Burning lines of blood blossomed on Clarke's cheeks as twigs and branches clawed at her face. The moon's dim light barely lite the path, but that didn't slow down Anya. Not a bit. With her hands tied Clarke kept falling on her knees, face, and elbows. Clothing torn, blood stained and covered in mud she tried to keep up.
"Anya, we should be working together," said Clarke pleading her case for the hundredth time. "With your people's knowledge and our technology we can get both our people back from the mountain."
Anya yanked harder on the rope around Clarkes wrists. She stumbled but didn't fall.
"Can we at least slow down?" snaps Clarke. "I can't see where I'm going."
Clarke feels her back slam against a tree. "Ow, that really hur.. Hey!" Clarke glares at Anya who is flinging her gun into the trees. "We could need that!"
Anya grabs a knife off Clarke's belt and tosses that along with the gun.
"There are no weapons allowed in the capitol," says Anya coldly continuing to pat down Clarke.
Squinting Clarke can barely make out an old rusted sign with spray paint on it.
"Are you taking me to your Commander?" Asks Clarke rushing on. "I would love to talk to her about an alliance, I bet she'd really be for it, I mean how many of your people have been taken over the years, and there were still lots in there, you saw them, we could save them all for sure, and I know."
Her vision blurred and pain shot through her left cheek.
"Shut up," said Anya hand still raised from slapping her. "You are my ticket back home. I lost 300 of my warriors because of you I would never be allowed back empty handed. What happens to you is up to the commander."
With a quick tug on the rope bindings Anya picked back up her fast pace past the metal sign and into the capitol. It was a short walk before the roads turned to dirt paths, then opened up to a central square. Little huts and carts stood along the edge of the path and square all boarded up for the night.
It was far more organized than Clarke had imagined. In her head Grounders were uncivilized and nomadic. She was clearly wrong, despite the Arc's technology Grounders were more suited for the ground than her people.
A heavy booming noise brought Clarke back to the present. Anya had knocked on a big wood door at the base of an old skyscraper. It slowly creaked open. Anya exchanged words in the Grounder language before being let in.
The Grounders starred at Clarke like she was vermin, lower than a rat, and dumb. She supposed being covered in blood, mud, lead in on a leash, and awe struck by her new surroundings she wasn't giving the impression of sophistication. She couldn't even hold her cool together when Anya shoved her on an elevator. The Grounders have no electricity yet they have a working elevator!
Anya continued to talk to the Grounder guards who'd followed them but Clarke couldn't understand any of it. She supposed they were discussing meeting with the Commander.
Finally the elevator stopped and Clarke was dragged out and into another room. The guards didn't follow. Anya dropped her leash. "Stay," She said through gritted teeth and death threats radiating from her eyes.
"Anya we need to get a plan together for rescuing our people," said Clarke desperate. "The more time we waste the more of your people are bled dead for medicine."
Anya walked back in the room with a large object in her hands, Clarke couldn't make out what it was.
"We don't need your help," said Anya. She grunted with the effort of throwing the object at Clarke. A bucket full of ice cold water.
"OH MY GOD," yelled Clarke jumping up. "What the HELL Anya?"
"You smelled too bad to be in the presents of our commander," said Anya with a shrug. "This is better."
The black water pooled around Clarke's feet. She was dripping soaked from head to toe and now freezing.
A knock at the door got Anya's attention. She grabbed Clarke's rope again and tugged her toward the door. The guards led the two girls to a big room with a large chair. The chair almost looked part tree to Clarke.
Anya kicked the back of Clarke's knees forcing her to kneel. Clarke gave a glare and half smirk to Anya. Three people breezed into the room. One with a red cape on one shoulder, sat in the tree chair.
"Heda," Said Anya bowing.