It was impossible to know for certain how much time had passed in the dark hold of the ship. She had tried to mark the passage of time by the schedule of her meals, but food and water came so sporadically that she wasn't sure there was a schedule at all. The Conduit speculated that it had been around a week since the assassins had carted her aboard the small metal ship and brought her below deck to the small cell she was occupying.
Since her meals had no schedule, she tried to measure time by how weak she felt. With little food or water, her energy and strength had depleted greatly, adding to the draining misery the Binds and continued chi-blocking held her in. By the time she was finally given more food and water and a bucket with which to relieve herself, she could barely hold her own head up.
The only time there was light was when an assassin came to bring her food or water—a humiliating endeavor, really. The Conduit wasn't sure which was worse: being spoon-fed like an infant, or lapping at her food and drink like a polar bear dog.
They seemed to keep the hold intentionally dark, perhaps so that she couldn't find a weakness in its structure and attempt to escape. The Conduit thought that the idea of escape was rather pointless. Her hands were still bound with the Bindings, and her ankles were roped together. And as an added precaution, they had shackled her wrists over the Bindings with heavy iron chains and attached her to a rung in the wall on a short chain. Even if she could get to her feet, she wasn't going to get far.
Perhaps they meant to disorient her with the darkness. Little did they know that she found comfort in the shadows.
The Conduit lamented on how she had never experienced powerlessness like this. In her whole century of life, she had always been at her peak, and had never been bested by an opponent. But it seemed that not only had she underestimated the Kage Noshi and Princess Azula, she had overestimated herself. Somewhere along the way, the Conduit had come to believe that no one could overpower her. Her arrogance had led to her downfall. She knew that however long she had left to live, be it a day or another century, that she would never forget this moment. It was aggravatingly humbling.
She would never make this mistake again.
If she made it out of here, of course. The Conduit didn't know what lay in store for her in the Fire Nation, and the Kage Noshi were being tight-lipped about it. Maybe even they didn't know. The only thing she knew that offered any sort of control over her were the Bindings, those mystical shackles made by a mage centuries ago that now chafed against her skin. She only had a vague idea of how they worked, but she knew firsthand now that they did.
She heard a door scrape open nearby as someone entered the hold. The Conduit raised her head and strained to see through the darkness. Lightweight boots whispered across the metal flooring, and she saw a steady orange glow. The Conduit frowned. The firebenders had been coming to feed her, and always illuminated their path with flames in the palms of their hands.
When the figure stepped into her line of sight, she immediately recognized the shape. Kurai.
She hadn't spoken to him since their conversation in the woods. He hadn't brought her food or water since then, and any issues regarding her had been passed through the other assassins. The Conduit couldn't help but feel like he was avoiding her, but she couldn't fathom why. Had their conversation unsettled him as much as it had unsettled her?
Between pondering over what Princess Azula had in store and the various ways in which she was going to kill her and all of the Kage Noshi, the Conduit had also been replaying that conversation in her head.
She had been so assured of her own convictions. For a century, she had told herself that she alone had made her choices. But the recent events...the unfolding of the prophecy...had the Conduit doubting herself. She hadn't questioned it until she had witnessed Kurai's confusion at her explanation. It had gotten under her skin, and seeped into her thoughts when she wasn't otherwise preoccupied.
After killing Tatsuya's lover, she had thought that choosing to seek solitude in the frozen tundra of the South Pole was of her own volition, but now she was beginning to doubt that. Her reasons for leaving had seemed to make sense at the time, and the Conduit truly believed she had left because she didn't want to follow Tatsuya's path.
He had warned her of the power love had over a person, even someone like them, and she had known she didn't want to be subjected to the same. He had encouraged her to leave.
The Conduit's eyes widened in realization as Kurai came to stand in front of her cell. She looked up into his masked face, the light of the lamp casting deep shadows as a chill ran through her.
Tatsuya knew. That was the only explanation. Her predecessor knew about the prophecy. He knew, even before the war began and before his death, that the Avatar would disappear. Somehow, he knew she needed to disappear as well. He had nudged her all throughout her youth, whispers in her ear about the lover who had betrayed him, about how she needed to avenge him. His guidance had followed her through her training under the Kage Noshi until that cold winter night when she had left on a journey of revenge, never to return.
