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I’ve been the one reading every fucking book Jesinia shoves at me and spending extra hours training—” The skin on the orange splits. “It really pisses me off when you guys act like my sense of humor somehow lessens my ability to show up for our squad.” “Ridoc,” I whisper, staring at the orange. “What did you do?” “I’ve been trying to tell you.” He hands me the fruit, and it immediately chills my hands. “You aren’t the only one who’s been spending hours honing their signet.”
Character development - Ridoc.
Deverelli, known to our kingdom as the treacherous isle of merchants, who to my surprise may not have been the source of the arms, but perhaps the broker.
New city history unlocked.
Tairn looks pointedly toward a long stone wall a quarter of the way up the first hill, armed with a dozen of the largest cross-bolts I’ve ever seen, all loaded with shining, metallic tips. Dragon killers.
First mention of an explicit weapon to kill dragons. Does Deverelli normally have issues with dragons? I thought dragon magic was weak here.
“Violet wants to visit the market. Something about buying books,” Dain answers
My kind of girl!
“Deverelli don’t worship gods.” “It’s why we’re considered the most neutral of the isles. Perfect for trade.” Narelle shrugs. “What you call gods, we call science. What you call fate, we call coincidence. What you call the divine intervention of love, we call…” She flourishes her hand. “Alchemy. Two substances combined to make something entirely new, not unlike what’s between the two of you.”
Sounds like my kind of people.
“I get to do my favorite thing in the world, which happens to be fucking you. Now, I have about six weeks to make up for, and love, we’re wasting time.”
First sex scene in the book! He sounds like Allan.
You and Sgaeyl could stay here while I do the research—” He slides his thumb over my lips. “She’s in pain.” I blink. How could I have missed that? Guilt weighs down my shoulders. “All the dragons are, I think, not that they’ll admit it, but I don’t think they can survive—or at least thrive the way they do at home—away from magic. I could never cause Sgaeyl pain.” He
Never thought about this.
“A messenger came,” Dain says. “King Courtlyn has decided to keep Halden.”
Let him keep him!
“The dagger was mine to give,” Halden bites out, staring at the jeweled blade. It looks to be antique, with a silver handle and emeralds the size of my fingernails adorning the hilt. “No, it wasn’t.” Courtlyn shakes his head. “It’s mine,” Xaden says, and it takes everything I have to keep my features schooled. “Or rather, it should have been. It’s the Blade of Aretia, appropriated for the royal vault by Reginald during the Unification.”
Historical significance for world building.
The familiar weight of the orb is comforting in my hand, and I swear I can feel a hum, a swift rise in heat that I know is only in my head, but it’s soothing all the same.
No, i think there is some sort of magic here. Possibly only at the King's estate.
“My loyalty is to Violet first above everything, everyone else,” Xaden says.
Cringy to admit in front of a king who doesn't care.
Captain Anna Winshire’s head lies on the plate between Halden and Tecarus, her short, strawberry-blond curls unmistakable.
Holy fuck.
Tecarus jumps backward, then quickly scrambles down the steps, and I don’t blame him in the least.
A smart coward.
I grab the small object on impulse and close my fingers around the pebble-size piece of alloy from my conduit. Agony
He pulled from his venin side, and i still beieve there is magic here that is warded or shielded by the king.
“This is the only shell of its kind. It belongs to the one and only irid we have on the Continent. The seventh breed of dragon. It is Andarna’s kind we’re searching for.”
Andarna's baby!?!
Not only are the venin moving in Krovla again, but in the eight days we were gone, Cygnisen’s flier cadets arrived.
War developments.
“Well, hello Cygnisen. Have you been properly welcomed to Basgiath yet?” He cranks up a smile I’ve seen enough times to know he’ll be coming out of someone else’s bedroom tomorrow morning.
Ridoc!!!! Lol
Devera
Devera.... Deverelli....
can’t even tell my sister, since she’s taken personal leave for the first time in her entire career.
Interesting.
“Sounds great to me.” Xaden’s hand brushes the small of my back. “You good with this?” He glances my way. I study the set of Aaric’s chin and the determination in his green eyes, then nod in defeat. “We’re all allowed to make our own choices, and if this is yours, I’ll support it.”
What, so being accomplices to murder is acceptable now? This doesn't match their ethics.
“Fuck off and tell him.” Aaric shrugs. “Or don’t. I really don’t care. I crossed the parapet because I was sick of sitting by knowing you and Dad weren’t going to do shit about the dark wielders, and I’m not going to sit by now and watch you run our only hope into the ground. I’ll be going as the royal representative.”
Aaric motivation revealed - deep familial resentment.
“They haven’t hunted together the entire trip.”
I bet Sgaeyl knows she risks death with her rider turning venin and is distancing herself.
“My family isn’t on this isle,” Andarna notes,
One down, a million to go.
Eistol, the capital of Unnbriel,
World building.
Every single one of them has silver hair. Not gray. Not white. Silver.
