Clarke, talking in broken Trigedasleng, asked Anya to set up an audience with the commander.
"Follow me." Anya led Clarke and Murphy to a large tent outside of the village. "Wait here while I ask her to see you."
Murphy and Clarke waited for almost an hour before Anya came back out. "Well?"
"She'll see you. But tread carefully, she's in a bad mood." Anya put her hand on Clarke's shoulder. "Good luck."
"Thank you, Anya. And Murphy wait out here."
"Yeah, sure, whatever." He knew better than to argue with her. When it came to grounder relations she'd never steered them wrong. He trusted her even if he still had no idea who she was under that determined exterior.
Clarke ducked inside the tent and saw a woman not any older than herself sitting on a throne made of twisting wood. She twirled a knife in her hand with expertise. "Commander Lexa, I'm Clarke of the skaikru and I was hoping we could talk."
"In English," the commander said. "You're butchering my language."
"OK."
"Anya says that you're an excellent healer. That your protégé is close to being just as skilled, which means you are also a good teacher."
"Hington is an excellent student. She's a fast learner." Clarke stepped closer. "I wanted to talk to you about the rest of the skaikru. I'm hoping we can live in peace."
"What do you propose exactly?" Lexa asked as she set the knife in her lap.
"I'll be leaving soon, with my associate Murphy, Octavia and Lincoln on a mission to bring back agriculture. There's a vault a long way from here, and the trip will be dangerous, but it has seeds and instructions on how to grow them. If we succeed we can grow our own food. If I agreed to take Bellamy with us, and bring back those seeds back here rather than settling elsewhere, would you agree to a truce?"
"And if you die trying to do this?"
"Then you've gained more citizens to diversify your lineages and lost nothing."
"Your people were fools to banish you. Tell them to lie down their arms. We'll come for them in the morning. If no one resists, you've gotten your peace. I also expect you to leave on this mission within the week." Lexa paused and narrowed her eyes. "If Bellamy is among them, then he dies and there will only be four of you going for the seeds, but you will still get your peace."
"Thank you, commander. While we're here, let's talk about the Mountain Men..."
"He pissed himself and it's stinking up the place!" Murphy fumed as Bellamy sat tied to a chair in a corner of the bunker. "Clarke, how long is this going to go on?"
"We have two more days to get our supplies together and leave. If we can't convince Bellamy to come with us, we kill him."
"I've been wanting to do that for days."
"Murphy, don't be a dick. I've got one last ace up my sleeve." Clarke knelt in front of Bellamy. "You know Octavia's coming with us. Already told you that. But if you don't come with us, I'll let Murphy kill you, and your sister won't have you to protect her on a journey that's just this side of certain death. Now I'm going to take the gag out and if I hear anything other than yes come out of your mouth, I'm handing you over to Murphy. So are you coming with us?" She removed the gag.
"Yes."
Clarke untied him. "Good. Now clean up your mess."
"The trigedaskru are migrating out of the acid fog zone." Clarke tied her boots then checked her pack one last time.
"They shoulda done that a long time ago." Murphy zipped up his pack and slung it over his shoulder.
Lincoln tied his bag across his chest while Octavia pulled her hair up. "Why should they be forced to leave their home?"
"You said the Mountain Men kidnap people, turn them into Reapers and kill them." Clarke counted the water bottles. "They're doing that for a reason. And since they have missile capabilities and could wipe the trigedaskru out, I'd say that the reason has to be horrific."
"You talked them into leaving." Lincoln met Clarke's stern expression.
"If the Mountain Men are kidnapping Tree People then they need them. I think if their supply of grounders runs out, they'll either die off or make a mistake that will destroy them." Clarke shrugged.
"I agree with the Commander. Your people were fools for banishing you." Lincoln clapped a hand on Clarke's shoulder before climbing the ladder out of the bunker.
"You're quiet big brother," Octavia said as she tied her machete to her belt.
"Murphy and Clarke get pissed when I say anything." Bellamy double checked his supplies.
John snorted as he put a foot on the ladder. "That's because you say the dumbest shit." Then he hoisted himself up.
Octavia stood up straight and looked her brother in the eye. "This is a dangerous journey, Bell. If you want them to save you, you might consider not making them angry every chance you get."
"Whatever." Bellamy put his hand on a rung. "Let's just let the cards fall where they fall."
The remaining members of the expedition climbed out of the bunker. Clarke agreed to be the first one to pull the boat and put on the harness. Murphy pocketed the compass. "Like we planned. We go straight through the lower half and across the bridge, through the village and into the upper half."
"The Dead Zone will likely be the only desert we need to navigate, but it'll take several days to a week to get across it. That's if we don't stop for anything other than short rests," Lincoln reminded the group.
"Let's do this," Octavia said as she marched off in the lead with him. They followed the plan and as they walked through Anya's village the clan eyed the group with a mix of wariness and pride. The five of them said nothing, not even when they passed a group of dropship kids. Monty tried to say something but couldn't find words. Finn and Raven watched with long faces as they passed.
By nightfall they'd reached the Dead Zone.
