Iron Flame Summary - What happened in Iron Flame? Full Recap

Read a full Iron Flame summary, book #2 in Rebecca Yarros’s The Empyrean series. This page contains spoilers, so beware. If you are wondering what happened in Iron Flame, then you are in the right place to read a full recap!

Author
Rebecca Yarros

Ratings
4.8 stars on Amazon
4.36 stars on Goodreads
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The Empyrean Series:
#1 Fourth Wing Summary (recap)
#2 Iron Flame Summary (this page)
#3 Onyx Storm (synopsis)

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What happened in Iron Flame?

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Your full Iron Flame summary:

As we know from the last book, Violet’s brother Brennan is alive. He is known as Lieutenant Colonel Aisereigh. The story starts as she sits with him in a stone fortress called Riorson House and tries to process this fact. She is angry that he let her believe he was dead all this time.

They go to a meeting where Brennen and others, including Xaden, discuss battle strategy. Though Violet and the cadets were only participating in the War Games for school, they ended up in a battle with the venin, where Liam and Soleil were killed. The council decides they should return to school and not speak of what happened to them. Xaden will continue to train Violet so that her former friend Dain Aetos can’t read her mind again.

Brennan tells Violet that he believes the Venin will attack Navarre soon since there is much energy on the hatchling grounds of Basgaith. But the scribes in Navarre have eradicated all mention of venin and wyverns from their texts.

Aretia has a wardstone that they need to learn to activate. Violet thinks she can find information in the Basgiath Archives.

Violet’s dragon, Andarna, has doubled in size, and she has turned black. On the way back, they leave her in the Vale so she can enter the Dreamless Sleep and finish the growth process.

At the quadrant, Violet saves some of Liam’s things so they won’t get burned as is custom. They arrive in the courtyard just in time for graduation. Xaden accuses Colonel Aetos of sending them into combat with gryphons. Violet believes her mother, General Sorrengail, had nothing to do with it.

After graduation, they learn that Xaden is stationed in Samara, and because of Tairn and Sgaeyl’s mating bond, they will be allowed to visit once a week. Dain Aetos is her new wingleader, and Rhiannon is the squad leader.

Violet is angry with Xaden for keeping secrets from her, especially that her brother was alive. Xaden says that he will have secrets because he’s helping to lead a revolution. Violet says she can’t trust him, so he leaves.

Colonel Aetos implies that Violet’s sister Mira would come to harm if the truth of what happened during the War Games gets out.

Violet and her squad attend the second-year curriculum, including the Rider Survival Course. There, they learn to survive situations like getting lost or tortured. They will be tested at any time.

Violet starts digging for information in the archives. She asks her friend Jesinia, a scribe, to help.

iron flame summary - full recap — Iron Flame Summary
Fourth Wing Summary

On conscription day, Violet helps oversee the new first-years as they cross the parapet. She’s surprised to see King Tauri’s third son, Aaric. He enrolls as Cam. Liam’s little sister, Sloane, arrives. Violet has sworn to help her, though Sloane hates Violet, blaming her for Liam’s death. Both Sloane and Aaric are assigned to Violet’s squad.

Their new vice commandant is Major Varrish. His dragon, Solas, torches some of the first-years, and Violet is injured trying to protect Sloane. Tairn steps in before it can get worse.

Strange things are happening as life goes on in the quadrant. The infirmary is being guarded, a second-year is dragged from the library and killed for making an unapproved request, and others are attempting to kill Violet and those who were with her at Athebyne, likely at Dain’s father’s orders.

At the end of the week, Xaden and Violet get to spend precious little time together. Violet is still angry with him.

Violet avoids her friends because they were not with her at Athebyne, and she doesn’t want to lie to them when they ask questions.

Major Varrish demands that Andarna ride with Violet next week, or there will be consequences. He mentions that it is strange that her father has been writing a book about feathertails, and now she is bonded to one.

After being searched by Major Varrish, Violet heads to Samara to see Xaden and Sgaeyl. She finds Xaden fighting for time off with her. They kiss, but Violet still doesn’t trust him. He confides in her about an alloy that extends the power of wards and can be used to forge weapons to kill Venin.

