Violet, Brennan, Xaden, Rhiannon, and the Assembly climb to the wardstone chamber. Violet explains her corrected translation: the stone requires dragonfire from representatives of each den. Six dragons—among them Tairn, Sgaeyl, Feirge, and others—breathe into the chamber, triggering the imbedded runes. The stone’s look doesn’t change, but Violet feels the anchored calm of active wards.

Tairn rushes Violet to the cliff border to intercept an approaching horde. Xaden and Sgaeyl arrive, and with no one nearby to overhear, Violet presses Xaden to reveal his second signet. He finally confesses a forbidden inntinnsic variant—he reads intentions—explaining past choices and how he gauged threats. Tairn bristles at Sgaeyl’s secrecy, and Violet reels at the betrayal but insists, “My love isn’t fickle,” resolving to ask hard questions later.

The horde appears with at least seventeen venin and the Sage from Resson. On the Sage’s command, a wyvern races the cliff and crosses the invisible boundary; its life ceases instantly, and it crashes below. A second test ends the same. Sgaeyl confirms the kills while Violet hurls lightning as warning. The Sage withdraws, proving the wards are active and lethal to the enemy.

They return to a jubilant Riorson House, though Violet and Xaden’s rift remains. The Assembly calls them in immediately, and the victory is shadowed by urgent news.

Mira and Syrena report that General Melgren has summoned two marked leaders, Violet, and Mira to parley at Terria. Syrena then levitates a dagger, demonstrating she can still wield lesser magic within the reborn wards. The revelation signals something is wrong with the new protections, raising fresh stakes on the eve of the meeting.