that seek to consume him." – Nicole (85:56)

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Archives: Exploring Devarelli's Lore

Geography and Culture

Devarelli, the southernmost isle kingdom, is characterized by its strategic location across the Arctile Ocean from Krovla. The capital, Matias, is a bustling port with intricate marketplaces and stone-built architecture that reflects its enduring traditions and commitment to neutrality.

• Architecture: The capital's stone structures, resilient against fire, hint at past conflicts and the island's preparedness against external threats, particularly dragons.

• Language and Communication: With revolution as the second most spoken language and the presence of translation services, Devarelli showcases a blend of native and foreign influences, facilitating trade and diplomacy.

Political Landscape

• Monarchy and Governance: King Cortland IV, adorned with titles like Master of Trade and Keeper of the Truce, governs Devarelli with a focus on maintaining peace and strong trade relations. His reliance on both diplomatic strategies and forceful measures (e.g., the use of panthers as guard animals) illustrates the duality of Devarelli's approach to security and diplomacy.

• Historical Alliances: The Second Croblin Uprising and the subsequent betrayal by the unnamed isle underscore Devarelli's pivotal role in regional conflicts, shaping its reputation as the "Treacherous Isle of Merchants."

Fauna

• Falerinia Moths: Poisonous but bioluminescent, these moths serve as natural light sources within Devarelli, embodying the balance between beauty and danger.

• Pure White Panthers: Symbolizing power and grace, these majestic creatures are both protectors and status symbols within the kingdom.

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Taking Flight: Favorite Moments

Nicole and Lexi share their top memorable moments from chapters 23-27, highlighting emotional exchanges, intense battles, and significant character interactions.

• Emotional Resonance: Violet and Zaden's intimate moments, such as their tender conversation post-battle, emphasize the depth of their relationship amidst turmoil.

  "Their love isn't just for each other; it's a beacon of hope and strength in the face of relentless adversity." – Lexi (56:46)

• Climactic Battles: The confrontation in the King's dining room showcases the stakes of their mission and the lengths to which Zaden will go to protect Violet, offering thrilling action sequences that keep listeners on the edge of their seats.

• Strategic Negotiations: Violet's adept handling of negotiations with King Cortland demonstrates her growth as a leader and her ability to navigate complex political landscapes with grace and intelligence.

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Conclusion and Final Thoughts

Episode 5 of the Fantasy Fangirls Podcast delivers an in-depth exploration of chapters 23-27 of Onyx Storm, blending detailed chapter summaries with insightful analysis and rich world-building discussions. Nicole and Lexi adeptly balance plot breakdowns with character studies and lore deep-dives, providing listeners with a comprehensive understanding of the narrative's progression and the intricate dynamics at play.

The inclusion of notable quotes enriches the summary, offering direct glimpses into pivotal moments and character motivations. By structuring the summary into clear sections—Battle Brief, Don Our Signets, Archives, and Taking Flight—the podcast ensures listeners can easily grasp the multifaceted elements of the story, even if they haven't listened to the episode.

Overall, this episode not only advances the plot of Onyx Storm but also deepens the audience's connection to its characters and the elaborate fantasy world they've crafted.

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Note: For a more interactive and detailed discussion, including access to exclusive content and community events, listeners are encouraged to join the Fantasy Fangirls Fan Club.

Transcript

[Lexi]

Foreign.

[Nicole]

Welcome to the Fantasy Fangirls Podcast where two sisters dive deep into beloved Fantasy lore, character themed series and more.

[Lexi]

I'm Lexi, older sister and Fantasy Lore Nerd.

[Nicole]

And I'm Nicole, younger sister and romantic at heart.

[Lexi]

And today is Episode five of Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros where we're covering chapters 23 through 27. Before we begin this Deep Dive episode, please listen closely to our spoiler warning. Every episode, including this one, has spoilers for the entire Empyrean series, including all of 4th Wing Iron Flame and Onyx Storm. Which means even though this episode five focuses on chapters 23 through 27, we are pulling in themes, lore, foreshadowing and more from the entire Onyx Storm book.

[Nicole]

So if you don't know that we're about to be in the King's Dining room with some kitty cat friends with a red headed snack, then please go finish Onyx Storm. We will be here when you're done.

[Lexi]

Next, we Fantasy Fangirls are adults who say adult things about adult books. In other words, friends, this podcast is.

[Nicole]

Rated R. There is no magic here people. But you know what there is here? Zaden's Dick. We get a sex scene, friends. So please be mindful of those little listening ears.

[Lexi]

Additionally, we are so excited to see you at upcoming live events. We will be featured guests at Enchanticon in St. Louis, Missouri August 15th through 17th and our live show is confirmed now to be on Friday the 15th.

[Nicole]

Then we will be at the Everflame Ball with Pen Cole for the first ever Kindred's Curse Saga Ball on August 30th in Castle Rock, Colorado. We will also be back at the Dragon Gauntlet in Boyne City, Michigan September.

[Lexi]

12Th through 13th and then Romanecy Bookcon in Orlando, Florida from October 23rd through 25th.

[Nicole]

You can check out our website for more information to all of these events. And do keep in mind that tickets are going very quick for all of them, so we hope to see you there.

[Lexi]

Last thing before we jump into this Onyx Storm episode 5. If you love Fantasy Fangirls and want more Empyrean themed events, more content, more community and so much more, please check out Fantasy Fan Club.

[Nicole]

We have three membership tiers that you can join the Cadets, which includes access to our Boppin Discord live Q&As from Lexi and I Book Club with exclusive author interviews like for instance Callie Hart Heart we had on last Friday. It was amazing. You can listen to the recording of that now. We also have trivia community events promo codes for live events plus 20 off all merch. That is for $6 a month. Or you can join the Dragon Riders which includes everything from the cadet level plus early access to ad free episodes. Our full episode outlines all the travel math you could ever want and special voting privileges that is for $10 a month. And then we have the Iron Squad which includes everything from the previous two tiers plus behind the scenes content, welcome gifts from Lexi and I, giveaways, a private Discord channel, the Throne Room, and your name shouted out on the podcast. That is for $25 a month.

[Lexi]

Join the party at fantasyfangirls.com fanclub. The link is also in the show notes and really and truly thank you for supporting us as we've turned this podcast into our livelihood. It's literally all because of you.

[Nicole]

And now it is time to go to the bookshop and meet T Stir Herself Nerl Anselm to start off every.

[Lexi]

Episode, Nicole does us the honor of summarizing what happens in the stretch of chapters. So listen up friends, because Battle Brief is in session for chapters 23 through 27 of Onyx Storm.

[Nicole]

Chapter 23. Quest Squad hits the streets of the Matias market to find the mysterious Nerelle and Zaden and Dane are friendly. Not sure what Freaky Friday situation is going on here, but pretty sure Drake is convinced that Zaden has been taken over by a friendly ghost. After trading some gems for information and silk, the team heads to Tomes and Tales Bookshop. Great name by the way. One warm welcome of throwing hands and a knife fight later, Nerl Anselm casually glides down the stairs before dropping some serious heart stopping tea. She knows Violet is Asher's daughter and he has left books for her. Chapter 24 books, plural? That's right, Papa Sorrengail left six more tomes for Violet, but before she can have all of them, she must answer a riddle or three to be ex. Number one, what is the title of Asher's manuscript? Easy Nerl, give us a hard one. Number two, what's Violet's hypothesis on why the second Equivalent uprising failed? Okay, that one's definitely a bit more challenging and makes Lexi way too excited. And number three, Last but not least, why did Violet leave the Prince douche canoe? Damn girl. After proving Violet knows the value of herself and her mind, Nero gladly hands over the six tomes. The catch? Every single one is locked.

[Lexi]

Fuck.

[Nicole]

Who has the hacking? Signet back at Takara says Violet. Splish Splash. She was taking a bath when Zaden comes in to check on her, making sure she's not dizzy, sore or tired. Zaden reaches out, pulling Violet in. Our guy is done being polite. Chapter 25 and Bang. Bang, bangity bang. I said oops, the table is broken. Bang. The high is short lived though, because the King has sent a message. He's decided to keep Halden as a trinket. Oh no. So sad. Chapter 26. We're going on a trip in our favorite rocket ship. Zooming through the sky, saving Halden's life. At the palace, Duke Zaden and his consort walk into the dining room ready to get Halden back. Though Halden in his temper tantrum makes things much, much worse. And by much, much worse, I mean his guard is dead. Fed to the kitty cat panthers. All because he tried to steal magical artifacts from the King. And to top it all off, he has piss poor table manners. So over this conversation, King Cortland goes all off with their heads. Chapter 27. All hell breaks loose. Guards rush forward with murderous intent. But don't worry. Our well trained lovers have everything handled. Well, almost everything. In a last ditch effort to shut this shit down, Zaden grabs Violet and passionately kisses her like it's the last moment on earth. Wait, no. He grabs onto her alloy and pulls, unleashing his shadows. While not the best idea to go all venom on their asses, my guy, it was effective. So I'll at least give you that. Presenting to be oh so guilty at what he just did, Satan sits down like a good boy and hides his red rimmed eyes from the king and everyone in the dining room. Putting on her big girl future duchess of Tirandor pants, Violet whips out another award winning speech and leads negotiations with the King like a champ. Quest Squad can now officially use Deverelli as a base for the seventh Dragon Den. Search all for the low, low price of one citrine, a chunk of andarna shell and Halden can never step foot on Devarelli again. Or he's dead. What a great deal.

[Lexi]

Oh, this show is sponsored by Better Help. We always talk about the importance of community on this show. For me, my community has helped lift me up in some of my hardest times. Therapy can be a source of support for any area of your life. It's time to shift the focus from doing it all to knowing that we're better when we ask for help.

[Nicole]

Let's just put it mildly and say, my therapy session yesterday, big old doozy. And it seems so cliche to say, but like I feel a million times better, lighter, less stressed and pressured and crazy after my therapy sessions and man Taylor worked overtime yesterday. Love you girl. Thank you. I have my whole list of things to remember right here.

[Lexi]

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[Nicole]

Build your support team with better help. Visit betterhelp.comffg to get 10% off your first month. That's betterhelp h e l p.comffg all.

[Lexi]

Right writers, it's time to dawn our signet power and discuss key insights, character analysis, lore, foreshadowing theories, and oh so much more. Who's excited to hang out in Devarelli? Me Quest Squad here includes Violet Zaden, Mira Dane, Riddick, Cat, and Drake because she was finally allowed to create her own squad last episode. We've also, unfortunately got Prince Douche Canoe Halden, because after all, the King of Devarelli will only meet with nobility and his Royal Guard slash side piece. Halden's meeting with the king is scheduled for 3pm at the palace, where he intends to ask Deverelli for an alliance as well as request to use his aisle as a home base while they visit the other aisles and search for the seventh dragon breed. So while Halden handles the nobility diplomacy, our crew is focused on the second secret mission for coming to Devarelli. Follow Papa Sorgale's instructions to quietly seek out Nell Anselm. Remember that his letter said to take Norell the rarest item Violet possesses and be sure it's truly exceptional in order for her to be given what she needs. Papa Sorrengel went on to warn his daughter that she cannot send another in her stead and should she travel under the banner of Navarre, beware of the King of Devarelli because he holds grudges and speaks only in profit. Yes, we will certainly learn that he also prefaced these instructions with needing to ride for Corden and book passage to Devarelli if time has run out and Violet seeks the weapon to defeat the Venin, which is exactly what's happening. I mention this here because the content of the research is all about the isles that we know of from Violet, but we still don't have confirmation of direct connection between the weapon to defeat the Venin and his isles research we end up retrieving from Norell, even though I think most of us are in agreement, the Irides play a major role in that connection. But I'm getting ahead of myself because where better to look for this merchant than in the Deverelli marketplace under the guise of Violet wanting to check out more books to buy. Who here can relate to that?

[Nicole]

Me.

[Lexi]

Since our friends can't really fly into the marketplace on their dragons without wreaking absolute havoc, our crew gets to ride horses. I would be so excited, even if ridiculous scared of them. Which LOL for a dragon rider. In case you didn't know, I used to have horses. I have a horse tattoo. I have a cowboy boot behind me here. I love horses.

[Nicole]

By the way, the capital city of Devarelli Matias is a Hungarian name meaning gift from God. With them being the only island that does not center themselves around religion or one of the gods. I found this really interesting. Is it because they view themselves above the gods? Is it gift because they only trade in like those priceless items? I really, truly feel like I'm grasp me at straws here, but I'm going to absolutely be on the lookout for that someone. Sure does feel like it's a gift to be here. And that is Zaden. With relaxed posture, an easy smile, and winking remarks, it's fair to say that this is not the same Xaden we're used to. I mean, this guy is literally asking questions about Dane and Violet's childhood. Growing up, they're so rarely not in danger or like planning a war. So getting to see Xaden and Violet being able to ask each other something as simple as if they used to ride horses when they were younger, it was really sweet. It made my heart so happy. It also shows us that his kindness is not just being reserved for the woman he loves. It's also being shown to Dane, someone he previously had not trusted and had nothing but arctic coldness towards.

[Lexi]

We're all seeing this casual side of Zaden where he engages in small talk outside of his and Violet's bedroom or with just his closest friends. I'll include Garrick and Bodhi in that too. It's honestly kind of refreshing. And like you said, it's really sweet.

[Nicole]

Yeah, and everyone is a little confuddled by this version of Xaden. Mira leans in to make sure she's hearing him correctly. Kat, someone who's only known the asshole version of Xaden, looks at him like he's grown another head. Similarly, Drake, who also only knew the version of Zaden when Kat and him dated, is wondering if that's the same guy who was betrothed to his cousin.

[Lexi]

I Honestly feel kind of bad for Kat in this moment. It's glaringly obvious Zading was never like this with her. And everyone's comments, especially her cousin Drake's, where he questions that this is the same guy and mirrors retort that, well, Zayden just actually loves Violet. That's just rubbing salt in the wound. Like, do not get me wrong, I straight up called Cat a bitch in iron flame, and I do not use that term lightly when referring to other women. But. But I feel bad for her now. Like, that sucks.

