Chapter 24: Elara — 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

The chapter opens with Elara and Signey walking through the open-air market on Margon Island. Signey has invited Elara to celebrate her incendio win, though Elara is distracted by her growing feelings for Signey. She tries to rationalize her attraction as a side effect of their bond, remembering how awkward her breakup with Cherry made their friendship and fearing how much worse that would be with a bond involved.

Signey proposes that her brother Gael might be willing to share information about the commander's plans, since he's family. Elara is skeptical, pointing out that Signey's older brother Jesper deserves the chance to look out for her. Signey counters that Elara is biased as an eldest sibling. During their conversation, Signey buys Elara a bag of cherries, and Elara realizes she doesn't have any Langlish money—a small moment that deepens her appreciation for Signey's thoughtfulness.

Their conversation turns to espionage. Signey mentions that her father, a dracologist, had researched the Soto-Zayas family tree and taught his children about Lindan culture, language, and history. She wishes she'd paid more attention, since Gael's name was probably on it. Elara suggests breaking into the commander's office at the National Hall, but Signey reveals she's already searched it and found nothing of note. She suggests Rosetree Manor, the private residence of Gavriel and Mireya Warwick, as a more likely hiding place for the commander's plans.

Elara then recalls a disturbing memory. During a visit to the laboratory, the commander found her watching a dracologist test how long dragon relics retain their magic. The dracologist explained that dragons are honored in death, their remains crafted into relics. The commander revealed that one of the dragons being studied—Skythrall—had been the mount of Eugenia and Celyn Soto, Signey's mother and sister. He made unsettling remarks about the Soto dynasty's power and told Elara they had more in common than she knew. Elara reinforced her mental walls to keep Signey from seeing the image of her family's dragon on the laboratory table.

The memory is interrupted when a dragon tears through the sky, flame-first and roaring. Signey identifies it as Nizsa, Professor Smithers's dragon, and realizes the professor and his husband Rupert Lewis must be under the Fury's influence. Elara and Signey race to intercept, calling Zephyra to meet them with her saddle.

As Zephyra closes in on Nizsa, Elara observes that the Fury manifests differently in different people. While she, Signey, and Zephyra had been apoplectic with rage, Smithers, Lewis, and Nizsa's fury is seething and methodical—they want to raze and conquer, not just strike.

Elara devises a plan: she'll leap onto Nizsa and try to bring the professor around while Signey and Zephyra keep Nizsa from flying out to sea. Signey protests, worried for Elara's safety, but ultimately gives her the dragon horn hairpiece she's wearing—a relic made from Skythrall, a piece of Signey's mother and sister entrusted to Elara for protection.

Elara leaps from Zephyra onto Nizsa's back, narrowly avoiding the dragon's spiked tail. Lewis turns to attack her with a flame, but Nizsa's sudden movement disrupts him. Elara straps herself in and uses the magic of the dragon horns to put both riders to sleep. The spell works—but it also puts Nizsa to sleep, and the dragon begins plummeting from the sky.

Elara screams, certain she's going to die, her final thoughts racing through everything she'll never see again: her sister, her family, her home, Reeve. But Zephyra catches Nizsa with her talons, carrying the sleeping dragon and its riders to safety. Elara is saved, and she feels the relief of Signey and Zephyra through the bond.

The chapter ends with Elara reflecting on her feelings. Her Firstrider and her dragon—once enemies, once punishments—are now her saviors, her protectors, her friends. She still wants to go home, but she realizes she will miss them, and she doesn't know what to do with that realization.

Key Events

Signey and Elara discuss whether Gael Soto might help them learn about the commander's plans
Signey buys Elara cherries, revealing Elara has no Langlish money
They identify Rosetree Manor as a potential source of information about the commander's schemes
Elara recalls the commander revealing that Skythrall belonged to Signey's family
Nizsa flies overhead with Professor Smithers and Rupert Lewis under the Fury's influence
Elara leaps onto Nizsa and uses the dragon horn relic to put the riders to sleep
Nizsa also falls asleep and plummets; Zephyra catches them
Elara acknowledges her growing bond with Signey and Zephyra

Character Development

Elara continues to struggle with her feelings for Signey, repeatedly telling herself that her attraction must be a result of the bond rather than genuine emotion. Her fear of heartbreak—especially through the bond—keeps her from acting on her feelings. She also demonstrates her courage and willingness to sacrifice herself, leaping onto a Fury-controlled dragon without hesitation. Her near-death experience forces her to confront what she values most: her family, her home, and, increasingly, Signey and Zephyra.

Signey shows a more vulnerable side in this chapter. She wishes her father were alive to help with the family history, and she reveals the depth of her family's legacy—the Soto dynasty, the dragon relics, the loss of her mother and sister. Her decision to give Elara the dragon horn hairpiece is a significant act of trust, entrusting Elara with a piece of her family's heritage.

The bond between Elara, Signey, and Zephyra deepens considerably. They work together seamlessly in the rescue attempt, communicating through the bond and trusting each other's judgment. The chapter's closing reflection—that they were once enemies and punishments but are now friends—marks a significant shift in their relationship.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

Trust and teamwork: The rescue of Smithers and Lewis requires all three—Elara, Signey, and Zephyra—to work in concert. Signey's trust in Elara is demonstrated by the gift of the hairpiece, and Elara's trust in Signey and Zephyra is demonstrated by her willingness to leap from Zephyra's back.

Family legacy and honoring the dead: The dracologist's explanation of dragon relics frames them as acts of veneration. The commander's revelation about Skythrall connects the relics to Signey's family specifically, and Signey's gift of the hairpiece carries that legacy forward.

The bond vs. infatuation: Elara's internal debate about whether her feelings for Signey are genuine or a product of the bond remains unresolved, adding tension to their relationship.

Sacrifice: Elara risks her life to save Smithers and Lewis, and Signey risks her family's relic by giving it to Elara.

Why This Chapter Matters

This chapter deepens the emotional stakes of the story. Elara's near-death experience forces her to confront her feelings for Signey and Zephyra, transforming them from allies into friends. The revelation about Skythrall and the Soto family legacy adds weight to Signey's character and to the dragon relics that appear throughout the story. The chapter also advances the espionage plot, with Rosetree Manor identified as a potential source of information about the commander's plans. Finally, the rescue sequence demonstrates the growing power of the bond between Elara, Signey, and Zephyra, setting up their partnership for the challenges ahead.

Study Questions and Answers

1. Why does Elara refuse to act on her feelings for Signey?

Elara believes her attraction to Signey must be a result of the bond rather than genuine emotion. She remembers how awkward her breakup with Cherry made their friendship, and she fears that a failed relationship with Signey would be far worse because they share a bond and would feel each other's heartbreak.

2. What does the dragon horn hairpiece symbolize in this chapter?

The hairpiece is a relic made from Skythrall, the dragon ridden by Signey's mother and sister, who died in the war. By giving it to Elara, Signey entrusts her with a piece of her family's legacy and heritage, demonstrating both her trust in Elara and the deepening of their bond.

3. How does Elara's perception of Signey and Zephyra change by the end of the chapter?

At the chapter's start, Elara still thinks of them primarily as her co-Rider and dragon—people she's bound to by circumstance. After Zephyra saves her life and she feels their shared relief through the bond, she recognizes them as her saviors, protectors, and friends. She realizes she will miss them when she eventually returns home, a realization she doesn't yet know how to process.