Mav’s sweat sprinkled the grass and dampened the thin bark of the alder tree he pressed his back against. They’d called him a madman, those imaginary naysayers in his head, for trying to do wall-sits without a wall or a thick, sturdy surface. Yet who was laughing now? 

Definitely not the grouch sitting at the road’s edge. They’d been given permission to head down the mountain pass, so they left the miners’ campsite as soon as they could, but then waited. Maren hunkered down near the road, which groupings of alder trees and bushes surrounded, and began reading and scrolling on her tablet. 

That left Mav alone and bored. So, of course, he worked out. 

“Alright,” Maren said, rising. “I’m done.” 

Mav exhaled deeply, leaving the tree and stretching his quads. “Get anything good.” 

“Absolutely nothing.” Maren returned her tablet to her bag and began trekking toward the mountain. “No active eco-terrorist groups have been anywhere near this place. I even checked less specific terrorist cells and even regular criminals on the loose. Nothing. There’s not a single known antagonistic force that anyone knows is on this mountain.” 

“So... we wasted time.” 

Maren’s lips thinned. “Gathering intel is never a waste of time. And we can surmise a few details from the lack of findings. The attackers here could be very new at this and don’t have a record, but that would mean they’re unregistered Wielders. I'm not gonna rule that out, but that’d be really impressive if someone, or a group of people, could escape the government’s watchful eyes for so long.” 

“It happens, though,” Mav said. “Near the start of training, we were shipped to Roateo. Ever been?” 

Maren shook her head. “I’ve never left Neirea.” 

“What? We’ve gotta fix that! I’ve been to all the provinces at least once, but I lived in Yaros for most of my training.” 

“Figures, with how cold it is up there. But what were you saying about that mission?” 

“Oh, right! We were there to learn how to live off the wild – which was easy, since Roateo has so much nature and stuff! Anyway, we ran across a tiny village. Then, out of nowhere, a Wall Titan’s Child attacked!” 

Maren did a double-take. “That far away from the Wall?” 

Mav nodded. “We were completely caught off guard. But when we went to defend the place, the Titan flew away. Turned out, their village elder had been a Wielder and the government never found out!” 

“Until then.” 

“Yeah...” Mav looked down. The story grew less exciting, after that. “Our team reported her. Last I heard, she was given a hefty fine for dodging the Republic for so long. Koda thinks it put the whole village in debt.” 

Mav awaited the bracing remark, the one he’d deserved. He hadn’t made the call, but he might as well have. He hadn’t considered how much worse the little village of Radun would fare after the report, hadn’t even realized it would make their lives so much worse. 

“If we catch these people, they’ll deserve the punishment they get,” Maren said with a little smile. “Try to think of it that way.” 

Mav almost stopped walking. Was she... comforting him? Why did she choose now of all times to act like the person she’d been on the first day? 

I don’t think I know who this girl is at all. 

“Hold up,” Maren said, throwing her arm to the side. She peered at the ground. “Something’s different here.” 

At first glance, the path looked the same as it had been. But upon further inspection, thin lines split the road and tiny shimmers at various places reflected the sun. Mav knelt and pressed his thumb against them. They clung to his skin as he pulled away. 

“Metal,” Mav said. “These are tiny, metal pieces.” 

“Perhaps this is where the machines were broken,” Maren said. “And these grooves could be where the path was altered by the Land Shaker, then put back together as best they could do.” 

“It’s a good clean-up job. I couldn’t tell at first.” 

“Meaning they’re skilled.” 

Mav laughed. “So am I!” 

“If this is the place they keep attacking the miners, they’re probably holed up nearby. Let’s split, you get that side, I’ll get this. We won’t engage until we let the other know and get backup, understand?” 

“Got it. But what if they attack us first and we don’t have time to let the other know?” 

“Then the other needs to follow the sounds of fighting as quickly as possible. If that happens to you, try not to burn the forest down before I can put out the flames.” 

The next ten minutes reminded Mav of another tedious aspect of being a Peace Keeper: espionage. Skulking through the underbrush was so boring! It was slow, methodical, and required a hunter’s eye to catch the tiniest details. 

Yet, this was different from those times as a training Peace Keeper. Now, he didn’t mind the work. 

This wasn’t about him. That campsite was amassing a large group of civilians, many with families, all needing work to survive. If he could put up with searching for a dog or slowly hunting a deer for single civilians, then it didn’t matter how methodical he needed to be. He’d do that, for them. 

A clearing broke through the trees. Mav slunk behind a bush, his heart beginning to race. A mound of shattered vehicles dominated the clearing. What looked like tree roots enclosed the vehicles and tree branches sprouted from various places between the dilapidated equipment. The sight drew Mav’s eye upward until they reached its peak. 

A massive, glorious bird perched atop the destruction. Its feathers were a brilliant sky blue with the occasional tuft of white. The very tip of its wings had several white spikes, currently pointed diagonally with its wings furled. Its beak was pure white – almost bright like it was glowing – and was so symmetrical it looked like a drill. 

The miners’ assailant wasn't an eco-terrorist cell. This was a Titan.