Apologies if someone already brought this up & I missed it.

In anticipation of Onyx Storm, I have been rereading Iron Flame (for the 4th time😂) like everyone else, and I had an idea...

Remember Vi's private archive where she sees colourful power that represents her bonds to her dragons, and importantly, their magic? She draws on those cords/power when she weilds, right? Like how she described taking a small thread from the cord with Andarna to try rune magic. Well, right alongside her dragons is another energy bond; with Xaden...

I highly suspect that they can directly draw energy/magic from one another.

I went back to Fourth Wing to find out exactly how Rebecca introduced the concept of them being bonded;

On page 759, she says:"I put one mental foot in my Archives and feel power ripple through my veins. Bright orange, crackling energy streams in from the door behind me, and there’s a golden light that shines from the window I created just for Andarna. I take a deep breath and turn slowly. And there, swirling along the edge of the roofline, is a shadow of sparkling night. Xaden."

On page 879: "I sense the golden energy from Andarna, the blazing power from Tairn that connects me to Sgaeyl, and finally, the shimmering shadows of Xaden. I open my eyes, tracing the ebb and flow of that shimmering shadow, and I know he’s somewhere in front of me."

These passages seem to suggest that Xaden's power is on the same plane of access as that of her dragons. Arguably, she could draw and weild from him or Sgael. Better yet, she might need to pour power into him to keep him alive when he returns the energy he sucked from the earth to become Venin.

To backtrack a second, there's also this conversation earlier: “Sorry, I’m not used to Tairn butting into my thoughts.” Dain responds: “It’s a good sign. Means your bond is strengthening."

It took Xaden a while to talk to her. Their connection might be maturing a step behind that of hers with her dragons because he has less power. Moreover, their communication matures in Iron Flame to the point of sensing and tracking each other at distances, just like Tairn & Sgael do. There's also the matter of Them seeing each other's experiences in the battle with the venin at the end of Iron Flame.

I actually think that they've been spilling into each other's minds all through Iron Flame without realising. Consider this; the Saturday when they argue mentally in front of Vi's squad is actually quite key. When they start to argue Vi says this: "I can practically feel him counting to ten in his head for patience." Reading what the other is thinking without them saying it directly is what she has with her dragons.

In fact, as things heat up, this happens: "The tension in his eyes, his posture, his tone equals mine." Why the emphasis on their emotions matching & not just that they were angry? We know how she literally saw herself through his eyes during the throne scene, and how that plays out in the last battle...

I think that their magical bond is maturing, and should be able to conduct actual power if they try. I think it has implications for her quest to heal him. Lastly, I think there are a few possibilities with both their signets if they can access power from both dragons and each other.