Iron Flame: Chapter Summary and Spoilers (Chapters 37-46)

Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros

Chapter Summary & Spoilers (Chapters 37-46)

The Bite-Sized Version

Part 2

We start with our girl Violet waking up in Revolutionary HQ (aka Aretia) with her broody beau Xaden, who – surprise, surprise! – turns out to be not just a pretty face but actually the Duke of Aretia and a secret member of the Assembly of the Revolution. Talk about a power couple!

The good news/bad news situation is wild here. Bad news first: Violet’s dragon Andarna finally wakes up but can’t fully extend her wing (thanks a lot, magical trauma), meaning she’ll never carry a rider. But hey, at least she’s alive and sassy as ever! Good news: They’ve got reinforcements! Sister Mira shows up with 40 defectors from Navarre, and – plot twist – their supposedly dead brother Brennan is actually alive and kicking! Well, more like getting kicked, since Mira’s first reaction is to punch him in the face. Ah, siblings…

Now, because apparently they don’t have enough drama, Violet decides to go full “hold my beer” and sneaks off to Viscount Tecarus’s palace with her siblings to negotiate for a luminary. Xaden, being the overprotective sweetie he is, shows up looking ready to throw hands. But wait, there’s more! Enter Cat, Xaden’s ex-something-or-other, who’s been using her signet powers to mess with Violet’s head. Rude much?

The dinner party from hell includes a surprise venin (think: magical rage monster) that Violet has to fight IN A BALL GOWN (because why not?). She turns the whole place into a giant electric death trap – girl’s got style! They get their deal, but it comes with strings attached: they have to train 100 gryphon fliers, including Cat. Talk about awkward roommates!

Speaking of awkward, they all go cliff climbing together (worst team-building exercise ever), and tragically lose a flier named Luella. Then some wyverns show up uninvited to this pity party and basically Instagram their location to all their enemies.

The chapters wrap up with everyone trying to learn banned rune magic (spicy!), Cat showing up in magical lingerie to mess with Violet (double spicy!), and ending with these two squaring up for a fight that’s been brewing since day one. Oh, and the cherry on top? Turns out Cat fights exactly like Xaden because he trained them both. cue dramatic music

The Bit-Sized Version

Part 2

Chapter 37

This bit has us waking up with Violet Sorrengail and Xaden Riorson in bed (thank you book gods!) then takes us on a tour of the revolutionary town of Aretia to meet the Assembly of the Revolution and see exactly what kind of chaos Violet and Xaden have started…

• So we find Violet waking up from yet another dreamless sleep with nightmares about the Sage (not the herb kind – the scary, torture-you-in-your-dreams kind). But don’t worry, because she wakes up in a much better place – specifically, Xaden’s bedroom in Aretia. And let me tell you, the view is chef’s kiss.
• Our girl takes a moment to admire sleeping Xaden (and honestly, who wouldn’t?), particularly noting the 107 silver scars on his back – each representing a marked one he vouched for, showing his true will of iron. She starts tracing those scars with her fingers, which naturally wakes him up. And let’s just say… morning Xaden is a VERY appreciative Xaden. But he’s also concerned about her recent events and injuries and wants to be gentle. However, Violet has other plans – she specifically asks him to be “feral” (her word, not mine!) Violet wants to feel alive after her recent events and trauma, and Xaden is more than happy to help with that request. Let’s just say they both end up VERY happy with how the morning goes… and they stay in that room for another hour after!
• After their… morning exercise… they head downstairs to find the place absolutely PACKED with dragon riders. Turns out bringing hundreds of riders and dragons to a secret Assembly of the Revolution hideout creates just a teeny bit of chaos. Who knew?
• The real drama kicks in when they meet with the Assembly members. From what we can tell, the Assembly consists of seven seats, but one is empty. Everyone’s pretty much losing it over the fact that they now have a bunch of untrained cadets and no way to properly defend themselves. Some Assembly members are still sus about Violet, but Xaden shuts that down real quick by revealing he’s taken responsibility for her choices – complete with a matching scar to prove it.
• Remember that empty chair? We learn that Xaden isn’t just crashing at this palace – he OWNS it. He’s actually the seventh member of the Assembly of the Revolution and the Duke of Aretia! Being the Duke and this being Riorson House gives him some type of veto power on all decisions, showing Xaden’s familial line truly runs deep.
• And just when you think the chapter can’t pack in any more emotional punches, Violet reconnects with Andarna for the first time in months, restoring their previous bond. Hey girl we’ve missed you!!

