Her Weakness

Chapter 18

I blink against the intensity of the light after being in the dark cave system for so long.

"They aren't taking her to their base," Octavia observes. "Why take her here? Where is here?"

"We are behind their mountain. None of my people will settle here, it is too close to the enemy. This is a secluded area."

"What do they want with Clarke?" She murmurs most likely to herself with worry evident in her voice.

"They want information. Information on us, on our alliance. The best person to ask is a leader. Leaders know some things that ordinary citizens do not. They might know that we are... Close. They want me more than her; I have been a menace longer than her and the Sky People. They will..." I trail off and fight off the burst of fury that climbs up my throat. While anger can be a good ally in combat, the burning hatred I feel will make me clumsy with rage. "Torture her."

"We'd better get there fast." Octavia moves to start walking, but I stay in place. "Shouldn't we head there?"

"We have some time to find her. As much as I would like to grab her and get out as soon as possible, we need to find them first and observe their movements. I would prefer not to have another massacre on my hands. She will be fine for another day or two."

"How do you know?" She asks skeptically.

"They know she is your leader and that we will come after her. They will be lying low."

Octavia frowns and stares out into the forest. I focus on the footprints and determine that we are not far behind them, perhaps just an hour or two.

"Commander?" I raise my head at the sound of her voice. "Didn't you say that there's no one here?"

"Yes. It is too close to live safely."

"Then what's that? It looks like a Grounder town."

I squint in the direction she is pointing. "That is not ours. They are smart; they know any one of us that goes through here does not want to, so we would ignore the fact that no one settles here. We will observe them until the time is right for the rescue."

We walk towards their town and I take a deep breath to calm my emotions and nerves.

We are going to rescue Clarke.