I'm dead.

There was no questioning it now. The gleaming, blood-slick metal of DeVergne's knife descended on him and there was nothing he could do. His head ached; he could barely think. The stolen rifle lay well out of reach.

Oaklynn.

Did she get free?

He would never know. Helpless anger welled inside him as the knife fell.

Then DeVergne stopped. Or more precisely, something stopped him. His whole body jerked violently, like he'd run into some kind of invisible wall. The knife fell from his grasp and clattered to the floor a few inches away. His eyes widened slowly, mouth opening in a silent cry of surprise.

Blood spilled over his lips and down his chin, and a sudden, sickening crunch echoed through the barn. Luke blinked and shook his head, shuffling away until his back pressed against the wooden pillar behind him. Then he tried to make sense of what he was seeing.

In a rough semi-circle behind DeVergne a dozen thick spines of... well, earth, burst from the ground, each one a few inches in diameter, several meters long, and all of them buried into the poacher's body. It was as though he'd been attached to elastic cords and they'd been suddenly snapped taut, halting his progress. The crunching sound came again and Luke let out a yelp of horror has several sharp tips exploded from the front of DeVergne's chest. Blood splattered across the floor of the barn. And Luke's legs.

DeVergne made a horrible, choking sound before his head lolled forwards. His arms dropped and his body sagged limply in the grip of the spikes. Dead.

Their task accomplished, the spines of rock and mud fell away to nothingness. DeVergne's body thumped wetly to the ground, revealing Oaklynn crouched behind him, her body blazing like a supernova, hands rammed deep through the floor of the barn and into the earth below. She raised her head to him.

Her face pulsed with a daemonic glow. Pain etched itself across her face as she stood up, her whole body trembling with effort. Then she convulsed and more of the spikes exploded from the ground around her, spearing up with lightning speed before disintegrating as quickly as they'd appeared. Taking a breath, Luke gripped the pillar behind him and pushed himself into a standing position, trying to make sense of what he was seeing.

"Oaklynn!"

It took him a moment to recognise the voice. He looked to his left to find Gallie Parwood's wrathful form striding free of the melee, her Karkadda visage in full force, blood running down her face from her enormous scimitar of a horn. Her eyes flashed disdainfully at DeVergne's corpse before she turned her attention back to Oaklynn.

"Oaklynn, listen to me!" she bellowed. "You have to let go!"

"What's happening?" Luke shouted, moving up beside her.

"She reached too deep," Gallie replied. "Lost herself in the earth."

"What?"

The Mahar rounded on him. "She's drawing on the raw power of the planet, Luke, and if she can't stop, it will tear her apart!"

"Then what do we do?!"

"I'm not sure there's anything we can do." Gallie's face twisted in thought and she shook her head. "I've only read about this. I never thought I'd ever actually see it. To do this..." She broke off, jaw tight.

He looked back to Oaklynn, a helpless feeling swelling up inside him. The light broiling inside her was so bright it hurt his eyes. Luke raised a hand in front of his his face, staring uncomprehending as the tempest continued to rage.

Oaklynn's body was engulfed in violent light storms now. A strange, crackling sensation buzzed in his ears and goosebumps rose on his skin. His hair stood up, and he realised with a jolt of shock that the very ground around her feet was beginning to crack. The rough floorboards of the barn buckled, splintered and blew apart as the very ground beneath them warped under the power spilling out of her. Through her.

Gallie tried to step forward but a tendril of earth whipped at her, snapping like an angry dog. She let out a snarl of frustration, making a swatting motion with one one hand. The rocky spine fell apart, but she couldn't approach any closer.

"Let me try," Luke said.

"No, Luke, she'll kill you."

"No, she won't." Determination filled him, radiating out from his heart with a certainty that he couldn't rationalise. He just knew it somehow; knew that she wouldn't hurt him. Even with the power of a world raging in her veins, she wouldn't let it hurt him. Not after everything they'd been through.

"Luke, you can't-,"

He ignored her and stepped forward.

