Disclaimer – I don't own Lorien Legacies (or Hunger Games, which this story has links to)

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Thank you all so much for the lovely reviews! As always, I love them and enjoy reading what you think. I really appreciate those who review every time and thank you so so much!

I'm going back to Uni tomorrow for my last few lessons and then exams :/ But I've written enough that I should be able to still do a week by week update, so the story won't be affected by exams.

Thank you and please read on!

Chapter 9 – Innail

Maren

"Finally, somewhere warm" I remark. "Or warmer at the very least"

Next to me, Kat rolls her eyes as she picks her bag up and slings it over her shoulder. A fresh breeze blows across the landing pad, and I can smell the fresh scent of a river on the wind. It whips my hair across my face but for the first time in a long time, I almost feel at peace. It's the first place I've ever been to on Lorien that doesn't feel controlled by the mogs, even with the soldiers marching around, and the huge ship looming behind me.

"Welcome to Innail, we hope your stay will be pleasant" a young Loric woman bows respectively, her hair neatly secured under a white cloth, almost like a veil. It's an odd thing to wear, but when another gust of wind blows through the courtyard and my hair flies in front my eyes once more, I can see why. I guess this place must be breezy.

Henri steps forwards and says something to the young woman, who nods and begins to lead us out of the landing area and towards the main city. I didn't see much of Innail from the air, apart from elegant buildings and the famous three rivers winding throughout the city. But as we step out of the landing area and the city stretches out in front of us on the rolling hills of the Riverlands, I can really appreciate just how beautiful the city is.

"Wow" next to me, Sam's face is slack, as he stares at the sprawling, elegant city. "It's…it's kind of beautiful for the mogs' work" he shoots me a cheeky grin and I suppress the need to roll my eyes.

"It's not the mogs' work" Cody steps up, an odd look on his face. "Don't you know anything? This was built long before the mogs came; they have nothing to do with it," he snorts derisively.

"Then I like this place so much better" Stanley cuts abruptly in front of us, making me stumble to a stop. I shoot him a glare and motion Sam forwards, trying to remain calm. Stanley just has a chip on his shoulder after yesterday.

"Sorry" he flashes me a fake smile and I grit my teeth, contemplating punching him, but Sam places his hand on my arm.

"Easy Maren" he says softly. I take a deep breath, and shrug him off, but at least I'm calm. No one knows the reason for my outburst yesterday but seeing as I'm speaking in the ceremony today, they've all put it down to stress. Even Kat has backed off. The only person who I think might pursue things is John, but even he is distracted for the moment.

"The Riverlands have always been a separate district, even when Lorien was united under the Elders" the young woman with the scarf leads us down the gently sloping hill and I can see a few pods at the bottom, waiting to take us to the city. I can see one of the three rivers of the Riverlands gently winding through the countryside nearby, and its water is such a light blue that it takes my breath away.

"That's the Icewater" the young woman walks next to me, apparently our new tour guide. "Its waters are said to be able to heal any disease and injury," she laughs. "But everyone knows it's the crystals that are formed at the bottom of the water that can really heal" she grins. I nod, interested despite myself. I'd always wanted to see more of Lorien, and the Riverlands have always been fascinating. They were one of the places that never really truly gave up to the Mogs' way of life.

"What is it like here?" I ask, making sure there aren't too many mogs around. "Do you all have to obey the mogs?" I ask bitterly. The woman looks around as well, her face nervous.

"Of course" she nods. "But not as much as other places" she shrugs. "We have a decent life here because the mogs are so suspicious of the rivers," she laughs. "You would never believe how nervous they are of the planet. They think it's all magical and they hate anything that doesn't have a technological answer" she looks at me, almost conspiratorially. "They're terrified of going beyond the Bloodwater," she points to the third river, far in the distance.

It was originally named something different, but the name 'Bloodwater' has stuck ever since the brief uprising after the Occupation. The resistors had fought against the mogs by the river and the battle there had been brief, but deadly. There had been so many Loric killed that the Bloodwater had been red with blood for days.

"What do you mean?" I frown. The young woman smiles, clearly pleased with my interest.

