𝗙𝗢𝗢𝗟𝗜𝗦𝗛 𝗛𝗘𝗔𝗥𝗧  ♱  ─────
011. Girls Night Classified.
word count:  3600

❝ The most worrisome sight for any instructor is most definitely when powers backfire. We lost nine cadets my first year to signets that could not be controlled from their first manifestation. Pity. ❞
— Major Afrenda's Guide to the Riders Quadrant
(Unauthorized Edition)

DECEMBER TURNS TO January.

Ground. Shield. Imagine closing your door. Build your wall. Sense who and what has access around you. Trace the bond to your dragon. Block those bonds as far as you can.

Visualize.

Imagine a knot of power — not too intricate; no one's ready for that yet — in front of you, then untangle it. Unlock the door.

Visualize.

Keep one foot firmly grounded at all times. You're useless unless you're connected to your power, and you're dangerous if you can't contain it. There is only the in-between that makes you a great rider. Envision your power like a hand, gripping that pencil and bringing it toward you. Pick it up. No. Not like that. Try again. No, again.

VISUALIZE.

Jodi can hardly feel her bones by the time she wins her first challenge, earning a dagger from a guy in Second Wing. But the most exhausting assignment is spending endless hours in the her mind, the comfort of the waterfalls of Aretia. She hadn't realized her mother had been training her in shielding since she was a girl, and the grounding she had to summon to focus in on her surroundings.

She wondered how her mother even knew to do that.

By the end of the second week in January, Jodi had put so much pressure on herself that even Garrick avoided her. She still didn't know her signet, but she was mastering the smaller magic with an ease her squadmates were jealous of.

It canceled out once everyone started manifesting.

Ridoc can wield ice, which is a more common signet, but it's
impressive to see. Sawyer's metallurgy powers grow every day.
Liam can see a single tree miles away. Jodi felt like a party trick, finding comfort that Violet expressed the same concern.

By the third week in January, Jodi earns yet another dagger in a challenge against a girl in Third Wing.

And now during the fourth week, she's still heaving from her win over a girl from First Wing, adding the dagger to her sheath as she settles beside Violet.

She was thankful they didn't have flight lessons that morning, meaning she could save all of her energy for challenges. Kaida had expressed it was simply too cold for flying, and was grateful it added to some sort of break for Jodi.

Her stomach flips at the sight of the eighty-one surviving first years, the number suddenly making her nauseous.

"Mat seventeen, Jack Barlowe from First Wing versus..." Emetterio's eyebrows rise, and he takes a deep breath. "Violet Sorrengail."

Jodi blanches as she looks at Liam, who closes his eyes as the blood drains from his face. They'd been informed that morning, both of them promising not to tell Xaden. Jodi was close to mentioning it to Garrick, but she knew Violet would've never forgiven her. "No fucking way," Ridoc mutters from beside Jodi, shaking his head.

"Finally!" Jack throws his hands in the air like he's already won. "Let's do this."

Violet rolls her shoulders and heads for the mat. "Tell me I can break the promise," Liam begs.

"The third-years are off doing third-year things," she tells him as her toes touch the mat. "You can't get him here in time, but I know what it means to you to keep your word. Especially with him. Go ahead."

He looks from Violet to Ridoc and Jodi. "Guard her like you're me."

"You mean like I'm six inches taller and built like a bull?" Ridoc gives him a thumbs-up. "Sure. I'll do my best. In the meantime, you'd better run."

Liam's gaze finds Violet's. "Stay alive."

"Working on it, and not just for my sake." She gives him a smile. "Thanks for being a great shadow."

"Xaden's going to kill us." Jodi groans. His eyes widen a split second before he sprints out of the gym.

"Barlowe and Sorrengail," Emetterio calls from the opposite side of the mat. "Weapons?"

Jack bounces like a kid who's just been given a gift. "Anything she can hold in those puny hands of hers."

She steps onto the mat, and Jack does the same, walking forward until they're at the center, facing each other.

"No wielding," Emetterio reminds us. "Tap out or knockout earns you a victory."

Pretty sure everyone gathered around this mat knows that Jack isn't going for either of those options. Jodi prays that his hands don't find her neck.

"That whole I-die-Xaden-dies thing is really just a hypothesis, right?" She asks, unsheathing the daggers in her boots.

"One I'd rather not put to the test," Jodi swallows.

She stands, gripping the handles of her daggers, as Jack faces her with a single knife. "You're kidding, right? Only one?"

"I only need one." He grins with sickening excitement.

