CHAPTER EIGHT

Violet Sorrengail is conscripted into the Riders Quadrant against her wishes and receives last-minute preparation from her sister Mira. After signing the roll, she must cross the deadly parapet—a narrow stone bridge over a ravine—where she encounters Xaden Riorson, a third-year wingleader and son of a executed rebel leader, who despises her because her mother oversaw his father's execution.

Violet reports to General Sorrengail's office on Conscription Day, where her sister Mira argues fiercely against sending her to the Riders Quadrant, given her physical fragility and lifelong preparation for the Scribe Quadrant. The General refuses and dismisses Mira, then privately affirms her confidence in Violet's resilience before coldly ending the meeting. Violet's belongings are packed away, signaling the removal of her old life. Mira then equips Violet with proper rider gear—black fitted leathers, a scale-reinforced corset, and rubber-bottomed boots—and repacks her rucksack to minimize weight. She warns Violet about Xaden Riorson, a third-year wingleader whose father led a rebellion against Navarre and was executed by Violet's mother; Mira insists Violet stay away from him. Mira also advises Violet to find ally Dain Aetos and to prioritize survival over friendships. After an emotional farewell, Violet joins the flow of thousands of candidates heading to their respective quadrants. At the Riders Quadrant entrance, she signs the roll and befriends two fellow first-year candidates, Rhiannon and Dylan. As they climb the tower stairs toward the parapet, Violet learns Dylan is engaged and Rhiannon is a volunteer. At the parapet platform, Violet trades her left boot to Rhiannon for better traction, then encounters Xaden Riorson as one of the three riders overseeing the crossing. He recognizes her surname immediately and confronts her with hatred, revealing he knows her mother executed his father. Violet counters that his father killed her older brother Brennan. When rain suddenly deluge the parapet, Dylan slips and falls to his death below. Xaden, watching Violet's horror, tells her he won't waste energy killing her—the parapet will do it instead—before instructing her to cross.