ࡱRin
the knee.
Seeing the move coming, Flame leapt over the kick, catching it
in the foot,
instead of the knee. A grunt was forced from her in landing, an
ankle
protesting at its misuse. She struck out with a kick to the
head, and got it
caught in the Mongrel's hands for her trouble. With a twist and
a pull Flame
was on the ground, and into the sand.
The Mongrel scrambled to her feet, spinning around to catch any
sign of her
opponent. It was very like the cowardly beast to disappear like
that,
something she managed to remember clearly without threatening
the balance in
her fractured mind. Finally she heard the small scape of stone
on stone that
gave away Flame's whereabouts for those who knew.
She hurt, body and soul, but knew that strength was essential
right now. The
artifact pushed its way through her sinews, keeping her straight
and fierce.
Warrior trembled, the rage that gripped the tiger held in check,
for the
moment. Flame was actually able to manage an even tone, despite
the firestorm
that spun in her shoulder. "There was a time, when you would
have died for
me...at least that's what you said. Were you lying? Did you
forget all that
you were before they took you?"
The Mongrel saw the open honesty in the other's face, knew a
time when it
would have appealed to her, threw the pang of feeling to the
cold Rage that
surged through her. She was Lyeazic, and Mongrel. "There was a
time when the
Quickning were many. Now they are mostly memory. Their
existence was not a
lie...just a mistake. This happens. Time corrects things that
are not meant
to be."
The words cut into her like shards of silver, but she didn't
blink, she
didn't flinch, instead she spoke. "Earth and Bone, Wind and
Breath, Water and
Blood, Fire and Rage...these are the things that make up a man,
these are what
make me Quickning. I told you the story once...I remember the
wonder in your
eyes..."
A smirk twisted the Mongrel's lips as she responded, "Very
nice, Quickning.
Hold to your memories while you have them. It shouldn't be that
long now."
Not an eyelash did she bat. "You called me by another name
once...do you
remember?" Flame held herself ready, eyes searching for any
clue that another
attack was to be launched. The silence wove between them, and
into it Flame
threw a sentence spoken in the thick rhythms of the Zam'Rahi,
"The heart of
the Sun meeting the heart of the Earth..."
"Enough!" The single word snapped in defense was Lyeazic, but
was understood
none the less. She dove as much to tear the throat from the
creature before
her as to stop the words she knew were to come. That word, that
name...it
belonged to another life, another person. She was Mongrel.
Warrior screamed as the wolf creature rushed towards them, her
whole self
focused on meeting the challenger size for size, threat for
threat. Flame
locked her control of the body down, taking the onslaught
squarely. She
wrapped her arm about the wolf creature's waist and took them
both into the
Earth. In the warm darkness she could feel the Mongrel flail
ineffectually,
as if to strike out at a particular stone, or bit of root.
Flame wasn't part
of the Earth here, she *was* Earth.
She took the Mongrel back to the bathing room back at the
House, the thick
steam filling her lungs like sweet incense. The heat pulsed
into her bones,
into her heart, giving her strength to continue to deal with the
still
writhing Mongrel. Panting with exhaustion, she gathered the
other woman
close, trying to weather the storm that came from both fists and
mind. The
wolf creature was gone, but that did not mean the blows landed
much softer.
The splinters that made up Khyaris Sha'Vandyr clamored behind
the wall the
Mongrel had placed to keep them away. She knew the way to shut
them up, for
good. Feigning defeat, she slumped again Flame, for just long
enough to get
what she wanted. She then pushed with one arm against the large
woman, as if
to get out of the grasp. Changing her grip, she quickly took
hܥeTw Romannt people. Synesthesia demanded that she view the scene
from memory.
The face before not even a treasured friend, much less a lover,
but instead a
Lyeazic in disguise. The tainted Rage that still tore through
her system
demanded that she fight the creature before her *now*, never
mind what face it
wore. A Quickning was worthy of nothing but extermination...no
matter the
being behind the image.
Warrior took hold of the body, while Flame dealt with the pain
surging from
their shoulder. The tiger leaned away, sliding to a halt. She
hoped that the
sand blown up in the Mongrel's face would keep her from grabbing
the silver
coal that remained in their shoulder.
Familiar with the fighting technics of Khyaris, the Shadow
Manta leader,
Warrior was not prepared for the undaunted opponent that refused
to be stopped
by a little sand. The Mongrel got her hands on the MoonClaw,
twisting it
deeper, sending more fiery pain through the weretiger.
Rage surged from both self-sisters, triggering the artifact
that was bonded
to the body. A red ember blazed to life in Flame's throat, and
the back hand
she hit the Mongrel with nearly sent the smaller woman flying.
