On Wings of Blood Chapter 38: Chapter 33 Summary and Analysis

⚠️ 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 follows Blake Drakharrow through a tunnel beneath The Wandering Page after he feeds from a sellblood at The Drained Rose. When she confronts him, he accuses her of watching and enjoying the act. Their argument escalates as Medra denounces highbloods as monsters, prompting Blake to kiss her forcefully before leaving her stunned. She returns to the Dragon Court and recounts the night to Florence, focusing on the fluffin named Neville who keeps returning to Blake. Medra hides the details of the kiss. She and Florence laugh over Neville and discuss Blake’s choice to use a willing sellblood rather than a thrall. Medra shares her confusion about Blake—neither fully evil nor good. She plans to return Professor Rodriguez’s stolen book with Florence’s help and contemplates Coregon’s dagger and Orcades. Wintermark term begins tomorrow; Medra dreams of snow and dragons.

Key Events

Medra follows Blake into the tunnel beneath The Wandering Page and confronts him about The Drained Rose.
Blake accuses Medra of watching him feed and enjoying it; he offers to feed from her, but she refuses.
Medra challenges Blake about highblood violence against blightborn, prompting a furious response.
Blake kisses Medra; she kisses back despite her shame, then he pulls away and stalks off.
Medra returns to Florence and tells her about the fluffin Neville, which Blake had named.
They laugh over the absurdity of a highblood owning a fluffin.
Florence suggests that Blake’s use of a willing sellblood might be a positive sign.
Medra reveals her plan to return Professor Rodriguez’s book with Florence’s help the next day.
She thinks about Coregon’s dagger, Orcades, and the upcoming Wintermark term, holidays, and a ball.
Medra dreams of snow and dragons.

Character Development

Medra: Grapples with her conflicting feelings toward Blake—gratitude for saving her, yet disgust with his possessiveness. Her physical reaction to the kiss shames her, revealing a growing internal conflict between her prejudices and her desires.
Blake Drakharrow: Shows vulnerability by naming and caring for the fluffin Neville, yet remains controlling and manipulative. His anger at being compared to the murderous highblood suggests a deeper desire to be seen as different from others of his kind.
Florence: Provides a grounding perspective, interpreting Blake’s choice to feed from a willing sellblood as a sign of restraint rather than cruelty. Her role as Medra’s confidante deepens.
Neville the fluffin: Serves as an unlikely bridge between Blake and Medra, revealing a softer side of Blake and providing comic relief.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

Blood and Consent: Blake feeding from a willing sellblood instead of a thrall raises questions about power and agency. The kiss is a non‑consensual act that Medra later admits to enjoying, complicating notions of consent.
Possession vs. Independence: Blake repeatedly calls Medra “mine,” a word she rejects. The struggle over ownership mirrors broader tensions between highbloods and blightborn.
Fluffins as Innocence: Neville’s presence contrasts with the violent, predatory world of highbloods. Blake’s attachment to the fluffin hints at a buried humanity.
Secrecy and Surveillance: Medra watches Blake, hides the stolen book, and keeps the kiss from Florence. The chapter emphasizes hidden knowledge and the masks characters wear.

Why This Chapter Matters

Chapter 33 marks a turning point in the Medra–Blake relationship. The kiss forces Medra to confront her physical attraction to someone she considers a monster, blurring her moral clarity. Simultaneously, the revelation about Blake’s care for Neville and his use of a sellblood instead of a thrall complicates the narrative of highblood savagery. The planned return of Rodriguez’s book and the beginning of Wintermark term set up coming plot threads: the consequences of Medra’s theft, school festivities, and the ongoing threat from the highblood who attacked her. The chapter deepens the central romantic tension while advancing the world‑building and thematic exploration of power, consent, and redemption.

Study Questions and Answers

1. Why does Medra follow Blake to The Drained Rose, and what does she learn about him there?
Medra follows Blake because she is suspicious of his secretive nighttime movements. At The Drained Rose, she witnesses him feeding from a willing sellblood instead of using House Drakharrow’s own thralls. This contradicts her assumption that all highbloods are predatory and reveals a deliberate choice Blake makes to avoid taking blood by force.

2. How does the kiss between Medra and Blake change the power dynamic between them?
The kiss is initiated by Blake as a display of dominance, but Medra’s response—kissing him back despite hating herself for it—shows that her attraction undermines her resistance. Afterward, Blake seems confused, and Medra feels humiliated. The encounter introduces a physical and emotional bond that complicates her determination to remain independent.

3. What does Florence’s interpretation of Blake’s actions add to the reader’s understanding of his character?
Florence suggests that Blake’s choice to feed from a willing sellblood indicates a degree of restraint and respect for consent, which Medra had not considered. Florence also views Blake’s attachment to Neville as evidence of a softer side. Her perspective encourages the reader to see Blake as morally complex rather than purely villainous, and it deepens Medra’s internal conflict.