With Hearts of Flame by Briar Boleyn

Here is a summary nwith spoilers for With Hearts of Flame by Briar Boleyn

Bloodwing Academy and the surrounding city have suffered enormous damage, the plague has not been completely stopped, and Blake Drakharrow is missing. His body has been taken over by Vorago, an ancient red Inferni dragon who has gained control through a corrupted bonding ritual. Medra Pendragon is left trying to find a way to save Blake while also dealing with the collapse of the structures that have governed Bloodwing.

At the first council meeting following the attack, the survivors argue over who should take control of the academy. Medra nominates Professor Rodriguez for headmaster, believing that his appointment would be particularly frustrating to the highblood establishment. Rodriguez, along with Sankara, Visha, Theo Drakharrow, and Healer Elycia, becomes involved in the effort to stabilize the school and find a way to separate Blake from Vorago. During this period, Medra also reveals more about her origins. She is half-fae and originally came from Aercanum, a different realm from Sangratha. Her mother, Orcades Le Fay, the former Queen of Camelot, begins communicating with her through dreams. Orcades warns Medra that Viktor Drakharrow and his allies are working to destroy the Veil along the northern border, threatening the connection between the two worlds.

Meanwhile, Florence Shen's relationship with her dragon, Nyxaris, changes significantly. Nyxaris, an ancient black Duskdrake, has developed the ability to take human form. His relationship with Florence grows from the bond between rider and dragon into something romantic, although his past weighs heavily on him. He previously lost a rider he was unable to save, making his growing attachment to Florence particularly difficult. Their relationship develops while the other survivors attempt to understand what happened at Veilmar and how to prevent another attack.

Professor Rodriguez later gives Medra an ancient manuscript containing the Prophecy of the Pure Maiden. The prophecy describes a marked maiden whose choice will determine whether the Veil survives or collapses. The prophecy has been protected for generations by the Emberwatch, an order connected to the history of the Veil. At this stage, it is unclear who the maiden is or what the prophecy will require. Medra becomes increasingly concerned that her fae heritage and connection to Aercanum may make her the person described.

Medra and the others eventually devise a plan to separate Blake from Vorago. The plan involves using Florence and Nyxaris to draw the Inferni dragon into an aerial confrontation, allowing the others to attack him with crossbow bolts coated in emberfern. During the fight, Vorago is injured but manages to fight back. Visha is wounded, and Florence is knocked from the battle into the sea. Viktor's forces capture Florence before she can escape. Despite the complications, Medra manages to reach Blake. She uses an enchanted dagger to enter his mindscape, where she encounters the fractured parts of his soul. Neville, her magical fluffin companion, helps by singing a healing melody that brings Blake's broken soul back together. Medra then drinks Blake's blood directly from his neck, completing a permanent soulmate bond between them and severing Vorago's control over him. Blake is finally himself again.

The two return to Bloodwing, where the political situation has become increasingly unstable. The old highblood families are attempting to regain control, while the blightborn students and their allies want to dismantle the system that has oppressed them. Elaria Avari arrives and attempts to restore the traditional highblood hierarchy. Her grandson Kage refuses to support her. Instead, he publicly establishes a soul-bonded relationship with Lysander Orphos and Regan Pansera, creating a triad that challenges the expectations of the highblood families. Regan's involvement is particularly significant because she previously used her position and family status to mistreat blightborn students. She is now attempting to use her influence to protect the people she once helped oppress.

Regan's storyline also explores her history with her family and the abuse she experienced under Viktor Drakharrow. She is no longer simply the cruel highblood girl from the earlier books. After becoming a prisoner of Viktor's forces, she is forced to confront the person she used to be and the beliefs she was raised with. Flashbacks to her childhood show her teaching her younger brother the same ideas about highblood superiority that were instilled in her. Her experiences begin to change her understanding of power, family loyalty, and responsibility. Her relationship with Kage and Lysander develops as she becomes more willing to accept love and support rather than relying on the authority she once used against others.

A separate threat develops around the Bonewood, where Viktor's forces are conducting experiments involving blood, dragons, and captives. Florence is eventually imprisoned in Viktor's dungeons and forcibly soul-bound to him. She is not the only captive. Children are also being held, and Viktor intends to use their blood and magical connections to further his plans. One of the prisoners is Lunaya, a highblood student connected to the corrupted dragon Molindra. Lunaya has also been subjected to Viktor's control, but she begins making plans to free the others. She manages to get her brother Persis away from Viktor and helps release the captive children. Rather than allow Viktor to use her and Molindra as weapons, Lunaya sacrifices herself, ending both her own life and Molindra's. Her decision prevents Viktor from gaining the power he wanted from them.

