The Ties That Bind
Chapter 12
Anakin stepped into the garden, pulling a willing Padmé along with him, and tucked her into a dancing position. "May I have the pleasure of this dance, milady?"
She smiled up at him as she stepped closer. "I thought you'd already claimed your dance."
His arms tightened around her. "Only one." He bent his head and kissed her forehead gently as he led her through the slow steps of the Nabooian-waltz. She was graceful, and though he'd slowed the tempo down quite a bit, she didn't seem to mind. In fact, he was pleased to hear her thinking about how she wished she'd never have to leave his side. His arms contracted more; cradling her against his body as they danced to the music only they could hear.
*Angel?*
"Hmmm?"
He chuckled. That was getting to be a habit. Talk to her through their Force Bond and she replied out loud. Now wouldn't that confuse people if they were ever overheard! "Are you happy?"
She snuggled her head against his chest, "Blissfully."
He smiled against her hair.
"Anakin?"
"Yes, love?"
She smiled at his words, his thoughts. *Could you pull my hair down? It's killing my neck.*
His hand swept up from around her shoulders and pulled loose the pins holding her braids in their elegant fashion. "Can't have that, now can we?"
She allowed him to do it by himself, relishing the feeling of his hand as he carefully pulled the braids loose. One by one the coffee colored tresses were freed to spill over her shoulders and down her back. She sighed with relief, unable to suppress the shiver of awareness that rippled through her system. Anakin's hand stilled in her hair, his other hand grasping her hip and pulling her more closely against him so their bodies aligned.
She gasped softly, swallowing hard. She could feel the energy coiled in his system, tightly leashed so not to scare her. Yet she could hear his thoughts, see them as clearly as daylight. She blushed scarlet.
"Anakin!"
He had the grace to blush, "Sorry, Angel."
She pulled back to look up at him. "And just what do you know what that, young man?"
He choked on a laugh. "Everyone has to learn it in class, it's part of the Jedi training. You have to learn to master your desires."
"Well you've obviously failed," her tone was droll as she teased him.
He grinned, unrepentant. "If you'd much rather I be as stuffy as Obi-Wan, I can certainly work on it."
She poked him in the shoulder, "Don't you dare! If I wanted a husband who was stiff as a board I'd marry Bail!"
He caught her finger, lifting her hand to his mouth and gently kissing her fingertips, his eyes serious. "Never. Even if that's what you wanted I'd never be able to let you go."
She searched his eyes. "Anakin, are you alright?"
She was shocked to see tears suddenly form in his eyes. "No, Ami, I'm far from alright. Tell me you-"
"I love you, Anakin Skywalker, and I'll never leave you." She stood on tip-toe and gently kissed him, sliding her arms around his neck and drawing him into her warmth. Her embrace, her heart and her soul. His lips tasted of forbidden fruits, of sorrows and triumphs and promises yet kept. She tasted fear; fear for her and for himself. Padmé deepened the kiss, her mouth aggressive on his, telling him with her thoughts and actions that he had nothing to fear.
He responded, but she could feel his restraint. *Let go for me, Ani.* She felt him stiffen, his instant denial of being able to let go of his control.
*I can't, Angel, I'm afraid.*
She gentled her kiss, turning it into a sweet expression of her sympathy and understanding. The depth of her love. Anakin moaned softly, the tears in his eyes trailing down his cheeks as he tore his mouth from hers. Or tried to. Padmé wouldn't let him escape. Keeping her hands firmly locked around the back of his head, his padawan braid looped around one hand, she didn't let him go.
She heard his worried, his fears. Felt his panic when she, she woman he loved, insisted he let go and give her his all. She told him without words that she wanted it, she wanted him, in her arms and beyond reason.
She knew the instant he gave in as his mouth slanted firmly across hers and his hands stopped trying to tug her hands away. His fingers slid up her bare arms in a caress she felt clear to her toes. Her hands gentled around him, simply holding herself upright as she melted into his frame. He lifted her in his arms, cradling her against his chest and stepped further into the shadows towards a bench. Padmé suddenly stiffened, going completely still in his arms.
He pulled back confused, unable to read her thoughts because of the turmoil of his own. "Wha-?"
