XX
[PREVIOUSLY: Murphy makes a surprise appearance along with three other delinquents, one of which shares ties with Octavia. Aidan, upon seeing her and Finn together, starts to act weird, and Octavia, unable to handle the tension, goes off on her own ... Only she isn't alone].
When my mind slowly flittered back from the brink of unconsciousness, I felt a dull ache in my side and a sharp pounding in my skull. With a groan, I forced my eyes open but the piercing light that met me was so painfully bright that I had to close them again.
Something thick and oozy rose up in the back of my throat. It took me a minute to realise that it was blood.
I rolled over, ignoring the pricks of pain stabbing my body, and coughed out the dark red liquid onto the ground next to my head.
Gasping for breath, I slowly looked up, straight into the unfriendly face of a masked grounder!
"Ahh, so the Skai Gada (Sky Girl) is finally awake," the warrior sneered as he crouched down to my level. "Indra, Gustus, she's come about."
Indra? Gustus? What the hell? I frantically looked around, only to realise, with a lurch of horror, that I was lying on the ground next to the thatched huts bordering the grounder-filled village of TonDC. Oh no.
The clang of armour and the scuffling of footsteps reached my ears. I turned around just in time to see two warriors, clad with weapons, approaching me. One was a tall, African woman with scars adorning her skin and the other was a full-bearded, tattooed giant of a man; both looking extremely fierce and obnoxious.
"So, we meet again, Skai Gada," the woman spoke, a smug look plastered on her face. "I didn't think we would."
I shook my head as I gaped at her. "Indra! I - I thought you died in the explosion!"
"Huh, you wish, but I don't die easily," Indra sneered as she glared down at me. "Neither does Lexa."
"What about Anya?" I breathed.
It took Gustus a split second to react as he drew out his sword and pointed it towards me. "That's Heda to you," he growled.
I nodded as I raised my hands. "I - I'm sorry. Heda. Did she make it?"
Indra raised her eyebrows. "Yes."
I heaved a sigh of relief. Anya, no matter how cruel and tactical, was still important to these people. I had to respect that.
"She, however, is not here," Indra continued soberly.
I frowned. "W-what? Where..." my voice trailed off. "Oh crap. Mount Weather! Please tell me they didn't get her too?"
Only silence met my statement.
"Oh," I drew back, realising that the inevitable had indeed occurred.
"Apart from Lexa, myself and a handful of guards, everyone else that was a part of the battle has either been burned alive in your ring of fire or been captured and taken to Mount Weather," Indra ground her teeth together, this action alone indicating her rising anger. "And this is all Skikru's fault!"
"What? How? You attacked us!" I protested.
Indra pressed her lips into a firm line as she stepped closer to me, towering over my smaller figure. "You had it coming. You all deserved to die!"
"Indra, stand down!"
I froze.
Peeking over the taller woman's shoulder, I caught a glimpse of Lexa, donned in a long, billowing cape and holding a large, magnificent-looking sword.
When Indra didn't move, Lexa spoke again, this time more firmly, "Indra, I command you to step aside. Do not force me to make you."
Spittles of spit spewed from Indra's mouth as she finally moved out of my path. Her sharp, eagle-eyes watched me with extreme caution as I stumbled to my feet and gazed over at Lexa.
"Lexa," I breathed.
"Do not pretend that you are happy to see me," she snapped, visibly irritated. "I did not contemplate on meeting you like this, but I have, and now that you're here, I might as well say my piece: Heda is in Mount Weather. We do not know if she is dead or alive. Trikru has suffered immense losses at your hands and now it is time for a reckoning."
I swallowed. "R-reckoning?"
"Yes," Lexa motioned to the grounder who was standing behind me.
I glanced over at him as he extended his hand towards me. Surprised, I looked down to see that he was holding out my sword, sheathed in an embroidered leather pocket.
Slowly, I took it from him as I turned back to Lexa. "What's the meaning of this?"
"Trikru needs a temporary ally in order to retrieve Heda from Mount Weather," Lexa returned shortly. "Skikru also needs help in getting their people back. The obvious solution? To work together in order to both get what we want."
A small smile cracked my face. "Are you being serious right now? You want an alliance with Skikru?"
Lexa nodded. "Obviously we need to discuss treaty terms and I will need to meet the leaders from your spaceship face-to-face, but I know we can figure something out ... temporarily."
I bit my lower lip to hide a smile. "Oh my god, thank you, Lexa, thank you!"
Lexa shook her head. "Don't thank me. We're still enemies. I doubt that will ever change. This is just an alliance of convenience, not friendship."
I nodded. "I understand. What do you want me to do?"
"Since you're the Peace Keeper between the clans, I need you to set up a meeting with your leaders within a day's time," she responded. "We can go from there."
"Wait," I called out. "Bellamy ... he - he's in exile. Last I heard he was headed to Polis. I - I need to find him before a bounty hunter does. Please, Lexa, I can't let my brother die."
Lexa hesitated as she exchanged a glance with Indra and Gustus. Then, she looked back at me. "We are headed to Polis tonight. If you wish, you may accompany us but do not expect any protection from us against the hunters. When we get to the capitol, you are on your own."
"Thank you, Lexa, I appreciate it!" I heaved a sigh of relief.
Lexa gave me a solemn nod as she turned to the warriors beside her. "Give her something to eat and a horse on which to ride. We move out within the hour so make sure she is ready to go."
Lexa, her head held up high, whirled around and strode briskly back into the village, her loyal bodyguards by her side.
As I strapped my sword around my waist, I heard the disbelieving voices of Indra and Gustus as they eyed me suspiciously.
"Don't be fooled, Skai Gada," Indra hissed. "You're not pulling anymore tricks on us! I'm not letting you out of my sight."
"That's comforting to know," I huffed as I backed away from her.
As I began walking after Lexa, though, a boyish yell cut through the air, stopping me mid-stride. "Octavia!"
Startled, I spun around to see an excited youth bounding over towards me.
I smiled. "Artigas!"
The stocky boy skidded to a halt next to me and sent me a lopsided grin. "Hi there, Skai Gada. It's good to see you again," he shyly dipped his head to one side in greeting.
I reached over and ruffled his dark hair. "It's good to see you too, Gus. Tell me, what have I missed?"
"What haven't you missed?" Artigas rolled his eyes. "It's been crazy around here. Your arrival in that drop-ship started it all but the ring of fire? That topped the ladder, my friend."
I shoved him playfully in the shoulder. "Whatever. Keep your thoughts to yourself. You going to Polis?"
"Probably not," Artigas shrugged carelessly. "I'd prefer to stay here and look after the horses anyway."
I had to stifle an amused chuckle. What a big ol' sweetheart he was!
I slipped an arm around his shoulders as I said, "Great. Then, you can help me get ready to go."
Artigas grumbled something under his breath but I wouldn't let him go, so he was forced to comply.
As I headed over towards the stables to select a horse for my journey to the capitol, I glanced around, knowing how the Trikru clan was not only loyal and strong, but was also there for each other. It was something I wanted to be a part of, but I knew that I never could.
Why? Because I was the enemy. I was a Skai Gada.
Gif: Octavia and Indra.
XX