Year 846

"Cadet Casimir, if you keep pretending to forget your cleaning assignments, I swear I will make you run a full lap around Wall Rose," Section Leader Miche said. He pinched his nose like she'd brought in the scent of decaying fish.

Katrine smiled. "But I really do have a terrible memory."

He dropped his hand to his desk with a heavy thud, covering up his red marks on the map spread in front of him. It sent a nervous chill down her spine. "For now that's five. Klaus says you still forget to salute him, so that's another three. And I'm giving you two for that tone of yours."

Katrine didn't respond. She knew from being in Miche's office often enough to tell when he was in a particularly foul mood. Though all he did was whine about her infractions and load her with laps to run, she was still wary in his presence. His head nearly reached the ceiling and his arms were thicker than her neck.

Miche shook his head. "I gave you thirty last week. Aren't you tired?"

"You know, I think my endurance is getting better." She stared at the Klimt River on the map and tried to figure out why it looked wrong.

He leaned back in his chair and groaned. "Just seeing your face makes me tired."

"Maybe you should request some time off," she said, leaning back in her own chair. "You sound like you have a cold." Miche's lips pinched into a thin, terse line.

Katrine never considered herself unteachable, but she refused to follow stupid rules, and the Survey Corps had a lot of stupid rules. Why bother saluting people and using "Commander" and "Sergeant" every time? Didn't those people remember their ranks without reminding each other all the time?

Laps weren't a terrible punishment. She acted like she hated them and made appropriately ugly faces when she was assigned them, but liked that running was similar to dancing in that it made her think of nothing else except the pain in her feet.

"I just don't get it," he said.

She straightened. "What?"

"This," he said, motioning with his hand toward her face. "Your whole...thing."

"Thing?" Katrine wrinkled her nose. Miche was no wordsmith. Making him angry had grown too easy.

"Why leave the wealthiest city in the world to join the Scouts if you can barely take a command?"

Not for him to ever know.

"And...lipstick? Really? Don't you know this isn't the ballet?" He smirked like he thought his remark was the cleverest thing he'd ever heard.

Katrine leaned forward. "Why bother speaking when it's so much easier to say something with your face?"

The smirk faltered. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Means what I said. Though maybe you wouldn't get it, you're a man."

Miche raised his eyebrows. "That's another ten. Sexism is not tolerated in the Survey Corps."

Katrine pursed her lips. She'd overstepped.

"You...you know what, forget it. I've got village evacuations to plan," Miche said, looking down at the map. "Go run your laps."

"Your map's wrong." If Miche thought he was clever, it was time to show him he wasn't.

His eyes darted back to her. "What did you say?"

"The Klimt River floods in spring, so the trail you have marked there's inaccessible." The map was beautiful, with striking mountains and delicate calligraphy, but when she sat down it was immediately clear that the scale was off. Then she'd noticed that the northern bend in the Klimt River was too sharp, based on what she'd seen in the villages outside Wall Rose they'd evacuated. She'd focused on that instead of calculating how quickly Miche could dart over his desk and throttle her.

His brow furrowed, exactly what she wanted. "Captain Silas drew this map. I trust a veteran more than some bratty cadet."

"Suit yourself, though Silas could've actually listened to the farmers in Baumgarten than doodle whatever suits his drunken fancies. The floods were bad this year. Too much snow."

Miche shifted his head slightly and then looked down at the map as if he were hoping it would rearrange itself before him. Annoyed with his silence, Katrine scraped her chair back and stood.

"If you're wrong on this, I will make you run until you pass out," he said.

Katrine wanted to say that it was a good thing she was right but thought better of it. Miche was prepared to add more laps like the Scout cooks dumped pepper on their potatoes. She made sure to salute him, forcing her face not to screw up, and trudged to the training fields, groaning when the sunlight beat down on her. It promised a sunburn. Grimacing, she began her laps.

When she finished the sun was close to the horizon and her drenched clothes clung to her skin. Panting, Katrine dragged herself to the compound, dreaming of a long soak and reading the newspaper. She found Sara sweeping the front porch like she needed to make the wood as clean as the day it was cut.