She cursed her inability to commune with her past lives in that moment. When I get out of these Binds, we're going to have a long talk, Tatsuya, the Conduit thought darkly.
"You look like you've seen a ghost." Kurai's gravelly voice cut through her reverie, and the Conduit blinked owlishly.
"I'm fine," the Conduit snarled. She was anything but, and she was sure the assassin knew it.
It was impossible to gauge his thoughts or feelings behind the mask, and Kurai's body language didn't betray him, either. Instead he hung the lantern on a hook outside of her cell and reached into his tunic for the keys. She realized he was carrying a tray of food. The Conduit watched him closely. Was he going to talk to her like he did in that mangrove forest? She wasn't sure she could handle that at the moment.
He paused with the key hovering just outside of the lock. "If you move—"
The Conduit mentally rolled her eyes. "Yeah, I know how it goes." She didn't move from her position on the damp floor of her cell.
Kurai studied her briefly before he nodded once, more to himself than to her. He slid the key into the lock and turned it. The tumblers fell into place with a clank, and he pulled the door open. Kurai stepped inside and shut it behind him.
The space was small, and even shackled, if she hadn't been so weak the Conduit could have attacked him. But she could barely raise her head to look at him. The Conduit wasn't sure how the princess was going to put her to use before the Equinox.
Kurai crouched down and set the tray of food on the floor between them. He picked up the cup and held it out to her. The Conduit considered it for a moment. Her tongue was puffy and dry, and a drink sounded lovely right about then. Her eyes flickered to the assassin. She briefly wondered if he enjoyed seeing her like this, if he was that depraved.
"I'm not going to sit here all night," Kurai snapped.
"Oh, don't let me inconvenience you," she retorted, her tone as scathing as she could manage. Her voice was hoarse and it cracked painfully, diminishing the effect.
But she pushed her head toward the cup and Kurai brought it to her lips. The Conduit drank greedily. She had been expecting water, but to her surprise, it was tea. Jasmine, if she wasn't mistaken, and not bad—though that could have been the dehydration talking.
"How much longer until we reach the shores of the Fire Nation?" The Conduit asked when he pulled the cup back. She didn't expect him to answer.
But he surprised her when he did. "A few more days." His voice was quiet, almost a murmur. He scooped a bite of rice onto a set of chopsticks and held it out to her. "Then you'll be Princess Azula's problem."
The Conduit got the feeling that he didn't like the princess very much. She wondered if she could use that to her advantage.
"And what, exactly, does she have planned for me?" she inquired after she had swallowed the food.
"That, I don't know." Kurai offered her another bite of food. "Nothing good, I'm assuming. She was very adamant that we bring you back alive."
"What's the master plan?"
Kurai didn't answer for a long moment. The Conduit wanted to push him, but instinct told her to wait. He fed her several more bites and another drink of the tea before he replied, though it wasn't much of an answer.
"I think we both can imagine."
The Conduit could. She had stayed hidden through the years, but she had always paid attention. She knew that the princess was meant to become the Fire Lord after her father decimated the Earth Kingdom. It didn't take a genius to figure out that was what she still wanted.
"And the former Fire Lord?" The Conduit drawled.
The assassin shrugged. He picked up the tea and held it to her again. The Conduit thought he was just trying to avoid the question.
"Her father is powerless. Do you think she's going to betray him?" The Conduit asked.
"Maybe."
The Conduit chuckled. She couldn't help it. "Oh, the tangled webs we weave," she chortled. The movement tugged uncomfortably on her stiff arms, held in their awkward position behind her back. "Though it does make a modicum of sense, doesn't it? What kind of Fire Lord would Ozai be now that he's without his bending? I'm surprised Azula didn't think of that years ago."
"The princess is…" Kurai trailed off. He huffed out a breath as he held the chopsticks out to her again. "Crazy. And I don't use that term lightly, but spirits…"
"I've heard all about how she lost her mind at the end of the war."
"No. The rumors don't even compare to the real thing." Kurai shook his head. "She sees things that aren't there. People. Her mother, and her brother. It's unsettling."
The Conduit digested that. She hadn't known that. But then again, very little was known about Princess Azula after the end of the war. Once she had escaped, any word of her had ceased.
"Why are you telling me all of this?" she asked.
