Violet lies pinned under Theophanie with a dagger at her throat but headbutts the venin, breaking her nose and kicking free. Theophanie draws a poison-tipped dagger and warns Violet she is expendable. Violet stalls, reaching for Tairn through their bond but finding him still out of range. Theophanie begins draining the earth's magic in an expanding circle of desiccation, explaining that Violet could survive by draining the ground herself first—creating a barrier of already-repurposed magic—but Violet refuses to become a dark wielder.

With seconds to spare, Violet sprints for a nearby wyvern carcass, reasoning its already-drained body will shield her. She climbs atop the dead wyvern just as the wave of death passes beneath her. Sgaeyl swoops in, snatches Violet in her talons, and carries her west before releasing her into the sky with the words "She's all yours." Violet free-falls until Tairn—now in range—catches her and tosses her into the saddle. He reports that Teine is recovering under Brennan's care at the top of the pass and that Mira lives.

Reunited with Tairn, Violet surveys the battlefield. Theophanie has disappeared from the field. To the south, massive hordes of wyvern are launching toward Draithus, backed by a line of eleven venin-carrying wyvern including Theophanie on a wyvern larger than Codagh. Tairn orders the allied dragons and gryphons to pull back above the city, and Violet unleashes repeated barrages of lightning into the horde, destroying dozens of wyvern across multiple strikes until she nearly burns out. She drinks water to recover and then dives with Tairn toward the venin line.

Six venin break for the city, two charge Violet, and three—including Theophanie—retreat into the mountains. Violet kills one venin with a precise lightning strike and the other flees. Theophanie then conjures a tornado aimed at Draithus, and Tairn orders all dragons grounded. Meanwhile, Bodhi arrives on Cuir despite orders to stay away, and Molvic appears carrying news that a thousand-soldier advance party from Zehyllna will arrive in half an hour after landing at the wrong port. Violet tries to reach Xaden through the bond but hits a wall of black ice. Tairn insists they pursue their single objective—Theophanie—and Violet commits, trusting Imogen and the others to defend the city while she and Tairn fly toward the storm wielder and her enormous wyvern on the mountain beyond the field.