"The next river beyond the Bloodwater is the Black Knife, and that stretches from the mountains down to Rocky Bay" the woman explains. "The mogs find it absolutely impossible to pass, and as you know, the mountains are just as impassable for them" she grins. "They're terrified of what could be beyond the river and the mountains"

Henri calls her name, Gisele I think, and she scampers off to guide him down a particularly tricky part of the path. We've almost reached the bottom of the hill and I can see the pods, ready to take us to the city. I look out at the Bloodwater and beyond that, to the Black Knife and the mountains. I feel a soft smile on my face. If what this woman is saying is true, then the mogs really don't have a strong grip over Lorien at all.

Xxx

I stand on the balcony that overlooks the city, the breeze that refreshed me at first starting to really annoy me. I've tugged my hair back into a ponytail, but even now bits of hair have started to escape the band and are flying around my face. I'm tempted to ask Gisele where to get one of those white cloth things, just to keep me calm.

"How's the speech going?" Sam leans on the balcony next to me, his eyes taking in the beautiful scenery around us. With everything so lovely here, I could almost forget my fears about my family. Everything feels a world away, and it could all just be a bad dream.

"It's all right" I shrug. "It's about the same as yesterday's one in India" I reply.

"But you probably won't stick to the cards, right?" Sam grins. I frown, leaning on the rails next to him, focusing on the winding river below me. The headquarters are on this kind of tiny island in the middle of the city, caused by all three rivers interlocking. It's cool how the city has built itself around the three rivers, instead of forcing the rivers to adapt to the layout of the city. It's made for some pretty crazy designs, but I really like it.

"I don't know Sam" I sigh, snapping back to the conversation. "I don't want to" A blatant lie, but he doesn't need to know that. He can never learn about my family's predicament. "But after everything that happened in Navaria…I don't want more innocent people to get killed for nothing"

"But it's not for nothing" Sam turns to me with a passion that surprises me. "It's not for nothing at all! Loric will be watching this all over Lorien and when they hear us, the Victors, saying that we don't agree with them, then people will want to fight back!" he grips my wrists, not uncomfortably, but tightly enough that it catches my attention.

"But people get killed Sam" I say softly, glancing around anxiously. "The mogs are too strong at the moment, they can't be overcome. We need to wait till we're strong enough to properly fight back and pose a risk. Not a nuisance"

Sam watches me puzzled. "Since when do you back down from fights?" he frowns. "You were more than happy to fight yesterday" I clench my jaw and turn away from him, looking out to the city.

"This is different. I only fight when I know I can win" And with my family in the clutches of Setrakus Ra, I definitely can't win this one.

"Something's going on with you. Something bad" Sam looks at me, concerned and annoyed too. The latter emotion shocks me; I've never thought that Sam could get annoyed with me. I always thought he saw me as some kind of idyllic girl, someone he would never get tired of. I guess I was wrong.

"Maybe you just don't know me anymore" I remember my wish to just separate myself from everyone else and wish that Sam would leave me alone. The more time he spends with me, the more attached to him I'll become. The more time he spends with me, the more the mogs will realise he is important to me. And I can't lose Sam as well.

"Maybe I don't" his voice is hard. "The girl I saw yesterday wasn't the girl who would do anything to save her sister. That girl I saw yesterday wasn't the amazing one that saved me in the Games. That girl? She was a bully" I flinch at his words, but refuse to look at him as he turns away and heads inside. I look down at the cards in my hands, and then with a yell, throw them away from me.

Xxx

Adam

A light snow falls from the sky as we wait by the landing pad, the floor covered in a light layer of frost and snow. My mother shivers under her thick coat, and my sister rubs her hands together against the bitter cold but my father remains unmoving, his stern face as cold as the temperature. He glances at my shivering sister and with a sigh, removes his gloves and hands them to her.

"Wear these," he says shortly. She accepts them, looking as stunned as I feel. It seems my father is getting softer as he gets old.

Or maybe he's appreciating her loyalty to the 'cause' after your show in the Games, Hannah mutters from next to me. I frown at her words but can't help but acknowledge that she is right. My sister's dedication to training the pikens and krauls is a valuable asset to the race and my father must realise this.

"When are they coming?" my mother asks, glancing around the empty landing pad. The Scouts' regiment that was posted in Qarth is returning for a week, and my brother is one of the members. Seeing as he is one of the three Lieutenants in the regiment, and his father is the Great General, we are allowed to greet Ivan on his return. The 'normal' scouts will have to make their own way home.

