Chapter 31

Clarke looked up at Hrathgar. She knew that they needed to head back. They had important information and she wanted to look at Octavia's wound again, but something was still niggling at her in the back of brain. When she met Echo's eyes, the taller woman knew that they weren't heading back right away.

"Wanheda?"

"I want to see the clearing where Palla found Octavia."

Echo nodded. She understood. Clarke needed this. She needed answers and it didn't matter if what they found caused more questions. They needed to know that Octavia wasn't back at the clinic dying. She trusted Clarke's intuition. It had saved their hides many times before. So, if Clarke was worried, she wasn't going to stop her until Clarke had the answers she wanted.

"It is going to be late when we go. We should go now. The sun will be setting soon."

"Go then," Clarke told him as she mounted her white caballo. "I won't keep you. It's that way, though, right?"

He nodded. He watched as Echo mounted Svathimmel and pulled up next to Clarke. He watched at Echo notched an arrow again and picked up her reins. Clarke drew out a pistol. Her eyes met Echo's and they both nodded before heading off towards the falls without him.

"Eligius help me," he muttered under his breath. "This women warriors will be the death of me. Palla...Eligius help you."

He mounted up and followed them. He made sure to watch the trail. He was looking for signs of the Praha. He knew that they had already crossed the wall. Now, he was making sure they went back. Or, at least, they weren't heading for the barracks.

It didn't take them long to get there. Again, Echo dismounted and looked at the ground. Hrathgar did the same. His blue eyes watching the warrior woman as she moved around. She didn't say anything this time as she checked the area. He looked around and then he saw it. Moving quickly, he plucked two arrows up, one from a tree and the other from the ground.

"They cleaned up," he stated as he waved them at Echo.

"Yes, they did. They attacked her first, leaving her to die, cleaned up the site and then moved on. It's no wonder that Palla didn't think that she'd been attacked. They are good at covering their tracks, but they didn't at the other clearing. Why?" Echo asked.

"They wanted Palla."

"There was no way for them to know that she would have come after Octavia."

"Yes, there was," Clarke stated.

"What?" Echo asked.

"This must be near where Tamma was taken," Clarke answered as she turned for confirmation from Hrathgar.

"We don't know where she was taken, but it was closer to the wall. They are probing. They are looking for an opening. A single warrior on caballo back posed no threat, but yet they attacked. Why? What was it about Octavia that set them off?" he asked.

"She has that ability," Echo quipped.

"They been watching the barracks," Clarke concluded. "They knew that she was a guard. They knew that she was close to Palla somehow. That was all that mattered. Take out the guards and Palla will fall."

"Palla will never fall," Hrathgar declared.

"Not if we can help it," Clarke replied. "Mount up. We ride hard for the barracks. No breaks. And, stay sharp."

"Sha, Wanheda," Echo stated as she remounted and turned towards the barrack with her caballo.

Hrathgar mounted as well. He stored the arrows behind his saddle. He gave them a quick nod and they were all off at gallop.

They indeed rode hard. Hooves pounding the ground were the only sounds that Clarke heard. She knew that Hrathgar, being in front, and Echo behind her, were watching the trails as they galloped towards the barracks. True to her words, Clarke didn't let them stop. She knew that the ride was going to be hard and long. It should have been an easy ride of a couple hours. Instead, it was a hard ride in under an hour.

Indra was sitting near the signal fire ring when they broke through the tree line. She could see the way they rode. She knew that it was bad.

"PALLA! MADI!" Indra shouted as she stood and drew her sword.

She wasn't sure, but she assumed that they were be chased at the pace they were going. That was how Madi found her, and she, too, drew her sword taken up a stance. Palla pounded down the stairs. She looked across the field to the three of the riding. She moved to the side. She saw no one following them.

"FERRE!" she called.

"Yes?" Ferre answered from the top of the stairs.

"Keep the kids up there. Be ready to hide if need be," Palla told her and then turned to Madi. "Get Bellamy and stay upstairs."

"But -" Madi started.

"Go!"

There was no other words spoke. Madi turned to Indra. The general nodded to her Heda to follow Palla's orders. With a huff as she sheathed her sword, she did. Indra knew that they would both get an earful if it was nothing, but she wasn't willing to let Heda die. And as much as she had a severe dislike for Bellamy, he knew that boy would protect her with his life.

"Ready to die?" Palla asked her.

"For my, Heda and Wanheda, yes."

"Got a spare knife?"

