Onyx Storm: Chapter Summary and Spoilers (Chapters 61-66)

Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros

Chapter Summary & Spoilers (Chapters 51-60)

The Bite-Sized Version

Just when our heroes could use a breather to process Violet’s second signet (being a dream walker), wyverns decide it’s the perfect time to attack Aretia (because timing is everything in this series!). Mid-battle, Theophanie makes her dramatic entrance riding a wyvern like it’s a fantasy Uber, revealing she was once a priestess of Dunne, which explains her silver hair. The plot thickens when one of the irid dragons, Leothan, unexpectedly show up to help, and drops the mother of all bombshells – he wants Andarna to leave with him to learn “the ways of the irids.” After an emotional goodbye that leaves everyone sobbing into their fantasy tissues, Andarna’s bond with Violet is severed, and she follows Leothan into the night like she’s leaving for dragon college.

While Violet spends three days in a blanket burrito of depression, we learn some jaw-dropping family secrets: baby Violet was once taken to Unnbriel to be dedicated to Dunne’s temple (worst baby dedication ever), which explains her signature silver hair. Meanwhile, political tensions reach boiling point when Prince Halden threatens war over Xaden sheltering Poromish refugees, and Xaden retaliates by cutting off Navarre’s supply of magical alloy (petty, but effective). The crisis escalates when Theophanie kidnaps Mira and demands Violet and Bodhi in exchange. After a chaotic strategy meeting where Brennan forces Violet to choose ONE objective (the audacity), our heroes race to Draithus only to find Mira’s dragon chained and bleeding.

In a twist that would make George R.R. Martin proud, Theophanie slits Mira’s throat right after Jack Barlowe arrives in his runed box. Thanks to some quick thinking and magical tag-teaming from Dain, Sloane, and Brennan, Mira survives (albeit with a fresh scar because apparently Sorrengail sisters collect those like trading cards). The final showdown reveals Theophanie’s true power – she’s not a lightning wielder but a STORM wielder like Violet’s mother. As Violet faces down Theophanie alone while wyverns head toward civilians fleeing up Medaro Pass, she seems to have one last trick up her sleeve. The battle for everything is officially ON, folks!

The Bit-Sized Version

Chapter 61

• We get a fresh perspective by switching to Rhiannon’s POV this chapter (and honestly, the timing couldn’t be better because things are getting WILD in 12 different locations in this third book)
• So while Violet Sorrengail is having her showdown with Theophanie, Violet’s best friend Rhiannon’s got her hands full trying to protect thousands of civilians who are trying to escape through the Medaro Pass. And she’s doing it without half her power players – no dragon rider Violet (obviously), no Imogen, and no Quinn. No pressure or anything in this huge battle.
• The good news? That scary windstorm finally stopped. The bad news? EVERYTHING ELSE. We’re talking:
  • 17 wyverns against 3 dragons and 4 gryphons (math is not on their side here)
  • Rain making everything extra slippery (because why not?)
  • Panicked civilians who are understandably NOT thrilled about the whole situation
  • Cat being… well, Cat and questioning every order from her squad leader (some things never change)
• But our girl Rhi’s handling it like a BOSS bred from Basgiath War College. She’s got her dragon Feirge pulling some serious aerial acrobatics and then Ridoc Gamlyn comes in with this ABSOLUTELY BONKERS move where he just… freezes a wyvern solid? Like, it literally shatters on impact! Talk about bringing new meaning to “giving someone the cold shoulder” in the final battle.
• The chapter ends in peak chaos mode:
  • Seven wyverns break through to the pass
  • Cat and Maren are tag-teaming one
  • Bragen and Neve are each chasing their own
  • And there are still four more hunting civilians…
• Rhiannon orders a shield formation because apparently when the going gets tough, the tough get… organized? And honestly, with the way things are going in this third book, we’re just gonna have to trust her on this one.