But this
wasn't a calculating warrior, who knew when to back and circle..
This was the
Mongrel, who would cling to the throat of a dragon while it tore
her apart, if
it meant the dragon would die too.
Fire sizzled in deep crimson eyes, and with a roar, the silver
MoonClaw
glowed like a coal. Metal dripped onto the sand, though Flame
refrained from
burning the Mongrel's hand. She shouldn't have bothered, as the
Mongrel
noticed what was happening, and whipped her hand down, seeking
to splatter
Flame with the molten silver. Flame bared her teeth, the liquid
metal
vanishing in a white hot flash before it could splash her. "We
are not in
that cursed country...Shi'Kul Lyeaz has no affect on my powers
here."
Without waiting to see if her words were heard, Flame struck
out, seeking to
land a blow to the solar plexis. The Mongrel twisted aside, and
took most of
the blow on her ribs instead. Lashing out, the Mongrel used her
momentum to
land an uppercut to the weretigress' chin.
Tired of the grappling, Warrior lifted a foot, planted it into
the Mongrel's
midsection, and kicked her away. The other allowed herself to
be shoved, to
give herself some distance to circle once again.
Flame took the time to gather the shreds of her concentration
and pain
control. One arm hung useless, the tingling threads of silver
poison already
filtering through her blood. Trying to retain the respite, she
spoke,
something, anything...
"I know what they told you about us...us Quicknings..."
Before she could continue, the other muttered one word,
"Filth."
Warrior hissed vulgarities in the recesses of their mind to the
point where
Flame had to turn a deaf ear, so to speak. "I know...we're
tainted and
impure...it is the divine privilege of your kind to hunt us down
and cleanse
the earth of our traces. But you want to know something? There
was a time
when you were going to marry me." She lifted her good hand,
fingers tightly
fisted. The light glinted off the facets of the ring she wore,
the blood red
and deep green tourmaline stone a reminder of their union.
The heart of the Sun meeting the heart of the Earth...living
memory
threatened to sweep over the Mongrel again, something that was
not to be
tolerated, not when there was a fight to win. With a snarl she
closed again,
this time kicking low, trying to catch the large abomination old of Flame's
tunic collar and pulled her into the arc of the ironwood dagger
she sought to
plunge just under the sternum.
A gasp escaped them both as the dagger stopped a hair's breadth
from
completing its deadly assignment. Flame trembled as she saw how
close to
death she had just come. And in that moment, the shards of
Khyaris made
themselves known...
~Please...stop us. Can't...do this...again...~ The too quiet
whimper was in
a voice that Flame had never heard before. The Mongrel snarled
and stabbed
again and again, but some unseen force held it from touching
even Flame's
tunic. With each attempt, the voice grew weaker, ~...can't keep
stopping...~
~You don't have to do this you know.~ Love warmed her
mindspeech, trying to
thaw the cold rage that held the shards in thrall. ~Thistle?
Anam Cara?~
A scream of fury escaped the Mongrel, and she flung the blade
away. She tore
out of Flame's unresisting grip, and scrambled away, trying to
put some
distance between her and the thing that tried to keep her from
her purpose.
Flame had to put a fist to her mouth to stifle the sob that
broke from her
throat. From around it she managed to speak, "That dagger is
not for killing
were folk...remember?"
In response she got a thunder storm of mindvoices, the shards
of Khyaris
seeking freedom from the Mongrel's vice grip.
The voice of Pain spoke, ~Kill us! Strike us! Rend the flesh,
it is the
only thing she understands.~ Dark and oozing, the voice wound
around Flame.
Past Pain wailed the Child, ~You never came for us! You never!
Please...pleaseplease... this hurts too bad...don't...~
Defeated cast its heavy voice over the wail, ~Let it end...just
let it end.
We are useless. We are Nothing. Set us free. Kill us...~
Anger stirred within Flame, her mindvoice lashing at the
barrier that held
the shards of Khyaris captive. ~No! I will fight only to
protect myself!
You made a promise to me...I do not plan on letting you out of
it so easily.~
She looked to where the Mongrel crouched, snarling and clutching
her temples,
and knew a touch of pity. Emerald light blazed in her eyes, the
Earth magick
triggering the sleep weave she had placed in Thistle. The small
woman dropped
like a stone, the whirling mess of mindvoices falling into
silence.
She knelt next to Thistle, placing a tender hand on her cheek.
The two
vanished from the bathing room, reappearing in their bedroom.
With one hand,
and the liberal use of her small telekinetic abilities, she made
Thist
comfortable. Golden light swirled about the sleeping form as
the restrains
were reset.
With eyes that teared for several reasons, Flame retreated to
the kitchen to
find herself a dose of silverbirch.
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