"Katrine! He's on a rampage!" Sara said, eyes wide. She moved with a frantic intensity that worried Katrine.

"Who?"

"Captain Levi! He said the place was filthy even though we cleaned last week— Hey! You're getting dirt on the porch!"

Katrine took a few steps back when Sara jabbed her with the broom. She rolled her eyes. "I don't know what he's smoking that makes him hallucinate dust—"

"Get that dirt off the porch." It was Levi, carrying two buckets and three brooms. His face was hidden by a kerchief and Katrine could only see his angry gray eyes.

Sara straightened immediately. "Yes, sir!" she said, saluting him. Katrine sighed; Sara's enthusiasm felt like a slap to the twenty laps she'd just run.

Levi stalked off and didn't seem to notice that Katrine hadn't saluted, barking at a few other Scouts who apparently were also not up to his standards.

Months ago, when she'd seen Levi's face clearly for the first time and realized she knew him, she'd felt a surge of panic for a reason she didn't understand. His expression hadn't shifted, but what if he knew? What would he say? But she was also curious as to how someone who'd broken into the Mitras Company searching for valuables had ended up here, acting like he was some great champion for humanity. That was a strange turn of events.

But if he recognized her too he made no sign of it. It was nearly five years ago, and she hadn't gotten a detailed look at his face in the dark. The only face she really remembered was the girl with red hair whose stomach grumbled loud enough for Katrine to hear. Isabel, who had bright green eyes and a sure smile despite knowing she would return to the Underground, which made Katrine feel sorry for her. Hopefully, Isabel had gotten a lot of money for the Swan Queen crown she'd let her take.

Katrine shook her head, clearing away the memory. "Whatever, I'm going to take a nap." A bath would have to wait since she should stay out of sight. She peeled off her boots and walked inside.

"What if he finds you—"

She waved her hand. "He won't!"

Katrine made her way to the women's barracks without any further trouble and squeezed herself under one of the beds. It was a tight fit, but the space was used for storage so it was easy to conceal herself. The barracks appeared clean, so few people should come in. After curling into a tight ball and closing her eyes, her stomach rumbled and she cursed herself for forgetting something to eat.

Light footsteps creaked in the room and Katrine saw a bucket placed on the floor. When the person bent down and she saw that it was Sara, she poked her head out. "Sara!"

Sara squeaked and jumped to her feet, nearly knocking over her bucket.

"Can you get me some bread or something? I'm starving!"

She looked around furtively. "I'll try, but Captain Levi looks like he's about to punch something."

"He always looks like that."

Sara's face betrayed worry, but she slipped out the door. Katrine withdrew back under the bed and waited for her footsteps. She could smell her own sweat and wrinkled her nose, but it would be better to wait until the cleaning spree concluded.

The footsteps returned and Katrine poked her head out again. "Sara, you're an angel-"

"What the hell are you doing under there?" The voice was sharp and deep and set her teeth on edge. It was Levi, glaring down at her, face still covered with a kerchief and gripping a broom with such ferocity she could have mistaken it for a gun. Sara cowered behind him. Katrine frowned; somehow his footsteps were light enough to fool her.

"Uh, cleaning. You wouldn't believe how dusty it is under here."

"The cadets swept here an hour ago and it was one of the only tasks done right."

"Always good to check, right?"

His eyes narrowed into slits. "Get out. You look like a rat."

Katrine wondered if it would be better to refuse, but if there was anyone who would crawl under there and drag her out by force, it would be him. She squirmed out, shrinking under his searing gaze, her muscles tensing.

"You smell awful," he said.

"I apologize, Captain Lance." She brushed herself off. Despite his threatening aura, he still had a kerchief covering his face, which was completely ridiculous. This prick isn't scaring me.

"You'll look as bad as you smell once you're finished with the stables." He thrust his broom at Sara and she took it, grasping it so hard her knuckles went white. Levi folded his arms and lifted his chin a bit, expecting her to wilt.

Feigning understanding, Katrine nodded. "So just like you."

