When Songbirds Fly | Bellamy Blake

Chapter Forty-Six: Luna

TW// Alcohol abuse

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The engine roars as we swerve around another corner. Shifting into a more comfortable position with my legs pushed further apart and my back against the wall, I start to examine the carvings on my new cane. Vines delicately curl around the pale wood, spotted with the occasional ivy leaf. It starts to stretch out at the top until each vine fades into the body of a bird with gentle eyes. There is a beautiful delicacy, even with its sturdy structure.

It begins to tap lightly against the floor, matching the pace of Jasper's foot. He frowns and examines Lincoln's map again. 'It's been an hour since we passed the airplane wreckage. Seeing as we're using a map without any distances, it could be days before we reach Luna's village.'

'At least we know we're going in the right direction,' Bellamy grumbles.

'We're running out of daylight. We should stop in the sun, recharge the battery.'

I can see Clarke's head tilt slightly in our direction from the front seat. 'What sun? We keep going until it dies.'

'We keep going until we get to Luna.'

Turning the page, Jasper hesitates when he finds a pencil drawing of a girl. Her eyes are dark, her hair wild. Shadows under her cheekbones give her a strangely gaunt appearance. 'This her?'

Octavia looks up at the drawing, her jaw clenched tightly. 'Yes.'

'What do you think she's gonna say when we show up asking to put an AI in her head?'

'Lincoln said she helps those that are in trouble. She'll help us, too.'

The Rover jolts, screeching to a halt. I quickly grip onto the sides of my seat to keep myself from slipping.

Jasper grimaces. 'Think she can help us find a better map?'

'Backtrack,' Bellamy says, 'we'll find somewhere where the trees aren't so bad.'

He pauses when he realises that Octavia has already thrown open the back door and jumped out. Jasper and I follow after but he seems a lot more reluctant. 'Anyone hear the part where I said it could be days?'

'Stop! You hear that?'

I look to Octavia with a small frown, eyes widening when I realise that she's referring to a rushing noise in the distance. 'Water.'

My cane slides against the mud but keeps a surprisingly better grip than my last one. I try my best to keep up but hesitate at the sound of Bellamy's voice behind us, 'Eyes sharp. They could be hostile.'

'They're not hostile. Put the guns down.'

I'm beginning to regret my decision. Walking around Arkadia or even the cave had been fine, at least everything was relatively on the same level. This place has mud, slopes, rocks. It's not as easy to keep up as I'd hoped. I'm still not used to walking, let alone the fact that I don't have an ankle joint anymore.

We finally come to a stop at the treeline. Open water lined by mountains is all we see. A grey fog has settled over everything.

'Where's the village?'

Octavia looks to the side, spotting a small bit of land that juts out from the rest. Small cross-like shapes stick out from the ground.

She consults the map. 'No. No, it can't be.'

Seeing her take off again, I push myself to keep up with her and the others. A fire starts to spread up my leg and I wince, leaning on my cane for support. I look up to realise that we are now standing on a large circle of damp, grey sand. The crosses are made up of rocks balanced on top of each other, each tower circling around us. We aren't that much taller than them.