AFTERWORD

Chapter 61

Chapter Sixty-Six

Overview

In a major battle above Basgiath, Violet and the dragon riders defend the college against a massive horde of wyvern controlled by venin dark wielders. As the first wave attacks, Violet wields lightning from her mother's storm to strike from above while her squad coordinates ground-level defense. A second wave of three venin targets Violet's squad directly, forcing her into close combat with one venin who boards Tairn mid-flight.

Summary

Before dawn, Violet's squad positions themselves on a ridgeline above Basgiath's main campus to defend the college and protect Brennan, who works in a hidden ward chamber below to restore the wards. Violet's mother, Commander Sorrengail, waits at the college gates with her personal squad. As the massive wyvern horde approaches, Violet realizes they have grossly underestimated the enemy's numbers. Her mother imbues the air with a warm rain and storm, which Violet uses as a conduit to wield lightning strikes against the incoming wyvern. She focuses on taking out riders and venin who control the creatures, knowing that killing the dark wielder will cause their wyvern to fall. The battle is coordinated across multiple sectors with squads defending their assigned airspace. Violet maintains focus despite witnessing casualties and near-misses involving her squadmates, pushing through exhaustion and heat that threatens to burn her out. When a second wave of three venin appears heading toward her squad's sector, the team coordinates with seamless efficiency—passing a broken dagger between riders to rearm Ridoc. However, one venin boards Tairn mid-flight during close combat, and Rhiannon jumps from her own dragon Feirge to land in front of Violet's saddle to help defend her.

Characters

  • Violet SorrengailLead rider and primary wielder defending the college; uses lightning strikes to kill venin and their wyvern from above
  • TairnViolet's black dragon; engages wyvern in direct combat while carrying Violet
  • Xaden RiorsonViolet's partner; rides Sgaeyl and uses shadow power to defend his squad's sector
  • SgaeylXaden's dragon; fights wyvern alongside Tairn's squad
  • RhiannonViolet's friend and fellow rider; coordinates dagger distribution and jumps to Tairn to help defend Violet
  • FeirgeRhiannon's dragon; fights in formation with the squad
  • RidocSquad member who fights wyvern; his dagger is broken during battle and must be redistributed
  • SawyerSquad member who catches the broken dagger pieces from Rhiannon and later holds the reassembled weapon
  • QuinnRider who follows squad formation and targets wyvern in the assigned sector
  • ImogenRider with a pink-braided hairstyle; maintains sector integrity during battle
  • AotromRidoc's dragon; engages wyvern in close combat
  • GlaneImogen's Orange Daggertail dragon; assists in sector defense
  • SliseagSawyer's dragon; fights three wyvern simultaneously during the battle
  • CruthGreen Scorpiontail dragon that Rhiannon leaps to during combat
  • Commander SorrengailViolet's mother; creates the warm rain and storm to enable Violet's lightning wielding
  • AimsirCommander Sorrengail's dragon; rips the throat from a wyvern in the first engagement
  • MiraSquad member accompanying Commander Sorrengail in her personal unit
  • TeineSquad member accompanying Commander Sorrengail in her personal unit
  • BrennanWorks in the hidden ward chamber below the battle, attempting to mend the wardstone
  • AndarnaYoung black dragon who insists on remaining present despite Violet's attempts to send her away; hides near the ward chamber
  • MarbhDragon standing watch over the ward chamber entrance
  • JesiniaIn the Archives comparing journals to fix the ward system; defenseless but essential for raising wards
  • DajalairGryphon unable to fly in heavy rain; guards courtyard and wounded instead
  • The venin dark wielderYoung-looking asim venin who boards Tairn and confronts Violet during the second wave attack