Onyx Storm: Chapter Summary and Spoilers (Chapters 11-20)

Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros

Chapter Summary & Spoilers (Chapters 11-20)

The Bite-Sized Version

After a tense confrontation with the mysterious venin Theophanie, Violet learns that her dragon Andarna is an incredibly rare “irid dragon.” Meanwhile, at Basgiath War College, complications arise when Xaden becomes a professor, putting his and Violet’s relationship in jeopardy due to strict teacher-student dating rules. Adding to their troubles, General Aetos continues to make life difficult for everyone, moving into Violet’s late mother’s quarters and appointing Aura Beinhaven as Violet and Xaden’s official chaperone.

The quest to find more of Andarna’s kind gains momentum when Violet finally cracks her father’s password-protected research, which points them toward Deverelli. However, their mission to obtain a special Amelian Citrine in the town of Anca goes horribly wrong, resulting in the deaths of Captain Grady and Aura Beinhaven, while also revealing that Theophanie has been anticipating their moves. Meanwhile, tensions rise as Violet learns that Xaden, now Duke of Tyrrendor, has received multiple marriage proposals from noble families.

Despite opposition from the Senarium, Violet assembles her own quest squad for the journey to Deverelli, including Xaden, her sister Mira, Ridoc (who reveals impressive ice-wielding abilities), Cat, Drake, Dain Aetos, and awkwardly, Prince Halden – her ex. The group dynamics are complicated further by the fact that some squad members have previously tried to kill each other, but with only two days until departure, they’ll have to find a way to work together to save Xaden from his venin transformation and uncover the secrets of the seventh dragon breed.

The Bit-Sized Version

Chapter 11

• Okay, so picture this: Our girl Violet Sorrengail is back at it again with the near-death experiences (shocking, I know). She’s just had an intense encounter with our new character Theophanie, who’s dropping some MAJOR bombshells about dragon Andarna. The big reveal? Andarna isn’t just your average dragon – she’s an “irid dragon,” which is apparently such a rare breed that it hasn’t been seen in centuries. No pressure, right? 
• Theophanie is giving major villain vibes, trying to tempt our favorite dragon rider with promises of “control and knowledge” before making a dramatic exit via wyvern. Classic bad guy move. During all this, we learn that our best friend Garrick’s been hiding a pretty major secret – turns out he’s a distance wielder, which is basically like having teleportation powers. 
• Wait, what? So remember in the previous book when we learned that Xaden Riorson had the whole “I can sense intentions” thing going on with his powers? Well, it looks like our boy Garrick’s been keeping some serious secrets of his own – he can literally transport himself across huge distances. We’re talking “traveled a thousand miles in minutes” kind of distances.
• The interesting thing is that Garrick’s being SUPER cagey about admitting to this power. What makes this particularly spicy is that apparently this distance wielder ability is SUPER rare. Like, historically rare. 
• Fast forward twenty hours, and we’re back at Basgiath War Colleg* where Violet’s nursing an injured knee. Enter Xaden (looking fine as ever, according to our girl Violet) who swoops in to literally carry her to safety with his shadow powers. But oh boy, is he NOT happy about whatever went down in Samara and this dark wielder situation.
• The drama ramps up when General Aetos crashes the party and starts throwing his weight around. He’s moving into Violet’s mother’s old quarters (rude) and trying to kick Xaden and Garrick out of the quadrant. There’s also some political conflict as Maren’s twin refugee brothers are getting a talking to for illegally crossing the border, but the new (hot) Duke of Tyrrendor cleverly declares them as Tyrrish citizens because apparently he can just do that now.
• The chapter ends with Xaden kicking everyone out of the room except Violet, and… well… let’s just say he might be angry, but he’s definitely not too angry for some quality time with our girl. If you know what we mean, wink wink. 

