Chapter 21: A Stain Upon The Land
(Five days later)
There was no one left to scream. The Commanders collectively presided over miles upon miles of ruined silence – the evacuated swathe of land and towns stretching between the shell of Trost through Wall Rose's southern territory and into Ehrmich that already they had begun referring to as the Stain. And the Stain was spreading.
Erwin, standing on Wall Rose at Trost in relentless vigil, stared at everything they had lost – that they were continuing to lose as the hours ticked by. Because it wasn't empty. More Titans that he had ever seen before now freely roamed the land, even at night, diluting it and tainting it as ink discolors water. The borders of the Stain pushed ever outward as the Titans followed the Walls, slowly but surely arcing up from the Southern territories into the Eastern and Western territories too, cutting off the walled districts of Klorva and Karanese. How long before they inundated all two hundred and fifty-six thousand square miles of Wall Rose? How long until humanity had lost every inch of that territory, too?
Efforts to sustain defenses at the breach at Trost had been only moderately successful to begin with. As more and more Titans had managed to slip past them, the more and more their forces were stretched thin trying to both contain them, combat them, and protect the evacuees. The best they were able to do was channel as many civilians as they could into Klorva and Karanese, send the more able-bodied ones northward to try to outrun the encroaching hordes, and use Sina as a last resort. Despite this, there was still no telling the death toll. They had even created a defensive line of soldiers on horseback in an attempt to hinder if not halt the Stain's spread, but the line was frequently broken; there were less and less soldiers to be spared from the breaches to fill the gaps and Erwin longed for the support of his veteran fellow Scouts.
But they were dead. Most things now were dead. The days had been dark since the Burning Titan's disappearance, even after much of the flames that had set the city alight had died – as if the clouds had been replaced by a smoke that would never go away.
Erwin turned on his heel and began to stalk back in the direction of the outer Trost gate. A volley of cannonfire echoed his steps and the hot night air threw his cloak about his shoulders.
He had stationed himself on Wall Rose despite the imminent risk of being cut off from Sina, and a few of his men were with him. They'd made intermittent camps along the top of the Wall but it was to the gate that Erwin was drawn night after night – something compelled him to keep returning to that bloody, broken-open maw of the world he had known so that he could stare or dive or carve deep into the things that rushed into it and down the throat of the new world, drowning it before it could even be fully born.
The gatehouse and the shroud of activity bustling over it loomed ahead, and from out of its shadow Commander Pixis called, "I hope you have some news for us about Eren!"
Sitting on an empty crate beside him was Squad Leader Brzenska, who guzzled water from a canteen. She had been working all day and night from the looks of her and she too eyed him expectantly. The fresh streak of a burn down the right side of her face reminded him of her personal involvement with the Burning Titan – through Mercedes, her apprentice. Brzenska had refused to speak the girl's name since she'd been taken and this seemed to have silenced almost all other conversation with it.
"We believe he's able to control his hardening ability enough at this point," Erwin acknowledged as he came closer. "Levi's team are readying themselves." He didn't tell them how exhausted he knew the team, Eren in particular, to be. It was understood.
"'Enough'?" Brzenska asked. Her voice was jaded, critical. She drained the rest of the canteen and cast it off the Wall as if there was no point in keeping anything anymore, and the mutable silver-gold of her eyes reflected this.
Erwin did not have an encouragement for her. At least, not one that would satisfy – but then, would anything satisfy her and others like her that had poured so much into what now seemed to be a futile effort? They had all been leveled – the time for motivational speeches and wishful thinking was past, leaving them with only the option to speak brute facts or not at all. It felt like even their air was running out and it couldn't be wasted on weak gestures of comfort.
Sensing his reluctance to speak, Pixis said, "It'll have to be, won't it. Since there's been no sign of, err…the reinforcements you sent for."
Brzenska scoffed, stood, and folded her arms.
