Chapter 37:
Clarke could hear voices, she kept her eyes shut. She tried to block out the voices. She kept her thoughts on Lexa. She replayed the scene at the dam over and over as she regained consciousness. The fear and desperation to get to the falling girl gripping her all over again with each repetition. Clarke tried to hold out hope, Octavia had leapt off the dam after Lexa. Clarke had to believe she found her. That somehow she saved her. Or at the very least, not let her die alone. Clarke shuddered at the voice's words in her head.
She felt a kick in her side, not painful but not polite either.
Clarke shifted in response and her eyes flew open. She was pissed. Her worry, concern and desperation about Lexa quickly bubbling up to anger. Clarke felt how she felt when she killed Emmerson. She stared and practically growled in response to the boot at her side. She tried to ignore that the motion made her sick to her stomache. She must have been out for some time.
She was even more surprised when she looked up to see Bellamy.
Clarke sighed loudly the anger bubbling with her breath. She tried to stand up before realizing she was bound by her hands and feet. She looked at Bellamy and sneered, "really?" gesturing to the bounds.
He shrugged, "Had to make sure the Great Wanheda couldn't do anything." He watched her for a moment before he kneeled down. Clarke shifted at his proximity. How could he do this!?
"Just don't struggle and you'll be alright. I promise." Bellamy said quietly looking at Clarke with his sad puppy dog eyes.
Clarke rolled her eyes and spat in his face, "Untie me Bellamy! I have to go back, I have to get to..."
"Lexa?" Bellamy sneered whipping the spit from his face. "She fell Clarke, there's no way she survived the fall after being shot."
She stared at him defiantly, now that the words had come out of his mouth she refused to believe them. She looked away to figure out where she was. They were in the woods with a lot of farm station and few others all holding their guns. Then Clarke saw Pike watching the two of them. He slowly rose and walked over to them. Clarke realized he was carrying the blade Lexa had given to her. To her left was her backpack. She still wore her armour and scabbard. Her daggers were taken from her as well.
"Well, Clarke Griffin. I'm glad we found you." Pike said with an air of friendliness in his voice.
Clarke glared at him, "Where are you taking me?"
Pike smiled, "Well you would be in the mountain if your friends didn't blow it up."
Clarke sighed, they had done it. The boys and raven were successful. Clarke took her chance.
"You have no moves Pike, there's a war coming, you need the coalitions help or Arkadia will burn!"
To her surprise Pike's smile widened, "You think that's my only move? You underestimate me Griffin."
Clarke looked from Pike to Bellamy, who remained quiet with his head down.
Clarke glared at him before turning her attention back to Pike. "Enlighten me," she said obnoxiously.
Pike chuckled before taking a few steps closer, Clarke shot a glance at Bellamy who was now standing up. "You know, I'd really prefer surprising you," Pike said as his boot flew out and knocked Clarke out cold again.
When Clarke woke she felt rain hitting her forehead. She was lying in the mud and shivering. She looked around and found that it was dark except for a few fires spread out along the camp she was in. She groaned as she reached up with her hands to rub her head. She was still tied up but no one was around her.
Clarke looked around. She had to cut the ties. It was dark enough and the rain was falling loudly, she could escape into the night. She began feeling the ground searching for anything sharp to hack at the ropes. She found a jagged rock and slipped it into her palm before she started ripping into her foot ties with it. It was slow work but she was making progress. She had to stop a few times when some guards walked by, she faked being knocked out again until they were clear.
Clarke was no ripping awkwardly into the rope around her wrists. She was struggling and making very slow progress on them. She sipped the rock into her palm to hide it when she heard footfalls behind her. She turned to look. It was Bellamy.
"Clarke, here," he said handing out a canteen. Clarke didn't dare raise her arms for it afraid he'd see the beginning of her cuts to the rope. He tossed the canteen beside her with a shrug, "you should drink."
Clarke was very thirsty. She decided to swallow her pride and drink. As she did so she felt the cool water enter her. She felt it refresh her senses and clear her head a bit. She set the canteen down. "You've been unconscious for a day."
Clarke swore in her head. She had lost a whole day. That meant she was a full day farther from Lexa. Full day farther from Arkadia and the people she cared about. She had been in woods around Arkadia for 3 months she knew the terrain and this wasn't it. Pike wasn't heading back to Arkadia. As to why Clarke could only guess. She assumed he had lost Arkadia to Kane and Abby. Clarke took a deep calming breath trying to straighten out her thoughts.
"Clarke. I didn't mean for any of this to happen."
Clarke looked up at the boy, "Clearly you did a lot to prevent it," she said dryly.
Bellamy grimaced and looked over his should before sitting down a few feet from Clarke. "I didn't know this was his plan. He didn't tell any of us."
"What plan?"
Bellamy looked at Clarke and shook his head. "He didn't trust the grounders, he didn't trust Lexa in command after he found out what she did at the mountain. I only just found out he only didn't trust these grounders."
Clarke shot him a questioning look, "these grounders?"
Bellamy nodded, chancing another look over his shoulder, "Clarke he made a deal with the Ice Nation."
Clarke shook her head, "What kind of deal Bellamy?"
Bellamy looked at her sad and shook his head, "I'm not sure exactly. I've heard whispering but Clarke think about it, it definitely involves you. Why else would he take you hostage?"
Clarke nodded slowly, Bellamy was right. Some part of this had to do with Clarke. She knew the ice nation had placed a bounty on her head. Was Pike trying to collect it?
"Bellamy, they'll kill me!" she pleaded. She looked at him wide-eyed she couldn't believe this was happening. "You have to help me!"
"I am trying to help everyone Clarke!" he hissed trying to keep her quiet.
Clarke froze. That's why he was going along with this. He thought it would save their people. Clarke almost snorted in irony, the both of them were fools. "You can't help anyone Bellamy. You're a pawn, Pike's a pawn and I'm a pawn. This game we're playing isn't even about us. It's about the coalition. It's about bringing Lexa's coalition under the control of the Ice Nation." What a pair of fools this boy and his leader was. "She won't honour your pact when she's in command, she'll wipe you all out." Clarke felt herself separating herself from the Arkers in her statement. She understood why. She was at home with the grounders, she was a grounder, her home was Lexa… a painful pulse ran over Clarke's chest as she thought of Lexa. She had fallen. She was most likely dead already, the coalition lost, the hope for a life for Clarke gone with her. Clarke felt herself steeling itself over much like how she had when she left those many months ago. She was reinforcing the walls Lexa had tore down, Clarke was becoming less emotional, more cold-hearted by the second.
Bellamy remained quiet beside Clarke. No doubt running Clarke's warning through his head. She found his eyes on her when she looked at him. She reflected no warmth in her eyes, there was only pity for the foolish young man. They had no idea what Nia was capable of. She made her own son torture and kill the woman he loved, the woman Lexa loved - just for information that she didn't even receive.
Clarke shivered at the thought before taking a deep breath. Jus drein jus daun, she thought. And then her mind was set. They wanted to bring her to Nia? Then so be it.