He yanked down the kerchief, revealing the angry scowl on his face, which combined with his dark eyes reminded Katrine of a dog ready to snap. Something pricked in the back of her throat, but she swallowed it down and planted her feet. She was not going to fear him. He was shorter than she was! Men that were taller were natural to fear because when they got too close she couldn't see all of them at once; if you looked at their faces, then you couldn't see what their hands were doing. But Levi was a few centimeters shorter, and when she looked down at him she saw both his glare and curled fists and could prepare herself. Maybe he was incredibly strong, but it was absurd to be afraid of such a short man.

"Katrine, do you want more laps?" It was Miche, who'd appeared behind the group of people gathered at the entrance of the barracks.

Katrine stepped around Levi so she was closer to the crowd, but his eyes trailed her. "You know, I think you missed a spot over there," she said, pointing to a corner of the room, but his hand snapped out and seized her wrist, so tight that it felt like her bones were squeezing together. Sudden fury exploded behind her eyes because no man, no one, was going to touch her ever again.

"Don't touch me," she snapped, wrenching her arm back, but he didn't let go.

"Don't disobey me." The muscles in his forearm were taut and an alarm rang in the back of her head, but she ignored it, unwilling to back down and scurry away like a cornered mouse.

She scoffed. "What are you, fifteen?"

The backhand to her jaw was so swift she had no time to brace herself, leaving her stunned and staring at the floor. The pain was breathtaking. Of all the times she'd been hit before, her face was always left alone. She touched the throbbing skin and knew there would be a horrible bruise, something ugly and disfiguring. It was not going to stop her. Remembering her anger and her promise to herself, she ignored the pain.

Katrine took a measured step toward the door, closer to the speechless crowd, and looked into his eyes with steel in her gaze. "Really thought you'd hit harder."

His expression turned thunderous like he might actually try to kill her, but the moment before his eyes darkened made the pain completely worthwhile. For an instant, his eyes betrayed confusion, like he was shocked that someone so much weaker than he was would defy him. But then the moment was over and he lunged toward her again while she jumped back, hands protecting her mouth. Miche and another tall Scout stepped forward and caught Levi's arms, but they struggled against his force. Katrine could see a flash of white from his teeth and she thought again how much he looked like a rabid animal, and that despite his small stature there was an immense amount of power barely contained inside him.

I am not afraid of you, she convinced herself, and lowered her hands to put them on her hips. She looked at him with detached interest, as if she were observing a dog in a cage. Then someone else grabbed her arm and when she looked up she saw Section Leader Engel's normally friendly expression contorted in irritation.

"You're coming with me," Engel said through grit teeth and dragged her away. Katrine brought her hand to her face again, relieved to not see any blood, but she looked back at Levi who no longer struggled against the two Scouts but still glowered at her with unbridled hatred. Before Engel pulled her around the corner, Katrine grinned at him, wide and mocking.

"I don't know what I'm going to do with you, you are such a pain in the ass." Engel hauled Katrine to the tiny infirmary and pushed her down to sit on the floor.

"Sorry, Section Leader Engel," Katrine said, hoping there was enough remorse in her tone. Engel threw her a disbelieving look and rummaged through the drawers.

There was a knock at the door and Sara poked her head inside. "Katrine! Are you okay?" She ran into the room and crouched to inspect Katrine. She winced when she saw the mark. "That looks like it hurt."

"Of course it hurt, my grandchildren felt it!" Katrine's adrenaline had seeped away and her face was beginning to twinge like she'd been stung by a wasp.

"Sara, go get Hange. She'll know how to treat this better than me," Engel said. Sara nodded and left.

Engel wet a rag and handed it to Katrine to hold to her face. The cold sent a fresh wave of pain through her and she shuddered.

"I don't understand where this came from. You're perfectly respectful to me." Engel shook her head.

"He provoked me."

"You provoked him. And he's the strongest person the Scouts have ever seen."

"How strong can he be if he's afraid of dust?"

Engel sighed like she thought Katrine was an idiot.

Sara returned with Hange and Charlotte in tow. Hange, informed of the situation, bent down to assess Katrine's face. She poked around her mouth and inspected her teeth, while Katrine squirmed at her prodding.