When she returns, Varrish punishes Violet for not forcing Andarna to join them. He makes her produce lightning too many times until she nearly dies.

She recovers and is kidnapped along with a few others for an assignment in which their connections to their dragons are inhibited—a new and unsettling development. Rhiannon tries to reconnect with Violet, but Violet continues to keep her at arm’s length. Rhiannon knows something is up. Later, Violet helps Sloane win at sparring and forces the girl to train with Imogen in exchange for Liam’s letters.

Jesinia is figuring out that there are missing books from the archives. Violet admits she needs information about the wards and how the First Six built them. Jesinia agrees to provide her with books and not report the request.

Major Varrish continually tries to keep Xaden and Violet away from each other on the weekends as punishment for not making Andarna join them. At battle brief, Violet gets frustrated at the lies being told about the attempted border crossings.

Xaden grows angry when he sees the research she’s conducting. He believes she’s putting herself in unnecessary danger by requesting the material. Violet lets him meet Jesinia.

Violet has another run-in with Major Varrish about Andarna’s absence. Tairn takes matters into his own hands by attacking Varrish’s dragon, Solas. Major Varrish is forced to apologize.

When Violet visits Xaden in Samara, she finds that her sister, Mira, has been stationed there. Mira says it’s because the outpost has one of the most extensive power supplies for the wards, and they may need her signet ability to extend the wards. Violet asks more questions about the wards, and Mira explains that they work like an umbrella, and the alloys boost the power at the end of the spokes. Mira dismisses the idea that wyverns could be the real threat on the border.

Xaden gives Violet a book about weaving fabric knots, which she thinks is strange. Xaden says the alloy they seek contains dragon egg shells, which carry their own magic.

Another cadet with Violet during the War Games is killed, and the healer, Nolon, is too busy to heal Violet’s arm. The cadets discuss how much of the culture was lost during the unification in class. Violet and Rhiannon speak up, saying all the old texts are gone. How do they know what was lost or left out in translation?

At the gym, Dain challenges Violet to spar as a way to talk to her since she continually ignores him. Dain denies knowingly doing anything for his father that would have got her, or anyone else hurt. Dain says that Violet’s mother is the one who put Xaden’s scars on his back. One for each child of the revolutionaries.

Rhiannon is starting to put it together that the people Violet was with at War Games are getting killed off. She asks how Liam’s dragon died, and Violet begs her to stop asking so she won’t have to lie.

Aaric, the prince, admits that he knows about the wyverns and venin, and that’s why he snuck himself into battle school.

Major Varrish takes Violet for interrogation training, where she and her squad mates undergo brutal interrogation. They withstand and hold their secrets until Dain is brought in to read Violet’s mind. Dain refuses. It becomes clear that Varrish is training Dain to use his signet. Varrish knocks Violet out, and Nolon heals her. She is returned to the interrogation room, and Nolon leaves the window unlocked. Violet admits to her squad mates that she knows something that Varrish wants, and they escape so that he won’t have the opportunity to kill her. Strangely, Violet uses her dagger—one Xaden gave her—to unlock the door.

Jack Barlowe, who Violet dropped a mountain on, returns. Apparently, he was healed by Nolon.

In Battle Brief, a professor indicates that Xaden may have been injured, so Violet and Tairn leave immediately to go to him. When they arrive, Violet finds that Xaden is fine.

Violet accompanies Xaden to deliver daggers to gryphon riders, including Xaden’s beautiful ex, Catriona. They warn the fliers that the attacks must stop so they don’t weaken the wards. Xaden tells them he’s trying to acquire the luminary needed for the forge. However, the gryphon riders insist he has opportunities but is unwilling to pay the price. Xaden admits that he believes Viscount Tecarus wants Violet and her power in exchange for the luminary.

When Violet returns, Varrish intercepts her. She is afraid he will find the alloy dagger Xaden gave her. Rhiannon uses her signet to extract the dagger to herself. Professor Kaori steps in for Violet, blaming the dragon bond for Violet’s rash decision to leave without permission.

Violet finally tells Rhiannon, Ridoc, and Sawyer everything that happened at Athebyne and that their dragons already know. They decide to help Violet research how to power a wardstone. They need a source older than 400 years, and Ridoc says he heard that two of the First Six kept journals. Jesinia will look into it.

