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...
revelation /ˌrɛvəˈleɪʃn/ — a surprising and previously unknown fact that has been disclosed to others
Minister Nick flinched when Reinae burst into the tiny room they kept him in, her eyes blazing with focus and determination—and a hint of threat. He instinctively backed towards the window, trying to put distance between them as she closed in with a few strides.
"W- what do you want?" he stammered, extending a hand before him as if it would protect him from her.
"You don't talk," she hissed. "You listen." Reinae took a deep breath, her mind visibly racing. "Wall Rose has been breached. The whole South is in danger. One of our squads is out there, probably fighting for their lives. I won't waste my time persuading you to tell us what you're hiding. And you should know you're lucky I'm too burnt out right now to dig it out of you with my powers—I'm sure you're aware of them, too."
Nick was paler with every word she spoke, but her mentioning her powers didn't shock him. Which meant whoever he was working for knew of them, too.
Reinae pointed a finger at him. "You will go with us to Ehrmich. If seeing people in despair, fearful for their lives, won't make you change your mind, then you're a lost cause."
She backed away, looking him up and down as if he were no more than.
"Be ready in five minutes," she spat before turning on her heel and marching out the door.
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One hour later, a group of seven traveled towards Ehrmich, already visible in the distance. They sat pale and quiet, lost in their thoughts. Reinae kept her eyes firmly ahead of her horse, refusing to look back to the wagon where Nick sat. It already took enough self-control not to shatter his mind—the only reason she refrained was that even a peek into his thoughts would have caused her to pass out. The last few days had drained everything out of her.
"What should we do?" Armin muttered from where he sat opposite Nick. He was the only one occasionally thinking aloud. "To think that Rose would be breached... What options do we even have left? Even if we go with Eren to the damaged spot, I can't imagine it going well..."
Armin lifted his gaze from his lap, his eyes settling on Minister Nick. "Why are we taking a Wallist priest with us?"
Hange glanced towards Reinae's tense shoulders before throwing her arm around the minister.
"Nick and I are buddies!" she exclaimed cheerfully. "You see, he knew there were titans inside the walls, but he kept it a secret until now. It seems he's serious about dying before he spills anything."
Eren, who sat between Armin and Mikasa, jumped from the bench. "Huh?! What the hell?!" he yelled but winced from the sudden movement, shakily sitting back down. He was exhausted, too.