[Nicole]

I am very glad she has Trager, even for this very brief amount of time, because she does deserve to have someone who really dotes on her, which, again, for only this brief amount of time. Okay, yeah. Poor Cat. Dane, however, is trying to figure out if this is a trick question, and Riddick is just giddy that he gets to be here and witness this interaction. But Riddick brings up a good point. Quote, maybe this is who he could have been if his dad hadn't led a whole rebellion and fucked him over by getting executed and having him thrown into the quadrant, making him responsible for all the marked ones at the age of, what, 17? Listen, it's a fair point, I'm not gonna lie. Would Xaden be more of the happy, go lucky kind of guy if his dad didn't die and start a rebellion? If his mother hadn't left him unexpectedly when he was 10? If he hadn't had the weight of 107 lives living solely on his shoulders? And frankly, we will never know. But as Violet wonders, would them if those tragedies hadn't befallen him, if that all hadn't made him exactly who he needed to be, would him and Violet still be something entirely new when they came together, both literally and metaphorically? It's kind of that, like, butterfly effect question is how I take it.

[Lexi]

You know, I think that's a question a lot of us have asked ourselves in our lives. I know I have. If the bad didn't happen, would the good outcomes still exist? And I believe that in many instances, not all, but many, the answer is no. Because what has happened to us shapes us into who we are, how we act, and the direction of our lives. And I think a lot of us even hold on to that because we needed to have mattered.

[Nicole]

As Mira notes, this also could be just that. Xaden loves Violet, so he's not a dick to her. We've seen this version of super swoony Zaden behind closed doors, but this is the first time the others are seeing anything but this super hard ass. So maybe the butterfly effect. Question is, if all of this hadn't happened to Xaden, would he feel the need to put up this super hard exterior to everyone else? Or would he be the behind closed door Zaden to everyone? Maybe not quite as happy go lucky. But more at ease, more flirty with the woman he loves. And maybe just stop glaring at everyone. But like I said, we will never know.

[Lexi]

As our quest squad arrives at the marketplace, the people of Devarelli have quite the reaction to these writers and flyers. They seem terrified of them spewing firebringers at them and hurrying away. I love how they just like run away afterward.

[Nicole]

They're like, I'm gonna do something really brave. No, I'm not. Bye. It does make me wonder what dragons have attacked Devarelli because they have so much fear of dragons and thus their riders. And they also have the big crossbows to I'm assuming, kill dragons. Or maybe another winged creature. Not so sure. Plus, and this is what really stood out to me on this reread, all the buildings are built out of stone. We learn in Orisha when we're in Zaden's POV in the last chapter of 4th Wing. Stone doesn't burn. So did Devarelli used to be burnable. And then they've almost like fireproof the city. I know dragons can can be scary and precautions are definitely a thing, but this seems like priming us that something has happened to them.

[Lexi]

I think that there's a lot more to Devarelli's history than we currently know. And there's probably been a dragon attack at some point in history, maybe almost a thousand years ago, where we've gotten little tidbits about these ancient kings. The dragons used to roam much more freely. You know, they had all their different hatching grounds and the different dens were located all around the continent. So maybe they would kind of. No, I don't think they'd be going to the Isles very often because of the magic. So yeah, that's an interesting question. The Isles and the continent were allies during the Great War 600 years ago. And there has supposedly been no contact between the Isles and Navarre since then. So is this anti dragon perception part of the fallout of Navarre cutting off contact with everyone else? Where over the centuries it's become ingrained in this culture not to trust the dangerous dragons and their violent people. And it's created this generation generational fear of them. The way the people of Devarelli are shunning Quest Squad is a reflection of their fear of magic of fire breathing and unpredictable dragons. Totally understandable to be scared of that as well as just the overall unknown as the Deverelli culture is so separated with its non magical neutrality. But we'll learn Devarelli is interesting in that while it bolsters peace and neutrality as a weaponless society, that's not necessarily the case. So I also think that there is more. Oh yeah, them and their motives. Well, I don't know about motives because they do seem pretty just like we are transactional.

[Nicole]

I have so much more to say on this later, but I also want to point out we wouldn't be us if we didn't point out this alternative option is they are just that fearful of the Venin. We know they cut off trade with Crowfla and poor meal a few years ago I think is what Zala said last book when we were in cordon. So another thing is that they could just be so fearful of the Venin coming to Devarelli that they have all these precautions in place, specifically the stone, the big crossbows, all that kind of stuff. It doesn't necessarily weed out the Firebringers. Maybe they think it's the same thing, I don't know. Because we do know that Wyvern do breathe fire. I don't know. It's something to think about.

[Lexi]

However, we find out in this stretch of chapters that Navarre has had more communication and deals with Devarelli than we previously knew. As I was saying, I believe there's more to Devarelli's own political and brokerage scheming. And perhaps this protection against the dragons with the Crossbolts is proactively def. After a deal gone wrong with the Firebringers, Zaden and Crowley's translator Dane have figured out the location of this Norell they're looking for, who turns out to be a dealer of rare books.

[Nicole]

As Violet is looking around the bookshop called Tomes and Tales again, such a good name. I love an alliteration. She sees windows that stretch from floor to ceiling and bookshelves taller than she can possibly reach. This is a dream. Being ever the warriors, though, everyone moves into positions of where they should go should shit hit the fan. Riddick, Drake and Cat are all to stay with the horse and be prepared to run if needed. Then in the bookstore, Dane moves to the edge of the corner, keeping an eye out on the customers in the back corner while also being close enough to be translator Zaden finds the only patch of shadows to guard their backs next to the bookshelf. Mira then backs herself into the far edge of the seating area. All of this creates a parameter around Violet as she approaches the woman shopkeeper who will come to learn is Nerelle's daughter. And while Violet thinks this protection is completely unnecessary, the the second they ask for Norell, someone shouts firebringers. And all goes to shit.

[Lexi]

Two attackers charge from the back shelves. This feels so weird during this little bookshop right now. One is a woman around Violet's age and the other is a man around Brennan's age. In hindsight, these are Norell's grandchildren, who take protecting books from firebringers very seriously.

[Nicole]

Very, very seriously. Sighing, Mira engages with a female attacker while the man makes his way towards Violet, only to collide with armchair that Xaden shoves into his path. Then it causes him to do exactly what Xaden wanted him to do and switch his focus from Violet to Xaden. So, shouting his battle cry, he dramatically draws back his arm and Violet flicks a dagger in his shoulder, causing him to cry out in a different way as he hits his knees. Zaden just stares at the male attacker saying, quote, I warned you your error was changing your assessment to targeting me as a threat in letting your eyes off her. I love lines like this where it's true, truly, him seeing her as his warrior equal.

[Lexi]

Mira has punched the female attacker and now she is unconscious. So both attackers were taken out of commission quite easily here. Who's surprised?

[Nicole]

The customers cornered to the wall scurry away when given the suggestion by Dane. And while this is all quite the anticlimactic fight, or annoying as Mira would call it, what was this annoying battle for in the first place? As the female shopkeeper says, this violent response response to their entry is only for, quote, firebringers in the store looking for Narelle. Ah, and look who it is. Your timing is perfect.

[Lexi]

Norell walks down the stairs and yep, she's this shopkeeper's mom and grandmother to the two attackers. Ah yes. So this is her bookstore. She is the merchant who deals in rare books who Papa Sorrengail told Violet to go to Deverelli to find. Norell is an elderly 93 year old woman leaning on a walking cane. And she has silver hair.

[Nicole]

Hair.

[Lexi]

Quick pause. She has silver hair. Is this silver? Like her hair has gone gray from age kind of color or silver as in she was dedicated on the isle of Umbriel. I'm going to assume it's due to age, but it is something to point out, especially with Papa Sorrengal's connection to the umbrella. Yes.

[Nicole]

I also thought this was just due to age, but you're so right. Because if he is connected to Norell, how would he have met her or known to trust her with these extremely valuable books? Is it because she was dedicated and something about her path or whatever? I don't know. Ah, God damn it. I. It drives me crazy that silver is being used both for. In the best way. It drives me crazy in the silver is being used for age and also for the dedication. It's like what is which? I don't know.

[Lexi]

I think in this case it is silver because of age. Because Violet doesn't note anything about that. For instance, with theophany, she noticed how strange it was that her hair was silver. While in this case it's just kind of like, oh, her hair is silver because she's a 93 year old woman.

[Nicole]

Okay, that makes sense.

[Lexi]

So that's what I think. Yes. Upon glancing at Violet's half silver hair, Norell instantly recognizes her as Asher Sorengale's daughter, here to collect the books he wrote for her.

[Nicole]

Now pause because I believe I have figured out why Violet's hair is really silver. It is because her parents did not give her gummies when she was a kid. If you are a parent of a little one, you know the struggle of getting kids to take their daily vitamins and make it actually fun. Well, luckily Haya helps you do just that.

[Lexi]

Typical children's vitamins are basically candy in disguise. Filled with two teaspoons of sugar, unhealthy chemicals and other gummy junk growing kids just shouldn't eat.

[Nicole]

That's why Haya was created. The pediatrician approved super powered chewable vitamin. While most children's vitamins are filled with sugar and can contribute to a variety of health issues, Haya is made with zero sugar and zero gummy junk. Yet it tastes great and is perfect for the picky eaters.

[Lexi]

I can definitely attest to that with my children who are both picky eaters. They absolutely love Haya. I've actually had to hide the yellow container that the vitamins are in because the kids will literally just go to that be like I want this, I want this right now. It is one of their favorite parts of every single morning. They each get to choose the color of Haya vitamin that they're going to have that morning and they always want more and we have to let them know, no, you only get one a day. And anyway, they love it so much. I also recommend checking out their new kids probiotic and nighttime essentials.

[Nicole]

We've worked out a special deal with HYA for their best selling children's vitamins receive 50% off your first order to claim this deal you must go to hiahealth.com FFG this deal is not available on their regular website. Go to to H I Y-A H-E-L-T-H.com FFG to get your kids the full body nourishment they need to grow into healthy adults.

[Lexi]

Upon glancing at Violet's half silver hair, Narelle instantly recognizes her as Asher Sorrengal's daughter, here to collect the books he wrote for her. Huh.

[Nicole]

I'm so excited.

[Lexi]

So this is why Papa Sorrengel sent Violet to Devarelli in search of Norell. It's to retrieve the rest of his life's work. Work which focuses on the Isles. And even Narelle's children and grandchildren have taken on the task of protecting these books with their lives. From any writer who isn't with Violet, we'll soon find out that Papa Sorrengal left the last of his work with her almost four years ago. About one year before his death. This quote unquote last of his work includes six tomes to give Violet. Three of which we know are studies on the Isles of Umbriel, Hydotis and Zelna. I'm intrigued by the way Norell explains how Papa Sorgel hid away his life's work. Quote, your father risked all your lives to hide away his life's work with the sole purpose that you find at Violet. He left the last of it with me almost four years ago. If these six tomes are only the last of his research, where's the rest of his life's work? Hidden? Is there more to uncover about his research on maybe each of the Isles? Because the second Krevlin Uprising research is actually the last of his work, and he was working on in his final years right up until his death. So these six tomes are not technically the last of his work. It is the second Corovellin uprising, which she didn't know about anyway. Norell has explicit instructions to only give Violet her father's books if and only if she can attain the intelligence and understanding she needs to comprehend it. These books are only for Violet, and if she can answer three simple questions, then the books are hers. This is when Violet realizes the most rare and precious artifact her father told her to bring isn't something to actually trade It's Violet's mind. At least what Violet brought will come in handy with King later on. Which it is, by the way, Andarna's dragon eggshell. Which, like Violet's mind, is also one of a kind.

[Nicole]

Fun fact. Nero's last name, Anselm, means God's helmet or divine protection, which pretty on par with protecting books, you know, being the guardian of that. But again, there's that divine or gods being tied to Devarelli. Why? I don't know, but I'm on the hunt for it. With how intense they are getting about protecting the books, it does make me wonder, A, what Papasauring is. El said when he came to the island to leave these with Norell, and B, who did he think was going to be coming after the books? They're books with information on the Isles, so it's not like they're life and death. It's not like his research that is in Best Gaieth. Is there something that he was worried about? Like, for instance, Daddy Atos finding or even Markham?

[Lexi]

I've wondered this too, and I think this is one of the things that Violet hasn't pieced together yet. I will say I'm leaning away from it being one specific person like Daddy Atos or Markham, and the answer is more Nevarian leadership as a whole. But again, is it just the aisles? Was he doing all this aisle research in secret? Like, it doesn't seem like quite enough.

[Nicole]

You know, what if there's like. And we don't have any excerpts, like, written in the chapters. We only have the epigraphs from these books. I'm getting all national treasure on this. What if there's like certain capitalized letters or something like that and it all spells out something? Or like, what if there's more of a hidden message in these books? I understand that knowing about the Isles is going to be important, especially because of his relationship that we don't really know what the lengths of that are with. And Darna, I'm assuming he knows that Violet is going to be somehow connected to finding the dragon den. So maybe he knows she's going to go to the Isles, like, but there's a missing piece to the puzzle here. Am I making any sense?

[Lexi]

Kind of.

[Nicole]

Cool. All right, moving on. Well, we know for sure that there was one thing he told them to look out for. Violet and a man with brown hair, brown eyes, and a shared admiration with each other. And his name is Dane Atos.

[Lexi]

Oops.