"Soon" My father says shortly. Nearby, Captain Lothar of the Scouts, the mog in control of all regiments, stands sternly, as he waits for his men to return. My father told us that Ivan and the other Lieutenants will be meeting with him tomorrow for new orders. Apparently there is a city that needs dealing with urgently.

There is a loud droning noise and I look up to see the large hulking body of the ship begin to lower onto the landing pad. I forget how fast these ships could appear out of nowhere. I back away instinctively, ignoring my father's look of disgust, and put my hand to my face to shield my eyes from the bright sun reflecting off the bright sides of the ship. The droning noise gets louder and louder until it's practically boring into my skull and then the ship lands with a gentle thump on the ground. The noise begins to ease off and a hissing noise replaces it as the doors begin to open.

The Scouts march out, in such an orderly fashion that it's clear they've practiced this a thousand times over. In front of all three columns marches the lieutenant in charge and the middle lieutenant is my brother Ivan. He looks even more muscular and meaner than I remember, and I can feel Hannah's fear, despite being dead. I can only feel anger when I see the harsh, clean lines of his cruel face.

"Attention!" Captain Lothar snaps and the columns stop at once. He steps forwards, and pulls out three scrolls, handing each one to the lieutenants in charge. Ivan takes his but does not read it; I wouldn't be surprised to hear him begging me to help read it later this evening. Captain Lothar says a few words that are drowned out by the roar of the ship as it begins to rise again, but the columns disperse at once. The Scouts begin to relax and talk with one another as they head for the exit, but Captain Lothar and my brother head towards my family and I.

"General Sutekh" the Captain bows when he sees my father and my brother does the same. Sometimes I forget just how powerful my family is. "Lady Sutekh" the Captain bows to my mother; again I forget just how special she is considered to the Mogadorian race. Bearing and raising three trueborn children is no easy feat, especially when the father is the head General of the Mogadorian army.

"It's an honour" my father bows quickly and I do the same, hastily. Ivan watches me, his eyes narrowed, and I can't help but glare at him as I stand up. He turns his face away, and I can just tell that they'll be words between the two of us later. I haven't spoken to him since before he left, and we parted on bad terms.

"The honour is mine. We have much to speak about General Sutekh," the Captain says. "It would be a privilege if you were to join us in our meeting tomorrow" his face is drawn tightly and I see the lines around his eyes and mouth. Something bad is going on.

"Of course" my father nods. The Captain glances at Ivan, a pleased look in his eyes.

"Your son too" he adds. My father nods and the two part, without any further words. The mogs have never been ones to say anything that doesn't need saying.

"Ivan" my mother steps forwards and he bows quickly. It seems a term with the Scouts has given him manners that 19 years in my mother's care never did. My father seems pleased at the discipline and pats his second son on the back, whilst my mother wraps him up in her arms. Kelly jumps forward as well, chattering away.

Only I stand back, ugly feelings of hatred and anger stirring inside me.

Xxx

"You hate me"

Ivan stands at the entrance to my doorway, his head almost brushing the top. His shoulders look even more massive inside and I swear it's almost difficult for him to squeeze through my door. Nearby, Hannah watches him narrowly, her hands clenched into fists. I was surprised that she kept quiet earlier but I don't think she will now.

"No" I look back down at the book I was reading about Gamemakers. I'm trying to do as much prep as possible, even though I have no idea whether or not I'm even up for getting the position.

"You're not talking to me," Ivan notes, squeezing into the room. "You hate me"

I sigh, shutting my book. "I'm not talking because I'm reading" I correct him, trying to keep the annoyance out of my voice. "You should try it some time," I snap. Nearby Hannah grins, and makes silly little cheering noises. I think she's trying to annoy me.

"I have to read all the time now" Ivan whines, apparently not sensing the annoyance. "As a lieutenant I have to make big decisions now" he shakes his head. "It's so much easier when someone else tells you what to punch" he grimaces.

"Or kill" the words slip out before I can control them, and my tone is icy. Ivan's eyes meet mine and he knows that I'm talking about Hannah at once. I expect to see suspicion in his eyes at my own anger, but instead I'm surprised to see shame.

