Catch a Falling Star

[MadEmperor]

"Oh, goody. Let's hope a little pain loosens your tongue." The man grinned with sadistic glee before punching her in the gut, skipping right past the slapping that women usually get first.

[DragonSong]

Kiara grunted and instinctively curved forward as much as her bonds would let her, blinking dizzily as that thoroughly knocked the wind out of her.

When she managed to get any amount of breath back, she rasped, "Get...fucked..." Her eyes still reflected the light from the crystals in an inhuman, almost eerie way, making them burn as she glared at him.

Internally, she continued to reach for Kit, but whatever strange interference that was happening in this place seemed to have grown stronger while she was unconscious--that, or maybe she was still too exhausted from her earlier magic use.

[MadEmperor]

There was no getting through to Kit. She didn't so much as feel him.

"Stubborn, eh?" He smirked cruelly, spreading his fingers, and conjured arcs of electricity between them. "How's about a little shock?"

He grabbed her shoulders with his large hands and sent a jolt through her.

[DragonSong]

The scream was instinctive, echoing off the glittering stone around them for a few moments before she swallowed it back. She couldn't close her mouth for fear of biting down on her own tongue, but she managed to choke the scream off into something like an out-of-breath keening.

She was panting when his hands pulled back, trembling with aftershocks. Still, one leg kicked out on reflex, trying to catch his shin even from her awkward position.

"Bastard," she hissed, unable to come up with anything cleverer for the moment.

[MadEmperor]

The man grinned. "Now, how did you get in without us knowing?" he demanded.

At the same time, Kit would just make out a faint, Gods...scr...ing...at...ing...er... Although familiar, the voice wasn't Kiara.

[DragonSong]

The dragon had been circling the sector of the gorge where Grav and Kiara had been supposed to be searching, looking for a way down that would fit him. He started at the brush of a foreign voice against the edge of his mind—not many outside Adela could speak to dragons in such a way.

At first, he was wary, throwing up mental shields and demanding, Who are you? Where's my rider?


Kiara spat blood in the man's face. Despite her best efforts, she had bitten the edge of her tongue. "Your mum's ass, that's how," she growled, though the raggedness of her voice took away some of the bite.

[MadEmperor]

The man sneered and wiped the blood from his face. He shocked her again, this time with more power. At this rate, he was going to kill her before he got anything.


The voice cleared up a little as whoever it was put more effort into it. Kit?
Is...you? How am...oing this?

Wait... Grav?!

[DragonSong]

By the first fires.

Grav? Grav! He had to assume this was some effect of the mutagen--although every previous revelation of a new ability had always been heralded by some sort of strife, which made Kit very concerned about what was happening. Since when can you--?! Never mind, not important right now. Where are you? Is Kia okay? I can't get through to her.


Kiara screamed again, unable to quiet it this time. She bucked and thrashed uselessly against her ties, wrists chafing harshly against the rope. The electricity jolting through her system made her muscles seize, and her head snapped back hard enough against the stone spire that she saw stars.

It took longer for her to be able to form anything like a coherent thought this time around, and when she could it was mostly just ow ow ow ow ow fucking ow. She was slumped against the stone, panting.

Still, she managed to grit out, "Not...telling you...anything."

Please, Grav, please be safe. A Kit rescue would be great any time now--though she had a sinking feeling that wasn't going to happen.

[MadEmperor]

I don't know, a temple...think. In...av--In a cave. I don't know; she's... screaming. Torture, maybe.

There was a pause. Volke's here.

[DragonSong]

Rage rose up in the dragon's chest, flames flickering between his teeth and smoke billowing from his nostrils. He tried to force himself to think rationally, despite the protective instinct.

Keep talking to me, he told Grav as he banked, dropping a little closer to the ground. If this works like it does with Kia, I can feel how far you are. I'll try to find you. It wasn't perfect, but it was the best chance they had.

Are you hurt?

[MadEmperor]

The connection immediately grew stronger and was still growing.

Not technically. But... he did something to me. Something to trigger more mutation. He needs me a certain way, so I don't know what I'll look like by the time you find us.

The only good news is that the Tear is here, deeper in the temple.

[DragonSong]

Just hang on. Keep talking, I'll find you. I promise.

Underground, another scream rang out through the temple--and then things went eerily silent. Either Kiara had lost consciousness, or...

