IT'S BEEN THREE MONTHS SINCE THE DOWNFALL OF MOUNT WEATHER. The truce with the Grounders has held, now our only enemy is Azgeda. Learning that Finn died hit me hard. He grew to be like a big brother to me on our time on the ground. I refused to leave my room or talk to anybody for a week. Losing him was hard.
Losing Murphy was equally as hard. Apparently he left with Jaha and some others to go find some kind of City of Light that probably doesn't even exist and never came back.
Hearing that Clarke left was difficult. I don't know if she's dead or not but she left after what happened at Mount Weather. No one knows if she's alive or where she might be but I really hope she's not dead. She's the reason we're all alive today and she deserves to live. I believe she's alive, though. She's smart enough to keep herself alive.
Even though we have a truce with the Grounders, Lincoln still makes me keep my blood a secret, so I have to be extra careful when training around Grounders. I met Heda Lexa on a few occasions, mostly when Kane or Octavia would let me tag along on trips to Polis. I train with Octavia and Lincoln a lot, I've actually become a pretty good fighter.
I've become closer with a woman named Indra as well. She's TonDC's war chief. She still doesn't know about my blood but she's been mentoring me, teaching me to be a better warrior. She and Lincoln have been teaching me more Trigedasleng and I'm pretty much fluent now.
Since Mount Weather, I've felt out of place with Skaikru. I just don't feel like I belong. I don't feel like that when I'm training with Lincoln, Octavia or Indra. I feel like I belong more with Trikru than I do with Skaikru.
Speaking of Trikru, I made amends with Nyko, the one who stabbed me a few months ago. He's a healer and after Lincoln spoke to him about me, he was practically begging for my forgiveness.
I was outside, training by myself, throwing knives at a wooden dummy Lincoln made for me when Octavia called out to me.
"T!" I turned to see Octavia, mounted on her horse, Helios. "We're going outside the wall, you coming?" She trotted over to me.
A wide smile grew on my face and I nodded. I loved going outside the wall. I quickly grabbed my pack from a chair beside me and mounted the horse, sitting behind Octavia and wrapping my arms around her middle. She's gone full Grounder. It's awesome. Lincoln's been teaching her how to do Grounder braids, and she usually uses me to practice on. Right now it's in a braided ponytail at the top of my head.
We cantered over to the front of the garage as the doors opened to reveal everyone in the rover. Raven, Bellamy, Miller, Monty and Jasper.
"Try and keep up!" Octavia shouted. Raven smirked through the windshield as we galloped away.
We galloped slightly in front of the rover. Helios was a fast horse. I could hear Jasper blasting his music from the rover. I had given him the iPod that Maya gave me. He didn't take Maya's death very well to say the least so I thought it would be nice if he could have something of hers to remember her by.
I missed the old Jasper. He fell apart after Mount Weather. Stopped wearing his goggles, even shaved his head. He barely ate or did anything anymore and just spent his days drinking moonshine and sulking around Arkadia.
We rode through the forest and through the valley. Jasper stuck his head out the top of the car and threw his arms out, cheering happily. It was nice to see him not getting drunk and wallowing in self pity all the time.
Suddenly, the music stopped and so did the rover. We slowed down beside them.
"Why are they stopping?" I asked Octavia. "Is something wrong?"
"I don't know. Let's see," She replied. We dismounted the horse and walked around to the back of the rover. Octavia swung open the door.
"Don't tell me we missed the party," She smirked.
"Sector Eight," Monty said. Sector Eight is Ice Nation.
"That's Ice Nation," Miller replied.
"What about it?" I asked.
"Protocol says we go home. Let the chancellor decide what to do next," Raven suggested. They must have gotten some sort of signal from Sector Eight, possibly one from Farm Station, one of the stations that came down and no one found.
"Screw protocol," Bellamy declared. "The chancellor's not from Farm Station. Monty is. So is Miller's boyfriend." Did he forget Jasper's from Farm Station, too? He looked to Miller and Monty. "It's your call."
"Let's do this," Monty nodded, looking for approval from Miller.
"Do you have to ask?" He replied.
"Try to keep up," Bellamy smirked. Octavia slammed the door of the rover and we got back on Helios.
"Yah!" Octavia shouted as she pulled on the reigns. Helios neighed and started galloping away.
We made it to the border of Sector Seven. We stopped there and dismounted the horse while everyone else got out of the rover.
"These woods must be the border," Said Bellamy as he got out of the rover.
"So, where's all the ice?" Jasper asked cluelessly. I still wasn't used to his shaved head, which he got about a month after Maya died.
"Way further North," I informed.
"Azgeda stretches for a thousand miles," Octavia added as we walked in front of the group.
"Good thing we only have to go two hundred meters," Monty said as he looked at his tracking device.
"Slow down," Bellamy put a hand in front of Monty to stop him from going any further. "Remember, rules of engagement are non-lethal force. Tight formation on my command. Raven, you stay in the rover," He ordered.
"Yeah, right," Raven scoffed.
"We need every gun we've got," Octavia added. I kept a firm grip on my knife. Azgeda were bad news. They wanted to take over the coalition from Lexa and the 12 clans.
"They're coming," Monty announced. "120 meters. One-ten," He counted down. I could hear someone speaking Trigedasleng but I couldn't make out what they were saying because of how far away they were. Bellamy took front position and aimed his gun.