"Keep it clean," Emetterio warns. "Go."

Jodi's heart leaps into her throat as they begin to circle each other. Jack lunges, striking out with his knife, and Violet slices her dagger across the back of his hand, drawing first blood.

"Shit!" He jumps back, his cheeks blotching. He dances forward and then kicks out, aiming for my midsection, and Violet stumbles back, narrowly avoiding the blow. "Bet you wish you could throw that blade, don't you?" he taunts.

"Bet you wish you didn't know what it feels like to dig out one of my knives, don't you?" She retorts. His lips press into a thin line before he comes at her in a series of punches and swipes with his dagger. Violet begins ducking and diving while getting in another cut, this one along his forearm.

"Damn it!" he rages, twisting to follow as she comes around his back. He catches her off guard, locking onto her arm and flipping her over his back to the mat.

Jodi turns slightly, closing her eyes as she looks at Ridoc. His eyes are glued with concern, connecting with Jodi only for a moment. Where the hell is Liam?

Jack thrusts his knife straight at her chest, but it's deflected by her vest, skimming along her ribs to lodge in the mat.

"He's using death blows!" Ridoc shouts. "That's not allowed!"

"Pull it back, Barlowe!" Emetterio bellows.

She throws her weight into a roll, freeing herself from his grip when he gets tangled in her legs. Then she kicks him straight in the balls. He hits his knees as she gains her feet, clutching himself as his mouth opens in a silent scream.

"Tap out," she orders, picking up the dagger she dropped. "I can cut you open at any second. Both you and I know if this were real life, you'd be done."

"If this were real life, I would have killed you the second you stepped onto the mat," he seethes through gritted teeth.

"Tap. Out."

"Fuck off!" He throws his dagger. She throws up her hands to block, but it lodges in her left forearm.

"No throwing!" Emetterio shouts from the sidelines, but Jack is already moving, barreling toward her with a series of kicks and punches that she isn't not ready for. His fist slams into her cheek, and Jodi can hear the skin split.

He rams his knee into her stomach, but she stays on her feet until his hands clasp her face. She screams as the color is drained from her face, Jodi places a hand on Ridoc's arm. She suddenly goes cold, her heart slowing at the sight of Violet.

Something was wrong.

"He's using his powers!" Ridoc roars as Violet shoves a hand against his mouth. Jodi barely registers that he's tapped out as she and Ridoc rush to Violet.

"Breathe, Sorrengail. Just breathe." Ridoc says, Jodi feels her pulse beneath her fingers weakening, scanning for Liam.

"What the hell is wrong with him?" someone asks as Jack writhes.

"Oranges," she whispers as she falls into Ridoc. "He's
allergic to oranges."

⋆✴︎˚｡⋆

The next day, during what should've been during flight hours, their squad exits the sparring gym. They took advantage of the sudden free time thanks to the cold. Imogen was still nursing a broken finger from her match the day before, Jodi teased her endlessly despite her win.

Garrick was a few feet behind her, talking to Xaden. His eyes glued to her frame as they make their way toward the courtyard.

Jodi had been ill tempered all morning, her bones aching and her adrenaline at an all time high. She could feel every blood cell in her body going through her veins. She felt claustrophobic.

She swallowed hard as she kept her gaze on her shoes.

"What's up with you?" Imogen asks, eying the girl's twitching figure.

"Nothing." She voices, closing her eyes tight. Her head had never hurt so bad, her vision cloudy. Maybe it was just a headache. Too much blood settling up there, the pressure agonizing. She questioned the sudden fever, her cheeks warming at the mention.

She'd felt it the night before when Garrick was in her room, but she just assumed it was from seeing him again.

"You can't say that anymore," Imogen responds, taking a step closer. "You either say what's going on now or we go back in there and spar until you do. Given your circumstances, I don't think it'll take long."

Jodi sways slightly as she opens her eyes, her gaze settling on Garrick. It was just a stress headache. The stress of hiding whatever it was between them, despite everyone knowing there was something. The stress of not manifesting, the stress of challenges. It was just getting to be too much.

He'd spent the night in her room mostly out of concern. She'd been just as bad the day before, the constant pressure she was putting on herself worrying him. Kaida had told Chradh, who was too much of a gossip to keep it from Garrick.

She had begged Kaida to find a hobby that didn't concern gossiping about 'puny human hardships' as she'd called them.

"You must sit down." Kaida demands.

