If it helps think of Costia as Saoirse Ronan.
Anyways, let's go.
Clarke was not sure how she should feel right now. She had had an inkling of a suspicion that the reason the delinquents powers, as well as Echo and Lincoln, was because of a person and not a machine.
She just didn't expect that person to be the dead girlfriend of the Commander.
"How long have you been in here?"said Clarke and luckily Costia didn't quite seem to sense her discomfort as she responded.
"I'm not sure,"said Costia her voice sounding tired and haunted,"I remember my time at the beginning. They had taken my blood while I was in the cages. They did this to everyone, but I got taken away soon after that."
Clarke felt sympathy for the woman as Costia's face filled with distaste as she recounted her experiences, "They said my blood was special and that they would need to keep alive for as long as possible. I don't know how, but they always managed to knock me out when I was in here or at least at the beginning. Whenever I woke up they would drain me of my blood. "
That was not something Clarke expected. She figure that Costia must have been important or special in some way, but finding out that they used her for her blood was confusing to say the least. Costia seemed to recognise Clarke's confusion as she continued to speak.
"I found out later why they wanted my blood specifically, "said Costia as she stated off in space,"They said my blood was able to be changed into whatever they needed. It was the woman that told me. They used my blood for their crops and even in their medicine. She said that they used machines to change my blood to be able to do whatever they wanted."
It was only now that Clarke could see the importance that Cage and Lorelei had identified in Costia's blood. If Costia's blood could be manipulated to act as fertiliser or a specific sort of medicine then it would make sense that they would make every effort to keep her alive.
"I almost never had to have powers before,"said Costia calmly, "I only fought a few times in my life, but once I was in Polis i was safe. When Lexa became mine I never went anywhere without her nearby. Lexa trained me whenever she could and once she became Heda, Anya was never too far away from me either– Lexa's orders even though neither of them would admit it. So when I was in here I felt so alone and weaker than I had ever been."
Costia paused for a few seconds before she continued, "Sometime after they began draining me of my blood it seemed they realised that there was more to me. They told me that they had found out my blood was so special as a side effect of my powers. They told me I had two, one that they had discovered by studying my blood. The first was that I could control the effects my blood could have. I could make it so that plants grow or metal melted. They tried to convince me to use the first one to help them."
"I was strong at first,"said Costia her voice rich with sarcasm,"I thought Lexa would come save me. For months, they would starve me or torture me or press me for information. I held out hope that Lexa would come...until I didn't. It started out small. I would tell them where I lived and what certain words were in Trigedasleng. "
"I only did just enough to make sure I'd survive,"said Costia and Clarke noted that her hands were gripping the blanket tightly,"I would give them my blood, but never to the specifications they wanted. My answers were short and I never gave them more. They seemed fine with it until..."
"Until?"asked Clarke as Costia's voice trailed off.
"They began to give me some substance, "said Costia before she rubbed her neck where the needle marks were,"It did something to me. It was similar to Jobi nuts, but far worse. They would ask me for something and if I obeyed they gave it to me. If not they let me deal with the after effects. I could barely breathe, my skin burnt and my body shook. I had to either give up everything I knew on my people or go through immense pain."
"There were times I tried to fight it,"said Costia and Clarke noted that her voice was beginning to sound tired,"After some time I couldn't even do that. I told myself that there was no point. I was prepared to die in here."
Costia had reclined back onto the bed her voice having gradually faded. However, that didn't stop Clarke from hearing her last words.
"You saved me."
The sheer relief in Costia's voice was apparent and Clarke knew that she would have to do more to help the other woman. The Mountain Men had gotten her hooked on some souped version of the Reaper drug and used it bend Costia to their will.
Costia had mentioned having two powers and Clarke knew instinctively that Costia's second power had to be power negation. She was proven correct a second later as she placed a hand on Costia's forehead and analysed her body with Insight.
The damage to her system was startling now that she had a proper look. Her muscles had lost any and all tone they had previously had and that was only the beginning. Her body showed signs of severe dependency on the drug and it must have been recently administered for Costia to have been as calm and coherent during their talk.
That was aside from the permanent damage done to the liver, nervous system and the endocrine system. The drug was designed to linger in the victim's body and cause horrifying visions and sensations. The only way to rid oneself if these sensations was to take more of the drug.
That in itself was bad, but what was even worse was that the more the user took then the higher the amounts of residue would be left behind. The higher the residue then the more intense the sensations and thus the more one would have to take to cancel them out.
Clarke's hands glowed white as she began to modify Costia's damaged systems. The same method she had used to cure Maya should work just as well on Costia. The damage had been permanent and Clarke had to essentially rebuild parts of Costia's bodily systems.
The gravity of what she was doing was not lost on Clarke. In truth, she wasn't aware of each and every detail, but instead it was more of a case of being able to impose her will so to speak. It was how she had boosted Maya's immunity to radiation and it was what she was doing here to help Costia.
The tremors and visions would disappear and with the Mountain Men dead then there would be no need to worry about the drug being made again.
Clarke was finally done and she looked down at Costia who had stayed asleep throughout the procedure. Her hair was a darker shade of blonde closer to Anya's hair in colour then Clarke's.
The parts of her body that could be seen had faint marks that were either from torture or the fights that she had been in her life. It was probably both in fact.
Clarke looked at Costia and with a sigh she picked up the woman and held her in a bridal carry. She had to get to her friends and heal up the Mountain Men on their side before heading for Camp Jaha. Clarke's mom might have a problem with the influx of refugees, but Clarke could not for the life of her send then away or lock them in the Mountain. That would not help anyone.
Costia barely slowed Clarke down and so she was able to leave the drab room behind as she made for the elevator.
The thoughts of what to do with Costia ran rampant through Clarke's head. In the end, she knew that she couldn't trick herself. There was only one option in all of this.
Getting captured by the Maunon had been terrible for Echo. She had been hit with one of their darts on her assignment from Queen Nia and her powers had failed her. Even then she had put up a strong fight. That had served to be her undoing.
She had been sent with some of the other warriors to a strange room. They had tied her up to a chair and shocked her while playing some noise. It had been manageable until they had given the Red to her.
The Red brought the worst out of her and for the longest time Echo served as a slave to the Red. She would gladly abduct Trikru and Azgeda and Boudalan and whoever was unfortunate enough to cross her path.
Her entire time as a Reaper was both muddled and clear in her mind. The memories seemed murky at first, but once she focused them on then the horrors were revealed to her mind. A little girl falling to her blade. Villages set on fire.
The taste of human–
"Are you okay?"said a voice nearby and it took Echo a moment to place the face of the boy in front of her,"I couldn't help, but notice you seemed a bit out of it."
"You're Monty?"said Echo her voice revealing none of the turmoil brewing beneath the surface.