Violet is attacked again while on watch, but Jack Barlowe saves her.

Jesinia learns of a royal vault but needs someone from King Tauri’s bloodline to enter. They get Prince Aaric to help. Xaden is unsure of the plan to get the journals but decides to go along. They barely escape with them. Aaric’s hands are burned. Xaden takes Warrick’s journal to Brennan to translate.

Nolon drugs Violet, and Major Varris arrives and takes Lyra’s journal from her. After being tortured, Violet starts imagining Liam there talking to her. He tells her to keep strong. Violet is tortured for days and realizes that they’re setting a trap for Xaden. They bring Dain in again, and eventually, they manipulate him into reading Violet’s mind. Violet forces herself to show him Liam’s death and the venin. But Dain sees everything she is trying to hide and tells Varrish.

Then, to Violet’s surprise, Dain frees her from her bonds. Xaden and Garrick arrive, and she vouches for Dain. Together, Xaden and Violet kill Varrish.

Leadership has been called away to hide the bodies of wyvern Xaden left near the border. Violet’s mom, General Sorrengail, arrives but doesn’t stop them. She knew nothing of what was happening to Violet. She tells Violet that last year, she called in a favor from Xaden and asked him to protect her. She knows they’ve been smuggling weapons.

In the courtyard, Xaden addresses all riders, calling on them to pick a side. Stay or leave. Violet asks Tairn to share the memory of what happened with the other dragons, and he does. Many, including Dain, Jesinia, and a few teachers, fly to Aretia and the revolution. Tairn brings Andarna, who he is concerned about because she has been in the Dreamless Sleep for much too long.

Part II – Iron Flame Summary Continued

The council is not happy about being exposed and overrun by cadets. Violet plans to translate the journal brought to Brennan.

Andarna finally wakes from the Dreamless Sleep. She has not developed as she should have because of how much energy she used at Resson and because her sleep was interrupted often. Tairn says she’s unlikely ever to carry a rider.

The cadets continue their classes, cities fall to Venin, and the families of the cadets are offered sanctuary. The cadets also begin learning to use runes.

Mira arrives with a riot of forty dragons at Xaden’s request. Mira punches Brennan when she sees he’s alive and has been keeping it from her.

Felix, a council member, trains with Violet to help her gain control of her lightning. He gives her an orb etched with runes to use as a conduit.

Violet works on translating the journal. She believes powering the ward will involve blood magic, so she gathers six of the most powerful riders and has them drip blood onto the wardstone. Nothing happens. This failure spurs her to meet with Viscount Tecarus and negotiate for the luminary, even if Xaden doesn’t want her to. Mira and Brenna join her.

In Cordyn, they find Xaden already there. Violet is introduced to the Viscount and his niece, Cat, who, it turns out, Xaden was once betrothed to—a fact he hadn’t disclosed to Violet. Cat has a signet that amplifies others’ emotions, and Violet finds it difficult to control her jealousy and anger.

They attend a fancy dinner, and afterward, the Viscount leads them to a field where Violet is to “perform.” She knew she would have to demonstrate her lightning to open discussions about the luminary, but she didn’t know they would release a venin for her to fight. It is difficult, but she kills the venin.

Xaden nearly kills Tecarus for the stunt but instead begins negotiations. In exchange for the luminary, they agree to supply Tecarus with weapons and take their gryphon flier cadets to Aretia to train with the riders. Since the gryphons can’t fly at high altitudes, they must hike the mountain pass.

On the way, Ridoc is injured when he sets off a trap, and then one of the Gryphon fliers dies. Cat blames Violet. Brennan helps mend Ridoc as Voilet kills a wyvern.

The first Aretian-born hatchling is born in the new hatchling grounds, and Tairn says this may have alerted any creature capable of channeling, and since wyvern share a collective consciousness, they all know the hatching grounds are a target.

The cadets learn to use runes. Xaden tells Violet that the runestone he keeps at his bedside was made to protect, and each of the children of the officers of the rebellion was given them before their parents left for the Battle of Aretia.

