On Wings of Blood Summary, Characters and Themes
On Wings of Blood by Briar Boleyn is a dark fantasy novel that merges gothic politics, forbidden magic, and the struggle for power within a vampire-dominated world. The story follows Medra Pendragon, a warrior who awakens in a strange realm ruled by vampires after dying in her own world.
Bound by blood to a ruthless prince, she must navigate a kingdom where mortals are enslaved, ancient dragons are myth, and rebellion brews beneath the surface. As she uncovers secrets about her origins and her power, Medra becomes the key to a world’s salvation—or its destruction.
Summary
Medra Pendragon awakens in a new world, gasping beneath the bodies of the dead on a bloody battlefield. She remembers dying while slaying a god in her world but finds herself resurrected among strangers.
A feral man named Barnabas attacks her, but before he can strike, a crossbow bolt from Prince Drakharrow kills him. The prince, aloof and commanding, takes Medra prisoner and leads her to Sangratha—the heart of a vampire empire.
There, she learns vampires, called the highbloods, rule with eternal power and view mortals as thralls. Her pointed ears and red hair mark her as unusual, arousing suspicion and fascination.
At court, Medra faces Lord Drakharrow, the ruling patriarch, who questions her identity. The nobles speculate about her being a descendant of dragon riders—extinct heroes from a bygone age.
Some urge her destruction, others her preservation, citing her as a divine omen. To secure her survival, Medra claims her bloodline can restore dragons, forcing Lord Drakharrow to spare her.
She is declared the “Second Betrothed Consort” of Prince Blake Drakharrow, bound by blood in a public ritual that seals their lives together. The bond is both magical and symbolic, chaining her to a man who sees her as property yet cannot ignore her defiance.
Blake escorts Medra to Bloodwing Academy, an elite institution where vampires and select mortals train to serve the ruling houses—Drakharrow, Avari, Orphos, and Mortis. He mocks her status and origins, revealing that the academy once trained dragon riders, though dragons are long gone.
Medra vows to survive despite his cruelty. She befriends Florence Shen, a kind mortal student, and learns that blightborn mortals can ascend in Sangratha only through servitude.
Florence’s empathy steadies her, while Regan Pansera, Blake’s first betrothed, pretends friendship but hides malice.
At Bloodwing, Medra witnesses how vampires justify their dominance through myths of salvation. In her first class, Professor Amina Hassan glorifies vampire history, describing mortals as saved and sustained by vampire blood.
Medra challenges the narrative but realizes how deeply fear and propaganda sustain their empire. Florence introduces her to Naveen Sharma, a dwarven student whose humor offers respite amid the cruelty.
Yet danger lurks—vampire students toy with mortals as entertainment, and resistance is punished severely.
Blake’s perspective reveals his internal turmoil. Though he despises Medra’s defiance, he is drawn to her strength.
During a public duel, his ally Coregon Phiri betrays him, accusing him of weakness for protecting Medra. Blake kills Coregon in front of the academy, an act that earns both respect and suspicion.
His uncle Viktor, head of House Drakharrow, beats him for the disgrace, exposing the family’s brutal hierarchy. Viktor orders Blake to control Medra and use her as a weapon, believing she carries ancient dragon blood.
Beneath his arrogance, Blake begins to question his uncle’s rule and the bloodbound system that sustains it.
Medra’s world darkens as she discovers her mother’s spirit, Orcades, lives within her—a remnant of the god-slaying past. When Blake confronts her using thrallweave, a form of psychic domination, she fights back with her mother’s power.
Their mental battle exposes Blake’s grief, guilt, and conflicted feelings toward her. She sees memories of his sister Aenia, imprisoned by Viktor, and realizes Blake is not purely her enemy.
The psychic link between them blurs the line between hatred and connection.
Desperate for freedom, Medra attempts a ritual to sever her mother’s spirit using Blake’s blood. The spell backfires, trapping Orcades in a dagger and causing a magical tremor through the castle.
While investigating, Medra discovers hidden tunnels beneath Bloodwing leading to ancient dragon catacombs. She wanders into Veilmar’s lower city, where mortals sell their blood to survive.
There, she confronts the brutal truth: vampires sustain their empire through suffering and fear. Rumors of blood-drained corpses suggest something monstrous prowls outside the noble order.
Tragedy soon follows. During the Games, a brutal academy trial, Medra’s ally Naveen dies saving Florence.
Grieving, Medra faces a disciplinary hearing with Headmaster Kim, Viktor, and other nobles. Regan tries to frame her for deceit, but Blake defends her, citing his right to protect his consort.
In a bold move, he dissolves his betrothal with Regan, ending an alliance between their houses. The act enrages Viktor, who warns that Blake’s power rests on his obedience.
Afterward, Blake admits to Medra that he broke countless rules to save her, and their simmering tension erupts into passion.