Chapter 62

• We’re back to Violet Sorrengail’s POV and things are getting INSANE.
• Remember how we left our dragon rider with silver-haired Theophanie’s dagger at her throat? Well, our girl decides to go full WWE and headbutts Theophanie right in the nose (because who needs civil conversation when you can just break someone’s face?). After some impressive acrobatics and a well-placed kick, Violet manages to get free, and that’s when we get the BIG reveal – turns out Theophanie is desperate because this whole “turn Violet evil” plan is like a once-in-a-century opportunity and the dark wielders are dying for a lightning wielder.
• But wait, it gets better! Theophanie starts doing this super creepy thing where she literally turns the ground to dust with just a touch. She gives Violet this fun little ultimatum:
  • Option A: Drain the magic herself and join Team Evil
  • Option B: Die! 
• Violet, being the clever cookie she is, realizes she needs a barrier between herself and the spreading death-wave. So she makes a break for it and uses a dead wyvern as basically the world’s grossest shield during this huge battle.
• Then we get the most dramatic game of “hot potato” ever when:
  • Sgaeyl (Xaden Riorson’s dragon) swoops in to grab Violet
  • Literally YEETS her into the storm (le what)
  • But don’t worry – Tairn shows up like the MVP he is to catch his dragon rider
• The chapter ends with them spotting an absolutely MASSIVE army of dark wielders heading for Draithus – we’re talking:
  • 100+ wyverns
  • A line of venin including Theophanie on what’s apparently the biggest wyvern anyone’s ever seen
  • And a TORNADO because apparently the final battle wasn’t dramatic enough already
• Our girl Violet manages to take out quite a few wyverns with some impressive lightning strikes, but they’ve still got a major problem – Theophanie’s channeling a tornado straight for Draithus, and nobody’s seen the Duke of Tyrrendor in a hot minute. Cool cool cool, everything’s fine as we inch closer to the end of Onyx Storm.
• The chapter closes with Violet having to make a choice between helping the city or pursuing Theophanie. She chooses to go after Theophanie because sometimes you gotta delegate defending a city to your friends while you hunt down the evil storm-wielding venin. Just another Tuesday in the life of Violet Sorrengail, folks!

Chapter 63

• Okay buckle up because we are switching to IMOGEN’S POINT OF VIEW in this third book and it’s a wild ride from start to finish.
• We join Imogen and her dragon Glane as they’re playing “Save the Bodhi” because our boy decided to ignore every one of his orders in the final battle (classic Bodhi move). They’re pulling some SERIOUS aerial acrobatics to help Bodhi and his dragon Cuir who are getting tag-teamed by wyverns, and let us tell you – Imogen and Glane’s banter during this whole thing is absolutely chef’s kiss. They’re literally arguing about kill counts while doing death-defying maneuvers against the dark wielders.
• But here’s where things get REAL intense – Imogen spots two dark wielders (one in purple robes, one in crimson) heading straight for the turret where her best friend Quinn is working on distributing alloy daggers. Queue the most dramatic “save my best friend” sequence ever:
  • Imogen literally JUMPS OFF HER DRAGON onto the city wall
  • Teams up with Dain Aetos to take down a venin (who’s like, half covered in blood btw)
  • Oh, and casually revealing she can turn things to STONE?!
• Then we get to the gut-punch part of this fourth wing series – Imogen finds Quinn in the tower facing off against another venin. At first it looks like they’ve won when they take down the bad guy together, but then Quinn turns around and she’s been stabbed with a poisoned blade in the process.
• The chapter ends with this absolutely DEVASTATING scene where Quinn dies in Imogen’s arms while Imogen tells her that her mom and sister will take care of her up there (Cue ugly cry)
• And because there is no time for mourning in Navarre, we get some major plot points at the end of Onyx Storm:
  • The city’s literally being drained of life by the venin
  • Distance wielder Garrick’s too exhausted to help anymore
  • And their only hope is… collecting everyone’s alloy daggers where they can to extend the wards.
• The final line really says it all – either Violet Sorrengail takes out Theophanie or this was all for nothing.