[Nicole]

Asher was extremely close with Dane, almost like a Father figure. And it seems as if he spent quite a bit of time teaching Dane along with teaching Violet. And maybe through teaching them together, he saw their friendship bloom and he wondered if eventually it would be something more. And who knows? It definitely could have, except for a lack of chemistry and a shadow Daddy really putting a pin in that plan in Fourth Wing. And that shadow daddy looks at Violet with raised eyebrows and suddenly that sure, I'll ask you questions about your. And Dayne's childhood carefree guy is gone. Yeah. Not when that childhood image is suddenly altered to include Asher believing these two would end up together and planning their wedding, basically. So Zayden claims back his spot at Violet's side and would like this to go quote, like, it's gone for the last 18 months. Everyone assumes she'll wind up with you, but it's my last name she ends up wearing on her flight jacket in formation. Pause. Because this is such good foreshadowing double meaning. It's delicious. Dane and Violet both believe that he's referring to wearing his flight jacket. Kind of like wearing a letterman jacket in, you know, the real world. But I truly believe that Zayden is referring to wearing his last name, as in wearing their shared last name together. Hello, marriage foreshadowing. It does also raise the question if we think that they're going to take the Ryerson last name or the Soren Gill, or both keep their own separately. And I don't know. We've had this discussion before, and originally I was thinking Sor and Gail, because that is such a big part of who Violet is. But then we were also talking. I think this was in the reaction reactions episode. We mentioned the possibility of her wanting to feel more connected to Xaden when he's gone. So then taking the Ryerson last name, especially with it being, you know, the Ryerson seat in the Tyrandor province, I truly don't know because it really does go both ways. So casually in this world.

[Lexi]

I think she'll have both last names.

[Nicole]

Oh, so it's like a hyphenate or.

[Lexi]

Yeah, I think that's very them.

[Nicole]

I agree. I almost. And then he takes both, too.

[Lexi]

Yeah. Yeah, that's very, like, equal footing. That's the. That's the answer I'm going with.

[Nicole]

Another question that rises up from the scene is Asher certainly did not predict that Violet would fall in love with Fen Ryerson's son, which I love that Nerl knew exactly who this person is, meaning Papa. Sor and Gail probably shared what happened in the rebellion. Fen Ryerson's role in that, et cetera, et cetera. But what would Asher have thought about Violet's decision to be with Xaden?

[Lexi]

That's an interesting question. I feel like he would be more understanding of the love and devotion between Violet and Zaden than her mom would. Mostly because, for one, he wouldn't have had the same baggage that her mom had. Ms. Aiden, that's kind of a hard thing to get over. And also, I felt like he was more of the romantic between the two of them. Lilith loved Asher with all of her heart, but she was also very much a general who did not show emotions in that kind of way. And I always just kind of see Asher as more of the. The loving and devoted one openly.

[Nicole]

He brought out the loving side of the list, but he was primarily that in the forefront.

[Lexi]

Yes. Kind of one of those relationships where it's, like, on the forefront. People don't really understand how it works, but it totally works, you know, behind the scenes.

[Nicole]

Behind the scenes.

[Lexi]

Behind the scenes. Yeah. I think that he would love their relationship because Zaden supports Violet to be her own person. Not unlike how Papa Sorrengale nurtured her to think for herself and stand up for what's right. However, I have to wonder, what, if anything, Papa Sor and Gal knew about about Fen Ryerson? Did he know something about Fen's deal with Devarelli that the King hints at or separate from Fenn? Did he know about the deal Halden made about all the services rendered and the history that the Navarrian royalty seems to have with Devarelli? In his letter to Violet, Papa Sorrengail does warn her that should she travel under the banner of Navarre, beware of the King of Devarelli, because he holds grudges and speaks only in profit. Maybe that was referring to his own experience of seeing that with Halden and all that. But back to Fen Ryerson. How did Papa Sorrengail feel about rebellion and their dedication to the truth about the Venin? Because his wife, that he was very much in love with, was on the opposing side, knowing they existed and sticking to Nevar's propaganda. But it feels like Papa Sorrengel didn't quite have that same mentality. So I want to know more.

[Nicole]

And adding this to the list of questions that we, at some point, some way, we get to ask Rebecca Yarros, how would Azeror and Gale have felt about Violet and Zaden's relationship? The questions that we desperately need to know. Before we get into the questions that Narelle asks Violet. There are two things I want to highlight. Number one is Mira mentions that Lilith never told them about Asher coming to Devarelli, to which Narelle says, quote, she wouldn't have, would she? So this can be taken a few ways. Lilith knew and like many things, she just didn't tell her daughters because it was up to Violet to figure out from Asher's research. Or she didn't know because Asher didn't share this with Lilith and essentially also didn't share the note that mentioned in his research with Lilith either. I'm leaning towards she did know and she just wanted Violet to figure her it out on her own. Because I mean, add that to the list of things that Lilith has done in her life. But I could also see Asher's trips being more under the radar. After the umbrel trip, there was a lot of tension with Lilith and Asher about the aisles. So maybe he didn't tell her that he went to Devarelli.

[Lexi]

Yeah, my guess is Lilith knew about 70% of what Asher was doing and most of the reason he didn't share the rest with her was to protect her. The epigraph from this chapter 24 is unsent correspondence from Lilith, clearly supposed to be for Asher. She won't understand why you've kept her in the dark. You left too soon, left too many of your plants unfinished. I believe she knew what Asher was leaving in the dark, but she also didn't know the full extent of his plans. Again, on purpose, she didn't know the full extent. And like you said, with option one, Lilith had to trust her husband, that he would teach Violet to find the way to what she needs to know. I wonder too if this was a contributed reason for loathe sending Violet into the writer's quadrant. You know, that mind of a scribe, heart of a writer. To give her the best possible chance to succeed on this path her father has paved for her. And bringing it back to this comment Narelle made. I believe Narelle knows this, that Asher purposely had to keep some things from lo because that was not her path, so to speak.

[Nicole]

Which brings me to the next thing I want to highlight. Because Nelle asks when Asher died and when she hears from Violet that it was a little less than three years ago and because his heart failed. Failed quote. Norell's face crumpled for a few sorrowful breaths, but she nodded through it as if having a conversation with herself, then lifts her head again. I think that this is when she realized he was killed because of his research. Especially because the next line is, quote, your father risked all your lives to hide away his life's work for the sole purpose that you find it. Violet. Like, what else could it mean by risked all your lives? Like, it's because what's in his research. It's because it's being killed over yet. Yes.

[Lexi]

Yes.

[Nicole]

Yes. Okay. Thank God we're on the same page here. But how did him and Rel know each other like that? That is really what's keeping me up at night for this conversation.

[Lexi]

Well, maybe I can help you here. Because I imagine Papa Sorgal and Narelle met years ago when he was doing his aisle research, and their paths just naturally crossed from her being a merchant of rare books and him being an academic. So, for me, the real question is, what else does she know that led him to be able to trust her with his life's work? Maybe this isn't the last time we see her in her bookstore. As Violet continues needing to figure out the connection with the Feather Tales.

[Nicole]

Or.

[Lexi]

Shoot. Maybe Norell knows more about her dedication.

[Nicole]

See, that's what I'm leaning to her. I feel like Norell. Or maybe she even led Papa Sorrengail to the dedication. Maybe she knows more. And she kind of was the guide for Asher to bring Violet to Umbrella.

[Lexi]

Well, he would have already known about Umbriel from his research there.

[Nicole]

Yeah, that's true. We have, obviously, a lot of questions. You know who else has a lot of questions? Norell. Specifically three of them for Violet. Let's walk through each of these, starting with question number one. What is the title of the manuscript he left for Violet? Answer. Subjugated the Second Uprising of the CROVLIN People by Lt. Col. Asher Sorengale. So why would she ask something so. So obvious? Of course Violet would know the name of the research. How else would she have seen the very specific message from her father to seek out Nerl Anselm? My guess is that this is to ensure that Violet is who she says she is and that she also has the reading material in order to answer the next question. Obviously, others were on the hunt for this research, like Verish and Daddy. Atos. Although this is not exactly a. I'm going to call it a foolproof question. But with that out of the way, let's move on to question number two.

[Lexi]

The big Kahuna quote in chapter 14. Your father alludes to the Crowland Uprising falling apart because of Devarelli, but does not go into specifics. Any scribe worth her wisdom wouldn't have been satisfied with his speculation. So tell me, what's your hypothesis? Violet's like, oh, that's easy peasy. And she proceeds to give the answer her father gave in his research. Crowfla didn't keep their part of the deal with Devarelli, so Deverelli withdrew their brokerage of the deal. Because, as we know, with them, your word is blood. You don't break a deal with Deverella. So after Devarelli withdrew their brokerage because Krovla couldn't uphold their end of the bargain, the unnamed Isle removed their troops from Krovla. And to really say an f you for screwing the deal over, Dev Rally told the promish King Regent where to find the Crowvish rebels. This led to the midnight massacre on December 13, 433au.

[Nicole]

Back in the montage of Chapter 20, Violet mentions how she was reading her dad's manuscripts multiple times, and she feels like she finally understands where he was headed with his hypothesis. But she is terrified that she's right in this line of thinking. We don't know it at the time, but once Narelle asks the question, Violet thinks, quote out of everything in the book, that's what she asks. That's because this is the exact question she was referring to back in the hypothesis of chapter 20 that she is terrified to answer.

[Lexi]

But Narelle's not having any of her easy answer. Her question is, why did the deal fall apart? What was brokered? Ah. See, this was not explicitly stated in Papa Sorrengail's research. This is what Papa Sorrengail meant in his letter to Violet, where anyone could read the research, but only Violet would understand it. So here, our brilliant fucking woman shares her true understanding of the brokered deal, which, as we've already emphasized on this deep dive, is unfathomable for Dragon Riders and people of Navarre. According to public notice 433.3232 days before the midnight massacre, Crovlin forces attempted and failed a border breach into Navarre. Navar near the outpost of Athbane. The only other record of this event exists in the journal of Colonel Hashby, who is the commander of the Athbane outpost and oversaw the interrogations of the captured Crovlin rebels trying to get into Navarre. Violet notes that her father drilled this into her while he was working on the manuscript. And now she understands why it was so she could understand. This is a piece to the larger puzzle. I also can't help but wonder if General Cadeo's missing pages from his drawing. Colonel. Are from this time too, and might have more knowledge about this event. Colonel Hashby's interrogation records state that the Crovlin soldiers were crossing the border to get tail feathers. But tail feathers isn't the right translation from crowbish to the common tongue. As Dane figures out in real time, the interrogated Crowblish soldiers were actually admitting they came into Navarre searching for feather tails. Ah, so that's the answer our crew understands. Feather tales are baby dragons, and their weapon tails manifest fest after the dreamless sleep based on their own needs. So put two and two together. Crovish forces snuck into Navarre with the intention to take feathertails, AKA baby dragons. And these dragons were what they promised Deverelli. In this broker deal, Corovla gives the unnamed Isle feathertails. The unnamed isle supports Corova's uprising against Poromiel. But since the Corvish forces were caught at the border and did not successfully obtain feathertails, the deal fell apart. While this may not be a crazy revelation for some readers, put yourself in these dragon riders shoes. Humans are dragons pets, not the other way around. Like Dane says, one does not just deal in dragons. Dragons are at the top of the food chain. They are powerful, they are respected. You straight up, don't mess with them. Hence this concept of taking baby dragons because they're malleable is almost incomprehensible because that's not how dragons are. That's not how the hierarchy of power works in this world. But it appears Corovla and these isles believed differently. They're separated from dragons in the Nevarian culture, so they are rather ignorant when it comes to how powerful, intelligent and hierarchy these dragons are. We will see this later when they go to the King's palace and they're like, kill the writers so you can kill the dragons. Which is not how it works.

[Nicole]

No. So what I believe is Krovla originally was in. I'm going to either call it either in contact or knew of the Irids and maybe knew that they were easier to obtain or something like, I don't know, like they somehow Irids were Plan A. And then when the Irids were like, fuck no, we're a peaceful species. We're not going to go to Devarelli. That's when the Crowvlish people were like, well, crap, we need to go into plan B, which is going into Navarre to get dragons.

[Lexi]

Interesting.

[Nicole]

So I think that they were going for the two different types of feather tales.

[Lexi]

I wonder if it maybe isn't both answers, but is it, you know, whether they were Referring to the baby dragons, which would make sense for them to try to go into Navarre trying to find them. Or were they actually meaning feathertails like the Irids? Because stating the obvious here, all Irids except Andarna have feather tales, so there's that double meaning we're so hung up on. And never forget, Papa Sorngale mentioned the weapon to defeat the venom in his letter to Violet.

[Nicole]

But this would also be how Papa Sorrengail could have figured out about the Irids. If he was researching the second Equivalent Uprising and the Irids were part of the original plan of dealing, then that could have been how I figured it out.

[Lexi]

I'm not sure if I'm sold on Krovla thinking it was both of them, because I do think that it's such a through line of the story where people who are not Nevarian do not understand how dragons work. And so I do think it's very questionable about. If Krovla was referring to feathertails as in the Irids, why would they be going into Navarre? But that could also be just their ignorance with they don't know that Irids don't come from Navarre. They just know about this special type of feather tales. But it also does make sense about it being baby dragons, with it being dealt to these other isles.

[Nicole]

I do want to hop on that train for a second, because let's say this is baby dragons only with the unnamed Isle, I want to focus on them for a second. It would make sense if the unnamed Isle was Umbriel, because they have an army, and it almost is like history is repeating itself here in real time time. Umbriel, as we'll talk about next episode, wants dragon eggs. If Umbriel does get the six missing dragon eggs at the end of this book, they might just offer their army to the continent, something Krovla couldn't do. So then Violet, AKA a servant of Dune, the Isle of Umbriel is also the Isle of Dune, would then have an army of Dune at her back. It's almost like they're doing what the second Corval and Uprising couldn't do. That's a piece of storytelling where. Where I'm like, oh, I could get on that. That's really cool.

[Lexi]

Well, and then we also have to point out what Violet points out here. Daddy Atos knew Papa Sorrengail's research had something to do with feather tales, and Papa Sorrengail had to stop trusting him at some point. The stakes don't feel high enough that it was dealing in baby dragons. But you know what? I say that I also realize we can't discount how guarded feather tales are because they can accidentally share their magical gifts with humans. So perhaps there was a fear of Daddy Atos hunger for power with the concept of dealing in baby dragons. Like that would make sense. Yeah. But then we also can't forget about how Papa Sorgel knew about the weapon to defeat the Venin and he has so much research on the Isles and the Irids are in this area here. I don't know, I can just feel a puzzle piece missing that brings the Irids into the fold here, but not in such a cut and dry kind of way. Because it could be about, you know, baby dragons and the gifts and all of that, or Daddy Ate and Navarrean leadership are untrustworthy because of something connected to the Irids. I don't know. I've fallen down a rabbit hole. Pull me out, Nicole well, I've got.