Jodi's eyes closed again, her body swaying. Her heart is beating in her ears. She can't hear anything, but she feels everything. She feels Garrick and Xaden tense behind her, she can hear Violet's feet trudging along the concrete. She could hear every conversation in the courtyard, who slept with who and who passed their test.

She can hear Imogen's breathing catch, she can feel her shift beside her.

     "What's going on?"

     "Something you were not prepared for."

"Joanna?" Imogen says a little too loud, and incredibly too shaky for a Cardulo. Their squad's attention turns to Jodi, who's stopped in her tracks. Her eyes snap open as she turns, grabbing Imogen's wrist as her hand hovers above her shoulder.

Imogen's pulse quickens beneath her fingers, her eyes widening, Jodi's following suit.

     "What's going on?" Xaden asks. Jodi releases Imogen, her muscles becoming tense. Her body felt as if it was on fire. Liam appears beside him, Violet close behind. She could still feel Imogen's pulse as she looked at her, her own quickening as she started twitching again.

She grabbed at her chest, she couldn't breathe. Her lungs felt as if all of the oxygen had been sucked out. She winces as she holds her head, "Something's wrong." She mutters.

     "What do I—" Imogen falters as she catches her.

     "I can't... breathe—" her mouth snaps shut, her vision clouding. She feels another arm pull her up, not having to look to know it's Garrick. The feel of him all too familiar.

     "What happened?" He asks.

     "I don't know— she was complaining about a headache at formation, it's just gotten worse since... her skin is on fire." She stammers.

     "We have to get her to Carr." Xaden says to Garrick. "Aetos, take Cardulo and the rest of the squad to their classes." Imogen starts to protest, but huffs as she follows Dain. She keeps her gaze on the three of them until they're out of sight.

The two men lift her by her arms as they make their way to the emptying classroom, Professor Carr's eyes close as he sees her.

      "How long has the headache lasted, Cadet Harrigan?" He asks as the door closes behind the three of them.

     "This— since this morning." She stammers, leaning against the seat Garrick places her in.

     "Chradh says Kaida confirms it started yesterday morning." Garrick's eyebrows rise as Jodi struggles to throw a glare. "And the fever began last night during training."

     "Gossiping again, are we?"

     "The boy insists on updates, your Gods know you won't tell him." She huffs.

     "Why would I when I have you?" She tries to laugh but she's overwhelmed by nausea, doubling over as she holds her head. "What's happening to me?" She pleads.

     "You are manifesting." Carr says, turning on his heel to face the two men. "You two can go, I will explain to Devera the reasoning behind your absence."

They hesitate, but nod as they exit the room. Jodi hears the lock slide into place, and her ears overwhelmed by the sounds of him moving. "Am I dying?" She asks, sitting up again. He was still across the room.

     "No. You have a powerful signet, from what I've gathered over the last few days. One we believed was a lost magic."

Jodi took deep breaths as he senses calmed, her eyes glued to him as he leans against his desk. Lost magic? "Have you always been in control of your senses?"

She paused. "My mom taught me about grounding when I was younger, and gathering my surroundings was just for survival."

"Interesting. You seem to have more control over your impulses than your year mates. A few of them not as skilled at overcoming the burnout you've just experienced." Burnout?

Garrick and Xaden had explained that to Liam and Jodi on their first night when warning them about their signets— you can burn out from using it too much, but Jodi didn't even know she'd been using it. Her heart settled in her chest, the air returning to her lungs in larger waves. "What do you mean?"

"You can sense when people are coming from behind you, yes?" She nods. "You can track their movements, and you know their next steps in sparring. It's why you haven't lost one yet."

She opened her mouth to respond, but he lifted a hand. "You have what we call Blood Manipulation. As I said, it is a lost magic— unheard of for over a century. The need for control you've always felt in your life, your drive for answers. You can control people's impulses as well as your own by controlling their actions. You can sense them coming by their basic human need for survival."

Her eyes widened. Blood Magic. Her grandmother used to speak of stories from when she was a girl, it was more of a myth she'd grown to never question.

"You have had the ability long before bonding. It's just heightened now that you have Kaida powering your relic."

"How do you know?" She whispered, looking at her hands as they lay in her lap. Had she manifested without even knowing it? Had she controlled someone already?

"I have read everything written on all types of signets and magics. Your own is one that has intrigued me since I was a boy. Your mother used to do research with me, we grew up in the same village before she married your father, and I assumed she forgot about all of our research. She wrote to me shortly before her death, asking if I would keep an eye on you. She sensed the end was near, and knew where things were headed."