Chapter 38

In this bit we get our long awaited reunion with Andarna while everyone’s playing revolutionary school in the revolutionary town of Aretia. The main characters are getting into the groove of their new life when 40 unexpected dragons fly overhead.

• So we start with Violet Sorrengail checking in on her dragon Andarna, who’s FINALLY woken up from her three-month dreamless sleep. But here’s the heartbreaking part – there’s something wrong with Andarna’s left wing. She can’t fully extend it, and it turns out this is because of some missing muscles that should have developed during her growth. Thanks to all that chaos in the memory of the battle of Resson and interrupted sleep cycles, her development got wonky. The real gut punch? While Xaden’s dragon Tairn thinks Andarna will eventually fly, she’ll never be able to carry a rider. Ouch.
• Meanwhile, everyone’s settling into their new life as “traitors” (their words, not mine) at Aretia. They’re doing classes, running training missions until they puke (fun times!), and trying to figure out this whole Assembly of the Revolution thing. The good news? Fourth Wing is crushing it – they’re officially dubbed “Iron Section” because they managed to keep their entire section intact during Violet’s escape. Go team!
• In between exercises, Violet’s activities have been busy playing magical detective with Warrick’s journal. She’s translated this super sketchy passage about “iron rain” three times now, and each time she’s coming up with the same wild conclusion – the First Six were apparently dabbling in blood magic! And not in a cool vampire-movie way, but in a “this-is-probably-why-nobody’s-ever-replicated-these new wards” kind of way. She’s keeping this info pretty close to the vest, only sharing with her friend Rhiannon Matthias that she and Jesinia have both translated it the same way. But hey, when you’re trying to protect your rebel base from wyvern attacks, sometimes you gotta get a little… bloody? (Too soon? Sorry!)
• But wait, there’s more! Just when they’re getting updates about how Basgiath War College is surprisingly keeping their desertion on the down-low (weird flex, but okay), chaos erupts as forty dragon riders approach. Everyone’s like “THIS IS IT, WE’RE DONE FOR,” but plot twist – it’s Sister Mira leading a bunch of defectors from Navarre! Turns out their mom spilled all the tea about the real reasons behind that whole wyvern-at-the-gates incident, and these riders chose to join the revolution.
• The chapter ends with the most epic plot twists ever: Violet Sorrengail, Mira, and their Brother Brennan are all together again. And how does Mira react to seeing her long-lost older brother? By punching him in the face, naturally. Because nothing says “I missed you” quite like a fist to the face!

Chapter 39

This bit opens as sister Mira decks her “dead” brother Brennan for ghosting the family for 6 years. While Violet Sorrengail tries to keep the peace, she is on a side mission to raise those pesky new wards. And as always she’s plotting something and telling no one because shes the most hypocritical secret keeper in Navarre.