With each footstep he felt the crackling, static sensation on his skin increase. At first it was just odd. The closer he got, it started to become painful, but he pressed on. After all he'd gone through to get here, after everything he and his friends had risked to save the Karkadda, he wasn't about to let this tear them apart again. Never again.

Tendrils of spiked earth rose up and lanced towards him with fearsome speed. Luke tensed. Either he was right, or he was about to be turned into a pincushion.

At the last instant the spikes blew apart, showering him with dirt and stones but leaving him unharmed. He exhaled a shuddering breath of relief and force his feet to keep moving, one in front of the other. He moved slowly on the uneven ground, tremors shaking the earth beneath him. Fresh cracks ripped the ground all around him, but the path to Oaklynn remained clear. He squared his shoulders and pressed on.

The pain on Luke's skin was like a fire now, and he fought to ignore the sensation. His head pounded, swimming from the blow he'd absorbed from DeVergne, and from whatever energy was raging in the atmosphere around Oaklynn. He got the distinct impression that whatever this was, humans should probably stay away from it.

But not today.

Gritting his teeth against the pain, he forced himself onward until he stood face to face with her. Oaklynn's eyes were a sightless inferno of blue-white and her body shook with violent spasms. Even through the light he could still see the pain on her face.

"Oaklynn?!" he called. "It's me."

The light on her skin flickered but she didn't reply. He moved closer, the firebrand of pain behind his eyes now almost unbearable.

"Oaklynn! It's Luke!" he shouted, his voice cracking as a sob rose in his throat. He was exhausted, physically and emotionally. He just wanted her back. "Oaklynn, you've got to let go," he said, repeating Gallie's words. "You're safe now, but you've got to come back. I can't lose you. Not again."

This time her eyes flickered. Her lips moved, silent for a moment. Then slowly the words came, sounding as though they were coming from all around him.

"Luke," she said, her voice trembling with the force of an earthquake. "It hurts."

"I know it does," he said. "But it's okay. You can beat this thing. You saved me already – you can let go."

"It's inside me. I don't... I want it out of me."

"Then make it leave."

"Luke?"

"I love you."

A lump rose in his throat and he shook his head. "No, don't you dare give up on us now, Oaklynn, not after everything."

"I don't want to give up," she cried, her body shaking violently. "But I don't know what to do."

He couldn't take it anymore. Ignoring all the pain, Luke took a final step forward and pressed his lips against hers. His hands rose to cup her face, clasping the firm lines of bone that ran down her jaw. For a moment she didn't respond. Then her lips moved, returning the kiss. The burning sensation on every inch of his skin gradually began to lessen. He let his hands trace up along the contours of her face, his fingers sliding through thick, glossy locks of her hair.

Her hands clamped shut around him. Luke felt her fingers digging into his back through the fabric of his hoodie. Their lips parted and she surged forward, hugging him so tightly he could barely breath. He didn't fight it, enveloping her in his arms, wishing all the world-tearing power away. That energy she'd only drawn upon to save his life; she didn't need it anymore.

Give her back, he thought desperately. We've earned that much.

As though someone had flipped a switch, the sun-bright glow suddenly fell away. Luke's eyes snapped open. The pain was gone. His skin tingled and his jaw still hurt, but that was from something altogether more worldly. And somehow it was quiet.

No more gunshots, no more screams. The fighting was over.

Then he felt Oaklynn shaking against him, her whole body trembling with unnerving force. He held her tight, hoping to quell those shakes by his presence. She clung to him, her breath coming in great, sobbing gasps, fingers digging against his back. It took almost a minute before the tremors in her body began to subside.

Oaklynn edged away from him, just far enough to look him in the eye, though her hands remained wrapped around him, holding on tight. Two lines of tears cut down her cheeks, but when she looked into his eyes she smiled.

"Hi," she said, but even that single syllable wobbled violently from the after effects of ... whatever she had done.

"Hey." Luke kissed her forehead. "Are you okay?"

"I... I think so." She let out another short, sharp breath. "I've never felt anything like that."

"You saved my life. Again."

"You saved mine, too."

"Maybe we shouldn't keep score?"