"Does this hurt?" Hange tapped with two fingers on her jaw.

"Owww!"

"Thought so. Well, none of your teeth look cracked so you should be thankful for that," Hange said. "Keep a cold compress on it to reduce the swelling, though this'll look pretty nasty tomorrow morning."

"Thanks," Katrine said. "When're you gonna be done with that book on bears?" It was growing hard to move her jaw.

"I'll give it to you now because I feel sorry for you." Hange laughed. "I'm just surprised you're still speaking."

Charlotte sank to her knees and hissed through her teeth. "Is it supposed to look that red?"

"Shut up! I haven't looked at it yet!" Katrine moaned and slumped over.

"Stay here for a few hours. I don't want your face causing a stir," Engel said. "I'll tell Miche to save your punishment for tomorrow."

"Thanks," Katrine said, and Engel left. She'd had to thank a lot of people today. Charlotte rubbed her shoulder, which felt comforting instead of prickling, so she let her do it.

"Keep the cold rag on it for the first day, and then switch to warm after to help with circulation," Hange said. "It'll make it heal faster. You should massage it, too."

"How'd y'know that?" Katrine's voice sounded thick and slow, and she felt stupid.

"Read it a while ago when I was brushing up on medical practices. You want that one too?"

"Yeah."

Hange stood. "I'll get them for you, don't want you to be bored stuck in here."

"Thanks," Katrine said again.

Hange slipped out the door, and Katrine moved her arm to rest her head on it but winced when she brushed her jaw. It burned, protesting her obstinance, but she refused to cry. Her eyes drifted to Sara and Charlotte. "Be honest, is it bad?"

Sara shook her head emphatically while Charlotte raised her eyebrows and nodded.

Despite Katrine's religious application of warm compresses to her face, the bruise remained stuck to her like a stain for two weeks, screaming in agony at random times to remind her of its presence. It also invoked a furious discussion amongst the Scouts over whether Levi was in the right for disciplining an unruly cadet, or if he'd gone too far in hitting an arguably defenseless woman. At first, she'd wanted to burrow away like a wounded animal, but after she caught his uncomfortable expression when he noticed people talking about him, she displayed her wound like the beautiful diamond earrings she'd left behind in Mitras. It clashed wonderfully with her red lips.

But it wasn't enough to get her out of chores and training, or another evacuation mission under Engel to a village fifty kilometers north of Krolva. This mission was different, though, because instead of sending larger squads to Titan-infested villages in the south, Erwin had broken the Scouts into smaller groups to evacuate the sparser northern areas. Katrine was annoyed to find herself waiting to set off not with her regular group but with Engel, three men with one-syllable names she kept mixing up (Will? Bill? Dill?) and Levi, preoccupied with his horse. She eyed him warily and touched her face. The bruise still hurt if she pressed it too hard.

"Are you sure you can't send Silas? Isn't mapping his job?" Katrine asked Engel from atop her horse.

Engel strapped her bow on her back. "Needed somewhere else. And weren't you the one who claimed he was wrong? You seem to have a good knowledge of the Klimt River."

"Well..."

"Think of it as an opportunity to show your use," Engel hoisted herself into her saddle and turned forward, ending the conversation. Katrine buried her head in her horse's mane to stifle her groan.

She kept to the rear as they set off, paying attention to everything she could see and any strange landmarks to solidify her position in her mind. After a few kilometers through a dense forest and passing the swollen source of the Klimt River, Katrine determined their position and that they could reach their target village in six to eight hours, but Engel decided that nighttime riding was too risky. Katrine said nothing but knew she would get little sleep in the dilapidated castle with so many unfamiliar faces.

The castle was large yet bare so there was not much of interest, but she stopped at a stockroom containing an open crate with unfamiliar metal spheres. Katrine picked one up and rolled it in her hand; it was cold, smooth, and dark gray. There was a tab and a little circle at the top, like a ring.

"Be careful with that." Katrine turned to find Engel standing behind her.

"What are these?"

"Grenades, from the looks of it."

"Like the sound ones?"