Indra drew one from her side and handed it to her. She watched as Palla stood up beside her, making herself larger than she was. As they prepared for the worst, the three riders pulled up in front of them. Before Clarke could dismount, Echo slid off her caballo, grabbed the reins of both Clarke's and hers, and in the same movement sheathed her sword. Clarke dismounted and took a second to stand before turning to look at Hrathgar. He'd dismounted and was pulling out the arrows.

"What happened?" Palla demanded.

"Octavia was attacked. She was poisoned. I have to see her," Clarke answered as she ran for the clinic, not waiting for permission or anyone to stop her.

"I'll take care of the caballos," Indra told Echo as she reached for all three sets of reins. "Stay with Wanheda. Protect them."

Echo nodded as she handed over the reins. She turned to Hrathgar and took one of the arrows. He seemed to understand that Abby might need to test it to make antidote for Octavia. When she was gone, he turned and looked into Palla's dark eyes. He could see the disappointment, the pride and her worry.

"How many?"

"At least five," Hrathgar told her.

"Praha?"

"Yes."

"How many attacked us together?"

"Three."

"Did she wound any?"

"I am sure she did. There numbers dwindled. They covered their tracks pretty well where she was attacked."

"I knew that I taken out all the stick sap trees..."

"Palla..." Hrathgar started.

"What is it?" she asked him.

"They've been watching the barracks. They knew she was important. That had to know that you or someone would come looking for her. They left her there to die as a message. They've found a way to cross the wall undetected. We need to get to Imber," he told her.

"Go see Ferre. We leave for the Village as soon as we can in the morning. Do you have a fresh caballo?"

"I'll take another, Palla. Don't worry about that. We'll leave Ferre here. She's safer with them."

"She will be, yes."

"Should they bring more warriors down?" he asked.

"It wouldn't hurt."

He nodded. He knew that it wasn't what anyone wanted, but the more troops on the ground, the better prepared they would be. Palla didn't know Heda's troops, but if they were anything like Octavia, Indra and Madi, the Praha wouldn't stand a chance. She admired their loyalty. She admired their strength in the face of adversity. She admired their resolve to live and survive. They were going to need it.

Clarke stood by Octavia's room. Raven was sitting there. She was holding her hand. She could hear the faint moans coming from the patient and Clarke went into healer mode. She watched as her mom was administering something in the IV. She didn't ask what it was. She just moved closer to Octavia.

"Forgive me for not seeing it before, my friend," she told her as she started to pull off the sheet that covered.

Raven jumped to her feet. Pain shot up her leg and she immediately sat back down. But, not before she was reaching for Clarke, trying to to stop her. For her part, Abby looked at her daughter like she had three heads as Clarke leaned down to study Octavia's body more closely. She watched as Clarke surveyed each and every wound.

"What is it, Clarke?" Abby asked her.

"She was attacked."

"Poison?"

"Yes," Clarke answered. "Here."

"What?" Abby questioned as she looked closer. "That would is..."

"From a blade. It's too perfect to be from brush or a limb. They cut here. We need to find them all."

"There's more?" Abby asked as she looked.

"There has to be, Mom. She fought back. She took down or wounded two of them before she ran through the bush."

"So they poisoned their blades with stick sap?" Abby inquired.

"They must have. Palla's taking down all the stick sap trees. She killed them all to protect her people. Hrathgar even stated that Palla was questioning where Octavia must have found a copse of sticky sap trees. There definitely not any near there."

Echo leaned off the door, still holding the arrow in her hand. She stepped forward and handed the arrow to Abby. She sniffed it and shook her head.

"I don't smell anything," Abby stated.

"I don't know poisons from here. I can't identify it either," Echo said. "We aren't even sure that it is coated. It might have only been blades."

"Why do you say that?" Raven asked.

"Palla," Clarke answered.

Raven looked at her quizzically. She didn't understand what Clarke meant. She looked at Abby to see if she would explain what she meant. When she couldn't get Abby's attention and she obviously wasn't going to get Clarke's, she turned and looked up at Echo.

"Palla didn't get sick," Echo stated.

Then it all made sense. Palla had been shot twice with arrows and she hadn't suffered any symptoms from stick sap. She was up and around, mostly fine.

"Here," Clarke stated.

"Raven," Abby started as she walked around and handed her the arrow. "Take this to that computer over there and test it."

"You want me to what?" Raven asked.

"It's a computer, Raven. Just run the test. I am sure that you can handle it."

Raven took the arrow and looked at the computer. She nodded and moved around to the station. She booted the computer and opened the programs that were needed to test the arrow. She waited for the port to open and she inserted the arrow.