[Nicole]

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[Lexi]

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[Nicole]

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[Lexi]

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[Nicole]

Alrighty. Question 2 which was quite the political doozy. So let's prep for the final question that Narelle starts with a smile. What made Violet leave the Prince? What? Norell Tea sipper, Gossip lover? Knower of the four, one one wants to know the deets which she luxuriates in when she learns that Holden cheated on Violet with a professor. I love how the daughter's like mom. However, this does go beyond her wanting to know just the hot God, she clarifies with Violet that Violet left him, even with the crown of Navarre in her hands, and also checks that Violet did not take him back, which she didn't. And the crown was never her goal. Quote, he didn't love me, not in the way I deserve to be loved. And no amount of power is worth staying with someone who doesn't love you. If I was the smart At 21, Violet does not chase power, and I think that's exactly what Narelle is checking for. Not knowledge is power, and with power comes great responsibility. Violet doesn't crave that power and therefore will take the responsibility with the weight that this does deserve. It's also that nice foreshadowing for when she does end up being the Duchess of Tyrandor. At the end of this book, Nero sees Violet's sincerity in her answer. She knows her value and her father would be proud. She has earned the books. Six tomes. Ah, there's that number six again, written by Asher Sorengale, and every single one of them is passcode locked. However, sadly, we never learned the riddle for these six books because, dang, I want to know them. I kind of feel like Rebecca Yaros was like, I did. I did one riddle. I'm good.

[Lexi]

Well, and it's interesting because like we've mentioned, we know about three of these tomes, but we don't know about the other three. Although it's obvious that Violet has been reading them and she is educating herself on them. We just don't know them yet. When Mira offers to carry the books for Violet, there's a bite to her tone that makes Violet question why their dad was so adamant only Violet collect these books. In his letter to Violet, he said to trust only Mira. So it's not because he didn't trust his other daughter. I think it has to do with because Violet was so much like their mother and she followed in her footsteps as a born to be writer. Mira is someone who for the most part views the world as black or white. White. She didn't have the patience or the academic curiosity to be educated by their father like Violet or even Brennan. So while she is trustworthy, their father couldn't rely on Mira to uncover what needs to be uncovered in the same way he could rely on Violet for one. That's just not how Mira's mind works. It's not a fault, it's just a fact because she is so similar to their mother. And number two, he tutored Violet to think critically and differently in a way that Mira doesn't. No matter the reason, it's a blow for one daughter to hear such understanding and I'll even say favoritism as their father connects with the other daughter from beyond the grave. That would be so crushing from Mira's perspective, to hear over and over again that these books from their father are only for the other daughter. Norell will go on to tell Mira, we all have a part to play in what's coming for us. This one is simply hers. While he was busy raising Violet for this particular mission, your mother was raised raising you. I wonder what legacy you've inherited. When Quest Squad returns from this Deverelli mission, Mira will quickly take personal leave for the first time in her career. Turns out she'll go to Grandmama Niara, their father's mother, who lives in Luceresh. The Sorengale family has been estranged from her since Violet was little, which we'll get to in a later episode. But for now, we can assume the reason Mira travels to see their paternal grandmother is because she feels left out of Violet's mission with Papa Sorrengel's research and wants to learn more about her purpose, this legacy she's inherited. Mira has lost both her parents too, and it's like she's left behind between these three children. Brennan is part of the Orisha assembly and has his greater purpose of serving Orisha as a tactician. Violet has been given this mission from their father, who emphasized his research is only for her, leaving Mira feeling lost in her purpose and identity. So she goes on her own search to better connect with the only family they have left left. And in the process, she'll learn about their family's past.

[Nicole]

When Narelle says that their mother raised Mira and wondering what legacy she's inherited. This has to be an Easter egg. What legacy could Mira have inherited? She is a protector. She is literally a walking shield. Was Lilith prepping for her to be the leader of Best Gaieth? Eventually, maybe. That feels like kind of a stretch. In the epigraph of chapter 24, it is Recovery covered unsent correspondence of General Lilith Sorrengale to Asher. Which just rips my heart out that she was writing to Asher after he died and like she still wanted to be able to talk to him. God, that. Oh man. Twist the knife. The letter said, quote, she won't understand why you've kept her in the dark. You left too soon, Left too many of your plans unfinished. Now we can only hope the bond between our daughters is strong. Enough to endure the paths they've chosen. Chosen? They'll need each other to survive this. And the legacy that Mira has inherited. It all feels too fucking connected. So I'm just gonna go line by line. Quote she won't understand why you've kept her in the dark. I'm assuming she's referring to Violet here. Kept her in the dark about the dedication or left her in the dark about the truth of the fables of the Baron and all of his research. And you know, there's. There's a plethora of things to choose from. Quote, you left too soon. Left too many of your plans unfinished. Lexi talked about that earlier. Pretty self explanatory. Quote. Now we can only hope the bond between our daughters is strong enough to endure the paths they've chosen. They'll need each other to survive. So we know the paths they've chosen in regards to Violet. Which we will get much more into in a later episode with the dedication and all that kind of stuff. But what is this path that Mira has chosen? Is it something that Grandmama Niara can help her figure out or help her uncover? In a Reddit article by apprehensive_fan4621, they wonder what exactly Lilith has been priming Mira for. Was she giving her cryptic warnings like Asher did to Violet? The comments in this Reddit post ranged from Mira being primed to be the ultimate protector to the chosen one of Violet, born from joy. Mentions the possibility of Lilith almost subconsciously training her for protection, which is what led to her signet manifesting as wards. Then estimate old 1875 brings up a really good point. Mira's going to get a bracelet of black tourmaline. Don't worry, we'll get to gem watch or whatever watch later when we get to that episode. So could this bracelet be almost like the tomes that Violet got from Asher? But this is like will, this gift to her. All I know is that mystery Grandmama Diara is definitely going to come back into place somehow, some way. When it comes to Mutual Vera's destiny, we may not have the answers here. So let's soak our troubles away. Back at Tokaris, Violet is in a carved wooden tub and when Zaden knock knocks on the door, whose jaw drops at the sight of her unbound hair and her naked shoulders. So it's time to go through the checklist. Violet. You're not dizzy? No. You're not sore after all the riding on horses and flying last night? I mean, I'm as good as a gets. You're not tired? No. Good. I know Violet pokes a little bit of fun at Zaden here for being, like, polite and whatever, but I just find this so sweet. Like, he cares for her. Well, being so much more than he cares about getting his dick hard. And it's just one more reason. This man is wonderful. I love it. But he didn't just prep with questions to make sure she was all right. These two start fresh, nakedly kissing out of the bath. He moves her to the breakfast table, which is just a few feet from the bedroom window. But don't worry. No one can see at this angle.

[Lexi]

Skrt.

[Nicole]

How do you know that, Zaden Ryerson? Ah, because sometime between being out on the beach when they arrived to leaving on horseback to go find Narelle, Zaden Ryerson went through the room and checked all angles of the room to see who could see where. I have this question. How quickly after Zaden realizing he's so at peace here with no magic, has he been thinking about this? Like, was this another reason that he was so giddy earlier? He knew he was gonna get laid?

[Lexi]

Probably.

[Nicole]

Zaden might know exactly where this is going, but Violet is unsure. Back in Navarre, Zaden was very clear about his boundaries. Not because he doesn't want to do the horizontal hanky panky with Violet, but because he's terrified of channeling when losing control with her. Especially considering what happened on the headboard. Yeah, it makes sense. But here, there is no magic so that no sex, so I don't lose control and accidentally hurt you. And not in the fun way role doesn't count. But something is missing. The things that make them them. The ability to speak into one another's minds. The ability to wield when climaxing, or the ability to sense each other and throw feelings and memories down the bond. None of that is here. And it's almost jarring to them. Almost like, is this the new normal? The thing that made them so you're the only one I've lost control with. Is no longer of available. And while they definitely make the most of it, it is that missing piece. They do figure out a what I'll call next best thing, which is openly talking to each other about missing those things and being inside each other's heads, giving them that ample vulnerability and openness with each other. Again, their communication in this book. A plus. Plus this feeling of incompletion. Yes, even when Violet gets off twice, it makes chapter 49 sexy scene so, so satisfying. Because it is that completion in more ways than one in that chair. But there's no chairs here, though. What we do have is a broken table. I mean, if you can't have the norm of, like, the voices and the shadows and whatnot, at least you have the norm of the furniture breaking. Nice job, you two. A few things I do want to highlight from the scene, though, that I haven't highlighted in my monologue already.

[Lexi]

I was actually surprised how little you talked about this when I was going through the outline.

[Nicole]

Well, because like every sex scene in this book, and this is a game you and I played quite a bit in our ACOTAR coverage, especially in the later books. Is the scene for sex or is the scene for plot? And what I really love about each of these scenes in this book is everything is plot driven. The reason this is on the page is this is them figuring out a new normal. This is them realizing how much they missed the bond. And especially this line right here, Zaden says, quote, are you sure you know what I am? And in this book, we do see a lot of Xaden being hyper aware with what he is and being cautious, not wanting to hurt Violet. But this is really one of the few times we feel him being tainted by what he is. However, as Violet corrects him, it is actually who he is. Now, I'm no expert on addiction by any means, but I know there can be this associating your whole self with addiction, like, that's all I am am. Zaden is here associating with himself, being full Venon, full stop. But as Violet points out, it's not a what. It is a who. A whole being is so much more than him just being Venon, and she sees all of who he is. Also, I fully believe that these two things are unrelated. But I can't help but think of Terence from 4th Wing. I know who and what you are, Violet Sorengale. I don't think they're related, but it did cause a little ring a ding ding in my head. The next thing I do want to point out is Violet does tear up when Xaden thrusts into her for the first time when Zaden asks if she's all right because she is tearing up and he's worried that he's hurt her. She says that it's truly just that she's missed this connection of the two of them. And again, I find this very sweet. Like, this is so much more than just sex with them. And again, that's. That's why I feel like these scenes are so much more than Just sex on a page. Or dragon smut. This is connection.

[Lexi]

Their love for each other is just all over the page. Which is why chapter 25 epigraph is a little ironic. I'm gonna splash some cold water on here because we're talking about Fen Ryerson, Zayden's dad, how he's saying that the most useless word in aristocracy is love because marriage is a necessary evil to secure the line, nothing more. While Violet and Xaden are not married yet or will be married under the terms they'd want, together, they are, in their own way, proving Finn wrong. Love can be for each other. It doesn't have to be saved for children. They can experience it both together and maybe, hopefully have a happily ever after. Maybe.

[Nicole]

Big question mark there. I can't wait to talk about that epigraph later. Last thing I want to point out from the sex scene is Zaden says this is as he's thrusting into her. There you go. There's my second one on my bingo card quote, I'm never giving you up. You know that, right? You had your chance to run. You should have run by. Nothing like having sex with a guy and him being like, you should have run for me. Like, I know it's supposed to be sweet, but that just makes me giggle. He doesn't technically give her up at the end of this book because he did marry her, but he does tell her not to go looking for him. So is. I don't know if I'd call it run, but it is definitely that foreshadowing of we're not going to be together at the end of this book. At least in the way they want to be.

[Lexi]

After their bang bang, bangity bang, Violet brings up what she thought earlier. Upon their arrival to Devarelli, they could stay here, where there's no magic. Where Zaden can get some peace. Peace by not feeling the pull toward the source, allowing him the chance for his progression to halt. Until Violet can find a cure. She can take Takaris offer of protecting Cordon for several years with her lightning wielding. And in return, he will put her and her loved ones up on an aisle to live out the rest of their days in peace. As we've discussed before, it's not in Violet's nature to take a selfish escape like this. In her opinion, it's the easy way out. And it's leaving the rest of the continent to their own devices, which is something she would never do. Seeing Zaden feel the sense of ease and freedom to get a taste of the happiness that could be. It's very tempting for her. But unfortunately, while Xaden feels better than he has in months here without magic, the lack of magic causes the dragon's pain. Rebecca said during our interview that quote you have different tectonic plates pushing different mountain ranges up, which also gives us more magic in areas. This is why there are varying levels or even lack of magic around this world. Apparently Taryn has been quiet about the struggles he's been enduring since leaving the continent. He hasn't wanted to complain to Violet, who lives in near constant pain, which aww, such a girl dad move when he doesn't want to trouble her or show signs of weakness when he's all too aware of what she goes through every single day. Andarna, on the other hand, is showing no signs of trouble like the other dragons. We'll find out. This is because she is magic, whereas the other dragons draw upon magic from their environment. There's also a fantastic theory by Emily's theories about how dragons pull magic in this world. Pretty sure half of our listeners have sent us this theory.

[Nicole]

I'm pretty sure also half of our theories we pull are from Emmy Ega, which is also Emmy yes on Reddit.

[Lexi]

Emmy Ega, we love you. Emily explains how the six dragon breeds rely on the magic source from the ground, hence why they have no access to magic here on the isle. Because magic is not in the core geographic landscape here. She goes on to theorize that Irids channel magic from the sky. Irid's magic is so different from the others and that's why their magic can kill Venon, for instance. Sky power versus ground power. And the big reason the Venin want Violet so badly is because she can access power from the sky thanks to being bonded to an Irid. I won't get into the rest of the series right now, but it is linked in the show notes. If you want to check out the full theory, there's a whole lot more to it. The takeaway is what if dragons can return to wielding from the sky once again instead of from the ground? Overall, I just find it so fascinating how the six dragon breeds are so different from the Irids with how magic works. How did these dragon species come to be? Are the Irides the original dragons and that's why they're so much more powerful? Or can the other dragons learn to channel from a different power source like Emily was saying? Or even become a different power source?

[Nicole]

Oh my God. Knock knock bunny rabbits. Though there's a problem. A messenger has arrived and King Cortland of Devarelli has decided to keep Holden as a souvenir. The only one who is able to talk to the king though are aristocrats, AKA the Duke of Tyrandor Zaden Ryerson Halden, how dare you cockblock these two. You're so annoying.

