It goes without saying that THERE ARE MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD. If you haven’t read this chapter of Onyx Storm, please go read it first.

The chapter begins with a paragraph from Asher’s journal about Unnbriel. At first, I thought, “It’s just giving us some information about the isle.” But then it got me thinking: blood is the preferred sacrifice, and cowardice is the ultimate sin. If you consider it for a moment, it is rather odd that they would attempt to dedicate someone like Violet (a smart scribe) to Dunne, the Goddess of War. That said, the more we read through the past two books, the more we realise that while Violet does not like to shed blood without reason, she has never been cowardly – indeed, she has always been at the forefront of everything when it comes to protecting the innocent. She put herself in front of Andarna, she sacrificed a boot for Rhi and even stood in front of Riorson, throwing blades at his head.

Chapter 29 tells us that Xaden’s eyes never revert to normal; the flecks remain amber. Amber… an interesting colour, given that it is precisely how we once described Brennan’s eyes. Just a little observation.

As expected, the squad is tweaked slightly to include Trager and Maren, while Halden is dropped. Good! I’m sure I’m not the only one who has a love–hate relationship with Mira at the moment. I have no doubt that Mira loves Violet, but the tension between them is palpable.

We witness an argument between Xaden and Halden, only for Tairn to interject: “He will not be a problem,” he assures us. I loved this subtle hint that tells us just how much dragons TALK and discuss and arrange for plans before they involve the humans. It’s clear that Molvic and Tairn had this conversation already.

I have been waiting for Aaric’s grand reveal to his brother and father one way or another. While it did feel great, I kind of wished they were even more shocked and scared. Overall, though, it was a memorable moment – bye bye Halden, hello Aaric. I also can’t help but tell you all that Aaric is somehow my new Liam. But something tells me that I probably shouldn’t attach myself too much to the prince, given what happened to Liam before…

I do have a question for you all: why do you think Aaric is so upset about his brother’s death? He does not seem overly troubled by the antics of Halden, nor does he appear to care for him all that much. And if Alic was no better – merely a bully, as Xaden suggests – why is Aaric so distraught? He comes across as a rational fellow.

Yet, despite the tension between the brothers, Halden clearly cares – as evidenced by the pleading look in his eyes when he glances at Violet.

We have been discussing theories about gryphons potentially serving as a balance, and we have also wondered whether gryphons have access to magic when they are not on the Continent. And here is our answer:

“They’re far less winded without the baskets to carry, but without magic to bolster their strength, we need to take two days to rest in Deverelli before continuing onward.”

I love that, in passing, RY mentions that some runes work off the Continent – and we all need to figure out why. Given that the book covers feature runes, something tells me that runes will prove far more important than we originally imagined. By Book 5, they will be THE answer.

We also assume that it is Andarna whose magic maintains the bond between herself, Violet and Tairn. However, this very sentence makes me wonder if that is indeed true:

“Her wingbeats are strong, but the difference in her left wing is far more visible without magic for strength.”

Here’s another very interesting bit of information:

“I listen as Tairn recites the lore of his breed from the first of his line up to Thareux, the first black dragon to ever successfully bond, back during the Great War, then stops.”

Thareux—the first black to ever successfully bond. That suggest s that others have tried to bond before. I would love nothing more than to know about the first of his line. Where did they come from? Are they messengers of Gods, as per my theory?

I am studying the isles intently and have noted that they are all rendered in the same muted green as Deverelli.

Then another point:

“Given how painful it is for the riot to be separated from magic, I doubt Andarna’s kind settled here.”

I think this is an Easter egg for us, perhaps for later or even Book 4:

“What if they learned to live without magic?”
“Tairn isn’t exactly offering up details on how it affects their lifespan.”

We do need to know this information, as something tells me that in Book 4 there will be a little less magic involved.

We learn that Mira went to see Grandma Niara, and we also discover that there was another grandmother buried in Deaconshire. But back to Niara… we know that Mira wears a bracelet on her wrist:

“The knotwork holding the metallic beads tickles the back of my brain, and I swear I can smell parchment for the smallest of seconds before I look away.”

