#rock wielder

Question/Theory (2): How did Imogen save Dain & herself? — Does Imogen have a Second Signet? — Here’s why I think she does & what I think it is:

"You have a second signet, don't you?" And like Xaden, he hid the strongest one. — Violet Sorrengail to Garrick Tavis, Chapter 11

This shows the pre-existing patterns/plans of the children of the rebellion (even more so; their dragons) hiding the strongest “weapons” they have.

While Imogen’s known signet is pretty powerful as is, this doesn’t count against the theory, as much like Xaden shows the “known” signet can be nearly just as powerful as the unknown (so it’s not like a contest of “topping it” in a manner that she could not).

It is also something they hide no-matter what (not purely as a “secret weapon”) but because having two signets goes against the rules & endangers them all in itself.

This does get further complicated in some cases (such as Xaden; where his need for hiding his signet is also out of the signet itself being a death sentence). Though it does beg the question of who (if anyone) knows about Imogen’s second signet?.. and what that may mean for the power level of whatever it is?.. I’m willing to bet it’s closer to a Garrick situation than a Xaden, as Dain does witness it (& while this was not the goal) it did not seem to be a death sentence (nor something she needed to take the time to make him forget)… Though the biggest question still stands of what is allowed and whatever that means in terms of the “magical balance” of their nature demands… posing the question:

How many of the same signets can exist on the same side? What is “the balance”? And is there such a thing as “signet-gaps”?

"At its core magic demands balance." — Chapter 60 Prologue (Iron Flame)

Time and time again this is said… but what does it really mean?

"There is only one exception to the rule, Violet Sorrengail. Imagine my surprise when it turned out to be you." — Theophanie to Violet Sorrengail, Chapter 60

When Theophanie tells Violet she is "the only exception" to “the rule”… this could very well be due to the anomaly of a shadow & lightning wielder being alive at the same time (two shadows, one per side, and one lightning total) however (unless I missed something which I very may well have) I presume it meant/hinted at something more.

Such as there being a “counter” or “Dark-Wielder-self” per signet we know.

"I think you exposed your desperation with your once-a-century comment. You need me." "Another will come along," she warns. "You are not special." — Violet Sorrengail to Theophanie, Chapter 60

Violet may not be “the only one” or special as much as she is rare, but there is some balance the world is waiting on in what it allows to occur at one time.

"My signet is always the balance," Bodhi argues, lifting his hand as the wind rises to a constant roar at our backs. "I can stop her!" "You can't!" I push again, and this time he stumbles sideways. "Your signet must only work on our magic, not theirs." — Bodhi Durran to Violet Sorrengail, Chapter 60

Despite Bodhi’s power; it shows it is not him. He is not the balance… or at least not theirs… Much like how magic doesn’t work on dragons, there is a difference within the Venin; and whatever that all does to the “rules of magic”. He cannot be the counter for them all… so what is (if Violet is the only un-countered signet)?

"She isn't the dark wielder version of you." — "She's their answer to my mother." — "She was the answer to me,". — Bodhi Durran, Violet Sorrengail, & Theophanie, Chapter 60

This notes "the answer" from both sides. And that “magic balance” I’m speaking of… it seems like a similar structure to how signets are formed around need (Xaden needs to know who to trust = he can read intentions, Violet is desperate to speak to a sleeping Andarna = she can dream-walk) there is a storm-wielding Venin = Lilith Sorrengail the storm-wielding General.

"That's not possible," Imogen says. I turn around, reaching for a dagger, and freeze completely. Lynx stands in the middle of the hallway, shaking from head to foot, staring at the darkness that envelops his hands. "It's all right." Rhiannon rushes to Lynx's side. "Breathe. You're just..." "Manifesting," Xaden says, putting himself in front of Lynx. "Don't be scared. They're defending you. Fear. Anger. Whatever it is, level out your emotions, and they'll recede." Manifesting? Shadows? "I can't—" Lynx shakes his head, and the shadows creep up his arms. "You can," Xaden assures him. "Close your eyes and think of the place you feel safest. Go ahead." Lynx slams his eyes shut. "Good job. Now breathe deeply and picture yourself there. Calm. Happy. Safe." Xaden watches as the shadows recede. Lynx's breaths even out, and his hands reappear. "Get him to Carr now," Xaden orders Rhiannon, and she nods. The squad ushers Lynx down the hall, but I stay behind, shock gluing my feet to the carpet. "I don't understand. You're our generation's shadow wielder." "Not anymore. Magic knows." Xaden's shoulders dip as he turns slowly to face me, his brow scrunching in apology before he schools his features. "He's the balance." — Xaden Riorson to Violet Sorrengail & friends, Chapter 46

Something that appears to shock everyone; Imogen included… while this may have simply been the shock of shadows, or a fear of an attack, or even a rapidly turning Xaden, etc. it doesn’t change the fact they are all shocked… which implies some of these “once in a century” skills are very unknown in what the world of magic “allows” (especially when already intentionally “breaking the rules” as their dragons seem to be doing in choosing them).

