Ah, the epigraph. What does it mean to become a high priest or priestess? What does it mean to be the closest to touching the power of the Gods? What does that entail? And the fact that the rest are riders? Does that mean there is a clear connection between Gods and dragons? Because riders touch the power of Gods via dragons, right?

Tairn is okay. Tairn is okay. This is my new mantra. Anyone but Tairn.

“Ice pierces through my shields like they aren’t even there. ‘Violet!’”

Ice. Terrifying. Also, she cannot penetrate through Xaden’s shields. Have you noticed that she doesn’t feel him get close anymore? And yet, he has become so much more powerful that he can simply pierce through Violet’s shields like they are nothing.

“Your inability to follow simple orders will get her killed, and I will not lose her as I did the one who came before!”

Again, mentioning Naolin. Tairn lost the one who came before. Burnout. It’s clear as day. But what happened after? Still not convinced Naolin simply… died.

“The prince said to protect Dunne’s temple!”

Interesting. Do you remember how Leothan could tell other riders’ signets? I wonder if this is what’s happening here with Andarna too. My question is—is that an irid thing or a dragon thing?

And just as I said what I said about Rhi, we have proof that she’s very much needed and phenomenal. I wonder what she will retrieve moving forward?

“Do you use lye and the juice of the Manwasa flower on your hair as we do?”

So only those truly touched by Dunne have their hair silver. Interesting.

And this part is sooo interesting. But I don’t quite know what to make of it:

“Dunne isn’t going to appear and take up arms.”
“Of course not.” The priestess scoffs, and the wind picks up. “She sent you.”

Well, we know about Violet, but having seen what we’ve seen on Unnbriel, do we truly believe Dunne likes and favors Violet?

Oh, and here! You know how much we love to analyze colors:

“Her dark-purple tunic.”

Who else has dark purple… something? Andarna. Andarna loves wearing this color for her scales. And please remember, the irids did say they do not live with humans. But that doesn’t mean they do not live among venin.

“Theophanie was a priestess of Dunne. Her silver hair matches the attendants’ on Unnbriel… matches mine— My thoughts stall as the white-haired priestess raises her sword toward Theophanie with a trembling arm.”

Well, we have confirmation. The faded tattoo, the silver hair—Theo was a priestess of Dunne. But there is more. White-haired priestesses. Why do priestesses have white hair here on the continent, but those on Unnbriel have silver hair?

Two more venin, men wearing red robes → Theo says something interesting.

“Perhaps I am not welcome,” Theophanie muses, her feet planted in the grass, “but they are.”

Theophanie knows she cannot enter the temple, or she’d be killed on sight. But the other two venin can enter. They wear red robes. Do they belong to another God?

Also, we learn that Andarna’s fire cannot kill them. Her fire can only kill some venin. Going back to Iron Flame:

“Enough, Wynn.” A dark wielder in leathers the same color as the pulsing veins beside his eyes appears from the left, walking around the body of the fallen green and throwing out his hand.

As you can see, the venin she roasted was also dressed in red. So why didn’t Andarna kill this one?

Theophanie’s gaze rises to the sky behind me, and she backs away, her eyes widening. “Leave them and go!” she shouts to the approaching dark wielders and breaks into a run toward them. “Now!”

They are afraid of irids. But not Andarna. Why? Theo could immediately see Leothan. How? Why? So many questions.

We also have confirmation that venin have their own distance wielder. One hasn’t been seen in centuries. Well, clearly the last one is chilling with the rest of the venin in the Barrens.

“There’s no time to ponder what in Malek’s name just frightened Theophanie so badly that she fled.”

Leothan. That’s what frightened her. We just won’t know for a little more time.

After a lot of action, we end the chapter on a high… again.

The irids have come…

Onyx Storm Read Along

• Onyx Storm Read Along: Prologue
• Onyx Storm Read Along – Chapter 1
• Onyx Storm Read Along – Chapter 2
• Onyx Storm Read Along – Chapter 3
• Onyx Storm Read Along – Chapter 4
• Onyx Storm Read Along – Chapter 5
• Onyx Storm Read Along – Chapter 6
• Onyx Storm Read Along – Chapter 7
• Onyx Storm Read Along – Chapter 8
• Onyx Storm Read Along – Chapter 9
• Onyx Storm Read Along – Chapter 10
• Onyx Storm Read Along – Chapter 11
• Onyx Storm Read Along – Chapter 12
• Onyx Storm Read Along – Chapter 13
• Onyx Storm Read Along – Chapter 14
• Onyx Storm Read Along – Chapter 15
• Onyx Storm Read Along – Chapter 16
• Onyx Storm Read Along – Chapter 17
• Onyx Storm Read Along – Chapter 18
• Onyx Storm Read Along – Chapter 19
• Onyx Storm Read Along – Chapter 20
• Onyx Storm Read Along – Chapter 21
• Onyx Storm Read Along – Chapter 22
• Onyx Storm Read Along – Chapter 23
• Onyx Storm Read Along – Chapter 24
• Onyx Storm Read Along – Chapter 25
• Onyx Storm Read Along – Chapter 26
• Onyx Storm Read Along – Chapter 27
• Onyx Storm Read Along – Chapter 28
• Onyx Storm Read Along – Chapter 29
• Onyx Storm Read Along – Chapter 30
• Onyx Storm Read Along – Chapter 31
• Onyx Storm Read Along – Chapter 32
• Onyx Storm Read Along – Chapter 33
• Onyx Storm Read Along – Chapter 34
• Onyx Storm Read Along – Chapter 35
• Onyx Storm Read Along – Chapter 36
• Onyx Storm Read Along – Chapter 37
• Onyx Storm Read Along – Chapter 38
• Onyx Storm Read Along – Chapter 39
• Onyx Storm Read Along – Chapter 40
• Onyx Storm Read Along – Chapter 41
• Onyx Storm Read Along – Chapter 42
• Onyx Storm Read Along – Chapter 43
• Onyx Storm Read Along – Chapter 44
• Onyx Storm Read Along – Chapter 45
• Onyx Storm Read Along – Chapter 46
• Onyx Storm Read Along – Chapter 47
• Onyx Storm Read Along – Chapter 48
• Onyx Storm Read Along – Chapter 49
• Onyx Storm Read Along – Chapter 50
• Onyx Storm Read Along – Chapter 51
• Onyx Storm Read Along – Chapter 52
• Onyx Storm Read Along – Chapter 53
• Onyx Storm Read Along – Chapter 54
• Onyx Storm Read Along – Chapter 55
• Onyx Storm Read Along – Chapter 56
• Onyx Storm Read Along – Chapter 57
• Onyx Storm Read Along – Chapter 58
• Onyx Storm Read Along – Chapter 59
• Onyx Storm Read Along – Chapter 60
• Onyx Storm Read Along – Chapter 61
• Onyx Storm Read Along – Chapter 62
• Onyx Storm Read Along – Chapter 63
• Onyx Storm Read Along – Chapter 64