XX

[PREVIOUSLY: Octavia meets a mysterious Flame Keeper before realising the connection between the stranger and Indra. Later, she has her first lesson with her mentor and talks to her brother about the progressing war plans; but things start sliding downhill when the capitol gets an urgent call from Raven].

"Mount Weather knew that we were here and they took down our Exodus Ship."

A deathly silence filled the room.

Clarke, visibly shaken, looked over at Lexa before responding, "How do you know this?"

"I sent Wick, a fellow colleague in the mechanics department, to grab me some extra scrap metal for the jeep I'm fixing," Raven returned. "He found the black box and a set of radios on the site. When he returned, we tried to set up the circuit and find the signal but all we could hear was this queer beeping noise. At first, we thought it had been damaged from the entry into the atmosphere but then we realised: it was the same sound we heard that was playing over Monty and Jasper's S.O.S signal. Mount Weather was purposefully blocking the connections so they couldn't call for help and they cut the signal with the ship so the controls wouldn't comply. Their technology is incredible! What they've managed to achieve...It's insane, especially for a bunch of white, pastry vampires who live underground.

"But Clarke, if this is true, this is really serious. If Mount Weather knew about the coming of the ship and knew about the S.O.S code, they might also know about our plan to attack them. They could retaliate at any moment! Bellamy and the others may be in more danger than we think."

I shook my head in horror and disbelief. This was a twist that I hadn't seen coming.

"Raven, hold the line," Clarke instructed. "We have Bellamy on the other end. I'll get back to you in just a minute."

Hastily, she switched channels. "Bellamy? Can you hear me? We have a new development in the operation and its not good."

"Why? What's up? Is Octavia alright?"

"Yes, Bellamy, she's fine. It's you that I'm worried about. Raven just called. She told us that Mount Weather was blocking the signal when the Exodus Ship came down to earth. Bellamy, the operation was sabotaged by the very people you're with!"

"I - I don't know what to say."

"Don't say anything. Just stay safe. Be careful. Watch your back," Clarke told him pointedly.

I could almost hear the smile in Bellamy's voice as he replied, "Don't worry, Princess, I'll be fine."

Princess?

I swallowed hard as an image of Finn flashed through my mind. Shaking my head, I heaved a deep breath and quickly stood up, the legs of my chair scraping loudly against the wooden floor.

Lexa glanced up at me questioningly but all I did was incline my head towards her. Then, I turned and left the room.

What if my most-feared nightmare was going to become a reality?

What if I never saw my brother alive again?

Too exhausted to even eat, I barrelled my way through the cramped quarters set up just outside the Tower and dropped my things onto an empty bed. As I plonked myself down on the feather-filled mattress and straightened out the crick in my neck, I was aware of someone watching me.

Slowly, I looked up to see Zoe peering intently at me from the end of her bed.

I raised my eyebrows at her. "Yeah?"

She shrugged before getting up and heading over towards me. "Just wanted to make sure you were alright," she offered with a small smile. "You seem...disoriented."

"After what's happened recently and what's about to take place?" I sighed. "Can you expect any less?"

Zoe shook her head. "No. Guess not. I-I just wanted to make sure you were doing alright, you know? I have Bryce and Tim and Peter to keep me sane but you? You're kinda alone. Aidan's gone. Raven and Lincoln are back at the Ark. Bellamy, Jasper and Monty are in Mount Weather..."

"Geez. Thanks for the update," I huffed as I leaned down to untie my boots.

Zoe placed a gentle hand on my shoulder as she stated, "I just wanted you to know that I'm here for you if you need me."

I glanced up at her and nodded. "Thank you, Zo. Really, thanks."

"Happy to help," she returned as she stood up and returned to her own bed.

