Lincoln arrived back at Anya's compound still dressed as Vik and just in time to see that Tristan had arrived with his Rangers. The Heda had sent her reinforcements. He watched quietly as Tristan took over command from Anya, ordering the attack against the Sky People for the next morning. Tristan drew his blade, preparing to kill Clarke and Lincoln knew there was no way he would be able to save her, not while surrounded by warriors and archers, not from Tristan.

"Signal fire!" Anya called out. Lincoln expelled his breath. Finn had done it. Just as the fog horn warned of the yellow cloud from within the Mountain, the signal fires warned of the monsters coming up from below the Mountain.

Tristan rushed to Anya's side. "Reapers." They captured Trikru, Azgeda, and Sankru alike; not one of the Twelve Clans was safe from their insatiable hunger. They were deadly, powerful, unfeeling creatures that had once been human but changed into beasts that fed on the bodies of those unfortunate enough to have been caught.

"Let them know we see it," Anya said. One of the warriors brought a torch to the outpost's own signal tower and lit it on fire in response. "I'll send my fastest rider to warn the commander."

"No, there is no time," Tristan replied. "Kill the prisoner. Get to the river." Tristan walked off to continue directing the troops. Lincoln took his chance and approached Anya and Clarke.

"Is the boy dead?" Anya asked him.

"Mmmhmm." Lincoln grunted with a nod.

"Good. Kill the girl. Then catch up." Anya turned and left.

Clarke clambered away from him in fear, trying to get up a hill. He yanked on the chains encircling her wrists a little too hard; others were watching. She tumbled roughly down the base of the hill, falling unconscious. He brandished his dagger for show, crouching down over her as he waited for the rest of the warriors around the compound to disperse.

Once he was alone, he picked her up and threw her over his shoulder, heading for Vik's horse once more. He was gentler with Clarke than with Finn and tucked her in front of him on the horse as he rode toward the signal tower Finn had lit. She awoke just as they approached. Lincoln climbed off from behind her and helped her dismount before cutting the ropes that bound her wrists. Finn stepped out and Clarke ran to him.

"Oh, my god," she cried as they hugged. "I don't understand how…."

Finn glanced over at Lincoln as Lincoln removed Vik's face mask. "Lincoln saved my life," Finn breathed out. "He killed one of his own people to do it."

Clarke walked back toward him. "Signal fire?" She pointed back toward Anya's outpost. "That was you?"

Lincoln continued watching the glow of the fire from Anya's. They hadn't figured out yet that the Reapers weren't coming. "We needed a distraction."

"I'd say it worked," Finn said, almost as a curse because Anya's responding fire went out.

"Not well enough," Lincoln replied.

"What's it mean?" Finn asked.

"It means Anya knows Clarke's not dead. We need to hurry." Lincoln took Vik's horse and turned it in the direction of the Sky People's camp. "Yah!" He set the horse free. "Let's hope they follow the horse," Lincoln said as he turned away.

"Hey, what do we do now?" Finn asked stupidly.

"Now we run!" Lincoln took off, not waiting to see if they followed. He needed to get to Octavia before Tristan and Anya arrived with their army of at least four hundred strong. The Sky People's only salvation from being butchered was to get out of the camp in time.

Clarke and Finn followed Lincoln through the forest as he led them toward the Mountain and the vast network of underground tunnels that would take them to the camp; the Reaper tunnels. "Come on," he said, urging them on, hearing the distant sound of hoof beats. "It's right up here."

"What is?" Finn asked.

"Someplace they won't follow." Lincoln directed them to a mine entrance.

Clarke paused. "Wait. Where does it lead?"

"Everywhere," Lincoln replied as the sound of horses galloping grew closer. "There's a tunnel to your camp." He pointed. "If we make it through, we should get there before Tristan." He saw the first of the warriors arriving. It was Anya. "Go." Clarke and Finn continued standing around. "Go!" He waited until they were out of sight before ducking into the tunnel after them. An arrow whizzed by, narrowly missing his arm.

"LINCOLN!" He heard Anya shouting after him. A stab of pain hit him in his left side and he grunted. The second arrow hadn't missed. He kept running, knowing Anya wouldn't chance following him into the tunnels, knowing Tristan wouldn't let her.

Once they got far enough into the tunnels, he stopped Clarke and Finn. He crouched down and quickly lit a fire so he could check his map of the tunnels.

"You were right." Finn panted. "They didn't follow us."

"Reapers use these tunnels," Lincoln explained. "Tristan wouldn't risk running into them."

"What the hell's a Reaper?" Finn asked.