[MadEmperor]

Oh gods... Hurry! I think she's in serious trouble!

Grav kept talking, giving the dragon as much information as possible about the cavern and his immediate surroundings.


Kiara woke slowly to arguing voices. She wasn't tied up, which meant she was probably in a cell of some kind.

"I thought we didn't need her alive." Her torturer sounded apologetic, possibly even afraid.

"We can still use her as leverage, you dolt!" A woman's angry voice.

Then, she heard a voice she had hoped never to hear again: Volke. "Enough. I don't pay you to carry on like children. Now leave us; I can handle her from here."

[DragonSong]

I'm trying! The dragon roared in frustration as he seemed to find the closest point to this new connection: the side of the gorge, where a fissure had opened up into the surrounding land. But a fissure just small enough to keep him out.


Kiara's instinct was to groan as consciousness returned. Her whole body ached, and her throat was raw. She drew in a shuddering breath, then coughed raggedly as her whole system seemed to seize up in protest.

Volke's voice was enough to cut through some of the fog; damnit, she'd really been hoping that particular hunch was wrong. Slowly, she pushed herself up onto her elbows, looking around blearily.

[MadEmperor]

I think they just brought her to him. Alive, I think. I can't see from where I am.


She was in a small room, blocked off from a larger chamber by iron bars far newer than the temple itself. Beyond the cell door, Volke watched as the blue-haired mercenary and an Adelan woman walked out. The chamber itself had been turned into a makeshift alchemical laboratory, flanked by many more cells. Clearly, he had built a lab here before they ever met him.

He turned and, seeing her awake, approached the bars. "Ah, you're awake. I fear I must apologize for Mr. Rathbourne; he can get quite... carried away."

[DragonSong]

"Eat shit...and die, you megalomaniacal...asswipe," Kiara coughed, spitting another gob of blood to the side as she forced herself to sit up and then lean heavily against the wall. "I heard you...talking. Like hells am I gonna be...your leverage."

She glared at him through the bars, trembling with the sheer physical shock of what she had endured, but her eyes steely despite it.

[MadEmperor]

Alive! Pissed, but alive!

"Oh, but you will. You see, there's something I need from Mr. Caviin and he's going to cooperate, or you will, unfortunately, have to join my other test subjects or die in the process," the mage said dispassionately.

"Please! I'll do whatever! Just don't hurt her!" Grav yelled from somewhere to her left, across the chamber. He sounded miserable and afraid, whatever defiance he had seeming to dissolve.

[DragonSong]

Oh, thank the fires. Keep talking, keep them distracted! I think... Kit narrowed his eyes at a cleavage in the stone of the fissure. I think I might have found a way in...


For just a moment, emotion cracked through the façade of irreverence Kiara had held in place. She lurched forward at the sound of Grav's voice--then forced herself to still. She met Volke's eyes and held them, seething.

"Then I die," she said calmly, and a strange, cool acceptance spread through her. If he needed Grav, then she couldn't let him have him. Simple as that.  I'm so sorry, Kitten.

"Whatever you're planning, I won't do it. I won't be part of this. I won't be the thing you use to hurt him."

[MadEmperor]

Grav's heart fell as she said she'd rather die. He might still be confused about his feelings about her, but he knew he'd never forgive himself if she died for his sake.

I'll try...

"Don't listen to her! I said I'd do it!" he pleaded.

Volke smiled coolly, not remotely moved. "I don't need your cooperation, girl. But, perhaps, I can make you an offer. Take his place as my subject, assuming you survive, that is. Do that willingly, and I'll even undo what I've done to him."

[DragonSong]

Her breath caught. She had no reason to believe that was a promise he'd keep, but...

She couldn't stop thinking of the way Grav had looked when he first realized what was happening to him; how he took each new change in stride, but with that bit of fear hidden in his eyes. How much she'd wished there was something, anything she could do to for him.

How much she cared about him.

How her own magic was slowly killing her anyway.

"...Fine." She met Volke's eyes with the harsh determination of someone who had absolutely nothing to lose. "Deal."

Raising her voice, she called, "Grav, this isn't your fault! Just...promise  me you'll look after Kit, okay?" Her voice shook a bit on her dragon's name, but she gritted her teeth and swallowed back the threat of real tears.