Watch The Thrones

[27] Absolution

Paige turns her head to the side while Styles looked down in shame. Seth mindlessly stares at Paige
"Listen, Paige, I did what I had to do."
"Save it, Styles. Why are we working with him?"
Sasha rolls her eyes.
"He claims he wants to help us."
"No need to defend him, Sasha. Tell me, Styles. What are your intentions?"
"I need a group. I need trust."
"You shot at me. How am I supposed to trust you?"
"I didn't kill you. If I wanted to, you'd be dead. I never miss my targets."
Paige breathes heavily.
"Why didn't you kill me?"
"You're not my enemy. I had no motives."
"You had enough motives to kill me when the bitch told you to."
"I missed the target purposely."
"Why'd you do it, Styles?"
Sasha interjects herself into the conversation.
"I told you this."
"Then repeat yourself."
Sasha shoots a look at Styles while Paige stares deep into his soul.
"I didn't have any motives."
"I don't believe you."
Paige's eyes looks ok further and deeper.
"Believe what you want, sister!"
"Don't call me that."
"We're wasting time. We should be heading to... Umm..."
"Heading where, Styles?"
Styles looks around and avoids looking at the interrogator, Paige.
"North. Yeah, north."
Sasha raises and eyebrow after listening to an unsure Styles.
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah, Sasha."
"Well you're wrong."
Paige re-enters the conversation.
"We're going east."
"Oh yeah? How can you tell?"
"I have a heightened sense of smell."
"And who are you trying to find?"
"Bliss."
Sasha wildly opens her eyes.
"Bliss?"
Paige nods.
"Bliss? Lexa?"
Paige nods again.
"She's alive?"
"Yeah she's alive"
Sasha looks at her in awe then turns to face Seth.
"Umm Seth you alright?"
Paige rolls here eyes.
"He's fine."
"Paige, I don't think he is."
Sasha steps closer to him but Seth backs away.
"Let me be. I am fine."
"Told you!"
"Paige, he needs help."
"Not my problem."
Sasha shakes her head.
"Are you even listening to yourself?"
Seth coughs uncontrollably. A black mist comes out of him. Seth's breathing accelerates and he starts coughing out the suspicious black mist. He collapses and Styles to break his fall but fails when he too starts coughing.
"Help mmmm—"
Styles falls to the ground.
"Paige, do something."
"They both deserve it."
"Not now, Paige. You can seek revenge later."
"I didn't do this to them."
"I don't care! We're a team. We don't leave each other behind. We stick together. Paige, I know you're not heartless. You love him. It pains me to see you like this and I know it pains you to see him suffering."
"Get used to it. Learn the word alone because it's all I've ever been and soon you'll know how it feels."
"Paige, you... you can't be se..."
Sasha collapses to the ground and Paige runs to her. She lifts Sasha's head and shakes her.
"Sasha! Hey, come on Sasha! Get up!"
The black mist rises from Sasha, Styles and Seth and forms into a figure. Paige stands and walks backwards. She then establishes a fighting stance. The figure is womanly but remains faceless.
"You only killed me in flesh."
"Victoria?"
The figure structures itself into a replica of Victoria's physical body.
"It is I."
"No. I killed you! Is this some joke?"
"You didn't finish me off. I'm not as dead as you want me to be."
"But you will be."
"Will I?"
"Yeah when I slaughter you."
Victoria cackles.
"You can't kill me. I'm already dead."
"What did you do to them into it?"
"Who? Them? Oh... I knew I had to scare you a little. You act as if you're better or stronger but you're not. You're pathetic."
Paige rolls her eyes.
"You didn't answer me."
"I did. I did what I did simply because you'll do it too. I used them to get to where I needed to be. Here. Right here facing you."
"I'm not using them. I'm not using Sasha or Seth."
"What about Styles?"
"Yeah. Oh... I'm using him."
"See you're selfish!"
"Styles isn't a part of my crew."
"Selective survival?"
"Yes. You have to know who's strong and who's who's weak."
"He's a strength."
"Not strong enough."
"That's debatable. So you think you're strong?"
Paige nods and Victoria walks around her slowly And stealthily.
"So... When did you qualify as strong?"
"I don't have answer you. You're dead."
"And you're not? What part of you is still living? Look around you. Everything you love has fallen. Bliss is gone, your parents avoid you, your crew is simply dismembered and oh... your love, Seth, no longer has love for you."
Paige looks down.
"So you see? You're as good as dead. Nothing of you remains."
Paige goes silent. The rage in her boils and her mind remains unsettlingly unhinged.
"Answer this: Who are you really?"
"I'm Pa-... I'm Mortaquor."
"You did this to them. Mortaquor attacked your crew. When you wake up and rise, you'll see the damage you have done."
Paige looks up and searches out for Victoria.
"I DIDN'T DO THIS TO THEM!"
"Paige, wake up."
"What happened?"
Sasha looks around.
"I don't know. I don't remember."
"Where is she?"
"Where is... who?"
"Victoria! Where did she go?"
"She's dead. You killed her ages ago."
"But I saw her... I did. I remember the whole thing."
"Remember what? Last thing I remember is running away from Flair, your little fight with Styles and entering this monstrous cave."
"Must've been a dream. A really vivid dream."
Sasha hugs Paige and comforts her.
"So ummm where's Seth and Styles?"
"They went to hunt game and retrieve some type of breakfast."
"I don't trust Styles."
"What makes you think I do, Paige? He switched sides way too quickly. I think we should drop him."
"I can't agree."
"You mean disagree."
"No. I can't agree with you. Not yet. We can't drop him yet. He's useful. He knows how to get Bliss and Becky."
"I thought Bliss was dead. She disappeared right before us."
"I can feel her. She's not dead. She was saved by someone or something. I can't think clearly."
"Hey, you got this. You just need rest."
Heavy footsteps are heard from the distance.
"Paige!"
"Raiders?"
"Ugh. Yeah the Raiders are coming. Charlotte must have sent them after us."
Sasha rolls her eyes as Paige rises and quickly collects their belongings.
"They can't hurt us if they don't find us. We gotta run."
"What about Seth and Styles?"
Paige sighs.
"I can't leave you alone."
"You'll find me. I'll run towards NeXTa. I'll send a bird message. I'll be ok. You need them."
"The Raiders are coming from NeXTa. They probably already have wiped them out. We need to stick together."
"You're Mortaquor. I'm just Sasha. If I get caught... you know what they do to women."
Paige sighed again. This time it wasn't a normal sigh. It was a plea. A release of guilt and helplessness.
"I'll find them, ok? But you... you have to get to safety."
"I'll go to TaNeA... it's Impacta now but I'll run there and contact you the quickest way I can."
"Impacta is full of tricks and... Be careful."
"I will. Until we meet again?"
Paige nods and hugs her. She holds back her tears and holds Sasha tightly. Sasha hugs her then quickly releases her and backs away.
"I need to find it."
"Find what?"
Sasha rampantly looks through her small book of notes finds a spell. She rips out the page and gives it to Paige.
"Use this whenever you're in danger. It'll help."
"What does it do?"
"It provides you a weapon. You can use it to defend yourself."
"Why can't you use it?"
Sasha smiles and looks down.
"We can't all be Mortaquor."
Paige takes the paper and thanks her.
"You can do this."
"So can you. Be quick, agile and wise."
"Don't kill too many guys."
"No promises."
They laugh then look at each other and say their goodbyes as they depart. Sasha crawls through a hole to the other side of the cave and runs towards Impacta.
"Mortaquor verses the world again, huh?"
Paige looks outside the cave and see the men in the distance.
"Is this the same cave Seth and I—?"
She looks inside the cave.
RAIDERS. KEEP OUT.
"This is their cave. We triggered them. Oh f-ck!"
Paige runs out and jumps.
"Come on!"
The Raiders aim their arrows at her. Paige once again leaps and slowly starts flying.