• This chapter jumps right into the aftermath of what I can only describe as the most intense plot twists ever – Mira just broke their supposedly-dead-but-surprise-he’s-alive brother Brennan’s nose. There’s blood everywhere, and Brennan’s trying to play it cool while simultaneously ordering dragon riders around (because apparently faking your death for 6 years gets you promoted to Lieutenant Colonel).
• The sibling showdown is INTENSE. Mira’s hitting Brennan with emotional truth bombs about how their dad died of heartbreak and Violet’s mother became a shadow of herself, while Brennan’s all “well maybe Mom SHOULD feel guilty” – yikes! Poor Violet is stuck playing referee between these two human hurricanes.
• In the midst of all this family therapy session, our favorite broody Xaden Riorson shows up and shares a pretty steamy kiss with Violet that has her siblings rolling their eyes. These two can’t keep their hands off each other, even with a bloody-nosed older brother in the room!
• Then Vi drops the REAL bombshell – she knows how to raise the wards! The plan? Get blood from the six most powerful dragon riders in residence. Skip five hours later, and we’ve got our power squad (including Vi, Xaden, Felix, Suri, Bodhi, and Brennan) trying to make magic happen at this massive black wardstone. Spoiler alert: it’s a total first attempt bust. Nothing happens except everyone gets a fancy new hand wound.
• There’s talk about negotiations with Viscount Tecarus (the viscount who has the luminary they need), and he wants to see Violet’s signet powers. Xaden’s having NONE of that, basically saying “over my dead body” because he thinks Tecarus will keep Vi as a weapon.
• The chapter ends with Vi in full determination mode heading to recruit Mira for… something. Whatever it is, she’s had to convince Tairn to go along with it, so you KNOW that Xaden’s NOT gonna like it.

Chapter 40

In this bit Violet Sorrengail gets some much-needed lightning strikes training from one of the assembly members who reveals she’s been wielding her signet powers all wrong, I feel like we aren’t surprised by this. Later, despite Xaden Riorson’s explicit “no,” she sneaks off to the Cordyn with sister Mira and brother Brennan to strike a deal with Viscount Tecarus in one of her classic plot twists.

• In this chapter we get some real training time with Felix from the Assembly of the Revolution, who basically tells our favorite character she’s been wielding her powers wrong. Turns out, our girl’s former instructor Carr might have been holding her back out of fear, teaching her to just blast away without any finesse. Felix drops some truth bombs: she’s actually creating power rather than just channeling what’s already there and her power is way too tied to her emotions. He gives her this fancy orb with special runes to help her control her power without accidentally deep-frying everyone when she gets mad – quite the character development if you ask me!
• The next morning Violet decides to pull a classic “better to ask forgiveness than permission” move during last week’s adventures. She sneaks off to Cordyn with her siblings while Xaden’s away, hoping to strike a deal with Viscount Tecarus for a luminary. Violet, Mira, and Brennan arrive at Cordyn’s gorgeous seaside palace (which Violet’s black dragon Tairn hilariously criticizes for being completely defenseless – dragon riders, am I right?). They’re met by some gryphon fliers of Poromiel who make them play a quick game of “tell us one truth” before letting them proceed.
• The central rider turns out to be a truth-sayer (think magical lie detector, similar to Nora if you recall her), and he’s like “One truth from each of you before you can pass GO.” Okay, he didn’t say that exactly, but you get the vibe. What’s super interesting is how he corrects Violet when she calls him a “truth-sayer” – apparently, the group of gryphon rider cadets don’t label themselves by their abilities like dragon riders do.
• Then comes the truth-telling session, which goes a little something like this: Violet talks about being there to show off her lightning skills, Brennan’s there to broker a deal, and Mira… well, Mira threatens to gut anyone who looks at Violet’s body wrong. The truth-sayer actually SMILES at Mira’s threat, which honestly? A vibe im not mad at. 
• And just when you think everything’s going according to plan… Who’s waiting behind the gryphons looking absolutely furious? None other than our brooding hero, Xaden Riorson. As Violet so eloquently puts it, she’s “so fucked.” The last line of the chapter has him saying “You aren’t where I left you, Violence.”

Chapter 41

In this bit Violet Sorrengail and crew show up to a ridiculously fancy dinner party at Viscount Tecarus’s palace expecting tense negotiations for a luminary, but instead get served a heaping plate of drama complete with an ex-flame, some magical manipulation, and a horrifying surprise guest in this plot twists filled chapter of Iron Flame.

