ASCENSION: BOOK 2 - SHADOW BLOODS.

Chapter 12: The Hand Of Fate.

The air was heavy with the anticipation of battle. The icy wind howled as snow began to fall. Warrior's, Reapers and soliders stood, poised for combat, blood rising.
I looked to Cage for orders as he locked his vision on Lexa's army. He breathed deeply before speaking, "Do as much damage as possible before we release the gas. After that we'll pick them off one by one. It's time to end this. Take your Reapers, cut them down!"
I nodded, happy to oblige, "JOMP EMO OP! FRAG EMO OP!"
My voice echoed across the battle field as my army of Reapers surged forward. Lexa called for her archers to take their stance, hundreds of arrows pointed into the air. They released the first wave, killing many of those running to attack. As I rode hard into the fray, the second wave of arrows descended, depleting The Reaper forces but it did not stop us.
As we stormed closer, the archers fell back, making way for Lexa's infantry. They yelled into the sky, weapons held high as they ran towards us. Lexa charge forward on her horse, swiftly followed by her Generals and high ranking clan warriors.
Octavia was one of the first to clash her sword with The Reapers, fighting side by side with Lincoln and her brother, Bellamy. I locked eyes with him as I fought off the Grounder warriors, seeing his expression fall. "Clarke!" He called out as Lincoln held him back, "Thats not the Clarke you once knew. Stay in formation, Sky Brother!"
Bellamy reluctantly backed away.
My sights were set on the warrior Commander caught in my eye line, the one I had once swore my allegiance to and my heart. Those days were dead to me. I dismounted my horse and pushed forward, slaughtering any warrior that crossed my path. The blood of the fallen splashed across my face as I moved ever closer to my target.
She fought with ferocity, her sword covered in Reaper blood. I almost felt a pang of admiration for the woman before me.
As I killed the Grounders that stood between the two of us, my eyes met her's. We stood facing each other on the battlefield, both gripping tightly to our swords, ready to meet with destiny.



The battle of Heda and Wanheda was inevitable. Yet Lexa still pleaded for me to stop,"Don't do this, Clarke."
It amused me that even after everything she'd witnessed, she still thought her Skaigada was able to hear her.
"What part of, 'Clarke is dead', didn't you understand?" I growled back as we began to circle each other.
"I know that isn't true. You're a Warrior of Skaikru, strong, loyal to your people. I still see you, Clarke. Behind those eyes, I still see the woman I fell in love with." Lexa slowly lowered her sword as I absorbed her words.
She spoke from the heart, with hope and with sincerity, neither of which I desired to be in the company of. I raised my sword and sliced it at her, catching her in the arm.
"Love is weakness. You should have listened to your Flamekeeper, Heda." The pain it caused her seemed to be the only thing that made her realise I was truly lost to her.
Lexa swiftly defended blow after blow as our blades clashed. All I felt was rage in my body, keeping my attacks towards her relentless. She fought back just as hard, delivering quick strikes that sent sparks flying from our swords.
Neither of us yielded, not even when I sent the hilt of my sword crashing down upon the deep cut on her arm. It forced Lexa to drop her sword, leaving her guard down as I struck her across the face, dropping her to one knee.
Standing over her, I grabbed her by the throat and watched as her black blood ran from a nasty cut above her eye. I savoured the moment, knowing that Lexa's life was now in my hands. "Yu gonplei ste odon," I uttered to her but was met with a knowing grin.
"This isn't how it ends, Clarke. Look around you. Dont tell me what you see, tell me what you don't see."
I thought her words were merely a  distraction and to some degree they were.
I swiftly scanned around, looking for what was out of place. At first I didn't see it and then it became clear. Warriors of all thirteen clans and Polis were meant to be on that battlefield. Even the few, Trishanakru and Boudalankru that survived the decimation of their outposts were present. Yet, Trikru and Azgeda were missing. Something wasn't right.



I should have known Lexa wouldn't just simply have her forces attacking head on in a wide open space. It seemed the Reaper Drug, had given me many advantages for combat, but it had clouded my judgement.
"Trikru, Azgeda, where are they?" I demanded.
"This is how it ends, Clarke," she said as I heard a Grounder retreat horn bellow out.
I turned to see Cage's soliders now wearing gas masks, distracted as they prepared the red gas for the second part of our attack. The sound of the horn swiftly caught their attention. Lexa's army began to fall back. We thought we'd gained the upper hand, that victory was ours, we were wrong.
A second horn sounded, one that signalled an attack. From the left of the trees, Trikru warriors appeared led by Anya, my mother stood by her side. From the right of us, King Roan and Thelonious led Azgeda forces into the open. Each of them had at least thirty warriors armed with guns. Jaha had remained true to his word and led my mother to the weapons he had hidden all of those years ago.
In the hands of The King and Lexa's General, two small devices could be seen, detonators, that we're about to open up hell itself.
Lexa looked me in the eyes, my heart filled with rage. As I tightened my grip on her throat, she pulled a dagger from her belt and drove it into my leg before striking me across the face. I fell backwards, disoriented. I managed to steady myself and pulled the blade from my flesh. Both of our black blood now splashed across the snow.
"I'm sorry, Clarke. This was never meant to be our fate." Lexa spoke, delivering a powerful blow to my head, blurring my vision and knocking me to the ground.
As the world faded around me I felt my body lift up, carried by an unknown figure. The sound of explosions boomed in the the distance, gunfire blasted all around me. This would not be a victory for The Shadow Bloods, but a massacre at the hands of Commander Lexa. We had underestimated The Grounders and paid a terrible price for our egos.