ATARAXIA • BELLAMY BLAKE

[ 5 2 ]

"Sir, we're almost out of range," Monty calls back to Kane as I navigate the rover through the dense forest, heading toward the last known location where Clarke was reportedly seen. His voice is tense. "Are you sure you don't want to inform the Chancellor?"

"I'm sure," Kane responds firmly. "I don't want to worry Abby until we have something concrete."

"We know there's a kill order," Bellamy interjects, his tone flat. He glances sideways at Indra with accusation. "You people are big on those."

"It's not a kill order. It's a bounty," Indra retorts sharply. "Clarke is a symbol now. She's known as Wanheda—the Commander of Death."

The words hang in the air until Bellamy is the first to break the silence. "The Ice Nation soldiers we killed—they asked about Wanheda," he says, piecing it together. "They're hunting Clarke. Why?"

"My people believe that when you kill someone, you take their power," Indra explains. "Kill Wanheda, and you command death itself."

"But she's just one girl," Kane argues, with evident disbelief.

Indra's voice tightens with tension. "So was the Commander. What Clarke did at Mount Weather weakened her position. The Ice Nation sees this as their chance. Their Queen wants Clarke's power. If her people believe she has it, they'll follow her. She'll break the coalition and start a war." She pauses, the weight of her words settling over us. "I can't let that happen."

The radar emits a steady beep as we approach the outskirts of Sector seven. The rover jostles over uneven ground, and I grip the wheel tighter. "Welcome to Sector seven," I announce, breaking the silence that had settled in. "Where to now?"

"If she's here, she'll need supplies," Indra replies, her voice firm. "We'll start at the trading posts."

I push the rover forward, heading toward the general direction I know the trading posts are in. "But what do we do if she's there? We can't force her to come back."

Clarke has been missing for months. The fact that we haven't found her yet isn't just bad luck—she doesn't want to be found.

"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it," Kane says from behind me. I hear the unmistakable sound of a handgun being loaded, and then Kane offers it to Indra, who silently refuses.

"We need a plan, though, if—Shit!" I slam on the brakes, and the rover lurches to a sudden halt, nearly throwing everyone from their seats.

"What the hell?" Bellamy snaps from the back, but his anger fades as he looks out the front window. A massive tree trunk lies across the road, its shadow looming in the darkness. I almost didn't see it in time.

"This wasn't here before," I mutter, bewildered. This road has never been blocked like this.

"We need to move it." Monty starts to open his door, but I grab his arm and pull him back inside.

"Wait," I warn, leaning over to close the door. "It's been cut down."

"You don't know that," Bellamy argues, sliding back the metal cover from the roof's small hatch. He stands up, his rifle ready, scanning the surroundings.

A creaking sound makes me whip around just in time to see another tree crash down behind us, sealing us in. Bellamy ducks back into the rover, landing heavily in his seat.

"We know now," Indra says, her voice unnervingly calm as she draws her blade.

With that, Bellamy, Kane, and I ready our rifles, our eyes locked on the dense woods ahead. We sit in tense silence, waiting for the ambush we know is coming. Minutes drag into hours as the night deepens around us, the only sounds being our steady breathing and the rustle of leaves in the wind.