[Lexi]

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[Nicole]

Not only do I take my ritual stress relief, I also take my ritual probiotics and I love first of all, I never knew I needed vitamins to be pretty. That was something I did not know I needed in my life. But it is such a whimsical thing I get to do every single month the morning. Also my probiotics. They taste like a vanilla mint going down almost. And you know how like some of those vitamins can taste. Icky icky this one not at all. I love my Ritual Stress Relief Bio series.

[Lexi]

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[Nicole]

The juggle is real. Do not just respond to stress. Get ahead of it with stress relief from Ritual. Get 25% off your first month at Ritual.com FFG start Ritual or add stress Relief to your subscription today. That's ritual.com FFG for 25% off arriving to the palace in Deverelli. Holy moly. This place is gorgeous. Four stories and carved into the hillside with a hundred yard meadow out in front. Although it is that muted green grass. Nice foreshadowing for when we get to Zelna. And the grass is vibrant green with magic. Violet admires that it's a feat of engineering and a testament to their traditions that the seat of power hasn't gone to ruin. Like many ancient castles on the continent, there are blue glowing lights that line the central path leading up to the mostly outdoor palace. Alice hello Falnarinia moths. Poisonous moths that when fed with honeycomb create light. I looked up Falerinia in both books and on the interwebs and could not find anything of note. However, that was until I found a Reddit article can you sell can you tell us about a lot of time on Reddit this week? A Reddit article by Cookies and Cards asking why this specific bit of info was included. The comments mostly stated that it was included to show how Violet is studying up on plants and poisons everything she can about the isles. Especially that nice bit of foreshadowing for when we get to Hedotis and she needs to know poisons. Others thought that this was included as a world building tactic because mage lights are on the continent and they use magic, so how would they do it on no magic? But then LilyCoy0605 brought in about how an asym was even tempered, but then super not leading to quote her resentment results can be found with group 33B under category death by fire and subsequently group 46C under category death by Poison. Death by poison? What's poisonous? Thalerinia moths. What epigraph is this for? Ha, this very one. Chapter 26. So as Lilikai mentions, what if the poisonous moth here is foreshadowing for Venon killer?

[Lexi]

I freaked out. I have always wondered why that epigraph was what it was.

[Nicole]

Yes, same. And I think there's a million different meanings behind it. Also, it's that nice foreshadowing for Asymms cannot be killed by fire because death by fire didn't work. So then they moved to death by poison. But who also is a master of poisons? Violet? Soren? Gale. Oh my God, I love this shit. Lastly, for this palace it is.

[Lexi]

Wait, real quick. Sorry, totally random here. And Darna has a a scorpion tail which we can assume is poisonous, so I don't know if that's related to any of this as well, but just an interesting tie in you get a.

[Nicole]

Poison, you get a poison. Lastly, for the palace it is mostly outdoors and the formal spaces, even the King's chambers are outside, which seems impractical for security reasons. But don't worry, they have awnings if it rains.

[Lexi]

I think it goes to show how sure they are of themselves to be in this diplomatic position of neutrality. Yes, they have crossbolts pointed for incoming dragons, but as a society they generally frown on weapons and boast their peacefulness. And the King just kind of thinks that he's above all of that. While Xavin's doing his best to be diplomatic with the Devarelli palace guards, he says something that stands out to many readers he goes on about how he personally wouldn't mind Halden staying here, but it would make things difficult back home for someone he has complicated loyalty towards. Violet immediately jumps to the conclusion that Zaden is referring to Arik. And on the surface, yes, that does make sense. Zaden doesn't feel loyalty toward the Crown of Navarre, but he has gotten to know Aric and respect him, even if they've had a, you know, rocky relationship with Zaden killing his older brother and Halden's twin. But overall, Arik has played, for instance, a key role in the Archives heist, and he became a traitor when he flew to Oratia with the others. He has proved himself in Zayan's eyes. But there is a possibility that what Zaden's saying here has a double meaning. According to Rebecca Arryx, precognition signet has manifested already. So what if Arrek has learned Zaden is Venin, and because Zaden is an intrinsic and can read Arryk's mind, he knows that Arrek knows. And the two of them have worked out their own deal that no one else, not even Violet, is aware of. This is a big piece of supporting evidence that Arryk is the new brother at the end of the book. Book because he's the only other one beside Bodhi and Garak who would have watched Zayn struggle with being a Venom for five months. My personal opinion is that there is more to Arik and Zaden's relationship and dealings than we currently know, and by extension what Violet knows. But I'm still leaning toward Bodhi being the new brother based on so much other criteria. That is so much further away than we need to be talking about right.

[Nicole]

Now though listen to our Romanasy Bookcon live show from Monday for way more details.

[Lexi]

Zaden may be able to get an audience with the King of Devarelli because he is nobility. Ah, but what about Violet? They're kind of a package deal deal, you know. Ah, well, you see, she says consort. A consort, for those of you who don't know, is a spouse of a reigning monarchy. Though as Zayden says in Avar, it's a loosely used term, so if I had to interpret it, it's more like partner verse. Requires an official marriage. Violet may be taken aback by this new relationship status that Zaden just gave them.

[Nicole]

But I did not approve this on Facebook.

[Lexi]

Wow, it's really bringing it back. You just hard launched us big time, Zaden. But as far as Zany is concerned, number one, don't worry, Vi. It's just to get you into the palace, too. And extends his titles, protection, and privileges to her as well. Number two, it offers a more permanent tone to what they share. These two aren't just boyfriend and girlfriend. They're in it for life. So while, yeah, they're not married yet, the title of consort bumps up their relationship to the level that they both emotionally feel for each other. Other. And as Zayden says here, when would be a good time to talk about their relationship status? They're always risking death. There's always something going on. There's always danger. Now or never, baby. Me and Zaden might seem like we're joking, but he's all too serious about the permanent title of their relationship.

[Nicole]

I feel like this is when you go from calling someone like, a boyfriend, girlfriend, or even like, I'm dating or even I'm a friend or whatever, to, like, partner. I remember before Brett and I got engaged, I refused to say boyfriend because I was like, we have been dating for X amount of years. I can't even remember at this point. But, like, I like boyfriend just felt so not enough. And so I would always say partner. So I feel like it's that. It's that elevation to the partner status.

[Lexi]

And of course, we have to state the obvious. This is Zaden priming Violet and us readers and the rest of this world in the story that she is going to take over as Duchess of Tyrandor. He knows there will come a time in the not too distant future where he will not be capable of ruling, and he is preparing to pass the torch to, well, Bodhi as his heir or Violet, his consort, by declaring her as such here doesn't just give Violet access to this meeting. It gives her the necessary status for the long term to keep negotiating and dealing with Devarelli when Xaden is no longer around to do so. Protection and privileges of his title, indeed.

[Nicole]

It is time to go to the dining room. I'm missed saying that so much. If you have no idea where that joke is from, boy, do I have 55 episodes of ACAR for you.

[Lexi]

Wait, real quickly. We just got to give a quick tldr, because especially in Acotar. Don't worry, no spoilers. There are a lot of scenes in the dining room. And over time, it just became like this running joke where it's like. And we're in the dining room again. And anyway, it just carried on. And so now we get so excited whenever there's a dining room scene, which.

[Nicole]

There'S not a whole lot of dining room scenes in the fourth Wing series. But you know what? I'm going to live it up while we're here. This open aired room has two rows of eight rounded tables all outfitted with golden cups, crystal chalices, and jewels upon jewels upon jewels. Each of the eight tables has 10 people sitting at them, so I always forget this when I'm reading the scene. There's 80 people as an audience during this entire thing. But then at the end of this hall there's a raised dais with a U shaped table for five currently including the King, Halden, Anticharus, and a few other busybodies up at the table. But let's talk about this king for a moment. King Cortland has golden brown skin, cunning brown eyes, and shoulder length black hair. He's roughly a few years older than Xaden and Violet, so we can assume he's like 25ish, but that's about four decades younger than Violet assumed he'd be based on what she knew about him. Because this is pointed out multiple times. His age, especially the shockingness of his age being younger, really stood out to me because we've had this a few times before where a character has been surprisingly shocked by the youthfulness or the young and the beauty of a character. Berwyn and Theophany, to name a few. Does this mean that King Cortland is a Venin? I don't think so. But then I went down an entire rabbit hole, so stay with me. Because Xaden has no access to magic yet here, I would assume his venom tracker signal also doesn't work here. Violet also points out how they speak in double meanings, which Theophany does admit to doing so later, right when she tries to kill Mira. King Cortland also values status here, which is not exactly a one to one with power, but the Venin do very much value power. But the island has no magic. So Nicole, how will they continue to drain they deal in magical artifacts, so does he drain the magic out of them to stay young? It would be yet another reason Theophany knew that they were in Inca because they needed to go get the gem for Cortland. And it would be another reason why she knew they were coming back from their mission, because maybe just like he did with the rest of the isles, he sent Theophany a missive as well, saying hey, they're coming back. Also, when Violet asks if the Venin have been here and if Devarelli defeated the Venin, Courtland says quote to imply that our Isle is One weak conquerable is a line you do not want to cross. Such an assumption is disastrous to an economy that is built on safe, stable trade. People do not invest in unstable aisles. Sir, you did not answer the question. Also, this is classic Rebecca Yarrow style writing where she's derailing our focus to the danger the kitty cats holden stupidity when she's dropping major hints sideways. I'm not convinced, but I'm not not convinced.

[Lexi]

I hear your reasoning. I think that's a fun theory. I knew it.

[Nicole]

Then why do you think it's mentioned so many times that, like, he's so young. He's so surprisingly young.

[Lexi]

I think that it's gonna set up for something with the history of Devarelli.

[Nicole]

Okay, I want to bring up another point. This may not.

[Lexi]

It might just also be a character description. I.

[Nicole]

Everything has four minutes.

[Lexi]

It's a culture. Descriptions.

[Nicole]

Do you know what else was the character description? Jack Barlow is dead. So you know what?

[Lexi]

No, no. That's different. There were red rims around his eyes. In hindsight, yes, he was definitely Venin. I have heard enough of that.

[Nicole]

Something else I do want to point out though, is it is mentioned multiple times how Devarelli. They. They trade in goods. And sometimes those goods can be secrets or information. What do you think King Cortland got back in order to trade the information that quest squad is going to each of the aisles.

[Lexi]

I never thought about it being a trading sort of thing.

[Nicole]

I don't feel like. Because he's the one with the nation.

[Lexi]

That's a good point. But he also would have to dangle it in front of the other aisles in the first place. I don't think it would be that big of a secret though, with really.

[Nicole]

I but like to prepare the other aisles to say, hey, I know some visitors who are coming to visit you. You. I can help you prepare if you have something for me. Maybe. He gave chocolate to Hedotis. Oh, I don't know what he would give to Umbreel or Zelna, but I guarantee you he traded something for that information.

[Lexi]

I'm gonna be honest. I think this is one of the situations we're looking a little too much into stuff.

[Nicole]

I didn't like that deep divers for a reason.

[Lexi]

All right, so Basket Halden found himself in this trapped position. He arrived at the palace hours ago for his meeting with King Cortland. And now Captain Anna Winchre is nowhere to be seen. That can't be a problem, right? And Halden is clearly fuming as he is now held against his will. According to Halden, he was here doing what he was supposed to. Damn it. Re establishing diplomatic connections with Devarelli and asking for permission to use Dakaris's manor to launch a search mission with a right riot of dragons in exchange for the Aemilian citrine. That's it, everybody. But when that wasn't enough for King Cortland of Deverelli, Halden tried offering him one more artifact, the Blade of Orisha, which, as the king points out, isn't technically Halden's to give because it's supposed to belong to Zaden, whose house rules over Arisha. However, the Blade of Orisha was appropriated for the royal vault by the first King of Navarre, Reginald, during the unification. So for the past 600 years, this antique dagger with a silver handle and large emeralds adorning the hilt has been in Navarre Royalty's possession.

[Nicole]

We want to take one last quick pause to tell you about today's sponsor, Zocdoc. When was the last time you needed to go to a doctor but you pushed it off? Made the excuse I'm too busy. I'm writing an outline. I'm trying to re establish diplomatic relations between Navarre and Deverelli. Or my personal favorite, I have to scourge the Internet for the most unhinged theories that make Lexi say that's a fun theory. I think we've all been Booking a doctor's appointment can feel so daunting, but thanks to ZocDoc, there's no reason to delay. They make it so easy to find and book a doctor who is right for you.

[Lexi]

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[Nicole]

You may have My favorite part about zocdoc is the ease of scheduling. Once you find the right doctor, you can see their actual appointment openings. Choose a time slot that works for you and click to instantly book a visit. Appointments made through Zocdoc happen fast, typically within 24 to 72 hours of bookings. You can even scroll score same day appointments.

[Lexi]

We use Zocdoc and you should too. Stop putting off those doctor appointments and go to zocdoc.com ff to find an instantly book a top rated doctor today. That's z o c-o c.com ff zocdoc.com ff so we got Halden's version, which might leave someone to wonder, what in the world did he do wrong then? Well, King Cortland continues what Halden conveniently left out. The King doesn't consider this Blade of Orisha to be Halden's to give because Halden already broke his word on their agreement with today's meeting. Oh, shit. Rule number one with Devarelli. Don't break your word or you'll never be trusted again. So. Damn it, Holden, what did you do? Turns out the basket bitch had a secret mission today too. He sent Captain Anna Winshire to go to the King's treasure and steal specific treasures that Halden instructed her to take back. The list is literally in his handwriting. And, well, she got caught, so I guess now we know where she is. Therefore, Halton is in this predicament of his own making, because he literally sent someone to steal Nevarian treasures from the Devarelli King while he was trying to negotiate an alliance. Because he apparently believes that since these treasures once belonged to Navarre, they're still rightfully theirs and so they should take them back. Back by stealing while asking for help. And there's nothing wrong with that. But more on all that in a minute. To show just how much he means business, King Cortland plunges the Blade of Orisha into Halden's hand. But don't worry, he has great aim. And he didn't hit any tendons. Tis but a flesh wound. I love how this King understands that gifting Devarelli the Blade of Orisha might incite some feelings from the Duke of Tyrandor. Could Halden have specifically chosen this gift as an F you to Zaden? Yes, probably. From what we know about Halden, think of all the possible gifts available to the Prince of Navarre. And his backup gift, in addition to what the King asked for with the Emilian Citrine, was something symbolic to Arisha.