Again, the assassin didn't answer for several long moments. The Conduit continued to eat and drink what he offered her, and she continued to watch him closely. He was a professional though, and his body language betrayed nothing. But she could smell something in his blood. It wasn't quite fear, but it was close.
"I thought I'd be nice and prepare you for what's coming," he said at last, and now the Conduit knew he was lying. She just wasn't sure about what.
"How thoughtful of you," she murmured, her tone lacking the sarcastic bite she'd intended for it to have. She pierced him with her gaze. "But there's more to it than that, isn't there?"
The masked face stared back at her. "The princess is playing with fire," he said quietly. "She doesn't know it, and she's too far gone to listen to rational thought. She thinks she can control you, and use this...prophecy...to her advantage."
"Are you saying she won't be able to control me?"
"I'm saying that there are some things you just shouldn't interfere with. Destiny is one of them." Kurai grabbed the tray and stood.
"I did," she reminded him.
"And look where it got you." Kurai opened her cell door and stepped back out into the hold. He locked the door behind him. "Can you imagine how things could have been if you hadn't left?"
The Conduit pressed her lips into a thin line. She couldn't tell him that she wasn't so sure she hadn't left for a deeper reason than what she had always believed.
"The Fire Nation might have actually won the war." He scoffed, his tone colored with disbelief. "How different things would be."
"It was never meant to happen that way." The Conduit looked up at him. "Things are happening exactly how they were meant to. Now you need to decide what role you're going to play."
Kurai barked out a harsh sound that was nearly a laugh. "If you're suggesting I set you free and betray the princess, you're as crazy as she is."
The corner of her lips quirked up in a wry smirk. "It was worth a shot."
Blue flames crackled before the throne. The rest of the room was bathed in darkness. Shadows danced in the blue light, and Azula watched the shapes that formed there, wondering if they were real or if they were in her mind.
Zuko appeared before her, just beyond the blue flames. He wore a simple tunic and pants, his hair out of its topknot and falling into his eyes. He looked like he did on the day of the Agni Kai.
Azula narrowed her eyes at him. "You can't take this throne from me, brother. It's mine."
"You can't claim what isn't yours," he replied coolly.
Azula hissed as she leaned forward, hands curling over the arms of the seat. Her nails dug into the wood, scoring it, but she didn't notice.
"You're dead," Azula spat at him. "My assassins killed you! This throne is mine by birthright! You can't take that away from me!"
Zuko stepped up onto the dais. The flames cut around him without scorching him at all. He stood before her, looking down at her once again. Azula resisted the urge to stand up just so he didn't seem so huge.
"If you think I'll give it up so easily, you're making a mistake, Azula." Zuko folded his hands behind his back and moved slowly, walking around the throne until he stood behind it. Azula sat completely still, her back rod-straight. A drop of sweat rolled down her spine. His voice appeared right beside her ear and she jumped. "Would you like a rematch for our Agni Kai?"
Azula whipped her head to the side, glowering at him from the corner of her eye. Zuko stood behind the throne smirking down at her. She would wipe that smirk right off of his face!
"You couldn't win it on your own last time, brother," she sneered. "What makes you think next time will be any different? You don't even have your precious little water tribe whore here to fight the battle for you."
"Azula, what would Mother say if she heard that sort of language?" Zuko tutted at her in disapproval, wagging his finger at her like she was a child.
She gritted her teeth. Where was his explosive anger? His rage? Why weren't her words affecting him?
Because he's dead, and he's not really here, a voice whispered in her head. That voice sounded suspiciously like their mother.
You're sick, Azula, another voice said. This one sounded like her brother, when they were children.
Azula looked down at the burns on her wrists. They were bandaged now, and the palace physician came by daily to apply a salve to them. They had gone too long without treatment, the wizened old man had told her. They were going to leave a scar.
How is that for irony, Zuzu? Azula thought as she ran her fingers over the wrappings.
Suddenly, there came a knock at the grand doors. Azula narrowed her eyes, wondering who dared to disturb her after she had specifically asked for no intrusions, unless it had to do with the Conduit. Unless…
"Come in." Azula straightened on the throne. She needed to look regal, like she belonged on that throne. She knew she belonged there, but she had to show everyone else she did.
The doors cracked open, and Ukano slipped inside. He was carrying a scroll. "Word from Kurai, your Highness." He bowed low to her.
"Bring it to me."