Grandma Niara is our Colonel Daxton, isn’t she? We have Second Lieutenant Asher Daxton, who eventually married Lilith and became Lieutenant Colonel Asher Sorrengail, yet throughout the series we also encounter a Colonel Daxton. I believe Colonel Daxton was Grandma Niara!

Alright, we are getting to the family drama. Asher and Lilith ceased talking to Granma Niara. But why? Mira knows, and Violet wants to know. And yes, I do adore how cringe Violet is around Mira – it’s precisely what we would have done, given the circumstances.

This is also a good moment to take note of the emblem on the Captain’s leathers.

“An emblem of two crossed swords over a horseshoe is stamped across his chest plate.”

Interesting observations, seeing as in the next chapter, we learn about Dunne’s actual emblem…

And so, we are about to learn more about Dunne’s isle.

Onyx Storm Read Along

• Onyx Storm Read Along: Prologue
• Onyx Storm Read Along – Chapter 1
• Onyx Storm Read Along – Chapter 2
• Onyx Storm Read Along – Chapter 3
• Onyx Storm Read Along – Chapter 4
• Onyx Storm Read Along – Chapter 5
• Onyx Storm Read Along – Chapter 6
• Onyx Storm Read Along – Chapter 7
• Onyx Storm Read Along – Chapter 8
• Onyx Storm Read Along – Chapter 9
• Onyx Storm Read Along – Chapter 10
• Onyx Storm Read Along – Chapter 11
• Onyx Storm Read Along – Chapter 12
• Onyx Storm Read Along – Chapter 13
• Onyx Storm Read Along – Chapter 14
• Onyx Storm Read Along – Chapter 15
• Onyx Storm Read Along – Chapter 16
• Onyx Storm Read Along – Chapter 17
• Onyx Storm Read Along – Chapter 18
• Onyx Storm Read Along – Chapter 19
• Onyx Storm Read Along – Chapter 20
• Onyx Storm Read Along – Chapter 21
• Onyx Storm Read Along – Chapter 22
• Onyx Storm Read Along – Chapter 23
• Onyx Storm Read Along – Chapter 24
• Onyx Storm Read Along – Chapter 25
• Onyx Storm Read Along – Chapter 26
• Onyx Storm Read Along – Chapter 27
• Onyx Storm Read Along – Chapter 28
• Onyx Storm Read Along – Chapter 29
• Onyx Storm Read Along – Chapter 30
• Onyx Storm Read Along – Chapter 31
• Onyx Storm Read Along – Chapter 32
• Onyx Storm Read Along – Chapter 33
• Onyx Storm Read Along – Chapter 34
• Onyx Storm Read Along – Chapter 35
• Onyx Storm Read Along – Chapter 36
• Onyx Storm Read Along – Chapter 37
• Onyx Storm Read Along – Chapter 38
• Onyx Storm Read Along – Chapter 39
• Onyx Storm Read Along – Chapter 40
• Onyx Storm Read Along – Chapter 41
• Onyx Storm Read Along – Chapter 42
• Onyx Storm Read Along – Chapter 43
• Onyx Storm Read Along – Chapter 44
• Onyx Storm Read Along – Chapter 45
• Onyx Storm Read Along – Chapter 46
• Onyx Storm Read Along – Chapter 47
• Onyx Storm Read Along – Chapter 48
• Onyx Storm Read Along – Chapter 49
• Onyx Storm Read Along – Chapter 50
• Onyx Storm Read Along – Chapter 51
• Onyx Storm Read Along – Chapter 52
• Onyx Storm Read Along – Chapter 53
• Onyx Storm Read Along – Chapter 54
• Onyx Storm Read Along – Chapter 55
• Onyx Storm Read Along – Chapter 56
• Onyx Storm Read Along – Chapter 57
• Onyx Storm Read Along – Chapter 58