With a grunt of pain, I lowered myself back onto the mattress and heaved a deep breath. Willing the haunting shadows from my mind, I closed my eyes and let the darkness overtake me.

~~~~

"You're late!"

"I know. I know. I'm sorry," I gasped out as I finished buttoning up my jacket. Hopping from one foot to the other, I clumsily did up the laces on my boots before straightening up and looking Indra in the eye. "I over-slept."

"A true warrior does not succumb to the desires of his body," Indra growled as she circled around me menacingly. "He does what he must do to survive, even if it pushes him to his very limits."

I nodded. "I understand. It won't happen again."

"It better not," Indra narrowed her eyes at me. "Well, let us began."

A few hours in and I felt like I was going to drop. Indra was relentless, showering blow after blow upon me, yelling at me and lecturing me like I was small child who needed a good spanking. However, I persevered and by the look on Indra's face, I could tell she was happy with my progress.

After good-naturedly shaking each other's hands, I escorted Indra back into the city. As we walked through the crowded market-place, I noticed that there was many more travellers swamping the area than usual.

"Why is there so many people?" I queried as I pushed myself to keep up with Indra.

"The remaining Trikru clans have heeded Princess Lexa's call-to-arms," Indra responded stoically. "They are all here, the young, the old, the warriors, the women, the servants, everyone. Take a good look around, Octavia of the Sky People, for this is our army."

A smile tugged at the corners of my lips.

Indra had said "our army".

I liked the sound of that.

When the two of us eventually arrived in the throne room, we were greeted by the members of the Council and the Princess herself.

"Indra," Lexa nodded at her before turning her attention towards me. "Octavia. I'm glad you could both make it."

I gazed about wanderingly.

"We are signing a parchment with our own blood...One that calls for vengeance against our enemies," Lexa told me, as if answering my unspoken question.

I sent her a firm nod in response, indicating that I understood.

"How's the proceedings getting along?"

Startled, I turned around to see Kane standing behind me. He had slipped unnoticed into the room that was silent with awed reverence.

I opened my mouth to reply before closing it again. All I did was shrug and look away.

"Octavia," Kane whispered in my ear. "I am proud of you. You've done well here. You have earned their respect. It's a respect that can be used to our advantage."

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that I need you to be my eyes and ears," he returned seriously. "Report back to me if you see anything suspicious."

My mouth fell open and I backed away from him. "A-are you asking me to be a spy?" I hissed.

"Let's just call it 'looking-out-for-the-interests-of-your-people'?" he returned.

"No," I ground out between gritted teeth. "No. I won't do it. You locked me up. You floated my mother. You don't deserve anything from me! Now, scuttle off, Chancellor, I have better things to do than waste my time talking to you."

All that met my comment, however, was silence and when I looked around the room a few moments later, I noticed that Kane had disappeared.

Good riddance.

After the signing of the parchment had taken place and all the war-lords had sworn their allegiance to Princess Lexa in a moving series of speeches, I ducked out of the room and headed outside to wait for Indra.

As I stood outside the huge, ivory doors leading into the Tower, I was arrested by the sound of a familiar voice calling my name:

"Octavia!"

Surprised, I snapped my head and scanned the surrounding area only to see a large, burly warrior, armed with a sword and covered in face-paint, bounding across the cobble-stoned path towards me.

I smiled.

Lincoln.

~~~~

"Alright. Alright. Start from the beginning. How exactly did Abby turn you back?"

Lincoln rolled his eyes and snorted in amusement as he laid a beefy arm across the back of my seat. "You ask a lot of questions, don't you?"

I shook my head and smirked. "Whatever."

The two of us were sitting out in the courtyard in front of a modest fire that was crackling with splintered wood and snapping with shooting sparks. Dusk had settled across the land, the land that was preparing itself for war.

I was scooted up on one chair, my jacket tied around my shoulders, and Lincoln was sprawled across the other, his long legs stretched out in front of him.

"C'mon!" I urged as I hit him playfully in the arm. "Tell me everything. How's Raven?"

Lincoln stiffened at the mention of Raven's name. "I-I didn't mean too. I didn't mean to break her leg. I ... well ... the things I've done under the influence of the drug ... I'll never forgive myself."

"Hey," I straightened up and traced my finger along his jaw-line. "Look at me. It's not your fault. It's Mount Weather's. They intoxicated you with a drug that took a hold of your brain and made you do stupid things. We've all done stupid things. It's how we deal with them that counts."

A hint of a smile played around Lincoln's lips. "I guess you're right."

"Of course I am," I giggled. "I'm always right."

"Is that your comeback to everything?" Lincoln raised his eyebrows at me, an air of disparagement in his tone.

"Only everything you say," I shot him a sly grin before pulling away from him.

It felt good, really good, to see Lincoln again.

"Hey! Octavia!"

The moment was ruined when Zoe came rushing up, sweat pooling across her forehead in bright, wet beads.

Quickly, I stood up, Lincoln not far behind. "What's going on?"

"Bellamy's on the radio," Zoe gasped out between pants. "It doesn't sound good."

My eyes widened as an intense fear gripped my heart and entangled its long, wiry fingers around my stomach.

Bursting into a run, I made a bee-line straight for the Tower doors. It only took me a matter of seconds before I rushed into the radio-room, only to see Clarke already hunched over the device.

She motioned for me to come closer as she ordered, "Bellamy? Slow down. I can't hear you. Is everything alright?"

"No," he replied in a frantic tone. "I've been discovered. My disguise didn't last."

My hand flew to my mouth in horror.

No. No. No.

"They're still searching for me as I speak," Bellamy was talking very swiftly by this point. "But I found something - something bad. Clarke, you were right. They are draining people for their blood and I found it."

"Found what, Bell?" I pushed in worriedly.

"The drip room. It's the place where they drain the bodies of their victims. I - I overheard President Wallace talking to someone during an office meeting. He wants the rest of our people to be the next ones to harvest...the next ones to enter that drip room. No one comes outta there alive."

I screwed my eyes tightly shut. "Oh god," I breathed.

"There's something else too," he spoke, gravely and sadly. "And I don't think Octavia's gonna like this."

My ears perked up with interest. "What? What's wrong?"

Bellamy heaved a deep sigh before replying, "O, I'm so sorry but, when I looked inside that room, I saw bodies, rows and rows of them. Some of them were still moving but it was hard to tell which ones were dead and which ones weren't. The point is ... Aidan's there. Aidan's in that drip room. Mount Weather has him."

Gif: Octavia as she goes out with Indra for training.

XX