Chapter 12

• So we start with Violet Sorrengail and Xaden Riorson having this steamy makeout session (like, *chef’s kiss* steamy), but then our new Duke of Tyrrendor is all “I gotta stop” because unfortunately for us and Violet he’s still freaking out that the whole “Xaden’s venin” situation might make him lose control and hurt her. Talk about a mood killer, right? But like, respect for the self-awareness my dude. 
• THEN they’re having this whole deep conversation about secret powers at Basgiath War College – turns out distance weilder Garrick having a second signet wielder is more common than we thought (we’re reminded about Liam’s lowkey ice magic before he… you know…). Apparently, the former dragons of the Tyrrish rebels bonded with their children to give them a better edge in this war, because when a dragon bonds a direct family descendant it almost always results in a second signet. SNEAKY. 
• Violet uses this opportunity to drop another revalation and is like “hey what if the dark wielders have these cool powers too?” and Xaden’s like “oh snap, that’s not good.”
• Fast forward a week, and everyone at Basgiath is trying to act like everything’s totally normal (narrator voice: it was not normal). Violet gets this super sus letter from Xaden that’s basically code for “oops I went full venin for a hot minute during another huge battle, gonna hide in my room until my eyes stop doing the red thing.” Classic dragon rider problems.
• But WAIT, there’s more! The chapter ends with this absolutely BONKERS interrogation scene where Violet and Imogen are questioning Jack Barlowe (you know, the guy who went full villain in the first book and broke the magic protection stone?). They’re basically bribing him with the alloy that powers the wards, and he spills ALL the tea about venin:
  • They’re like a weird evil social network that can sense each other (but only the newbies)
  • If you’re already magical, you can DIY your way into being venin (no evil mentor needed!)
  • There’s no cure because they’re like “thanks, but we’re actually loving this whole ‘unlimited power’ thing?”
• And then Jack gets SUPER creepy and starts bringing up when Violet was tortured in that same cell during the previous book, because apparently he just HAD to end things on a disturbing note. But our girl Violet’s like “whatever dude” and walks out like a boss.

Chapter 13

• Quick pivot from interrogation to some quality time with Violet’s squad!
• First up, we’ve got some A+ banter about boundaries (spoiler alert: this friend group has NONE). Violet Sorrengail and her best friend Rhiannon (who’s also their amazing squad leader) are heading to the Archives with the gang, and they’re absolutely roasting each other about their love lives. The highlights include:
  • Sawyer getting teased about his obvious crush on Jesinia (and looking SUSPICIOUSLY well-groomed for their Archive visit, just saying…)
  • Ridoc Gamlyn getting called out for “bedhopping like a frog” 
  • Everyone agreeing that Violet and the Duke of Tyrrendor bicker “like an old married couple”
• Then we get to the Archives where things get SPICY in research land about Andarna’s kind:
  • Poor Jesinia got kicked out of the adept program (rude) but is playing it cool because she gets to do secret research
  • She’s digging into research about “irid dragons” (which everyone agrees is probably short for iridescent, duh)
  • There’s this absolutely HILARIOUS moment where she trolls Ridoc with a fake prophecy about dragon rider babies getting their signets
  • BUT the real tea is that they find out some pages about the Krovlan uprising in are mysteriously missing 
• The plot thickens when they realize they need Violet’s father’s research, but it’s locked away somewhere that only Dain Aetos (you know, the guy whose dad they’re kinda-sorta rebelling against) can access.
• Finally, we get to Battle Brief class where everything goes from “this is fine” to “OH GODS NO” real quick:
  • There’s a terrifying map showing how much territory the dark wielders have taken taken
  • Everyone gets surprise required reading (homework during wartime? The AUDACITY)
  • They drop the bombshell that high-level venin can wield signets too, so they’ll start to take a class on how to combat signets 
  • This class will be taught by… Professor Xaden?? Which at first, we’re like, new fantasy unlocked. But then, Violet quickly informs us he’s unfortunately now OFF THE MENU because of those pesky teacher-student relationship rules 
• And that’s where we end – with poor Violet telling Xaden “I think our relationship just ended.” s he should push her away for her own good (sir, have you MET Violet? Good luck with that!). 

