Chapter Twenty-Three

Xaden arrives at Basgiath on a surprise visit, but tension erupts when he discovers Violet has been secretly researching the First Six and how to create wards for Aretia. Their argument escalates as they travel to the Archives, where Violet introduces Xaden to Jesinia, her scribe friend who has been helping with the research. The chapter ends with Xaden leaving angry and Violet waking to find him gone, presumably returned to the front lines.

Violet is studying history texts about the First Six when Xaden arrives at her quarters looking exhausted from flying. After an intimate moment interrupted by her awareness of an appointment with Jesinia, Xaden notices she's researching classified material about Navarre's wards. When she admits she's doing it to help Aretia defend itself, he becomes angry—not because her plan is flawed, but because she's put herself in danger and kept it secret. Their argument intensifies when Rhiannon, Ridoc, and Sawyer stop by, and Xaden insists on accompanying Violet to the Archives to meet Jesinia. During their journey through the tunnels, they encounter Nolon, the mender, who appears dangerously thin and exhausted from months of "mending a soul." In the Archives, Xaden signs to Jesinia in Tyrrish, linking himself to her fate. Jesinia returns two new books and reveals she's already read The Fables of the Barren—a text whose absence from the Archives is suspicious, suggesting it was deliberately omitted. The revelation alarms Xaden because Violet has given Jesinia leverage to expose them both. Their argument resumes in the tunnels, with Xaden accusing Violet of keeping secrets while demanding blind faith, and Violet countering that his refusal to fully trust her is the root of their conflict. Xaden leaves to find Bodhi, citing the need for space, and Violet wakes the next morning to find his side of the bed empty and his belongings gone.