At dawn, the group flies northwest over deep ocean toward a minor, uninhabited isle to hold a funeral pyre for Trager and Silaraine. The flight stretches dangerously through the night, and Violet nearly orders a return before Tairn spots land. They land on a small volcanic isle with black sand, where Violet senses magic at roughly half the intensity of Navarre—more than Zehyllna had. The group gathers wood and builds a pyre. Aotrom lights it, and Drake speaks the words commending Trager and Sila's souls to Malek. Maren weeps while Cat stands beside her, and Violet grips Xaden's hand.

The next morning, the group debates their location. Drake believes they've gone off course, but Mira and Violet, using Tairn's aerial observations, determine they've reached an unmapped volcanic island chain far south of recorded territory. Violet takes command and splits the group into five search pairs to cover as many islands as possible: Maren and Cat to the north, Drake and Dain to the west, Aaric and Mira to another sector, Xaden and Garrick farther out, and Violet with Ridoc to an eastern chain. She deliberately separates herself from Xaden so she won't trigger him into channeling dark power, sending him with Garrick who also carries serum. Xaden protests that Violet isn't a trigger but admits his instinct to protect her is now uncontrollable. He tells her she owns his soul and is the only place he still feels like himself.

After the teams launch, Violet and Ridoc stay behind to watch the fire burn out and let Andarna rest. Ridoc's dragon Aotrom soaks him with seawater in retaliation for a prior prank. While Ridoc changes clothes and Andarna sleeps, Violet suddenly feels the ground shudder. Fresh dragon tracks appear in the sand, and the air shimmers before solidifying into a massive sky-blue dragon. Six large dragons, rivaling Sgaeyl in size, materialize on the beach around Violet and Andarna. These are the irids—the very creatures they've been searching for across the isles. The lead dragon addresses Violet directly, saying "Hello, human," revealing they can communicate telepathically and have found the searchers rather than the other way around.