Erwin didn't blame her. Jean, Eve, Mercedes and the others were likely a lost cause, now, and their returning with the Burning Titan even moreso. Not that it was ever a sure thing. It had been quite unlikely that he'd see them ever again and he'd had to deliberately not think about sending off one of his most promising trainees to die in the Titan-riddled wilderness.
But. If there had been a chance, he was confident that any member of Squad Levi would have seized it, and Jean had the personal connection – to both Titan-shifter and Titan-shifter's motivator – to exploit it successfully, and return.
The three of them barely moved to look over their shoulders or turn their eyes as the lone voice of a soldier shouted in terror below and was rapidly silenced. Erwin was dismayed by how unmoved they were by it. It could have been a mere echo.
"I trust the bell still works?" Erwin asked, shifting feet. His eyes cast about the shadows of the gatehouse.
"You mean, is there someone left to ring it," Brzenska said.
"I suppose I must mean that."
After a pause, Pixis examined him, and then placed his hands behind his back. He called out to the gatehouse, "Anka! Gustav!"
"Sir!" the call was returned.
"On Commander Smith's signal, ring the bell!"
"Sir!"
Pixis walked past Erwin. "I hope this gamble pays off."
Erwin turned to retort, but decided silence was best. Beyond Pixis, he could see Squad Levi approaching. Counting and peering closer in the poor light, he was disappointed to see that Historia was with them despite his encouragement to the contrary, not only because of having recently had to kill her own father – a scourge upon the land in of itself – but also so that she stay in the Interior to keep the people – her people – calm. He thought he could understand her reasoning – no doubt she wanted to lead by example and give them faith in her through her actions – but he hoped tonight wouldn't pronounce the early end of her six-day reign.
He let the Squad come to him, like strength returning, but his eyes were drawn to the absolute blackness beyond the Wall and he felt the wretched stump of his missing arm throb in response to it. He stared at the blackness as though staring down his own death, willing fate to bend.
The Wall ahead was barely distinguishable except for a line of firefly-small lights, presumably torches, that never seemed to grow larger. Despite the darkness the Titans continued to advance at a moderate pace, drifting like debris down a river. Although this meant less combat for Jean and the others, it was difficult to see the Titans in the dark and made their progress a struggle when they were already exhausted.
"So close, yet so far away," said Marco, seated behind him. They'd had to double-up on three of the five horses they had left and, considering the dynamic and strengths and weaknesses of the group, Jean had volunteered for Marco to sit behind him. Only Oliver and Fhalz by virtue of their size and skill, respectively, rode solo.
"We'll make it," Jean said, as he'd been saying frequently throughout their long ride. He kept his gaze focused ahead on Fhalz, who led the pack, and swerved as he did to avoid a four-meter class and then again for a six-meter.
"Less than six hundred meters!" Fhalz called back.
The closer they drew, the better able Jean was to pick out the broken-open outer gate of Trost and the shouting and cannonfire like sparks surrounding it. He couldn't help but think again of his mother and the threadbare hope he had for her survival, and it made it that much more uncomfortable to have Marco seated behind him. Marco had destroyed that gate – three gates. He'd caused this.
I can't think about that. Focus. We have to get through, he thought. He could feel the thud of the cannonfire even through the thunder of the horses' hooves below him, momentarily cringing at the thought of – after all this – being struck down by friendly fire.
Then, a bell began to ring. Its urgent musicality sank down from the top of the gatehouse and permeated the ever-shrinking distance like mist down a slope. It even, somehow, felt cool on his face.
"Have they seen us?" Marco asked.
"How could –"
There was an all too familiar crack of lightning split the air just behind the gatehouse; its greenish-yellow light illuminate a huge skeleton building itself out of the surrounding shadows before it was lost again. A Titan roared and the bell continued to toll.
"Eren," Jean realized. They swerved out of the way of an absent-minded Titan grab.
"Eren?" Marco repeated. "Then that means – that means the rest of them will be there," he added, his voice betraying panic. Jean felt his grip briefly tighten on his shoulders.
"They must be trying to secure the gate!" Eve called.
"Oh no," Marco said.
"Less than four hundred meters!" Fhalz called.