Engel shook her head. "No, explosive ones. Must be remnants from way back."

The grenade suddenly doubled in weight and Katrine set it back down carefully. "Are they usable?"

"You can try if you want to risk getting your head blown off. The Scouts stopped using them since they didn't do enough damage for the risk involved. And using one often means you get blown up with the Titans."

"Why didn't they just make stronger bombs?"

"Ask Commander Erwin. Anyway, you're coming hunting with me," she said, walking to the door and grabbing her arrows.

Katrine rose to her feet. "Why me? I'm tired."

"Quit your complaining or it'll be me assigning the laps," Engel said. "And I time mine!"

On horseback, they followed the faint trail into the woods and rode until they found a small grassy clearing. Tying their horses to a tree, they crept back into the forest and listened for any sudden rustling. Katrine let Engel keep her eyes open for dinner while she stared up into the foliage and watched the fading light dapple her skin. She avoided looking at the bloody rabbits dangling from Engel's arrows and instead tried to identify the different plants she found.

"You know, Katrine, not everyone is out to get you," Engel said. She knelt down to yank the arrow out of a rabbit and Katrine grimaced. She hated feeling watched.

"I don't think that," she said, studying a tall green stem with pointed leaves.

"I know it doesn't seem like it, but everyone has your best interests at heart."

Katrine folded her arms. "Are you getting paid to say this?"

"I wish! But you're smart and you could do a lot of good if you wanted to. There's a lot of fire in you that's not immediately evident."

Warmth grew behind her cheeks and she looked down at her boots in the grass. Engel didn't have to say that, didn't have to bother with her, but she did anyway.

"Thanks," she said, trying to suppress her smile.

"But, you can use that for everyone's benefit and not just your own."

"But what's the point in that?"

"It's like you don't even listen to Commander Erwin's speeches!" Engel slung the rabbits over her shoulder. "We should get back, it'll get dark quickly."

"So I can use my talents to not get slapped in the face again?"

Engel laughed. "I really didn't want to feel sorry for you, but I couldn't help it."

"Why's he here, anyway? Can't he evacuate an entire town on his own?"

"That might be stretching it. But he and Commander Erwin are putting together his special operations squad, so they're observing who'll be best for it."

"Not me, please." Katrine elbowed Engel's ribs. "Hey, let me know if you want me to cause him any problems. You know, let him demonstrate his leadership." She drew out the last word and gave an exaggerated salute.

"And your face was finally starting to look normal again!"

They walked back to their horses and the silence was easy. Engel could be trusted, so Katrine wouldn't have to keep a watchful eye on her anymore. One less person to keep track of. The muscles in her shoulders relaxed.

"If we're talking about everyone's benefit, that hair of yours is a safety hazard," Engel said, running a hand through her cropped black hair. "Aren't you worried it'll get caught in something?"

Katrine grabbed her braid like it could fall off at any moment. "Not if I'm careful."

"You don't have nightmares that a Titan will pluck you out of your saddle by it?"

"I don't think they're dextrous enough for that."

Engel sighed. "I tried. Miche bet me his best whiskey that I couldn't do it."

Katrine shook her head. "That's nowhere near good enough."

"I would've expected that Shadis would cut it off in your sleep."

"I slept on the roof."

"Every night?" Engel giggled.

"Every night."

They reached the clearing in amiable silence. Even though the sky was darkening, the trail of red smoke was impossible to miss through the break in the foliage.

"Shit! Why didn't I hear that?" Engel tore her reins off the tree and threw herself onto her horse, galloping away. Katrine hopped on her own horse and followed, barely able to see Engel's back in the dense maze of trees. Once they grew closer to the castle, the crashing and groans of the Titans filled the air along with one sharp scream that was abruptly cut off.

While Engel galloped faster, Katrine looked up at the trees, measuring their strength. Hopefully, there were only a few Titans and someone else could take them down, but she'd need another plan. Just in case.

"Katrine!"

Her head snapped up just as Engel flew through the trees into the clearing where the castle stood. Engel had turned her head back and opened her mouth to shout something, but a giant fist slammed down on top of her and she was gone, nothing but blood and broken limbs.

