Pebbles pelted at them from across the station. Tora turned to the entrance of the train station as the steady pattering of footsteps reached their ears. There, fifty metres away, were humans. Her stomach dropped. They found them. Clad in bulletproof vests and bearing arms, the humans stood abreast in dark uniforms, helmets covering any expressions they might have had, including horror or surprise at the two large dragons at the other end of the station. Blinding beams of light shone on them, encircling the Seekers and Tora in orbs of white.

She supposed the ruckus from all the fights eventually reached human ears.

She screeched and sent a jet of fire skywards. It licked the underside of the remaining panes of glass. With a series of tinkling, a heavy shower of glass shards rained on the humans. They yelled, covering their heads.

Noisy stamping from her right informed her that the other entrance was also being surrounded.

"Put your hands in the air!" shouted one of the humans with a megaphone. His voice echoed around the decrepit train station. "Wh-whatever freak of nature you are - we warn you!"

She could have laughed. If Draconae could laugh. This was hilarious. As if gods would bow to ants and their toys.

"Plastic bullets," Damien muttered, his face peaky. "They want to take us in."

"Of course they would," Ross said, scowling. "They found new toys."

"What are you doing?"

Markl flung his arm up at Tora, who tensed, hissing.

"There's a monster right here and you're not going to kill her? There are human lives at stake here!"

"Those humans seemed more preoccupied with us as a whole than with that whopping great dragon," said Carlos, his jaw set.

Tora sucked in a breath, ready to blast them all to hell and back, when her whole body bubbled. To her horror, the ground rushed up to meet her. The fire in her belly extinguished, replaced with a gnawing hunger. She stretched out both hands to catch her fall. The backs of her hand were smooth, dark, and her finger tips had claws. She straightened up gingerly, staring at the palms of her hands.

Guess Draconae are as unsustainable as they say.

"Kill her!" screeched Markl. Tora's stomach did a somersault. Exhaustion racked through her body. She needed more food.

"No," said Ross, giving him a severe look.

"We will open fire-" squawked one of the humans from faraway.

"Why are you doing this?" said Carlos in disbelief. His fists trembled as he stared from the leader to Tora and then back again. "Just because Tora's a demon... after all we've been through. All this for some artefact?"

"Your ignorance has always been such a winning feature, Carlos. I honestly thought that was just a façade - surely nobody could be that dumb - but you proved me wrong."

"Everything has been a lie just so you can get the Artefact," said Damien, his voice shaking. "You're no Lyre. You used us to get the Artefact and to attack the Shifters. We Seekers and the humans were just a means to an end."

"And I know nothing escapes your intellect, Damien." Markl laughed, a chilling noise wholly alien to Tora's ears. "But you aren't clever enough. You were just so glad to have a place where you belonged, to be accepted, to have friends, that you were willing to tell anyone anything. Including how to manipulate your precious computer system. You'd have thought, considering your basic bonds with your parents were so cruelly betrayed, you would be more wary about throwing your trust around again. I guess you aren't as smart as I gave you credit for."

"We were just your pawns."

"Yes, Ross. All along." He tilted his head, an amused smile on his face. "I knew you were seeking an authority figure, someone who appreciated your hard work and would keep on stimulating that dogged keen-to-please personality of yours. So I gave you what you wanted. You've no right to complain."

"But you've no right to play us like that." Ross's face was thunderous. "Any of us."

"Why?" He turned his palms up, his grin spreading wider. "All of us have our needs. Damien wanted acceptance; Carlos wanted company; you wanted a leader; Tora wanted safety. And I wanted the Artefact. We each give and take."

"We were friends."

He burst into laughter. He was nearly doubled over. Ross looked like she'd rather do nothing but strangle him.

"Oh, the innocence of humans! I The world is so much crueller and more stark than that. There are thousands of realms out there, each struggling for power. Humans are eradicating themselves in this world. Billions die every day. And you're upset because of a little friendship?"

Ross seethed. Damien looked on the brink of tears. Carlos remained stunned, his mouth fallen open.

"Like I said, this was all just a symbiotic relationship and now our deal is over - it's time to say goodbye."

The soldiers swarmed from all corners. Tora threw up a forcefield and shoved them back. The first wave stumbled, but the next wave pushed on. Carlos shimmered out of sight with a yell. Ross split into ten copies; the main one kept an eagle-eye on Markl, as if planning her own private attack.

The humans surged, slamming the invisible wall with their batons and the butts of their guns. They were fearful to fire - for now - as the bullets would probably ricochet. More lights shone on them. The sound of helicopters from overhead became a persistent background noise.

A shadow darted behind Tora. She snarled, ready to attack.

"We have to leave," said Cimerus in a low voice. He held up his hand, supporting her shield with his own telekinesis.

"The only thing I'm leaving is your rotting corpse, traitor."

He didn't protest her words but gestured.

"Be realistic. We need to get the Artefact before the Sentinel does. The whole stability of the realms depends on it."

"The realms can kiss my ass. I don't give a crap about them."

"Don't be childish, Lilitha. The last time you were so brash you regretted it."

She felt like she'd been hit in the gut.

"We have time. Just get these humans to back the hell off-"

"There's no way this battle will end any time soon. Look."

Near one of the shattered windows overhead, a portal converged. She swallowed. It was the Shadowling portal - nobody had closed it yet. The black hole grew bigger and bigger and the demons passed through, their black cloaked bodies bristling with excitement at the endless stream of emotions from the lives below. It was a feast of emotions for them.