[Nicole]

And his ex girlfriend's current lover. Also, this is the petty bitch shit that Halden would absolutely do. Here's what we know. Halden and assuming King Tari and the previous Kings of Navarre too, have been working with Devarelli for the last century in services rendered because Navarre was so desper for their aid. In exchange, Devarelli received priceless magical artifacts from Navarre. Halden yells about how these were unfair terms and instead is looked at as outright theft from the Navarre inside. We were desperate. How dare you steal from us. You gave these willingly. My guy. Last book, we learned that Devarelli has ceased its trade with Poor Meal for the last few years, but we know it's been centuries since it cut off contact from Navarre. However, it appears this is yet another misconception that Navarre Bar doesn't tell its population. We also learned last book that Arrek came to Passgaya because he knows about the Venon and so does Halden. But when Violet asks Arrek and meaning, is Halden doing anything about it? Arrek only said, quote, I'm here, aren't I? Which Violet took to mean Halden wasn't doing shit. Turns out he was doing something. So this does bring in the question, what the heck was Halden and the royal Tari line doing with their communication with Devarell prior to this visit? What were the services rendered in this exchange with Courtland? Halden mentions that they were desperate and Courtland took advantage of their desperation. But there's no mention of anything around the Venin. So I'm slightly confused about what type of help Courtland was giving them via the services rendered. Was he giving them imbued alloy to help strengthen the wards, or was he giving them one of the variety of ingredients that goes into alloy?

[Lexi]

If it was along these lines, it would have had to be an ingredient because Devarelli doesn't have the magic. I'm inclined to think Devarelli has secretly supplied Navarre with weapons. From the way the king says supplying those at war, however, that's where the money is. And when Violet realizes that Halden has had a starring role in keeping the Venan's existence hash, hush. Like you were just saying that she's inferring. Halden has ensured Nevara's fight stays focused on poor Emiel. So it's actually not related to the Venin on purpose. He's been focused on keeping the war between the two kingdoms going strong versus working together against the vent.

[Nicole]

Okay, so here's another thought process. Thinking thought that I had when I was doing this part of the outline. Was Halden and the Qatari line working on a. I'm going to call it a backup plan for the nobility slash higher ups in Navarre for an escape if needed. Or if there are Venin on the aisles like I've been discussing, is there a potential that they were actually giving Navarre test subjects? I can't help but think this is aside from the Venin being test subjects, but more people being test subjects. Remember that line in Iron Flame where Verish says we're running out of civilians for you to use your signet on when he's talking to Dane. Are they literally giving up test subjects as fodder, I'll call it? Clearly, whatever it was, it wasn't enough that Dev Ralli was giving them. Or at least they didn't uphold their end of the bargain. According to Halden. According to Halden's doing a lot of work there. Anyway, I'm going to skirt a little bit to the side, because earlier the King of Devarelli mentions to Zaden the importance of upholding a bargain, even when it's unpleasant to do so. So quote, just as your father did. Alarm, alarm, alarm. What unpleasant bargain did Finn uphold with the King of Devarelli? What? What?

[Lexi]

These little Easter eggs are why I love the series so much. Could the deal be related to Finn's marriage contract to Talia? Although I don't see how Devarelli would have been involved in that whatsoever. But just a thought.

[Nicole]

If they were brokering the deal between a marriage of Hedotis and a marriage of. And they were also last in contact with Tyrannor.

[Lexi]

Yes. Or. Or. Or Devarelli and Finn made some kind of deal to aid the rebellion. Again, going back to the quote about supplying wars is in Devarelli's best interest. It makes sense that they helped the Tearish for a war. Takara was Finn's first ally, so he probably arranged for Finn and this king to get in touch so that they could help the Tears rebellion. I'm also curious though. What made it unpleasant? What did Fen give in return? Because it sure wasn't the matching blade of Orisha and the sword of Tyrandor.

[Nicole]

Well, I'm going to calm my heart rate down for two guests enter the hall. She, Ra, Shayna and Shara.

[Lexi]

The Kitties.

[Nicole]

These are truly actually white Panthers who are very scary, but I will only call them kitties like I'm Boo from Monsters Inc. You're welcome. It's dinner time, though, however. What's for dinner? King Courtland's servants unveil the copper covers to reveal giant slabs of red meat and a head captain in Windshire's head. That's one way to punish the prince and his posse for acting out. For stealing, but especially for peaceful people on an isle. After the initial shock, this completely pisses off the prince who believes they were only taking back what was rightfully theirs. Why'd you kill my guard, bro?

[Lexi]

Even Violet is like, I'm used to death. We're old friends, but the audacity of this is Next level. Navarre is used to killing each other the old fashioned way. But King Cortland is making a spectacle of this death as a taunt and a warning to others in a way we haven't really seen. Like, we've seen gore and gruesomeness, but not like this. Captain Anna was Halden's personal guard, but she was also on a completely separate mission for him on this trip to Devarelli. Halden thinks that as Prince of Navarre, he's untouchable, but here he's dealing with other nobility who are like, bitch, not in my house. You are not that special. While Halden was in the initial meeting with King Cortland, Anna snuck into the treasury with a list of 11 total nevarian items to take back. All of which are priceless magical artifacts. She had already grabbed six when she was caught and had five more on her list. A list that was written in Halden's handwriting. Coming in to do major damage control, Zan proposes his own deal with King Cortland. Let them use Takara's manor as a stopping point for their search party. It will include a riot of no more than eight dragons and an equal number of griffins. As part of the agreement to make this a home base, they can secure hunting rights of wild game for the dragons and griffins, and safety for all parties. And if the King is unwilling to make this deal with Nova Far, considering how bad things have gone with Halden here, then maybe he will accept the deal specifically with Tyndor, in which Zaden will make sure the only riots on Deferly shores are from Orisha in addition to their Griffin Flyer counterparts. What does Zadian have to trade for his part of the deal? The Sword of Tyrandor. Like its matching dagger, the Blade of Orisha. This Tyrandor heirloom has an emerald studded hilt. We know the Blade of Orisha has been in Nevarian Royalties possession since unification, but we can gather the Sword of Tyndor belonged to Fen Ryerson. And returning it to the rightful Duke of of Tyrandor was part of the accord signed that gave Zaden his title back very recently. So the Sword of Tyrandor being in Zaden's possession is a new development. It had previously been in his father's possession. And I'm assuming that when the rebellion fell and his father was captured, Navarre took the sword from him. And now they've gifted it back to Zaden. This is a big moment for him to be willing to sacrifice this important family artifact for the deal with Devarelli.

[Nicole]

As Aiden is making this deal, Violet takes out the conduit and puts it in her hand. End quote. I swear I can feel a humor, a swift rise in heat that I know is only in my head, but it's soothing all the same.

[Lexi]

Pause.

[Nicole]

This is not in her head. Like, can we agree on that? This is actually happening? But how she uses her powers on Umbriel because she wields, even though she doesn't believe that she did, but even here, she's got a trickle of power. Then later, quote, anger storms through my veins, heating my skin from the scalp down in a flood of smelting rage. Heating. That is very similar to how Violet sounds when she's channeling. So is this the same kind of magic at play with her? Being able to communicate with her dragons? What we can assume is Andarna, because she is magic being the power source. And that's why Violet is able to wield, but she's wielding from Tarn. So is this something else? I have so many questions.

[Lexi]

It's so interesting. I understand it as the same concept as some runes working here. Where it depends. Depends on the material they're tempered into. It comes down to the fact that isolated and contained magic like this conduit that is imbued still works and can exist. It's the magic within the environment and Earth that griffins and dragons rely on for power. And of course, they're riders and flyers. Violet theoretically wouldn't be able to imbue the conduit here because she doesn't have her power. But this is her power in a box and saved for a rainy day that is still accessible. So a question is, could she pull this power in a similar fashion that Zaden does when he becomes Venon? But could she pull the same power? And because it was already hers, could she tap into that and use her lightning wielding and not become a Venin because it was already hers from the beginning?

[Nicole]

Okay, so let me. Let me just get this straight. So you're saying Taryn is a power source, and Darna is a power source. And then Violet, when she imbues something, is another power source, the imbued object.

[Lexi]

So in this instance, Taryn is the original power source.

[Nicole]

Yes.

[Lexi]

Violet, before they were in Devarelli, she imbued her power from Taryn into the conduit. So the magic that is currently being held in the conduit that we know is alive still. Because, again, it's isolating magic. It is from Taryn. It was from Violet directly, which got who Got it from Taryn. So because she is the wielder, can she feel this magic still from Taryn because it is isolated from her and him already ready?

[Nicole]

I see where you're going. I don't think so. Because it sounds here like she's connecting herself with the conduit. It's already imbued from what it sounds like, but it sounds like she's extra imbuing it or putting extra power in it, which would mean that she's getting power. So here's how I look at it. You know when you plug your phone into a wall to charge versus when you have a travel power bank. Are you saying that this is almost like her travel power bank?

[Lexi]

She's not imbuing it right now. She's feeling the magic already from it coming back to it her.

[Nicole]

But we have no time to ponder all this. Apparently we do. We just spent far too long pondering it. Who knows what's going to end up on the cutting room floor from that tangent. Because Alden gets extra hyphy over being caught stealing and the injustice of it all. And of course, you know, his garden boo thing getting murdered and fed as a snack. Woe is me. And then of course, there's Zaden stepping in to clean up his mess as result, diminishing Halden's word, telling the king that Halden no longer speaks for their group. Yeah, you can imagine that this walking red flag temper tantrum having Halden does not so great things. Which, by the way, someone in our comments said that Halden is just like Joffrey from Game of Thrones. And I can't unsee it now. Oh, God. Anyway, with a bloody hand, slamming it on the table, declaring that he is the only voice for the kingdom. Again, great treat for a king. Courtland sits back, bored. He's. He says, tokaris may live. Kill the rest.

[Lexi]

Gosh, this is so bad for diplomatic relationships. Especially because as Violet reminds Taryn, they still need this deal, so her and Zaden's goal is not to kill anybody. Oops. As these guards approach them with the intent to kill, Zaden clashes blades with the guard on guard. And then. Hey, is that where that came from? Anyway? And then kicks him off the stairs. Cue my toddler going, oh, no. Violet pulls a King Cortland move and thrusts her dagger through another guard.

[Nicole]

All right, on the bingo card, Lexi says thrust.

[Lexi]

But more guards are swarming them. Another takes aim for Violet, swinging his long spear. Nice, but our girl is made for close combat, unlike this guy. So she regretfully slices the tendons behind his knee, which will definitely take a warrior out. But hey, she's sticking to the plan of not killing them. I do love how it's like she really is regretful when she's doing. It's like, oh God, I'm so sorry. I know this is going to end your warrior career, but you can't die. So anyway, except then. Oh dear. Someone yanks Violet by her braid. Ah, not the hair. This guard taunts Violet by hissing, do your dragons scream when they die? Firebringer. This belief that dragons die when their riders die is going to be a running theme in this scene and once again shows how little the Isle people know about dragons. What we were talking about earlier, because as we know, it is rare for a dragon to die when their writer dies. It is only happened three times, I believe, in recorded history. And it happens when the bond is that strong between rider and dragon. That's why the premise of if Violet dies, Teran dies existed in 4th Wing. Taran is such a powerful dragon that his bonds are deeper and stronger. So technically, if Violet dies, it is assumed Taryn dies as well. But this is the exception, not the rule. And the Devarelli guards don't know that. They believe that if a rider dies, so does its dragon. Just like how when a flyer dies, their griffin dies. Which makes sense based on what we were talking about earlier this episode about the Isles misconcept that the humans are in charge over the dragons. The Isles have wanted dragons for a long time. We can't confirm if Devarelli feels the same, but they have at least had no issue dealing in dragons before. They believe dragons rely on humans when it's entirely the other way around. Violet uses her flexibility to her advantage to get out of being pinned down by this guard, swinging her left arm behind her back and plunging the dagger deep into the guard's arm. As the guard staggers back, Violet throws all her energy into slamming her head into the guard's face to crunch bone hugging. But oh, she turns just in time for an elbow to wham into her cheekbone and someone to grab her throat not in the way that we lick it. But Violet uses the good old name and the balls move, which even Mira would be proud of, and gets out of the chokehold. Satan uses the pommel of his sword to knock the guard out and then goes to check on his wounded girl.

[Nicole]

We get an ice watch baby.

[Lexi]

And we are watch baby.

[Nicole]

We are in full Icy Tempest territory, because it's not a flash of the eye and then it's gone in a blink, like it was during Quest Squad Grady's versions meeting. Quote, it's one step past fury as the Dune herself has stepped into his eyes and now peers back at me. He's Xaden, but he's not. There are these moments where it is very much not Xaden staring back at her. And I assumed those were just moments where Xaden is in full Venon mode or also full protect his mate mode, which again is a theory we'll get to in a different episode. But this wording around it not truly being Xaden started really standing out to me. There's some themes, theories that state while Violet is connected to Dune, Zaden is connected to another God goddess, most popular being Loial or Malik. What if in these moments it is truly, I'm going to call it a God taking over him. So I'm going to go with loyal because in this moment it is his love is being hurt. Loyal steps in Fen Ryerson also has his pretty dark epigraph of saving love for your children. It's again just attaching the word love with Xaden specifically. And my soul sold on this. Not entirely because the gods seem to not like Venon and channeling, especially as we look at theophany later. And if Loial took over him and had him channel that just seems a little odd. But it was worth pointing out and it's something I am definitely going to keep an eye out for.

[Lexi]

Yeah, I'm so convinced that these descriptions are a way of capturing his loss of control now that he is Venon and it is a nod to the addiction. He's Zaden, but he's not. It's conveying that that he really has changed, whether he and Violet like it or not.

