Publisher Description
The chapter opens with Xaden sitting in on a battle strategy briefing led by Mira Sorrengail, technically off the books since he isn't supposed to be there. He's using the visit as cover for a real mission — his associate Imogen has slipped away from her squad to deliver contraband daggers near the border, and Xaden is providing a plausible reason for his own presence while shielding the operation from anyone who might notice her absence. Throughout the session, tension simmers with Dain, who bristles at Xaden's closeness with Violet and needles him with a mix of resentment and suspicion. Xaden, meanwhile, is preoccupied with his feelings for Violet, which he's been forced to hide to protect her reputation and safety. Mira runs the cadets through a hypothetical siege scenario, testing their tactical thinking — how to scout enemy defenses, coordinate signets, and take a fortified keep without harming civilians. Violet contributes several sharp tactical insights, including suggesting Xaden's shadow-wielding could blind the enemy during an approach, which he demonstrates by plunging the room into darkness. Also revealed here is that Xaden and Violet share a private telepathic bond neither of them has fully acknowledged aloud, letting them exchange thoughts and banter unnoticed by the rest of the room — much to the irritation of Xaden's dragon, Sgaeyl. After the exercise, Mira pulls Xaden, Dain, and Violet aside privately to confront the friction between them, pointing out that the entanglement between Xaden and Violet's dragons is disrupting squad dynamics and putting Violet's training at risk. The conversation turns personal and heated — Mira voices deep distrust of Xaden given his history and his mother's role in his past, while Violet defends him. Violet also admits, painfully, that she still struggles to stay seated on dragonback due to her physical condition, a vulnerability that visibly shakes Mira. The confrontation is cut short when the wards protecting the outpost fail unexpectedly, signaling an imminent attack from hostile forces (a "drift" of gryphon riders). Chaos breaks out as everyone scrambles to evacuate. Mira insists that Violet and the cadets flee to safety while she and the senior riders stay to defend the position, extracting a promise from Xaden to get her sister out safely. Violet resists leaving, desperate to stay and help defend the outpost alongside her sister. When she refuses to budge, Xaden makes a split-second decision: he kisses her — hard and full of everything he's been suppressing — deliberately using the moment to disarm and distract her long enough for Tairn (his dragon) to physically seize her and carry her to safety against her will. Violet is furious, telling Xaden she'll hate him for the manipulation, though he accepts it as a price worth paying to keep her alive. The chapter ends with Xaden and Sgaeyl launching into the sky, chasing after her.