"That's me,"said Monty as he held out his hand for Echo to shake. She tensed up when he grabbed onto her hand, but she realised belatedly that it was simply a different way of greeting.
"My name is Echo. Formerly from Azgeda."
Echo had been in the corner of the room while the children of the sky had entered. Lincoln had explained that Clarke would follow not long after. True to his word, Clarke had come in carrying someone who had been handed off to a girl with large, bushy hair.
The citizens of the Mountain were all in here now and after some orders to a few of the Mountainers and Sky Children from Clarke they had been joined by parents and their children who had been held elsewhere.
The Mountain Men and children were all unsettled by Clarke's appearance. The blood on her armour making for an intimidating figure, but after the girl with the bushy hair had managed to pacify the crowd. Echo had not bothered to listen to what had been said, but the instant calming of the crowd had piqued her interest.
There was now a line of Mountain Men leading up to Clarke who would press her hand to them before moving on to the next. It was an odd sight, but for the most part there was order in the room.
"She's strong isn't she?"said Monty and truth be told Echo had forgotten the boy had been there. He had been so silent and still that she had almost gotten lost in her thoughts again.
"Very,"said Echo and the boy seemed to cheer up slightly at her response as he said,"She's healing the Mountain Men. I'm sure you know this, but they can't leave the Mountain without dying."
Echo nodded to show her understanding. It was one of the myths surrounding the Mountain Men that they were monsters beneath the clothes they wore. Echo had never believed it until she had destroyed the armour of a lone soldier from the Mountain.
The man's face had warped and melted right in the air despite it having been a cool day and the image was still imprinted in her mind.
"What's your plan for after this?"asked Monty and while she could easily remain silent Echo decided it would not hurt to carry on a conversation.
"I used to be a Reaper,"said Echo and she paused for a second to gauge Monty's reaction, but the lack of one made it clear that Lincoln must have already said something about it,"She saved me from that. I owe her for doing that and I shall do what she asks of me."
"Why can't you just go home?"said Monty as the line in front of Clarke dwindled to just a few left. Lincoln and Octavia were speaking with each other in another part of the room and it was interesting to see the two of them get on so well.
Echo paused at the question before she said,"Perhaps if I had been a prisoner only then I could have returned home. I don't need to return to Azgeda to know how I'll be treated. The Reapers have terrorised generations of our people. Simply curing them won't remove the resentment from the hearts of our people."
Clarke had finished up in the meanwhile and she spoke to Miller who was near Raven. They exchanged a few words before Miller began to wheel Raven out the door. Clarke cleared her throat and despite it being rather soft everyone piped down almost immediately.
"We're going to make way for Camp Jaha,"said Clarke her voice firm and calm,"Leave your possessions here for now there'll be people sent to retrieve them. We move now and we move fast. Keep your children near to you and do not stray from the group. My people will all be scattered amongst you so you don't need to worry if we run into trouble. It'll take us at most two and a half hours to get to Camp Jaha if we hurry. The main doors are open and that's what we'll use to get outside. Any questions?"
Clarke waited for a while and once she saw there were none she said,"You guys know the way to the doors. I'll meet you there and then we can begin the walk."
Once it was clear Clarke was done speaking the 100 or so many people in the room began to make their way to the lift. They were all functional except for two and with them being designed to take at least 15 people it would not be long before they made their way for Camp Jaha.
Echo rose to her feet and Monty seemed to step back as she stood at her full height. It was amusing to her even though she did not smile and Monty seemed as though he was about to speak when he was called by a girl with long hair.
"Sorry, Harper and I said we would back together,"said Monty his voice apologetic, but Echo nodded to ease his concerns. He held his hand out and remembering the odd mannerism from before she grabbed onto his hand and shook it.
The boy departed and once he reached the girl with the long hair they started a conversation of their own. The girl glanced at Echo, but she quickly looked away when she found Echo's gaze trained on her. It didn't seem as though they were saying anything malicious and even if they were Echo knew that whatever they were saying could not be worse than what Queen Nia would do to her for getting caught and turned into a could deal with curious glances.
It was far better than getting thrown into an icy lake after all.
The room was almost empty now and so it was extremely easy for Echo to track the movements of Clarke. She had just finished a conversation with Lincoln and some short Sky girl and it was clear that Lincoln and the girl knew each other from somewhere. They had probably met before they had all been captured.
Clarke turned away from the two before she went back to the girl with the bushy hair. There was a bed that had been brought it in while Clarke was healing the Mountain Men and on it was the person Clarke had carried into the room.
The Mountain girl had been looking after the woman on the bed along with a boy who had some strange object around his neck. They exchanged a few words with Clarke as she lifted up the unconscious body of the woman and for the first time Echo was able to get a clear look at the woman's face.
Instantly, she knew that the woman was not from the Mountain. Her skin was pale, but still too healthy in colour to actually belong to someone who had never seen the sun. Her body seemed thin and there were clear signs of torture and battle, but what struck Echo was the face of the woman.
It had a lingering familiarity and Echo was sure she had seen the woman before. She would bet her arm on it.
If only she could figure out just where exactly she knew her from...
Abby was tired.
And angry and frustrated and scared and so many other things as she ran back and forth checking the vital signs of the now full recovered Reapers.
They had set up a station of sorts complete with stretchers and tents outside the camp with the help of the Grounders. It had not taken too long for the first of the Reapers to go into cardiac arrest and thankfully they were able to save them.
Abby knew thanks to Marcus, who knew because of Clarke, that the Reapers were infected with some drug. They had tried to flush the drug out to no avail, but it was only after she had resuscitated the first Reaper that she realised the evil genius of the drug.
Camp Jaha had a decent amount of medics ,which was thanks to Thelonious and him putting priority staff in the larger stations. However, Abby still had to oversee and in quite a few cases intervene on behalf of the medics as a large amount of the Reapers began to go into cardiac arrest.
It had been long and exhausting work. Things finally slowed down to the point where they were able to induce cardiac arrest. At this stage, Abby had been blissfully unaware of the events at the Mountain so when a severely concussed Bellamy walked into the medic centre she should have seen the bad sign for what it was.
It was only minutes later after she had managed to treat Bellamy whose had been practically incomprehensible that things started to go very wrong.
The few Grounders that were still at Camp Jaha guarding the Reapers had retreated from the vicinity of Camp Jaha. It had caused quite a stir as a few of the Reapers were still under the influence of the drug and if they got loose then the medics and doctors inside the tent would be dead.
The Grounders had all left promptly and set up camp far away from the gates. All of the Arkers that had been with the main army were assigned to the tunnels and they had returned along with the wave of Reapers.
Kane had tried to negotiate with the leader of the remaining Grounders, but in the end it had been futile. He finally came back to Abby and shared the news that was responsible for Abby's mood.
The Grounders had betrayed them.