"You are a powerful girl, Cadet Harrigan." Woman, she corrected. "It is a classified signet, not quite an inntinsic, so you do not have to be turned in or killed. But it is one we cannot go speaking of freely. I will help you shape it, if you will let me."

She looked back at her hands, turning them slightly. Classified. Blood Manipulation. She'd not heard those words since she was a child.

Her gaze jumped to his, and she sends a short nod. "Okay."

She had questions, and he seemed to have the answers she needed.

⋆✴︎˚｡⋆

The next day, she'd been excused from her classes before lunch and she found herself on the top of a mountain with Professors Carr and Emetterio. She knew from Xaden classified signets were only classified to everyone except leadership, but she'd hoped she wouldn't be viewed differently by the professors she'd grown to admire.

She'd earned the same patch Aetos had. It sat next to her Gauntlet patch, her heart aching as she realized she hadn't seen her friends since yesterday.

She'd gone back to her room late, afraid to see anyone. She avoided the knocks, and vanished as soon as formation had been over. She even skipped breakfast to find Carr early.

She settled against Kaida's leg, her mind reeling. She was still convinced Carr would snap her neck if she made the wrong move, the thought causing Kaida to snarl. "He will make no such move."

"Did you know?"

"I suspected— but signets are for the rider to discover on their own when they are ready. Your own was too powerful, and you hadn't suspected the fable's tale to be true when it first happened."

She questioned when the first time it had happened was, her pulse jumping at the thought of when she had been with Garrick after the attack on Violet. She knew he was by her side while she had been trying to catch her breath, she could feel his heartbeat retreat down the hall past the closed door despite hoping he'd been there when she opened it again.

She had felt his heartbeat beneath her own hands, willing him to make the first move. Had he truly wanted it— or was it all in her head? She could only hoped he hadn't been forced. She had some explaining to do.

"You do not need to fear me." Carr states, pulling his sleeves up his forearms. "I will not rescind my statement on keeping it classified, you are safe here. Only the professors and leadership know, and they are sworn to secrecy."

"We are only here to help you after graduation, Cadet Harrigan." Emetterio says, removing his own jacket. "We are meant to be preparing you for your future."

She took one step ahead of Kaida, taking off her flight jacket. Her short sleeved tunic exposing the winding black relic on her left arm, his quick gaze skimming over the scars was not easy to ignore. "What are we doing out here?"

"We are going to shape your signet, get you used to it. Emetterio and I are going to hide in the woods, and you're meant to find us, and defend yourself. We are not your professors out here. We are the enemy."

Her eyes widened. "I can't—"

"Think of it as hand-to-hand. No weapons if it makes you more comfortable." Emetterio says, a quick but comforting smile on his lips.

She nodded.

She moved to the edge of the cliff, and was instructed to count to three hundred and lower her shields when she was finished. The wind bit at her exposed arms, but she'd become warm enough to ward it off as she tried to track them down.

After a few minutes, she'd found Emetterio, defeating him in a quick match — understanding that she could tell his next move and using it to her advantage — before finding Carr.

It had been three hours of them on the mountain. Her arms were sore, a few bruises forming on her legs and arms from the fighting. But she felt almost free. She placed her flight jacket back on as she and Kaida made it to the flight field, her heart sinking at the sight of her squadmates finishing their own flight lesson, and noticing her approaching.

She took a breath as she dismounted. "Classified. That means no gossiping," she warned. Kaida huffed at being told what to do, but she obeyed.

Violet and Rhiannon approached slowly, sending her small smiles to which she returned. "How are you feeling?" Violet asked. "We missed you after formation."

"I'm okay." She nodded. "I got a new patch," she smiled, unzipping her flight jacket to show them.

"A classified signet? Badass." Rhiannon smiled. They made their way back to the grounds, Jodi's stomach suddenly reminding her that she'd forgotten to eat breakfast.

"Is it classified classified, or... girls night classified?" Violet asked, her brow raising.

"Everything is girls night classified. I just need a few days, is all." She promises, ignoring the look she was getting from Kaida from a distance. She smiled to herself as Rhiannon and Violet caught her up on the events of the morning, excited to see how the rest of the day would go.

She felt as if she were floating, like a pressure had been lifted from her shoulders. Things were finally getting answered, but it didn't stop the ache as she realized there was a part of her own mother she hadn't known about.

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THANK YOU FOR 1k READS!
happy double update :-)

also I did some research on lost magic for
fw and this idea started rolling and never
stopped so bear with me. it's gonna be so
cool though I swear