She reached up and covered his lips with a finger. Her thoughts gradually penetrated his own as she focused on his. *Shhh. Don't speak, Anakin, we're being watched.*
He frowned, stretching out with the Force. He could feel her thoughts focused on his own, but quickly blanked them. He needed to concentrate and just having her in his arms was a huge distraction. He swallowed hard tried to focus above the clamoring of his heart and desire. Somehow he managed to succeed, but there was no one around, no one closer than the party that was still going on in the main hall.
"There's nobody around, Padmé, are you sure?"
She nodded, scanning the area but barely moving her head. *No words. We're being watched, I can feel their eyes on me.*
He placed her feet back on the ground but didn't move away from her. *Can you tell from what direction?*
She shook her head.
*Kiss me, but keep an eye out.*
He swallowed the laugh that threatened. She wanted him to keep a clear head while kissing her? Was she nuts?
Laughter echoed in his mind. *No, Anakin, but if someone is watching us they might make their move if we're otherwise occupied.*
He knew she was right but that wouldn't make it any easier. *I don't know if I can, Angel. I taste you and...*
She smiled, grabbing the front of his tunic and tugging him towards her. *I know. I have the same problem. Kiss me, Anakin, please? I'll watch out for both of us.*
He lifted one hand to gently caress her face, searching her eyes as his head slowly lowered. *You'd better be right about this, Ami. I don't like distractions when I'm kissing you.*
She arched her neck and met his lips in a soft kiss, careful not to deepen it or move too much as she carefully scanned the area over his shoulder and to the left. A whisper of movement, a flash of silver. She suddenly threw Anakin to the right as something silver and humming sliced through the air towards his back.
The vibro-knife ripped through her upper arm, grating against the bone, but she didn't scream. Already in motion, Padmé grabbed the small blaster from beneath her skirt even as the knife ripped through muscle and sinew. She fired once before the feeling left her fingers, the blaster bolt hitting the shadow and deflecting off something into the air.
Anakin rolled to his feet, igniting his lightsaber even as Padmé fired her blaster. He felt the sudden pain as if the knife had entered his own arm, and fought back the sudden flash of fury. How dare someone hurt her! He leapt at the shadow, unable to feel any kind of threat or presence through the Force. He landed a second after Padmé's blaster bolt, but there was no one there. The light from the blue blade illuminated the area near him but it was all quiet. He knelt, examining the ground carefully. There was the imprint of a soft soled shoe in the loose dirt of the flower bed.
Padmé hurried to his side, her arm hanging limply, the blaster now in her off hand. "Did you find anything?"
"Just this," he motioned at the ground.
She frowned down at the imprint, wincing as she accidentally moved her arm. Anakin was at her side in a moment, examining the wound and the blade that still stuck out. She hadn't even bothered to remove it. He shut it off and gently pulled the blade from her arm as she hissed, trying to suppress the pain.
"Are you alright?"
She nodded. "I'm fine. A little bacta and I'll be good as new. We should report this to the palace guards."
Anakin shook his head. "It won't do them any good. I couldn't detect the assassin, Padmé. It didn't feel as if anyone was around and someone who can hide their presence, or lack of presence, so completely from a Jedi is dangerous."
"Whoever it was, they threw that knife at you, Anakin. It was aiming for your back."
His face was grim as he pocketed the blade, but he focused his attention on her arm. Padmé gasped as healing energy swept through her system, knitting torn muscles and flesh, repairing the damaged bone as surely as Bacta. Anakin's face was pale, drawn in the faint light as he hooked his lightsaber back to his belt. "Let's get you inside, Angel. Then I'll find Obi-Wan and tell him what happened."
Padmé tested her arm, feeling the newly healed muscles protest immediately, and gasped. She wrapped her fingers over the bloodied patch on her arm and smiled at him. "You look like you're going to fall over."
He shook his head, but he was swaying on his feet. "Force healing is draining."
She slid under his arm, wrapping her uninjured arm around his waist and hugging him. "You should have waited until we got inside, what if they come back?"
He stopped before they'd gone two steps, turning her towards him to gently cup her face. "I can't stand to have you in any kind of pain, Padmé. It kills me to feel it."
She felt him sway, stumbling a little, and braced her body under his. "Come on, lover. Your report to Obi-Wan can wait until morning. Let's get you to bed."
"Are you going to tuck me in?"
She laughed softly, leading him back into the dark hallways, her eyes scanning each shadow before they passed it. "If you ask really nicely, I might be convinced to stay with you."
