✓ 2. SHADOW HUNTER ᵇᵉˡˡᵃᵐʸ ᵇˡᵃᵏᵉ

17. syra

-SYRA-

"but look at what you did, Sairah—or should I call you Syra?"

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Sairah watches as Bellamy walks over to her and Jasper after leaving Clarke by herself with Raven. After Jasper's outburst, Sairah decided to stay with him until he was fully himself again.

Now, as her eyes connect with Bellamy's hazel ones, she gives him a curt nod before patting Jasper's shoulder and walking outside to find Niylah standing on watch.

"Niylah, what are you doing?" Sairah mutters while walking up to the woman.

Niylah quickly turns around upon hearing Sairah's voice, giving her a bow. "I was making sure no one else followed you here, Trikova."

Sairah smiles. "I'm sorry it had to be this way. I never intended for this to happen, but with you having the last wristband, we had no other choice."

Niylah shakes her head, dismissively. "No, Trikova, you out of all people do not have to apologize to me. I am glad you are here... The Sky People not so much." She sighs.

Sairah gives her a knowing look. "I promise we will leave as soon as we can. You have my word."

"Thank you, Trikova." Niylah bows politely. "I wish you came here under different circumstances... Like you used to come here all the time with Heda."

Sairah looks down at the mention of Lexa's title, her heart skipping a beat at the empty feeling in her stomach. It's as if the moment Lexa was abruptly taken from her, so were her guts and emotions. "Yeah, me too..." She mutters after a while.

"Trikova, may I ask something?" Niylah breathes out after a long minute of the two women just staring ahead. After Sairah gives her a nod, Niylah takes a step closer to her. "Who is our new commander, Trikova? Who took Heda's throne?"

Sairah's jaw clenches as she recalls the Ice Nation's secret nightblood. Her hands curl into fists as she tries to stay calm. "Ice Nation had a nightblood of their own. She came in and slaughtered our nightbloods in their sleep."

Niylah gasps at this. "Oh, Sairah..." She mutters before pulling the girl into a hug. "I am so sorry."

"Me too." Sairah simply sighs as she hugs her back.

Before anything else can be said between the two grounders, Jasper walks out with heavy footsteps and a scowl on his face. Sairah sighs, knowing that Bellamy has something to do with that scowl. "I'll talk to you later, Niylah. Go inside and take a break."

Niylah nods before shooting Jasper a quick glance while walking past him towards her house.

When Sairah is close enough to the boy, Jasper looks down at her with teary eyes. "Why-- why can't I forget her, Sairah? Why is it so difficult to-- to get her out of my head?" He cries out.

Sairah closes her eyes, tired of the boy's self-pity. She looks at him, taking in the way his eyes close in pain and his breath becomes uneven. Then, out of nowhere, she slaps him. Hard.

Jasper looks shocked as he touches his cheek with wide eyes. "What--"

"Enough," Sairah simply says. "You are not the only one who lost someone. I lost my sister... The closest person to me. Clarke lost the love of her life, so did Bellamy. We are all grieving, Jasper. We are all in pain. But we're not letting that take over our lives like you. Pull yourself together, because right now, we need you focused." Sairah takes a step closer to him. "A warrior grieves only after the battle is won... That means 'a warrior grieves only after the battle is won'. And right now, we are far from winning. So if you want to help your friends, stop thinking about the ones you've lost, think about the ones you're going to save." She gives him one last glance before walking away, leaving him by himself once again.