//------------------------------// // Chapter 35: Painful Experiment // Story: Child of Mine // by Starscribe //------------------------------// Kyle was frozen for at least a minute, staring through the window. She should probably have adjusted by now to the people around her grandfather not reacting to the strangeness of her appearance. She wasn’t, though. “Pleased to meet you too,” Kara said, speaking before she could. “Or, see you through a wall. We haven’t got to talk to a lot of different people lately, you can guess. It’s cool to talk to somebody else.” Is it that hard to be around me, Kara?  Akiko chuckled politely, though her own interest was clearly focused on the both of them. Mostly on Kyle, actually, or maybe the one she carried on her back. It was hard to tell for sure. “Believe me, I can sympathize,” Akiko said. “Knowing arcane secrets is dark sometimes. The weight of incredible things crushes you down, as you consider how many people your knowledge could help. But you don’t realize the pain you would cause by inflicting that on others. You aren’t in a viewpoint to comprehend the collateral damage, so all you can do is accept the wisdom of those above you.” Edgar tapped his heavy cane to the ground once, causing Akiko to twitch with sudden urgency. “Right, right! Can’t get distracted. We have a purpose here, and exposure must be limited to avoid collateral damage. Without grasping the extent of the impact, I’m afraid I won’t be able to spend much time in the same area. At least until I get a better idea.” “Aren’t you a wizard?” Kyle asked. Probably the wrong word, but that wasn’t an accident. I don’t know more than I should. I’m not studying magic on my own. Of course I trust you, Grandpa. “You have magic already. Why would being near us be dangerous for you?” “Ah, a common misconception.” Akiko seemed almost eager to talk, pacing back and forth in front of the window. She fiddled with something around her neck, maybe a locket or a pocket watch? But why would she be wearing it there? “Many assume that we’re magical ourselves, but that just isn’t the case. I can’t produce magic like you do. I can tolerate far more than humans, in the same way someone who spends many years drinking regularly can tolerate high doses of alcohol.” Does that work the other way? Will Kara and I be in trouble when we go suddenly off this and don’t have it anymore?” “We can discuss the academics of this later,” Edgar interrupted. “I’m sure they’re eager to learn what you can share with them, Akiko. Use your time when I’m not present to exchange that information, please. I would prefer if we used this opportunity more productively.” She stiffened, then bowed towards him. “Apologies, Mr. Harrington. Of course.” The excitement was entirely gone from her face when she turned back, expression resolved. “I have brought with me a construct I believe will be useful for a first experiment. I was hoping you would volunteer, Kara. It’s less likely this will work for Kyle without modifications, but we could test with you instead if you prefer.” Kara stepped forward, eager. “You said it’s more likely to work for me anyway? Sign me the hell up. Kyle understands, doesn’t she?” Kyle retreated from the window, just a little. It wasn’t just Fay squirming on her back that made her nervous. That thing Akiko was wearing wasn’t just a piece of jewelry. There was pressure there, like a storm building, about to break. She couldn’t look directly at it without feeling it push back against her forehead. “I have to join you out there,” Akiko went on. “My employer will remain shielded behind the glass for the duration. Are you okay with me coming out there?” Grandpa’s expression hardened. Are you mad that she asked, or preparing what to say if we refuse? She didn’t find out, because Kara nodded eagerly. “Course, course. We’re not hurt by being around humans. Mom and Dad were close to us for a week, and nothing ever happened.” She looked around, and Kyle followed her gaze. Not far to one side were a few thin cracks in the wall, which almost managed to conceal a door. Except now that they were looking for it, it was obvious. It went right through to the other side of the lab. A moment later and the door opened, hissing with pneumatics. Kyle caught one look of nearly a foot of hardened concrete before it shut again, fake stone face settling smoothly back over the opening.  Akiko approached without safety gear, just as Grandpa had done earlier. She carried nothing, though she’d removed the object from around her neck and now clutched it in one hand. “The idea behind this test is simple,” she went on. “I’ve built something to drain magic from someone. It should start with any active spells. Hopefully this means the transformation affecting both of you can be undone, and you’ll walk away. But you haven’t become the same creatures. Kara, you hold far less magic than your brother. I don’t think my construct will be able to hold the magic from someone as powerful as she is.” Kara shrugged. “Kyle doesn’t mind if I go first, right Kyle? I don’t really understand anything you just said, but I want my hands back. If that’s how to get them, then I’m ready.” “One last thing.” Akiko hesitated, holding the necklace out in one hand. Now that it was close, Kyle could get a better look. It had a sealing section on the front, which sat open. Sparks and little flashes of light shone from inside, as though the woman had somehow managed to capture a particularly bright firefly. “You’ve been used to this spell for a long time. Whatever transformed you, if it’s an active spell at all… it’s tough, and your body is adapting. That means you should expect a little pain when I take it away.” “I don’t care if it hurts,” Kara said, sticking her tongue out. “I’ve made it through three seasons of cheer. Just tell me what to do.” “Hold out your leg,” Akiko instructed. “I’m going to touch the necklace to you. The longer you stay in contact with me, the greater the chances we can disassemble the spell. But if the spell survives, it will probably regenerate using the magic you naturally produce.”  “Got it.” Kara held still as Akiko finally extended the necklace towards her. She stiffened visibly as it touched her, scraping her other three hooves against the cement, though she somehow managed to keep that leg straight. The necklace began to glow, going from a few little flashes to a steady purple, pulsing with its own heartbeat. It grew brighter, and Kara dropped to one knee, like someone tossing a coke bottle onto the stone. It wasn’t just sound, actually. Kyle watched as her leg near Akiko’s necklace seemed less alive by the second. It started reflecting again, a transparent piece of crystal that went completely still. “I c-can’t—” Kara's eyes bulged, silent tears dripping down her face. She shook faintly in place, as though she were a piece of crystal glass placed beside a speaker. Finally she screamed, though her voice cracked into something more like stones grinding together, and had nothing even slightly human in it. Kyle didn’t wait. She lurched, pulling Kara away and leaving Akiko to catch the necklace.  Had Kara always felt so heavy? There was no mistaking her leg, a chunk of carved quartz without a hint of fur to it. She twitched, and the leg barely responded. “It doesn’t look… like that’s curing me.” Akiko closed the necklace with a snap, though it was glowing bright enough now that light radiated out the sides anyway. She took a single step back, lowering her head apologetically. “We weren’t able to dismantle the spell. I’m sorry, I wasn’t sure if it would be enough.” Kyle bent down, watching as color gradually returned through the joint with the rest of Kara’s arm. It spread slowly, making the crystal gradually return to living color. The rest of her grew paler, like someone who had lost a dangerous amount of blood. “I don’t think there’s a spell keeping her like this,” Kyle said, shielding her with a protective wing. Not that she expected Akiko to attack, she looked only apologetic. “It wasn’t the result I was hoping for,” the woman said. “You should return over time, as your magic naturally regenerates. Unfortunate that we’ve lost a useful avenue for exploration, but… Grandpa hadn’t moved. Maybe he just didn’t know enough to recognize the pain Kara was in through the glass, or maybe shielding the magic blocked enough not to see things. The door hissed open, and Akiko passed back through the shield as quickly as she had come. “It wasn’t what we were hoping for from a first experiment,” Grandpa said, without any of the disappointment Kyle might’ve expected. “Does it hurt, Kara?” She nodded. “Like pins and needles, all the way through my leg. Like breaking it…” “We’ll come up with something better next time,” he said, barely seeming to hear her. “I know failure can be disappointing, but it’s all about iteration. Phenomenal success on our first attempt would have been fantastic, but it seems it wasn’t realistic.”  He took a step back, extending his cane towards a button on the wall. “Buzz if you need anything. I’m going to get away from potential exposure in the meantime.” The ceiling began to close, metal sheet rattling down until they were sealed off from the lab all over again. Kara dropped to the ground, staring down at the leg. The joint had returned to life, but the rest of her still looked like rock. “Damn, I thought I knew what hurt was,” she said, staring in horror at the stone that had replaced her leg. “What happened to me, bro? What am I?” “I don’t know,” she squeaked, ears flattening. “Can I do anything to help?” Kara swore under her breath. “Some Tylenol or something, and maybe a pillow to help me get this thing propped up somewhere. It’s so damn heavy.” With the door sealed, Fay hopped off her back, wandering around the largely empty space while Kyle helped her sister onto a dining-room table. Only when she had the mutilated leg up on the table did she finally speak again. “I knew I was screwed up, but damn. We turn to stone when the magic is taken away?” I’m not sure that’s a we thing. Kyle debated whether she would say it at all—maybe her sister would be better off not knowing what she thought. But she wasn’t going to keep anything from Kara, no matter how painful. That wasn’t how trust worked. “When you first changed, you uh… looked a little like your leg does now. I thought maybe you were going to stay like that at first, but it went away after a few minutes. I don’t know what that means… maybe you’re some kind of rock-horse?” Kara ground her teeth together, tapping at the leg with one hoof. It sounded a little like someone knocking drinking glasses together. “Your baby turned me into a rock? And taking the magic away makes it so I can’t move anymore, can’t feel. I’m like the furniture from Beauty and the Beast. Take away the spell, and I’m dead forever. Is that it?” I wish you didn’t put it that way. “It doesn’t mean we can’t fix this,” Kyle said instead. She hesitated, then darted to one side, catching Fay with her magic before she could start playing with the touch screen on the soda dispenser. She held her in her wings, trying to calm her down. “It just means the help won’t come from outside. There won’t be any magic bullet to shoot at the problem and change you back.” “You think Akiko will be able to help you?” Kara asked, sipping at her coke. The color was returning to her leg, so Akiko had been right about that at least. The longer they waited, the more she returned to life. “You could show her your magic practice. Maybe she could speed this up.” Or maybe she’ll tell Grandpa everything he doesn’t already know, and he’ll try to take it away.  Kyle could still picture his face, as Kara screamed and collapsed. He’d watched like he barely even noticed it hurt. Did you know this would happen?