Fourth Wing

Violet is assigned to Archive duty, where she returns books for the commanding officers and collects their new requests. The task causes her to reminisce about being a scribe, and she gradually feels less attached to the Archives. She runs into her old friend Jesinia, and the two catch up before Violet gives her the next request list. Violet discovers that a favorite childhood book of hers is not in the Archives, which seems unlikely due to the Archives’ expansive collection. At breakfast, Violet learns that Sawyer is the first of the newly bonded to display his signet power. The older students offer the first-years a warning: Once they begin channeling magic from their dragon, they must manifest their signet within six months or risk dying from built-up magic.

Despite her training, Violet still struggles to stay on Tairn’s back during flight lessons. Tairn teases Violet about her conflicting feelings about Xaden. When Dain arrives on the flight field, Tairn grows angry and threatens him. In private, Dain yells at Violet for not being able to stay on Tairn. They argue, but Violet lists the things she is doing to improve her strength. When Dain references his feelings, Violet lashes out, claiming that they will only ever be friends because Dain does not believe in her potential. She storms away and into a courtyard, where one of the newly bonded cadets starts to manifest his signet power: mindreading, an outlawed power that is too dangerous for anyone to have. Xaden uses shadows to hold his mouth shut, and Professor Carr, a magic specialist, executes the cadet.

That night, Violet dreams about her father before Tairn wakes her telepathically as Oren and six other cadets break into her room to murder her. Tairn tries to coach her as six of them attack while the seventh flees. They overpower her, and Oren prepares to kill her. Violet’s door opens, but she cannot see who is there. Andarna freezes time for everyone but Violet.

Violet frees herself from Oren’s hold and makes her way to the door, where Xaden is frozen but clearly enraged. Andarna resumes time. The unbonded cadets, seeing Xaden, drop their weapons as Oren tries to justify their murder attempt. Xaden uses shadows to choke everyone but Oren to death before cutting Orin’s throat. Other high-ranking cadets enter the room to survey the damage, and Violet goes into shock as the adrenaline wears off. The other riders, all of whom bear the marks of rebels’ children, finish cleaning the room and leave Violet with Xaden. He helps her into her shoes and takes her to an underground tunnel so that they can speak to Tairn. They exit onto the training field and wait for Tairn, Sgaeyl, and Andarna to arrive. Xaden confronts Tairn, demanding to know what happened in Violet’s room; Sgaeyl surprises Violet by speaking to her telepathically, a side-effect of her being Tairn’s mate.

Andarna explains to Violet that feathertail dragons can give their powers to humans, which is why adult dragons are the only ones who bond. Violet realizes that Adarna is a juvenile dragon, not a special breed of dragon. Because the young dragons are untrained, humans can abuse and steal their power, killing the dragons in the process. Once Tairn and Andarna reveal this information to Violet and Xaden, they swear their riders to secrecy. The dragons depart, and Xaden asks how the unbonded cadets got into her room; Violet hesitates to tell him that she recognized the person who fled. Violet believes that that person unlocked Violet’s door.

The younger cadets discuss the murder attempt over breakfast, then attend the morning death roll call. While everyone is still in formation, Xaden pulls a rebels’ child named Liam from another squad and places him in Violet’s squad. Violet protests, insisting that she does not need a bodyguard. During morning announcements, Commandant Panchek claims that a violation of the rider code has occurred. Xaden steps forward and relays the events of the night before, then accuses a fellow wingleader named Amber of having helped the cadets break into Violet’s room. Dain tries to defend Amber, but Violet insists that Xaden is telling the truth. Dragons arrive at the scene to observe the proceedings. Dain commands Violet to share her memory with him, but she refuses, worried that he will find out about Andarna and her power. Amber makes inappropriate accusations towards Xaden; at Violet’s insistence, Tairn relays Violet’s memories of the fight to all in attendance, although doing so is typically a violation of dragon code. Amber is found guilty, and Tairn incinerates her.

Liam escorts Violet wherever she goes. Despite her resistance to his role as her bodyguard, she likes him well enough. She also witnesses hostility directed at Liam because he bears the mark of being a rebel’s child. During her library duty, Violet learns that Liam and Xaden were both foster children. Liam shares some of the horrors he survived as the child of a rebel, and Violet learns that all the children like him are forced to join the Rider Quadrant when they are conscripted.