Chapter 64

• We’re back to Violet Sorrengail’s POV as she and Tairn chase after Theophanie, and things go from bad to worse faster than you can say “maybe we should’ve brought backup” in this huge battle.
• First up, our dragon rider is dealing with:
  • A tornado that’s throwing trees across the field like they’re toothpicks
  • The realization that she’s basically bringing a knife to a gunfight (she’s a cadet going up against a Maven)
  • A conduit that LITERALLY SHATTERS because Theophanie’s playing dirty with some magical hail
• But wait, it gets worse! Just when they’re in hot pursuit, they hear Sgaeyl (Xaden Riorson’s dragon) screaming in agony (NOT GOOD), and then BAM – they get caught in a giant net. The fall is… not great:
  • Violet’s arm? Broken
  • Her last alloy dagger? Gone
  • Tairn? Trapped and ANGRY about it
• But then we get this mysterious moment where Violet finds this package from Aaric with a marble dagger and some cryptic note about “striking in the dark”…
• No time to consider as PLOT TWIST – the sky over Draithus goes completely dark as this massive wave of shadow power comes rolling in, and it can only mean one thing: “Xaden’s venin” has turned into “Xaden’s gone FULL dark wielder”.
• And y’all… Violet’s reaction will BREAK YOUR HEART. She tries to reach the Duke of Tyrrendor through their bond but that ice wall is still there. She sends out one more desperate “I love you” before the ice down the bond shatters and everyone is plunged into shadows.
• Just when all hope seems lost in the final battle, Violet has this WAIT A MINUTE moment where she realizes Aaric’s signet had manifested and he is actually a PRECOG (meaning he can see the future). Suddenly everything clicks, she uses some impressive lightning wielding “in the dark”, and – SURPRISE – our dragon Andarna shows up out of nowhere (thank GOD) to provide just the distraction needed for Violet to attack Theophanie with the marble dagger.
• Violet has the realization that because of the mark on her forehead, Theophanie was still technically a priestess of Dunne’s temple – meaning dragon rider Violet could use the marble dagger to turn her into DUST!
• The chapter ends as Violet promptly passes out because apparently channeling that much power is NOT great for the body.

Chapter 65

• Okay, grab your emotional support dragons because we are switching to XADEN RIORSON’S POV and honey… we’re about to find out what happened during that whole “wave of darkness” situation and IT’S A LOT in this third book.
• So picture this: The Duke of Tyrrendor has been lured to this canyon south of Draithus where he finds Sgaeyl (his dragon) trapped in a net and bleeding. But that’s not even the worst part – because guess who’s there? BERWYN! You know, the supposedly dead Sage with the face scar courtesy of Xaden’s “throw people into ravines” phase from the previous book. And he’s brought company – including someone Xaden calls his “new brother” (WHATTTTTTT).
• Then Berwyn goes full supervillain and:
  • Kills a green dragon with an alloy dagger
  • Threatens to do the same to Sgaeyl
  • Basically forces Xaden’s hand
• And this is where things get DARK dark in this fourth wing series. Xaden makes the choice to go full venin to save Sgaeyl, and y’all… it’s intense:
  • He literally describes his soul departing “like pieces of ash from a fire”
  • Sends shadows EVERYWHERE killing wyverns left and right
  • Is basically becoming the void itself until…
• The only thing that keeps him from completely losing himself? Violet Sorrengail’s “I love you” creating this tiny thread of warmth he desperately clings to (excuse me while we SOB).
• The chapter ends with Xaden’s eyes going full red, and him and Sgaeyl having this cryptic conversation about needing someone’s “help” and having to “persuade Tairn” about something. Whatever it is, Sgaeyl’s basically like “we’ll ask but it’s her decision” and they fly off to… somewhere.
• The suspense is KILLING US at the end of Onyx Storm. What do they need help with? And most importantly – WHO IS THIS MYSTERIOUS NEW BROTHER?!

Chapter 66

• Oh. My. GODS. We’re back with Violet Sorrengail who’s waking up in Aretia like “wait… what year is it?” because apparently she’s missing TWELVE HOURS of memories. She’s standing in the courtyard of Riorson House at 3 AM and everything is giving major “morning after Vegas” vibes, we’ve got:
  • Reports of FOUR riders, their dragons, and three elders murdered
  • SIX dragon eggs missing from the hatching grounds
  • Three riders still MIA including our distance wielder Garrick
  • And everyone’s pointing fingers at Xaden Riorson like he’s the fantasy equivalent of the Zodiac Killer
• But wait, it gets BETTER (and by better we mean SO MUCH WORSE) as we reach the ending of Onyx Storm:
  • Violet Sorrengail’s got a fancy new accessory – a massive emerald wedding ring that matches the gemstone from the Blade of Aretia
  • She finds a note from Dunne’s temple that’s basically a magical marriage certificate (surprise, you’re married to the Duke of Tyrrendor!)
  • And there’s a heartbreaking note from Xaden Riorson that just says “Don’t look for me. It’s yours now.” WHATTTTTTT
• The final chapter ends with the mother of all reveals in this third book – turns out Imogen did… something… to Violet’s memories because “that’s what she asked for”?! 
• So to recap the end of Onyx Storm: Violet’s wearing a wedding ring, Imogen erased her memories, and dark weilder Xaden has gone full ghost while possibly being framed for murder. Now we have to wait for the next book to find out what happened in those missing hours. Excuse us while we go hide under the blankets for the next 2 years.