News had come from the Mountain that the Grounders were to leave once the Reapers were back to full health. Apparently the Mountain had given up the Grounder prisoners in exchange for them retreating.
There was no mention of any of the children from the Ark and Abby knew that they had been betrayed. Abby had been tempted to give the Reapers as they were, but she knew they needed a few more hours of observation.
It would go against her oath as a doctor to risk their lives in some form of revenge for their betrayal. There were two more important reason than that though. Firstly, this had allowed her to keep her mind off Clarke at least for the time being. Kane suggested a search party would go out in the morning because they would be at a severe disadvantage as it was if they had gone in the dark of night.
Abby had agreed albeit very reluctantly, but in the end Kane was still the Chancellor and no matter how much she pushed it would have been futile. Her word did not mean so much to the Guards that they would go against Kane.
In any case, the second reason she kept the Reapers alive was to hold off any attacks from occurring. The Grounders could be tempted to attack once they had the cured Reapers with them. It was something that stemmed from paranoia and distrust, but the Grounders had done nothing to make her feel any other way.
The compromise that Kane had reached was that they would only hand over the Reapers once the Commander got here. They would negotiate the release of the Reapers for whatever they needed because it probably went without saying that their old alliance was dead in the water.
There was a large commotion going on outside the rehabilitation area and Abby took a moment to calm herself before stepping out. She stepped out into the crisp early morning air and the sound of drumming and horns drew her attention to the south-east.
As expected, there was a somewhat large amount of warriors marching towards the gates. They came from the direction of TonDC which if Abby wasn't mistaken was in the almost complete direction of Mount Weather which was to the west of their current position
The Commander was leading the group of warriors and along with a few generals that shadowed behind her. The Guards were all lined up along the walls with their guns at the ready. The Grounders did not seem to take well to this and a lot of them kept their hands by their sides ready to draw their weapons.
Lexa rose her hand and on cue the army stopped it's advance. The Commander did not stop walking, however, and it was quite the sight to see as she approached the camp with all of the guards pointing their guns at her.
The intimidation by the guards was probably futile. Lexa had already shown the ability to control metal. If they were going to fight then Camp Jaha was the absolute worst place to do it.
It was entirely made of metal after all.
"Commander, "said Abby as Lexa reached her position. Kane was also making his way out of the camp and he nodded at Abby and then at Lexa.
"Chancellors,"said Lexa wrongly assuming Kane and Abby were on equal terms. It could have been an attempt to be courteous or perhaps to flatter Abby or perhaps it was a slip of the tongue. Regardless, the atmosphere between the fellow leaders had only gotten more tense.
"What do you want?"said Abby and she ignored Kane's flinch at her harsh tone. Abby knew their backs were against the wall, but she would not pander to the child that had gotten her daughter killed.
Lexa did not seem bothered by Abby's tone as she said,"I apologise for how this had to end. I did what I had to for my people. You would do the same I'm sure."
"Clarke is dead because of you,"said Abby angrily and this accusation seemed to strike a nerve as Lexa's face twisted for a second. The Commander had forgone her warpaint andaa such it was easy for Abby to see that she had gotten under Lexa's skin.
She was about to hammer away at the crack forming, but she was interrupted by Kane who said,"Now's not the time, Abby."
Abby turned to Kane and he met her look before gesturing behind Lexa. Abby lost her nerve as she took in the aggressive stances of the gathered Grounders. They probably could not hear their conversation, but Abby's body language had been hostile enough for them to take offense.
Abby calmed down and Kane took the chance to speak with Lexa,"We'll give you the Reapers back. They're already fully healed, but in exchange for our help in healing them and you abandoning our people then we need reparations. "
"What do you want?"said Lexa almost immediately. Her tone didn't seem to sound angry and it was clear to Kane that Lexa was willing to keep relations as civil as they could be.
"Land, "said Kane calmly as he gestured around them,"If you give us the land within a seven mile radius and the ability to trade with who we wish then we'll consider what's in the past to be done."
"You wish to rejoin the Coalition? "said Lexa and she was not surprised when Kane shook his head.
"No,"said Kane firmly,"I want peace. If you allow trade between our people and give us our own land then we will turn the Reapers over to you."
"What's stopping me from taking them back by force?"
Lexa's tone was probing. She did not sound offended exactly, but she did not sound pleased either. The truth was there was nothing they could do to stop Lexa from giving that order nor could they enforce the terms Kane had set out.
There was silence before Kane decided to speak up. However, he was cut off as his radio crackled to life.
"Sir, we have a large group approaching from the western forest. "
"Is this your doing?"said Kane, but he was surprised and suspicious when Lexa shook her head.
"If I wanted to kill your people I would,"said Lexa her tone annoyed. She made a gesture towards her people and Anya teleported next to the Commander.
"Go investigate the western forests,"said Lexa curtly,"Incoming forces."
Anya nodded and she was about to teleport away when Kane' radio went off again,"Sir, the kids are back."
Abby was on red alert and she grabbed the radio before Kane could respond,"David, what do you mean? The kids are back from the Mountain?"
"I'm sure, "said David his voice filled with joy, "My son's at the head of the pack."
Abby was about to go running off when Lexa spoke,"Anya will take us there. Hold onto her."
Abby hesitated only for a moment before she placed her hand on Anya. Lexa and Kane mirrored the action before suddenly the world lurched. It had only taken a split second before they were on the western side of the camp. Abby stumbled as she landed, but Kane caught her arm before she could fall.
She turned towards the forest that was roughly a hundred feet away. True to David's words, the remnants of the delinquents were leading a pack of people towards the camp. Abby recognised David's son, Miller, almost immediately as he helped a limping Raven walk.
No Clarke.
Abby ignored the tightening feeling in her chest as she continued to scan the were others she recognised like Jasper, Monty and Harper who all seemed tired and utterly exhausted.
No Clarke.
What looked like a pair of Grounders walked out along with the second Blake child. Octavia seemed to be engaged in a rather jovial conversation with the male Grounder while the female Grounder trailed behind them. It was the female Grounder who was the first to notice them.
She looked wary and she shouted a few words that seemed to halt the entirety of the group in their tracks. The majority of the delinquents, along with the strange group of adults and children with pale skin, stopped.
No Clarke.
However, there were still some more people coming out the forest mostly younger children along with their parents. It was only once everyone had gotten out the forest that Abby felt the reality of her situation.
She was mere seconds away from collapsing to the floor when a flash of bright hair drew her attention. Abby's heart filled with a dangerous hope as she looked at the owner of the brightly coloured hair.
Clarke.
Abby almost immediately sagged in relief at the sight of her daughter as she emerged from the forest. Clarke looked dirty. Her hair was a mess and there were blood stains all over her clothes. However, Abby could not care less for any of these things as she took in the sight of her still alive daughter.
