Iron Flame shocked readers when we discovered that Xaden had a second signet: one so dangerous that if anyone found out about it he would be killed. Yet, while Xaden has his because of family history, Violet has two dragons - and it made us wonder if she would manifest a second signet as well. Rebecca Yarros then confirmed that not only would Violet have a second signet - but she already manifested it!
Between doing a deep dive into Iron Flame and discussing it with all of my friends, I have come up with the theory as to what this mysterious second power will be: Signet Amplification.
One of the things that I have noticed Violet and Xaden's powers are opposite of each other. His primary power is represented by darkness, while hers is represented by light. So it only makes sense that their second signets will follow that same pattern. So if Xaden's is internal of reading intentions, then Violet's would be external - by amplifying the signets of those around her.
However, the juxtaposition of light and dark is not the only evidence for my theory. Instead, there are multiple instances in the books where different characters' signets have worked much stronger than expected.
The first example is in Chapter 29, where Rhiannon pulls an incriminating knife out of Violet's jacket through a wall. While we know that her object summoning signet lets her teleport objects to her, she had never been able to do this without being able to see the object. The fact Rhiannon suddenly was able to unlock a stronger version of her power at the exact moment that Violet needed it might have seemed like a coincidence - if it wasn't for the fact we see this as a pattern across the rest of the book.
In Chapter 42, Mira saves her siblings by using her signet to shield them. Normally, this wouldn't be that extraordinary - except for the fact that Mira's shielding is drawn directly from the magical wards that protect Navarre. With them being so far away from them, her signet is typically rendered useless because she can't draw on that power. She almost burns out, but she manages to create a shield around her, Brennan, and Violet - effectively saving them all.
The last instance we see of someone's powers working better than expected comes in Chapter 59 when Ridoc creates an ice wall strong enough to block dragon fire. Now, I find this piece of evidence the weakest for a couple of reasons. We don't actually know if Ridoc had ever attempted to do this before, leaving it up to interpretation as to whether he was trying it for the first time or not. Second, even though the ice wall manages to protect everyone, it still completely melts and Ridoc's hands are burned and bloodied in the process. In the previous example, we do see that Mira does not handle her advanced shielding well. So without knowing whether or not this is something that Ridoc has regularly trained for, it's hard to say if this is a solid example. But even then, the amount of power that he used without burning out is incredibly impressive.
Every single instance that someone's signet works better than expected, not only is Violet there - but it is a life or death situation. If Violet is currently unaware of what her signet is, it would make sense that this skill would only be hinted at during these scenes of intense peril. It could just be an adrenaline response at the moment, but as she gains more control of both her lightning and her mysterious second power, I am sure that we will solve this mystery in book three!
The first two books of The Empyrean series Fourth Wing and Iron Flame are out now, with the third book, Onyx Storm coming out on January 21, 2025. Onyx Storm is available for preorder now.