Selection Day arrives, sorting students into their permanent houses. Medra joins House Drakharrow; Florence is sent to Avari, separating them.
That night, Blake summons Medra to the Dragon Court. The encounter turns violent when he bites her without consent, revealing that their shared blood makes them bound—he can now only feed from her.
When she resists, he orders her to stay, and her body obeys the bond’s pull. His hunger becomes uncontrollable, drinking until she weakens.
Their confrontation exposes both attraction and betrayal—love warped by domination.
Suddenly, the ground quakes. The statue of a dragon shatters, revealing Nyxaris, the Duskdrake of House Avari—an ancient dragon reborn.
He speaks telepathically, recognizing Medra as the one whose ritual restored him. Grateful but proud, he refuses servitude, warning her that survival in Sangratha requires cunning.
With a final roar, he flies toward Veilmar, declaring his return to the skies. The awakening of Nyxaris breaks the illusion of vampire supremacy and signals the return of powers long thought dead.
As dust settles over Bloodwing, Medra and Blake stand amid ruin and revelation. She bleeds from his bite, he from the quake’s wreckage—both bound by fate and fear.
The rise of a dragon marks the beginning of upheaval, where ancient bloodlines, forbidden love, and rebellion converge. In this moment, Medra realizes her destiny is far greater than survival; she may be the last hope to unite mortals, vampires, and dragons before Sangratha devours itself in war.
Characters
Medra Pendragon
Medra Pendragon stands as the fierce, defiant heart of On Wings of Blood. Introduced as a woman resurrected from death after destroying a corrupt god, she enters a brutal world ruled by vampires and immediately embodies resilience and rebellion.
From the moment she awakens among corpses, Medra’s determination defines her. She is neither meek nor submissive; even when chained and dragged to Sangratha, she questions authority and refuses to cower.
Her fiery red hair and pointed ears become emblems of her defiance—marks that separate her from mortals and symbolize an ancient lineage connected to dragons. Medra’s identity evolves as she learns the truth about this new realm’s oppressive hierarchy.
Though initially helpless, she soon manipulates her situation, claiming her heritage as a dragon rider to secure her survival. Her sharp intelligence and capacity for strategic deception turn her into a formidable figure among immortals who see her only as prey.
Beneath her strength, however, lies deep vulnerability—grief for her lost world, confusion over her own powers, and a growing internal conflict over her forced bond with Blake Drakharrow. Through her eyes, readers witness the hypocrisy of Sangratha’s vampire society, and her journey becomes one of reclaiming agency and rewriting destiny in a realm built on dominance and blood.
Blake Drakharrow
Prince Blake Drakharrow, heir to House Drakharrow, represents the dark allure and torment of vampiric nobility. When first introduced, he is cold, arrogant, and cruelly amused by Medra’s defiance.
His initial portrayal as a tyrannical captor masks a deeper, fractured core—a man forged under the brutal rule of his uncle Viktor and burdened by the weight of expectation. Blake’s relationship with Medra becomes the central axis of transformation for both characters.
His fascination with her defiance and humanity evolves into a volatile mixture of obsession, desire, and reluctant respect. Despite his sadistic tendencies, glimpses of vulnerability emerge, especially in his guilt over violence, his buried tenderness toward his sister Aenia, and his growing rebellion against Viktor’s control.
Blake’s moral ambiguity defines him; he oscillates between protector and predator, struggling against his bloodlust and the vampiric codes that dehumanize mortals. His eventual decision to lie to Viktor to shield Medra reveals the depth of his internal conflict—he is both victim and enforcer of his world’s corruption.
In Blake, Briar Boleyn crafts a tragic antihero torn between power and love, cruelty and compassion, destined to either save or destroy the woman bound to him.
Viktor Drakharrow
Lord Viktor Drakharrow personifies the decaying heart of Sangratha’s aristocracy. As the manipulative patriarch of House Drakharrow, his influence radiates through fear and control.
He is a master of cruelty masked by regal poise, using psychological and physical domination to maintain his authority. Viktor’s relationship with Blake reveals his toxic obsession with power and legacy—he sees his nephew as both pawn and rival, envying the unique bond Blake shares with Medra.
His fascination with Medra’s bloodline stems not from reverence but from a desire to weaponize it, to harness her potential as a dragon rider for his own supremacy. Through Viktor, the novel exposes the rot at the core of vampiric nobility: ambition devoid of morality, tradition wielded as tyranny.
He embodies the dangers of immortality without empathy, serving as both the antagonist to Blake’s emotional awakening and the ideological force Medra must ultimately resist.
Regan Pansera
Regan Pansera begins as Medra’s antagonist—a proud, jealous noblewoman and Blake’s original betrothed. Initially portrayed as vain and venomous, her hostility toward Medra stems from wounded pride and political displacement.
