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Onyx Storm Read Along – Chapter 39

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Written by: Cory

Onyx Storm Read Along – Chapter 39

It goes without saying that THERE ARE MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD. If you haven’t read this chapter of Onyx Storm, please go read it first.

“Sometimes the best gift the god of luck can give is his absence.” You don’t say, Asher, you don’t say… And yet, Zihnal gave them lots of gifts. It was only natural that one of them would have been… chaos.

To make sense of what just happened, I think we also need to look at the previous chapters when “Xaden was on ice”. He wasn’t himself, and yet, it was Violet’s gentle voice that brought him back. In this chapter, it’s Xaden’s wing leader’s voice, his iciness, that brings Violet back from her web of emotions. One thing is clear. They need each other, they complement each other.

And while it was Xaden’s voice that brought her back, it is her wit, her logical mind, that brought back control.

“And expel another piece of my humanity.” Not her soul. Her humanity. Isn’t it the same, I wonder? She often says just how much she shoves her emotions in that box of hers. Is she willingly giving away pieces of herself? Her soul?

Trager didn’t die for nothing. For the first time, an isle decided to come to Navarre’s aid. Forty thousand troops, against dark wielders.

And there! A clue for us:

“We have to bury him,” Maren says, and her jaw trembles for a second. “And burn her. Gryphons…they prefer to be burned.”

Poromish people do not burn, like those in Navarre. They are buried. Gryphons, though, do prefer to be burned, to have their soul given to Malek. It’s odd how they follow the same gods, and yet the customs are different. Can you still gift the soul to Malek if one is burnt?

Cat decides that Trager should be burnt too, to be with Sila. And so, Violet agrees to go off course, to an uninhabited isle north.

Another clue: “The minor isles and Loysam border the edge of every map we have.” Every map they have. I think there must be more. That compass Violet receives? Might come in handy right now…

“Don’t be.” She lays her head back on Maren’s shoulder. “I’m the one who asked him to come.” – Do you remember in the previous chapter, the arrow? Cupid’s arrow? Sometimes love pays off, sometimes, though… it’s just chaos. I believe Cat’s destined for a crown as she’s always wanted.

The next few sentences are so important and so full of meaning for what’s going to happen in this book and the next one.

“I’m not meant to lead,” Violet says.

“The best leaders are the ones who never want the job,” Xaden replies to her. And then he explains what we’ve all been wondering about: who leads on the battlefield, and why dragons and their ranks pick leaders. (Think Sgaeyl, the most ruthless picking Xaden. Think Codagh, picking Melgren to be a leader).

“I hate to break it to you, but you were selected by a general among dragons. You can choose to step into leadership, or he (Tairn) can drag you. Either way, you’re going to end up in front.” If we ever doubted that Violet is most special, then this is a stark reminder that Tairn, a general, a leader, picked her. She is meant to lead. In more than one way, as we’re going to discover.

“Then Tairn chose poorly.” But he didn’t. And Xaden himself recognises this better than any other. “Imagine who you’ll become when you finally learn not just to embrace that confidence but live it.”

This is the moment to bring back one of our favourite quotes: “I know exactly who and what you are, Violet Sorrengail”

And here is the foreshadowing that now, when we read these sentences over, and over and over… they simply breaks our heart:

“Better than me.” His thumb grazes my lower lip. “You have to be. You promised to help me protect Tyrrendor, remember?”

“There is no cure for me.” He presses a kiss to my forehead. “That’s why you have to become better than me. There’s only you.”

Better than him, because there is only Violet. If you finished reading Onyx Storm, then this is the time to go to the ending explained, with this wonderful piece of foreshadowing above.

Onyx Storm Read Along

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Cory

Hello! I’m Cory, a devoted superfan of the Fourth Wing, Iron Flame and the Empyrean Series. My passion for these epic tales has led me to read and reread the books, each time uncovering new layers of information. I’ve created this site to share my insights and discoveries with fellow fans and anyone interested in exploring the rich world of Empyrean.

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Hello! This site is dedicated to the Empyrean Series by Rebecca Yarros. I’ve made this place to explore the rich world of Empyrean, full of characters, theories, and places. Each post is carefully researched and updated with the newest details from the series. This site is also a great spot for discussing theories about the Empyrean Series. 🐉
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