[Nicole]

As Xaden looks over and sees Violet's cheek injury, homeboy totally loses it. Quote they're all fucking dead. His arm whips around her waist, yanking her against him. His sword hits the table and he presses a kiss to the top of her forehead. And weapons hit the ground as cracking necks surround the room. Before we talk about how he he did this, we really need to talk about how big of a deal this is. We've seen Zaden pull moves like this with his shadows. Remember back and forth wing when Violet was being attacked in her sleep. He did this pretty quickly, but this was efficient. I'm going to call it. He killed all the guards in heartbeats and he left the court sitting at the tables alive. So at least that's a good thing. I love. The second the guards are dead, though, the kitties come immediately over to them and, like, start investigating. Like, damn, y'all. Give them a minute before you get into snack mode. Also, remember how terrified Zaden was channeling near Violet back when they were getting hot and steamy in chapter three, he is literally bringing her to him and channeling while their bodies are flush. He could have easily kept losing his control and then channeled her, which is one reason I think he is so ashamed after this.

[Lexi]

It's interesting because, for one, I took that as a way of protecting her so the shadows wouldn't get to her her as they snap the next of the guards. But also that brings into the question of he's able to use the alloy only to channel right now. But he wouldn't be able to use Violet.

[Nicole]

I. I still think it wouldn't have been that hard of it. Like, if he's. Again, if we're going back into that addiction, if he gives an inch, could the addiction take a mile? And him not even being in his own mind right now, he could have easily done that. Well, I don't know if that's in the forefront of his brain. I definitely think it's in there somewhere. Now let's talk about how exactly he did this. Violet had alloy in conduit. That thing earlier, she was like, oh, this is humming. And like every piece of alloy that is imbued, it has power and therefore can be drained.

[Lexi]

Then during this mini battle, a spear shattered her conduit. And while he's pulling her close, he grabs the piece of alloy that has been imbued in the conduit and was now out on the table, which was the source of power and of that humming.

[Nicole]

So Xaden pulled and Violet close, grabbed her conduit and alloy and drained it quickly. I also want to point out that this thing is the size of a pebble. We've talked about the things that Violet imbues being extra powerful. So I wonder if this is an extra nod that if Zaden's able to do this with something the size of a pebble, imagine what Venon would be able to do if they drained Violet herself. Like, that is terrifying.

[Lexi]

And all of this goes back to what we were saying earlier, how it is an isolated bit of magic that can be carried around, which is how Zaden is able to pull from the source, from the magic imbued in the alloy in a place where there is no magic magic. We all know Xaden's Number one priority is to protect Violet. It's one of the reasons he is so high on so many of our book boyfriend lists. And while it's wonderful, they are not dead because that 2 verse 12 was going to be a tough matchup for them. Though arguably not impossible, the fact of the matter is Xaden lost control when his girl was wounded and he snapped. Which may have solved two things. Number one, the engagement of their lives, obviously, and number two, the showcase of their power. Devarelli wasn't really scared of them because their magic was stripped away from them here. As far as these people of Devarelli KN long as they can kill these writers, then the dragons aren't an issue either, making them seem like more of a nuisance than the very scary and real threat that they are. But Zaden just demonstrated in his own way, don't mess with these powerful writers. When there's a will, there's a way to use magic. My heart goes out to Violet in this moment. Quote, agony cracks my soul clean open, as if I can give Xaden some of what he's just lost. I remember reading that for the first time in my heart just being like, oh, poor, poor Violet. Our girl doesn't have time though to dwell in her sadness of the undeniable damage he just did to himself to save them. Because they are still in a very dangerous situation. Especially now that his eyes are red rimmed, showing the telltale signs of a Venon who just pulled from the source. Violet now has two objectives in this moment. Number one, remind Xaden how much she loves him and that what just happened doesn't make her scared of him. He knows he just made a mistake. Probably one he would do again given that they just tried to kill Violet. Like how he says later, I'm sorry, but I'm not. It's the way he pleads with her to silently check on his eyes, to remind him that she is still here and not. Running away is from a man who vulnerably needs his partner needs assurance in this moment. And her second objective is to get Zaden the fuck out of here without anyone noticing his red rimmed eyes. Step one to this plan, have Xaden sit down and put his heads in his hands as if he's remorseful for just having killed 12 guards in the blink of an eye.

[Nicole]

This was really hard for me to picture because I just can't imagine Zaden Ryerson like, like, you know, like. But obviously I got there eventually, but still it was just like, wow, like it really shows how he was having to work against his reactions. With Halden having severed any trust with Devarelli. Also, he's currently unconscious and waking up from being unconscious. And Zaden needing to yeet out of here, it is up to Violet to lead the negotiations again, giving us one of her reluctant leader moments when she needs to command the room. And boy, oh, boy, does she. Blaming Zaden's outburst on the Nevarian way of being trained to kill when attacked, which Courtland. Not a good look for negotiat. Shame on you, my guy. I'm not saying Holland's not at fault here, so we've gotten enough about that. But in order for Corden to really listen and to bend to their will, they're gonna need some serious leverage.

[Lexi]

And Darna, a little help here. Violet's little one stands with her front claws on the dead bodies of the guards, holding pretty kitty. She ra delicately in her teeth. She even has her lips puckered so the kitty cat doesn't get drenched in dragon selection. How thoughtful. King Cortland doesn't think so, however, because.

[Nicole]

Whoa.

[Lexi]

Violet has taken it too far here, everybody.

[Nicole]

Oh, my God.

[Lexi]

He is a king who is used to having the upper hand, where his three panthers are the scariest things around here. Third time's the charm for negotiation attempts, right? With Cortland's terrified attention and fear of losing one of his precious kitties to a dragon, Violet finally takes the lead with this conversation.

[Nicole]

So here's the deal. In addition to everything Zaden laid out earlier, Reopening diplomatic channels, securing permission to use Tokaris Manor as a rest stop for only oration, loyal riders and flyers as they search isles. Plus having hunting rights for their winged creatures. It will now also include that Xaden is to be parted for any crimes that he has committed here for, you know, like the 12 guards. And he will be allowed to return to Devarelli. In exchange, King Cortland will keep the a million citrine. And as compensation for Halden's crimes, he will receive the rarest item on the continent. More on this in a moment. Plus, Shiro will be released from Indar's grasps and only needs a good bath as a result.

[Lexi]

Oh, and Zaden gets to keep both his weapons. The Blade of Orisha and the Sword of Tyrandor.

[Nicole]

Or they will happily tell King Tari about everything that went down here. You know, Halden getting stabbed. Taran and Sigail will come into this very nice ancient palace and have some panther snacks. Or if you Dare to kill us? The dragons will go a step further and they will scorch everything in their path.

[Lexi]

Well, fine. For the sake of his kitties, King Courtland will negotiate, but not without his trade, finance and foreign ministers. At least everyone can agree on one thing. To kick off these negotiations, Halden is never allowed back in De. I think we can all give a big huzzah for that. But we still have a red Eyed Zaden problem to get out of here before anyone realizes that he's a Venom. Violet explains to him that Sigail is just behind the trees for him to depart on, and he needs to take these heirlooms, the Blade of Orisha and the Sword of Tyrandor, and fly to Orisha to handle whatever business he might have there for the province. And they'll get to see each other again at Biscaya in a week. All of this is code for hey honey, your eyes are red, so you gotta go hide in Orisha until your eyes go back to normal. I love how great their communication. There is so much said between the lines. And Violet is still assuring him that she loves him because he does need that. She's fighting the urge to react to the red in his eyes. She wants to fight her flight and instead she kisses him. As she said back in Iron Flame, her love isn't fickle and she's putting him here first while also getting the mission done. That's our girl.

[Nicole]

What about that very special rare item though? Violet takes it out and reveals a dragon eggshell, which Cortland and Mirror immediately is unimpressed by. Once you've seen one, you've seen them all. Pause. How would he have seen one before? Was one traded here previously? Devarelli isn't in hatching ground, so there wouldn't be eggs here for that reason.

[Lexi]

Well, and we also can't forget that they aren't familiar with actual dragons, more like the concept of them, because they are rather ignorant of them and are absolutely terrified of them. Deverly is known for its trade, so I assume that in their secret trade with Navarre there have been some dragon eggshells passed. I wouldn't be surprised if Devarelli even tried to extract the remaining magic from the metal shells, but I'm under the assumption they can't exactly do anything with that here. So it's like dragon eggshells, but this.

[Nicole]

Is no regular dragon eggshell. Starting from the bottom with the darkest onyx shimmering into the top of the brightest silver. Isn't that an inverse of this book cover that's so cool. Violet sets the open shell along with his pieces on the table and quote, a charge of energy runs up my arm and I lift my brows at the sensation. Why are we not talking about this more Internet? We know that Irids are magic, but this also means that I'm assuming their shells are more magical. We know other dragon eggshells are magic still long after they hatch. But we're not on the continent, so there's no magic here.

[Lexi]

But because Andarna is magic and can still use her bond, I think that trans transfers to her eggshells too.

[Nicole]

Yes, exactly. So this brings me to my next question. As we learn in Iron Flame, alloy is made of, quote, an amalgamation of teladium, a few other ores, and dragon eggshells. What would happen if alloy was made out of this type of dragon eggshell? Would they need to be imbued over and over again? Or would they have infinite power? You know how Violet kills the Venin and then she only has like maybe half of half of Venom killer left. Would it be a never ending charge? Would this be able to kill like maybe the highest level of venom? Like, you know, maybe the he that Theophany talks about can't be killed by a normal ally. Hilta dagger. And maybe this is the one. We know that there are hundreds of Irides according to Leo then, which hopefully means hundreds and hundreds of shells.

[Lexi]

So are you saying maybe the weapon to defeat the Venin are Irid dragon eggshells?

[Nicole]

Now, I don't think that the dragon eggshells are the weapon. I should clarify. I think they're part of the weapon. I think the Irids as a whole are the weapon. But their dragon eggshells, Maybe this was used during the Great War, maybe it wasn't. Maybe the dragon eggshells, when used in Alloy, they're like this extra powerful. I don't know, something. Something feels like it's missing here. Of course it's Rebecca Yarrows. There's always a missing puzzle piece, but I feel like that would be useful.

[Lexi]

I like that.

[Nicole]

I like that.

[Lexi]

Where that is a contributing factor to making the good guys more powerful as they go up against the venom. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. After they strike this deal, Courtland proposes another for Violet. Which, jumping ahead a few pages in the next chapter, we learned that this deal proposal is King Courtland wanting to trade Violet and Zaden services for weaponry. Because surprise, they have weapons. They just don't advertise it under the guise of being neutral. And the broker, he proposes this deal.

[Nicole]

To Violet after he sees Zayden wield slash channels with his venom bad self. So I wonder if Courtland assumes both of them have found a way around the no magic and they're wielding.

[Lexi]

So I believe they've convinced Courtland that they can wield on his isle. Maybe he believes it even more because Violet has Indarna the ear it I.

[Nicole]

Do wonder if one of the reasons Courtland, you know, starts spreading the news about this riot searching for the seventh dragon breed, he starts spreading this news to the other isles. I wonder if it's because of Violet assumably turned down the steal.

[Lexi]

Oh, I had a thought. Thought of that. I just assumed he would have let the other isles know about it no matter what.

[Nicole]

I feel like he traded some information for it. I feel like he's he's a puppet master.

[Lexi]

In this signet power segment of the episode, let's move to the power of precognition by turning our full attention to important foreshadowing moments for the rest of this book, as well as speculations for books four and five.

[Nicole]

There's mention of needing a communication rune on the aisles quote if such a thing exists. This is a great idea. I think about it as like a magical walkie talkie. I don't know how it would, but I absolutely could see this coming into our story.

[Lexi]

Me too. I'm a little surprised there isn't already a rune like this, but I wholeheartedly agree someone will create a communications rune and will be helpful when they venture to places like this without magic. I bet it'll be Cat.

[Nicole]

She's I was literally about to say that yes, Zayden and Dane go to a cloth shop to see if they can get information on Norell and Selm. But we know in this cloth shop Xaden had an ulterior motive. In addition to asking for info, Zaden also placed an order for the shimmering black silk he saw Violet eyeing, and that silk was sent to a seamstress in Shantara to make the nightgown for Violet. My favorite part of this is that Dane had to translate for Xaden in the cloth shop. So maybe Dane didn't know for specifically what it was going to be made into, but I think he would have put two and two together. That is a gift for his girl. Girl. As you know, Dana's translating this deal.

[Lexi]

Which is incredible when comparing tomes and tales size, Violet thinks about how it is about the same size as a bookstore she visited in Caldir with her dad. Maybe we'll go to the same bookstore eventually. I just like to think we'll find ourselves in Caldeer at some point.

[Nicole]

I hope so. There are multiple mentions of birds that Violet cannot identify. Such fun foreshadowing for the heiress. Birds that we will come to be very familiar with in heaven. We get the first spotting of the blade of Orisha with emeralds the size of Violet's fingernails. Well, one of those very emeralds will be on the finger at the end of this book. And last but not least, Violet commands Halden to get Satan's weapons before he leaves the dining room. And Halden at first rears back, offended. But then Violet says, now this is just delicious foreshadowing for her position of power that she will end up with at the end of this book. And I truly do not believe this is the last time we will see see her commanding the Prince of Navarre. We have dawned our signets. So now let's tap into our mind of a scribe and examine the meaning of key epigraphs from the stretch of chapters.

[Lexi]

I know we've already talked a lot about the epigraphs this episode, but let's touch on chapter 23's epigraph and how it teases what Narelle will ask Violet. It's from Papa Sorrengel's research about the second Crovan Uprising. And the last sentence says, quote, I cannot help but wonder what part of the deal the Crovlin rebels did not uphold. This must be what Norell is referring to, that no true scribe would have settled for this unknown. And Papa Sorrengail didn't settle. He just didn't spell it out. Because he could only let Violet be the one to figure out the real reason.