The flyers and riders are in constant conflict, and Cat continually gets under Violet’s skin. Cat eventually challenges Violet to a fight and uses her mind manipulation on her, making Violet feel jealous and insecure. Xaden puts a stop to it and tells Violet that he never loved Cat and was only betrothed to her as part of an alliance that later fell apart. He also says he’s technically the king of Tyrrendor.

They continue translating Warrick’s diary and finally have a breakthrough when they realize one of the words was mistranslated. Powering the ward doesn’t require the use of riders but rather dragons.

Sloan and Violet discuss whether or not Violet will get another signet because she is bonded to two dragons. But a second one only happens when a dragon bonds a rider in the direct family line. Privately, Violet realizes Xaden must have a second signet.

During a training session, where their dragons practice detecting runes, they enter a cave and find themselves face to face with Solas, Varrish’s dragon. Andarna protects them from his dragonfire. Violet stabs the dragon with a broken shard of her conduit, and Andarna kills him.

Andarna is now a dragon slayer, but the elder dragons do not punish her. Cat takes Violet to a healer, and they start to get along a little better.

Violet wants to know Xaden’s other signet, but he doesn’t want to tell her. He finally says he’s an inntinnsic, which allows him to read a person’s intentions. This kind of signet is usually a death sentence, which is why he hasn’t told anyone.

A horde of wyvern is headed their way, so Violet rushes to fix the wardstone as their new translation indicates. Dragons breathe fire on it, and it works—the wyvern fall from the sky, and the Sage retreats. But the fliers can still use their powers, which means the wardstone isn’t quite right.

Violet, Mira, and others meet with Melgren and General Sorrengail. Melgren, whose signet is to predict the outcome of battles, informs that venin will attack Samara and win. They ask them to fight alongside them, but Brennan says no. His presence is a shock to his mother, General Sorrengail, who thought he was dead. She hands over Lyra’s journal to Violet, saying that its translation will have better results.

Violet finally tells Xaden she loves him. He shares that his mother disappeared when he was younger.

Violet wants to help her mother and the others and tries to talk her brother into it. Later, she realizes that Melgren can’t see that the battle will be at Basgiath because so many marked with rebellion relics are there. Violet tells Xaden that they must fight with them.

How did Iron Flame end? Iron Flame summary spoiler ending:

They go to Basgiath and rush to inspect the wardstone but find the guards dead. Jack Barlowe and his dragon are there. Jack kills his own dragon, and the wardstone breaks in two. Jack is now a venin. Xaden prevents him from drawing energy from the ground, and they knock him out.

A wyvern horde is on its way, and Brennan, along with many other riders and fliers, arrives. Brennan begins trying to restore the wardstone.

Andarna refuses to leave, and Jesinia continues to translate the journals. General Sorrengail uses her signet to make it rain, enhancing Violet’s powers as the wyvern horde arrives.

Violet uses her lightning to fight off the first strike, and the riders target the dark wielders. The battle rages, and Sawyer loses a leg. Tairn says that Brennan has mended the stone, but the ward is still not active.

The venin are trying to capture Violet alive so that they can use her powers. One breaks her conduit, and Andarna eventually leaves her hiding place to attack, breathing fire, which Violet didn’t know she could do.

Jesinia tells Violet that Lyra’s journal says there should be seven dragons to breathe an iron flame on the wardstone, not six. Andarna reveals that she’s a different kind of dragon, not a black dragon. She has waited 650 years for Violet.

Violet begins pouring her power into the stone, nearly burning out. Her mother stops her and then has Sloane siphon her and her dragon’s power into it. General Sorrengail dies, and the wards are restored.

The wyvern fall to the ground, ending the battle.

Xaden is not himself after the fight, so Violet goes to him. She discovers that his eyes are red-rimmed. He is turning to a venin. He was battling and losing to a very powerful venin when the wards came back online, and it’s perhaps indicated that he had to make some choice while in battle, which landed him in this situation. He says she should be scared of him.

In the end, Xaden asks Jack Barlowe how to undo what’s happening to him. Jack says there’s nothing and no cure.

There you go! That’s what happened in Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros. We hope you enjoyed this Iron Flame summary with spoilers.

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