Ukano crossed the room. He knelt down on the ground before the flame-lined dais. Azula stood up and killed some of the flames before she snatched the missive from his hand. She sat back down on her throne and looked up at the man with distaste.
"You're dismissed." She waved him off with one hand, ignoring the ache in her wrist as she did so.
"Yes, your Highness." Ukano backed out of the room and left with one final bow.
Azula opened the note and read it quickly, a cruel smile curving her lips. Her plans were getting back on track, it seemed. Kurai would be arriving with the Conduit in three days' time. After that, she would be able to take control of the Conduit and ensure her place on the throne.
Even her brother's pathetic friends wouldn't be able to stop her.
Her brother stood just beyond the flames again. The blue light made his scar darker, almost black. His golden eyes glittered. He looked...fearsome. And so much like their father that Azula was repelled by him. But Azula refused to admit that she was afraid of him. She wasn't afraid of anything.
"It's almost a shame you weren't here to see me reclaim my throne," Azula drawled. She smirked at him.
Zuko watched her and said nothing.
The Conduit awoke to rough hands grabbing her arms and legs. She opened her eyes and found her cell was filled with Kage Noshi assassins. A firebender illuminated the space with a flame burning in the palm of his hand.
"Check her chi." She recognized Kurai's gruff voice, although he stood outside of her cramped cell.
The chi-blocker didn't even bother to check her chi points. He just jabbed out in quick succession. The Conduit sagged into the arms of the men holding her. She heard the clank of the lock as her shackles were unchained from the wall. Two of the assassins gripped her arms with bruising strength and maneuvered her out of the cell.
Kurai stood on just the other side, his arms crossed over his chest. He hadn't come back to see her since their last conversation. That had been...two days ago? Three days ago? The Conduit wasn't sure, but that was her best estimation.
The assassins carried her out of the hold of the ship. The pale golden light of early dawn was blinding and the Conduit blinked against the assaulting brightness. She had spent too much time in the dark of the hold, and it was painful to open her eyes.
On the deck was a cage made of iron bars sitting atop a cart. Beasts like the one the Fire Lord and the Water Tribe Princess rode were ready to pull it. She knew that they must be close to their destination now.
The assassins dragged her to it and threw her inside. The Conduit landed hard on her side, her head smacking against the metal floor hard enough that stars burst in her vision. She was too weak to move, so she lay where they left her. The assassins shut the door behind her and locked it. From one prison to another, she thought drily.
Kurai came out of the hold and crossed the deck to where she was. He approached her cage and looked down at her. "Welcome to the Fire Nation," he said.
"Is Princess Azula going to roll out the welcome mat for me?" she bit out.
The assassin leader chuckled. "Oh, there won't be any fanfare for you." He gripped one of the bars in his hand and leaned closer to her. "I'm just glad you're no longer going to be my problem."
"Oh, please. We both know that once you hand me over, you won't be able to stop thinking of me. You'll be busy wondering if the Fire Nation will do as good of a job at keeping me subdued. Wondering if they'll slip up. If I'll escape. Wondering when I'll finally come for you. Because I will come for you," she spat.
Kurai released the bar and stood up. "Let's go. We don't want to keep the princess waiting."
The Conduit smirked to herself. She knew that she had just gotten into his head, even if she couldn't see his facial reaction. And she was glad. She wanted him to think of her every moment of every waking day. Wanted him to wonder how and when she would end him. She hoped she stole every moment of his restful sleep until the day she came for him.
Then, just as suddenly as it had come, the light was gone as a dark tarp was thrown over her cage. Shrouded in darkness once more, the Conduit closed her eyes. She wondered where Hiei was. Surely, he had to be close.
She heard Kurai give the command, and she heard the crack of the whip. The beasts bellowed, and the cart beneath her gave a groan as it began to roll forward. She slid towards the front of the cage at the sudden incline as the cart left the ship.
After a while, the Conduit inched her way into a sitting position. It took a lot of effort, and she was left panting with sweat slicking her skin. She had heard of the Fire Nation's humidity and heat, and already she disliked it. She reclined her head on the metal bars and closed her eyes.
Hiei, if you can hear me, I'm sorry I couldn't stop this.
Her cat-dragon didn't respond, and she pressed her lips into a thin line. He couldn't be dead. Surely, she would be able to sense that, even with her spiritual energy as sapped as it was. They were too connected.
