Chapter Seventeen

Summary

• Historians tend to overlook the hardships in the establishment of Navarre, including dragons' sacrifices and civilian casualties.
• Chapter Seventeen references tensions and the operational difficulties faced by the human and dragon characters in a militaristic setting.
• Imogen and the protagonist discuss the forced separation of the protagonist from Xaden and speculate it's a punishment for not finding Andarna.
• Xaden communicates with the protagonist through a letter which reveals details of his past and feelings.
• The protagonist and Imogen discuss issues with trust and secrecy within relationships, particularly with the protagonist's partner, Xaden.
• Rhiannon, a close friend of the protagonist, shows concern and wants to reach out despite feeling cut off.
• The protagonist is given a notice from Rhiannon's village about border violations and a warning against taking in strangers.
• An instructor, Markham, uses the notice as a teaching point about propaganda and civilian roles in a war effort.
• Markham falsely claims that Poromish people are spreading propaganda about dragon attacks on cities, despite proof that these cities are intact.
• The protagonist, outraged at the lies, struggles to maintain control over her magical power during the class.
• After the class, the protagonist hastily leaves the academy and heads to the Archives for more information, despite her frustration with not finding answers there.
• In the Archives, she is confronted by professors and scribes but is assisted by Jesinia, a scribe who helps the protagonist in secrecy.
• The protagonist feels urgency to find information to prevent more deaths, showing the underlying pressure of the wartime situation.
• Jesinia agrees to bring the protagonist new reading material, emphasizing the need to meet discreetly on Saturdays to avoid detection.