His arm tightened about her shoulders as she led him to his room. The corridors were quiet as he palmed the lock. Padmé refused to leave his side as he made to step in, and helped him to his bed. He looked at her, his eyes already dropping from fatigue, as she went and locked the door. His last conscious memory was of her body curling against his as he dropped off to sleep.
"Something's wrong."
Sabé jerked, startled, at the soft voice at her elbow. She turned to face him, her eyes scanning the area even before she registered the action. "What's wrong?"
Obi-Wan's face was grim, withdrawn. "I felt a surge of emotion from Anakin and then nothing. He and Padmé left about five minutes ago, do you have any idea where they might go?"
Sabé fought a blush. Oh, she had an idea alright. From the looks those two had been giving each other... she fought off the thought, feeling disloyal for thinking it. "I... Don't your Force powers give you a general direction?"
"No. I know they're not upstairs. Where else might two young people go?"
"The gardens?" She shrugged helplessly. "There are six different gardens, though. Of course, she still has access to the private garden until tomorrow. She may have taken him there."
He grasped her under the elbow, his words urgent. "Take me there."
She gasped as he led her from the room, fighting the urge to say something completely inappropriate for the moment. She'd always had a sharp tongue, but around him she found it inordinately hard to control. "It's in the furthest corner of the Palace from this party. If they wanted to escape the Jedi, and the people, they'd likely take the unused corridors as much as possible."
Obi-Wan released her as Sabé got her bearings and waved him quickly down a side hallway. It was dark, the passages quiet for all but their footsteps. Sabé felt the hairs on the back of her neck begin to rise and slowly her pace. "Somebody's here."
Obi-Wan, who'd been scanning the area through the Force, looked at her strangely. "Are you sure? I don't sense anything."
Sabé nodded, silently cursing the darkness her eyes couldn't penetrate completely. "I'm a bodyguard for a living, trust me, you know when someone is watching you. This doesn't feel threatening though. At least, not towards you or me."
Sabé continued to search the shadows, unsure if the ripple of movement was from the curtains blowing in the slight breeze or someone moving. "Hello?" She didn't really expect an answer, but she tried anyway.
"If they're after Padmé, I don't think they're going to answer."
"I know, but I had to try. Come on, let's see if we can find Padmé and Anakin, seeing that they're alright will make me feel better."
Obi-Wan nodded, his hand on his lightsaber. Whatever was out there, if indeed something was, seemed to have moved on. Sabé quickened her pace as she headed towards Padmé's apartment. They were quiet as they walked, each keeping an eye out, in their own way, for danger. Sabé's hand stretched out behind her, and Obi-Wan's met it half way. Their fingers laced together like teenagers, they went to find their friends.
The main window in the bedroom opened silently on well cared-for hinges. A slight breeze wafted in over the sleeping figures as a shadow slipped into the room. Unfolding from a slight crouch, the figure blended into the darkness perfectly as it approached the bed. Emerald eyes took in the situation.
The young woman was curled around her young Jedi, her hair spread out across her back and shoulders like a spider web. Fully clothed, she hadn't even bothered to remove her finery. She was more of a living blanket, or so it seemed, to the observer. The young man was holding the woman protectively, even in sleep, her head tucked carefully under his chin. His breathing was deep and even, in time with the woman's, as her fingers gently curled and uncurled on his chest.
The figure shook its head and stepped closer, reaching into one pocket and froze. Voices could be heard in the hallway. The firm lips settled into a determined line as a small device was pulled from a pocket. Flipping switches with a quick thumb, they pulled a small vial from another as they readied the device. Carefully bending over the bed so not to touch the woman, a needle tip caught the moonlight and sparkled.
Moving close the tip was placed against the jugular of the man. He turned his head in his sleep, jerking away from the contact. The needle point came back, looking for the precise place of entry as the voices in the hallway got louder. The woman began to stir, rolling away and knocking the metal injection unit to the floor.
The loud clatter had her sitting upright, reaching under a pillow automatically.
The shadow backed away hurriedly, knowing it'd been seen.
"Hold! Don't move or I will be forced to kill you!"
The shadow bowed to her, making a mockery of the movement before lunging at the window just as she fired. The bolt connected in the back of the shadow's thigh just as they caught the synthrope and broke their fall. Biting back a hiss of pain, the shadow quickly disappeared into the darkness of the floor below.