Clarke, along with some girl with large, curly hair, was helping a blonde woman that was unsteady on her feet. The Grounder that had noticed them earlier called Clarke's name who at first looked at the woman who then pointed with her towards Abby.
Clarke looked over at the group of four and Abby watched as Clarke's brow furrowed before her face twisted into a snarl as her eyes took in everyone that was standing with Abby.
Clarke guided the woman she was holding into a sitting position before she ripped off the arm guards and shin guards she was wearing. They landed on the ground just behind Clarke. Abby's eyes had unconsciously tracked the movement of the guards which was why she was confused when her surroundings shifted and she found herself surrounded by trees.
Abby was confused before she heard rapid footsteps from somewhere before she felt two arms wrap around her tightly. Her vision was filled with blinde hair and it was only then that Abby relaxed into the hug.
"Mom,"said Clarke and her voice sounded weak and tired as if speaking was a great chore,"You're okay."
Clarke had almost broken down when she had seen her mother and Kane with Anya and the Commander. She had been so tempted to attack when she had ran towards them, but instead she had grabbed onto her mom before turning heel and running into the forest.
She had left Kane with the delinquents before she continued deeper into the forest with her mother. Clarke had been on the verge of tears and it was only once she was this far away from camp that she would let them out.
She had tried to pull away from her mother, but Abby only hugged her tighter in response. Tears fell from Clarke's eyes as the emotions she had shunted aside slammed into her full force. She had only held it togeso long because she had been busy, but the sight of her mother standing with Lexa had shattered any and all walls she had built.
They stayed like that for a few more seconds before Clarke finally stepped back. Her mother's eyes were filled with happiness, but even then Clarke could see the undercurrent of stress bleeding through.
"I guess we have to have this talk later, "said Clarke as she wiped her eyes. The blood and warpaint had long since dried on her face and Clarke was looking forward to finally being able to scrub her skin clean.
"Our people need you,"said Abby her voice sounding tired and at the same time proud,"You're so strong, Clarke. I can only imagine how tired you must be, but I want you to know that I am so proud of you. I could not have gotten a better daughter."
Abby's words did a lot to soothe Clarke and she was able to regain her bearings a lot quicker. Clarke hugged her mother again before she picked her up and said,"Let me handle the Commander. We need the benefits of the Coalition without actually being a part of it if we're going to survive."
"We already tried that,"said Abby her voice sounding resigned,"She did not take well to it."
"That's because you didn't have something she wants,"said Clarke her voice having a quiet confidence in it.
Abby was about to ask what her daughter meant, but her words were lost to the wind as the trees around them blurred into a formless mass as Clarke sped back towards camp.
Clarke stopped just behind the group of delinquents and she put down her mother next to Costia. She turned to her mom who still looked quite worried and said,"Make sure she's alright. Her body had been infected with a worse version of the Reaper drug. I've already healed her, but you should double check. "
Clarke left without waiting for a confirmation as she made her way back towards Anya and Lexa. Clarke could not help, but smiled wryly as the entirety of the Generals were gathered behind Lexa.
To make matters worse, Octavia, Lincoln and Echo had taken it upon themselves to go forward to Kane's position. There already seemed to be tempers rising as Indra and Anya glared at Lincoln while Ontari was staring at Echo with a chilling gaze.
Apparently Octavia had taken exception to something one of Indra or Anya had said as she raised her hand into a firing position. Clarke ran to intercept Octavia's attack and she was just able to grab onto the girl's arm before aiming it directly upwards.
A powerful shockwave emanated from her hand and rippled the air as Octavia struggled for a little bit before relaxing once she saw it was Clarke who had redirected her attack.
Octavia still looked mad and she was about to say something when Clarke shook her head. Octavia calmed down immediately if not a bit grumpily before retreating a few steps back to the others.
Clarke turned and she wasn't surprised to see all the Generals standing with their weapons at the ready. It made for an intimidating sight, but Clarke looked straight past all of them as she instead met the green eyes of Lexa.
Clarke felt a large part of her urge her to attack Lexa and beat her into the ground for her treachery, but Clarke knew she would first have to get through the generals and this time it wouldn't be a series of one one fights.
Clarke clamped down on that part of her and instead she forced her face to be stone cold as Lexa greeted her.
"Clarke."
"Commander."
Lexa's eyes flashed with something at Clarke's formal and icy tone that was at odds with Lexa's more neutral tone.
Silence reigned for a few more seconds before it was broken by Ontari who said,"Did you retreat from the Mountain? It seems 'Skaifaya ' is not so strong without Heda's army behind her."
Ontari's voice and tone had a way of getting under Clarke's skin. The Azgeda general was insufferable and had absolutely no redeeming traits whatsoever. It was funny in a strange sort of way that Clarke hated the only two people she knew that also had black blood.
Maybe that blood just made it's owners extremely annoying to be around.
"I did not retreat from the Mountain like a coward, "said Clarke finally as she emphasised the last word. The insult was not lost on anyone and the air only seemed to thicken with the increased hostilities.
"The Mountain Men are dead,"said Clarke and it was a statement that drew her the ire of Indra who stepped forward a weapon of light already forming in her hands. In response, Clarke raised her hand towards the woman and red energy began to form on her palm.
"Indra,"said Lexa with a hint of warning and the woman paused in her attack. Indra eventually stood down and dissipated the weapons she had formed. Clarke kept her arm trained on Indra even though Lexa had given her the order to stand down.
It was only after a few more tense seconds that Clarke lowered her arm and dissipated the energy that had been building on her hand.
"Do you have any proof of this?"said Trent his voice sounding not accusatory, but merely curious.
"I'm standing here with my people,"said Clarke as she looked at Lexa instead of Trent despite him having asked the question,"The same people you had allowed to rot by siding with your mortal enemy. If you want proof then you can tell Anya to teleport into the cages where she was kept. As you know, her powers didn't work when she was a prisoner. If she can teleport in there now..."
The statement was left incomplete, but there was no misunderstanding from anyone. Anya looked at Clarke who didn't humour with any sign of ackno8before she turned to Lexa who nodded immediately. Anya's face twisted in concentration for a few seconds before she disappeared in a could of black smoke.
There was a few seconds of silence before Anya reappeared. She seemed tired from the effort of a long distance teleportation, but there was no mistaking her grave nod towards Lexa.
The generals seemed stunned by these turn of events and they exchange rapid fire words in Trigedasleng to each other. Clarke spared a glance behind her and she net the eyes of Kane who seemed just as surprised by the turn of events.
Clarke turned back and she was filled with a sort of vindication as she took in Lexa's surprised face. It was almost the most emotion she had ever seen on Lexa's face except for that night in the tent–
Clarke cleared her mind of that night and instead said,"The Mountain Men are dead with no thanks to you. We had a deal and that deal was broken by you. If my people are going to live in peace then we need a new deal."
"What do you suggest?"said Lexa having regained a sense of calmness once again.