"Heads up," Garrick says, and we both look forward as a first-year with a rebellion relic steps into the pit with Timin Kagiso-the newly promoted wingleader for Second Wing. "Let's try to keep anyone else from burning." Go figure another fire wielder was Second Wing's executive officer when Aura died. — Garrick Tavis to Violet Sorrengail, Chapter 28

Finally, the note that there are known multiples of signets (for-instance) flame-wielders as shown above. And the possibility that they switch out upon death?..

And in many other moments it is shown that signet “categories” can be vastly unique & frankly complicated… for instance the world of Intinnsics. While true intinnsics are killed, truth-sayers are not. Along with many other signets in the “mind-category” that skirt the edge (or don’t fully encompass) that which would get them killed, while being highly classified and quite similar to that of “full intinnsics” (like Xaden & Violet; who also have powers that take very different forms despite both being kinds of intinnsics; key word “kinds”) as very much seen in the spectrum of “minds” between Imogen, Dain, and Varish’s abilities.

We are also shown some signets that did appear at the same time (even if we didn’t know it) this may possibly be due to the rebellion relics or the fact they are second signets but it does occur; for instance Liam & Ridoc (both are ice-wielders).

"Are you pissed I didn't tell you?" I shake my head. "You don't owe me your friends' secrets." My brow knits. "But twenty hours of flying gave me some time to think. You. Garrick." I tilt my head. "And I once thought I saw Liam..." "—Wield ice," Xaden says, stroking his thumb along my chin. I nod. "How often do second signets accompany these particular relics?" My fingers trail down the side of his neck. "Often enough to be sure Kaori can't possibly have accurate records, but not too completely that anyone questions why I only present with one," he answers. "Our dragons came looking for us. They knew what they were doing." "Giving you a better chance of survival?" I rest my hand over his heart. "If you wax sentimental. More like building their own army." A corner of his mouth rises. "More signets equal more power." — Xaden Riorson to Violet Sorrengail (in reference to the rebellion), Chapter 12

This discussion confirms that there are not only “second signets” that we do not know about, but also a habit of the "marked ones" / “children of the rebellion” being chosen for them leading to further questions on a “dragons rebellion” (which I will discuss further in an upcoming post).

All in all this makes it far more likely for Imogen to not only have a second signet as a marked rebel, but also keep unknown to us/Violet/or even Kaori at this time.

Continuing on the note of “knowledge” / the danger these secrets pose in knowing them, it’s worth noting:

"Hey, Bodhi?" I whisper so only the two of us can hear. "Hey, Violet?" he answers, looking up. "What's your second signet?" I lower my voice even more. He lifts his brows, then glances in Garrick's direction. "Don't have one." "As in you don't have one that I get to know about but will eventually see you wield, or don't have one have one?" A corner of his mouth lifts into a wry smile that reminds me of his cousin's. "Don't have one. Just like Xaden. Why?" "Curious," I admit. — Violet Sorrengail to Bodhi Durran, Chapter 28

Violet does not ask to know about everyone else… even going so far as to later ask Bodhi if he had one. Meaning another inner-circle & third-year bestie like Imogen could very well have one.

Finally, on the note of “what” that signet may be & the known powers of Imogen + the primary OS quote that brought this to my (and apparently Dain’s) attention:

Another set of footsteps joins mine, and a flash of metal sparks in the corner of my eye. Aetos catches up on my right, half his face drenched in blood, bearing his own dagger and a shield half his size. Shit. That's not good. Twenty. I channel my rage, rejecting any notion of fear, and draw one of my alloy-hilted daggers from the sheath at my arm in preparation to strike. We're almost there—The dark wielder pivots, whipping to face us with an unnatural speed even I can't match, and swings his staff in our direction. Fire erupts, barreling toward us in a deadly stream, and I weigh our options for all of a millisecond as we skid to a halt. It hits? We die. Jump? We die. "You will not burn!" Glane demands. Fuck, I really didn't want to have to do this, but I mentally open the door to my childhood home and flood my body with her power. "Get—" Aetos starts to yell. "Get behind me!" I shout, ripping the shield from his grip. His eyes flare wide, and he lets go. We have seconds, so I flip the shield, then slam its flat top between the row of stones at our feet and drop behind it, keeping my hand on the leather strap. Aetos jumps behind me as power rushes into my fingers so quickly I clench my teeth to keep from screaming. Heat surrounds us and the leather hardens in my grip as the shield turns to stone. Fire roars, blazes, flows around us. We are the rock in the river, demanding the water part. The heat dissipates as the blast ends, and Aetos dives to the left and throws. An alloy-hilted dagger sails from his hand and I rise, clutching my own. The dark wielder's expression of shock remains permanent as he desiccates a few feet away and falls off the wall. One down, but the guards are missing from the top of the turret, and I see a flash of purple disappear into the tower. Worse, another dressed in crimson strides along the eastern wall. Aetos jumps to his feet and draws his remaining dagger. "I'll take that one. You get the one in the tower." He glances at the stone shield, then breaks into a run, and I follow, sprinting as fast as I can. "And we're going to talk about whatever the fuck that just was later," he shouts over his shoulder, but l've already passed him, using lesser magic to boost my speed. — Imogen Cardulo, Glane, & Dain Aetos, Chapter 63.

