Six irid dragons confront Violet, Ridoc, and Andarna on the black-sand beach. The lead male irid speaks telepathically to Violet—unprecedented, since dragons typically only communicate with their bonded riders. The irids emit a whistle-like sound that allows Ridoc to hear them as well. Andarna reveals her irid nature by shifting her scales to match theirs, and the irids identify her as "the criterion," which causes all six to flinch. Tairn and Aotrom arrive protectively, positioning themselves around Violet and Ridoc, but Andarna insists the irids won't harm them.

The irids lie down and ask Andarna to tell her story. She recounts her entire life in Navarre—from her shell years through Presentation, Threshing, bonding with Violet as a juvenile, the battles against Jack and Oren, her use of time-slowing magic, and the battle at Resson where channeling too much power forced her into Dreamless Sleep. The irids grow increasingly disturbed as Andarna describes being taken into war and channeling power through Violet. Though Andarna tells the story with pride and enthusiasm, the irids' reactions become colder and more judgmental, and they stop asking questions. Andarna finishes by explaining why they've come: to ask the irids to fight alongside them, to learn how the venin were defeated or cured, and to learn about her family.

The irids retreat into the ocean to confer privately, and three of the six fly away. The remaining three—the lead male, the female from the right, and a quiet male with horns resembling Andarna's—return. Andarna hopefully asks if she passed their test, but the female reveals that Andarna was never being tested—Violet was. The female declares that Violet failed. The irids accuse Violet of using Andarna as a weapon of war, exploiting a vulnerable juvenile, and forcing her premature growth, resulting in Andarna's damaged wing. They reject the idea that their bond reflects love, calling it exploitation.

The lead male explains that Andarna was left behind in Navarre as "the criterion"—a measure of whether humanity had evolved toward peace under the protection of the wardstones. The irids had hoped Andarna would return showing that humans had chosen harmony, but instead her story proved the opposite: humans still use magic as weapons, and dragonkind has armed their riders accordingly. He accuses Tairn of arming Violet with lightning and implies Andarna has given Violet something even more dangerous. The chapter ends with the irids' devastating judgment that both humanity and dragonkind have failed their test.