"My mother told me she and Kane ha come up with something,"said Clarke and Lexa nodded as she said,"They asked for seven miles of land from Camp Jaha and free trading with any of the clans."
Trikru, according to maps Clarke had seen in TonDC, apparently had hundreds of miles of land and this was essentially a drop in the ocean for them. The land was arable enough and with trade then Skaikru would be able to live comfortably.
Clarke nodded to show her understanding before she said,"Then that's what we agree on along with one addition. Skaikru will not be a part of the Coalition. We will be separate and you will not interfere in our affairs. "
Lexa was silent before she said,"That is a steep condition."
Clarke nodded as she said,"I killed the Mountain Men without any of your help. Your people suffered for generations at their hands and I stopped that again on my own. I could ask for more, but that would not be the smartest move. Instead I will trade you for Skaikru's autonomy. I have something that I'm sure you'd find valuable. "
Some bitterness had leaked into Clarke's tone and it was clear that Lexa had picked up on it. Clarke waited for Lexa's answer and she wasn't surprised when the Commander said,"What are you talking about?"
Clarke turned her back and she ran straight back towards the delinquents. She came to a stop in front of Maya and Costia who had somehow managed to fall asleep. Maya seemed surprised by her appearance as she said,"Costia fell asleep after you left her. Your mom is performing check ups on the others now...Is something the matter? Why did Echo tell us to stay here? Do we have to move somewhere else?"
Clarke shook her head to dispel Maya's worries and said,"No, I just need to sort something out with the person that betrayed us. You guys will be fine. There's enough space for all of you and I would never send you guys alone into the woods."
Maya calmed down considerably and she swept Clarke in a hug that she was wholly unprepared for. Clarke returned the hug for a few seconds before she felt a gaze on her. She turned her head to the side and she was surprised to see Anya, the generals all staring at her along with Lexa whose face seemed to be set in a frown.
Clarke pulled away from the hug before she said,"Hey Maya could you wake her up? I need Costia for something. "
Maya seemed confused, but she obliged Clarke and a few seconds of shaking and whispers later Costia's eyes opened. The woman rose to a sitting position and her hair obscured much of her face as she said, "Clarke? What's going on?"
"It's time for you to go home,"said Clarke as she helped Costia up to stand.
"Home?"said Costia in confusion before understanding seemed to dawn,"You're taking me to Polis?"
"In a way,"said Clarke before she picked up a confused Costia and dashed back towards her previous position.
Dust was kicked up as she slowed to a stop behind Echo and the others. Everyone seemed confused including Echo who stared at Costia in confusion before a few words escaped her mouth.
Clarke ignored that and instead came to a stop once again in front of the generals. They all seemed confused by the blonde woman whose face was buried into Clarke's chest.
Clarke helped Costia get down and the woman didn't seem to realise where she was as she grabbed her head her eyes closed as she said lowly,"Are we in Polis already? "
Clarke ignored Costia whose face was still obscured by her hair and instead looked at Lexa. The Commander seemed to understand that the woman Clarke had brought was supposed to be traded, but Clarke could tell Lexa could not tell just who it was.
It was only after a few more words from Costia slipped out, this time in Trigedasleng, that Lexa's face twisted in horror. At the same time, Costia had fully regained her bearings and she pulled her hair behind her head before realising who stood in front of her.
"Lexa?"said Costia cautiously her voice barely holding a tremor back,"Is that you?"
Lexa seemed distressed and angered and confusion as she took in the sight of her supposedly dead girlfriend. She was still for an alarmingly long time before a growl escaped her mouth. Lexa's sword was withdrawn smoothly from her hip before she swung at Costia.
"Impostor!"shouted Lexa and it was an anger Clarke had never seen anyone exhibit much less the usually stoic Lexa.
Clarke acted quickly and she was able to step in between Lexa's strike and form a shield of green light. Lexa's sword stopped barely a hair's length away from Clarke's shield and the transparency of her shield made it easy for Clarke to see Lexa's eyes flutter between her and Costia in confusion.
"Generals,"said Lexa and her voice held a slight shakiness,"Prepare the Reapers for transport. The deal with Skaikru has been accepted."
The generals didn't seem to be in the mood for questioning Lexa while she was in such a state and they all left even as they snuck glances towards Lexa's back. It was soon only Anya left on Lexa's side and she too seemed frozen in shock as she looked at Costia who was gripping onto Clarke in sheer fright.
"What kind of joke is this?"said Lexa softly her voice shaking,"Do you think I'd fall for a trick like this?"
Clarke pushed back against Lexa and knocked her sword away. Lexa didn't even look to retaliate as her sword flew from her grip and clattered to the ground. Costia was still holding onto Clarke, but Clarke grabbed onto her hands before removing them slowly.
"This is not a trick,"said Clarke as she stepped around Costia leaving nothing between her and Lexa,"Costia was trapped in the Mountain all this time. Nia didn't kill her. The Mountain Men tortured her and starved her and drugged her for years. She was the reason powers didn't work in the Mountain. If it hadn't been for me you would have left her in there to rot until the Mountain Men threw her aside when she fulfilled her purpose."
Lexa was still as Clarke's words cut into her. Costia was slowly advancing on Lexa who was still until the woman swept her into a hug. Lexa's eyes were wide open as Costia hugged her and she looked at Clarke who was already turned halfway in the opposite direction. A single tear was trailing down Clarke's face.
"You're welcome,"said Clarke before she turned and walked away. Lexa watched as Clarke retreated and even as Costia began to speak to her in earnest.
She kept her eyes trained on Clarke for a few more seconds before she was shaken from her daze by Costia whose face seemed to be somewhat annoyed.
"What's wrong? "said Costia before her eyes followed where Lexa had been looking. Costia eyed Clarke as she began to speak to her people before she said,"She saved me. "
"If it wasn't for her then I would have never been freed from the Mountain, "said Costia as she misread Lexa's facial expression.
Lexa could only nod as Anya came closer to them.
"I know."
Clarke's boots echoed through the hallway as she made way for her destination. The delinquents and refugees from the Mountain had all been settled in for a few hours now. The Reapers had been taken without much fuss and Abby had reassured Clarke that they would be fine.
The delinquents had all been put processed by her mother and none of them really needed to stay in Medical except for Raven and Bellamy. Bellamy was still recovering from his concussion(which had been worse than Clarke had initially thought) and Jackson had told her that Abby was keeping him under observation just for the time being.
Abby was busy checking up on him now according to Jackson and since Octavia was most likely going to spend quite some time with Bellamy she had decided to go check up on Raven and to finally reveal the truth about Finn to Raven.
She came to a stop outside the door to Raven's room and she hesitated for a while until she heard Raven's slightly muffled voice emanate from behind the door.
"I know you're there, Clarke,"said Raven and her tone was unusually bland and devoid of the fire it usually held.