She giggled at that and slumped against him, resting her head on his chest. Luke stroked her hair with one hand and closed his eyes, letting the waves of exhaustion wash over him at last. He rested his chin on her head, leaning on her as much as she leant on him, both of them propping each other up. It all hit them an instant later, and they both sank down onto the ground, still clinging to each other.

It was finally over.

*

The Karkadda took no prisoners.

Luke couldn't exactly blame them for that, but he still grimaced when Gallie Parwood shot the last poacher in the head in cold blood. Oaklynn flinched against him and wearily turned her face to rest against the side of his neck. Luke swallowed hard, wrapping an arm around her and hugging her close as the other Karkadda worked.

He watched with a mix of confusion and fascination as they scattered the bodies around the barn, and left their murdered companions at the far end, next to the metal slab that had served as the killing floor. The dead poachers were strewn among them, creating a gruesome tableau for some reason that he couldn't fathom.

Simon DeVergne would not be hunting Karkadda anymore. The poacher leader had been reduced to a gore soaked rag-doll after Oaklynn's wrath had been visited upon him. Luke watched with a small sense of satisfaction Gallie dumped the man's corpse contemptuously at the base of the metal table, and even from this distance he could feel the rage churning out of the Mahar's body, charging the air around them with its sheer force.

He didn't understand what they were doing, but kept his questions to himself. At the barn entrance he stood with the others, observing as the Karkadda cleaned up the aftermath of the battle, exchanging hushed words, elation of their escape muted by the death of so many of their companions. Kenny, Gabi and Kyan stood awkwardly watching proceedings, unsure of what to say, all of them still processing what they had just been a part of.

"I..." Oaklynn's voice came out hoarse and cracked, like she'd been inhaling smoke for days. "I can't believe you guys came for us."

"Me neither," Gabi murmured. Her bow lay off to one side and he could see her fingers still shaking with adrenaline.

"You okay?" Luke asked quietly.

"I think so." She fidgeted with her lip piercing, jamming her hands into the pockets of her jeans. "I... you know, I killed that guy."

"And saved my life," he said.

Gabi managed a faint smile at that. "I guess I did."

"You saved all of us," Oaklynn told them, easing out of Luke's embrace to look at them. "I don't know how we can thank you."

"Just try and stay out of trouble from now on," Kenny answered wryly. "I think I've hit my quota of heroic gestures for the century."

"Can't believe they were really doing this," Kyan murmured, shaking his head as he watched the Karkadda. "You know, before I got out here I still didn't quiet believe all this. Just a bit too crazy for me."

"And now?"

"It's still crazy, but I'm dealing." He tapped the baseball bat nervously against his thigh. "How many... how many people did you lose?"

Oaklynn sniffed; shrugged. "I'm not sure. Too many. But at least those poachers won't hurt anyone else thanks to you."

"You should thank Kasper," Luke admitted. "If he hadn't escaped and come to find us, we never would have known what was happening. I hate to say it, but he's real reason we managed to stop all this."

"Like I told you," she said, patting his chest. "He's not so bad once you get to know him."

"I guess not."

"Heads up," Kenny whispered. "I think your boss wants a word with us."

Following his gaze, their conversation petered out as they saw Gallie Parwood approaching them. Despite the ordeal, the Mahar looked as imperious and powerful as ever, though she had taken the time to clean the blood from her face after the fighting. Hands clasped behind her back, she strode up to them, flanked by Kasper, Mercy and a few others who Luke assumed were senior members of the Karkadda herd.

She stopped in front of them. Her eyes moved from one person to the next with mechanical precision. The corners of her mouth twitched; almost a smile, almost a scowl.

"Well, I think we owe you a great deal of thanks," Gallie began. "You risked a lot coming to help us."

Luke smiled; nodded and hugged Oaklynn close again. Gallie's eyes flickered briefly to them.

"So, you all know... well, everything now?"

Kyan raised a hand. "Err, I'm still pretty new to this."

That extracted a laugh from the Mahar. "Quite a shock to the system, isn't it?"

"Yeah, you could say that."

"Well, you know now, and nothing anyone does is going to change that." She started pacing back and forth thoughtfully, brow furrowing. "This does present some problems, but, given that you all risked your lives to help us, I feel like it would be a little ungrateful to hold it against you."

