This chapter introduces plenty of new characters, including new professors. Violet is faced with her past and what could have been after her interaction with Professor Markham. This shows her reader even more that she is set in her decision to pursue success in the Riders Quadrant.
The battle brief with Professor Devera is suspicious, because the professors are leading the cadets to some sort of conclusion that they won’t answer because it breaks confidentiality. It seems to leave everyone on edge and confused. The wards, the only protection Navarre has against the gryphons and their riders are faulty. Without the wards the entire kingdom would crumble. The fact that the cadets and riders are forced to remain unaware of why the wards are falling is totally unjust. Obviously there’s an underlying tone of corruption and secrets that lie within the higher ranking officials. Among the conflicts between characters, this wider scope conflict is going to become an essential part of the plot.
This must beg the question: How much does Violet’s mom know? If Violet’s mom is a general, would she know the impending danger associated with the faltering wards? And then, why would she send Violet into the mouth of the beast? We know that her mom doesn’t have much regard for her wellbeing, considering she had the option of making the weather nice as Violet crossed the parapet on Conscription Day, yet chose not to. As the puzzle pieces of this conflict play out, it will be interesting to see the intricacies of the wards and how much involvement Violet has in this part of the plot. The tension is building already.
Battle Brief is where we also see Violet’s intelligence in real time. Violet asks the right questions while trying to remain inconspicuous amongst the other students. Overwhelmingly, Violet and Xaden ask all the questions that lead to the highly classified information. It seems like Xaden is her only intellectual competition, which makes them more in common than she’d like to admit. This is the one time we see Xaden in a positive light, alluding to the fact that he might become a morally diverse character.
Sparring is where we see the true feelings (outside of Xaden) that the children of the rebellion have for the Navarrian military and their children. The rebel children see Violet as an enemy, because they believe that Violet’s mom was responsible for the death of their families. When Violet is forced to spar against Imogen, she is almost killed and severely injured. Violet seems to be neutral in these politics. It seems as if she doesn’t know the entire story, or at least one side of it, and plays neutral. She even garnishes sympathy for them, since she knows that they have suffered extreme loss. Despite this, the rebel children seem to have it out for her. Violet combats this resentment with confidence and determination. We see this when she refuses to yield to Imogen, letting her shoulder be torn from its socket in order to maintain her dignity.
Also, during sparring we see the true sadistic nature of Jack. Killing cadets outside of your squad is allowed at sparring, but it’s in poor taste. We also see Rhiannon and Violet bond further. Rhiannon seems to want to help Violet out with various things, proving that she’s become more than just an ally. The promise they make to help each other out solidifies that they will have to spend more time with each other.
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