Chapter 7 portrays Violet’s intelligence when we see her plan for the upcoming challenges. She is outside of Basgiath, searching for poisonous berries to use against her future opponents. She has been gathering poisonous flora for the past nine nights to prepare. She makes it apparent that she knows the area by heart. She has spent a lot of time near this river and climbing these trees.
As she’s climbing an oak tree to gather some fonilee berries, she hears some commotion below. She looks to find Xaden and Imogen talking, but can’t hear what they’re saying over the sound of the rushing river. A few minutes pass, and more people show up–about two-dozen. Violet realizes they are all rebellion children. At Basgiath, it is against the code of conduct for rebellion children to gather in groups larger than three. This is to prevent them from gathering and forming another rebellion. Violet ponders telling Dain about this, but realizes it could cause these students to be executed.
Violet adjusts her position in the tree to eavesdrop on their meeting. New characters are introduced: Garrick and Bodhi. The purpose of the meeting is soon clear. Xaden is providing advice to the younger rebellion children, advising them to follow orders and lay low. He’s checking in on their sparring abilities with the upcoming challenges. One of the younger ones exclaimed that he was scared and wanted to go home. Xaden told him that he would probably die if he didn’t want to be courageous, and Bodhi checks him for his straightforwardness. Xaden explains that he doesn’t want to sugar coat things, since Basgiath and the war are violent, unforgiving obstacles that they must get through in order to graduate. Violet, hearing this, begins to rescind her resolution to tell Dain about the meeting. She sees the innocence in the meeting, and feels bad that the rebellion children are forced to conscribe for the actions of their parents.
One of the men in the group asks Xaden when they’ll be able to kill Violet to get vengeance for the things her mom did against their families. Garrick explains that Violet shouldn’t be responsible for the actions of her parents, just like they shouldn’t be. Xaden tells the meeting that he is responsible for handling Violet. Violet, still up in the tree, wonders what Xaden means by “handling” her. The meeting disassembles, and Violet is left alone, not daring to move a muscle until she knows they’ve all left.
As she climbs down the tree to head back to campus, a hand grabs her from behind, covering her mouth so she can’t scream. Xaden mocks her strength, to which Violet responds by throwing daggers against a tree on either side of his head. Xaden explains to Violet that he is a shadow wielder; a very rare and precious signet. He uses his shadows to grab the daggers out of the tree. He asks Violet if she has intentions of telling anyone about the meeting she witnessed. She replies truthfully. She believes there weren’t any ill intentions behind the meeting and isn’t going to tell anyone. With some heavy flirting, Xaden lets her go back to the dorms. She can’t believe that he let her go, and wonders what kind of death he has in store for her.
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