Chapter 12
Anakin stepped into the garden, pulling a willing Padmé along with him, and tucked her into a dancing position. "May I have the pleasure of this dance, milady?"
She smiled up at him as she stepped closer. "I thought you'd already claimed your dance."
His arms tightened around her. "Only one." He bent his head and kissed her forehead gently as he led her through the slow steps of the Nabooian-waltz. She was graceful, and though he'd slowed the tempo down quite a bit, she didn't seem to mind. In fact, he was pleased to hear her thinking about how she wished she'd never have to leave his side. His arms contracted more; cradling her against his body as they danced to the music only they could hear.
*Angel?*
"Hmmm?"
He chuckled. That was getting to be a habit. Talk to her through their Force Bond and she replied out loud. Now wouldn't that confuse people if they were ever overheard! "Are you happy?"
She snuggled her head against his chest, "Blissfully."
He smiled against her hair.
"Anakin?"
"Yes, love?"
She smiled at his words, his thoughts. *Could you pull my hair down? It's killing my neck.*
His hand swept up from around her shoulders and pulled loose the pins holding her braids in their elegant fashion. "Can't have that, now can we?"
She allowed him to do it by himself, relishing the feeling of his hand as he carefully pulled the braids loose. One by one the coffee colored tresses were freed to spill over her shoulders and down her back. She sighed with relief, unable to suppress the shiver of awareness that rippled through her system. Anakin's hand stilled in her hair, his other hand grasping her hip and pulling her more closely against him so their bodies aligned.
She gasped softly, swallowing hard. She could feel the energy coiled in his system, tightly leashed so not to scare her. Yet she could hear his thoughts, see them as clearly as daylight. She blushed scarlet.
"Anakin!"
He had the grace to blush, "Sorry, Angel."
She pulled back to look up at him. "And just what do you know what that, young man?"
He choked on a laugh. "Everyone has to learn it in class, it's part of the Jedi training. You have to learn to master your desires."
"Well you've obviously failed," her tone was droll as she teased him.
He grinned, unrepentant. "If you'd much rather I be as stuffy as Obi-Wan, I can certainly work on it."
She poked him in the shoulder, "Don't you dare! If I wanted a husband who was stiff as a board I'd marry Bail!"
He caught her finger, lifting her hand to his mouth and gently kissing her fingertips, his eyes serious. "Never. Even if that's what you wanted I'd never be able to let you go."
She searched his eyes. "Anakin, are you alright?"
She was shocked to see tears suddenly form in his eyes. "No, Ami, I'm far from alright. Tell me you-"
"I love you, Anakin Skywalker, and I'll never leave you." She stood on tip-toe and gently kissed him, sliding her arms around his neck and drawing him into her warmth. Her embrace, her heart and her soul. His lips tasted of forbidden fruits, of sorrows and triumphs and promises yet kept. She tasted fear; fear for her and for himself. Padmé deepened the kiss, her mouth aggressive on his, telling him with her thoughts and actions that he had nothing to fear.
He responded, but she could feel his restraint. *Let go for me, Ani.* She felt him stiffen, his instant denial of being able to let go of his control.
*I can't, Angel, I'm afraid.*
She gentled her kiss, turning it into a sweet expression of her sympathy and understanding. The depth of her love. Anakin moaned softly, the tears in his eyes trailing down his cheeks as he tore his mouth from hers. Or tried to. Padmé wouldn't let him escape. Keeping her hands firmly locked around the back of his head, his padawan braid looped around one hand, she didn't let him go.
She heard his worried, his fears. Felt his panic when she, she woman he loved, insisted he let go and give her his all. She told him without words that she wanted it, she wanted him, in her arms and beyond reason.
She knew the instant he gave in as his mouth slanted firmly across hers and his hands stopped trying to tug her hands away. His fingers slid up her bare arms in a caress she felt clear to her toes. Her hands gentled around him, simply holding herself upright as she melted into his frame. He lifted her in his arms, cradling her against his chest and stepped further into the shadows towards a bench. Padmé suddenly stiffened, going completely still in his arms.
He pulled back confused, unable to read her thoughts because of the turmoil of his own. "Wha-?"
