Fourth Wing

Rhiannon promises to wait for Violet on the other side and begins to cross. Violet looks out across the storm that has descended since they first climbed the tower. When she hesitates, the candidate behind her, Jack Barlowe, threatens to shove her. As she crosses, she recites the history of Navarre to calm herself. She looks back to see what Jack is doing and watches him throw another candidate from the top of the parapet before turning his attention to her. She tries to run but slips, nearly falling. She recovers as Jack mocks her from behind. Violet jumps to safety, where Rhiannon and two older cadets are watching. She pulls out a dagger, holding Jack off long enough to remind him of the rules. He cannot intentionally kill her while in the presence of a higher-ranking cadet, and now that they have crossed the parapet, they are being observed. The older cadets agree, telling Jack that he will be executed if he hurts Violet. He vows vengeance.

Dain promises to add both Violet and Rhiannon to his squad. He then takes Violet to his room so she can wrap her knee, which has become slightly dislocated due to a weakness in her joints. Dain also shows off some of the powers he has as a dragon rider, which include minor telekinesis. She and Dain flirt before he tries to plot a way for her to escape the rider recruitment, insulting her in the process by referencing her poor health. They reach the courtyard and enter from different directions so that people will not realize they were together. Violet joins Rhiannon and catches sight of Xaden again; she wonders what his signet is—the special power that a rider develops after bonding with a dragon. Signet powers range from healing to elemental control and reflect the rider’s innermost personality and ambitions.

Commandant Panchek addresses the cadets and outlines the many threats that face them. Only a quarter are expected to survive the next three years. When he leaves, the wingleaders, section leaders, and squad leaders begin to sort through the new recruits. While the squads are predominantly composed of first-year cadets, there are also second- and third-year riders who have not been chosen for leadership. Dain’s squad is ordered to switch to the Fourth Wing, which Xaden oversees. After the cadets are assigned to their groups, Xaden begins a rousing speech that is interrupted by the arrival of eight dragons, an event which awes and scares the cadets. Several cadets flee in fear but are incinerated by the dragons for their cowardice, and Xander ends his speech with a warning against such shameful behavior.

The next day, the cadets listen to a scribe read the names of the dead; this ritual is part of every morning’s roll call. Dain instructs Sawyer, a cadet from the previous year, to direct the first-years. Dain intercepts Violet, and she questions him about the transfer of his squad. He admits that Xaden advocated for the change because he wants to kill her personally. Dain emphasizes that Xaden’s dragon, Sgaeyl, is an extension of her rider’s viciousness. Violet asks Dain what his special signet power is and learns that he can see a person’s most recent memories. Violet departs for class but catches Xaden’s eye as she walks the halls. Xaden taunts her when Dain appears behind her, and Violet runs away, fearing that he will attack.

All cadets attend a Battle Brief, and Violet recognizes one of the scribe professors with whom she was originally supposed to train. The instructors describe a gryphon attack from the Poromiel kingdom that occurred the night before. Poromiel desires Navarre’s resources and are displeased with trade agreements, leading them to ransack the countryside. Dragons use magic channeled through their riders to keep protective wards around Navarre; the wards prevent non-dragon magic from working, but those wards do fail on occasion. The professors then prompt the first-year cadets to ask questions, and Violet determines that the dragons knew the wards were breaking before the fight began. Xaden ascertains that the attackers were looking for something specific, but no one can determine what. As the brief concludes, one of the professors implies that more than just third-year riders may be called into active duty.

The cadets go to sparring lessons. Increasingly anxious as she watches the cadets fight, Violet worries about her lack of training and fragility. She makes a deal with Rhiannon and Sawyer, promising to help them with history if they help her with hand-to-hand combat. Rhiannon wins her bout easily, and Violet is called to the mat to spar against Imogen, a separatist’s child who is in her second year. The two exchange snide remarks and blows before Imogen tries to kill Violet with a dagger, but Violet’s dragon-scale corset saves her life. Imogen uses her uncanny speed to tackle Violet, breaking her arm before she yields.

Dain carries Violet to the Healer Quadrant, where Violet recognizes most of the healers from her many previous visits due to injury. She reflects on the power of mending, which allows riders to return objects and people to their original states. Her brother was a mender before his death. A healer named Winifred recommends calling for the mender Nolon, but Dain commands her not to. He believes that if they do not heal her injury, they can send her to be a scribe. The healers send for Nolon anyway. Dain and Nolon argue over mending Violet’s wounds. Dain tries to convince Violet to join the scribes, but she sends him away. When Nolon mends Violet’s shoulder, she faints from the pain.

That night, she returns to the dorms, and Rhiannon assures Violet that she will help her to learn combat before the formal matches begin in two weeks. As Violet gets into bed, she finds a note from her sister and a notebook that once belonged to Brennan. The book opens with a letter to Mira in which Brennan promises to write down everything he has learned about becoming a rider. As she reads, Violet discovers that the instructors decide who fights in challenges ahead of time and learns where to find their list of combatants.

Late at night, Violet walks along the river, intending to pick berries that she can dry to make a poison. She climbs a tree and spots Imogen and Xaden walking beneath her, but she cannot hear them over the roar of the river. More riders arrive, all of whom have black cloaks and rebellion tattoos; it is a direct violation for more than three of these marked cadets to gather. She lowers herself down to a different branch to eavesdrop. Xaden talks to the younger cadets about survival; the gathered riders promise to help the younger ones learn skills to make it through graduation. Violet is initially supportive of the group, but when one of them asks, “When do we get to kill Violet Sorrengail?” (118-19), Xaden insists that he must the one who gets to “handle” her. This sparks a debate amongst the rebels’ children as to whether Violet should be punished for her mother’s sins.

Violet waits for them to leave and climbs down, only to be grabbed by Xaden. His signet power is that of a shadow wielder, which allows him to hide and disorient others. He mocks her weakness, but she impresses him by throwing a dagger with excellent accuracy. He recommends that she show off her accuracy to Jack, then asks if she plans on reporting the gathering. When she promises not to, he departs, saying that if she keeps her word, he will owe her a favor.

Dain walks Violet to her breakfast duty the next morning. He worries about Violet’s physical ability to handle the sparring challenges scheduled for that afternoon; she tries to comfort him but does not reveal that she already knows the name of her challenger, thanks to the hints in her brother’s notebook. When Dain suggests that she avoid Jack, she is struck by how different his advice is from Xaden’s. Violet leaves him to work in the kitchens, where she manages to sprinkle poison onto her challenger’s food.

Later, the cadets receive a lesson about dragons in which a professor warns them about the upcoming Threshing, when the dragons will pick riders with which to bond. When the professor shares that 100 dragons are prepared to bond, it sparks a discussion that fewer dragons have been bonding each year and speculation that this issue is negatively affecting the wards. After class, Violet and the professor share a private moment to discuss Brennan, and he compliments her intelligence and compassion.

At the sparring room, Dain warns Violet that her opponent is friends with Jack and intends to kill her because she is viewed as a liability. Jack tries to mock her, and she throws a dagger close enough to frighten him. He once again vows vengeance, and Dain expresses his frustration at her outburst. Violet is called to the mat, where her opponent, a cadet named Oren, looks ill. He mocks her, but she manages to outmaneuver him, and he begins vomiting on the mat. The supervising professor declares the bout over. Over the next few weeks, Violet continues to poison her challengers in various ways to get the upper hand against them, and by September, she feels well-established. However, when one of her sparring partners goes to the healers ahead of their match, Xaden volunteers to fight her instead.