"Pray you never find out." Lincoln lit a torch to guide their way. "We have to keep moving." He stood up, grunting as he was reminded of the arrow sticking out of his back.

"Lincoln, you're hit." Finn said unnecessarily.

"Hey, let me look at that." Clarke hurried over to Lincoln's side. He grimaced and passed the torch to Finn, having to accept Clarke's help because he couldn't reach the arrow's shaft behind him. She pulled up his shirt, inspecting the angle of the arrow.

"I've fought battles with worse wounds than this," Lincoln said.

"We're not in a battle right now," Clarke replied.

She really had no idea. Lincoln turned his head away and sighed. "Yes, we are."

She leaned in close to him and whispered, "Why are you helping us?" He looked back at her.

"This can't just be about Octavia," Finn said.

Lincoln wasn't going to dignify that with an answer. It was about Octavia. As long as he was alive, it would always be about Octavia.

"Fine. Don't tell us," Clarke said. "Give me your knife." She removed Lincoln's knife from his hip and passed it to Finn. "Heat the blade." She turned back toward him and he felt the shaft tug in his side as she grasped the end of it. "You might want something to bite down on."

He scoffed. "You people are so soft. If you don't learn to be more—Aah!" Clarke shoved against the shaft, pushing the arrowhead through his side and out the front. He grunted as he broke off the arrowhead from the shaft so Clarke could pull it out. He focused on breathing through the pain. That had hurt a lot worse than he remembered, even worse than when Bellamy had stuck the spike through his hand.

He looked back at Clarke, a frown on her face and sadness in her eyes. She looked so much like a child in that moment and it reminded him again how truly inexperienced these kids really were. "What my people are doing to yours is wrong."

Neither one responded, accepting his answer. He gritted his teeth as Clarke took the heated blade from Finn and brought it to Lincoln's side, searing the hole shut. Once his wounds were treated, he removed his journal and flipped through the pages, looking for the map of the tunnels within.

He took them through the tunnels, listening for Reapers as they twisted and winded ever closer to the Sky People's camp. Lincoln paused for a moment and passed Finn the torch so he could check the map again and make sure they were still going the right way.

Finn leaned over, catching a glimpse of the map. "Wait. If you were never down here, how'd you map it?"

"Spoils of war," he replied as Clarke started to wander further down the tunnel.

"What is that?" Clarke asked just as the sounds of grunting and howling reached Lincoln's ears.

Lincoln straightened up. "Reapers." He took the torch back from Finn and doused it in a puddle. No reason to draw attention to themselves. He motioned them to continue following him and took them down another tunnel. The sounds grew closer. The Reapers were blocking their route. He edged around a corner in the tunnel with Finn and Clarke close behind him.

"This can't be the only way," Finn breathed out nervously.

"If you want to get home before Tristan slaughters your people, this is the only way." He crept closer through the tunnel, keeping himself hidden as he peered around the corner at the gathered Reapers. There were at least six in the middle of a feast.

"Clarke," Finn whispered. "The carts." He pointed out the mining carts filled with bodies.

"What the hell is this?" Clarke asked.

Lincoln turned back toward them. "The tunnel on the right will lead you through the woods into your camp." He passed Finn his journal. "Take this."

Finn slipped it into the front of his jacket, making Lincoln nervous he might lose it. "What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to lead them away." Lincoln removed his sword. "Wait until they follow me. Then run." He passed his sword to Finn. "For Octavia," he said, letting Finn know it really was all about her.

"Wait a second," Clarke said. "If they catch you, they'll kill you."

"Worry about yourselves." He needed them to get back to Octavia. "Most of Tristan's Rangers will be at your gate by nightfall, but he'll send riders ahead, scouts. All of you have to be gone before they arrive."

"One of them's coming," Finn warned. Lincoln took out his dagger in preparation.

"Where are we supposed to go?" Clarke asked.

"In my book, there's a map. Chart a course to the eastern sea. There's a clan there, led by a woman called Luna, a friend. Tell her I sent you." He had no idea if Luna, the leader of the Floukru, would welcome some eighty-odd Sky People in, but the uncertainty of acceptance was better than the certainty of death if they remained behind.

Finn grabbed his arm. "Thank you."

"Just get Octavia out of there." Lincoln turned around, waiting for the Reaper to lose interest and then he came up behind it. The Reaper spun around. It sliced at Lincoln with its knife but Lincoln was faster and slashed it deep across its throat. The smell of fresh blood and the gurgle of its death brought the attention of the other Reapers. Lincoln stood still, waiting till they saw him, and then turned and ran, leading them away from Clarke and Finn as he tried not to think about what might happen if they didn't get back to Octavia in time.