CHAPTER ELEVEN

After a memorial service for those who died during Parapet, Violet attends her first day of classes as a first-year rider in Fourth Wing. She secretly meets with Dain, her childhood friend who has now bonded a dragon and become a squad leader, only to be confronted by Xaden Riorson in the rotunda, who threatens violence and orders her to flee.

The chapter opens with Captain Fitzgibbons reading the names of cadets killed during Parapet in a solemn ceremony. Violet, now wearing first-year black with a silver star on her collarbone, stands among hundreds of new riders. After the memorial, Dain, her squad leader, signals her away from the crowd. They meet secretly behind a marble pillar in the rotunda, where Violet learns that Xaden Riorson had their squad transferred to Fourth Wing specifically to have a direct line to her—she is his revenge against her mother. Dain reveals his signet power: the ability to read recent memories through touch. He expresses concern for her safety and warns her that Xaden will operate within the rules of the Codex when others are watching. As Violet leaves to attend class, Xaden appears at the top of the gathering hall steps and watches her intently. When Dain emerges from behind the pillar beside her, Xaden calls out mockingly about their obvious closeness, implying they are childhood friends or lovers. Dain tells Violet to run, and she flees the rotunda as Xaden begins walking down the steps toward them.