Dangerous Territory

The Importance of a Book

Levi had finished his chores early, so the soldier watching over him simply locked him back away in the dungeon. It was dank and cold, but at least he could rest, conserve energy, and it gave him time to think. He tried to recall happier times, but it was getting harder and harder to remember Petra's face. He wished he could have saved just one photograph of her.

Somewhere above, Levi heard unfamiliar footsteps, one person, lightweight, wearing boots. He instinctively shrank down, glaring at the torchlight slowly spilling in as the possible enemy approached. He hated not having a weapon of some kind. Even a spoon could be used to kill if a person was skilled enough. However, instead of some hard-faced man, it was a small soldier with huge, bright eyes that looked around as if wondering if he was in the right place.

Levi raised up a little and called out in French, "You're the one they call Armin, right?"

The soldier, barely old enough to no longer be considered a boy, leaped at the voice, but he came in at seeing Levi.

"I sure hope you didn't come down here hoping to prove your manhood by beating up some Jews," Levi mocked. "Or maybe you want to flirt with the women as well, let one break in your virginity. Sorry to disappoint you, boy, but I'm the only one here. If you flirt with me, I'll kick your ass, and if you try to beat me up, well, you're like a helpless kitten. I'd almost feel bad for beating you to death. Almost, you Nazi swine."

Armin obviously did not understand a word, and Levi rolled his eyes. He wanted to learn German, if only so he could cuss out these Nazis properly.

"Vous ... Levi ... oui?"

Levi arched an eyebrow. "Oui. Pourquoi?" Yes. Why?

Armin reached into a military bag, and Levi's eyes widened as he pulled out a book he knew immediately.

The Tanakh! How did this man get it? Why was he bringing it here? What the hell happened? Eren once told Levi that he could trust Armin if anything bad happened and he was unable to help. Obviously, this time Eren had been the one who needed the help of this young man. But why?

Levi felt his heart racing, and he sneered as he realized he was panicking over a German soldier. He looked up to Armin, a burning sensation in his eyes, and shouted, "Que diable est-il arrivé à Eren?" What the devil happened to Eren?

In halting words, Armin explained, "Eren ... il a dit ... livre ... donner vous."

His French was horrible, but Levi got the gist of it. Eren told Armin to give the book back to him. "Takhshet?" he whispered, taking the book from between the prison bars. There was a lump in the back of his throat that annoyed him.

If Eren was handing the book back, and he gave it to a trusted member of his platoon, that meant something terrible must have happened. Had he been shot like Marlo?

Something shivered and twisted in Levi's chest, a deep dread he told himself he should not feel for some Nazi enemy, yet the burning in his eyes and tightness in his throat would not go away.

"Où est-il? Qu'est-ce qui se passe?" Where is he? What's going on?

Armin shrugged, showing he barely understood. "Er hat eine Lungenentzündung."

Levi sneered in frustration at the language barrier. "Dammit, what did he go and do?" He looked up to Armin. "Paper. Write. Dammit, what's the word? Schreiben."

"Wollten Sie Leutnant Jäger schreiben?"

"Ja, yes. I want to write to Jäger."

"Ich kann dich zu ihm bringen."