Yet, Briar Boleyn complicates Regan beyond a simple rival archetype. When she later adopts a veneer of civility, calling Medra “sister,” it becomes clear that her enmity is as much survival instinct as malice.
Raised in a society where power defines worth, Regan’s cruelty reflects adaptation to a ruthless world. Her eventual downfall during the disciplinary inquiry exposes both her ambition and vulnerability.
Through Regan, the novel critiques the vampire aristocracy’s treatment of women as instruments of alliance and legacy. Though she embodies bitterness and deceit, there remains a tragic dignity in her desperation to hold on to status in a world where affection is political currency.
Florence Shen
Florence Shen provides a rare note of compassion in the harsh world of On Wings of Blood. A mortal scholar and Medra’s first genuine friend, Florence bridges the gap between the oppressed blightborn and their vampiric masters.
Her intelligence, kindness, and quiet resilience contrast sharply with the violence surrounding her. Florence helps Medra navigate Bloodwing Academy, offering insight into the society’s cruel hierarchies while maintaining her integrity.
Her friendship humanizes Medra, reminding her—and the reader—of the goodness still possible within darkness. Florence’s grief over Naveen’s death and her displacement to House Avari mark her transition from innocence to awareness.
She becomes a symbol of moral endurance, a fragile yet steadfast voice of conscience amidst blood and ambition.
Coregon Phiri
Coregon Phiri represents the volatile dynamics of loyalty and betrayal among vampires. Initially one of Blake’s trusted allies, he embodies the militant pride of House Drakharrow.
His sudden betrayal during the House Leader ceremony reveals the deep fractures within the vampire elite. Driven by resentment and suspicion of weakness, Coregon’s attack exposes the paranoia that defines Sangratha’s ruling class.
His death at Blake’s hands becomes a pivotal moment of transformation, forcing both Blake and Medra to confront the brutal consequences of their world’s hunger for dominance. Coregon’s brief but powerful role underscores the destructive cycle of violence that binds even the most powerful.
Kage Tanaka
Kage Tanaka of House Avari serves as both warning and guide. Mysterious, perceptive, and politically astute, he moves through the shadows of Sangratha’s politics with quiet authority.
His warning to Medra about the Drakharrows reveals his awareness of the coming upheaval and positions him as a potential ally—or manipulator—in the power struggles ahead. Kage’s calm demeanor masks a sharp intellect and moral pragmatism; he recognizes that change is inevitable but dangerous.
His role, though secondary, adds depth to the intricate web of alliances and rivalries shaping the world around Medra and Blake.
Nyxaris, the Duskdrake
Nyxaris, the awakened dragon of House Avari, redefines the mythic scope of the narrative. Ancient, majestic, and sentient, he is both creature and god, embodying the forgotten era of dragon riders and the raw, uncontrollable power of the natural world.
His emergence from beneath the shattered statue symbolizes the rebirth of truths long buried beneath vampire domination. Nyxaris’s brief interaction with Medra—mocking her attempts to bind him yet sparing her life—signals a shifting balance between mortals, vampires, and the divine.
As a symbol, he represents freedom unshackled by hierarchy and prophecy, the primal force that challenges the artificial order of Sangratha. His awakening marks the novel’s transition from political intrigue to mythic revolution, setting the stage for the next reckoning in Medra’s journey.
Themes
Power and Oppression
The world of On Wings of Blood is dominated by an unrelenting hierarchy built upon blood, control, and servitude. The vampire elite—referred to as the highbloods—rule over mortals with absolute authority, using divine myths to justify their supremacy.
Power in Sangratha is not merely political; it is physical and spiritual, flowing through the act of feeding and the mystical exchange of blood. This structure defines every relationship, whether between rulers and subjects or between individuals like Medra and Blake.
The blood bond becomes a metaphor for coercion disguised as sanctity, turning intimacy into subjugation. Medra’s existence in this world underscores how systems of power manipulate language and belief to maintain dominance.
The vampires’ claim of having saved mortals from plagues is revealed to be a carefully curated myth to rationalize centuries of exploitation. Through Medra’s defiance, the novel exposes the fragility of this system—her refusal to submit disrupts the illusion of divine order and exposes the parasitic dependence of the oppressors on the oppressed.
Even Blake, a product of privilege, is trapped within the same web, controlled by his uncle Viktor and by the blood rituals that bind him. Power in this story is never pure strength; it is a chain of obedience linking predator and prey.
The emergence of Nyxaris, the freed dragon, finally fractures this hierarchy, symbolizing the collapse of domination built on blood. Yet the aftermath shows that liberation, when born from centuries of control, carries its own forms of destruction and uncertainty.