Is Violet a descendant???
what sounds like flawless Unnbrish. My jaw drops, but he speaks too fast to understand anything other than “Navarre.” Whatever he says gives the commander and the priestess pause before she replies, her gaze darting to me again. “Are you fucking serious?” Dain snaps. “Why didn’t you tell us you’re fluent?” “You never asked.” Aaric reaches for the pommel of his sword as he turns back to face us. “I told them who I am and that I’d be the one fighting.”
I'm slowly starting to love Aaric's character and his development.
“This isn’t about honor. Consider it your revenge. Remember what I did to your brother and tell them.” Blood runs from my face. Xaden isn’t talking about Halden.
Did Xaden kill one of the royal brothers during the rebellion?
“Ah, then it is good we did not complete your dedication.”
Violet has been here before. Probably as a baby.
Movement catches my attention to the right, and when I look at the statue of Dunne, I would almost swear her eyes flash golden and glance my way for a second. Just once it would be nice if Andarna would stay where I ask her to.
Andarna blending into the statue? Clever girl.
“You never miss.”
From what I know of them, they’re rather dedicated to protecting their own,
What is the dedication process? Is Violet a goddess/priestess of Dunne? Would explain her magic working here.
Vidirys, the cream-stoned capital of Hedotis.
World development.
A whole community built on knowledge and peace?
“My mother is having our uniforms laundered.”
Like her or not, offering snacks and doing laundry is still the most motherly thing she can do.
find it perplexing, too, that you don’t seem to have a port.” “It is unwise to venture over water when we know next to nothing about what lurks within its depths—” Faris flusters. They’re…aquaphobic?
LOL. Of all the phobics they could be, i'll allow this one.
“You’re rather quiet for someone who seems to know so much,” Nairi remarks. “I prefer keeping my mouth shut until I understand the rules of whatever game is aiming for my throat. Helps me judge the character and acumen of my opponent.”
I love Aaric!
“Asshole!” Ridoc shouts, and I pivot to see him plow his fist into the cook’s face. “I have four uniforms, but only one fucking flight jacket, and I”—punch—“hate”—punch—“sewing!” Ridoc yanks my dagger from the cook’s hand, and the man slides down the doorframe, his eyes fluttering shut. “For fuck’s sake, you’re supposed to be the civilized isle!” He wipes my blade on the cook’s tunic, then turns and walks back toward me. “What is the wisdom in a kitchen cook attacking two trained killers?”
I LOVE RIDOC!
“And I want a patch for this shit, Violet. A quest squad patch. Understand?”
“Ask me why we’re going to fly out of here without you saying a single word.” “Why?” he grinds out. “Because you love your sons.” I smile. “That’s why you sent them out of the house tonight.” Fear widens his eyes.
Violet is so smart. Used his value of bloodline successions to secure power as "wisdom," would logically conclude that he would want to cobtinue his own bloodline for their future power.
“The eyes. I should have recognized your eyes. You’re Asher Daxton’s girl.”
Did we know Asher took Lillian's last name? Daxton... must have had Violet with someone from Umbriel.
We only have two major isles left to search for the irids, and as much as I enjoy not being hunted by Theophanie, we can’t stay out here long enough to thoroughly scour all the minor ones.
Three more waterfalls and rises in elevation later, the capital city of Xortrys comes into view
World building.
Aaric sighs from beside Xaden, then proceeds to speak like he was freaking born here.
“If you do not accept that luck determines your fate, that Zihnal may gift you with great fortune or take it, then we cannot ally ourselves with you. We do not accept those who do not adjust their sails in a storm.” Not such a random choice of game, then. They want to see how we handle disappointment. “No whining,” Xaden remarks. “I can respect that.”
“And nullify Aetos’s reason for joining…what is it Ridoc calls us? Quest squad?” Aaric shakes his head.
When will Dain get his redemption arc?!?
Drake
Who is drake??
Dain’s card reveals a hand, and when he offers his to the woman who walks over to him, she slaps him across the face so hard his head turns in our direction.
Poor Dain.
The weight of the crowd’s silent stares only serves to harden my resolve as I lift my chin before bowing my head. And expel another piece of my humanity. “Thank you.” Fuck them.
Wow. I don't think I could be that strong.
“It’s done,” Mira answers. “Aaric agreed to terms, which were oddly favorable to us. They’ll send an advance party within the next couple of months and the rest of their troops whenever we’re ready to receive all forty thousand of them.”
War developments. Alliance forged with Zyhnlla. However, i'm skeptical there isn't more ti this since Aaric negotiated on his own.
“The best leaders are the ones who never want the job. This is your mission because Andarna chose you. Tairn chose you.” His hand rises to my face. “What they never tell us in the quadrant is that rank is well and good, but you and I both know that the moment we fly onto the battlefield, it isn’t the humans giving commands. 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 can drag you. Either way, you’re going to end up in front.” My heart starts to race as his words pierce a shield of denial I wasn’t even aware I’d been
...more
Wooooooooooooow I never thought of it like this before. It really is the dragon's war.
