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area where we can… choose where we need to go.”
    “So it’s not working?”
    “It appears not to be,” he grounds out.
    His anger is practically pouring off him in waves, therefore I instinctively take a step back from him. Although, without any pushing from me, Ival loses it. He growls, shouts, and then proceeds to punch up the wall to our side. His injuries obviously aren’t ailing him now.
    “Do you really think you should—?”
    He cuts me off, screaming in his own language, and I take another step back from him. Perhaps this is where we should split and go our separate ways. Ival can stay here throwing his tantrum, or get caught and die for all I care. I need to find Marduke, and while I’m at it, I’m going to find Hannah, Logan, and Lisa, too. Piece of cake, right?
    “Mattie?” I hear Marduke shouting my name in the distance, and I glance wildly around for him.
    “Marduke!” I yell back, my eyes scanning the area around me. I am desperate to see him.
    As soon as I spot him, I sigh in relief. He appears to be unharmed—well, at least not any further harmed than how he had looked on that spaceship. Again, I wonder what Jeprow did to him. Both he and Ival look like death, and I hate how much Marduke has had to go through. It makes me feel sick the way he’s been made to suffer.
    He rushes through a gap between the smaller buildings up ahead. We take a handful of steps towards each other, and then I lose sight of him altogether.
    Between us, a machine charges through the buildings, tearing them apart, with a swarm of creatures covering it, their saliva burning the machine. As it collapses on the ground, the creatures successful in their attack on the machine, they then focus their attention on us.

 
     
     
    Chapter 2
    Marduke
     
    I’ve been frantically searching for Mattie for what feels like a torturous lifetime. As soon as I lost her grip in the air and she dropped too quickly away from me, I felt completely helpless. Within the blink of an eye, I lost sight of her, and from the rate she was dropping, I knew we would never land in the same area. The strong wind was dragging me farther away from her.
    Part of me knew the chances she would survive would be low. I spent the entire time worrying and cursing Ival and myself for letting this happen. I hated that she was going through that fall alone and felt agony that her last few moments would be so terrifying.
    I remember the fear and panic I went through the last time I was on Oden and Mattie wasn’t here. I didn’t know if she was alive then, and given the knowledge of her possible pregnancy, I was beside myself.
    This feels even worse. I know for sure she is carrying my baby, and I also know I’ve let her down. I failed her. I’m not exactly sure how I am supposed to live with myself knowing this.
    I doubt I will ever be able to forgive myself.
    When I near the ground and land softly, I begin frantically searching for her. I know what I will likely find won’t be a pretty sight, yet there is no way I’m not going to search for her. She doesn’t deserve to be abandoned here.
    I run constantly, barely noticing the ongoing war surrounding me from the Claws and hinemas. I don’t care about it. All that matters is finding Mattie.
    Then, I swear I hear her voice.
    As I listen carefully, I realise I do hear her. She is alive!
    Unfortunately, my elation is short-lived when I also hear Ival ranting and screaming. I immediately assume he’s trying to hurt her and anger quickly builds up inside me. After all that I have done for him, after getting him out of that spaceship, he’s going to harm and possibly try to kill her?
    “Mattie?” I call out for her, fear easily heard in my voice.
    “Marduke!” she cries my name in reply as my legs take off after her voice.
    I round the corner of a small building and am allowed a few seconds to take her in. She’s not only alive, but she looks unscathed. Finally, something has gone right for us. The Aeepla