Onyx Storm spoilers guide: Who dies, signet reveals & ending
Welcome to your ultimate Onyx Storm spoilers guide! If you can’t resist the urge to dig into the secrets, twists, and turns of Rebecca Yarros’ third book of The Empyrean series, you’ve come to the right place.
This article is packed with everything you need to know about your frequently questions that arose following the events of Fourth Wing & Iron Flame.
Consider this your final warning for Onyx Storm spoilers. If you haven’t read the book yet and want to savour the surprises firsthand, bookmark this page and feel free to come back later.
Be sure to check out the entire list of Onyx Storm characters, dragons, signets and spicy chapters here.
Onyx Storm spoilers & FAQs.
Let’s get straight to the moments that left us raising an eyebrow, gasping, crying, or throwing the book across the room:
What is Violet’s second signet?
In Chapter 50, Andarna confirms that Violet’s second signet is a dream-walker. Yep, she can stroll right into your dreams like it’s no big deal… except it is a big deal. Dream-walking is a type of intrinsic magic, dangerous because no one’s throwing up shields while they’re snoozing.
Furthermore, if anyone finds out about this second signet, Violet’s got a death sentence hanging over her. Oh, and she can also meddle with dreams, which opens up a whole can of intriguing and probably terrifying, possibilities.
What is Aaric’s signet?
Aaric’s signet is confirmed to be precognition in Onyx Storm.
Who else’s signet manifests in Onyx Storm?
Avalynn’s signet manifests as fire wielding
Baylor’s signet manifests as farsight
Lynx’s signet manifests s shadow wielding
All Onyx Storm second signet reveals:
Onyx Storm reveals that some marked ones have two signets! We already know Imogen’s first signet lets her wipe recent memories, but does she have a second signet up her sleeve? Check out the Fourth Wing guide to dragons and first signets here.
Here are all the second signet reveals in Onyx Storm, plus the ones we already knew about (Xaden’s).
| Name | First Signet | Second Signet |
|---|---|---|
| Garrick Tavis | Air wielding | Distance wielding |
| Imogen Cardulo | Mind-erasing | Rock or earth-wielding |
| Liam Mairi (retrospective reveal) | Far sight | Ice-wielding |
| Violet Sorrengail | Lightning wielding | Dream-walking |
| Xaden Riorson | Shadow wielding | Inntinnsic: Read people's intentions |
Who is Halden in Onyx Storm?
Prince Halden Tauri, King Tauri's eldest son and Aaric Graycastle's (aka Cam Tauri’s) big brother, is first in line for the Navarrian throne. Halden also happens to be one of Violet Sorrengail's ex-boyfriends.
Who is Berwyn in Onyx Storm?
Berwyn is a formidable venin—a Sage, a Maven, and the equivalent of a General—capable of wielding blue fire and throwing it like daggers. He’s responsible for having turned Xaden during Iron Flame's ending. He and Theophanie are powerful and ambitious, vying for the best initiates and greater influence.
What type of dragon is Andarna?
Andarna belongs to a rare seventh breed of dragon called Irids, once thought to be a myth. Turns out, they’re very real and living their best lives on a hidden archipelago to the south, with hundreds of them in existence.
Specifically, Andarna is confirmed to be an Irid Scorpiontail. The “Irid” comes from iridescent, a nod to their ability to shift colours. Additionally, they can also go completely invisible and camouflage themselves.
What are the characteristics of Irid dragons?
Irids, the rare breed of seventh dragon possess these characteristics:
Camouflaging themselves
Changing to any colour
Turning invisible
Capable of bending magic to their will
Want nothing to do with humans or other dragon breeds
Prefer to live in peace and harmony away from battlefields
Who dies in Onyx Storm?
The question on everyone’s lips: Does Mira die in Onyx Storm? Does Xaden die in Onyx Storm? What about Ridoc? And, for the love of dragons, please tell me Tairn and Andarna make it out alive. Well, buckle up, folks, because here’s your official Onyx Storm death toll and Mira, Xaden, Tairn and Andarna are not on it. 🎉 Keep reading to learn each person’s method of death.