Chapter 14

• So remember how we ended with Violet’s whole “I think our relationship just ended” bombshell? Well, Xaden Riorson, Duke of Tyrrendor, now professor, is NOT having it (literally says “Absolutely not”), but they’ve got bigger problems because – shocking! – General Aetos is being a TOTAL killjoy about this whole situation.
• Here’s the tea:
  • Violet Sorrengail and Xaden try to have a private moment in Kaori’s office, where Xaden’s like “who cares about rules?” and Violet’s like “uh, literally everyone?”
  • We learn that Xaden’s venin situation had a close call during battle (yikes) and only snapped out of it because his dragon YELLED at him for the first time ever
  • Enter General Aetos, stage left, being the worst per usual. He straight up DENIES their request for an exemption to the teacher-student dating rule and basically tells Xaden “one wrong move and you’re out” 
  • Violet, being the absolute queen she is, drops this bomb on her way out: “BTW, I killed Varrish, not Xaden” 
• But wait, there’s more! The chapter then pivots to this absolutely PAINFUL quest squad meeting where:
  • Everyone’s arguing about where to search for the seventh breed of dragons
  • The squad lineup is… questionable at best (including both Violet’s ex AND current boo – awkward!)
  • Xaden crashes the party like the drama king he is (and nobody can stop him because his dragon won’t go anywhere without Violet’s)
  • There’s this whole debate about going north vs. to the Southern Isles, and Violet’s like “guys, the south makes WAY more sense” but nobody’s listening
  • Meanwhile, Violet and Xaden are having this super flirty mental conversation while trying to look professional (spoiler: they’re not great at it)
• The chapter ends with this INFURIATING scene where Aura Beinhaven (remember her? The one Violet didn’t kill?) is now apparently appointed as their official chaperone because General Aetos has the entire Basgiath War College watching them like hawks. 

Chapter 15

• So it’s been FOUR WHOLE DAYS since Violet Sorrengail has seen Xaden Riorson (the struggle is real), and we’re at this fancy outdoor amphitheater that sir Duke of Tyrrendor has turned into his personal teaching arena at Basgiath War College. Picture this: it’s snowing everywhere else, but inside this magical fighting pit? Toasty warm. Xaden’s there looking fire in his sparring gear, and Violet’s like “maybe private tutoring would be better” (girl, we get it).
• But before we get to the main event, this cocky third-year named Loran decides to question our favorite undercover dark wielder’s teaching credentials (honey, NO). Xaden’s response? “Let’s see if you can take me down.” Spoiler alert: he cannot. Our boy Xaden absolutely WRECKS him, first with regular fighting and then with some seriously cool shadow magic.
• Then it turns into basically a magical fight montage where Xaden takes down EVERYONE:
  • Fire wielder? Knocked down
  • Girl who can make copies of herself? Nope
  • Our squad leader and Violet’s best friend Rhiannon? Sorry bestie, not today
  • Caroline? Yeeted across the mat (satisfying tbh)
• The whole time, Violet and Xaden are having this absolutely adorable mental flirtation that’s made even better by the fact that they’re not supposed to be together. And Violet’s squad is just watching like “are we supposed to be terrified of him or shipping this?” (The answer is both, obviously).
• But HERE’S where it gets good – Xaden finally calls up our favorite **dragon rider** to spar and she’s like “don’t let me hurt you” with this smirk that probably made half the class swoon. The chapter ends right there because our author Rebecca Yarros is CRUEL and wants us to die of anticipation! 
• Also worth noting: Violet’s been spending her Xaden-free time practicing her lightning strikes and researching about Deverelli, because she still thinks going to the **Southern Isles** is the right call.
• PS: There’s this cute little moment where Xaden clarifies that “boyfriend” is way too casual a term for what they are to each other. Just take us out at the knees, man.

Chapter 16

• First up, we get THE SPARRING MATCH we’ve been waiting for between heavyweights Violet Sorrengail and Xaden Riorson. And what does this dramatic man do? Turns out ALL THE LIGHTS with his shadows because apparently that’s fair play when fighting your not-allowed-to-be-girlfriend at Basgiath War College! Their whole fight is this beautiful dance of flirting and fighting where:
  • Xaden is like “strike me!” and Violet’s like “um, I don’t actually want to barbecue you, thanks”
  • He keeps using his shadows to tease her (and maybe steal a kiss or two… or three…)
  • There’s this MOMENT where he teaches her to track his shadows (supposedly for training purposes but let’s be real, it’s probably so they can have secret makeout sessions)
  • But then things get HEAVY when the Duke of Tyrrendor drops this bomb: Violet needs to learn to track him because she’s “the only one capable of killing him” if Xaden’s venin situation gets worse. Way to kill the mood.
• Cut to the next day at the Six Talons pub (every fantasy world needs a good pub, right?), where Violet’s squad is hanging out and:
  • Everyone’s still shook about how powerful Xaden is after yesterday’s class
  • Cat’s trying really hard not to be obvious about her lingering feelings for Xaden (spoiler: she’s failing)
  • There’s some worry about their first years not manifesting their powers yet (apparently “exploding” is a possible side effect – yikes!)
  • Sawyer’s actually LAUGHING which is a big deal given… you know… everything
• BUT THEN (because we can’t have nice things), Dain Aetos shows up with news about getting into his dad’s quarters to steal Violet’s father’s research. The twist? He says Violet can’t come with him – she has to trust him to do it alone. 
• And our girl Violet, who’s had a *complicated* history with Dain, decides to trust him because what could possibly go wrong? The chapter ends with her telling him where to find the secret compartment and basically putting all her faith in Dain which is… certainly a choice.

