Madi continued to hold tightly onto Ryan. She had wondered whether Murphy and Emori would be worried at her disappearance and while this was the case, she had no idea that the rest of her family as she called it, had been held, hostage.
She took a deep breath again and looked around at her surroundings. There was a beautiful pattern of colors in the sky that blended into thick purple and pink stripes. The landscape was oddly reflective of the earth she had once known before praimfya. Though this time, the trees, the nature, flowers, and even the strands of grass were a brighter shade of colors than she had ever seen. It was like being in a dream. Athena had taken a quick walk with Becca. Madi had assured them that she would be okay for the time being. She knew how important Becca must have been towards Athena and decided that they needed time to catch up. Wherever they were and whatever place it was, Madi felt at ease knowing that she was away from where all the wars, fighting, and rage had once been. She could stay here if she could but she knew deep down that she had a right to protect her family and a right to ensure the safety of her loved ones. She thought about Clarke as she turned her attention to the pretty flowers in front of her. It was rare that you would ever see any nature or wildlife on earth now. She pictured the grassy land where she and Clarke had survived together, the stories told by campfires with the grass blowing all around. Those times seemed so long ago since the break of war and anger had destroyed all the peace left. Ryan shifted in her arms again. She had gotten used to looking after the little fellow. He slept more comfortably now at the sound of her voice and for a moment Madi considered him as her younger brother.
"Beautiful isn't it" A familiar voice said. Madi lifted her head in attention. She looked around in front of her but it seemed no one was there. She shrugged the voice off as one of the effects from coming through the portal and returned back to focusing on Ryan.
A shuffle from behind was heard as two footsteps came to a halt at the side of where Madi was seated. Madi abruptly turned around and was faced by the two warm green eyes. Madi was stunned she had never considered she would ever be in this situation.
"Hello Young Commander " Lexa spoke. She smiled as she seated herself next to Madi. Madi gazed at the previous commander. She was exactly as she had seen in her mind. She was exactly as Clarke had described. Her brown hair was tied half up and down and the war paint once so distinct on her face had gone. She was dressed in armor still, tight trousers, and battle gear just as Clarke had once drawn in her sketches.
"You...You are ?" Madi couldn't get her words out. She was speechless. Lexa nodded and smiled for reassurance. She slowly placed her hand across Madi's head and felt her temperature.
"You don't have a fever yet" She paused "But I fear that you being here could have adverse effects. Time moves differently here Madi" Lexa removed her hand and noticed Ryan. She smiled. She knew that she had trained Madi to be the caring and considerate girl she was and she had no doubt that Clarke would have taught her to value others.
"Why did you call me here" Madi asked Looking up at the Commander she had grown to love.
Lexa paused for a moment, looking away in her thoughts before returning to face Madi.
"You should know that this place is more than what it seems Madi. It's beautiful but beyond that beauty, you can feel things, see things and understand things. In a sense, I am merely part of this understanding and beauty; an echo, a memory preserved in time but I can still understand what is happening around me" Lexa explained.
Madi was confused. She didn't understand what Lexa was trying to explain to her. She knew that Lexa must have been preserved somehow, an echo as she put it or part of whatever the anomaly was.
"Are you trying to say that you can see what happens on earth?" Madi asked curiously. Lexa had made the comment on being able to understand what was around her so Madi questioned whether this was what Lexa had meant.
Lexa slowly got up to her feet. "Not in the way you think. You feel it. It's some sort of knowing. I was able to communicate with you as long as I could. The commanders can do that in meditation, it's been a lifelong skill we are taught to develop. " She paused looking worried. " I do not want to worry you Madi but I fear Clarke is in danger. Real danger."
Madi got to her feet immediately still holding onto the baby. "Clarke .... is she okay?" Madi quickly asked in a panic. She had wondered whether Clarke would be okay through all of this. She had gathered with Clarke as her mother figure that the woman would continue to be as tough as she had ever been.
Lexa sighed. "I feel that there is not much time for Clarke, Madi". Lexa made her way to the young girl and rested her hands on her shoulder. She looked up at the pink and purple sky and took a deep breath in. "You can get you back through the anomaly but I can't be certain on what's happening on the outside right now"
Madi Joined Lexa in watching the colors of the sky. She took a quick look back at Lexa and then returned her gaze. "You never really answered my question on why you called me here"
"I didn't" Lexa answered. She remained her gaze on the sky. " The thing about this place is that it's built on energy and that energy can be from memories, thoughts, feelings..love ....connections. I feel it was not me who led you here but your own sense of answers and the sacred pull from this place. You are and always will be the next commander Madi. When you got close to the portal, it was like a calling and it beckoned you in with love because it's filled with people who recognise and ... " she paused. " love you"
Madi smiled warmly and caught eye contact with Lexa. They remained like that for a second and Lexa stood closer to Madi. She knew that Clarke would want her to get Madi home despite however much Lexa wanted to learn about Madi. Lexa felt proud of how far the young girl had come.
