On The Ground (Lexa)

11.

The novitiates filed in to the makeshift arena that had been constructed in the center of Polis, almost as if it had arisen overnight. A crowd had gathered to watch the dawning of a new commander, but Lexa couldn't help but feel they were there to watch children die for sport. Titus had returned sometime that morning with Heda's body, and he sat in a chair overlooking the arena. Costia stood beside him, and the delegates of the six clans of the coalition sat on either side of him.

Earlier, the novitiates had gathered in the throne room to pay their respects to the fallen commander, laying flowers over her body before the Flame Keeper lit her pyre and returned her mortal vessel to the earth. Lexa wondered if the novitiates felled in the conclave that day would be given the same right. She didn't know what to expect, but one thing was certain: by the end of that day, there would be a new Heda.

The novitiates wore the traditional combat armor of the conclave, clad in shoulder guards, their arms bare. They were allowed to select the weapon that they chose to fight with, and Lexa felt the weight of her sword in its scabbard on her back. Any weapon would have sufficed for her, really, but her sword reminded her of home and of Anya, and if she died today, she would die with a keepsake of Trikru.

Titus stood addressing the crowd. "Death is not the end," he shouted so that everyone could hear him, and instantly the hoard of people fell silent. "Today, we witness the rise of a new commander, and the ascension of new hope. Let the conclave begin!"

Instantly the novitiates fanned out, drawing their weapons. Lexa thought that the conclave might be single combat, but she was wrong. This would be a free-for-all, all around blood bath. She stood white-knuckled and clutching her sword, waiting as the novitiates spread around the arena. The others seemed to be avoiding her, refusing to make eye contact or go anywhere near striking distance of her blade, almost as if they were scared of her.

She thought that she might get away with only having to take one life during the conclave, but her hopes quickly faded when she realized what the other novitiates were doing. They had circled up around her, and Lexa found herself in the middle of seven very dangerous looking children. They had planned this, without her knowledge, aiming to team up and take her out first, the weak banding together to take out the strong.

She caught sight of Ryder, the boy she'd sparred with the day before, and found a smug smirk on his face. This had been his plan. He couldn't beat her in single combat, so he figured he'd get the others to help him take her out and then there would be nobody left to stand in the way of his ascension. With Luna gone, it made perfect sense.

Lexa spared a glance at Titus. His expression remained impassive, but his face bore the lines of worry in his frown. Beside him, Costia looked as if she was about to faint. For a moment their eyes met, and Lexa felt some unspoken bond pass through the space between them. Costia was telling her to fight, willing her to live, begging her to survive.

Lexa took a deep, calming, breath and steadied her nerves, her green eyes turning to steel beneath her signature black war paint. She spun her sword in her hand and around her back, holding it up to challenge the other novitiates. "Let's do this," she said through gritted teeth.

The first of the novitiates rushed forward, one from in front of her and one from behind her, trying to catch her off guard. Lexa anticipated it, blocking the sword in front of her and the spinning quickly to block the strike that had been aimed at her back. The first novitiate stumbled out of the way off balance, and she quickly sunk her sword through his back. She thought that she would have hesitated in the moment but Titus had been right, despite their age, they would all aim to kill her and she was not about to die that day.

She spun on her heel again, ducking a spear that had been aimed at her head, and rolling out of the way of another strike. She popped to her feet and dug her sword up through the chest of the girl that had been standing over her, then kicked the body forwards, ripping her sword out and blocking a blow from behind her. Metal clashed against metal and the crowd roared, almost as if they were craving the blood that soaked the dirt before them.

One of the younger novitiates rushed forward, thrusting his spear towards her abdomen as she battled the sword of another boy. She jumped backwards, trying her best to dodge the strike, but she felt the metal of the spear meet her skin, tearing away the flesh on her arm. Lexa grunted in pain as black blood began to flow like a river from the wound, soaking her bare skin. She caught the shaft of the spear in her hand, ripping it away from the boy that had wounded her and turning to hurl it into the chest of another novitiate.

Ryder rushed forward, trying to catch her off balance, but Lexa was quick. She sidestepped and deflected his sword landing a hard kick to his back that had him tumbling onto the ground in front of her. She moved to make the kill, but another girl was already on her, forcing her to make block after block. Lexa turned her strikes away as if they were nothing more than an annoyance, and in one effortless motion, swept the girl's legs out from under her and drove her sword down into her chest.

She could feel herself growing tired, but she didn't have time to catch her breath before the remaining three novitiates were circling around her again like sharks stalking their prey. The crowd cheered and chanted her name, but she took no notice of it, her focus remaining entirely on the fight at hand. She glared at each of them, her eyes bearing down on them, and she could see the fear written in each of their faces.

Lexa spun her sword in her hand again, waiting patiently for the next attack. All three of the boys rushed at once, and Lexa felt a surge of adrenaline flow through her. She sidestepped the first attack, then blocked the second, throwing her elbow upward into the face of a novitiate and feeling his nose break on contact. He stumbled back and she used the moment of weakness to slash out, raking her sword across his throat. She rolled forward, picking up his sword as she popped up to her feet, now wielding two blades.

The remaining two novitiates, Ryder and another boy, breathed heavily, staring at her with hate-filled eyes. They attacked simultaneously, and she used her dual swords to deflect their blows, exchanging one block after another and launching her own strikes. They attacked with strength and speed, trying to throw her off balance and expose one weak spot in her guard, but Lexa remained focused and calm. It was as if she wielded death itself, manipulating it to her will.

The boys continued to pound on her defense, doing all that they could to break through. Drawing from the strength within the deepest pits of her soul, Lexa blocked the second boy's strike with the sword in her left hand, and quickly thrust her right sword through his stomach. He looked shocked as his eyes rolled back in his head and a thin trail of black blood escaped his lips. And then there was just one.

Lexa threw her second sword to the ground and circled Ryder, matching his steps and staying in perfect balance. He glared at her with pure and utter hatred, and it reminded her of the Reapers back in the forest. They squared off, neither of them willing to make the first move, but Lexa remained calm, her resolve unwavering. Ryder rushed forward, losing his patience, and Lexa quickly stepped out of the way bringing the hilt of her sword down hard on the back of his head. He dropped to his knees in front of her, and Lexa quickly moved in, touching the blade of her sword to his throat as she stood behind him.

She looked up at Titus, breathing heavily, and he gave her a single nod. Glancing around at the arena, she saw the bodies of the other six novitiates on the ground, the dirt completely stained black with their blood. She felt her heartbeat pounding in her ears, beating with the rhythm of the crowd chanting her name. She had gone into the conclave not wanting to kill any of the novitiates, and had ended up slaughtering them all. It was a weight she would bear forever.

In one motion, she brought her blade down, ending the life of the last novitiate. She stood there in the middle of all the death she'd wrought, covered in blood as black as tar from head to toe and gasping for air. She felt an overwhelming sense of disgust, and it took all the strength left in her body to keep herself from vomiting. Lexa glanced towards Costia looking for any hint of revulsion, but found the girl's face impassive.

Titus stood, rising slowly from his chair. "The spirit of the commander has chosen!" he shouted.