First off: Imogen’s known & shown signet is short-term-memory wiping… this in itself is of course VERY powerful, classified, & helpful; most likely explaining the ending of this book & leaving us without plot holes in power (like that which Liam had)… this signet would even be extremely helpful for concealing a second signet. And so far, this signet has fit ever feat we have seen her do, with the other “how” being lesser magic in that she (like Xaden) uses & states here "to boost speed". However, none of this accounts for the way she survived above. Or even some actions that would be out of character, for example the fact that she risked her life for Dain; I am not saying she wouldn’t, or even did risk it intentionally (she may have simply been refusing to cower behind him & unnecessary chivalry, or realizing the fastest way was to save them both) but jumping in here without a plan seems like too much a risk for too little a relationship to me… unless she had a way that was not some fluke or freak accident… perhaps it had something to do with the runes she goes to work on shortly, again mentioned by a mark on Dain Violet notes earlier (I’ll discuss this more in an upcoming post). But honestly, all of that fails to clearly answer the how of how she & Dain survived that & the way in which it is described. To me, that screams only one answer; a Second Signet.

This moment is also questioned & jarring to the characters themselves as Dain takes the moment to note its oddity while adding it to his “list of things to talk about later” (which began with the reveal of another second signet to him in the form of Garrick’s distance-wielding, making it even more fitting to end with one too).

+ Let us not forget (as Liam’s ice mentioned in FW came to prove itself right in OS) Rebecca doesn’t leave plot-holes. She leaves clues. And even more often adds details specifically & with intention.

In this moment Imogen describes "throwing open a door" in her mind (a very common phrasing for magic & the control of it among dragon-riders) one that she did not want to visit (or perhaps more so, did not want to reveal) with this timing & placement (“exposure to Dain”). But seeing as its life or death, she does as a last resort. Furthermore, on the note of “last resorts” the phrasing is extra intriguing to me because her thought of grounding comfort is also one of pain & in itself reminds me of somewhere she would "not want to visit" & has kept shut away… similar to how a hidden second signet would be treated.

Glane tells her, “demands”/nearly-commands her "not to burn" (& while the way dragons show affection is often in a “don’t die” way) they have already covered this base earlier; it feels more like a reminder/order to open that “forbidden” power & door to said second signet. One that would do exactly what we see her do; stop her from burning.

Not to mention the fact she is “flooding” herself with power, this would be senseless right now if her only signet was short-term memory-loss. That will not stop the Venin Dark Wielders or flame, nor prevent them from burning, or protect her/Dain in any way we know of. Nor would lesser magic. So, anything she’s summoning has to have a different purpose… and she’s gather a lot of it.

And then we see this series of events that does not make sense with any other answer: Imogen forcing Dain behind her. Taking his weak shield that is smaller than them in size and not large enough to block flames (or by the sounds of it even sustain in materials & burnable leather against such a thing). Flipping it (again… odd), and slamming it into stone (I imagine this is not an easy thing to do as that sounds like breaking solid rock at your feet) and then seemingly it becomes stone itself. As Imogen stays holding on to it, not burning as heat goes around them, only feeling pain from a rush of power. Not to mention the question of where that stone appeared from in the first place (I can’t imagine a Dark Wielder taking aim right in front of a pillar of stone large enough to hide them). And then she says it; she IS the rock. She demands it to part. (Also, while this may be a stretch that means nothing; rock is mentioned heavily in the upcoming scenes, including the runes being formed, and the ground turning gray & draining while not yet harming that which she stands on).

As far as what powers that leads us with, we can of course, eliminate many that make no sense; both from these “requirements” & the plot (as an example: healing… if Imogen had that signet she would’ve saved Quinn right then and there… whatever her power is, it was at its limit & without that capacity). Originally, I did think it could be some sort of Flame-wielder but that still wouldn’t explain turning to stone. Then I considered welding (some sort of Metallurgist like Sawyer), however, the more and more I read, I think that Imogen truly meant what she said (and it’s the biggest clue Yarros gave, therefore silly to ignore & guess around) she turned it to stone. So, if not directly some sort of “rock-wielder” maybe some sort of “changing-materials”? Though I do think rock is the strongest theory, as if she had any substance at her fingertips, I’d guess there are more fire-proof options she would’ve used (unless it’s limited to that which she can touch… still… she didn’t pick what the shield was made of; she chose to change it to rock).

And who knows, (many second signets make a lot of sense in hindsight) so maybe that’s why she weight trains with Violet (she just makes rock weights lol… okay, that’s a stretch) but that’s the closest theory-ish thoughts I have!

P.S. final thought — why does Imogen say:

I unsheathe my last alloy-hilted dagger and stare up at the wyvern-filled sky. Then I make my way back inside, slip Quinn's last dagger from her thigh sheath, and reach for Glane. "Tell every rider within the walls to get over here and disarm. It's the only way we're living through this." — Imogen Cardulo, Chapter 63

Could this possible hint at the Second Signet as well? — Why else would disarming be helpful (as opposed to dangerous)? — Maybe she can turn these walls into the alloy if it is a substance-shifting signet… or do something with the walls material & stone?