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Onyx Storm Read Along – Chapter 54

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Written by: Cory

Onyx Storm Read Along – Chapter 54

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. Please note that some spoilers from future chapters will be found here.

The epigraph is super representative. Seeing as Andarna just left us… we finally understood the feeling.

Seeing how much Violet is suffering, it’s making me so mad that Andarna left. On the other hand, I feel Violet is very loved—truly. She has such a support group to help her through it all.

Do we think now that Andarna is gone, Violet doesn’t have her relic anymore? That’s a rather valid question, seeing as Violet mentions this:
“And if she returns to find me like this, huddled in on myself, I won’t be worthy of her relic.”

“How did you replace the power you lost?” Mira asks quickly. Sometimes, as much as I love Mira, she’s definitely Lilith’s daughter, is she not? Straight to business.

I honestly thought it was Xaden who sent for Mira, but turns out it was Brennan who wrote to her. I know many of you disagree, but I really do not trust Brennan at all. But he does seem to love Violet. I just wonder if he loves her like a sister, or if he just loves her to further his own agenda.

Also, a little cute Easter egg and foreshadowing for us all:
“None taken.” Xaden folds his arms but doesn’t look away. “We’re past the breakup stage.”

“Work it out, because other than Niara, we’re all that’s left.”
We have another family member we need to meet. I honestly look forward to it.

I want you to take note of two things here in this chapter.
When Brennan refers to Violet and Mira, he calls them: “they are my sisters.” When Xaden talks about Brennan and Mira, he says: “They’re your siblings.” Obvious use of words, right? I think again, this is going to be very useful at the end of the book when we discuss the ending and who is missing. The word “sibling” is used. Implying that whoever is “missing” has a sister.

“I think I know why riders die when their dragons do.”

“In that moment, I didn’t know who I was, where I belonged, or why I should bother breathing. If Tairn hadn’t grounded me, I think I would have willingly floated away.”

So many things here. Knowing this, can it be that she can save someone when their dragon dies? Can it mean that she can ground them? Seeing as she now knows all this, can it be that she will be able to help others in the future so we don’t lose riders?

“But no rider has survived what you just did—”
“Except Jack Barlowe.”

Also, she has a point. We assume Jack survived because he was venin and because he immediately drew power to replace the power lost, correct?

Well, the chapter is definitely getting very interesting indeed. Let’s recap. Niara is their grandmother, assuming she was Colonel Daxton, another scribe who wrote many books. She was Asher’s mother.

Brennan and Mira argue about Niara because apparently, she hated Lilith. I do wonder why. Mira is reading Lilith’s journals and figures there are two months missing from the summer she and Asher left Brennan and Mira with Niara and went somewhere. When Asher and Lilith returned with Violet, Niara stopped talking to them.

We learn that Mira believes they took Violet to Dunne’s temple to dedicate her. Brennan refuses to believe so.

“The priestess started the process, then told Mom and Dad that they only accepted children whose futures are certain, and Violet still had paths to choose from—”

Right. We learn that Violet’s dedication had not been completed, seeing as it’s been illegal since 200.

But wait, there is more:
“Brennan throws up his hands, revealing the rune-shaped scar on his palm.”
Oh, the rune-shaped scar. What exactly are you, Brennan? Wyvern? Venin? Artificially kept alive? That rune is giving us all sleepless nights.

Anyway, back to Violet, Dunne, Niara and her dedication.

“The priestess spoke all cryptically but basically said if Violet chose her future poorly, she could still earn their mentorship, but she’d turn—”

Read this again with me. If Violet chose her future poorly, she could still earn their mentorship. Not if she chose wisely, but poorly. But she’d turn. Turn what? Venin? Why? Why would she turn should she earn mentorship from Dunne’s followers? Are all priestesses venin eventually?

Parts of this start to click, right? Asher took Violet to Unnbriel to try and dedicate her. It explains why her hair grows this way. It also explains the epigraph from before:
“Gods help us if anyone finds out… not sure if I will ever forgive him for what he did to her.”
Asher went alone. Unnbriel has not seen dragons before.

The plot thickens too:
“Dad thought you were perfect, and he said that parents used to dedicate their infants to a particular deity’s service when they thought the touch of a god would help that child…”

They tried to help Violet. Do we think it was because of her brittle bones? Or because of Theo? Because they knew that Theo would eventually come after them?

And just like that, in the midst of all of it, we learn why Mira has been distant, why she asked first thing “how did you replace the power” and why she is being so weird. To add wood to the fire, Xaden, calm and collected, comes out to the siblings and says it—he is the venin, his heart beats for Violet.

“She doesn’t intend to tell anyone about me,” Xaden says.
He cut through her shields?

And just like that, we learn that Xaden is becoming seriously lethal, seriously powerful, and seriously dangerous.

The chapter ends on a low, and I’m again, sort of disappointed with Mira’s reaction. I know she’s upset, but Violet needs support and understanding more than anything right now, seeing as she’s just lost her dragon.

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Cory

Hello! I’m Cory, a devoted superfan of the Fourth Wing, Iron Flame and the Empyrean Series. My passion for these epic tales has led me to read and reread the books, each time uncovering new layers of information. I’ve created this site to share my insights and discoveries with fellow fans and anyone interested in exploring the rich world of Empyrean.

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Hello! This site is dedicated to the Empyrean Series by Rebecca Yarros. I’ve made this place to explore the rich world of Empyrean, full of characters, theories, and places. Each post is carefully researched and updated with the newest details from the series. This site is also a great spot for discussing theories about the Empyrean Series. 🐉
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