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 beautiful.
“A gift from one servant of Dunne to another. I must warn you—only those touched by the gods should wield their wrath. I will pray to Her that she need not use it to avoid reacquainting herself with the other who curries her favor. Her path is still not set.
—Recovered Correspondence of High Priestess Deservee to His Royal Highness, Cadet Aaric Graycastle, Prince Camlaen of Navarre”
Please remember that when we’re talking about Dunne, we use a capital H for Her. We saw that in a previous epigraph as well. So what does this one mean?
Only those touched by gods should wield their wrath. Violet was touched by Dunne. She can do it.
I will pray to Her that she need not use it to avoid reacquainting herself with the other who curries her favor.
The priestess will pray to Dunne, that Violet will not need to use “it”—to avoid reacquainting herself with the other who curries her favour—Malek. It’s obvious from this that Violet curries the favour of two gods. Dunne for sure—we learnt that. But I think also Malek. Why? Because if she needs to use it, it means being on the brink of death, no? It means she might die. Death = Malek. Malek listens to Violet. Malek curries her favour.
The chapter is back to Violet. Still in tandem, all happening at the same time as Imogen’s POV. The chapter opens with Violet… fighting. It always feels like chaos.
A roar of unfettered agony fills my head, so loud it vibrates my bones and shrill enough to pop my ears.
There, we have confirmation that what’s happening here is also in tandem with the next chapter too, Xaden’s POV.
And just as Sgaeyl is in trouble, a net falls over Tairn too. They fall and I cannot breathe as I read this. Runes help Violet get out, and she finally reads Aaric’s letter with his package:
“For when you lose yours. Strike in the dark, Violet.”
Superb Easter egg here.
Violet fights Theo with lightning, but naturally, Theo is so much faster. And then, Violet comes up with a plan.
“Tell me, do you miss Unnbriel?” “Do you not yearn for temple?”
“Do you?” she counters. “Or are you immune, having only been touched, but not dedicated?”
Bingo. We learn that Theo was dedicated. She was a high priestess. Violet is immune. But to what? Longing for the temple? Unable to resist its calling? Sounds oddly similar to how initiates and asims cannot resist the calling of their sage…
“As a high priestess, you would have had immeasurable power on the isle. How was it still not enough?”
“Why serve a god when you can be one?” Theophanie snarls.
Are mavens like gods? Or just some of the venin previously touched by the gods? Who are the gods exactly? So many questions here.
“Shadow spreads like a ripple on a lake, devouring the field in the fury of an onyx storm and sweeping toward us at a speed that squeezes the hope from my chest, then outright shatters my heart. The pain hits like a physical blow to the center of my chest.
He’s terrifyingly powerful with Sgaeyl, but not like this.
This is the kind of force that ends worlds.”
We get confirmation that the onyx storm was Xaden. The book is named after him and his power. His onyx shadows that take over the world like a storm.
“Strike!” Tairn snaps, and I hear the net give way.
[…]
“Use the darkness!” Tairn orders.
Interesting to me that in her sorrow, Violet has almost given up on it all. It’s the second time Tairn is grounding her.
Remember the letter from the high priestess? Her path is still not set.
I never dreamed that taking every possible path to cure him would lead to his choice.
Her path might be set by someone else…
And then boom: Violet pieces everything together. All those tiny little Easter eggs. Aaric is a real precog. Do you remember in Fourth Wing how Jack laughed at Violet in that first Battle Brief? Saying that precognition isn’t even a thing? We all thought it was Andarna having this power. Well, it turns out Aaric is our true precog. Beautiful!
“He’s a fucking precog,” I whisper in awe. A real one—not like Melgren, who can only foresee battles.”
And just when we think we’re nearing the end, even more happens.
“Scales shimmer to the same silver-blue as my strike, and a small dragon stalks toward Theophanie, her head low, teeth bared.
And just like that, my stammering heartbeat stabilizes.
Andarna.”
“Irid,” Theophanie whispers with reverence, straining toward Andarna.
With reverence. Venin revere the irids. I just cannot believe that the irids are good dragons. Something still tells me they are descendants of—or touched by—a deceiving god.
And just like that, with one marble dagger made from Dunne’s temple, Violet manages to kill Theophanie.
“Dunne is a wrathful goddess to high priestesses who turn their backs on Her.” She opens her mouth to scream, then desiccates in an instant.
The chapter ends with:
“Violet,” Andarna whispers.
And then I hear nothing.
There was no whistling sound here. Andarna rebonded Violet. She spoke to her directly…
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
- Onyx Storm Read Along – Chapter 59
- Onyx Storm Read Along – Chapter 60
- Onyx Storm Read Along – Chapter 61
- Onyx Storm Read Along – Chapter 62
- Onyx Storm Read Along – Chapter 63
- Onyx Storm Read Along – Chapter 64
- Onyx Storm Read Along – Chapter 65
- Onyx Storm Read Along – Chapter 66
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