Chapter 17

• First up, we start with morning formation where Captain Fitzgibbons is reading out the names of fallen soldiers on the death roll (way to start the day on a light note). There’s this particularly sad moment about a rider named Ruford who died in a training accident because like… war is the worst.
• THEN we get to the good stuff – Sloane hands Violet this mysterious package that turns out to be her dad’s research about Andarna’s kind! Finally some good news, right? WRONG. Because of course it’s locked with this ridiculously extra six-letter combination that will destroy everything if she gets it wrong. The only clue? “First love is irreplaceable.” Thanks Dad, super helpful.
• Cut to signet sparring class a few days later at Basgiath War College, where everyone’s trying to crack this password puzzle like it’s their homework assignment:
  • Lilith? (Violet’s mother) Nope, too obvious
  • Violet? Again, too obvious
  • Brother Brennan’s first love? Nobody knows
  • Violet’s sister Mira’s first love? Also a mystery
  • Prince Halden? Violet’s blushing which means TEA 
• Meanwhile, the actual class is pretty epic – there’s this awesome squad battle against our distance wielder Garrick where Violet gets to show off her lightning skills (and maybe flirt with Xaden a little… or a lot… through their mental connection).
• BUT WAIT, because just when you think everything’s going great, who should show up but Prince Halden himself! And not just any prince, but, drumroll… Violet’s ex who cheated on her with a professor (classy). He’s there supposedly to help with this whole “where should we search for the seventh dragon breed” debate, but also maybe to hit on Violet? The audacity! 
• He’s got this letter about getting a special gem called the Amelian Citrine that could help them get a meeting in Deverelli (which is where Violet wanted to go anyway), and makes a comment about anyone who’s dated a rider knows their first love is their dragon (HINT HINT WINK WINK). But, he’s being super flirty about it and even tries to touch her hair when… *BOOM* 
• The Duke of Tyrrendor straight up yeets the crown prince into a wall with his shadow powers because apparently that’s how we’re ending chapters now!

Chapter 18

• First up, aftermath of the Great Wall Yeet™️: Violet Sorrengail is checking on Halden (who’s fine, just winded), while Xaden Riorson is over here with the WEAKEST excuse ever like “oops, was trying to save a first-year!” Suuuuuure. But the real tea is when he basically tells Prince Halden “she hasn’t thought about you since she met me” which is both incredibly hot and incredibly stupid given that Halden’s, you know, THE CROWN PRINCE.
• Then we get to the REAL exciting part – Violet finally cracks her dad’s password puzzle! It’s “AIMSIR” (Violet’s mother’s dragon, because OF COURSE the answer was about dragons, we should’ve known). Inside is this absolutely heartbreaking letter from Violet’s father that’s basically like:
  • Hey kiddo, if you’re reading this alone… sorry about that
  • BTW you need to go to Deverelli (called it!)
  • Find this merchant named Narelle Anselm
  • Bring something super rare
  • Oh and PS: only trust Mira
  • PPS: the King is kind of a jerk
• But WAIT, because then Xaden shows up at her door (breaking ALL the Basgiath War College rules) having a full-on jealousy spiral about Halden. And y’all… this man is jealous of her ARMOR for getting to touch her. That’s some next-level pining!
• The chapter ends with this INCREDIBLY steamy scene where they’re supposedly just kissing but… um… things get a little heated. But the real kicker? They decide they’re definitely going to Deverelli with the quest squad, even though they’ll have to:
  • Leave the safety of the wards
  • Deal with Halden (awkward)
  • Face possible dark wielders
• Because nothing says “true love” like breaking into enemy territory to steal magical jewelry so your girlfriend can follow her dead dad’s mysterious instructions, are we right? 

