Eren pulled his arm closer to himself to lessen the pain. It was pointless. He grunted and reluctantly shifted his gaze away from the port. “I’m going to need three things. First, I will need hot coals from that blacksmith's tent. I don’t care how you get it; just bring a few to me. Second, I need that bottle of Alm’s spirit.” Eren pointed to the glass bottle of clear liquid sitting on top of a crate of cargo near the central walkway. “And third, I need that dog. Get that one last.”

“The dog,” Lilith tried to stifle her laugh. “What do you need that for?”

“That's the part you're not going to like.” It felt like the pain was continuously draining energy from his body. Eren slumped down onto the damp pavement and uncovered his arm. “The only reason the guards have been able to follow us this long is because of me. They’ve been following my golden blood.” He let out a pained gasp as the salty air entered the wound. “If they want to follow my trail of blood, I say let them. At this point, my right arm is practically pointless.”

“You aren’t going to,” Ahri shivered.

“Yes, it's exactly what you’re thinking.” He waved Ahri and Lilith away with his left arm. “We don’t have much time so get going.”

“I’ll get the coals,” Lilith said, leaving no room for argument.

Ahri nodded in response, and they both pulled up their hoods. As the girls began to make their way toward their items of interest, Eren glanced to the left of the blacksmith’s tent. A roof was in the process of being repaired. The roofer was intently focused on his work. Below him were extra supplies. Planks of wood, clay tiles, and roofing tar were just a few of the items. Staring at the can of roofing tar brought back a distant memory to Eren’s mind.

It was hot, and he was in a small room. Sweat made his clothes stick to his skin. The walls were bare and dry. A woman was in the corner pouring roofing tar and some alcohol into a wooden bowl that was a little bigger than the palm of her hand. She had a panicked look on her face, but another flashed across her tired eyes. It was anger hotter than the desert heat. Once she was done with the mixture, she poured it back into the glass bottle and stuffed a rag in its opening. Shouting soon arose from outside, and the woman’s face tightened.

“Stay here, Eren.” She tried to give him a reassuring smile. “I’ll be back once things are safe.”

As she exited the door, he rushed towards the entrance and peeked outside. The woman threw the glass bottle as she cried in agony. The bottle broke on a man in a white cloak. A cloud of sand obscured the details, but he could tell the man was on fire. Several other figures emerged from the screen of sand and rushed towards the woman.

It was too painful to remember what happened next, but the way the fire stuck to the man, was burned into his memory. It must have had something to do with the roofing tar she mixed in. Eren clenched his teeth and pulled his hood up. He watched the man on the roof until he disappeared over the ridge. Now was his chance.

He strode over to the supplies, casually nicked a can of roofing tar from the pile, and then continued like any other sailor on the dock. When he returned to the hiding spot, he dropped down and hit the pavement harder than he would have liked to. His little excursion had drained him of more energy than he thought it would. Holding his breath, he surveyed the port for Ahri and Lilith. He could see Ahri crouching behind a wooden crate.

What is she doing? He grumbled to himself. Just grab the bottle. She nervously glanced to each side and quickly extended a hand above her head. Eren’s cold eyes met hers and communicated one message. COME BACK NOW! The volume of his stare matched any shout he could have mustered. She stashed the bottle beneath her cloak and carefully rose from the ground. Her unsteady gait continued until she was beside Eren. Revealing the bottle Eren snatched it from her hands.

“If you act suspicious people are going to think you are,” Eren muttered in a sharp whisper. After seeing the frown on her face, he added. “You got the bottle, that's all that matters.”

He immediately went to work, expecting Lilith to be back any moment. Situating the bottle between his thighs, he pulled off the cap with his left hand. He set the open bottle to the side and used the same technique to open the can of tar. Keeping the tar between his legs he grabbed the bottle and began pouring the alcohol. Once the bottle was empty, he picked up the sword and used its tip to stir the mixture. Once it reached a satisfactory consistency, he began pouring the mixture back into the bottle while precariously holding it in his legs. Some of the concoction dripped off the side of the can and onto his pants. He stopped pouring and motioned to Ahri.

“Take the can and I’ll hold the bottle.”

Ahri positioned one hand at the base of the can and the other near its lip. With patience and precision, she funneled the mixture back into the bottle. Eren watched intently as the black viscous fluid dripped down the inside of the bottle. Once the task was done, the pain he had ignored returned. He clenched his teeth and continued to the next part of his plan.

Lilith emerged from underneath the blacksmith’s tent carrying a metal bucket with tongs sticking out of the top. She briskly made her way towards Eren. She shoved the bucket at him and glanced behind herself. “Quickly, it won’t be long before they find out.”

“Find out what?” Eren asked as he touched the side of the bucket. He winced as he pulled his fingers from the hot metal. Lilith continued to check the tent. “Lilith, find out what? I need to know what happened.”

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She pulled her eyes away from the blacksmith’s pavilion. “Things didn’t go as planned. I had to deal with the blacksmith.”

“You killed him,” Ahri gasped.

“No, I didn't kill him.” Lilith shot back in jittery anger. “At least, I don’t think I did. Just hurry up.”

“Alright,” Eren sighed. “Ahri, I need you to grab the dog.”

“Me? Why me?” She protested. “You saw I’m no good at sneaking around. I just got lucky last time.”

