A Bonds of Steel and Blood sequel.
Reinae Agnar thought she had left the darkness of the Underground City behind when she joined the Survey Corps, but some shadows refuse to fade. As she struggles to balance her duties with her burning vendetta and...
unveil /ʌnˈveɪl/ — show or announce publicly for the first time
Reinae's head was throbbing as she walked back to her room. Her visit to the Capital brought back a surge of unpleasant memories. She squeezed the fabric of the black coat underneath the green one she'd stolen, remembering how she used to hide in the shadows for hours to sneak into the home of that wealthy man or the other, stealing money, jewelry, weapons, anything worthy she could find. She remembered her first mission after figuring out the defenses around each stairwell leading up from the underground to different parts of Mitras. She remembered how Jasper and Aiden begged her not to go and how she'd sneak out in the middle of the night when they slept so they wouldn't worry. A small smile tugged on Rei's lips as she turned around the corner.
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year 836
The thirteen-year-old girl was thin enough to sneak through the iron bars protecting the entrance to the underground in the western part of Mitras, close to Yarckel District. It was the only gate guarded by only two officers every night. She'd marked the guard rotations, knowing she had only two hours before the new watch came and saw the officer's unconscious on the floor. She'd put them to sleep with her powers, and if she'd be lucky, they'd remain sleeping until she returned.
With a black hood covering her blood-red hair, the girl was indistinguishable from the shadows. She used the darkness of the night as a shield, running through the back alleys as silently and as quickly as possible. Her heart was beating against her ribcage, her throat closing up from nervousness. If she were caught, they'd kill her. But it was worth trying, or else she'd starve to death together with her brother and best friend, who slept on the wooden planks in the abandoned warehouse in the underground they called home, covered with a thin blanket. She needed to help them. Needed to save her younger brother and the warm-eyed boy who was her family, too.
Her decided target was the first house that looked like it belonged to someone rich and had no light shining through the windows. She circled it carefully, finding the best way to enter. She decided on a basement window that was left slightly ajar.
The basement contained nothing worthy, but the girl snatched a screwdriver from a toolbox. It was not the best weapon, but it was better than the makeshift dagger she'd made from broken glass which always cut her palm when she used it.
Her steps were as quiet as a cat's as she crept to the main floor. It was empty, and she could hear loud snoring from the upper floor. Smiling to herself, she searched the whole living room, taking a paperweight from pure gold, a necklace with a shining red jewel, and some knives from the kitchen.
Her success dared her to be braver and made her sneak upstairs, where the snoring was loud enough she could open some of the doors - except the bedroom where the snoring came from. She found a room full of neatly folded clothes and grabbed as many pants and shirts that looked like they'd fit her brother and best friend as she could find. She took a white blouse for herself, admiring the thin white fabric for a moment before stuffing it into her full bag. Opening a little box, she found a set of rings and earrings, grabbing a fistful to stuff into her coat pockets.
