Chapter 49

Octavia was standing in the Pins training. Several guards in training were attacking her and she loved it. She finally felt like she could take on an entire army again and live to tell. She had been beaten down by a damn poison and she was determined to not let that happen again. She was ready this time. If the Praha came, she would use their own blades on them. She let them feel the boiling fire in their blood, let them feel like they were roasting from the inside, let them writhe in pain as their body tried to shut down because of the immense pain. No, she wouldn't wish Sticky Sap on anyone but her enemies and gods help them if she ever found some.

"Concentrate!" Indra called from the railing.

Octavia smiled. She might not be Indra's sekkon anymore, but that never stopped the older warrior from correcting her. Octavia was glad that her mentor still thought so highly of her. She was happy when Indra watched her fight and told what she'd done wrong. How was she supposed to get better, if she didn't know. And, Indra was honestly the only person that dared to yell at Octavia anyway.

Octavia dodge a sword and countered, quickly knocking the man to the ground. She rounded on him before he had a chance to roll and dragged him back up. A knife to his throat, she looked deeply into his eyes.

"You all want to protect Heda en Wanheda?" she asked them.

A round of "yes's" and "sha, Skairipa's" were heard. She didn't let go of the man. He was taller than her, but the way she was holding him kept him off balance and bent backwards. The knife to his throat wasn't helping him either. He faltered with her because he wasn't trying to escape.

"You're dismissed. Go back to Indra. You aren't ready," she told him as she threw him back to the ground.

The man scrambled away from her on the ground. He jumped up to his feet and ran for the railing, completely missing the fact that Indra was right there, waiting. Indra shook her head and continued to watch.

"You want to be jusgona, but none of you have that killer instinct," she told them as they all dropped to a knee around her. "You can fight and that is why you've been selected. But, none of you have proven that you are worthy of Heda o Wanheda. How am I supposed to trust you with their lives when you don't give me reason?"

She shook her head. She was tough on them. She knew that she was, but the guard was one thing. Jusgona was something else entirely.

"You can't just be part of the Guard and expect that you will be allowed to be Jusgona because you are a better fighter. You have to earn it. You have to want it. And, I don't think that any of you do."

She drew her sword and plunged it into the earth. She dropped to a knee with them. Looking each of them in the eye, she took in the small group before her. She let out sigh and then focused on the dirt before her.

"You have to know that death is a victory for us. If we die for Heda o Wanheda, then we have done our job. Our lives for theirs. We are either very visible or we hide in the shadows so no one knows really how many guards they have on them. Here at the barracks, we are relatively safe, but there is still a threat. Not everyone is happy that we have a Heda, again. I'm not saying that I am too worried about our own people, because I am not. We still have to protect them. We still have to be ready to fight for them. To die for Heda is a blessing, but you have to choose how that happens. Are you just going to be one of her people? Are you going to be her warrior and die on the battlefield? Or, will you die in service to her as Jusgona?"

"Gon Heda en Wanheda," a young man, no more than fifteen, answered as he stood tall.

Octavia looked at him. He reminded her so much of herself. His skin was dark with blue tattoos. He'd already seen battle and Octavia knew this just by his markings. His dark hair was braided similarly to hers. But, it was his piercing blue eyes that drew her in. He was young, but there was a fire inside him. And, she didn't want to deny it. She wanted to harness it and let it burn those who would step against them.

"Good," she told him. "What is your name, Gona?"

"I'ago kom Podakru."

"Boat Clan?" she asked with a smile.

"Sha, Skairipa."

"There are no clans," she said immediately. "Especially for the Jusgona. There is only Heda en Wanheda."

"Sha, Skairipa."

She nodded and looked at them all again. She huffed. She was tired. They had been training so long that she'd forgotten she'd not eaten. Looking over at Indra, she smiled. The General nodded and smiled back.

"Go to Indra and work on your drills. I'll see you all tomorrow at dawn on the archery field. And, wear loose enough clothing to ride. Now, go."

They all got up from their knees, saluted and moved towards Indra at the edge of the Pins. Indra was already barking orders at them in Trig. Her sadistic smile at them made Octavia laugh. She knew that they were all going to be hurting in the morning. She'd been there and done that.

She headed back up to the barracks, sheathing her sword on her back this time, as she went. She noticed something strange. Palla was walking Abby away from the clinic and it looked like towards the stable. Normally that wouldn't like out of place, except for the fact Raven, Echo and Clarke entered the clinic as soon as Abby was away. Cocking an eyebrow, she made her way to the clinic.

She didn't announce herself as she walked in. She just moved to the back where the computers were. She heard them talking and then Clarke got loud.

"Just reroute this to your server, Raven."

"I still don't understand what you are going to do that your mother hasn't already done."

"It is just another test, Raven," Echo stated hoping it would be enough to make Raven calm down.

"I get that, Echo, but Abby is the doctor. What will Clarke see that she hasn't? Can you tell me that?" Raven asked.

Octavia saw Echo bristle. It usually took more to get Echo riled up, but Raven seemed to be pushing all the right buttons. She took a few more steps towards them and waited.

"Tu laik ai sekkon, sha?"