She reached up and covered his lips with a finger. Her thoughts gradually penetrated his own as she focused on his. *Shhh. Don't speak, Anakin, we're being watched.*
He frowned, stretching out with the Force. He could feel her thoughts focused on his own, but quickly blanked them. He needed to concentrate and just having her in his arms was a huge distraction. He swallowed hard tried to focus above the clamoring of his heart and desire. Somehow he managed to succeed, but there was no one around, no one closer than the party that was still going on in the main hall.
"There's nobody around, Padmé, are you sure?"
She nodded, scanning the area but barely moving her head. *No words. We're being watched, I can feel their eyes on me.*
He placed her feet back on the ground but didn't move away from her. *Can you tell from what direction?*
She shook her head.
*Kiss me, but keep an eye out.*
He swallowed the laugh that threatened. She wanted him to keep a clear head while kissing her? Was she nuts?
Laughter echoed in his mind. *No, Anakin, but if someone is watching us they might make their move if we're otherwise occupied.*
He knew she was right but that wouldn't make it any easier. *I don't know if I can, Angel. I taste you and...*
She smiled, grabbing the front of his tunic and tugging him towards her. *I know. I have the same problem. Kiss me, Anakin, please? I'll watch out for both of us.*
He lifted one hand to gently caress her face, searching her eyes as his head slowly lowered. *You'd better be right about this, Ami. I don't like distractions when I'm kissing you.*
She arched her neck and met his lips in a soft kiss, careful not to deepen it or move too much as she carefully scanned the area over his shoulder and to the left. A whisper of movement, a flash of silver. She suddenly threw Anakin to the right as something silver and humming sliced through the air towards his back.
The vibro-knife ripped through her upper arm, grating against the bone, but she didn't scream. Already in motion, Padmé grabbed the small blaster from beneath her skirt even as the knife ripped through muscle and sinew. She fired once before the feeling left her fingers, the blaster bolt hitting the shadow and deflecting off something into the air.
Anakin rolled to his feet, igniting his lightsaber even as Padmé fired her blaster. He felt the sudden pain as if the knife had entered his own arm, and fought back the sudden flash of fury. How dare someone hurt her! He leapt at the shadow, unable to feel any kind of threat or presence through the Force. He landed a second after Padmé's blaster bolt, but there was no one there. The light from the blue blade illuminated the area near him but it was all quiet. He knelt, examining the ground carefully. There was the imprint of a soft soled shoe in the loose dirt of the flower bed.
Padmé hurried to his side, her arm hanging limply, the blaster now in her off hand. "Did you find anything?"
"Just this," he motioned at the ground.
She frowned down at the imprint, wincing as she accidentally moved her arm. Anakin was at her side in a moment, examining the wound and the blade that still stuck out. She hadn't even bothered to remove it. He shut it off and gently pulled the blade from her arm as she hissed, trying to suppress the pain.
"Are you alright?"
She nodded. "I'm fine. A little bacta and I'll be good as new. We should report this to the palace guards."
Anakin shook his head. "It won't do them any good. I couldn't detect the assassin, Padmé. It didn't feel as if anyone was around and someone who can hide their presence, or lack of presence, so completely from a Jedi is dangerous."
"Whoever it was, they threw that knife at you, Anakin. It was aiming for your back."
His face was grim as he pocketed the blade, but he focused his attention on her arm. Padmé gasped as healing energy swept through her system, knitting torn muscles and flesh, repairing the damaged bone as surely as Bacta. Anakin's face was pale, drawn in the faint light as he hooked his lightsaber back to his belt. "Let's get you inside, Angel. Then I'll find Obi-Wan and tell him what happened."
Padmé tested her arm, feeling the newly healed muscles protest immediately, and gasped. She wrapped her fingers over the bloodied patch on her arm and smiled at him. "You look like you're going to fall over."
He shook his head, but he was swaying on his feet. "Force healing is draining."
She slid under his arm, wrapping her uninjured arm around his waist and hugging him. "You should have waited until we got inside, what if they come back?"
He stopped before they'd gone two steps, turning her towards him to gently cup her face. "I can't stand to have you in any kind of pain, Padmé. It kills me to feel it."
She felt him sway, stumbling a little, and braced her body under his. "Come on, lover. Your report to Obi-Wan can wait until morning. Let's get you to bed."
"Are you going to tuck me in?"
She laughed softly, leading him back into the dark hallways, her eyes scanning each shadow before they passed it. "If you ask really nicely, I might be convinced to stay with you."
