Spoilers for Fourth Wing, Iron Flame, and Onyx Storm follow.
Violet Sorrengail ends Onyx Storm married to Xaden Riorson, with no memory of the wedding and no way to reach him through their bond. Xaden draws more power from the earth to save Sgaeyl during the Battle of Draithus, pushing himself beyond the earliest stage of becoming venin. And the person who asked Imogen to erase Violet’s memories of the missing twelve hours was Violet herself.
That last detail changes how to read the ending. Just before the story skips ahead, Xaden says he needs Violet to agree to a plan. When she wakes at Riorson House, she can see some of the results, including the ring on her finger. She has no memory of what she agreed to or why.
Why Violet goes looking for the irids
At the end of Iron Flame, Xaden draws power directly from the earth during the fight at Basgiath and becomes venin. Violet starts Onyx Storm looking for a way to reverse what he did. The war gives her another reason to leave the Continent. Finding Andarna’s kind, the irids, could help the riders defend themselves against the venin.
The expedition finds the irids, but they refuse to join the war and tell the group there is no cure for venin. Xaden and Brennan still work on finding one. The irids believe the damage is irreversible, and Violet has yet to find evidence that it can be undone.
Andarna’s own search has a different outcome. Leothan, one of the irids, helps activate Aretia’s wardstone and invites her to learn the ways of her kind. She leaves Violet for a time, then returns when Violet is fighting Theophanie at Draithus. By the final chapter, Violet can hear Andarna again.
Violet’s second signet explains the shared nightmares
Violet can enter other people’s dreams. Her second signet comes from Andarna and helps explain why she has been experiencing a nightmare that belongs to Xaden. They put it together when Violet recounts details of the dream that Xaden recognizes as his own.
This is worth remembering when Violet wakes up unable to reach him. Dream-walking is a separate ability from their usual communication through the bond. The book establishes that Violet has entered his dreams before, leaving open whether she can do it under the circumstances at the end.
What happens at the Battle of Draithus?
Theophanie takes Mira hostage and slits her throat. Mira survives because Sloane siphons power from Dain to Brennan, giving him enough strength to mend her. Violet discovers that Theophanie controls storms, the same kind of power Violet’s mother wielded. That lets Theophanie interfere with the weather Violet needs during their fight.
Aaric sends Violet a marble dagger from the temple of Dunne, with instructions that only make sense once she loses her own weapon and darkness covers the battlefield. His timing reveals his signet, precognition. Xaden’s shadows give Violet cover, Andarna’s return distracts Theophanie, and Violet kills her with the dagger. The temple connection matters because Theophanie was once a high priestess of Dunne.
How far does Xaden go to save Sgaeyl?
Xaden’s point-of-view chapter explains where the shadows came from. Berwyn survived Iron Flame and now confronts Xaden and an injured Sgaeyl. When Berwyn threatens her, Xaden channels from the earth again. The power he takes produces the shadows that reach Violet, and he realizes he has progressed beyond being a venin initiate.
He hears Violet tell him she loves him through the bond and manages to stop drawing power. He then asks Sgaeyl to get Violet to him because he has a plan that requires her agreement. This is the last time the reader gets Xaden’s perspective. His chapter also reveals that Berwyn has another venin pupil, whom Xaden thinks of as a brother. Xaden recognizes him, but the book withholds his name.
Are Violet and Xaden really married?
Yes. Violet wakes in Aretia wearing an emerald ring, and Brennan finds the official marriage blessing from the priestess of Dunne. The marriage makes Violet Duchess of Tyrrendor. Xaden has left her a message asking her to stay away and telling her that what was his now belongs to her. His exact intentions are still unclear.
The detail that gives the wedding weight is the timing. We hear Xaden insist on Violet’s agreement before we see the official record of a marriage she cannot remember. Then Imogen confirms that Violet requested the memory wipe. The two scenes give Violet a say in whatever happened that night, while leaving her to deal with the consequences without knowing her own reasons. The duchess title also gives the marriage stakes in Aretia while Xaden is missing.
What’s still unresolved going into Book 4?
| Thread | What to remember |
|---|---|
| Xaden’s whereabouts | Violet can no longer reach him through their bond. Where he went and what happened to the connection are open questions. |
| Violet’s missing twelve hours | Imogen says Violet asked her to erase the memories. The reason for the request and the full terms of Xaden’s plan are still unknown. |
| Garrick and the dragon eggs | Garrick is among the riders reported missing, and six dragon eggs are gone. Suspicion falls on Xaden, but the final chapter leaves responsibility unresolved. |
| Berwyn’s other pupil | Xaden knows the new venin’s identity. Readers still have to wait for the name and an explanation of why he turned. |
The scene to reread before Book 4 is the handoff from Xaden’s chapter to Violet’s. On one side, Xaden needs her help with a decision. On the other, Violet has the ring, the title, and the note, but the only person who can tell her why she forgot is the person she asked to make her forget.
What comes after Onyx Storm?
Onyx Storm is the third main novel after Fourth Wing and Iron Flame. Threshing Day is a companion collection of thirteen stories about the day riders bonded with their dragons. The fourth main novel is the continuation of Violet and Xaden’s story. As of November 6, 2026, Rebecca Yarros’s public listings did not show an official title or release date for Book 4. Follow our Fourth Wing Book 4 release tracker for announcements. For our take on the third novel, read the
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- Revisit Violet’s first year at Basgiath with Fourth Wing on Amazon.
- Reread the choice that starts Xaden’s transformation in Iron Flame on Amazon.
- Go straight to chapters 64–66 in Onyx Storm on Amazon.
- Read the stories behind the dragon bonds in Threshing Day on Amazon.
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