Clarke opened the door and she was rather surprised to see Raven's eyes glowing a sharp yellow as she stared at her. The colour quickly faded and Clarke took a seat on a chair that was next to the bed.
From this close, it was easy to see that Raven was not at her best. The dried tears underneath her eyes, the crescent marks on her palms from clenching her fists and most notably the way she seemed to be relying almost entirely on the pillows she had to prop herself up.
It was a mixture of physical and mental exhaustion that plagued Raven and Clarke felt no small amount of guilt for being responsible for a part of it. Raven was probably the closest to Clarke of all the delinquents.
Clarke had been the one to comfort her after Finn's cheating had been exposed and Raven had done the same both after Roma's death and in the Mountain when the delinquents had pulled away from her.
It was why Clarke could not find it in herself to say the words that would bury their relationship. Clarke had killed Finn. She had barely thought of the effect it would have had on Raven. She had captured the love of Raven's life and then executed him all for an alliance that had failed in the end.
Raven's demeanour did not seem to change after Clarke's appearance and even as the silence dragged on she was silent as she stared at the wall opposite her. In contrast, Clarke was feeling more and more uncomfortable as time went on. It reached a point where Clarke decided to come clean, but before she could get a word out she was cut off by Raven.
"I know you killed Finn,"said Raven and her voice was cold as she spoke,"Abby told me all about it. I guess she assumed you had already told me since I was still a wreck when I got here."
Clarke's words died on her tongue and she looked at Raven whose face was a mix of supreme anger and deep sadness. Fresh tears trailed down the mechanic's face even as Raven's jaw seemed to lock up.
"Raven,"said Clarke slowly only for words to fail her. Clarke truly did not know what to say that would fix things, but one look at Raven told her that what she said was impossible.
"Apparently you stabbed him in the back after he tried to kill the Commander, "said Raven and this time her voice held more of an edge to it,"That is so ironic. "
"I'm sorry for what I did Raven,"said Clarke as she put her hand on Raven's only for the other girl to pull away from her touch.
Clarke tried not to let that get her down as she said,"He tried to kill Lexa to avenge Fox's death. They were going to massacre everyone inside this camp if we didn't turn him over. I did what I had to."
Raven did not seem swayed by Clarke's words and this time the anger in her voice was palpable as she said,"He was my only family, Clarke. He gave me food when my mother starved me to get more alcohol. He took the fall for me when I got caught on the spacewalk. I don't care what he did, Clarke."
The gravity in Raven's tone weighed heavily on Clarke, but she remained silent as Raven continued to speak,"I could never not love him. Even though things changed between us once we landed I never stopped loving him. I don't care that he didn't love me the same way or that he tried to kill the Commander for some girl he met down here..."
"I loved him,"said Raven her voice gaining a tremor and she glared at Clarke through her tears as she said,"And you killed him."
The accusation cut right through Clarke and again she found herself at a loss for words. The look of anger and sadness in Raven's eyes only seemed to bring up memories of all the wrongdoings she had committed since landing on the ground.
Clarke was seconds away from collapsing into tears when the door burst open and Octavia walked in as she said,"Raven? Are you awake yet or– am I interrupting something?"
Raven shook her head and said,"No, Clarke was just leaving. "
Clarke rose at Raven's dismissal and she ignored the bewilderment on Octavia's face as she made for the door. It was only as she reached the door that Raven offered any parting words.
"Clarke,"said Raven her voice having regained more strength, " I don't think I can handle–"
Raven's voice trailed off, but the message was clear as day for Clarke. She nodded stiffly and she gave a noncommittal smile to an even more confused Octavia before she walked out the door.
The sun was steadily rising out from the horizon. Camp Jaha was silent and there was no real activity except for the occasional patrol by guards. Monty had drawn the short straw when it came to shifts and much like all of the other delinquents with powers he had been assigned guard duties along with whatever else they specialised in.
It had been a grueling day yesterday as they had been roped into expanding the accommodation to make sure there was enough room for the refugees from Mount Weather. The reception of the refugees had been largely positive although whether that was due to the influx of young kids( a rarity on the Ark) or the welcoming nature of the Arkers Monty could not say.
He and Clarke had been assigned to expanding the farm and they had worked on it until Clarke was needed elsewhere. Clarke's ability to weather rock into soil and his own ability to grow any sort of plants from nothing made for a difficult day for the both of them.
Monty had seen the conflict on Clarke's face and she was far more quiet than usual when they were working. He assumed it had something to do with Finn. Monty had heard rumours among the delinquents about a falling out between Raven and Clarke.
Apparently Clarke had hand delivered Finn to the Commander before executing the boy at her command. It was a story that was way out there and yet the fact that Clarke avoided conversation like the plague and that Raven and her hadn't even been seen in the same room since the Mountain made it hard to refute.
Monty had had the chance to ask Clarke(and he had been pressed by Miller and Jasper) but it was proven unnecessary when Bellamy confirmed it for everyone. Monty was sure Clarke was aware of the whispers going on behind her back and it was easy to tell that the place was taking a toll on her.
It was not that there were malicious in any way, but there was a definite distance between Clarke and the delinquents most notably those that did not know her well. The same awkwardness was seen amongst the Arkers who Monty had realised must have been present for Finn's execution.
The only thing Monty could liken it to was the deference Jaha had been shown on the Ark. People behaved as of a simple misstep would end with them in an air lock within a matter of minutes. It was ridiculous, then and now, to think that way, but fear had a funny way of affecting people's behaviour.
It was fear that had caused the council to float an entire sector of people in their sleep –something an increasing amount of people were complaining about. It was fear that had caused Bellamy to shoot Jaha and later smash up Raven's radio when she landed.
Hell it was probably due to fear of annihilation by other countries that the old American government had greenlit the Darwin nanobots experiments. The project was a failsafe for a war that had been so vicious and swift no government had survived it.
The vast majority of citizens would have been unaware of the experimentation that had been done to them. The war would have been enough stress to activate powers and that coupled with the disarray of the war it was no wonder the world had taken a turn to a system geared towards conflict and fighting.
It was all they knew after all.
Suddenly, Monty's watch beeped and almost immediately the boy sagged in relief. His shift was finally over. His replacement was already walking up to him and after a quick nod Monty went past the man before making his way back towards the hulking form of the Ark which acted as the nucleus of the camp.
He reached the door and just as he stepped into Alpha he bumped into someone that was walking out. They collided with each other, but neither of them fell to the floor. It had not been a particularly rough collision, but even then Monty would have expected someone to fall simply due to his own strength being that much higher now.
It was only once he looked at who he had bumped into that he realised why they hadn't fallen to the ground.
"Clarke?"said Monty in surprise and he was sure his face mirrored Clarke's rattled expression.
