Murphy and I were shoved out of the room after Ontari screamed in rage, saying she could kill every last one of Skaikru.
I couldn't let her be the commander, I wouldn't.
As we walked down the halls I noticed the way that Roan was taking us to leave.
He was going to bring us by where Murphy was tortured, and where the flame was now being kept.
I watched the walls as I waited to see the opening for the stairs. My heart began to beat fast in my chest, pounding against my ribcage.
It was around here somewhere, I thought as we kept walking.
Finally, we round a corner and I spotted the doorway that I had been looking for.
I slowly stopped myself in my tracks, letting Roan get a few feet ahead of us before I clasped my hand tightly onto Murphy's forearm and tugged toward the doorway.
He gave me a strange look, one that looked scared and uncertain, but he quickly followed anyways.
I brought him back down to where the flame was kept, running down the set of spiraling stairs and immediately entering the room, going over to the large trunk.
"Clarke, we have to get out of here." Murphy reminded.
I knew the flame would chose but I couldn't let Ontari have any chance. I would take the flame until it was safe. "I know, but this comes with us." I gingerly unfolded the fabric back from the small, tin, skull covered box.
"Clarke, we can't do that. They'll kill us." I turned back to him, narrowing my eyes slightly.
"We have to protect them." He sighed, knowing immediately the them that I was referring to.
I turned back around and carefully liked the box from the fabric and slid it into one of the inner straps of my outerwear.
"Alright princess." I heard him mumble. "I'll guard the-" suddenly he stopped.
I turned around, starting to question what was wrong, when I saw Titus. He was standing in the doorway, a hard look on his face. "What are you doing with the flame of the commander?" He asked harshly.
"I can't let Ontari get the flame." I replied as I turned, refolding the fabric and than shutting the trunk. "She will not hurt my people."
"The flame has not yet chosen. She chose Aiden in life, she should chose him in death as well." He replied.
I turned around, narrowing my eyes as I faced him. "You don't know that." I walked forward until I was a couple feet away from him. "Kick her out of the competition, tell her she is not allowed to compete."
"I can't, she is a night blood. All night bloods must fight." He said harshly, he was clenching and unclenching his fists, trying to keep calm.
"One didn't." I argued. "Lexa showed my her marks. She only had seven, one for each classmate she killed, but she said there were eight others in her class." I took a step forward. "What happened to the eighth Titus?"
"Clarke." Murphy warned.
"It's alright Murphy." I replied, keeping my gaze on the angered man in front of me. His eyes were cold and harsh, and they looked ready to kill, to kill me. Before I could finish a thought about how to react, his hands were at my throat.
I clawed at his hands. Air seemed to race from my lungs and my gaze became spotted on the outer edges. "Lexa made you promise not to harm me. If you do, you- dishonor her." relaxation flooded into his eyes.
As quickly as his hands came, they were gone again, back clenching at his sides. "I did promise the commander." He said formally as I hissed, trying to regain some of the air that had been lost from my lungs.
I carefully rubbed my neck and took a few deep breathes to calm back down.
This guy never seemed to break from formality. He never seemed to smile or enjoy himself at all.
I guess that's the life of a flame keeper.
I saw Murphy was much closer to Titus now, he was almost a foot or two away compared to the large space between them before.
"The eighth Titus." I reminded him as I brought my hand back down from my throat.
He shook his head as he turned away from me. "She was unworthy of the position of the commander."
"Didn't you say before that the flame holds the spirit of the commander?"
Murphy piped in. "So if Lexa's sprit is in there than doesn't that mean we're good?"
Titus shook his head, turning around to face Murphy. "No, it only enhances the traits one already has. Lexa from Traikru was very gracious and strong before, the flame made those qualities more powerful."
My heart ached slightly at her name. Before I was too overcome with rage or fear to notice but she'd barely been dead long yet I've said her name like it was nothing, cast it aside.
It wasn't just nothing. We were comrades, friends. And I knew she would help me to protect Skaikru at any cost.
"If Ontari takes place as commander than all her evil and anger will become heightened. We can't let that happen." I answered. Relaxation flooded across Titus' features and I saw him sigh very lightly to himself.
"Then you must find her." He came up to me and I saw Murphy become tensed. I shook my head at him and he nodded but still kept a close distance. "Her name is Luna, one who used to be among us may find her."
"You mean Lincoln?" I asked. He nodded.
Suddenly and without warning, he drew a mark on my forehead with his thumb and closed his eyes a moment, mumbling something under his breath.
I had no idea what was happening. He than opened his eyes to look at me, they were hard and determined.
He took my hand and placed it between his own, taking his top hand and patting it down on the upside of my hand. "You must protect the flame, at all costs." He warned.
I nodded. "I will protect it with my life." And when I said it, I knew in my heart that I meant it. It's what Lexa would've wanted.
He nodded. "You are now the flame keeper. Be well." A sound of yelling came from upstairs, people seemed frantic.
"You must go, go out the back, take a horse and go as fast as you can before they catch you. I will try to stall as long as I can."
I guess I would never figure out what just occurred.
"Thank you." I whispered.
He nodded in reply than continued saying, "For the commander."
"For the commander." Murphy said.
I looked over at him and smiled sadly before I whispered "For the commander." For Lexa, I thought to myself, my heart aching painfully in my chest.
From there Murphy and I ran. We made it to the stables and were quickly able to purloin a white mare and a black stallion.
Taking one was bad enough, taking two would be even more noticeable but we didn't have a choice. If things got rough we needed to make sure one of us got out alive.
We put the gear on the horses as fast as we could, Murphy with his little knowledge and my instruction, mounted and as quickly as we could ride, we ran from polis.
We hadn't made it far when the echoes of horns began to sound and red smoke rose from the top of the center of Polis.
I pulled back on the ranges of my mare, Murphy noticed and immediately he stopped his stallion, slightly ahead of me, we looked up at the smoke billowing upward, like blood being evaporated into the clouds.
All that Lexa built, all that she worked for, could be gone by morning.
"We have to get out of here now." Murphy said as he looked over his right shoulder towards me.
He looked forward again and gave his horse a slightly kick to his back ribs.
For someone who hasn't ridden much, he knows what he's doing.
I did the same to my horse and we were off, even faster than before, trying to put as much distance between us and polis as possible.
The wind whipped through my hair and against my face as I held onto the reins for dear life. Trees quizzed by, blues of various shades of green as we went.
I looked ahead to Murphy to see he looked in pain.
I had to remember to clean up his wounds again later. They did just happen recently. I should've remembered he was in too bad of a condition to be riding this hard. But there was nothing to do if we wanted to stay alive.
The flame was weighing heavily in my pocket reminding me of my task at hand.
Find Lincoln.
Find Luna.
Bring her back to be commander, and than finally, my people should finally be safe.