Raven didn't get back to them that evening, which made them both uneasy. Before she took care of Clarke's hands, Lexa wrapped a mug and its handle in cloth, and brewed tea for both of them. The ritual calmed her, and the tea would help both of them sleep. Clarke sipped hers while Lexa cleaned her hands and applied salve, and Lexa drank hers when she finished.
They removed their boots and armor and got into bed. Lexa waited until Clarke slept to close her eyes. A few hours later, she woke when Clarke sat up. "They're coming," she hissed.
"It is a dream, Klark." Lexa pulled her down and secured Clarke against her side. "Rid op."
Clarke listened for any warning by the sentries. When one didn't come, she listened to Lexa's heartbeat, matched her breathing, and eventually fell back into a restless sleep.
In the morning, they put on dry clothes, helped each other into armor and weapons, and got breakfast from the main fire while their guards pulled down their tent. An hour later, they were underway.
The day was hot and humid, and Lexa sent orders down the line for everyone to stay hydrated. They took rolling stops to refill canteens at every opportunity. It was another long day of riding and walking through the forest, but at least it wasn't raining. When they stopped that night, hunters were ready to prepare the deer they took during the day, so it didn't take long for food to be ready.
Bellamy and Indra joined Clarke and Lexa at the map table when they stopped. Lexa showed how far they had come, and how far they had to go. Although the forest slowed their progress some, it kept everyone from being overheated in the summer sun.
Bellamy's radio went off while they were talking, and Indra's went off, too. She grabbed it and went outside because whoever was hailing her was speaking in Trigedasleng. Raven was talking quickly at Bellamy.
"Slow down, slow down and start again," he told her.
"You need to hurry," Raven repeated. "He said something about raiders. Lincoln is giving the exact message to Indra now, but it doesn't sound good, Bell."
"How's the weather going to be?" he asked, partly to calm her.
"Clear and hot. Is Clarke with you?"
"Yes, she heard you. Indra will be back with us in a minute. Don't spread this around. We don't want people worrying."
"We're safe, but I'm not sure about the scouts."
"I'll check in with you later, Raven. Indra's here."
"Be careful."
"Will do." Bellamy put his radio away.
Indra spoke to Lexa in Trigedasleng. Clarke and Bellamy picked up most of it, but waited for them to tell them.
"Mason said there are reports of raiders. He fears Skaikru will be taken for the slave trade."
"What?" Clarke squawked.
"Son of a bitch," Bellamy said angrily.
"Indra, send riders ahead. Raven sent extra radios. Give them one, set to channel 11. They report every four hours, no exceptions," Lexa directed.
Indra left without acknowledging the order, and Lexa turned to Bellamy. "Eat. Rest. We will leave before dawn. An army is no good if it is hungry and exhausted. We will reach Goshen tomorrow."
"OK," he answered, and left them.
"You mean slavery, like actual slavery?"
"Sha, Klark." Lexa's expression was dark. "Not in my lands, but the lands to the south trade in staples, grains and cotton. A few are very wealthy because of the work of many. The workers are not employees. They are treated worse than animals. They starve. Some are killed to intimidate the rest into submission. Few escape, and fewer still survive the attempt."
"That's not right."
"It is not, but they are not my lands. We cannot afford war with them now. We will stop the raiders before the border. They do not move quickly. It is hard to move so many people at once."
"Are these villages helping them?"
"We will find out. We must eat, and you must rest. Tomorrow will be a very long day. You did not sleep deeply last night."
"If you know that, neither did you."
Lexa shrugged. "Let me tend your hands."
"Don't change the subject."
"Klark, we can do nothing about lost sleep or raiders now. Getting agitated serves no purpose. Your hands must heal. That is something we can control."
Clarke sat down, and Lexa got what she needed from her saddlebag and sat near Clarke. She peeled the gloves from her hands. "They look better."
"They feel better," Clarke admitted.
"Good. Nyko will be pleased." Lexa poured water from her canteen onto a cloth and used it to clean Clarke's hands. It settled both of them, and they were both noticeably calmer when Roosevelt brought their dinner. The mug he put in front of Clarke had been wrapped in leather so she wouldn't burn her hands while drinking anything hot.
She looked at it and then at him. "Did you do this?"
"Sha."
"Mochof. It is perfect."
"Pro, Skai Heda. If you need anything, I will be outside."
"Mochof, Roosevelt," Lexa said without looking up from Clarke's hands. She finished cleaning them and applied salve. "Done. Eat."
"You, too."
"We will walk the camp after. There will be questions."
"We don't have any answers."
"We have the answer they want to hear: We are moving as quickly as we can to help our people. Raiders will not be content to take just Skaikru."
Clarke picked up her mug and drank half the water in it. She examined it carefully before putting it down. "He did a great job. That was so thoughtful."
"Sha. It says a great deal for you."
"Oh?"
"He accepts you as heda."
"I am not his heda."
"You are Skai Heda, and after we are bonded, you will be their Hedatu."
"What, like your backup?"
"No, my queen. If something happens to me, they will follow you until the commander spirit finds its new home."
"What?"
"Why are you surprised?"
"I didn't think about it."
"It will be no different than now. They are our people. We are their hedas. Trust goes both ways. They trust us to do what is best for them, and we trust them to follow where we lead."
"If we make a mistake?"