"She loves you too you know" Madi said gazing into the sky again. "She really never stopped loving you "
Lexa turned to Madi. " I know " She agreed "I felt it. I could still feel it."
Madi got closer to the older Commander and nestled next to her. It was the first time in a long time that Lexa had seen anyone new and now she had met Madi she understood why Clarke loved her dearly as her own. Lexa wrapped her arm around Madi. She wished she could spend the rest of her days watching Madi train and grow into more of a leader than she was but she knew in her heart that the girl had to go back.
Athena and Becca had returned from their walk and nodded towards Lexa.
"We had important things to discuss on Marcus" Becca spoke. " We fear he may be able to reach the anomaly if he uses my daughter"
Lexa removed her hand from Madi. "What would happen if he did get hold of this portal?"
Athena looked at Becca and back towards Lexa. "Judging by the way his mind works, I would say that his initial motive is to gain power. The portal can as Becca informed me have the potential for some sort of travel but to where I do not know. If he however gets through to here. Death as we know it would cease to exist and all at peace here would be broke"
Becca nodded in agreement. " Athena had notified me that Marcus is closer than ever to finding out the location of my tomb and the coordinates of the Anomaly. We need to stop him. Cassie must not open the tomb. " Becca turned to Athena. "You must ensure that she does not open it. She has always listened to you. She trusts you and I trust you to look after her"
Athena nodded.
In the distance more and more people came into view. Past commanders waiting at the side and curious at the commotion.
"There isn't usually a lot going on here so they are intrigued" Becca added before looking around.
Madi looked around curiously. She had seen many of these commanders in her dreams before. Often when she was in a crisis. It felt nice to know that they were still here.
"How do we get back?" Athena asked. " surely we need to get back through the anomaly to help the rest?"
Becca nodded and looked towards Lexa.
"The portal opens in segmented times. We have tracked down that it's usually when the sky begins to fade to a darker pink. for that, we must wait. I know this is unfortunate but there is not much we can do" Lexa added.
"What would happen if we stayed ?" Madi asked curiously. Lexa looked at Madi confused. She did not expect the young girl to ask this.
Becca took a deep breath in and sighed. "No one has ever stayed here who is alive in the real world. We don't know what would happen. It is a risk none of us can take and goes against all that is made here"
Madi sighed. She knew it was a long shot. This place seemed so content compared to the real world. Clarke needed this feeling of contentedness. Clarke needed to see Lexa.
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"Are you sure you want to do this ?" Indra asked Octavia. Indra had been pestering Octavia for the last hour about her decision and her ability to lead in the state she was in.
Octavia swung her sword around before narrowing her eyes at Indra.
"Indra! Do you want me to give in and retreat?" Octavia said in a condescending tone. Indra decided it was best not to answer.
"I thought so " Octavia added. She placed her sword back and walked over to where Indra was standing.
"I never retreat Indra. We know this. That no-good Marcus thinks he has me on a hook but he doesn't know what's hitting him. We have what he wants. The power is in our hands. My hands" Octavia shouted.
That's what Indra was worried about. The power that Octavia felt she had. She had seen it in the bunker in the dark years and now again on the brink of the war. The girl had completely lost her sense of leadership in a search for power. One taste was enough for anyone to forget what they once stood for.
"The power you speak of is not something you should harbor Octavia. Leadership relies on the responsibility to ensure your people are fit and well not on how powerful one can be"
Octavia ignored Indra's comment and decided she had enough of her speeches today. Just as she was about to raise a hand to get the guards to escort Indra out, a tired Looking Cassie came running through the door. This time she was free to walk about, dressed in grounder attire, and had no shackles attached to her hands.
"You let her go Octavia?" Indra asked. Octavia nodded.
"She's valuable. She swore to serve us and she is no longer who she once was. She will train to fight for us. " Octavia added. Indra shook her head.
"Octavia... this is not like the old times when the conclave and the commanders still walked around. We are living in a world where we have to su- " Indra was interrupted.
"I will not hear this Indra!" Octavia shouted. She quickly turned back to Cassie who was awkwardly waiting by the door.
"Is everything okay?" Octavia asked. " Are you finally ready to show us where the door to the tomb is?" She said in a condescending tone.
Cassie shook her head. "The one they call Bellamy is back. Marcus demands to see you in exchange for saving his life. One of the guards just caught notice of someone above the hole that was made when I got thrown in. He said those words were said to him."
It took a moment for Octavia to react. She clenched her fists slowly and her smile turned into a frustrated expression. She took a small breath in but instead of continuing grabbed her sword in the corner and started slashing it around at everything in the room. This caused everyone to jump back but Indra still stayed in the same position. Indra was used to this. Octavia had regularly lost her temper and this was the result.