Chapter 19

• So our quest squad of eight (including Mira, thanks to Halden pulling the “don’t you know who I am?” card) heads out beyond the wards to snag this fancy citrine from Anca. Everything starts out fine – they’re flying through the night, Violet’s feeling all this wild magic energy, and dragon Andarna is being a total mom friend like “but what if you need me to burn stuff??” 
• The town of Anca is giving major ghost town vibes when they arrive. The task force splits up – dragons in the sky (because drained magic = bad news), while the ground team goes to search this fancy house that belonged to someone called “Amelia, First of the Drifts” (super casual historical name drop).
• BUT THEN… everything goes sideways faster than a dragon with an inner ear infection:
  • Aura Beinhaven (remember her? The one who hates Violet?) gets SUPER paranoid
  • Captain Grady comes out of the house at the wrong moment
  • Aura SETS HIM ON FIRE (like, girl, what happened to “don’t wield”?!)
  • The whole town starts burning because apparently drained magic towns are basically giant tinderboxes
  • Xaden Riorson tries to stop it with his shadows but can’t (and Violet’s having a minor heart attack watching him struggle)
  • They’re running through burning streets like it’s the world’s worst obstacle course
  • And then… Aura gets IMPALED BY A WYVERN
• But wait! There’s a silver lining! They actually manage to get the citrine! …except it’s all cracked and smoky now because nothing can ever be easy. 
• The real kicker? They find this super creepy note from Theophanie basically saying “I knew you’d be here” which is giving major stalker vibes. Plus, she’s either:
  • A) Onto their search for the seventh breed of dragons
  • B) Knows about Xaden’s venin situation
  • C) Both of the above
  • D) Just enjoys being cryptic and terrifying
• So basically, they lost two people (RIP Grady and Aura), nearly got barbecued, and found out their enemy is basically playing 4D chess while they’re playing magical hide and seek. Cool cool cool, everything’s fine.

Chapter 20

• First up, we’ve got Violet Sorrengail doing her best hermit impression – reading everything she can get her hands on about Deverelli, dark magic, and her father’s research (spoiler: none of it’s helping with Operation Save Xaden From Being Evil™️). Even Jack Barlowe is being a pain, happy to chat about dark wielders but won’t spill the tea about Theophanie. Rude. 
• Then we get this AMAZING pre-Senarium meeting scene where Ridoc Gamlyn is like “let me come on the quest squad!” and reveals he’s basically become Elsa 2.0 – my man can freeze the water INSIDE THINGS. Like, inside fruit… or you know, people’s bodies if he wanted to (which is both cool and terrifying and I have CONCERNS).
• But the real drama starts at the big meeting where Violet goes full “I’d like to speak to the manager” mode with the Senarium (including Prince Halden, General Aetos, and Markham – aka the Dream Team of Terrible™️). They’re all “here’s your new commander” and Violet’s just like “LOL NO” and RIPS UP THE ORDERS.
• Instead, she picks her own squad:
  • Xaden Riorson (obviously)
  • Violet’s sister Mira (who makes the most dramatic entrance ever)
  • Ridoc (ice powers for the win!)
  • Cat & her cousin Drake
  • Dain Aetos (our favorite translator)
  • Halden (awkward ex alert!)
  • And whoever Halden brings as his babysitter
• The bureaucrats at Basgiath War College are losing their minds, and the Duchess of Morraine (aka Lady “I Have Opinions About Everything”) drops this bomb about how the Duke of Tyrrendor shouldn’t go on the mission partly because he’s on the Senarium (fair), but MOSTLY because he doesn’t have an heir (less fair). But HERE’S where it gets juicy – she’s like “but I MIGHT be convinced to let him go if he considers my daughter’s proposal” 
• And apparently this isn’t just any random wedding ring proposal – it’s one of TWELVE that Xaden’s gotten since getting his duke title back. Turns out when you’re a super powerful, incredibly hot duke who just got pardoned for participating in a revolution (NOT a rebellion, as he very pointedly clarifies), every noble family wants to marry their daughter off to you. Who knew? (Violet’s face during this revelation? PRICELESS).
• But the best part? Mira shows up at the end and immediately knees Drake in the groin because apparently he helped bring down some wards last year. We love a protective sister! Then she’s like “really, THESE are your choices?” which… fair point. The squad is basically made up of Violet’s ex, current boo, a class clown, and two people who tried to kill her. Oh, and Dain, who defies categorization at this point. But hey, they leave in two days so what could possibly go wrong?