Where Fires Dare to Burn

Chapter 29 - The Deepest Deep End

For a moment Luke could only stare in shock. Kenny looked down at the wound, and up at him again in a panic.

"Luke, what...?" He groped desperately for the words.

A groan from Kasper yanked Luke out of his stupor and set his mind racing. He dropped down to his knees at the Karkadda's side, sweeping his hoodie off and jamming it forcibly against the gaping wound in the boy's side. Kasper let out a ripping howl of pain and crimson light rippled and flashed across his skin. The ridges of bone seemed to swell then fade away. In his current state he didn't seem to have much control.

"Luke!" Kenny barked.

"Just hang on," he hissed, before turning his attention to the wounded Karkadda. "Kasper, look at me."

With an effort, Kasper turned his head, trying to focus. His eyes flickered and sparked, like something inside his skull was short-circuiting.

"What happened?" Luke asked.

"The fire," Kasper rasped. "The poachers... I got away but the others-," He broke off coughing, and hacked out a gob of thick blood.

"God damn," Kenny cursed, flinching. "Luke, what are we gonna do?"

Luke pressed down harder against the wound, attempting to stem the bleeding as he tried to think. The impact of the Karkadda's words him him like a mudslide. Poachers. I got away. A lot of others hadn't. He could only guess at the full version of events, but his thoughts flashed immediately to Oaklynn. She was out there somewhere in the flames, and now Kasper was his only chance of finding her.

Kasper's eyes rolled and he convulsed for a moment, before shuddering and going limp in Kenny's grasp. His chest rose and fell with shallow breaths. From somewhere behind him he could hear a tiny voice shouting something.

It took him a moment to realise the voice Kyan, still on the other end of Gabi's phone. He looked back to see her scoop it up from the ground and raise it hesitantly back up to her ear. She flinched back as the full volume of Kyan's frantic words hit her. She opened her mouth, trying to find the words to explain what was happening.

"It's okay," Gabi managed eventually. "We're okay. Just... just give me a second, alright?"

Kasper let out a strangled howl of pain and twisted violently again. Luke slipped, losing his pressure on the wound, and in that instant his Karkadda heritage wrenched itself forth, the horn driving up out of his forehead with frightening speed. Only Kenny's reactions stopped him from getting skewered through the shoulder as he jerked back with a cry of surprise. He rolled away; Kasper thumped to the floor with a groan. As soon as it had come the horn receded and his skin shifted back to normal.

Risking a glance at the wound, Luke gulped down the bile that rose in his throat. It wasn't bleeding as much anymore – at least he didn't think so – but there was still a ragged gash that ran almost the entire length of Kasper's torso. Motes of light flickered and flashed around the wound, as though his body was trying to repair itself. Steeling himself, Luke edged forward and pressed the blood-soaked hoodie over the wound again.

"Kasper," he barked. "Stay with us."

"He needs a doctor!" Gabi dropped into a crouch beside him and hissed, "For God's sake, Luke, we need to call an ambulance before he drops dead in front of us!"

"We can't take him to a hospital like this," Luke countered, shaking his head. "Look! He's changing every other second."

"So what?!"

"So what? If the Karkadda were pissed that I knew about them, how do you think they'll react if we dump him into a hospital and announce it to the world? Once they realise he's... different, who knows what might happen to him!"