• The gang arrives at Viscount Tecarus’s palace, which is basically what would happen if someone said “make it fancy” and the architect took it as a personal challenge in this fantasy world. We’re talking marble everything, glass doors, and even ornamental grass, because apparently regular grass just won’t do. Things get tense real quick when it becomes clear that not only has Xaden Riorson been here before, but he’s been here A LOT – and so has Catriona (Cat), who clearly has some unresolved history with our favorite brooding dragon rider.
• Everyone gets dolled up for dinner because apparently saving the world requires evening wear. Violet’s body stuns in a black gown with woven leaves that would make any Project Runway contestant weep, while Cat opts for red silk in what’s clearly a “notice me” power move. But here’s the tea – Cat’s been using her signet powers to mess with Violet Sorrengail’s head this whole time, explaining why our girl’s been feeling extra spicy in the jealousy department. Xaden Riorson, never one to miss a dramatic moment, responds by kissing Violet in front of everyone while creating a literal wall of shadows around them, because subtlety is clearly not in the Riorson House handbook.
• But wait – this isn’t just dinner and a show. Tecarus reveals his true agenda: he wants to see Violet’s signet powers in action before discussing the luminary they desperately need. The target? A significant chest that used to belong to Xaden’s familial line and was apparently part of some mysterious alliance negotiation involving Cat. Because nothing says “let’s make a deal” quite like destroying your potential ally’s family heirlooms.
• Just when you think this party couldn’t get any wilder, they open the chest and – surprise! – out tumbles a prisoner showing signs of venin infection. You know, that charming little condition that turns people into rage monsters. And just to keep things extra spicy, there are archers surrounding them on all sides. The chapter ends with Violet’s name being yelled in panic, which is never a good sign for our main characters.

Chapter 42

This bit has Violet Sorrengail fighting off a magic-draining venin while wearing a ball gown. Will her quick thinking brain be able to get her out of this one?

• So, we’ve got Violet Sorrengail alongside her sister Mira and her older brother facing off against a venin in what starts as a formal event and quickly turns into a “how do we not die?” situation. The venin’s first move? Turning a poor guard into human jerky.
• The fight is absolutely bonkers – we’re talking lightning strikes, flying daggers in the rain (because apparently fighting a death-dealer wasn’t hard enough, let’s add weather challenges!), and Violet’s body trying to manage this while wearing a BALL GOWN of all things.
• The real MVP moment comes when Violet talks through this absolutely brilliant move: she basically turns the flooded arena into a giant electric death trap, using the water to conduct her signet powers and fry the venin, it’s honestly pretty genius. That’s our secret scribe quadrant girlie!
• Meanwhile, Xaden Riorson is watching this whole thing and is, understandably, LOSING IT. Once the venin’s dealt with, he goes full protective boyfriend mode on Viscount Tecarus by literally choking him with shadows. Relationship goals…? Maybe not, we dont condone violence, but also Im turned on.
• The chapter ends with some fascinating plot twists: Tecarus offers a deal where he’ll hand over this important “luminary” (which they need) in exchange for them taking on a hundred gryphon fliers of Poromiel for training. Oh, and Cat (who’s been a thorn in their side) would be coming along for this ride too. Then in a very “I am General Sorrengail’s son” type move, Brennan accepts the deal before anyone can object, which has strong “I’ve just volunteered everyone for something they’re going to hate” energy.

Chapter 43

This bit has us in probably history’s worst mandatory bonding activity at Basgiath War College, where dragon riders and gryphon fliers of Poromiel attempt to scale the deadly Cliffs of Dralor together, until one sketchy jump turns their first impossible test into a literal cliffhanger.