"This is about that girl…the one from Round 3, isn't it?" he says hesitantly. "You…you liked her?" I stay silent and look down at my book, all to aware of Hannah listening in nearby. She's not grinning anymore and her face is serious and hurt as she stares at Ivan.

"I mean I guessed, but I never thought that it was possible" Ivan shakes his head. "I mean…she was Loric, Adam! Couldn't you have liked someone from your own race?!" he grimaces. Hannah opens her mouth to say something and then shuts it. I keep my eyes down, not wanting to see the disgust on Ivan's face. But what he says next is the last thing I ever expected to hear.

"I'm sorry" I look up in shock, my face slack. "I'm sorry that I killed her…not for killing a Loric, I'm not sorry for that" he says contemptuously, and my hopes of him changing are dashed. "I'm sorry that you got hurt in the process," Hannah swears at him in the corner, surprisingly vicious and crude words coming out of her pretty mouth and it takes real effort to block her out.

"Well, there's nothing to be done about it now" I say softly, my voice weaker than I want it to be. Ivan hesitates and then nods, shutting the door behind him before heading further into my room. I watch him warily, expecting anything at this point.

"I need your help Adam," he finally says. "A whole load of shit is going on right now and Father is so intimidating that I don't know if I can ask him to help" he hesitates and then sits down heavily on my bed. Hannah has stopped swearing and is leaning forward, interested again. I can't help but admit that I'm intrigued as well.

"What do you mean?" I ask. Ivan sighs and runs a hand through his buzz cut, seemingly annoyed at its short length.

"The districts are starting to rebel" he shakes his head. "I mean, they were bad enough after the Games, but we managed to control that well enough" I wince, thinking of the ways that the mogs managed to 'control' the districts. I bet it involved a lot of deaths.

"And?" I ask, trying to keep the eagerness out of my voice. Nearby, Hannah's eyes are sparkling and there's a fierce grin on her face.

"And things are getting bad. The stupid Tour is making things worse. Those damn Victors are saying the right things and the Loric don't need much persuasion" he puts his heads in his hands. "Navaria is under heavy mog control now but every day there seems to be some small uprising somewhere else. All the important mog families have moved out and it's just the military there now"

I glance at Hannah, smiling despite myself at the look of hope on her face. I turn back to Ivan, trying to pretend to be concerned, and not delighted with this new turn of events. I have to pretend like this is catastrophic news, when really I'm rejoicing. It's about time the mogs suffered for what they've done.

Yet if the mogs suffer, where does that leave me?

"What do you need my help with?" I ask softly. He sighs and passes me the scroll he was given earlier, his face troubled.

"Plans. What to do with the Loric resistors. Where to send the right regiments…that's what we're discussing tomorrow. A strong team needs to be sent to Mort; there are so many groups fighting there that it's like a battleground. I just need your intelligence" he looks at me hopefully. I take the scroll and unroll it, taking in the layout and plans of the Scout army easily. Little does Ivan realise just how dangerous it is to hand me secret information about the ranks and formation of the Mogadorian army.

I told you the time had come, Hannah says smugly from the floor. You just hadn't realised it.

I do now, I reply. I know now.

Xxx

Unknown POV – District of Mort

The midday sun shines weakly through the thin clouds as we file into the small square, the screens all around us and already showing the ceremony in Innail. I shuffle along with the rest of the Loric here, the knife and gun hidden in my jacket pocket. I lock eyes with Michael, who nods, and then he turns away, disappearing into the crowd, his shoulders squared in determination.

I stand near a group of mog soldiers, placing myself between them and some children who were forced to come here today. I see group 3 nearby, whose job is to get the innocents out as soon as possible. After Navaria, we don't want any more children to die. I stretch my arms out a little, trying to appear as calm as possible, but my heart is pounding. My hands are sweating and I feel like my face is bright red with suppressed fear and anger.

"Ready?" June stands next to me, her hair cut in a vicious bob that hangs jaggedly around her jawbone. I nod, gritting my teeth, as the screens come to life. I'm as ready as I'll ever be.

"Ready" I grunt.

A young girl is shown on the screen, dressed in the modest clothes that the Innail people have to wear: head scarf, long skirt and buttoned-up blouse. But even in that get-up, I recognise her. It's her, the lightning strike. June grins next to me as a ripple of sound flows throughout the crowd, as murmurs reach my ears. This is the girl that fought so hard in the Games, who could kill more mogs than any of the other Victors combined.