[Nicole]

This is as close to a. I couldn't help but wonder. I couldn't help but wonder as he possibly could get. We've talked about this epigraph quite a bit, but we gotta dive a little bit deeper into it. And that is Chapter 25's epigraph. Quote. The most useless word in the language of aristocracy has always been and will forever ever be love. Marriage is a necessary evil to secure the line. Nothing more, save love for your children. This is confiscated correspondence of Fen Ryerson to unknown intended recipient. Damn Fen. Okay, where do I even begin? Note that this is confiscated, not recovered. This could be because he was a leader of a rebellion and killed for his role. So it was taken from his quarters rather than recovered. But who do you think he was talking to? Because I started going through. I was Would it be his sister? I feel like it would have been someone around him who was in love.

[Lexi]

I'm convinced it was to Zaden, his son.

[Nicole]

I almost think it was Naolin. Oh, whoa.

[Lexi]

Okay. I will continue on about why I think it's Zaden, but you go first, please.

[Nicole]

Okay. That was the most polite we've been to each other this entire episode. So if Naolin was on the side of the rebellion and him and and Brennan were together, I could see this almost being like Fen saying, hey, be careful what you're doing. It would also make sense to me that Naolin and Fen would be very close. I'm realizing this in real time. My. My big asterisk here is that it does say the language of aristocracy. And we don't know, and I'm assuming we would have known by now. Naolin is not aristocracy.

[Lexi]

From iron flame, chapter 41. Fen made an alliance with Dakaris, and they negotiated the patrol between Zaden and Cat. And then Zaden officially denied the betrothal before he met Violet. But I think that this epigraph is Finn saying to Zaden, suck it up, because marriage isn't about love. And he's referring to the betrothal that he's been coordinating for his son.

[Nicole]

Given that this was Fen's view on life, no wonder he struck a deal with Xaden and Cat to be betrothed with Dakaris.

[Lexi]

And then, I'll be honest, I was trying to parse through chapter 26, where it was talking about the venom subjects and the death by poisons. Nicole already touched on this. I'm going to be honest. I think we're just going to sprinkle this throughout the whole deep dive. So I'm going to skip over this for right now because there's too much to possibly.

[Nicole]

One thing I do want to highlight in this one is that it does say an ASAM presented as even tempered, but withdrawal quickly revealed the subject's true nature. At the end of this book, Xaden is Asam. And for a while, we can assume, as he's marrying Violet, he's probably much more even tempered. And then, unfortunately, unfortunately, withdrawal quickly reveals the subject's nature. Now, that is withdrawal. So if he doesn't keep channeling, it's like, almost, he's gonna go, I'm gonna call it crazy. So that's some concerning things to think about as we go through the rest of this deep dive.

[Lexi]

It certainly is. Yes, indeed. Another question I have about this is Death by Fire. Venin Asymms. Are not supposed to be able to be killed by fire.

[Nicole]

Exactly. So it's from what I'm getting here, it's she was at first grouped into group 33B with death by fire, but then none of them were able to be killed, so then they had to go to death by poison. Now the two numbers that are listed here is 33 and 46. So I wanted to look up those two chapters in the book and they're two big pivotal moments for Xaden. Chapter 33 is where Xaden meets his mom for the first time. And chapter 46 is Zaden realizes Lynx has developed shadows and he realizes that basically all hope is lost for him. And that's when he leaves Violet to go back to Orisha. So I love that.

[Lexi]

Interesting. Oh, very interesting.

[Nicole]

Now let us step into the archives where each episode Lexi educates us all on a world building topic to help us better understand this world and the magic within it.

[Lexi]

Today's archives topic is Everything we know about Deverelli. Fitting when we're in Devarelli. Right? Devarelli is a southernmost isle kingdom. It is located across the Arctile ocean off the coast of Krovla. It's a 16 hour flight for Griffins, 12 hours for dragons from Cordon and a two day trip on a fast ship. The closest main aisle is Umbriel and totally random, but might as well include it here. Dev Rally measures in leagues instead of miles. This is the isle where Asher Sorengel left six locked tomes with Nero Anselm to later be claimed by Violet. This aisle also has no magic, leaving magical creatures like dragons and griffins. And they're bonded, unable to communicate with each other or for them to channel any power. But this also means a Venin can't pull from the source, as there is no source to pull from or even the temptation to do so, because the power simply doesn't exist here. Dev Rally is the only place we've come across in this world that does not worship the gods. This is one of the reasons it is considered the most neutral of the isles and ideal for trade. Dev Rally at least says it's dedicated to peace. And they are known for for not having weapons. And most citizens are unarmed. But of course our crew learns just because the isle prides itself on not believing in weapons doesn't mean they walk the talk. But of course our crew learns just because the aisle prides itself on not believing in weapons doesn't mean they walk the talk like Violet observes. For an isle that prides itself on Peace and neutrality. They sure seem ready for war. There are a number of loaded large crossbolts that defend the shoreline designed to kill dragons. The people of this island isle are extremely wary and distasteful toward dragons and their riders. Shouting firebringer insults at riders before they flee away. So let's talk about the general geography. Devarelli appears as an endless line of white beaches with the surrounding waters the beautiful colors of turquoise and aqua. Just how lovely soft green hills rise behind the beach, dotted with stone structures that make up part of the capital city. Hidden in the trees, the muted colors of the island contrast sharply with the surrounding water. Note these muted colors. We can infer it is because there is no magic within this land, which as I take it, makes colors brighter. It's like magic equals vibrant life and power within the land. This is a tropical island, so think island climate. In other words, it's hot here, friends. Matias is the capital city and where our quest squad goes to the market to find tomes and tales. This capital city is built under a canopy of enormous trees which provides shade from the heat. This city is a thriving port with four central piers and several smaller ones. In Matias you can find lots of shops including a tea shop, tavern, dressmaker shop and an incredible marketplace that is a feast for your senses. This market extends into a gold and spice market to the south and then there's a financial district perched uphill. The King's palace is a beautiful four story structure plus a hundred yard meadow carved into the hillside. It's considered a feat of engineering from a thousand years ago and a testament to their traditions that still their seat of power and hasn't faded to ruin like so many ancient castles of long ago kingdoms on the continent. Most formal spaces in the palace are outside and the architecture is open, aired with minimal ceilings and walls. East of the capital city, you can spot elegant residential manors along the mainland shore, each with private docks and ships that reflect their owner's status and wealth. Like I mentioned earlier, Deverella uniquely does not worship gods. What others call gods they view as science. Fate is coincidence and love is considered alchemy. Two substances combine to make something entirely new. And while they are neutral and peaceful, Devarelli does have guards with weapons. At the palace and dev rally, citizens or nobility are not afraid to draw blood. Most of the population may stay unarmed, but some civilians use serrated daggers or long blades. And palace guards wield spears tipped with serrated silver blades or axes. The people of Devarelli don't shake hands they don't mince or waste words. They speak in double meanings only when convenient. They value status, wealth, knowledge and secrets. Anything that is tradable. Breaking one's word leads to permanent distrust. There is a saying in Devarelli, the word is the blood. When they make a trade broker a deal, it is considered law. When a deal is made, both parties bow their head in acknowledgment. Crush. Revolution is the second most commonly spoken language on the island. And there are some who can also speak the common tongue. Ownership of heirlooms is determined by possession. The penalty for stealing from a royal house under decree 23 is death. But interesting to note, their legal system does include decrees that contradict each other. And separately. While they do have their monarch who overrules all, Deverelli does have a tribunal. Local attire includes white short sleeved belted tunics with matching pants pants and standard issue white and gold tunics, with some tunics being embroidered. Palace guards are clad in white, though one is known to wear a blue sash as well. Guests in the King's palace, so we can note, other people of nobility or of high wealth are finely dressed in lightweight tunics and gowns of various pastel colors. Deverelli's currency differs from that on the continent, though gemstones are widely accepted as trade. And then, of course, we have Deverelli silk that was introduced to us in iron flame. It is a material that is so fine, it's nearly transparent and softer than any other fabric. Moving into fauna, we actually have an entire book about Deverelli fauna called Sir Zimly's Guide to Deverelli Fauna. I love that there's a Sir there.

[Nicole]

Where did that come from?

[Lexi]

We have Dolphinum, or as many of us call them, dolphins. They are aquatic creatures known for their graceful leaps through the waters, and we do not eat them. And darn it, they're too pretty. And then we have Falerinia, mon moths. They are bioluminescent insects with translucent wings that light up when feeding on honeycomb. Though poisonous, they are harnessed as light sources in Deverelli, like the blue glass orbs within King Cortland's palace. And lastly, we have pure white panthers. They are graceful, elegant and beautiful, with huge paws and soft coats. They are vicious hunters, and King Cortland keeps three within his palace. It's not stable if these are exclusive to Devarelli, but he certainly takes pride on them being here. Moving on to the little that we know about Devarelli's history. And yes, it comes back to the Second Croblin Uprising. According to records, Dev Rally was the last of the Isles to maintain communication with Navarre, specifically Tyrandor, who kept contact with Dev Rally until the last century. This Isle is known to Navarre as the Treacherous Isle of Merchants, where they don't only trade in goods, but information, too, if the price is right. Devarelli brokered a deal between Chrovla and an unnamed Isle for an army and weaponry to aid the second Crovlin uprising 200 years ago. This was in exchange for dragons, specifically feather tails. Because the Crovlin rebels were ultimately unable to fulfill their part of the deal, the unnamed Isle pulled their support. And the sudden withdrawal of these Isle troops allowed Promer's forces to squash the rebellion, leading to the Midnight match massacre on December 13, 433 AU. To round out this archive segment, let's go through the people we know residing here in Devarelli. First and foremost, we have King Cortlandt iv, ruler of Devarelli, Masters of the Trade, Keeper of the Truce, justice of the Tribunal, and Heir of the Antiquities. My goodness, what a title that is. He has his lovely white panthers, Shira, Shayna and Shora. He also has his ministers, such as Briquette, who is as Trade Minister. Then there is Viscount Dakaras, who has an estate here, although he usually resides in Cordon, which is in Port Meal. And we have Narelle Anselm, shop owner of Tomes and Tales and Rare Book Merchant.

[Nicole]

Let us close out this deep dive with Taking Flight with our favorite moments. First and foremost, we get a Spice Watch. While this may not elicit an entire crack theory about the prosperous spice trade across courts, the mention of Devarelli having a spice market definitely made me smile. So to all of you who's. So to all of you who sent us photos with this line with a note of Spice watch. Let it be known that this is our collective favorite moment.

[Lexi]

The whole scene on horseback, Riddick being scared of horses biting, and Mirror telling Drake he'll never know what dragons do because he'll never be allowed to ride one.

[Nicole]

Raise your hand if you think this is an innuendo. Me Zayn may be my number two book boy for but dang, he almost made it to number one with some lines in this episode specifically. Quote, arisha is the second most beautiful thing I've ever seen. My home is the first ruin me, Zaden Ryerson. Jesus, Mira saying the most big sister thing I've ever heard. Quote, I swear to Amari, if you two get one inch closer, I'm going to throw a bucket of water on you. Riddick being just giddy over Zaden and Violet breaking the table and then admitting that he knew about the armoire first year. Which leaves Mira absolutely horrified. This is where I do think you and Mira are different big sisters because you would not be horrified. You'd probably give me a high five. Yeah.

[Lexi]

Zaden's little remarks about Violet trusting and needing Dane again. Earlier in the book we got Violet saying something along the lines of don't worry, Dane's on it and Zaden was like, don't worry and Dane don't go in the the same sentence. And here she's like, oh, we could really use Dane right now. Leaving Zaden to say, I could live the rest of my life without ever hearing you say that again. Then we have the iconic Taran line when Zayn announces Violet as his consort. Our congratulations or commiserations in order. Such a dad.

[Nicole]

We also get one of the best teren lines in the book, which is, quote, I will not stand for you being devoured by a house cat. And of course I resent the implication that I am given to melodramatics. And then he immediately roars, causing glass to break. Not at all dramatic, my guy. And last but not least, Halden blaming Zaden for fucking up the negotiations with Devarelli. Ripe.

[Lexi]

Thank you so much for listening to this episode five of our Onyx Storm deep dive.

[Nicole]

We will see you again for Monday's episode six where we are covering chapter chapters 28 through 33. I am so excited to get to these chapters, the next book series we are covering. In case you missed it after Onyx Storm is the Kindred's Curse saga by Pen Cole starting with book one spark of the everflame in May 2025. Link is in the show Notes to get the book.

[Lexi]

We love to give the biggest warm welcome welcome welcome to our newest Iron Squad members.

[Nicole]

Thank you so much for joining Sarah W. Stephanie Julia Jules H Jeanette C Jill Natasha P Angel G Juanita G Abby V Heidi Emma W. Natasha O Laura F Elizabeth O Tracy S. Rashini Kristen Q Caitlin D and last but not least, Jamie ZC welcome, welcome welcome.

[Lexi]

To the Iron Squad. We are so excited to have you here and we really appreciate you so so so much. Thank you for for supporting the show. And if you're like, hey, I want my name shouted out on the podcast and to be showered with all the love and affection too, join our fan [e-mail] fanclub. The link is also in the show notes.

[Nicole]

Thank you as always to our resident scribe, curator, AKA our content researcher Brooke and of course our executive producer AKA our sanity manager Hayden. We love you guys.

[Lexi]

We are very active on social media so please be sure to follow us on Instagram and slash our TikTok at Fantasy Fangirls pod. We are also on YouTube so please be sure to hit that subscribe button.

[Nicole]

And while you're hitting that subscribe button, why don't you also rate and review the show? It takes literally 0.5 seconds to hit that five star button. Or if you want to go above and beyond, you can write a little love note in the review section. Thank you so much to all of those of you who have done it. It is so helpful not only for this show but for any podcast podcast you listen to. We cannot stress that enough. And of course, last but not least, share this episode with your fellow Onyx Storm friends. If you all really resonated with Narelle Anselm, Tea Stirrer extraordinaire, this is the perfect episode to send to them so we can all appreciate her in her glory.

[Lexi]

Thank you so much again for joining us. We'll see you on Monday. Bye bye. No, I had to do it all. Hayden, you'll fix it. I trust you.

[Nicole]

Hayden. Highlights Deletes. All right, that works too. I don't care. Oh my God. This is one of my favorite things Hayden has ever said. This seems aggressive because it's in all caps, but I'm just trying to get your attention. I promise I'm not mad.