• Our favorite band of dragon riders and their former enemies are attempting the world’s most intense trust fall exercise – scaling the Cliffs of Dralor. And when I say scaling, I mean inch-by-precarious-inch up paths that would make mountain goats go “yeah, that’s gonna be a no from me, dawg.” Like, these paths are barely wide enough for the gryphons, who are probably regretting every life choice that led them to this moment in their training missions.
• So Violet Sorrengail has been paired up with Maren, who turns out to be surprisingly cool for being best friends with Cat (you know, the same Cat who probably has “Throw Violet Off a Cliff” written in her diary with little hearts around it). They’re having this weirdly civil conversation about different types of gryphons – like apparently there are some fancy high-altitude ones called summitwing drifts and others who prefer the beach life called seawing drifts.
• And can we talk about how gryphon fliers get chosen? Because these absolute MAD LADS literally jump off a cliff hoping to land on a passing gryphon! Like, excuse me?? Meanwhile, the riders are all “our method is so hardcore” with their dragon-choosing ceremony. Honey, at least you have a bridge to walk across!
• Speaking of dragons, Tairn drops this bombshell about the revolutionary town of Aretia’s first baby dragon deciding to make its grand entrance. But instead of being excited, he’s all “this magical event is basically a giant ‘party at our house’ notification to every magical creature in range.” Not good.
• Then we hit the part that had me clutching my pearls – this trap section in the cliffs with a gap wider than my commitment issues. Violet talks strategy and, being the clever cookie she is, comes up with this whole plan involving jamming Dain Aetos’ sword into the cliff face as a makeshift handle.
• Unfortunately, Luella (one of the smol fliers) doesn’t quite stick the landing, and suddenly we’ve got this human chain dangling off the cliff like the world’s most dangerous game of monkeys in a barrel. Violet struggles as her shoulder decides this would be the perfect moment to peace out of its socket, while Ridoc takes some surprise trap arrows to the gut while trying to help.
• The chapter ends with Ridoc doing his best “tis but a scratch” impression with arrows sticking out of him and Violet screams for the only person that can help, her brother Brennan!

Chapter 44

This bit opens after an extremely upsetting loss during what was supposed to be a routine training mission. Then Violet and her black dragon Tairn end up playing a deadly game of tag with some uninvited party crashers.

• We’re picking up at a SUPER intense moment – poor Luella has just fallen off a cliff into some mysterious mist after a failed rescue attempt by Violet, who’s now sporting a dislocated shoulder for her troubles. Meanwhile, Cat is absolutely LIVID about Luella’s fall and threatens to kill Violet, but Maren is like “hey bestie, remember that whole magical bond thing where killing Violet Sorrengail = killing Xaden Riorson? Maybe let’s NOT do murder today?”
• Then because I guess this scene wasnt sad enough already, Cibbe, Luella’s gryphon, is dying because of their previous bond, when suddenly – CHOMP! – a massive wyvern emerges from the mist and just… casually snacks on Cibbe. The whiplash from this scene, I shall not recover!!
• This kicks off absolute chaos as everyone realizes they’re dealing with wyverns in cloud cover. Brother Brennan is trying to heal a badly injured Ridoc, when our favorite dragon rider decides to take matters into her own hands – even with one arm in a makeshift sling courtesy of Dain Aetos’s belt.
• The highlight reel: Violet and Tairn go on a wild aerial chase with what they think are two wyverns (spoiler: there are actually FOUR), and Violet comes up with a brilliant but risky plan. She uses Tairn’s power to create lightning strikes within the clouds, targeting the dark magic that created the wyverns. It works! Score one for team dragon rider!
• But here’s the kicker – and it’s a big one – they realize these wyvern were basically magical surveillance cameras. Thanks to their shared consciousness with their venin creators, whoever made these wyverns now knows about their whole operation of moving gryphon fliers of Poromiel and where they are headed.
• The chapter ends with everyone having that lovely “oh crap” moment when they realize they’ve basically just sent up a magical flare to their enemies saying “Hey, we’re here! Come get us!”

Chapter 45

This bit starts with a grim morning roll call at Basgiath War College. Then things get more fun when Professor Trissa teaches the rival dragon riders and gryphon fliers of Poromiel about banned rune magic – cue explosions, sass from maybe black dragon Andarna (honestly still trying to figure out what color this gal is post sleep), and Cat showing up in basically magical lingerie. Lets get into it!