It was a slow procession to their destination, but the Conduit made sure to pay attention to her surroundings: the smell of rotting fish meant they were by the harbor, the smell of roasting meat and flower blossoms meant they were near a market, and the sounds of brooms against cobblestone signaled they were likely near some sort of shop or restaurant.
The Conduit tried to think of a plan. She knew that they would have to take the Binds off sooner or later. Her powers were useless as long as she wore them. She would go along with whatever plans they came up with until an opportunity presented itself for her escape. At which point, she would summon all of her power and destroy Princess Azula, Kurai, and anyone else who stood in her way.
She became aware of the fact that the cart was moving uphill. She frowned as she tried to recall what she knew of the Fire Nation capital. She assumed that was where she was, as it only made sense. If Princess Azula was going to claim her brother's throne, she would have to do it from Capital City. And if the cart was moving uphill, that meant they were climbing towards the heart of the city, in the Caldera, where the royal palace lay.
A shiver went through her. If they were going to the palace, the Conduit assumed that meant that Princess Azula had already overthrown her brother and had claimed the throne for herself.
If Azula was already on the throne, that meant she didn't need the Conduit to take over. Which meant the princess was going to keep the Conduit, like a puppet on a string, so no one would dare challenge her. Things were not looking good for the Conduit.
After what felt like at least an hour of traveling, the cart came to a stop. The Conduit could hear voices. It sounded like Kurai speaking with an unfamiliar voice.
"...she's chi-blocked and weak. Where does the princess want her?"
"She's got something set up. Let's get going."
Suddenly, the tarp was ripped off of the cage and the Conduit was once again blinded by the sunlight. She squeezed her eyes shut before she opened them again and took in her first look at the royal palace.
They had stopped in some courtyard. Wide steps led up to the mouth of the palace, and tall walls surrounded the large building. Guards stood posted along the parapet and battlements, their eyes turned away from the scene below. The Conduit turned back to her captors. Kurai was speaking with an older man with graying hair. The rest of the Kage Noshi stood, watching her or waiting for the next order. Fire Nation soldiers and men in green uniforms, clearly from the Earth Kingdom, were also gathered.
Kurai approached her cage and gestured to some of his men. They flanked him, and then the leader of the assassins was unlocking her cage and grabbing for her.
Instinct won over her rationality for the first time since she was captured, and with a strength she didn't know she still possessed, the Conduit thrashed against Kurai. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders, pinning her arms between his body and her back as he swore loudly. The others closed in on her and the Conduit brought her bound legs up and kicked one of them in the chest. The man went flying back across the courtyard.
"Hey now!" Kurai roared in her ear. "You've been good all this time, what gives?"
The Conduit shrieked in fury, an inhuman sound that tore her hoarse throat raw. She flailed against Kurai, her legs still lashing out at anyone who came close. But she was no match for the assassin leader in her weakened state, and as her breath dragged harshly into her lungs and a sweat broke out across her brow, the Conduit felt her strength give out. She slumped against him, her head falling forward onto her chest.
"That's better," Kurai growled. "Let's not try that again, shall we?"
The Conduit threw her head back. Stars burst in her vision as the back of her skull contacted the hard metal of the Kage Noshi mask, and she heard the crunch of bone beneath it. But it did not have the desired effect: rather than letting her go, Kurai's hold on her tightened until his fingers dug into her arm hard enough to bruise.
"You bitch!" Kurai bellowed.
She felt his blood drip from below the lip of his mask and onto the back of her neck. She grinned in satisfaction. She would have laughed, if she had the energy.
His assassins stood there in shock, unmoving. The Fire Nation guards and the green-robed men watched dumbly.
"Don't just stand there! Get her secured!" the grey-haired man snapped, and then there was a flurry of motion as all of the men standing around rushed forward to contain her.
"Consider that a taste of what I have in store for you, Kurai," the Conduit hissed.
Two assassins gripped her arms and forced her onto her knees. The Conduit sank to the ground willingly enough. The fight had gone out of her as her strength diminished, but she had proven something. Even bound and powerless, she could still spill blood.
They bound her ankles and wrists together with heavy shackles, and a metal mask was slid over her face. It covered her mouth and nose, so she couldn't bite anyone, she presumed. Then she was hauled bodily to her feet, and, held by two burly assassins, was marched toward the palace. A group of Fire Nation soldiers and a band of the green-robed men followed.
