21. Revnan

"Ican't believe it's ruined," says Maya. "I've dreamed of coming here for years."

Great shards of thick clear glass tower above us like the ruined teeth of some ice giant. I stagger, and Maya reaches out a hand to steady me.

"What's wrong?" she asks, concern in her voice.

"I don't know. It reminds me of something else. Probably something from one of those dreams."

She nods. "So often the destruction on Armstrong reminds me of another time that exists just beyond my awareness. I can never quite tell if I'm remembering before the war, or if it's all in my head."

Or if it's another life we shared together. I don't say the thought out loud, as I think it creeps both of us out just a little to talk about it. Instead, I pull her in protectively under my arm as we stare out across the ruin.

"Look, there's a dome over there that doesn't appear to have been touched." I point it out in the distance.

"There were plants here from virtually every known habitable planet," she says, sadness coloring her words.

"Maybe there is still some in that one. Come on, let's go have a look."

There is no life now amongst the twisted steel girders and ruined sheets of toughened glass. The tenderly nurtured ecosystems of extraterrestrial plant life that once thrived in their hermetically sealed environments are a withered and brown mess amongst the scattered debris.

We pick our way around the vast complex until we reach the miraculously preserved dome. But before we even get there, we can tell that it too has been corrupted. Large glass panels have been fractured by the blast along one side. Enough is left that I can see the architecture must have been amazing once.

"We could camp here for the night," I suggest. "Look, we can get into the dome over there. It should be warm and dry inside."

Maya looks apprehensive, but then nods her head decisively. "Sure," she says. "Why not?"

Inside, the structure is even more magnificent. Overhead pathways suspended on thin wires meander through the once-living trees. The last rays of the setting sun shine through the myriad fissures in the glass above and create rainbow patterns around us.

"It must have been incredible," I say.

"I've been on virtual tours of most of the domes," she says. "I think this one was the Kiphian dome. Look, you can still see the Parma Vine clinging to life over there."

I follow her gaze to a wilted red vine that has draped itself over a walkway. It is putting out spectacular yellow and orange flowers in a last-ditch attempt to survive the vagaries of this cursed war.

I walk over to it and go to pick one. I want to give one to Maya, the way she gave me the purple flower.

"I wouldn't touch that." She laughs. "Unless you want to be itching for the next week."

My hand recoils. "That was close," I say, laughing with her.

We roll out our beds near the edge of the dome. A huge weight of responsibility floods over me. I wish I'd insisted Maya stay behind. To bring her out like this into a warzone suddenly feels incredibly reckless.

I know that I don't want to spend a single moment apart from her, but having her out here in danger is tearing me apart. The words of Ataxia come flooding back. ‘Beware Revnan. Great forces work against your pairing.'

I glance over at Maya's recumbent form. She is curled up tight, but her eyes peek out of her bedroll and fix me with a look. "Come and lie down with me," she says. "I need to feel your arms around me."

I do as she asks and pull her in close. But I do not sleep even though I'm tired. It is long after the darkness has wrapped her silky arms around us that I finally drift off.

I am flying over a stricken landscape. Searching, always searching, even though I know the outcome. "Maya, where are you?" I call, although I already know her fate. How can I continue without her?

Below me, the Ice Palace is smashed, drawn into a deep pit as the land thrashes and dies around it. Great shards erupt from the hole and spew across the once proud gardens. Broken bodies with broken wings litter the cold hard earth, staining the world scarlet.

I feel wracked with grief at the sight.

Wickes appears in the air next to me, I'm so relieved to see him. His golden wings are blackened and charred, he is having trouble staying aloft. I try to help him, but his lips pull back in a snarl, and something evil and dark flashes behind his eyes.

"This is not the end," he declares. Something fetid has taken his soul, and he reaches out and rips my wings from my back.

I fall spiraling down and cry out.

That's when I jolt awake.

The dream felt so real that it has me shaking. I wrap my arms around the warm and breathing body of Maya to reassure myself. I should not have brought her here.