"We will make mistakes, Klark, and we will fix them. If we cannot," Lexa shrugged.
"How can you be so calm at the thought of dying?"
"Everyone dies. I would like very much to be the first heda to die of old age, but it is more likely that I will be assassinated or challenged by an opponent I cannot defeat."
"And me?"
"I do not know. But I will not die tonight, Klark, or any time soon, and neither will you. Eat. Our warriors need to see us, to know that we are ready to lead them to whatever the future holds."
"When this is finished, we are not leaving Polis until the wedding, and then we are going right back."
"I would like that very much," Lexa said. "I miss the pauna."
Clarke choked on her food and kicked Lexa, who smiled while keeping an eye on her. "Don't do that when my mouth is full and two, when did you become such a smartass?"
"You say I have no sense of humor."
"I won't stay that anymore."
Lexa smiled. "Eat. I will save the humor for later."
They finished the meal and went out to walk through the camp. Everyone was busy, and Lexa and Clarke let them work. They stopped when anyone hailed them, but otherwise walked through to let everyone see them and know that they had matters in hand.
It was dark by the time they returned to their tent. Tea waited on the table, cool enough to drink quickly. They both fell asleep quickly, but again, Clarke woke them by bolting upright, muttering, "They're coming."
"I know. Sleep. We will defeat them." Lexa rolled onto Clarke, partly because she liked it and partly to ensure Clarke stayed in bed. She kissed Clarke's neck and hummed her satisfaction at their closeness. "Sleep," she repeated.
Clarke put her arms around Lexa and turned her nose into Lexa's neck. She inhaled her scent and started counting to keep her brain from running wild with all the thoughts that could keep her awake. It took a long time; Clarke was nearing a thousand before she drifted into sleep.
100 – 100 – 100
The camp was packed and moving again by dawn. Lexa pushed them as hard as she dared, riding the line between the need to hurry and the need to have a fully functioning army. They had more fighters than when they left TonDC. Villages with radios heard what was happening, and spread the word to those that didn't have radios. All of them sent a few fighters to join the force.
They didn't bother with tents when they stopped for the night. The weather was clear and the ground dry, so everyone except Clarke and Lexa slept in furs on the ground. They didn't realize their tent was being set up until it was raised, and their guards ignored their protests. Lexa was about to order them to take it down when Clarke stopped her. "This is one of those things we have to accept, Leksa. Haven't you noticed how they've been since we got back to Polis?"
Lexa frowned and thought for a few seconds. "Sha," she said slowly.
"They worry, too. This makes them feel better."
"It makes us a target."
"Leksa."
"I don't like it," Lexa sulked.
"We didn't ask them to do it. They want to. And I don't want to sleep on the ground if I don't have to. My ass is sore."
Lexa's expression changed as she turned toward Clarke. "I will help you with that."
"Uh huh. Not so upset about the tent now, are you?"
"No."
"And you'll thank them."
"Sha."
Bowie approached them. "Your tent is ready."
"Mochof. Please ask Bellamy and Indra to join us."
"Sha, Heda," he answered, and went to find them.
Clarke and Lexa went into their tent. Before she let Clarke sit, Lexa got a fur from the bed and made a cushion for her.
Bellamy and Indra arrived, and they consulted the map. Indra pointed to the villages the scouts she sent reached. They continued to report rumors of raiders but saw no evidence of them. Lexa tried hailing Pratt on the radio and was pleased when he responded. He sounded relieved when he learned they would arrive the next day.
"There is something wrong here, Heda. It may be the raiders, but I am not certain."
"Keep your eyes open. We will keep a radio tuned to this channel. Call if anything changes."
"Sha, Heda."
"Keep a guard. Scouts are riding toward you. They are using channel 11 to report every four hours."
"I will listen for them."
"Stay safe, Pratt. We will arrive soon."
A few minutes later, Indra's scouts reported. They would reach Goshen tonight, consult with Pratt and the others before heading out again in the morning. They agreed with Pratt's assessment that something was odd in the region, and Indra reminded them to stick to the reporting schedule.
While she was talking, Bowie brought food and drink for all of them. Lexa moved the map from the table so they could eat and continue to plan. Lexa agreed to leave some warriors with Monty and Wick, who would have a radio so they could test the tower. Any unit that was sent off on its own would have at least one Skaikru both for training purposes and because guns still intimidated the majority of Trikru.
When they finished eating, Lexa dismissed them to remind everyone to rest because they would be moving early again the next day.
"What do you think is going on?"
"I hope it is just raiders."
"Me, too." Clarke stood and stretched, and picked up the fur she'd been sitting on.
"Your hands," Lexa reminded her, and Clarke put the fur down and sat while Lexa cleaned her hands and applied salve. "They look much better."
"They're still a little tender."
"We will be up early again tomorrow."
"I know." Clarke stood up. Lexa picked up the fur and turned the lamp down. She followed Clarke to their bed and helped her remove her armor and boots. She took off her own and climbed on the bed.
"Roll over. I have not forgotten that your ass is sore."
"Believe me, neither have I." Clarke turned onto her stomach.
Lexa started with Clarke's feet. By the time she reached Clarke's shoulders, she was snoring. Lexa kissed Clarke's exposed cheek and pulled a fur up to cover them when she laid beside Clarke.
When Bowie roused them before dawn, they were both glad to realize that Clarke slept through the night.