At the same time, a dwarven delegation from Thrazdummar arrives with information about the Veil. Their ancestors helped bind four ancient stone dragons to reinforce the Veil more than a century earlier. The dwarves explain that the old protections are now in danger, and the situation is made worse by House Mortis, which has captured a dwarven lord in order to obtain his blood. The blood is needed for the magic surrounding the ancient vaults and their protections. Recovering what is hidden underground becomes essential because Viktor's allies must not be allowed to claim it.

Medra joins a multi-species expedition into the underground dwarven territory. The group includes Blake, Visha, Rodriguez, Sankara, Magda Stonefist, Zaira Bloodshield, Kazmyn, Neville, and Hawl, a massive Bearkin warrior sent from Aercanum by Medra's aunt and uncle. Hawl is particularly important to Medra because he comes from her original world and represents another connection to the family she left behind. The group travels through enormous underground caverns containing ancient wards, traps, and cathedral-like chambers. Their objective is to reach the inner vault and recover a clutch of dragon eggs before House Mortis can get to them.

While the expedition is underground, Nyxaris, Lysander, Kage, and Regan work to rescue Florence and confront Viktor at his estate. The estate becomes the site of a major confrontation, with Nyxaris fighting Viktor's red Inferni dragon in the air while the others attack on the ground. Regan eventually confronts Viktor directly. Having suffered his abuse and control, she refuses to let him continue ruling through fear. She stabs Viktor to death, ending his personal reign of terror. The attack also destroys much of the estate, which is left burning.

Inside the dwarven vault, Medra's expedition is ambushed by House Mortis. The confrontation becomes particularly dangerous when Silvio Santos is involved in the attack. Blake kills Silvio, taking revenge for the cruelty he has inflicted. Professor Alastor Vane, who is working with the enemy as a blood magician, then casts a lethal blood-magic curse at Medra. Hawl steps between them and takes the full force of the spell, dying to save her. His death devastates Medra, particularly because he was sent from Aercanum to help her and represented a connection to her life before Sangratha.

Hawl's death triggers something previously dormant in Medra. Her grief and anger awaken her fae fire magic, and she unleashes an enormous amount of power against the remaining attackers, destroying them. The confrontation also exposes the danger of Zaira Bloodshield, who attempts to force a fatal ritual rather than allow the group to proceed on its own terms. Visha intervenes and kills Zaira. Kazmyn, who is Zaira's half-dwarven brother, uses his sister's blood on the runic panel to unlock the inner vault. Medra then uses dragon fire against the ancient doors, allowing the group to reach the chamber and secure the unhatched dragon eggs before House Mortis can claim them.

As the different battles conclude, the damage to the Veil becomes increasingly severe. The prophecy that Rodriguez showed Medra finally takes on a different meaning. Everyone had been trying to determine whether Medra or Lunaya was the Pure Maiden described in the Prophecy of the Pure Maiden. However, neither of them is the person the prophecy identifies. The marked maiden is actually Regan Pansera. Her bloodline is significant because it carries the blood of all Four Great Houses, making her the person capable of fulfilling the prophecy.

The Veil cannot be repaired without a blood sacrifice. Regan realizes that she is the person who must make that sacrifice and willingly gives her life to restore the Veil and prevent Sangratha and Aercanum from collapsing into darkness. Her death is particularly significant because she began the series as someone who believed that her highblood status made her superior to others. By the end, she chooses to use the power of her bloodline to save everyone, including the people she once mistreated. Her sacrifice prevents the destruction of both worlds.

One year later, Bloodwing Academy has been rebuilt under a completely different system. Sankara is headmistress, with Professor Rodriguez helping lead the school. Highblood and blightborn students now attend classes together, and the old practices of forced feeding and thrall-bindings have been abolished. The academy is no longer operating under the same hierarchy that allowed the highblood families to control and abuse everyone else. The changes are also intended to honor the people who died fighting for a different future.

At the Graduation Ball, Blake establishes the Regan Pansera Award, an annual scholarship recognizing promising highblood and blightborn women. It is named in Regan's memory and recognizes the sacrifice she made to save the realms. Medra and Blake later travel to the Somnaria Institute in the Sable Isles, where they reunite with Florence and Nyxaris. Florence is pregnant, and Nyxaris has taken on a teaching position at the institute, where he teaches dragon history and anatomy. Persis is also there and is able to enjoy a childhood away from Viktor's control. He spends time with the newly hatched dragons, including a red hatchling named Molly.

Kazmyn and Florence eventually activate the ancient green runic archways, creating a permanent gateway between Sangratha and Aercanum. The opening of the gateways makes travel between the two realms possible again and allows the survivors to reconnect with the world Medra originally came from. Medra and Blake decide to remain at the institute until Florence gives birth, spending time with their friends.