Octavia wasn't sure what was going on, but she was sure that she didn't know that Echo had taken Raven to be her Second. It explained why they were training so hard together, but it also hurt that Raven went to Echo and not herself. She shook it off and leaned against the door frame, staring at them. Her green eyes missed nothing as Clarke was downloading Raven's files. Raven was sending something to her lab and was checking schematics on some of the equipment that Abby had in her lab, stuff that would be easy for Raven to replicate. The question was why.

"Ron ai ridiyo op. Sochu?" Octavia asked and suddenly had three sets of eyes on her. She didn't miss the knife in Echo's hand and told her, "Chill au."

"What are you doing here?" Clarke asked her.

"I was just thinking the same thing. Want to clue me in why your mother is out there with Palla and not you? Cause last time I checked you were Wanheda and not a fisa, so..."

"I am a fisa, Oktevia. Em plenti. Let's go. We got what we need for now," Clarke stated as she grabbed the tablet she was holding.

She watched them leave and grabbed Echo on the way bay. The taller warrior looked down into her green eyes. She betrayed nothing and Octavia didn't let her go.

"Either you tell me or I follow."

"Come on, then," Echo told her as they went back to the engineering lab.

Octavia watched as Raven was sitting on a work table. Her brace was gone and Clarke was beside her. The blonde looked frustrated but determined. She took off Raven's boot and sock. Looking over at Raven, she gave her a pointed look and the Latina huffed, rolled her eyes and started working on taking off her pants. Octavia just cocked an eyebrow. She was about to say something, when Echo grabbed her and pulled her away.

"We'll keep everyone away while you both work," Echo stated to no on in particular. Then looked pointedly at Raven and said, "Do what she says or I will know. This is for you. Be good and listen to Wanheda."

"Sha, Azripa," Raven replied as she laid back with Clarke's help.

Octavia followed Echo back into the front of the Engineering bay and looked at her. She could see the worry in Echo's eyes. It wasn't normal and she didn't know what it was about. She didn't think that it had to do with Clarke or Madi, but it was enough that Echo was willing to do things behind Palla and Abby's back. And, that made her worry.

"Talk to me, Echo. We are supposed to be sisters now. What is going on?"

"Raven went to Clarke about training. She wanted me to help her because we trained a little in hand to hand combat on the Go-Sci Ring. She was good and she still wanted to train. Clarke agreed. She even told me that I should make Raven my Second if I liked working with her," Echo told her.

"But, what is all this about?"

"She's been favoring her leg."

"I know. We've all seen it. She went to Abby for it, though, right?"

"She did."

"Then, why all this?"

"It's getting worse," Echo lamented.

"You think that Abby missed something?"

"We don't know. She is complaining on more pain, but it is all in areas that she's had no feeling in. I don't know if it is getting worse or better."

"Better?"

"Yes, better. If she can feel pain, then maybe the nerves are getting better. I don't know. I am not a fisa, Clarke is."

"Ah," Octavia replied. "And, if she is getting better?"

"Then I will train her harder."

"And, if she isn't?"

"Then, I will continue on as I have and do what I can for her."

"There is more to this, isn't there? I can see it in your eyes. What aren't you telling me, Echo? What plagues you so much about this?"

Echo sat on a stool and looked over at her Jusgona sister. They were closer. They told each other mostly everything. But, Echo wasn't sure that she should tell Octavia this. This was something that could hurt Raven completely. It would break her if she couldn't do the trials and this would let Echo know for sure.

"Listen, I get it. It concerns Raven. But, you know about Clarke and I. Hell, you probably know that Niylah and I are together now," Octavia started.

"That is only because you have a bad habit of marking what is yours," Echo teased her.

"They weren't complaining at the time," Octavia clipped back. "You can tell me. I want to help if I can. We are family, Echo. Let me in."

"Raven wants to be Jusgona."

"Jok!"

"I know."

"You haven't told Clarke or Madi, have you?'

"No."

"So what are you going to do?"

"I'm going to wait to see what Clarke thinks about her leg. If she thinks that Raven is getting better, then I will train her harder. Push her until I think that she is ready for the trials," Echo answered.

"And, if she can't? If she isn't getting better? What then?"

"I will find a way to train her like I did before. I will stop the offensive training and work more on defensive. She won't like, but she'll have a reason. She blames herself for things she had no control over because she was injured. But, either way, I need Niylah to work with her after training."

"Why?" Octavia asked, bristling at the thought.

"I've heard that she's worked with Abby doing something called 'rehab.' I think that this will help Raven's muscles. I heard that it helped you," Echo stated.

"It did. I'll get her. And, you'd better figure out a way to tell Clarke that she wants to take the trials before she passes them or Clarke will have your head," Octavia told her flatly.

"I know that."

"Good, cause this is all on you, Echo. All on you. I'll deny knowing anything."

"As you should. Only one of needs to be punished for this. Can you go get Niylah though? I am sure that Raven is going to need her soon," Echo said.

"Sha, I'll go. Don't worry. If anyone can get the Little Bird to fly again, it is you three."

"Chof."

"Pro. I'll be back soon. Don't let Raven hit Clarke, though. I'll lock the door on the way out and let myself back in with Niylah. Go check on your Sekkon," Octavia told her as she picked up Raven's keys from a hook by the door.

"Chof, Okteivia."

"Pro, Eko."