Identity and Transformation
Medra’s journey throughout On Wings of Blood centers on the struggle to define herself in a world that constantly assigns her meaning. From the moment she awakens in the blood-soaked battlefield, she is treated as an object of curiosity—a relic, a prophecy, a weapon.
The vampires label her “blightborn,” “dragon rider,” and “consort,” all roles designed to strip her of individuality and turn her into a vessel for others’ desires or fears. Her transformation from victim to self-possessed being unfolds not through magical empowerment but through resistance to these imposed identities.
Her dragon heritage and red hair, initially sources of danger, become symbols of an unclaimed truth that belongs to her alone. This theme is echoed in Blake, whose outward cruelty conceals an internal war between inherited identity and moral conflict.
His training as a vampire noble leaves no room for tenderness or self-doubt, yet his connection with Medra forces him to confront both. The novel uses their bond to question whether transformation is possible when the foundations of selfhood are built on control.
When Medra performs the soul-severing ritual, intending to reclaim autonomy from her mother’s possession, it mirrors her broader struggle against every force that has ever tried to define her. By the end, her actions awaken a dragon—a literal manifestation of rebirth and ancestral power—marking her emergence as something beyond the identities imposed upon her.
The theme of transformation thus extends beyond individual change; it becomes an act of rebellion against history itself.
Gender, Autonomy, and Consent
The novel constructs a dark reflection of patriarchal power through the lens of vampiric dominance. Women like Medra and even noble vampires such as Regan Pansera are measured by their utility to male ambition and bloodlines.
Medra’s forced betrothal and blood-binding to Blake illustrate the violence of a world where consent is irrelevant to the structures of ritual and power. The blood bond, though presented as sacred tradition, is a symbolic violation—her body and blood claimed to serve political and divine purpose.
Yet Briar Boleyn refuses to render Medra as a passive victim. Her constant defiance, her decision to manipulate belief in her dragon lineage, and her later confrontation with Blake’s physical transgression show a layered portrait of resistance.
Even moments of desire are marked by unease, as the line between love and domination remains uncertain. Blake’s feeding from her without permission becomes a pivotal act that forces both characters to face the moral rot at the heart of their connection.
Medra’s fury and resilience after the act redefine the narrative of female suffering—her agency is not reclaimed through revenge but through survival and self-knowledge. The awakening of Nyxaris, too, becomes an allegory for autonomy reclaimed.
The dragon’s refusal to be bound echoes Medra’s own refusal to remain a possession, suggesting that true freedom requires breaking both personal and societal chains of ownership and desire.
Corruption of Faith and Myth
Religion and myth operate as mechanisms of control in On Wings of Blood, shaping the consciousness of an entire civilization. The cult of the Bloodmaiden—venerated as the origin of the vampire race—serves as both theology and propaganda, justifying the enslavement of mortals through a narrative of salvation.
Through Professor Hassan’s lesson on Sangratha’s history, the text reveals how faith has been weaponized to erase the truth of oppression. The story of divine sacrifice, once a tale of hope, has decayed into a doctrine of obedience.
The vampires see themselves as gods, but their divinity is built on blood theft and rewritten memory. Medra’s growing skepticism toward these beliefs signals a larger philosophical revolt: the struggle to separate faith from falsehood.
Her eventual discovery of the dragon catacombs beneath Bloodwing uncovers a buried history that predates the vampire order, suggesting that what is sacred has been deliberately hidden or distorted. The resurrection of Nyxaris shatters the sanctity of vampire myth by proving that the old legends of dragon riders were real, not divine lies.
This act collapses the religious foundation of Sangratha and exposes faith as a tool of fear rather than enlightenment. The theme underscores how civilizations manipulate divinity to sustain authority—and how the recovery of forgotten truth can dismantle even the oldest gods.
Love, Violence, and Redemption
Throughout On Wings of Blood, love is inseparable from power and pain. The connection between Medra and Blake oscillates between tenderness and brutality, revealing how deeply violence is entwined with the capacity for affection in a corrupted society.
Blake’s attraction to Medra is born not of purity but of conflict—his desire mirrors his hatred for his own humanity. Each act of closeness between them becomes a test of whether compassion can exist in a system built on domination.
Their evolving relationship forces both to confront the idea that love cannot thrive where one holds power over the other. When Blake defends Medra in court or lies to protect her from execution, glimpses of redemption appear, but they are fleeting and fragile.
His later assault through blood feeding nearly destroys that possibility, reminding the reader that redemption cannot exist without accountability. Medra’s reaction—her refusal to let victimhood define her—becomes the truest form of strength in the story.
Love, in this narrative, is not salvation but confrontation. It exposes the moral decay beneath ritual and hierarchy, and through pain, it carves a space for rebirth.
The awakening of the dragon at the novel’s end transforms their bond from a curse into a revelation: even in a world steeped in blood, the yearning for connection remains the most dangerous and transformative force of all.