Iron Flame Chapters 21–23 Summary & Analysis

Summary: Chapters 21–23

Chapter 21

During Battle Brief, Professor Devera announces that a rider and recent graduate named Masen Sanborn died in an attack on the Eastern Wing. This marks yet another attack of a rider who fought at Resson; Violet considers the fact that of the ten of them that flew into Resson, only six are still alive.

The class then discusses the provinces that lost their culture during the Unification of Navarre as well as their languages. A fellow student argues that this is not the case because people can still request translated Tyrrish texts from the Archives. Violet rebukes him, claiming that the translations only go back 400 years and leave out the original texts.

Later, Violet and her squad attend the last of this month’s challenges, and Dain is conveniently paired off with Violet after she tells him to stay away from her. Dain claims that he just wants to talk to her, but Violet does not trust him and keeps her shields up the entire time. Dain insists that he did not intend to get her team ambushed or Liam killed when he reported her memories during War Games; he only saw the flash of a memory in which Xaden told Violet he’d gone to Athebyne, which Dain knew was against there rules. Dain claims he knew nothing about what was going to happen, that he only said he would miss her because she chose Xaden, and he knew Xaden had reasons to hate her. He tells her that her mother is why Xaden has 107 scars on his back, that she carved them herself. He finally taps out, causing Violet to win.

After the fight, Rhiannon confronts Violet for being so secretive this year and Violet admits one truth: Dain can steal memories. Rhiannon, starting to put the pieces together, asks what really killed Liam. Violet tells her to never ask that question again because she does not want to lie to her. Violet barely has time to process this interaction when Aaric arrives, injured, and Violet offers to accompany him to the infirmary. Once they’re alone, Aaric reveals that he knows about venin, and that he decided to run away from the palace to become a dragon rider for that reason.

Chapter 22

Violet wakes with a start from a nightmare in which the venin Sage from Resson says that she must either join him or die. That Saturday, Xaden leads her down to Basgiath’s forge (where he steals the weapons), and Violet ruminates on the First Six—she found a text that confirms they didn’t just establish the wards, but personally carved the first wardstone, meaning they probably also carved the one in Aretia. What she really needs, however, is a firsthand account from one of the Six.

They are interrupted by Varrish, who has come to take Violet, Rhiannon, Sawyer, and Ridoc to a surprise torture and interrogation training. Xaden says that Violet is in no condition for this type of training as she has an injured arm from practicing running landings, but Varrish threatens to take away her leave for next weekend if she does not participate. Violet says that she will go with them, and tells Xaden through their bond to return the book on her desk to Jesinia. Xaden agrees and tells Violet that while the body may be “fragile,” she is “unbreakable.”

Chapter 23

Violet, Rhiannon, Ridoc, and Sawyer are bound and taken to an underground room in a cave to begin their interrogation exam. Grady gives each student a piece of fake classified information (Violet’s is “the key can be found in my desk drawer”) to guard. He then tells them to each share a secret with the group that nobody else knows, explaining that the instructors will try to force that information from them as well. Before he leaves, he says that there is a special patch available for any group that manages to escape the interrogation, but that it is nearly impossible to do so.

When it is Violet’s turn to share a secret, she says that she is in love with Xaden, but her friends make her pick a new one because they already knew that. Violet then tells the group that Narrare is killing Poromish citizens at the border, and they are all shocked. The four go to drink from the cups that Grady left them, but Violet realizes that it is laced with the same concoction that cut them off from their dragons and signets during the previous RSC exercise. They agree to pretend it worked in order to keep their abilities.

Professor Grady leads them to the interrogation chamber and then leaves. Two riders that Violet has never seen before enter the room and begin the interrogation process. They chain Rhiannon, Ridoc, and Sawyer to the wall and then lead Violet to a chair in the center of the room. The rider strikes Violet, hard, and says that she is the weakest in her group, but Violet compartmentalizes her pain, just like she is used to doing, and holds firm. The riders strike Ridoc next and then leave. A few hours later, the torturers return with Varrish. Varrish dismisses the two riders and brings in Dain, boasting that together they can break Violet and her friends in record time.

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