By the time the readouts were ready, Clarke and Abby had found a total of eight blade wounds and possible arrow wound. Abby took swaps from each of the wounds so that she could test the wounds directly. Her blood had come back negative, but Abby could only wonder if the poison was just localized. If it was, then her blood would be clean. The salve had worked like it was supposed to for the first few days and it made the wounds weeps out the poison. When that was done, Abby changed to an antibiotic ointment to help protect the wounds. By all accounts, Octavia should have woken by now, but she hadn't.

"We've missed something."

"She took down two of them before she ran. Her hands show defenses wounds," Clarke told them as she finally stood up. "There has to be more. Something that we aren't seeing. What is it?"

"She fought off five attackers and wounded or killed two. Three attacked her and Palla, but Palla didn't fight back. She ran with Octavia," Echo added.

"What can't you tell us, O? Talk to me. Tell me how to help you," Clarke begged.

"Rae..." Octavia mouthed just above a whisper but it was enough for Raven to hear.

She cleared the room. She leaned down to be near Octavia's mouth. She reached across the bed and handed Abby the report.

"What is it, O? Tell me. I can hear you," she stated and Clarke backed up, waiting to see if Octavia would say more.

"Rae..."

"I'm here," Raven stated again.

"C-c-"

"Clarke is here too," Raven replied.

"Pa...la..."

"She rescued you. She's okay. Do you want me to get her?"

"No..."

"What do you need?" Raven asked.

She looked up and saw Clarke's eyes. She could see the worry in them. Clarke had never been able to hide her emotions. Her eyes always gave her away and in that moment, Raven could tell that Clarke wanted blood.

"Attacked..."

"We know," Raven told her.

"Fire..."

"Fire?" Clarke probed. "There was no fire, O. What are you talking about?"

"Burns," Octavia managed to actually get the word out.

"What burns?" Abby asked as she moved closer.

"Her blood," Palla answered as she moved into the clinic. "They must have mixed the Sticky Sap with something else. Her blood must feel like it's boiling inside her. She can't stop the pain and nothing that you give her will make it go away."

"What about morphine?" Abby questioned.

"It might intensify the sensation," Palla replied. "We never had any to try, but any other pain reliever had no effect."

Abby reached down and pulled the IV out of Octavia's arm. Clarke was already handing her a bandage for the small puncture wound. They had treated the wound the best way they knew how and unfortunately, possibly, made it worse.

"Burns..."

"We know, O. We're trying to help. You're going to be fine," Raven told her as she took up Octavia's hand in her own.

Abby and Clarke were studying the reports. By all accounts, the stick sap should have been out of her system. There was nothing on the arrow, either.

"I'm going to the Village with Hrathgar. I need to speak with Imber. If they are coming over the wall, they are probing our defenses. We have to be ready," Palla told them breaking their concentration.

"You need more men," Clarke stated.

"We do," Palla replied.

"Raven, get ready. We're waking all the warriors. We'll leave immediately," Clarke told her.

Her voice told Palla that she had no choice in this matter, and honestly, Palla wasn't going to argue. She knew that they could help. She knew that Clarke would defy her and help in the fight if it was the Praha. She just nodded as Clarke leaned down to Octavia.

"Yu gonplei nou ste odon."

"Sha, Wanheda," Octavia replied.

"We'll be back as soon as we can, Mom," Clarke told her. "Bellamy is with Ferre and the children. Indra will be in here with you. Echo will be with me."

"Clarke," Abby started and reached out for her hand, stopping her from leaving.

"Mom?"

"Be safe. May we meet again," Abby told her.

"May we meet again," Clarke replied automatically.

She turned and nodded at Echo. Echo nodded towards Octavia and Clarke waited. Echo walked up to Octavia and leaned over.

"Yu gonplei nou ste odon, Okteivia kom..." Echo stared and then looked up at Clarke over Octavia. Raven and Abby were looking at the warrior, too, wondering where she was going to go with her phrasing. She gave a Clarke a smiled as she finished, "Oktevia kom Gryfonkru, Skairipa kom Heda en Wanheda. Yu laik ai sis. Mebi oso na hit choda op nodotaim. (Your fight is not over, Octavia of... Octavia of Griffin Crew, Skairip of the Commander and Commadnder of Death. You are my sister. May we meet again.)

Clarke just gave her quirky smile as they eyes met again. Echo stood and walked over to her. Raven had already joined Clarke.

"Gryfonkru?" Clarke asked.

"Sounded good to me," Raven replied. "And somebody really needs to teach me this shit. I can't stand not being able to complete understand you."