CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Summary

• After bonding with two dragons, Violet gets medical attention for an injured foot while the generals argue whether she will have to choose one or neither.
• Professor Kaori reassures Violet that the decision will be up to the dragons, not humans, and that this will be decided when the dragon leaders "meet".
• Violet's squadmates debate about who made it out of the battle and who didn't. They reveal Trina died and Tynan was killed by Tairn.
• Violet's friend Dain tries to convince her to choose Andarna instead of Tairn since Tairn is part of a mated pair with Xaden's dragon, making them inseparable. He argues that Xaden is dangerous.
• Xaden enters the conversation and accuses Dain of not being willing to break rules to save Violet, creating conflict within the group.
• Xaden reveals that the dragons have decided Violet will have to face the fact that the unbonded cadets, riders who haven't been chosen by a dragon, are going to try to kill her to try to get Tairn to bond with them.
• Xaden also reveals that he'll have to protect Violet because if she dies, Tairn dies, which could also cause Xaden's dragon (and therefore Xaden) to die.
• General Melgren announces that since it's unprecedented for two dragons to choose the same rider, Violet's fate will be decided in a meeting of the dragon leaders also known as the Empyrean.

• The chapter is set in a fantasy world where humans and dragons co-exist and engage in rider-dragon pairings.
• The protagonist named Violet Sorrengail has, exceptionally, been chosen by two dragons, Tairn and Andarna, which is seemingly against the norm but is accepted, as dragons make their own laws.
• Violet's mother wraps up the Threshing ceremony, which is a formal ritual that solidifies these bonds, promising unbonded riders another chance the following year. She then invites the bonded pairs for a celebration.
• In a recognized phenomenon, Violet experiences pain in her back and she is left with a black and golden emblem of two dragons. This marks her as a dragon rider, specifically Tairn and Andarna's rider.
• Violet’s possible love interest, Dain, finally expresses his feelings for her and they share a kiss. Despite him being someone Violet has wanted, she feels disappointment as she doesn’t feel the same passion as she expected and realizes she doesn't want him anymore.