The Conduit held her aching head up high as she was marched through the doors of the royal palace, ready to meet her fate.
Her fate, as it turned out, was being carted into the palace and taken down a maze of halls and flights of stairs until she was led into a small windowless room. The room was devoid of furnishings except for a metal table with restraints in the center, and a cabinet along one wall.
Her jailers carried her to the table and attached her shackles to a metal rung on the floor beneath it before forcing her to lay down on the table on her stomach. Leather straps were secured around her shoulders, back, hips, thighs, and ankles, nearly too tight to breathe and far too tight to move. And with her arms pinned behind her, the Conduit was uncomfortable, to say the least.
"I hope you're comfortable," one of the Fire Nation soldiers jeered at her. "The princess—well, I suppose she's the Fire Lord now—will be with you shortly."
Then they left, laughing as they went. The Conduit strained her ears to hear the sound of their retreat, but she was certain some of them remained to watch over her. Not like she was going anywhere.
The Conduit counted the passage of time with the beats of her heart, and when she surmised an hour had passed, she heard new footsteps outside of her prison. The steps were light, but confident. There was an exchange of words between the newcomer and the guards, and then the door opened and the Conduit got her first look at the cause of all of her misery.
Princess Azula was not exactly what she was expecting. She wore a black tunic under a black leather vest and dark pants, identical to the Kage Noshi. Her raven hair, the same shade as her brother's, was pulled back into a fraying topknot. Her golden eyes were narrow slits, and her lips were curled into a feral smile. The Conduit could see white bandages wrapped around the princess's wrists. Had she been hurt during her takeover? The Conduit hoped so.
A second person followed her inside. The Conduit scowled at the Kage Noshi assassin. As far as she could tell, it wasn't any of the ones who had been with Kurai.
"So, you're the almighty Conduit, then." Azula strolled into the room casually, her eyes combing over her prisoner. "I have to admit...this is a little anticlimactic. I was expecting something more...well, impressive."
"Take these Binds off and I'll show you how impressive I am," the Conduit snarled.
Azula chuckled. "Oh no, that isn't going to happen." She came to a stop beside the table and leaned over the Conduit. "Instead, I'm going to make you my puppet. And there isn't a damn thing you can do about it."
She turned on her heel and headed for the chest of drawers.
"How?" the Conduit bit out. "Without my powers, I'm of no use to you."
Her heart was pounding in her chest. She wasn't afraid, not yet, but she was worried. Very worried.
"You're correct. That's why I've spent many long hours researching. How much do you know about chi?" Azula glanced back over her shoulder. When the Conduit didn't respond, the corner of her lips quirked up. "Chi is quite fascinating. It's what gives benders their ability to manipulate the elements. It's a form of spiritual energy. Everyone has it, but only some of us are blessed with the ability to actually use it."
The Conduit watched the princess wordlessly. She appeared to be in a state of lucidity, and the Conduit wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing.
"And just like most forms of energy, it can be manipulated." The princess turned back. In her hand she held a long, menacing object. "It can be tapped into, accessed...controlled."
For the first time in her life, the Conduit felt a cold shiver of fear run through her.
Azula walked slowly across the room, like a predator stalking her prey. "Chi pools in the body in certain locations. These are known as chakras. Are you familiar with them?" She paused for a moment before she carried on. "These chakras are rich with chi, just bursting with the stuff. And they're powerful little things, too. If I can tap into them just right, with the right tools, then I can tap into you."
The Conduit watched Azula approach her. She tried to glower at her, but the Conduit could only feel the icy-hot pull of fear in her belly. Everything inside of her was screaming at her to run, but she was frozen in place.
"But wait, there's more." A malicious smile curved the princess's lips. "While tapping into your chi will be great fun for me and a lot of horrible pain for you, sadly, it's not enough to make you obedient. But as I'm sure you know, the Kage Noshi employs people with several...talents that are valuable in their line of work. Aside from being skilled assassins, some are remarkably skilled in mind control."
The Conduit looked over at the Kage Noshi assassin. She swallowed hard.
Azula's smirk widened. "That's how I'm going to control you. Let's begin, shall we?"
The needle plunged into the Conduit's flesh at the base of her spine. White-hot pain lanced through her, and for the first time in her life, she screamed in agony.