Jean frowned, turning his head but not his line of sight to Marco. "What's wrong?"
"They can't see me. 'Cee promised they didn't have to see me. They can't know."
The gatehouse reared in front of them now and cannonfire had become more intense. The bell and Eren's roars were louder. Jean could make out what could only be Squad Levi somersaulting through the air of the gap in the gate, surrounding and defending Eren, who was taking up position in that gap and bracing his hands on what remained of the housing.
"What're you talking –"
"I'm sorry, Jean, but I'm getting off early. See you on the other side."
Jean had to look at him, then. He stared, aghast, at his friend's smiling face. "This wasn't the plan!"
"Good luck!" Marco let go of Jean's shoulders and practically fell backwards off the horse. Jean reached out but it was too late.
"Scatter!" Jean yelled to the others.
Another line of lightning screamed in his ear and its impact on the earth jolted Sabine a few steps ahead of herself, nearly throwing Jean off; it was followed shortly by a burst of flame. Everything thereafter was chaos.
The wind wailed forward, trying to pull Erwin from the Wall, only to become ribbons of fire spiraling toward a gradually-growing inferno in the shape of a Titan. Erwin grimaced and changed his footing.
It's back, he thought. The Burning Titan.
It stood at perhaps seventeen meters tall, its slim build coated in red, gold, and blue flames that parched the air and were nearly blinding at this distance. It turned its unrecognizable face to the cloudy night sky and seemed to breathe deeply; its exhale threw out sparks. There were shouts of panic around the immediate Wall and another roar from Eren below.
Erwin stepped up to the edge of the Wall, bracing himself on a cannon, and urgently searched the ground at the Titan's feet. Among the dozen or so normal Titans bumbling or falling away from the sight of the blaze danced five horses, two of which seemed to have double-riders. They were barely able to move forward, too preoccupied with dodging cannonfire and the craters they'd created in the ground, and the Titans.
"Hold cannons!" Erwin shouted, holding up his arm.
"Are you crazy?" Brzenska hissed as she ran up beside him. "We're not letting that thing back in! I refuse!"
Erwin faced her square-on. "It's here by my request to help us, and those who risked everything to enable that are down there struggling to get back in."
Brzenska's face contorted into one of absolute horror. She took first one, then a second shaking step away from him. On the third, she stepped backwards off the Wall. For a moment that felt longer than he would have liked, he thought she wasn't going to deploy her lines. But then, he heard their impact – a short, barely-there chink of metal against stone amongst the rest of the cacophony – and saw Brzenska sail toward the fire. He knew there was nothing he could say or do to stop her, now, whatever it was she was going to do.
He rushed to the other side of the Wall to confirm for himself that Levi would rein in his squad in light of the new arrival. With all the shouting – Pixis' voice soaring above those of his men – it was difficult for Erwin to pick out voices that far below, but Eren didn't seem to be moving forward. Indeed, he was backing up. He as well as Squad Levi occupied themselves with clearing the way of Titans. Not only did Erwin feel the heat growing stronger but so was the brilliance of the light that poured around him and through the ruined gate; the shadows of the horses that streamed through below the squad were long, reaching like fingers toward the Stain.
Erwin took cover as the Burning Titan passed through the gatehouse; the stone of the Wall below him even seemed like it was warming in that short span of time and he let his palm linger there to take it in – a faint victory. And then the tower of flame was through, standing on the doorstep of the ruins of Trost like some kind of primeval god surveying its domain and debating what to do with it. Between it and the Wall rose six soldiers on lines, their shadows almost extinguished in the light behind them as they came down to land. But Erwin's eyes remained on the Titan.
It took a step forward, howling, and with a mighty sweep of its arm took out two normal Titans. It careened forward into the Stain to continue its work.
Erwin smiled.
A Note from the Author: Sorry for the delay in posting, everyone! Life keeps happening. At any rate, 'tis the end! Thank you SO MUCH for sticking through all 40+ chapters of this duology and for your kind words! It means a bunch. Look out for more adventures coming soon.