We’ve all been reading and re-reading Iron Flame for the past few months in an attempt to really figure out Violet’s second signet. We’ve discussed so many theories already. Violet’s second signet could be dream walker right, given the dreams she somewhat shares with Xaden and the venin.
It could be that she has super powerful shields, or she is our special distance wielder. We even have theories about the idea that she might be a storm wielder like her mother, Lilith. One of the most popular has been the idea that she is the control Xaden needs now that he’s venin or even the fact that she can defy gravity.
All of them are very fun, but one of them needs to be discussed asap: her ability to speak to the dead. Interestingly enough, this theory gets dismissed all the time and for good reason. But after reading Iron Flame again, I think I might have caught something that makes me believe…Violet might just about be able to actually talk to the dead. And buckle up because you really are in for a mega ride with this one.
Why would Violet need to talk to the dead?
Well, for one, she was trained all her live to be a scribe. Scribes thrive on history and at the end of Fourth Wing she’s found out that the history she knows, is not quite the right history.
She’s been reading the wrong books all her life, and she needs to start reading the right ones. Only one problem: the real history, has been erased and re-written. At least in Navarre.
Being able to talk to the dead would help her learn the truth right from the source. Who better to tell her everything but the dead, right?
She could also talk to her mom, her dad and…Liam, among others.
How could Violet talk to the dead?
Violet’s second signet could be the ability to talk to the dead. We all know that Liam was her hallucination. But how was that possible? Let’s revisit their conversation a little bit.
—
“Sleep if you can.” The suggestion is soft, the voice so achingly familiar that I squeeze my undamaged eye shut.
You’re not really here. You’re a hallucination from pain and dehydration. A mirage.
“Maybe,” Liam says, and I open my eye just enough to see him sit on the floor beside me. He pulls his knees up, resting his elbow on the side of the bunk just beneath my fractured arm. “Or maybe Malek sent me as a kindness.”
Malek doesn’t do kindness. Nor does he allow souls to wander about.
Kudos to my brain; he’s an excellent hallucination. He looks exactly as he had the last time I saw him, dressed in flight leathers and wearing a smile that makes my heart ache.
“I’m not wandering, Violet. I’m exactly where I need to be.”
—
Liam is not wondering…he is exactly where he needs to be…with Violet. And it was Violet who summoned him.
Alright. Let’s discuss…how can Violet use her signet. Wasn’t she a prisoner? I’m so glad you asked…
Andarna might be immune to the serum (yes, really)
It sounds insane, right? But our Andarna is pretty special. Take a moment to read this again: Andarna might actually be immune to the serum. Yes, that serum. The one that disconnects dragons from their riders. The serum that makes venin stay in control.
Andarna can kill venin. Her fire burns them too. Andarna is old. Andarna is a 7th breed we know nothing about. And quite clearly, Andarna has some seriously good precognition skills.
In no way, shape or form, did Rebecca Yarros imply that Violet cannot reach Andarna while under the influence of the serum. Here is the evidence.
“Do you know where—” I start to say toward Tairn, but the usually crystal-clear connection is muffled, like someone has thrown a blanket over it. Panic clenches my heart as I realize the same is true for Andarna, though I don’t risk waking her with questions. “I can’t reach Tairn.”
I read this paragraph a million times. The same is true for Andarna, though she doesn’t risk waking her. Which, to me, might just mean that she didn’t check her connection to Andarna.
But here is where it gets really weird. When Violet is taken prisoner, she realises she’s under the influence of the serum. The one Nolon (ugh, Nolon!) slipped in her drink.
And what does she say?
“Terror expands the pressure in my throat. I can’t reach Tairn or Xaden. Can’t call on my signet or even my knife skills, since my hands are bound.”
What of Andarna? She never specifically told us that she cannot reach Andarna. She cannot reach Tairn or Xaden. But not Andarna. Maybe she can reach Andarna.
She didn’t say “I can’t reach my dragons”.
But the author does use a clever sentence… “The blanket thrown over my dragon bonds lifts, and power rushes through my veins. I feel like me again.”
Hmmm….
So can Violet speak to the dead?
Maybe. I know this theory stands on one leg, but I really wanted to share my findings. It could be that RY specifically omitted Andarna from this to confuse us. Or it could be that Violet hasn’t realised this yet, but Andarna is immune to the serum; thus Violet can access her second signet at all times.
Would it be useful for Violet to speak to the dead? Oh, gosh yes. It would also mean that we would continue to get Liam for the rest of the books, which, let’s face it, it’s precisely what we want.
Besides, who doesn’t want to actually have a conversation with the dad, and understand more about Lilith? And not just through books.
What if Malek did send Liam back?
That’s always a chance that Malek did send Liam as a kindness. I already have a theory that those who do not burn for Malek, get their loved ones back. Again, it’s a bit of a crazy theory but it’s always fun to go down the rabbit hole.
So what are your thoughts?Do you think Violet can talk to the dead?
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