"They're our people. What are you-" Monty protested but Bellamy cut him off.
"We hope they're our people."
Rustling was heard. I unsheathed a dagger from it's holster on my hip. Octavia took out her sword and we all got into position.
"On my command," Bellamy ordered. We could hear horses coming towards us.
Azgeda warriors, I could tell by their white war paint. They galloped towards us, mounted on white stallions.
"Ice Nation?" Bellamy queried.
"Yes. White war paint," I confirmed, putting my dagger away. Octavia slowly walked up to them, raising herhands in surrender. "Stay calm," I said to the others.
"Who are you?" One of the warriors asked in Trig.
"Skaikru. Looking for our people," Octavia informed.
"Looking for Wanheda," One of the other warriors said. I furrowed my eyebrows. The first warrior dismounted his horse. Wanheda? Who was the Commander of Death?
"They think we're looking for Wanheda." I told the others, who didn't know much Trig apart from simple phrases.
"Who's that?" Bellamy asked.
"I don't know," I whispered.
"That light. That's the beacon," Said Monty. Jasper walked past us.
"What are you doing?"
"Get back here."
"Hey, stop."
Raven, Bellamy and Monty called after Jasper. Octavia tried grabbing his shoulder as he passed us, stumbling as he walked.
"I got this," He muttered, stumbling slightly due to all the alcohol he had been drinking. As much as he needed to get away from the bar and people, I really wish he didn't come with us in this state. They could've at least waited for him to sober up to bring him anywhere.
"Tell them we observe the commander's truce. Do it now!" Bellamy ordered Octavia and I. Octavia did as he asked and told the Ice Nation people.
"This belongs to us." Jasper said grumpily and snatched the beacon from the warrior's hold. The warrior grabbed Jasper and held a knife to his throat.
"Where's Wanheda?" The warrior demanded.
"Let him go!" Bellamy yelled.
"We don't know who that is! Please! We can help each other!" I pleaded. Jasper started... laughing? Laughing with a knife to his throat? Okay, I know he's messed up, but seriously...
"You think this is funny?" The Azgeda warrior spat and started dragging the knife across his throat. The others shot him and the two other warriors, making sure not to kill them.
"Hold your fire!" Bellamy shouted.
"Jasper, get down!" I shouted when I saw one of the Azgeda warriors stand up and hea towards Jasper. Jasper ducked and I threw my dagger at the warrior, the blade lodging itself in the man's chest.
Kane radioed from Sector 4. Bellamy sent Miller, Raven, Octavia and Jasper back to Arkadia while he, Monty and I headed to Sector 4. Monty was rambling about how he was worried about Jasper when we made it to the end of the tunnel where Kane and someone else walked our way.
"Who's he with?" Monty inquired.
"Indra!" I smiled. I missed Indra, I hadn't seen her in like, two weeks.
"That's Indra?" Monty asked. I'm not sure if Monty had ever seen Indra before.
"He must have told her we broke the truce," Bellamy said as we walked up to them. "Sir, before you say anything there was a good reas-"
"I'll deal with that later," Kane stopped him. "This is about Clarke." Clarke? She's alive?
"What about her?" Bellamy knitted his eyebrows in confusion.
"She's being hunted," Indra stepped in. Well, at least we know she's alive.
"By who?" Asked Monty.
"By everyone."
We piled into the rover. Bellamy and Monty sat in the front seat, Monty driving and Bellamy riding shotgun. Indra, Kane and I were seated in the back. I had only ridden in the rover a couple times and I still wasn't used to it. I much preferred riding on horseback. I gripped onto the handle on the back door tightly, not wanting to fall since we didn't have seatbelts.
Indra was clearly uncomfortable in the rover as well. Kane must have noticed this too because the next words that came out of his mouth were supposed to be comforting in some way.
"I'm still getting used to it myself," He offered empathetically.
"Sir, we're almost out of range," Monty informed Kane from the front seat. "Are you sure you don't wanna tell the Chancellor?"
"I'm sure. I don't wanna worry Abby until we know something," Kane responded.
"We know there's a kill order," Bellamy grumbled. "You people are big on those," He said to Indra.
"It's not a kill order. It's a bounty," Indra corrected. "Clarke's a symbol. She's known as Wanheda. The commander of death."
"The Ice Nation guys we killed asked about Wanheda. They're looking for Clarke. Why?" Bellamy asked.
Clarke was in real trouble. Everyone was hunting her down.
"My people believe that when you kill someone, you get their power," Said Indra. "Kill Wanheda and you command death."
"She's just one girl," Kane observed.
"So was the Commander. What Clarke did at Mount Weather weakened her. The Ice Nation is emboldened. Their Queen wants Clarke's power." Indra enlightened. "If her people believe she has it, she'll break the coalition and start a war. I can't let that happen."
"Why is Clarke always the main person in everything?" I muttered under my breath. Indra heard me and held back a snicker at my words. I'm sure she didn't mean to be, but this girl must have the worst luck of anyone I've ever met.
Monty's device beeped. "Welcome to Sector 7. Where to now?"
"If she's here, she'll need supplies. We'll start at the trading posts," Indra decided.
Monty pressed on the gas and we sped up, heading to the nearest trading post.