"Monty? Sorry about that, "said Clarke as she stumbled over her words. She was about to add more, but Monty's were drawn to her shoulders which had straps on them.
A cursory glance over her shoulder cemented his suspicions and he voiced them immediately as Clarke apologised again and then tried to duck around him and get outside.
"You're leaving,"said Monty his words ringing with a certainty that stopped Clarke in her tracks,"You haven't told anyone, have you?"
"No,"said Clarke and her voice sounded both embarrassed and drained,"I had my invisibility cloak, but bumping into you made me lose focus. I left a letter in my room. I figured–"
"Is this because of Raven and what happened with Finn?"said Monty as he interrupted Clarke's impromptu apology," Don't leave camp because of that. It's not safe out there. None of us would want you to get hurt out there."
"It's not just about that,"said Clarke as she raised her hands to push her hair back,"I've done some terrible stuff, Monty. I committed genocide to rescue you guys. Whether or not they had it coming isn't the point. I just need some space to deal with everything. The longer I stay here, the more I remember what happened. I just need some time to work through everything."
"I know what you went through was tough,"said Monty after a few seconds of silence,"No one should have had to do any of what you have done, Clarke. That doesn't mean you should leave. We're all here to help you. Octavia, Jasper, Bellamy, Abby, Maya and I'm sure Raven will come around. You don't need to do this alone, Clarke. We're here for you."
"I know,"said Clarke her voice just barely above a whisper,"I know that I can count on you guys, but this is something I need to work on myself. I need to be able to forgive myself and I don't think I can do that with living reminders of what I have done."
The statement seemed harsh, but Monty knew that Clarke didn't mean to offend him or anyone. He really did want Clarke to stay. She was one of The 100 and she had looked out for their best interests from day one even when she had been scorned by them. The past couple of months had been trying on all of them, but it had probably worse for Clarke. If Clarke opened up to them then they would be able to help, but deep down Monty knew that was not going to happen.
Raven had been the one to comfort Clarke when she had been at her lowest which was in the dropship after Roma's death and then once again in the Mountain. It was fair to say that Raven was closest to Clarke amongst the deliquents by a sizeable distance. Monty also knew that Clarke had done the same for Raven after the whole Finn and Fox thing came out. Raven might take a while to forgive Clarke and having a daily reminder of how their friendship had soured would not be good for either of them. The camp was not enormous and there were bound to run into each other. They were both extremely strong too and if they ever got into a fight then it would likely be extremely difficult to bring them down.
"You're right,"said Monty as he looked back at Clarke,"If you need time and space for yourself then you should take it. We all have our demons and if you think thi will help you then I won't stand in your way."
Monty reached into his coat and he pulled out a cloth pouch before taking is radio and setting it to a different channel. He handed them to Clarke who immediately pocketed the radio. She held up the pouch in confusion before opening it. Inside were roughly 40 cherries that were a perfect shade of red. Clarke was about to speak, but Monty beat her to the punch.
"Those will help you sleep,"said Monty and his voice sounded just a bit drained,"I don't know if you still have the same problem as at the dropship, but just take them anyways. Me and a few of the other delinquents needed some, but I'll grow more of them later today. The radio is only for emergencies. I won't tell anyone about it."
Monty gestured with his head out the door and said,"You should leave soon. Most people are going to get up pretty soon. You should probably use your cloak and cover your tracks. I doubt your mom or Kane would just let you roam the wilderness."
Clarke put the pouch in her pocket before she hugged Monty. The boy reciprocated the motion and then he stepped back after a few seconds. Monty watched as Clarke stepped outside. Thankfully, there was not anyone around and Monty watched amazed as two large wings emerged from Clarke's back. She smiled at him and it a smile made up of regret, sadness, but perhaps what shone through the most was the gratitude Clarke seemed to be exuding.
"Thank you, Monty,"said Clarke, but all of a sudden there was a shout from behind them. Monty turned and he was surprised to see Abby running towards them with a paper in her hands.
"Clarke!"shouted Abby as she drew closer and said something into her radio. Monty turned back to Clarke. She seemed rattled by her mother's appearance and within a second she was soaring up into the air before disappearing underneath her invisibility cloak.
Abby had slowed to a stop right where Clarke had been standing and she let out a cry of deep frustration and sadness as she let the paper in her hand tumble to the ground. Monty walked closer to the despondent form of Abby who was unnervingly still and silent. The paper had landed face up and he realised it must have been the letter Clarke was talking about. To his surprise, there were only two words written on the whole thing.
I'm sorry.
A couple of guards arrived to the front of Alpha Station,but they were already too late.
Clarke was long gone.
It had not been a happy accident that Clarke had decided to go towards the east from Camp Jaha.
Clarke had ruled out going towards the west or the north. The former was in the direction of the Mountain and the latter was where Azgeda was located. Clarke only really had the personalities of Echo and Ontari to go off for how the people of Azgeda were like and while Echo was perfectly fine Ontari was decidedly less so. Lexa had mentioned the brutality of the Ice Queen and Clarke had only heeded that warning if only because of the fear Echo had shown when speaking of the Ice Queen.
That had left a decision between the south ,which was the direction of Polis, or the east that Clarke knew practically nothing about.
All in all, not a very hard decision to make.
She had flown up in the skies at a pace that allowed her to take in the sights around her. The trees expanded far and wide and it was a nice change of pace. She hadn't really had the time to bask in her surroundings in a long while. She had descended from the sky a while ago. The effort required to both fly and remain invisible was annoying after a while. She could probably change her wings to those of larger birds and just ride the air currents, but that was probably something she could put off for the time being.
Clarke had been away from Camp Jaha for well over six hours. Four of those had been spent on the ground and she had occasionally been forced to change course when she detected the presence of other people. It was still rather ridiculous to Clarke that everyone on the Ark had assumed the world had been wiped out. Of course on the Ark they had no way of piercing the radiation that essentially blocked signals to from the ground. It made sense that some people would have made it into bunkers.
Clarke was drawn from her musings as she heard the faint sound of someone screaming in terror. Clarke stopped dead in her tracks and she waited for a bit longer. She had transformed her ears to be sensitive enough to make sure she was not going crazy. This was the right thing to do as the scream emanated from behind her somewhere. It sounded shrill and desperate and Clarke wanted to rush in blindly despite her previous attempts to evade detection.
In the end, Clarke paused for a few seconds before sprinting towards the source of the noise. She reached a clearing and she was greeted by the sight of a man and a woman holding a girl up off the ground by the was another man who stood in front of the girl and he was holding a rag that he shoved into the young girls mouth. The girl was still struggling and despite her wiry frame she seemed to be putting up a good fight. This ended when the ringleader pricked her with a dart. The fight left her body and her captors seemed to have a much easier time dealing with her.
Clarke had seen enough.