"We can't block them forever."

"I can't leave them!"

"Humans won't kill your little friends. They're too alien at the moment. Why do you think they're using plastic bullets? Magic powers fascinate these creatures."

As Tora watched, it was obvious the instructions had been 'detain' rather than 'destroy'. The men watched them, aiming plastic bullets at the fake Rosses and Carlos whenever he materialised. Damien huddled nearby, too small to be immediately obvious. His eyes were huge, staring up at the rip in the ceiling. There was no way he could get close enough to seal it.

"Sentinel scum!"

Her attention was wretched to Markl. She'd forgotten about him. In one hand was the golden rod and in the other was the Lyre's blade. He looked smug about the turn of events. Catching the Shifters' eyes, he winked, spun the blade around, and plunged it into the air behind him.

Cimerus, beside Tora, cursed in demon tongue.

Almost without effort, Markl dragged the Veil Cutter along. Through the growing gap there was a world of everlasting winter, with blizzards roaring and endless snowy mountains. Huge shadows lulled about, approaching the rip.

"Frostites!" hissed Cimerus. The name sent a chill to Tora's core. Vague, faraway memories of giants with frozen clubs and unbelievable durability floated in her mind. "Get the Sentinel. We have to leave - there's no saving this world, not even with the Shifter army!"

"No, wait-" Tora's hand closed around her brother's arm. "Damien can close the portal!"

"There's no point. He has a Veil Cutter - he can just make more."

"One less rip can buy us time, Cimerus!"

Ross and Carlos appeared to be nearby and heard her plan. At that moment, the soldiers started yelling. Structures toppled. Foundations weakened by the demons' fights earlier on, escalators and bridges fell, throwing up cloud after cloud of dust and expelling rubble. The soldiers retreated, reforming behind the walls. A space of about twenty metres separated the Seekers and the humans.

"Go, Damien!"

Tora strengthened her forcefield. The humans open fired. One side aimed at where the buildings collapsed and more were sliding down - they'd probably worked out some invisible arms were having a hand in those ordeals - one side fired at the multiple Rosses feigning attacks at the foremost soldiers, and the last side firing straight at them.

Cimerus faced upwards, one trembling hand outstretched. An invisible wall pressed against the Shadowlings near the ceiling, forcing some back through where they came. Their long claws dragged against the telekinetic field, desperate to feed. Some of the Frostites roamed towards them. Another forcefield halted them. Confused, they paused before raising their club and smashing against the telekinesis. Cimerus grunted, sweat falling down his face.

Cimerus was right, although Tora would rather die than admit it. This was unsustainable. There were too many humans who already had seen too much, know too much. Damien hadn't the capacity to wipe all of their memories and there was no adequate explanation for the devastation they'd left behind. It wouldn't have been hard to turn Dracona and kill them all - well, Cimerus could; she didn't have the reserve - but she couldn't bring herself to do that. The Lilitha before banishment might, but not her, now.

A cry caught her attention. Her eyes snapped to the fallen food shop. Carlos lay spread-angled on the floor, head lolling. Ross knelt by his side, her face white. Guns locked on the two.

"I can't hold on for much longer, sister," said Cimerus through gritted teeth. "Get the Sentinel. We have to attain the Artefact, preferably in one piece."

"Ross and Carlos-"

"Get the Sentinel!"

"No! My friends-"

The soldiers fired. Tora threw out a shield, desperation tearing at her heartstrings. The plastic bullets aimed true - and bounced off her shield about a centimetre before hitting Ross. Ross grabbed Carlos under the arms and dragged him away.

A bang tore her attention from the lieutenant.

Behind her, Damien lay in a heap, deathly still. His hands were halfway to his temples, about to close that Frostites gate. Tufty bits of blonde hair stuck out in odd places, his shirt streaked with dirt and dust.

Blood trickled from his chest, seeping through to the back.

The world ground to a still.

Everything came through a muffled pressure in her ears. Cimerus's lipless mouth moved without sound, his forked tongue enunciating words she could not hear. Her arms fell by her side, heavy as lead. Her mouth formed his name; no sound came out.

The speed picked up again.

A pair of strong arms, covered in golden flames, grabbed her, preventing her from sprinting to her friend's side.

"Damien! Damien!!"

Her eyes jumped from Damien's lifeless form to Markl, who leaned against the brick wall. He tapped a gun against his bare thigh, his other hand carelessly dropping a dead soldier onto the floor.

She screamed.

The temperature dropped by at least ten degrees - and it wasn't because of what she'd just seen. Giants stepped through Cimerus's fallen shield, freezing the ground with the merest touch. Long silvery hair fell from their head down the back. Frozen skin stretched, tearing at intervals, across their chests. Icy clouds drifted from their cores.

"You murderer!"

She readied to transform and tear Markl to smithereens.

But he was gone.

"We have to go, Lilitha!"

"No! No! Damien-!"

"-is dead. There's nothing you can do. Move!"

She screamed, incoherent. She pounded against her captor's chest and thrashed against the restraints, but he bore more muscle than her. The unknown person wrestled her, lifting her feet above the ground, and ignored all her roars and shrieks. Bullets continued to soar around them, but none of them mattered any more. Cimerus gestured to the portal. Tora's captor kept her pilled to his side.

Humans no longer mattered. Neither did the Frostites.

All she could see was that lone, thin figure, lying in a pool of his own blood on the platform.

Remember to vote!