His arm tightened about her shoulders as she led him to his room. The corridors were quiet as he palmed the lock. Padmé refused to leave his side as he made to step in, and helped him to his bed. He looked at her, his eyes already dropping from fatigue, as she went and locked the door. His last conscious memory was of her body curling against his as he dropped off to sleep.
"Something's wrong."
Sabé jerked, startled, at the soft voice at her elbow. She turned to face him, her eyes scanning the area even before she registered the action. "What's wrong?"
Obi-Wan's face was grim, withdrawn. "I felt a surge of emotion from Anakin and then nothing. He and Padmé left about five minutes ago, do you have any idea where they might go?"
Sabé fought a blush. Oh, she had an idea alright. From the looks those two had been giving each other... she fought off the thought, feeling disloyal for thinking it. "I... Don't your Force powers give you a general direction?"
"No. I know they're not upstairs. Where else might two young people go?"
"The gardens?" She shrugged helplessly. "There are six different gardens, though. Of course, she still has access to the private garden until tomorrow. She may have taken him there."
He grasped her under the elbow, his words urgent. "Take me there."
She gasped as he led her from the room, fighting the urge to say something completely inappropriate for the moment. She'd always had a sharp tongue, but around him she found it inordinately hard to control. "It's in the furthest corner of the Palace from this party. If they wanted to escape the Jedi, and the people, they'd likely take the unused corridors as much as possible."
Obi-Wan released her as Sabé got her bearings and waved him quickly down a side hallway. It was dark, the passages quiet for all but their footsteps. Sabé felt the hairs on the back of her neck begin to rise and slowly her pace. "Somebody's here."
Obi-Wan, who'd been scanning the area through the Force, looked at her strangely. "Are you sure? I don't sense anything."
Sabé nodded, silently cursing the darkness her eyes couldn't penetrate completely. "I'm a bodyguard for a living, trust me, you know when someone is watching you. This doesn't feel threatening though. At least, not towards you or me."
Sabé continued to search the shadows, unsure if the ripple of movement was from the curtains blowing in the slight breeze or someone moving. "Hello?" She didn't really expect an answer, but she tried anyway.
"If they're after Padmé, I don't think they're going to answer."
"I know, but I had to try. Come on, let's see if we can find Padmé and Anakin, seeing that they're alright will make me feel better."
Obi-Wan nodded, his hand on his lightsaber. Whatever was out there, if indeed something was, seemed to have moved on. Sabé quickened her pace as she headed towards Padmé's apartment. They were quiet as they walked, each keeping an eye out, in their own way, for danger. Sabé's hand stretched out behind her, and Obi-Wan's met it half way. Their fingers laced together like teenagers, they went to find their friends.
The main window in the bedroom opened silently on well cared-for hinges. A slight breeze wafted in over the sleeping figures as a shadow slipped into the room. Unfolding from a slight crouch, the figure blended into the darkness perfectly as it approached the bed. Emerald eyes took in the situation.
The young woman was curled around her young Jedi, her hair spread out across her back and shoulders like a spider web. Fully clothed, she hadn't even bothered to remove her finery. She was more of a living blanket, or so it seemed, to the observer. The young man was holding the woman protectively, even in sleep, her head tucked carefully under his chin. His breathing was deep and even, in time with the woman's, as her fingers gently curled and uncurled on his chest.
The figure shook its head and stepped closer, reaching into one pocket and froze. Voices could be heard in the hallway. The firm lips settled into a determined line as a small device was pulled from a pocket. Flipping switches with a quick thumb, they pulled a small vial from another as they readied the device. Carefully bending over the bed so not to touch the woman, a needle tip caught the moonlight and sparkled.
Moving close the tip was placed against the jugular of the man. He turned his head in his sleep, jerking away from the contact. The needle point came back, looking for the precise place of entry as the voices in the hallway got louder. The woman began to stir, rolling away and knocking the metal injection unit to the floor.
The loud clatter had her sitting upright, reaching under a pillow automatically.
The shadow backed away hurriedly, knowing it'd been seen.
"Hold! Don't move or I will be forced to kill you!"
The shadow bowed to her, making a mockery of the movement before lunging at the window just as she fired. The bolt connected in the back of the shadow's thigh just as they caught the synthrope and broke their fall. Biting back a hiss of pain, the shadow quickly disappeared into the darkness of the floor below.