"People of Innail, People of the Riverlands, People of Lorien" the girl looks tired, but she's as strong and deadly as before. I feel a grim smile spreading across my face, and I flex my fingers. It's coming…the moment is coming.

"We have come here today, to celebrate our moment of Victory" the girl clears her throat, and I share a puzzled look with June. This sounds far too familiar, far too scripted to be her words. This isn't her; the mogs are controlling her. "This is the moment that we share our delight and gratitude with you, and the rest of the world" she forces a smile.

"Liar!" I hear someone scream, someone in the crowd of Mort or of Innail I'll never know. I feel another ripple in the crowd, and I watch as the mogs hoist their weapons into their hands, ready. Anger pounds through me; they think that if they continue to kill us all over the planet then it'll stop everything, but it just makes it worse.

"The Mogadorians have offered us the opportunity to-" the girl continues but something flies out and hits the stage. She whitens and takes a few stumbling steps backwards, as the red rose lands on the stage. She stares at it, her face draining of blood, and it's like the whole world stops. It's just a rose but the girl stares at it, as though it's a bomb. She then very slowly bends down and picks up the rose, a strange look on her face.

She whispers something, but it's so quiet that I can't hear it. Her eyes lock on the crowd, and then directly on the cameras, looking like she's about to break down in front of everyone. Everyone in Mort leans forwards, wondering if she'll say something revolutionary, something to spur us on to fight. June's face is captivated, watching our leader. I see group 2 starting to take the hands of the children, and farther away, Michael begins to move towards the stage with our Mayor. Our fat, ugly Mayor who lets us starve whilst he eats the best food all day long. Michael locks eyes with me and nods.

It is time.

"I can't do it" the girl on stage whispers and then it's like her body jerks and she falls to the ground, apparently fainting. But I can only imagine what the mogs have done to her to make her collapse like that. There's screaming in Innail and one Victor runs forward to the fallen girl on the stage. The screens go black as the cameras cut off.

"They hurt her!" someone screams in the crowd here. "They hurt her!" more shouting and screaming picks up, and I watch as group 3 starts herding the children and other innocents, towards the back of the crowd, where it's safest.

"You can't kill everything in your way!" I hear someone else screaming. The crowd are starting to get restless, and I can see Group 1 pushing forwards, drawing out their weapons.

"Order! I will have Order!" the Mayor stands up, trying to control the crowd beating at the stage. The mog soldiers begin to move into the crowd and I watch as one aims for an old woman nearby, who's trying to get away quickly. Anger races through me and I lunge forwards, pulling my knife onto him before he can shoot her. I aim the knife for the mogs' neck as I throw it.

Dust fills the air as the mog dies.

Screams break out and then the crowd is moving and destroying the square. I'm caught up in the magic of the moment as the screens are torn down and burnt, black smoke filling the air. The Mayor's throat is cut on stage, Michael pushing the lifeless body onto a group of oncoming mog soldiers, who are knocked down by the weight of the corpse. I watch as June rips into mogs faster than a starving child eating a loaf of bread.

"Fight back!" I'm screaming and others begin to take up the chant as we move through Mort, chilling and burning the city. We spare the Loric, obviously, but all mogs are killed, regardless of age or gender. "Fight back! Kill them all!"

Capital flags are ripped down and burnt. Mog soldiers are shot and stabbed. Mog buildings are burnt to ash. Screams fill the air, as well as shouts of victory.

"Kill the mogs! Kill the mogs!" the chant lights my blood on fire and I tackle and kill as many mogs as I can. The central resistance movement makes it's way to the centre of the city as the ordinary Loric hurry home and lock their doors and windows. One day they'll join us. One day, we'll all unite to fight back.

We don't hear the drone of the mog craft until the very last moment. We don't hear the screams of 'Scouts, the Scouts are coming' until it's too late.

Many others drown out the sound of the bullet that hits me out but I certainly feel the pain in my chest. I definitely see the blood on my chest. The last things I see are the bodies of Loric being trampled by hundreds of Mogadorian warriors, June and Michael amongst them. And the last thing I hear is the order of a Mog Lieutenant to destroy Mort so that the only thing left is ash.

Then everything turns black.

Hope you all enjoyed!

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