"I keep a secret as well as the next guy, ma'am," Kenny piped up, giving her a bobbing nod.

The Karkadda leader smiled at that. "I hope so." Her shoulders slumped in a sigh and she shook her head. "I have lived a long time with the understanding that humans need to stay out of our world. Today that could have gotten us all killed."

For the first time Luke was shocked to hear a level of uncertainty in Gallie's voice. Discomfort crackled the air around them, and he realised she was now grappling against her own beliefs, beliefs she had been responsible for enforcing for god-only-knows how long. Now that rigid world view had been upended, for human and Karkadda alike.

"We'll need some time to decide how we... manage this going forward," she said eventually and her eyes moved back to Luke and his friends. "For now, I would appreciate it if you all could keep what you saw here to yourselves."

"Of course," Luke answered, glancing at the others. They nodded their agreement. Right now nobody wanted to rock the boat.

"Oaklynn," Gallie continued. "I think I owe you an apology."

"I... no, no, you don't," Oaklynn burbled awkwardly. "You know, things happen. It was all pretty crazy."

"Nevertheless, I think I judged you too quickly. Perhaps we could all do with being a little more free-spirited." She stared at Luke and Oaklynn, one boot tapping against the ruptured floorboards. "I'm still not convinced that... this-," she made a vague gesture to them with one hand, "is a good idea, but I will not stand in your way any longer. I think you've earned that much."

"Mahar," Mercy interjected with a respectful dip of her head. "I'm grateful for their help too, but are you sure about this? If word of this gets beyond Lasquette-,"

"I've made my decision," Gallie said sharply.

A moment of tense silence hung in the air for a moment. Mercy exchanged looks with a couple of the other Karkadda in the group. An older male shook his head. Mercy sighed and straightened up. No more objections were forthcoming.

Then the keen of a siren sounded faintly in the distance.

"Guess Ally managed to convince the sheriff to take a look out here," Kenny chuckled nervously. He cleared his throat, giving a bobbing nod to the Mahar. "Hey, so, happy to help you guys out and everything, but I really think we should, you know, not be here when the cops show up."

Gallie looked up, pursing her lips in thought. Then she glanced at Mercy and gave the other Karkadda a nod.

"Make sure everything's arranged."

Mercy nodded and scurried off with the other Karkadda in tow. Kasper turned to follow her but Gallie caught him gently by the arm.

"I have another job for you," she said, inclining her head to Luke and the others. "Get them back to the campus, away from prying eyes."

Kasper nodded. "No problem."

"What about you?" Gabi blurted, pointing out into the woods in the direction of the sirens. "What are you going to tell the cops?"

"This isn't the first time I've had to keep our presence here a secret," Gallie replied calmly. "I'll deal with the sheriff, but it would be better for all of us if he doesn't know you were involved in all this. Now go."

With that, she turned away and strode back over to where the other Karkadda were still arranging the bodies. Small flickers of light danced across the barn floor; some of the Karkadda touched hands to the earth – others touched bodies. Luke realised that Gallie's cover-up had already been underway long before they heard the first sirens.

"Alright then," Kasper began, moving over to stand in front of them. "Make sure you've got all your gear – don't want to leave anything for the sheriff to find."

"What's she going to do?" Kyan asked.

"She'll give Nalen an explanation," the Karkadda answered simply. "Don't worry about it. Gallie knows what she's doing."

"Kasper," Oaklynn piped up, extracting herself from Luke's grip. "Thank you."

He shrugged bashfully. "Well, what was I going to do?"

Oaklynn stepped forward and hugged him tight. "You did do it, that's that point. You saved a lot of lives today."

She released him again and moved back to lean gratefully against Luke, hooking both arms around his waist and resting her head on his shoulder. Kasper looked at them, his blue eyes dancing from Luke to Oaklynn and back again. He took a deep breath.

Then he managed a weary smiled.

"You're alright, Luke," he said, clapping him on the shoulder as he walked past. "Now, c'mon. Let's get you guys home."