Oren Seifert

Oren is tall and blond.

After failing to bond, Oren remains openly hostile and dangerous around Violet. He glares at her with open hatred, and she avoids drawing attention to the fact that she has seen him gripping a dagger in her presence.

Oren views Violet as a liability to First Wing and tells her during their challenge that she will be a hazard to the wing.

During Threshing, Oren allies with Jack Barlowe and Tynan instead of staying loyal to Second Squad or focusing on finding his own dragon. He questions whether they should be hunting the feathertail, warns that they will be in serious trouble if caught, and looks uncertain when Violet argues that killing a dragon violates riders’ beliefs.

Oren’s attack on Violet affects Xaden Riorson’s feelings for her. Xaden later names the sight of Oren with a knife at Violet’s throat, the bruises left on her neck, and the rage that made him kill the attackers as signs that his feelings had already changed.

Andarna remembers Oren’s attack on her as part of the reason Violet became her human, because Violet defended her during the events that led to their bond.

Oren has tolerable knife skills and a powerful punch.

Violet defeats Oren in their first challenge after poisoning his scrambled eggs with powdered fonilee berries before the match. The poison leaves him sluggish, sweating, and vomiting; Professor Emetterio calls the yield when Oren is incapacitated, and Violet claims his dropped dagger.

Oren attacks Violet with Tynan during Threshing after Jack charges. He nearly lands a killing sword blow and is about to behead her when the golden dragon’s snapped jaws terrify him, giving Violet the opening to knock him unconscious; the black dragon then tells Violet she should end the enemy at her feet, but she refuses to kill an unconscious man.

Oren survives the Threshing fight but remains unbonded. After Xaden explains that unbonded riders may try to kill Violet to claim Tairn, Violet sees Oren among the unbonded cadets watching her with avarice.

As an unbonded cadet, Oren works behind the breakfast counter because less desirable duties have been handed to the unbonded. Violet skips his station and chooses fruit he cannot tamper with because she fears he might poison her the way she has poisoned opponents.

Oren leads or joins the nighttime attack on Violet’s room, blocks her exit, and tells the other attackers that her armor is impenetrable. He nearly kills her by crushing her throat and holding a blade to it, and his claim that her dragon is his makes clear that he is trying to kill her in order to claim Tairn.

After Andarna stops time during the attack, Oren survives long enough to face Xaden. He argues that Tairn should never have bonded Violet and that the attackers were correcting a mistake, but Xaden rejects the argument and kills Oren with Violet’s dagger.

Oren’s name appears on the Death Roll the morning after Xaden kills him in Violet’s room, formally confirming his death to the quadrant. Tairn later cites Oren as the example of someone Violet once let live who almost killed her afterward.

Violet measures her later decision to kill Jack against her earlier restraint with Oren. She remembers leaving Oren unconscious at Threshing and not going for his throat even after he invaded her room.