She formed two miniature crossbows and she took aim at the two holding the girl up. She pulled the trigger and a second later two arrows were embedded in the throats of the girl's harassers. The ringleader looked around wildly in shock before his eyes landed on Clarke. He raised his hand towards her and from it came a large blast of energy. Clarke dashed out of the way and she grimaced as the projectile slammed into the ground and exploded violently.
A full row of trees had been taken out by the blast ad Clarke knew that it had likely drawn the attention of everyone within at least a three kilometre radius. The forests around here had fewer trees than those around Camp Jaha and so sound had no issue travelling through the trees. The man had raised his hand to shoot at her again and Clarke acted on instinct.
A bolt of lightning was fired from her fingers before it struck him square in the chest. The man halted in his actions and his body convulsed rapidly before collapsing. Clarke allowed the stream of lightning to die down before she finally approached the girl who seemed too shocked to move. The drug didn't seem to have had too strong of an effect on the girl thankfully and Clarke raised her hands to calm any nerves the girl may have had.
"Are you alright?"asked Clarke taking care to keep her voice even,"Do you stay in a village around here?"
The girl was silent and it made Clarke feel uncomfortable until it hit her. Only warriors spoke English. It just worked out that the vast majority of Grounders she had met were all warriors. Clarke racked her brain for the scraps of Trigedasleng she knew.
"Ai laik Klark kom Skaikru,"said Clarke her voice clunky and awkward as she stumbled over her words. The girl seemed to perk up at her words and for the first time she gazed directly at Clarke. The intensity in her stare unnerved Clarke even as she vaguely recognised the girl or someone that looked similar at the very least.
"Chon yu bilaik?"said Clarke as she tested the waters and there was silence for a few seconds before the girl's voice broke it.
"I am Madi,"said the girl in perfect English,"You are the one from the Mountain. You set me and the others free."
If the revelation that the girl spoke perfect English was not enough then the fact that she was in the Mountain was enough to shake Clarke. It was only now that the girl in front of her had been captured by the reapers she had cured.
"What are you doing here? You should be at home with your family,"said Clarke before adding"Why did you act like you can't understand me?"
Madi was silent before she spoke her voice low,"I got separated from the others. It was too dark. I walked for long trying to find them now, but I don't know where I am. I did not trust you, but that was because I did not know who you were. These three said they help me, but after I cut myself on stone they attacked me."
Clarke realised that Madi didn't mention her family and she realised that Madi was probably an orphan. The soft and understated manner she seemed to compose herself with was at odds with what a seven or eight year old should act like.
"Why would they attack you?"said Clarke and Madi in response put her thumb in her mouth before biting down.
Clarke was confused until Madi pulled out her thumb. Thick black blood oozed from her finger and as Clarke stared at Madi's thumb she could already feel a headache forming.
Madi was actually a decent travelling partner. She had said her home was in Louwoda Kilron or Shallow Valley. The girl had been evasive about her quality of life there and it was clear there were some things she had been uncomfortable with sharing. It turned out that no one had taught Madi English or Trigedasleng. It was just something she just got for as long as she could remember. Her English was far from perfect, but it was rather great for a kid so young.
The sun had set a while ago and now they were sat around a campfire that overlooked the ocean. They had eaten some rabbit and fish a while ago and Madi had taken to throwing leaves into the fire. The first time she had done this it had erupted into bright green flames. It drew attention, but Clarke had reluctantly allowed Madi to continue throwing them in. As it turned out only a few of the leaves would turn the fire green and Madi was shuttling to the forest and back after running out of leaves. Madi had just gone to get some more and as she disappeared from sight Clarke was forced to spin and catch a punch from behind her.
*!*
She did so, but with more difficulty than she had anticipated. Clarke traced the fist to it's owner and she was greeted by the fierce gaze of a woman that was both older and taller than her. She looked angry and Clarke hoped Madi stayed hidden for her own safety.
"How do you know about the signal?"said the woman her voice controlled and cool,"Only two people not from this clan know about it and you are quite clearly neither of them."
Clarke was sure this 'signal' was the fire , but instead of answering she placed her hand to the woman's abdomen before firing a psionic blast. The woman was sent flying into a tree. The woman rose and her face contained a touch of anger. Her nose seemed broken, but it seemed to snap into place all of a sudden. The woman wiped the blood from her nose before lifting her hand. It was a gesture that almost always signified danger and Clarke was right about it again.
Clarke had had ample time to raise a psionic dome, but she was surprised to see an identical blast of energy headed for her. The blue projectile went straight through the red dome before slamming into Clarke and crushing her against the wall of her own dome. She made the dome dissipate, but almost immediately she was kicked in the stomach.
*!*
Clarke's arms grabbed onto the leg of her attacker before using it as a handle to slam the woman into the ground right beside the fire. Clarke kept the woman pinned before she punched her in the face. There was a sharp crack as the woman's nose broke, but this time it did not heal instantly. Clarke was about to burn the woman's face when she heard Madi's voice grunting in exertion.
Clarke turned to the woods and she was horrified to see Madi being restrained by a man she could not identify. Clarke turned back to her own hostage, but she was greeted by the woman headbutting her. Clarke's nose snapped immediately and the woman was able to slip free from under Clarke. She did not press her advantage weirdly enough, but instead gestured for the man to bring Madi closer.
"I do not wish to harm you or this girl, but when I sensed you were here I had to investigate,"said the woman, but Clarke was not paying attention as she took in the broken and bloody nose of her opponent,"How did you find out about the signal?"
"Luna,"said the man suddenly as he turned to the man,"Yu jus bilaik em jus."
Clarke watched as the woman, Luna, reached for her nose instinctively before her eyes scanned Clarke's face landing in the blood trailing down her nose. Clarke expected a violent response, but she was surprised when the man let go of Madi after a signal from Luna. Madi almost immediately ran behind Clarke who was about to attack, but she stopped as Luna held up her hands placatingly.
"I see you are another of the blood,"said Luna as she held her hand out to Clarke with the now clearly visible nightblood dripping from her nose. She wiped it away with her other hand and Clarke walked forward before shaking the other woman's hand.
"My name is Clarke Griffin,"said Clarke before adding,"From Skaikru."
Luna seemed especially interested as she said,"So you're the one...It matters not. My name is Luna kom Floukru. I am the leader of the Boat People and I'm sorry for this."
Clarke was not sure what Luna meant, but all of a sudden her body seized up as she was electrocuted and the last thing she heard was Madi screaming.
Author notes:
Hope you guys enjoyed that. Costia is reunited with Lexa. Raven finds out about Finn. Clarke saves Madi and finally Luna knocks Clarke out.
Don't hate on Raven. Her closest friend just killed someone she loved. I love Clarke all the way, but yeah there was no other way that was gonna go down.
Please review I love hearing from you guys and have a blessed festive season.
P.S. I might be publishing another story soon so if I'm busy with another story please don't feel neglected.
