I'm sorry that I've taken so long to write this and also that it's super short. I've just been very busy and uninspired as of late. More should be coming soon.
"What do you mean you can't?" asks Lilith, her tone harsh. Octavia tenses, ready to attack, but Kane puts his arm in front of her, silently telling her to hold off. She grunts but falls back, allowing the trees to continue hiding her. Their vantage point allows them to watch the scene unfold.
"I-I can't heal them," Clarke says, her voice wavering. Octavia knows that something is severely wrong. "I'm sorry." Clarke seems to deflate, the weight of the world growing heavier on her shoulders.
"Sorry won't save your friend," Lilith growls, motioning for her people to bring a figure forth. They drag a barely conscious Monty from behind the treeline, and Octavia almost gasps. Monty looks awful, his face bruised, his hands and wrists bloody from the tight ropes holding them together. Black, shaggy hair hangs in his face as his captures throw him to the ground on his knees. Bellamy surges forward at the sight of his friend.
"Let him go!" he demands, fighting the men holding him back.
"Not until you heal my people," Lilith retorts, her voice made of steel.
"She said she can't," Bellamy quips. "Hurting one of our people won't help you." Lilith bares her teeth, looking like a wild animal caught in a cage. She turns to Clarke.
"Why can't you help them?" she asks, visibly trying to keep herself calm. Clarke gazes at her with what looks like pity.
"They've been exposed to radiation," Clarke admits, and then Octavia does gasp. Bellamy stops fighting for a second, shocked by the news. Clarke just looks sad. "There's no cure for that." Unfortunately, Lilith doesn't believe her.
"Surely your people can come up with something," she says, a challenge in her takes a step towards her.
"Don't you think we've been trying?" she responds, challenging the leader back. "Look, if they were in the early stages of radiation poisoning, then we might have been able to help them, but they've been exposed to far too much of it for anything to help them now. All we can do is try to make them comfortable." Lilith looks like she might be beginning to believe Clarke. Then, something shifts in her eyes, something unknown changes her mind. She nods to the men holding Bellamy, and they bring him to her side.
"We survived radiation before, remember?" Lilith says. "I refuse to believe it will kill us now."
"You don't understa-" Clarke begins to argue, but Lilith cuts her off. She waves a hand at her men, and they grab Monty's arms, lifting his body to an almost standing position.
"You will find a way to heal my people before sunset tomorrow, or you will watch your friends die," Lilith declares, motioning to Monty and Bellamy. Clarke shakes her head as Bellamy thrashes, trying to break free.
"No!" Clarke exclaims, her calm veneer completely gone for a moment. Octavia wants to go down there and free her brother, because, even though she hates him right now, she can't bare the thought of him dying. "Please! There's no way to heal them! You have to see that!"
"I don't have to see anything," Lilith responds, her jaw set, her eyes intense.
"Clarke!" Bellamy cries, his face displaying his feelings, the ones Octavia has always seen. Her heart aches for him, and for the fact that she can't do anything to help him. Her muscles strain, her hand gripping her sword so hard she begins to lose circulation. Kane notices and puts a calm hand over her own.
Clarke's expression is even more heartbreaking, if that's even possible. Unshed tears pool in her eyes as she forces herself to remain strong. Octavia sees her heart, though, sees the emotions Clarke tries so hard to push down. Clarke is very good at that, at pretending she's invincible. But Lilith catches her desperation, the truth behind her facade. She looks between Clarke and Bellamy, a cruel smile lighting up her face.
"Don't worry," she tells Clarke. "I'll make sure they're comfortable." And with that she walks off, leaving Clarke in her wake.