Katrine gasped and dropped her reins, immediately bringing her feet to her saddle and firing off her grapples to the closest tree away from the Titan. The air, cloudy with dust, reeked of sweat and metal. Panting and suddenly freezing, she jumped along the branches, searching for a better view of the castle without putting herself in immediate danger.

There were at least ten Titans that she could count, bobbing and weaving as their hands pummeled the castle walls. The remaining turret was twice as high as the tallest Titan, but it looked precariously frail compared to their strength. They all grinned, mouths agape, glistening tongues wagging with teeth as large as her head.

Suddenly one bellowed and collapsed. Then another. A flash of green ricocheted between them faster than her eyes could register, faster than she could ever dream of moving. She knew without seeing his face that it was Levi. It couldn't be anyone else. But he moved in such an impossible way she thought her eyes were playing tricks on her. Gaping, she watched him fly between the Titans, slashing their necks as easily as cutting through cloth. Every movement was perfect, yet effortless, like he knew unconsciously where to land instead of calculating every possible move or mistake. All the hours she'd spent perfecting every step, every minute detail, every time she'd stumbled and fell, and it looked like he'd never fallen at all.

A Titan punched one of the broken castle walls and stones tumbled to the ground. The rumble vibrated up the tree, causing her to flinch and snap her mouth shut. Levi landed on the only remaining turret on one foot. The other trailed behind him, hovering unnaturally. The spell was broken.

Though there were more Titan carcasses on the ground than live ones wandering around, more had to be coming; trees toppled in the distance and birds shot screaming into the sky. Did Levi really have the strength to kill the rest of them? He might be out of blades, or gas, or energy. He surely wasn't immortal.

A sharp scream to her right split through her thoughts and her eyes darted over. It was one of the other Scouts, wailing as a Titan lumbered toward him. His red face was barely visible through the trees. He might have broken his gear, or a leg, but whatever the case, he was a goner.

Levi turned at the scream too and promptly shot himself toward it.

Is he stupid? There's no point—

Another Titan rammed into the trees near her and she yelped, jumping away from it to another branch. This was different than before when there was all open space and nowhere to run. Here there were trees, things to latch onto, and if she was fast enough then she might be able to fly up over the forest and outspeed them. From there she could decide if she wanted to go back to the Scouts and claim that everyone was eaten, or play dead and figure out something else.

The Titan hauled itself to its feet and struck its hand into a tree, snapping it like a twig.

I need to go, now, they're all going to die anyway!

Katrine leaped forward at the same time the Titan shot its hand out. Suddenly time slowed and that hand was all she saw instead of the branch she was aiming toward. It was massive, fingers thicker than the fattest person she'd ever seen, coming to squeeze her throat shut and pulverize her into dust. She squeezed her eyes shut. Faster, faster—

Something slammed into her and her eyes flew open; it wasn't the Titan's hand but Levi, grimacing in pain and with that same angry look of determination as when he'd hit her. He pinned her to his chest with an arm like the jaws of a trap and skid to a stop on the roof of the crumbling castle. She dropped out of his grasp, the rough stone scraping against her face. Through her thick layers of clothing, her skin screamed at his touch.

She gasped. "What the-"

"Get near the turret," he shouted as he grabbed her bicep and yanked her to her feet. He grappled toward it and flew off.

Katrine followed him, dumbstruck. Why would he bother trying to save her, after what she'd done? If their positions were reversed she certainly wouldn't do the same. He was so much stronger; what was the point of saving someone weaker if it hindered his own survival?

From their position on the roof next to the turret, they could see Titans pawing at the stone walls and more crawling out of the forest like ants on a carcass. Everywhere she turned, Titans grinned at her.

"There's more coming and this turret won't hold," Levi said. "But it's the safest place for you."

Katrine couldn't stop staring at his distorted ankle. "What happened to your foot?"

"It's broken. I just have to be careful."

"You can't fight all of them on one leg."

"I have to."

There had to be a better way, one that didn't depend on whether Levi could slaughter ten Titans on one foot, and then maybe another ten. Katrine was not going to wait around to watch. But now that he was here, there was no way she could just run off without him seeing. Would he let her flee or force her to die with him?