POV: Bliss and The Above
"Shane."
"Hello, Mortaquor or should I say Bliss?"
"Alexa. You haven't worked your way up there yet. You can't call me Bliss."
"But I can call you a fraud."
"And I can call you a kidnapper. You're a thief."
"We both have done our fair share of wrongs."
"I did let everyone call me Mortaquor so I could survive. You stole her because you're nothing but a power hungry—
"Whoa there. No need to get hostile. Sit."
"I am not an animal. You can't summon me here and order me to sit."
"Please. There's no need to sit and be so hostile. We're on the same team."
"I won't sit until you explain why I'm here. Why are we here? What did Neville and I do? Why am I called Mortaquor? I'm not Paige."
"Catrina didn't tell you? Oh. Well... You see. You are the only one who can dethrone Charlotte and take the powers of Paige. You're not a queen and you're not Mortaquor. You're better. You're a goddess."
"I know that. I'm amazing. You'd didn't answer my question. It's simple. Why am I here?"
"I want you to end Charlotte and Paige. I want you to take over. I brought you here so you can train and defeat them."
"I'm not going against Paige. She my best—"
"YOU WILL END HER!"
"I won't. What happened to the "there's no need to be hostile?"
"I hate to coerce you but—"
"Then don't coerce me. Let me be."
"You will end her. You will end them."
"No I won't."
"Fine then. I'll kill Sparkles."
Shane's guards walk in with Sparkles and restrain Bliss.
"You won't! YOU WOULDN'T!"
"I will stop... once you consent."
"Don't hurt him!"
"I won't hurt him if you promise to end her... them. End them."
"I can't promise to hurt Paige. I'll end Charlotte. I'll—"
"I'll kill Neville!"
"SHANE, stop."
Guards hold back Bliss as Shane places a mindless Neville on a platform. Shane lifts his sword.
"You can end this, Bliss."
"FINE! I CONSENT! Just don't hurt him."
"Good."
The guards release Bliss and she runs to Neville. Catrina walks in and looks at Shane.
"You did it. We did it. Now we can take The Underground into the other side of the land."
Shane nods.
"She's under my control now."
He cradles Aurora and looks at Catrina with a devilish smirk.

POV: Sasha
Sasha runs through the woods and stumbles over a rock. She lands face first into the nearby pond.
"Are you alright?"
Sasha gets up and turns around. Seth helps her up and she embraced him. She sees Dean with him.
"Oh hi Dean."
"Hey there. Are you still single?"
"Will you ever change?"
"No. I don't plan on it."
"Oh Dean... Did you ever find Finn"
"Yeah."
Seth looks at her.
"Finn got captured by the Raiders. I saw him when Styles and I split."
"Why did you two split?"
"We had too. The Raiders were on our asses. Some girl tried to fend them off but I didn't see them. I ran off."
"THEN HE FOUND ME!"
Sasha and Seth look at Dean.
"Not the time, Dean."
Seth shakes his head.
"Whatever."
Dean rolls his eyes. Sasha touches his arm.
"It's ok, Dean. Seth, what did she look like?"
"Idk... black, grayish... FCK! I think it was Paige."
"You left Paige alone with Styles? What if he's still apart of the Raiders? What if he sold her off?"
"I wasn't thinking about who the girl was. I was focused on save my own life. What if he really did sell her off?"
"Well... He did."
Sasha screams.
"Finn!"