Iron Flame Chapters 37–39 Summary & Analysis

Summary: Chapters 37–39

Chapter 37

At Riorson House, Violet wakes from another nightmare about the venin Sage in Xaden’s bed. She recalls how she collapsed there last night after Brennan took her to Xaden’s room to mend her in private. Violet admires Xaden in his sleep, and decides that she wants to have sex with him. Xaden wakes and is aroused by Violet’s suggestion, but is worried about hurting her since she was just healed. However, Violet insists that she is alright and that she needs to feel like she is alive, and the two passionately have sex.

An hour later, Violet and Xaden walk through the crowded Riorson House and head towards the Assembly room where six of the seven leaders are grilling Imogen, Bodhi, and Garrick. Xaden interrupts and says they should leave them alone and question him since they were all acting on his orders. The Assembly expresses a series of concerns, including their mistrust of Dain, their fear that Melgren will discover their secret hold, their skepticism of Violet, and the fact that there are now 100 cadets here that they do not know what to do with. Xaden fights back and insists he made the right call given the situation. He then shows the scar over his heart and reminds the Assembly that he has taken responsibility for Violet, and that any questioning will have to go through him first. Violet is shocked to learn that the new scar on Xaden’s chest represents her.

She uses their bond to ask him when he did this, and he says after Resson. While watching Xaden argue with the Assembly, Violet realizes that Xaden is the seventh member—that Riorson House belongs to him. Violet tells everyone that she will get to work on translating Warrick’s journal (Brennan is unable to do so because he doesn’t know the dead language it was written in), and Xaden suggests they allow the four teachers who deserted Basgiath with them to resume teaching the cadets. Violet then becomes distracted when she senses Andarna’s presence for the first time in months, and realizes that she is finally awake.

Chapter 38

Violet goes to find Andarna, who has fallen back to sleep and is even bigger than she was the last time Violet saw her. She wakes when Violet approaches, and Violet is horrified to see that her wings do not fully extend. Tairn informs her that she was forced to grow at a rapid rate after expending so much power at Resson and being unable enter the Dreamless Sleep until Violet was safe at Basgiath. As a result, her maturation was unpredictable and she did not develop the second set of muscles that dragons use to expand their wings. Tairn is confident that Andarna will be able to fly after she strengthens her existing muscles, but that she will never be strong enough to hold a rider.

Later, Violet goes to her first class in Aretia. Rhiannon asks if she is making any progress on the journal, and Violet confirms that she is close. Devera starts the class, claiming that this is their first Battle Brief as “traitors.” She explains that those stationed at the outposts have successfully disposed of the wyvern carcasses that Xaden dropped on them, and that General Melgren has managed to keep this news from the public. She also confirms that they are still turning away Poromish citizens at the border. Venin have destroyed Anca, a town that is close to the recently fallen Zolya, where the venin appear to have set up a base. Violet realizes that these fallen cities are close to Viscount Tecarus’s territory; she feels they need to bargain for the luminary before it is too late.

Suddenly, Tairn informs Violet that a riot is approaching, and Violet soon realizes Mira is among them. When they go to meet them, Tairn attacks Teine, Mira’s dragon, but Mira maintains they have come to help after Xaden dropped a wyvern at Samara. She states that their mother arrived shortly afterward, and told all the Samara riders the truth. The general then gave them an hour to decide what they wanted to do, and about forty or so riders chose to join the forces at Aretia. Violet is stunned that her mother and Melgren allowed them to go. Violet is still processing all of this information when Brennan arrives. Mira is shocked to see her brother, who she previously thought dead, and punches him right in the face.

Chapter 39

Mira, shocked and angry that Brennan faked his death and that no one told her, has likely broken Brennan’s nose. The two siblings are still arguing furiously when Xaden arrives. Violet tells them that she thinks the First Six used blood magic, and she needs the blood of the six most powerful riders in residence to attempt and activate the wardstone. Violet, Xaden, Brennan, Felix, Suri, and Bodhi are selected as the most powerful riders here. They make their way to the wardstone, and Violet notices that the stone has the same runes that she found in Warrick’s journal. The six riders press their bloody palms to the stone, but nothing happens. Angry with her own failure, Violet insists to Xaden that she meet with Tecarus so they can at least get a luminary to forge weapons. Xaden refuses. Violet storms off and runs into Mira, from whom she requests help.

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