The 100 - Just one life more!

33: War council

The next day Lexa held a war council. For that her guards had build a tent in the woods. The official war meeting with the chiefs of all 12 clans would take place later in TonDC, but Lexa wanted to start planning now.

At the same time Kane was worried, that Jaha had not returned from the graveyard and neither had Murphy. After the meeting in Lexa's tent he wanted to get search parties out.

..."I say, if the air kills them, we open the doors and be done with it. Let them burn," a grounder named Quint said. Internally Clarke rolled her eyes. "That won't work," she argued, "they have multiple air locks just like the Ark. If you open the doors, you have a Maunon squat team out there in five minutes. They'd kill you and just close the door again. Besides, we wouldn't even get to the door. You do remember the acid fog? We need to wait for Bellamy to lower their defences before we can even think about getting close to the door."

"And then there is the problem of how to open this door. Mount Weather is a radiation proof military facility. Why do you think you could get in there now?"

Quint however stayed stubborn, "The biggest army we've ever had waits for us to give it a mission. The longer that takes the more of our people die inside that mountain."

Clarke countered, "It's the same for all of us."

That however just caused Quint to get in her face, "We've lost thousands. How many have you lost girl?" he then turned to Heda, "She says she has a plan, I say waiting for one man to get inside is not a very good one."

That enraged Clarke and her next words were filled with venom, "And you think I don't care. My friends are in this mountain. I don't care how many you have already lost, I'd do anything to protect my people, but your plan is no plan. I don't care how many men you have. If you can't get to your enemy, you can't win."

A short pause followed and then Quint claimed, "You are the enemy."

Fake-taken-aback Clarke asked, "I'm sorry, have I done something to offend you?"

Quint stepped closer, Clarke and him being face to face now, "Yes. You burned my brother alive in a ring of fire."

"Oh, sorry," Clarke mocked him, "but he attacked us. I merely protected my people. It's not my fault you underestimated us, but I will not sit idly by and watch your people kill mine!"

Quint's lips curled into a smile, "You're very brave under the Commander's protection, aren't you?"

Their fight would have gone on, but Lexa had enough. To simple words made Clarke and Quint stay down, "Em pleni!" Quint and Clarke stepped away from each other and Lexa continued, "Quint is right. We can't rely on one man. This is not a plan, it's a prayer. And it's likely not answered."

"Excuse me," Clarke murmured as she left the room, "I'll get some fresh air."
After Clarke left, Kane turned to Major Byrne and nodded. She understood and went to follow Clarke.

Some way into the woods Clarke noticed she was followed and turned to look. To her left she saw Quint following her. "Not so brave without the Commander, are you," he taunted. And in the second Clarke took to look on the way Quint took out his bow.
The first shot missed Clarke's head only a bit and embedded itself into the tree behind her. Shocked Clarke looked at Quint, then turned around and ran as Quint shot his second arrow. God, he was a terrible shooter, Clarke thought to herself. But lucky her, he was.

When Clarke finally thought she lost Quint, she stopped and caught her breath. But a rustling in the bushes behind her caught her attention and she readied herself to run again. But then Byrne stumbled out of the forest...

"Byrne, good that..." Clarke started, but then the Major turned around and Clarke saw, that her arm was missing. "Save yourself!" Byrne's voice was weak not more than a whisper before she collapsed on the ground.

Frightened Clarke ran in the direction she came from and...was tackled down by Quint after a few meters. The gun she carried since after leaving TonDC gun flew away and Quint drew his knife. He raised it with the words, "For my brother!" and, suddenly silver embedded itself in his arm and he rolled off of Clarke. She scrambled to her feet, gun in her hands again. Lexa and a guard came closer and Lexa pulled the blade out of Quint's arm, warning, "Jomp em op en yu jomp ai op!" She then turned to the shaking Clarke and said, "The kill is yours, Clarke."

Clarke tightened her grip around her gun and she wanted to raise it. She really did. But she couldn't. Seeing the man kneeling in front of her. The man that was just grieving the loss of his brother...

And then a roar interrupted them. They all turned in that direction and this was the first time pure fear was evident on Lexa's face. "Pauna," she breathed out this word. Quint scrambled to his feet taking a step back. He also was frightened. And he was so focused on the sound, that he didn't see Lexa's sword coming. The blood flowed out of his leg as he fell. And when he turned around, trying to crawl away, he only saw his Heda running away with Clarke and her guard...