Jesinia gives them their books and a scroll for the daily Battle Brief. It falls off the cart as they walk, giving Violet a glimpse of its contents. They attend the Battle Brief and banter with their classmates before the professor announces that the annual Squad Battle will have an additional reward: The winning squad will shadow riders on the front lines. They then begin the brief, which directly conflicts with the information Violet saw in the scroll. Liam wonders if it was classified and she missed the marking.

December arrives. Violet continues to train with Imogen and Rhiannon while Liam supervises. Rhiannon, Violet, and Liam discuss Violet’s frustrations with Xaden’s behavior, but Violet admits to herself that her physical attraction to him is growing. Dain has ignored Violet since Amber’s death yet seems angry when he catches Violet watching Xaden spar shirtless. Rhiannon knocks Violet down while sparring, and Jack makes snide comments about Violet’s capabilities. When Violet reminds him that he ran during the Threshing, Jack attacks, but Liam fights him off. As a result, Xaden gives Violet instructions for fighting and self-defense.

Later that evening, Violet is overcome by both pain and power; eventually the pain recedes, leaving her with seemingly endless energy as she finally begins to channel Tairn’s magic. She leaves her room and runs into Liam. She fills with lust when she sees him and flees, realizing that because Tairn is mating, his emotions are overpowering her own. She encounters Xaden in the halls, and when it becomes clear that Violet cannot handle the emotional onslaught from Tairn, Xaden teaches her to shield herself from Tairn’s thoughts. Although she successfully blocks herself from the worst of Tairn’s emotions, she and Xaden kiss. Xaden breaks the kiss, insisting that the desire they feel is not theirs and that Violet cannot truly give consent. Violet returns to her room, still feeling her own desire for Xaden although Tairn’s sense of desire has dissipated from her mind.

Violet talks to Rhiannon about what happened. They also discuss what will happen when Xaden graduates; mated dragons must remain together, which makes Violet’s future ambiguous. Rhiannon shows Violet her signet power: the ability to summon objects to herself. The cadets head to class, where Dain intercepts Violet. Dain asks why she refused to share her memory with him on the day of Amber’s trial, and Violet reminds him that he did not ask for the memory; he demanded it. She insists that he acknowledge her capabilities as a rider, and the two of them reconcile.

Now that Violet has access to Tairn’s power, she joins Professor Carr’s class to learn about magic even though her own signet has not yet manifested. Referred to as “wielding,” this style of magic includes minor feats such as locking doors and summoning lights. By January, Violet begins to successfully fight other cadets during sparring challenges. One day, she is assigned to fight Jack. She confides in Liam, telling him that he cannot intervene when the challenge is announced. They head to the sparring room, and Liam begs Violet to let him summon Xaden. She allows it, knowing that Liam will not find him in time. Tairn tries to give her advice as she and Jack face off. Violet tries to enrage Jack to make him careless. Their fight increases in tempo and brutality until Jack starts using his signet against her in direct violation of the rules. Violet shoves a vial into his mouth, forcing the two of them apart. Ridoc comes to her aid, and she reveals that Jack is allergic to oranges before fainting. She wakes up in the infirmary that night with Xaden beside her.

Xaden tells her that Jack survived his allergic reaction before expressing his anger that Violet kept the fight a secret. She insists that she must prove her own strength. She mentions their kiss, but he refuses to discuss it. He also decides to take over her training. They start sparring together the next day, and he gives her specially made daggers. Over the next two months, Violet does not manifest her signet, and the power that Tairn gives her grows increasingly uncomfortable. One of their peers fails to manifest a signet in a timely fashion and dies as a result.

One day in March, Xaden takes Violet flying while the rest of the cadets are practicing magic. As they walk to the flight field, Xaden warns her that she will likely be forced to follow him to the front lines next year. They are interrupted by some of the commanding officers, including Violet’s mother. General Sorrengail is cold and reserved. The officers discuss whether they would be able to study Andarna and if Violet knows the location of her father’s research notes; Violet withholds all information that she knows. After the officers depart, Xaden seems sympathetic towards Violet. They reach the training fields; Sgaeyl, Andarna, and Tairn approach.