She tore her eyes away from the Titans and assessed the castle. The eastern part had a crater in the side that threatened to collapse, but the Titans had moved to the turret and the stone walls couldn't hold for much longer. She looked down and found a wooden trapdoor that probably led to the interior, and she gasped.

"The grenades!" Katrine tore open the door and threw herself inside, grasping onto the ladder before she crashed to the floor below. Right as she ran down the hallway and found the crate of grenades, she heard Levi's voice from the trapdoor.

"What the hell are you doing?"

"There's grenades here!" She grabbed two and ran back to the ladder just as a Titan punched the wall and sent a shudder through the floor, nearly throwing her to her knees.

"How's that supposed to help?" Doubt saturated his tone.

With some difficulty Katrine ascended the ladder, trying to hold the grenades without jostling them. They could explode in her face and unceremoniously end everything. She hoisted herself back onto the roof and saw that Titans still oozed out of the forest. One abnormally small one clutched at a sturdy tree that was wider than it was; the tree was tall enough and blocked enough sunlight that no other trees grew near it. Katrine nodded, the plan materializing in her head, and her anxiety transformed into determination.

"There's a whole crate of explosive grenades down there. We'll detonate these and throw them down the trapdoor. Then we'll latch onto that tree and swing off into the air," she said, pointing at the sturdy tree. "I'll need both our gas canisters to get enough power."

Levi narrowed his eyes. "That's the stupidest idea I've ever heard."

That punctured her confidence. But she shouldn't have been surprised. And why was she including him in the plan anyway? It would be helpful to have his gas, but she'd be fine on her own without the extra weight.

"Suit yourself. Good luck with that," she said, nodding toward the swarm of Titans.

"Those grenades don't have enough power. There's a reason why no one uses them anymore. And you don't even know if they still work."

"I'd rather get blown up than eaten alive." You could do a lot of good if you wanted to. Katrine bit her lip at the memory but shoved Engel's gory death back into the recesses of her mind. She barely knew her, anyway. But she'd been kind, kinder than Katrine deserved.

"Fine, go blow yourself up. Should've expected it from you," he said.

"Then enjoy getting sent to hell. Send me a sign if it's better than the Underground."

His expression turned unnerving like she'd pulled a knife and stabbed him in the gut. His eyes looked glassy and black, almost inhuman. She thought he was going to lunge forward and punch her again. "You have no idea what you're fucking talking about."

"I do know what I'm fucking talking about." She gripped the grenade tighter.

"You're from Mitras." He spat the word out like it was poison.

Katrine barked a mirthless laugh. "How do you think I got there? You really think they take nice girls from Mitras?" The words came out sharper than she intended, and the ensuing silence felt like it had a malicious presence, despite the pounding and roars of the Titans surrounding them.

Levi stared back at her, eyes still hostile, but there was that same look of confusion that she'd seen before. This time it remained on his face instead of flickering away.

A sudden jolt caused both of them to flinch.

"Do whatever you want, I don't need you," Katrine said and shot her grapples to the turret, preparing to jump to the top.

"Wait," he said, and she stopped but didn't turn. "It probably is better to get blown up than eaten." He said it softly, in a tone that was strange coming from someone like him, and she turned. Raking his fingers in his hair, he stared at the hoard clamoring below, balanced on his good leg with the broken one hovering behind him.

Was he really so certain they might die? He didn't have any faith in her strategy. She raised her chin and put her hands on her hips, because she was going to spite those Titans and leave them gaping, and he could join them if he wanted. She flew to the top of the turret and assessed the mass of Titans. They'd gathered at the bottom of the turret, jostling and shoving at each other like animals fighting over meat, and the one beside the thick tree was gone. A few moments later Levi was beside her.

"We'll need to strap these together," she said, tapping the leather harness at her thigh. He grimaced and she rolled her eyes. "Get over yourself." She unbuckled one of her harnesses and looped it through his, trying desperately to avoid touching his leg too much. He pursed his lips and looked away like he expected her to jab him with a needle. Once sufficiently attached, they both stepped onto a battlement.