While everyone awkwardly stood and watched, Octavia came to her senses uttering in a loud tone. "Today we find a way out of this bunker. Tell Marcus if he wants to see me, he needs to dig us out "
Cassie nodded and quickly made her way to the nearest guard. She knew she couldn't tell Marcus herself for that would blow her cover. She needed to be tactical and being part of Octavia's group meant she was guaranteed protection.
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Raven and Luna both Carried an injured Clarke forward. They slumped down in the heat when Raven had succumbed to exhaustion.
"Are we sure this is the right thing?" Echo said. She looked back to see if she could spot Bellamy in the far distance but it seemed he had already made a good headstart away. As much as Echo wanted to punish him, she had to let him run off. Clarke needed her. Clarke wanted her to let him go. There was no doubt that he had not felt guilt for his actions. Echo had seen it on his face straight after. He wasn't a man who ran because he didn't care. He was running away from his own demons and mistakes.
Luna had got out Raven's book again. It was strange that she was able to read some of it. Most of the sections were difficult to read but a familiar page of writing had caught her eye the very first time she had seen Raven look through it. It looked like the Myth that she was taught as a night blood. She remembered it so perfectly in her head. She flicked another page and noticed a drawing.
"What are you doing?" Raven asked in a hurry. She held Clarke in her lap. It seemed Clarke was falling in and out of consciousness.
Luna looked up. "We can't save her Raven but something else might" Luna slowly muttered.
Raven looked down at Clarke who had now reached her hand up towards her face.
"Shes ri...ght" Clarke had muttered with all the energy she had.
"What are you saying Luna?" Echo asked. Raven shook her head in denial when luna took a glimpse at Clarke again and then Back at Echo.
"NO" Raven muttered. "NO IM NOT LETTING THIS HAPPEN" She cried.
Clarke attempted to speak again. "Rave..Raven i ....will be"
"NO CLARKE " Raven interrupted.
Luna slammed the book on the ground to gain Raven's attention.
"Look, Raven neither of us want to do this but this is the only way. We are too far from any resources. Marcus would refuse to help Clarke and keep us prisoner. As far as he knows, Clarke is meant to be dead because he sent me out here to do his dirty work. Bellamy would be going to him now and then he would know. We need to get as far away from here for now. The book says..."
"I don't care what the book says Luna" Raven cried. "Look at her. We can't ..." Luna put her arm around Raven in an attempt to comfort her.
"..I remember as night blood in training we were shown and advised on what you call the anomaly. For us, it was ...a sacred place for the commanders. Legend said that Becca was the first through. It was so long ago that I completely separated any memories associated with who I once was and who I am now. I couldn't work out where it was but it seemed ...for some reason, I can picture going through a dark..place into a Cavern. They would always ensure we didn't look too much. It was meant to be hidden. That one day we got to see it I remember being so confused. I was scared. We all were. Perhaps that's one of the many reasons I ran. I didn't like the unknown, the uncertainty, the responsibility to control and hide such a powerful thing..." She paused in thought. " I thought perhaps i had made it up, that it was just som green light that they scared us with to ensure we did better in our training. Who knows if its real but its worth.."
Raven stopped crying. "It is real" she added still looking down at Clarke. "and ....and I know where it is because... Madi and Athena went through it "
"Madi went through?" Clarke managed to say. They could tell it was getting harder for Clarke to breathe with her injuries.
"Madi will be safe" Raven added keeping Clarke close. Echo took her jacket off and placed it over Clarke before retreating back. She felt as if she was interrupting the others. She knew she was part of the family but this time..this time it felt the right thing to do was to watch from afar.
"I think we need to trust this ...this thing" Luna pointed at the page in the book with the picture of the anomaly. "If you say it's real, then I think we need to trust it. The book details Becca's findings of it ..its peculiar power. "
Raven looked down at Clarke. She didn't want to part with her. "Clarke I'm so sorry" she cried. " I really am....I could have done so much more..."
Luna backed away now slowly retreating away towards Echo to give Raven space. The last words that Clarke said were " No you did enough" she coughed and attempted to breathe in again before muttering a "We will meet again"
There it was. Clarke had slumped into Ravens hold. Raven sat there in shock for a moment tears falling down the side of her face. Bellamy had no right to take away the one person who cared about everyone and what if they couldn't save her? What if the book lied? Athena and Madi hadn't come back for days and it seemed there was no hope.
Raven now rested her head on Clarke letting out a huge cry. To think they both started off fighting over a guy to being best friends. Clarke was not meant to go. Echo and Luna moved their way to Raven and motioned for her to move away from Clarke. Echo Placed the Jacket over Clarke's face whilst Luna slowly Attempted to move Raven away. Raven resisted but eventually fell back into Luna's arms in fits of cries. it seemed now that the war had to wait. Their one priority was getting Clarke into the anomaly and Madi and Athena back.