There is faint light filtering through the dead canopy above. Dawn must be close. I reluctantly pull away from the warmth of my lover"s body. We should get going as early as we can. The army must be a good day"s hike away, and we could end up skirting enemy territory.

Maya opens her eyes and stretches. "Good morning," she says when she sees me looking at her. She smiles, her hair all rumpled from sleep. Oh, for easier times when we could leisurely spend the day exploring one another.

It's not long before we're out on the road again. There is no traffic. The road is so badly damaged only the big earth movers could get through anyhow.

"No wonder the food supplies can't get through," Maya comments.

"And look at all the fields gone fallow as well," I reply. "These lands haven't seen a crop for a couple of years."

A lone spy flyer comes up from the side, and I pull Maya down to the ground. "Keep still," I tell her, hardly daring to breathe. "We do not want to get caught out here."

The silent craft flies high overhead and disappears off into the distant horizon.

"Shit, that was too close," I say, standing and brushing dirt from my pants.

"Do you think it saw us?" Maya asks, sounding a little scared.

"No, it would have stopped and checked us out if it had," I tell her with more confidence than I feel. "I think Wilkes is close, though," I add. "We've always had this strange bond. Like we know what the other one is doing, but not quite at the level of mind-reading."

"Wow, that's really cool," she replies. "You must be very close."

"Yes." I smile. "We grew up together. We were inseparable when we were kids. We were always playing army. We've been fighting back to back since we were big enough to pick up sticks."

"Hmm. I did only see him the one time, but I wouldn't have guessed you were close. He seemed pretty angry," Maya comments.

"He can be a bit of a dick sometimes, but he's always had my back," I say. "Come on, I think he's this way. The rest of the unit should be with him."

We trek off toward some abandoned farm buildings. The once-fertile fields that surround it are turned to dust and pockmarked with bomb craters.

The door to the house hangs askance, and we push our way in. "Are you sure he's here?" Maya asks dubiously.

"Not certain, no. Even if he's not, we need a rest and this is safer than the road."

There is a noise from the living room. I pull out my laser gun. "Stay behind me," I whisper.

I push the door open with my foot and point my gun straight at Wilkes, who is pointing his gun right back at me.

Wilkes's face breaks into a smile as soon as he sees me. But then he glances over my shoulder at Maya. "What the fuck is she doing here?" he demands.

"She's my fated mate, Wilkes," I reply. "Chill out." Although inside, I'm thinking the same thing. She should not be here. Why did I take her from her hometown into direct danger?

"Are you fucking crazy? We're in a war, you idiot. Civilians shouldn't just be roaming the countryside. I came out here looking for you, but I didn't expect you to bring baggage!" The disgust in his voice is blatant.

"Hey, I'm not baggage!" Maya retorts. "He's just told you we're fated mates. Where Revnan goes, I go."

"This is a military zone," Wilkes says. "This is no place for some human chick. You'll only slow us down."

Okay, I have some misgivings myself about Maya being here, but Wilkes is being a complete dick about it.

"Calm down," I tell him, trying to sound more confident than I feel. "Maya is coming, and that's that. Now call in our location. Let's get somewhere a bit safer."

"Not a fucking chance," he says. "I'm not being held responsible for bringing that back." I see a darkness flash behind his eyes that I've never noticed before. Something about the moment reminds me of the dream I had last night. My blood runs cold.

I pull Maya aside. "Look, maybe he's right. Maybe it's better if you head back now. I hate the thought of you being in danger."

"Let me stop you right there," she replies hotly. "I'm staying with you. Whatever happens, we're in this together."

Suddenly, the living room window is shattered with a smash, then the kitchen window goes. The house starts filling up with smoke.

"Fuck, they've found us," I say. "Wilkes, is there a back way out of here?"

"Follow me," he says and leads us through the smoke-filled rooms to the back door.

We fall out through the door, choking and sputtering. As I blink the smoke from my eyes, I become aware of several Alliance soldiers surrounding us. They all have their weapons at the ready, and I slowly raise my hands.