Eren could feel his breathing getting heavier. He wasn’t looking forward to this next part. “Because I don’t think you can stomach the other option.” He grabbed the bottle of alcohol and tar and offered it to Ahri. “Also, you won’t need to be lucky this time. Light this with one of those hot coals and throw it in the opposite direction.” The sounds of metal boots were getting closer. The shouts of the guards were now audible.

“The trail of blood. I’ve picked it back up. Over here.” One of them shouted.

“Now go.” He could feel his fingers beginning to go cold. “The fire will distract the sailors, and we’ll deal with the soldiers.”

Ahri apprehensively took the bottle and dipped the cloth into the metal bucket. It caught fire and she dashed out of the alleyway. Lilith bent down beside Eren and took the stolen sword in her hands. She frowned at him and raised her eyebrows. “Are you sure you're ready for this? This is going to hurt more than a Bleanther’s bite.”

Eren laughed at the name. “Good. You forget I’m from Cearn’tder. Every child from the desert knows that feeling.”

She grinned at the remark. She stomped the heel of her boot onto his left forearm and broke the bone. Eren exhaled sharply through his nose and tensed his entire body. Resisting every urge to scream, he fixed his eyes on the wall behind Lilith and his ears on the shouts of sailors scrambling to extinguish a fire. Anything, anything at all to distract him from the immense pain. Maybe I should’ve kept some of Alm’s spirit, he remarked to himself. Seconds later, to him it could have been hours, Lilith brought down the blade and severed his forearm. This time he couldn’t hold back the scream. “The coals, the co . . . als,” he gasped as pain drowned his words.

Lilith grabbed the tongs and pushed a lump of hot coal against his fresh wound, searing the flesh until the molten gold stopped flowing. Ahri appeared at the entrance of the alleyway, trying her hardest to keep hold of the flailing dog. Eren gathered his thoughts to speak up again, but Lilith already knew what to do. She took the dog before Ahri could weaken her grip at the ghastly sight before her.

“Look away! I don’t need you fainting on me too.” Lilith commanded. She stepped on the edge of her cloak and tore off a piece while handling the squirming dog underneath her other arm. She positioned the forearm on the back of the dog and wrapped the piece of cloth underneath its belly and over the wrist of Eren’s left hand. As soon as she loosened her grip, the shaggy animal bolted off.

She turned her attention towards Eren and gave him a swift smack in the face. “Come on child of Cearn’tder. Where’s your stoicism now.”

“I never said I was stoic, only strong,” Eren groaned.

“If you can argue, you can stand.” She supported him underneath his good arm and pushed him up. The shouts of the soldiers were getting closer. This stupid plan of yours better be worth it, Lilith thought. As Eren stood up, he shifted more of his weight onto his own feet and then pulled his hood up. Lilith grabbed the stained sword and guided them out of the alleyway. Everything was so close. Eren’s eyes were fixed on the gangway of Calder’s ship. To his right wooden crates and other supplies in the shipyard were ablaze. The sailors had coordinated a line of handing off buckets of water. Despite their effort, the fire did not dwindle in size.

“Well done, that should keep them busy,” Eren gave her a proud grin, hoping to lighten her mood. She stared at the ground and covered her nose to avoid the unpleasant smell of smoke. Eren shrugged off her nonresponse. As they made their way past the blacksmith's tent, Lilith abruptly tugged them through its entrance.

Eren shot her an angry stare.“What was that for!”

“You’re really out of it, aren’t you.” She curtly gestured towards the tent flaps. “Listen, you idiot.” Metal sabatons rang out across the port. Ahri slid her hands over her mouth as the sound got closer. Eren gritted his teeth and said a silent prayer. An arm for our lives. That's all I ask. Soldiers spread across the port and began prying open crates. A few marched to the fire behind them, brushing the sides of the tent on their way. Each snap of a crate and command from their superiors brought them closer. Lilith reached for the sword beneath her cloak. She let her breath steady and readied herself for a lethal strike.

“Commander, I’ve picked up the trail of golden blood. It seems they’re headed for the warehouse.” Dozens of boots marched away until the caravan of soldiers was on the other side of the port.

Lilith breathed a sigh of relief and yanked at Eren’s hood. “Nows our chance. You better not waste it.”

Eren pushed himself up and took a few seconds to steady himself. Exhaustion, a force that seemed ten times stronger than gravity, began to pull him to the ground. He refocused on the gangway. “Not yet, not yet,” he muttered. Fifty more paces, he estimated. Fifty paces, and he would be on the ship.

Forty-nine. The fire had grown smaller, but it was still holding on. Another bucket doused a small section of flames. Forty-two. The dog, he wondered. I hope they don’t kill him. Perhaps I should get one myself. I had one once. Didn’t I? The memory was even more distant than his time in the desert. Twenty-nine. Lilith was almost at the gangway. It seemed like things were beginning to move in slow motion. She never said it, but her actions told otherwise. She’s holding onto life as tightly as I am. Seventeen. He could almost imagine his left arm still there. Ready to grasp onto the ropes lining the sides of the gangway. The exhaustion had begun to creep up into his eyes. Nine. My Prince, we’re almost there. Six. My prince, Eren, softly chuckled to himself. I shouldn’t let Calder hear me say that. It’ll go to his head. Two. One. He reached out his left hand to grasp the rope of the gangway and then succumbed to exhaustion.