• We open on a pretty grim scene at Riorson House, where Professor Devera is doing the most depressing version of roll call ever – announcing the names of fallen riders and fliers from the front lines. Everyone’s holding their breath hoping not to hear names they know, especially our protagonist Violet Sorrengail who’s desperately praying “Don’t say sister Mira” over over. (Spoiler alert: Mira makes it another day!)
• After roll call, we get the tea about Cat’s latest mean girl antics – apparently she pulled a Regina George move by showing up at Violet’s door before dawn wearing a practically see-through Deverelli silk robe. Why? Oh, just to mess with her since she’s staying in Xaden Riorson’s room. (Petty? Yes. Effective? Also yes.) The whole situation is extra spicy because Cat blames our hero for Luella’s death and basically thinks she chose riders over fliers.
• The chapter then shifts to this awkward AF class meetup where Professor Trissa (think McGonagall but with more sass) is teaching them about runes. These aren’t just pretty decorative symbols – they’re actually stored magic that can be woven into objects! Think of it like one of those expensive add ons to your already expensive smoothie bowl but make it fantasy world.
• Professor Trissa drops the historical tea: runes were banned back in the day because they’re the great equalizer between riders and fliers. Apparently, if you get good enough at rune-making, you can compete with signet powers. (No wonder they got banned – can’t have the fliers getting too powerful, now can we?)
• The chapter ends with everyone trying to create an unlocking rune on their first attempt, featuring multiple explosions (poor best friends Sawyer getting yeeted across the field), and – in a delicious twist of irony – Cat manages to do it first. Talk about adding fuel to the already raging dragon fire of their rivalry!
• Throughout all this, we get some adorable dragon content with Andarna, who’s growing up and getting sassier by the day, and Xaden’s dragon Tairn being the most done-with-everything dragon dad ever. Plus, there’s this sweet character development where best friends are made as Sawyer wants to learn sign language, presumably to communicate with Jesinia, and honestly? We love this for him.
• Also worth noting: families are arriving in the revolutionary town of Aretia for safety, including friend Rhiannon Matthias’s, which is a bright spot in all this tension.

Chapter 46

This bit shows Violet Sorrengail trying to master magical runes in her new beau Xaden Riorson’s room, the professors decide the best way to handle centuries of dragon riders drama is to make everyone roomies – but first, they’re hosting Fantasy Fight Club, where Violet discovers her opponent Cat apparently also went to the Xaden Riorson School of Combat™.

• We start with our girl Violet Sorrengail practicing runes in Xaden Riorison ‘s room (yes, they’re officially roomies now at Riorson House). She’s struggling with a hearing-enhancement rune while Xaden is fresh from the shower and being delightfully distracting. Though can we blame him? Man’s got his priorities straight – namely, kissing Violet’s body instead of helping with homework.
• We get some juicy plot twists about those mysterious runes: turns out Xaden secretly embedded an unlocking rune in Violet’s dagger that activates based on need – basically giving her a magical get-out-of-jail-free card without telling her. But the real secret emotional gut-punch comes when Xaden shares the story behind a special stone he keeps by the bed. It’s one of 107 protection runes that were given to the children of officers before the Battle of Aretia. The runes were designed to activate when their parents were executed by dragon fire – talk about planning ahead for the worst possible scenario. These parents deserve a “World’s Most Prepared” mug, even if it breaks our hearts.
• Meanwhile, at the revolutionary town of Aretia, tensions between riders and fliers are reaching soap opera levels of drama.The Professors, clearly fed up with everyone’s nonsense, drop two massive bombshells: they’re not only integrating classes but also MERGING SQUADS. The audacity to do this to our precious Fourth Wing! But before this forced family reunion can happen, they’re letting everyone participate in what’s basically a fantasy fight club – one challenge per person, no killing allowed. Clearly building up to the inevitable showdown between Cat and Violet, because apparently some people just can’t let sleeping dragons lie.
• The chapter ends with them squaring up on the mat, and here’s the kicker: Violet realizes Cat fights exactly like Xaden because – plot twist! – he trained them both. Talk about cringe! And that’s where we leave off, hanging on the edge of our seats waiting to see who’s going to win this very personal grudge match. Someone should really sell tickets to these things – they’d make a killing!