Chapter 18: Chapter 13 – The Bloodwing Library and New Alliances

⚠️ Spoiler Warning: This guide contains detailed spoilers for the entire novel. Proceed only if you've finished reading or are comfortable knowing the plot.

Summary

Medra enters the vast Bloodwing Library and immediately feels overwhelmed by its size and the enchanted ceiling showing scenes of Sangratha. She plans to research ways to exorcise a soul from her head or else work on her dragon essay. While walking down the main aisle, she encounters Jia Shen, Florence’s mother, who is pushing a trolley of books while reading. Suddenly, Visha, Quinn, and Theo Drakharrow enter loudly. Visha and Quinn deliberately knock books off the trolley, while Theo sheepishly helps pick them up. Medra introduces herself to Jia and helps gather the damaged books. Jia reveals that the Drakharrow students target her because she is blightborn, and she warns Medra about the dangers of questioning highblood power.

Medra confesses that Florence’s friendship with her may be causing the harassment, but Jia refuses to tell Florence who to befriend. Medra then asks Jia for research materials on curses, spells, and soul magic. Jia connects soul magic to blood magic and necromancy, noting that bloodmancy is a Drakharrow specialty and necromancy belongs to House Mortis. She offers to find books for Medra. Medra later sits alone with a stack of volumes including Blood Magic Unveiled and The Necromancer’s Codex, but finds nothing about permanently removing a soul from a body without harm. Orcades, Medra’s mother’s soul, chimes in, arguing that their bond was forged by love, not necromancy.

Theo approaches Medra to apologize for his role in Regan’s pranks and invites her to a nightly beach party. Medra refuses, pointing out that he keeps bad company. Blake Drakharrow and Regan walk by; Blake smirks at Medra, and Regan glares. Later, Blake startles Medra by slamming his hands on her table. He mocks her dragon book, but when Medra demands to know why she was brought to this world, he admits that the ancient dragons were more brutal than the highbloods. Medra decides to learn everything she can about dragons, feeling that such creatures could bring balance.

Key Events

Medra explores the Bloodwing Library and meets Jia Shen.
Visha and Quinn vandalize Jia’s book trolley; Theo half-heartedly helps clean up.
Medra and Jia discuss blightborn discrimination and Florence’s friendship.
Jia agrees to help Medra research soul magic and necromancy.
Medra reads from several books but finds no safe method to remove a soul.
Orcades explains that their bond was created by love, not dark magic.
Theo apologizes for his past behavior and invites Medra to a party; she declines.
Blake and Regan parade through the library; Blake later taunts Medra about dragons.
Blake reveals that the old dragons were even more brutal than the highbloods.
Medra resolves to study dragon history, seeing dragons as a potential balancing force.

Character Development

Medra Pendragon
Medra shows growing assertiveness. She helps Jia pick up the scattered books and stands up to Theo’s apology without accepting it fully. Her distrust of the Drakharrows deepens, and she begins to see the library as a place of study and possible refuge. Her need to understand soul magic becomes more urgent as she confronts the fragility of her own life.

Jia Shen
Florence’s mother is kind, knowledgeable, and cautious. She has learned to endure highblood harassment without open rebellion, but she admires Medra’s bravery. Jia’s refusal to control Florence’s friendships shows her quiet strength and respect for her daughter’s autonomy.

Theo Drakharrow
Theo attempts to bridge the gap with Medra by apologizing and extending a social invitation. He seems torn between loyalty to his peers and a genuine liking for Medra. His sheepishness during the book incident suggests he is not fully comfortable with Visha and Quinn’s cruelty.

Blake Drakharrow
Blake continues to be arrogant and provocative. His conversation with Medra suggests a flicker of awareness about the brutal history of dragons, but he remains dismissive of her concerns. He treats Medra as a plaything rather than a person.

Orcades
Medra’s mother’s soul offers commentary and a maternal perspective. She insists their connection is rooted in love, not necromancy, and gently challenges Medra’s fears about dying.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

Power and Prejudice: The library scene highlights the systematic harassment of blightborn staff by highblood students. Jia’s acceptance of her treatment underscores a society where inequality is normalized.
The Library as Sanctuary and Battlefield: The Bloodwing Library is both a place of knowledge and a site where social conflicts play out. Medra’s research there becomes a tactical move to gain power over her own fate.
Mother–Daughter Bonds: Orcades’s presence and Jia’s protective stance toward Florence both explore different dimensions of maternal love. Medra’s connection to her mother’s soul is simultaneously a source of strength and a threat.
Dragons as Symbols of Balance and Antiquity: Blake’s admission that dragons were more brutal than highbloods suggests that the lost creatures once held power that could check the current aristocracy. Medra’s fascination with dragons hints at a possible path toward restoring equilibrium.

Why This Chapter Matters

Chapter 13 deepens Medra’s understanding of Bloodwing’s social hierarchy and her own precarious position. It establishes a new ally in Jia Shen, a source of library knowledge who is sympathetic to Medra’s plight. The research on soul magic creates narrative tension around Medra’s secret bond with Orcades, while Theo’s invitation and Blake’s encounter raise the stakes for Medra’s social navigation. Finally, the revelation about dragons opens a thematic thread about lost power and the possibility of change, setting up future quests for knowledge.

Study Questions and Answers

Why does Medra initially avoid telling Jia the full truth about her research?
Medra fears horrifying Jia by revealing that her mother’s soul is trapped inside her. She phrases her request as a broad inquiry about curses and soul magic, hoping to find solutions without exposing her secret.
What does Jia’s refusal to control Florence’s friendships reveal about her character?
Jia values her daughter’s independence and refuses to let fear of the highbloods dictate Florence’s choices. It shows her quiet defiance and belief that people must learn from consequences.
How does Blake’s remark about dragons change Medra’s perspective?
Blake admits the ancient dragons were even more brutal than the highbloods. Medra reinterprets this as evidence that dragons could have provided balance and power to challenge the current elite, prompting her to study them seriously.