XX

[PREVIOUSLY: Octavia bonds with Erasmus while Lexa orders Gustus to recruit the Peace Keeper's companions on their way to Polis. Octavia persuades Raven, Bryce, Zoe, Tim and Peter to join Trikru on their journey to the capitol ... but that means leaving Aidan, Finn and Murphy behind in the desolate, dangerous wilderness].

A cascade of deep and worrying thoughts twisted and turned throughout my mind. I desperately tried to shut the voices out, but I couldn't. What if something bad had happened to Bellamy? What if I never saw my brother again? What if we were attacked before we reached Polis? What about Aidan and Finn and Murphy? Leaving them behind had been a dick move, I knew that, but I couldn't waste any more of Gustus' time or patience without the risk of having my head chopped off.

I tried to console my guilty conscience with the assurance that Aidan and the others would be fine. They were big boys and Aidan knew these woods better than anyone. They would figure out what'd happened to us ... eventually.

Raven and the rest, as reluctant as they had been to do so, left the camp behind and double-dinkyed with some of the guards accompanying Gustus and I. Sooner than expected, we had crossed the border lining the territory of the capital and in doing so, we caught up to Lexa, Indra and their group of armed grounders.

As we drew closer and closer towards Polis, I swallowed hard, frightened and apprehensive. I concentrated my gaze on the waving wisps of Erasmus' mane as it was tickled in a breath of cool wind. I shivered as I pulled my jacket tighter around my slim body. A soft breeze had began to circulate down the mountain, but with it came a chilly bite.

Winter was close.

No matter how nice this may have sounded to some, to me, it meant only one thing: the clock of time was ticking. We had to find Bellamy, make peace with Trikru and attack the Mountain Men ... before the snows set in. If we couldn't pull it off then our people were as good as dead.

I couldn't let that happen. I couldn't let them die. I couldn't go back on my promise.

"Stop looking so concerned, Skai Gada."

At the sound of the rough voice, I whipped my head around to face the speaker. My eyebrows flew up in surprise as I stared, shocked, at Indra, who had drawn her horse alongside mine.

"E-excuse me?" I squeaked. "Y-you were talking to me?"

Indra rolled her eyes. "No, I was talking to the sky. Yes, I was talking to you."

I nodded, not sure what to say next.

"If we stick together, we'll get our people out of Mount Weather," Indra continued in a somewhat dry tone. "But, let this be a firm warning: you betray us and I'll hunt you down and end you. I don't care how long it takes. You turn your back on Heda, you turn your back on all of us. It will not go unpunished."

And the fierce and over-protective Indra was back.

I sighed. "It's not me you have to worry about, Indra, it's Kane. Let's just hope that, for once, he'll see reason first-hand."

Fifteen minutes later and we had arrived.

Dusk was settling across the land, illuminating the huge, ivory-laid gates that met us with an eerie glow. Wisps of mist flitted to and fro across the ground, brushing against the golden stems of the wilting grass clumped by the capitol's brick walls. Dozens of square block houses lined the cobblestoned streets within and a huge, thirteen-storey building, crumbling down around the edges of its cemented foundation, towered over the rest of the city. The dim light of the moon, cresting the darkening sky, silhouetted the outline of the tower, that was smack-bang in the middle of everything; causing it to look like something dark and dangerous, something that a devilish monster would abide in, something that sent a chill running up my spine.

Had coming to Polis been a mistake?

"Stand aside, stand side, Princess Lexa, abiding ruler of the Trikru clan and heir to the throne, approaches! Stand aside, stand aside!" a loud, resounding cry rose up from a guard positioned protectively in front of Lexa.

In response to his announcement, the large gates were quickly unlatched and opened, admitting entrance for Lexa and her large group of warriors.

As everyone piled through the entrance, I cast a sideways glance towards Indra as a hushed whisper left her lips. "If you wish to escape the wrath of our people, it is best that you leave us now. Not everyone is as forgiving as Lexa."

I inclined my head to the side, indicating that I had understood. Promptly pulling my black hood low over my forehead, I turned around slightly in my saddle, making eye-contact with Raven, who was riding behind a grounder behind me. I sent her the slightest of nods before straightening up again.

Sending a cautious glance around me, I slipped off of Erasmus' back and ducked into the gathering shadows clinging to the side of small, modest-looking hut. My fingers curled tightly around the hilt of my sword and my sharp, wary eyes darted this way and that.

It was a few more moments before Raven, Zoe, Peter and Tim, all shielded by the incoming horses, followed my example and joined me.

"What do we do now?" Raven hissed as we watched the last of the procession pass us by. "We better not meet any aggressors. I only have this one gun and there's just a few more rounds of ammo left in it."

"We have my sword," I whispered in return.

"Huh, fat good that'll do," Zoe scoffed. "Do you even know how to use it?"

Knowing full well that I would be no match for another sword-wielding grounder, I heaved a deep breath as I sent her an annoyed glare. "Of course, silly, now let's quit wasting time and move out! We need to find Bellamy and fast."

Unfortunately, fast wasn't going to make the cut.

Polis was swarming with grounders, whether they were simple tradesmen packing up their market stalls or vicious-looking warriors loitering around the bars. Fact was, they were everywhere. Thankfully, the darkness gave us some cover but I knew that we were not going to get anywhere with our search if we couldn't venture out into the open.

Hoping against hope that Bellamy hadn't yet set off for the eastern coast in search of Luna, a woman who promised sanctuary to the outcast, we all bedded down for the night in a secluded back street. A few loose hay bales were leaning against the crumbling, grey walls and Bryce and Tim set about making us all make-shift beds with it. Zoe raided a nearby clothes line and brought back a few blankets and Raven handed out the last of the breakfast bars and the dried strips of meat that she had in her bag.

Bryce and Zoe offered to take the first watch so we could all rest in peace. Everyone agreed and, after a few whispered 'goodnights', a deep silence filled the night-time air.

It seemed that everyone had managed to get to sleep fairly quickly ... everyone, that is, except for me.

Lying on my back, with my hands crossed over my stomach and my sword within arm's reach, I gazed up towards the stars that twinkled brightly against the black, inky canvas stretched across the earth.

I blinked, surprised to find myself tearing up a little as I thought of Aidan.

I hope you're okay, wherever you are, I thought. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught sight of a constellation and smiled through the saltiness wetting my cheeks. It looked just like one of the pictures in my old storybooks that Bellamy used to sneak to me back on the Ark.

I heaved a deep, contented breath as my eyelids flittered shut.

Tomorrow would be different. Tomorrow we would find my brother.

Gif: Octavia as she hides behind the house in Polis.

XX