Chapter Fifty-Five

Violet continues her power control training with Felix, learning to sustain and extend her energy in precise streams rather than violent strikes. Upon returning home, she discovers that Pavis has been attacked and taken by enemy forces, resulting in the death of senior wingleader Nyra Voldaren and others, signaling an escalating threat to the quadrant's defensive positions.

Violet trains with Felix to master her signet by learning controlled, sustained power rather than destructive bursts. Through practice, she discovers she can extend streams of energy from her fingertips into a conduit without immediately striking it—a breakthrough in precision control. When her concentration breaks, she releases an uncontrolled blast up the mountainside, but Felix considers this progress, setting a new goal of sustaining power over fifteen feet by Monday. He instructs her to tell Xaden they're needed in the Assembly chamber at five o'clock.

Violet returns to Riorson House to find troubling news. Garrick, Bodhi, and Heaton—the latter visibly injured with facial contusions and a splinted arm—inform her that Pavis, a town only an hour's flight east of Draithus, has been attacked and captured. The assault involved seven riders and a hoard of wyvern that overwhelmed the town before reinforcements arrived. During the mission, Nyra Voldaren, the quadrant's senior wingleader from the previous year, was killed along with another rider named Malla while defending civilians. Her body was completely drained of power, consistent with previous mysterious deaths. Xaden returned home early in a dark mood; his dragon Sgaeyl is unharmed but he radiates frustration and anger. Violet's sister survived with injuries to a rider named Emery. The attack prompts leadership to recall all first and second lieutenants to Aretia. The soldiers speculate that Pavis serves as a staging point for an assault on Draithus, suggesting enemy forces are advancing strategically toward the quadrant's central positions.