Chaos erupts on the cliff as Luella slips from Violet’s grasp and vanishes into the clouds. Cat furiously blames Violet, but Maren defends her. Dain threatens Cat and resets Violet’s dislocated shoulder while Brennan lands and begins treating Ridoc, who has two arrows in his abdomen. Cibbelair keens and collapses, bound to die with Luella.

A wyvern bursts from the mist and snatches Cibbelair, confirming the threat hidden in the cloud cover. Dain coordinates for wind to clear visibility while Violet orders the riders and fliers up the cliff. Determined despite her injury, Violet mounts Tairn to draw the wyvern away and counterattack.

Tairn tracks two riderless wyvern within the clouds. Adapting to limited visibility, Violet decides to use the storm to her advantage, channeling Tairn’s power and forcing lightning downward into the cloud. Drawn to the dark energy animating the creatures, the lightning strikes reveal and kill four wyvern—two they lured and two near the cliff.

Back on the ledge, Ridoc is stabilized and moved; Brennan offers to mend Violet’s shoulder, but she defers. She explains her gamble: lightning would seek the wyvern’s unnatural energy. The victory is tempered by the realization that the attack exposed their position while they escort fliers toward Tyrrendor.

In debrief, Dain notes the wyvern were riderless, and Tairn warns enemies could be within four hours’ flight. Brennan cites Tecarus’s book: venin share a collective consciousness with the wyvern they create. Violet and Brennan conclude the energy surge will alert the venin, and they will come for them.