Ark Kingdom: The Magic Within (Bellarke)

Chapter 5

There are men dressed in chainmail carrying swords and bows. They are far enough away that we can only hear them when they yell. I look at Bellamy and see that his shoulders are tense. He is still holding my hand and helps me stand up. I grip the back of my dress with my free hand as we start towards the trees.

“Bell, Clarke, in here!” I look to my right and see Octavia, Jasper, Finn, and a man I’ve never seen before. They are in a small cave. We step inside and are plunged into darkness.  There are tree branches and ivy hanging that covers up the opening. Small amounts of light break through the gaps.

“What the heck were you doing out in the open?” The man asks. I can see the anger on his face as well as here it in his voice. His skin is dark making it hard to make him out in the shadow. He is big though and looks like a warrior.

“I don’t know.” I say just as Bellamy growls “Who are you?”

“Bell, it’s not funny anymore. He’s one of us now.” Octavia says with frustration in her voice. She shoves her hand through her messy hair. That’s when I notice the scars on her face and hands. I look at Jasper and Monty to see scars on them too.

“What happened to you guys? We haven’t been gone that long.” I feel Bellamy squeeze my hand tight and so I look at him. He leans in closer to me. His mouth is practically touching my ear.

“Something isn’t right.” He whispers.

“Of course it’s not. You were supposed to be going to meet with the Mountain Kingdom.” Octavia says. “Wait,” She points at us and continues. “You’re not right. You shouldn’t be here.”

“We’ve established that, they’re supposed to be on their way to Mountain Kingdom.” Jasper says; rolling his eyes.

“No…” Octavia trails off and then grabs her head as if she has a headache.

“What is it, Octavia?” The man, no Lincoln, rubs her back and looks concerned. There is more light coming in between the trees now making it easier to see.

“They aren’t right. They really don’t know what we’re talking about.” Octavia is still holding her head and has her eyes closed. She leans back against Lincoln.

“Octavia, what’s wrong? Let me check your head.” I move closer as I hear men stomping from just outside of our haven.

“Over here!” A man yells. He can’t be farther than two yards away.

“We need to move.” Lincoln picks Octavia up into his arms as Jasper and Monty grab their packs. Lincoln looks to the boys. “Jasper?”

“I’m sorry. I can’t yet.”

“Dang it. I thought so. We’ll have to run. Ready?” He looks to Bellamy and me. I look to Bellamy and he squeezes my hand again in reassurance. Thankfully, Monty helps me knot my dress at the top so it will stay up.

Lincoln pulls some ivy to the side so he can see out. “Let’s go. Monty, Jasper, you go first. Then, Bellamy –”

Bellamy cuts Lincoln off. “No, you will go with O. Then, Clarke and I will follow you.”

“That works too.” Lincoln pushes the ivy farther away. “Go.”

Monty and Jasper run out of the cave. Then we hear a whistle and stomping as the guards race after them. Lincoln waits only a couple of seconds before sprinting off with Octavia still in his arms. Bellamy leads me out of the cave after the others. Just as we turn towards the river my arm is yanked so hard that I hear a pop. I know from the pain that it’s dislocated.

I yelp in pain as I whip around to see the man who is still tugging on my arm. He has a nasty sneer on his face and his breath is coming out hard. It smells of rotten eggs and sour milk. There is food dangling from his red beard. Bellamy pulls at me to try and break his hold to no avail. I scream from the pain as I’m jerked between them again. The man laughs as Bellamy pulls out a dagger.

“You think you can save her, boy?” He growls. Spit flies from his mouth.

Bellamy doesn’t respond. He just chucks the dagger at the man. It hits his chest and blood spews out of the wound.

“Argh!” The man groans as he clutches his seeping chest.

Us being as close to the man as we are I’m surprised that the blade was able to stick, let alone cause actual damage. As he falls back his grip on me doesn’t loosen causing me to fall with him. Bellamy breaks his hold on my hand just as I’m about to hit the ground.

Then the world starts spinning.  

A/N Double Deal Sunday! (Okay maybe technically it's Monday now, but oh well. It still counts right?) I am having so much fun writing this and am loving the votes. Thank you so much for all of the support. Hope you enjoy where this story is going. I'd love to hear what you think.