Katrine handed him the grenades. "I need you to throw these in the trapdoor if you can. My aim is terrible," she said, wrapping her hair around her neck. Levi took them and seemed relieved to have some part of the plan he could control. "You throw it and tell me when, and then we'll grapple to that branch and swing off. We need to stay close to the ground for momentum and then use the gas once we reach the right trajectory." He nodded.

She put one arm around him and the muscles in her fingers clenched. Without hesitation he tore the pins out of the grenades and with both of them in one hand, he wrapped the other around her waist. She hated the way his fingers dug into her side and kept her eyes on the branch. Turning back, he lobbed the grenades toward the trapdoor.

"Now!" he shouted, and they both shot grapples to the branch. Once they made purchase they jumped off and swung down, toward the Titan's open hands. Katrine thought she felt one of their fingers brush her skin, or it could have been the wind, but she refused to look and trusted that she'd kept the wire short enough to avoid their crushing grip.

They swooped toward the ground and when they were directly beneath the branch Katrine activated her gas and elbowed Levi to copy her. They shot upwards into the sky. The air rushed in her ears and she squeezed her eyes into slits to keep them from watering. When they'd swung enough to fly toward the sky instead of directly into another tree, she released the grapples and he did the same.

And then they were soaring, above the trees and past the reach of even the tallest of Titans, and Katrine smiled. Still alive and breathing! But there was no explosion, nothing that hinted that the grenades had detonated, and she craned her head back to look.

Levi's nostrils flared. "I knew those grenades were dead—"

The blast was deafening, stronger than she'd anticipated, and sent a blast of hot air that scorched the back of her neck. The castle imploded and Titans screamed as they were crushed underneath. Hopefully, it was painful. Twisting her head around, she saw the airborne remnant of a Titan's hand and she cackled. "I was right!"

"Keep your head down! There's debris!"

Something whizzed by her face and Katrine shrank into Levi, but balked when she felt the warmth of his chest through her shirt and pulled herself away. She made the mistake of extending her leg and something sharp cut her thigh, but she bit down on her lip to keep herself from making any noise and ignored the blooming stain of blood. For a moment she hoped that she hadn't revealed any hint of fear or doubt to him. But why did it matter what he thought?

They flew over the forest, far away from the ruined castle and the Titans. Katrine squinted at the blur of trees before her, calculating where they were going to land. She was used to landing from great heights on her own, but with their combined weight, it would be tricky.

"Look at that," Levi said, pointing back toward the explosion. "In the tree." Katrine turned and squinted. In the glare of the sunset, it was difficult to tell what he was pointing at, but then she saw a glint of red and pale skin. It was a Titan with flaming red hair, staring at them with a look that was almost intelligent.

"How did it get up there?" she asked. But the wind whipping at her face was growing weaker. They were losing speed and reaching the apex of their trajectory.

Levi realized it, too. "How do you plan on landing?"

Shit. I forgot to explain that. "Uhh…"

Her body turned weightless and still. His presence was ruining a moment that was normally silent and beautiful. But gravity started to suck them back down and her stomach rose to her throat.

"Did you not have a plan?" His voice was sharp and his fingers dug into her side. Infuriated, she struggled against him.

"Of course I have a plan!" She had to yell over the roar of the wind.

"Then why didn't you bother telling me?"

"Because you said my plan was stupid!"

"I still think it's stupid!"

"Then unbuckle yourself and fuck off!"

Levi scowled and looked like he wanted to berate her more, but their speed was mounting and Katrine decided that she was going to do the same thing she always did and had done successfully every time, regardless of his opinion.

His face slackened. "Fine, tell me what to do."

With no time to waste, Katrine pointed to the first sturdy branch she saw. "Grapple on that one, retract the cables, and shoot back up. Like before, but use the gas against your momentum to slow yourself down."

He said nothing, but his expression was skeptical.

"Now!" She shot her grapples to the branch and braced herself, clutching him tighter and ignoring the warnings that blared in her head louder than the explosion. He followed and they dived into the leaves.