Professor Grady
Accidentally set on fire by Aura Beinhaven during a trial mission to find the seventh dragon breed.
Aura Beinhaven
A wyvern skewers her through the spine. While there’s a slim chance she might return as a venin, for now, she’s looking pretty permanently dead.
Captain Anna Winshire
Anna meets her end off-page, and in a truly deranged power move, King Courtlyn serves up her severed head on a platter and feeds it to his panthers. Bon appétit, I guess?
Trager & his gryphon, Sila
Takes an arrow to the chest mid-deadly game on the island of Zehyllna. And to further the tragedy, his gryphon Sila also follows suit, because gryphons die with their riders.
Queen Maraya
Queen Maraya dies while Violet’s team is away, and Suniva falls to the venin. Viscount Tecarus steps into the throne with the shift of power.
Theophanie
Theophanie is killed by Violet with Aaric’s help, using a shard from Dunne’s temple .
Quinn Hollis
Quinn is fatally stabbed by a venin while trying to protect innocents. Her death hits extra hard, not just because of the loss, but because of the deep bond she shared with Imogen, making it all the more gut-wrenching. This part is told from Imogen’s point of view.
Which riders are missing at the end of Onyx Storm?
There are five riders missing at the end of Onyx Storm and we know for sure that two of them are Xaden Riorson and Garrick Tavis.
What happens at the end of Onyx Storm?
Mira.
Theophanie, a dark wielder kidnaps Mira to lure Violet into a trap setting the stage for Onyx Storm’s epic end battle. While Mira gets her throat cut, she does not die!
Quinn.
Quinn dies in chapter sixty three, when a venin’s blade gets lodged between her ribs in the vicinity of her heart. Sadly, there’s no saving her.
Xaden.
Iron Flame left us hanging with Xaden’s decision to channel raw magic from the source to save Violet, knowing it would turn him venin, with the fallout being him caught in a spiral he can’t undo.
In Onyx Storm, Violet is desperate to find a cure, anything to stop Xaden’s descent into darkness from venin initiate to “asim”, which means fully-fledged venin. Meanwhile, Xaden clings to what’s left of his humanity, but when the final battle seems lost, he gives in to save Sgaeyl, channeling energy from the source. “In my final act of resistance, I become the very thing I despise. Maybe it’s good that I can’t feel a single damned thing,” he thinks before unleashing an “onyx storm” that changes everything.
Violet.
Onyx Storm wraps up with a shocking twist: 12 hours after the epic battle, Violet returns to Riorson House with no memory of what’s happened.
Where’s Xaden? Violet doesn’t recall seeing him, but one glance at her wedding ring, and the confirmation from Dunne that she’s now legally bound to him, tells a different story: Xaden and Violet are married.
Brennan hands her a note from Xaden: “Don’t look for me. It’s yours now.” With Xaden succumbing to the darkness, it’s clear he can’t stay with Violet any longer. He’s leaving her—and Tyrrendor—with all the weight that comes with it.
Andarna, ever the protective dragon, declares she “won’t let them burn her,” and soon, it’s clear why: multiple people and dragons have been killed, eggs have been stolen, and Xaden’s name is on everyone’s lips as the prime suspect.
What did Violet ask Imogen to do?
At the end of Onyx Storm, Violet asks Imogen what she's done, and Imogen tells her, "What you asked me to."
That means that Violet asked Imogen to use her powerful mind-erasing signet to wipe Violet’s memories… now the question is why.
Other important notes.
The traitor at Basgiath is Commandant Panchek.
Garrick is amongst the riders who are missing.
Andarna comes back after leaving Violet.
Berwyn has turned somebody who is close to Xaden into a venin. Logic suggests Garrick or Bodhi, although some speculate it could be Dain Aetos.
And now we wait. When’s Book Four?
