Fourth Wing’s New Release Changes Everything We Knew About Dragons

Published Oct 20, 2026, 10:00 AM EDT

Once head of Screen Rant's Star Wars coverage, Tom's career began as a fan of the fantasy and sci-fi genres, and his love of major franchises has ultimately led to a decade-long career. He'd had the privilege of interviewing writers, authors, directors, actors, stunt coordinators, and VFX artists on a staggering number of his favorite franchises, including Star Wars, the MCU, Stranger Things, Halo, Foundation, and more. He's conducted set visits in the UK, attending major comic cons in New York and London, and reported at Star Wars Celebration 2023 as press. You can find him on Twitter @TomABacon, on LinkedIn @tabacon, or on Muckrack under tombacon.

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Rebecca Yarros' new Fourth Wing book, Threshing Day, reveals we knew a lot less about dragons than we thought. One of the richest fantasy worlds of recent years, Navarre is a land protected by dragon riders — men and women who train to prove themselves worthy of a dragon bond. The main story is told from the perspective of the main heroes Xaden and Violet, but Threshing Day is a collection of short stories showing how other riders gained their dragons. And it's a surprisingly important addition to the overall narrative, too, setting up a lot of major potential twists for future books in the Empyrean Saga.

Yarros has been working hard to further develop her fantasy world, with mixed results; over on Goodreads, the scores have been notably dropping with each book. Threshing Day finally accomplishes this, because the different perspectives offer new insights both into the politics of Navarre and the dragons of Fourth Wing themselves; there are even tantalizing hints about the council of dragons, known as the Empyrean, changing everything we thought we knew. The dragons keep their secrets from humans, but we get a much clearer picture now we've seen through so many different windows.

Threshing Day is available to purchase now through this link

The Dragons Of Fourth Wing Have Their Own Politics & Agendas

Dragons are governed by a council known as the Empyrean, and Fourth Wing revealed the dragons sometimes debate and disagree. Threshing Day takes this to a whole new extreme, though, by revealing some dragons have competing agendas. The whole story is told in the shadow of a past (failed) uprising in Navarre, one that led to the deaths of many dragons and riders. It seems some dragons sympathized with the rebels, while others would potentially seek revenge against those former rebels who go through the Threshing Day.

This is the biggest change Threshing Day makes to Fourth Wing's portrayal of dragons; it treats them as a civilization composed of individuals with their own agendas. Most striking of all, the powerful Blue Clubtail named Molvic explicitly chooses Prince Aaric, a man who swears to burn down the entire Navarrian royal family. "You must know: I intend to tear this kingdom apart," Aaric warns the dragon. "I accept your terms, Aaric Graycastle," Molvic agrees.

Dragons Know Who They're Going To Choose Before Threshing Day

Threshing Day is supposed to be the moment when a dragon chooses its rider. It's true the dragons watch a "presentation" of hopeful riders before Threshing Day, but the actual decision has always been presented as almost spontaneous (and it certainly was in Violet's case). But Threshing Day changes everything, because it reveals a group of dragons have explicitly chosen the rebels long before that fateful day. This is not when the choice is made; rather, it is when it is confirmed.

The most interesting is the experience of Sawyer Henrick and his dragon, Sliseag. This is actually Sawyer's second Threshing Day, because he was apparently rejected by the dragons the previous year; but Sliseag reveals this was simply because he was not emotionally ready to bond yet. The clear implication is that Sliseag had chosen Sawyer a year ago, and — crucially — every other dragon had known it, and chosen not to attempt a bond with Sawyer out of respect. This is unlike anything we've seen in Fourth Wing before.

Threshing Day raises a huge question about dragon bonds: to what extent are they a matter of conscious choice, and to what extent is the dragon simply acknowledging (and embracing) a bond that already exists? The anthology deliberately doesn't answer this question; none of the characters have a wide enough perspective to even notice it. But it really does feel as though the mystical dragon bonds may well be there from birth, and are confirmed on Threshing Day rather than simply chosen.

Dragons Can Pass On Their Power Before First Flight

In Fourth Wing, a dragon-bonded person gains access to spectacular powers (known as a "signet"). Until Threshing Day, we'd believed the signet could only manifest after a rider's first flight; but Imogen Cardulo is shown channeling the dragon Glane's power before they've even met. Again, it's a subtle hint that the dragon bond doesn't necessarily follow the "rules" we thought it does; Imogen's experience is too unconventional, suggesting the truth is very different.

Dragons Appear To Be Cultivating More Powerful Riders

Dragons are strictly forbidden from bonding with someone in the direct bloodline of a previous rider, because this will lead to the development of multiple, more powerful signets. We already knew Xaden had bent the rules, albeit by accident, because his grandmother had never told him who his real father was. But, intriguingly, the dragons are going to great lengths to break this rule themselves.

Some dragons conceal their ages to fool human record-keepers. The most interesting, again, was Imogen's dragon Glane; this was actually her grandmother's dragon, and she'd essentially created a false identity to ensure the bond could be created. In fact, Threshing Day offers enough familial bonds to suggest the dragons are making a deliberate effort to cultivate more powerful riders. Navarre is threatened by powerful enemies known as the Venin, so this may be a strategic choice.

Threshing Day serves a very valuable role in Yarros' Empyrean Saga, broadening the world and its themes. Many of the changes are subtle and implicit, making them far more exciting; the dragons remain a mystery, because we're simply given fresh windows into their nature, rather than receiving an infodump on them. Every dragon's relationship with a rider is unique, revealing something we've never seen before, and readers are now privy to secrets and clues that no single rider possesses. It's a smart twist, a perfect way of emphasizing the mystery of Fourth Wing and its dragons.

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