At last

Chapter fourty six

Clarke's point of view

After waiting for what seemed like hours, Octavia finally dismissed Indra to her chair and sat up straighter, casting her gaze around the room.
"Geda!" She called, her voice reverberating around the large room. "Let us begin."
The advisors who had been out of their seats quickly rushed back to them, the ones who were already seated straightening their backs and looking expectantly to Octavia.
"Three days ago, we were reintroduced to our true home for the first time in six years: the ground," Octavia's eyes grew sad. "We allowed ourselves to forget our previous cautions, we even let our children roam unguarded. It was a time of celebration."
My eyes strayed over the other advisors's faces. I watched as they remembered the events wistfully, their features displaying different types of solemn emotions as Octavia went on.
"Then, in the early morning, we were attacked. An army of ruthless warriors, impenetrable machines, and hellish beasts slayed anyone in sight, taking the lives of many of our clanmates and forcing us back into hiding."
As she spoke, I was suddenly hit by a wave of memories: screams filling the early morning air; Kane's desperate expression as he asked if I had seen my mom; Madi pleading my name as she lay helplessly on the ground, her clothes soaked in black.
I was pulled back to reality by the feeling of Bellamy's hand on mine. I blinked, and looked over to see him reaching across the short distance between his chair and mine.
His brows were furrowed in concern. He gave me a small nod, silently asking if I was okay. I returned the nod, and he withdrew his hand. I immediately missed the warmth.
Octavia was still speaking, "-we know more about these people than we think. Wanheda went inside of their ship, even spoke to their Commander."
I sat up straighter as Octavia gave me the signal to speak, addressing the other advisors, "Yes. They descended to the ground in a spacecraft like our Ark, except much larger. On the Ark, we were unaware that there were other people in space besides us, so we knew nothing about them." I paused, trying to figure out how to explain the next part about hyper sleep, "They slept in chambers that allowed them to stay sleeping for a century without any aging effects to change the body or the mind."
I told them as much as I had learned about Eligus: why they had chose to come to the ground now; the Hyper-Plague; the Shells and the Plague beasts; and finally my deal with Daphne. A voice in the back of my mind groaned about having to tell this story yet again, but I knew there was no way around it.
As I finished, Indra spoke up, looking thoughtful, "They could have simply been coming to capture you and Madi, seeing as it was the seventh day. Yet, why would they have brought a full army with them if they were only after two people?"
"How did they know where we are?" The man that I recognized as the former ambassador of Delphikru asked. "Did they put a tracker on you or your child?"
I thought back to my time inside of the Eligus ship. We hadn't been chipped with a tracker. "No, I'm pretty sure they didn't."
"No matter of how they got here, they were after Wanheda. You all seem to forget that wherever she goes, wanplei follows! I say we hand her over before she brings death to us all!" The young red-haired woman exclaimed to the others, her voice raised.
I heard Bellamy's sharp intake of breath beside me.
Shock overtook me, and I turned on the girl. "You seem to forget that I saved your life by freeing you all from this bunker!"
She opened her mouth to respond but was silenced by Octavia interjecting, "Hold your tongue, Resha. Clarke knows more about these people than anyone here, and she's also the only one who is familiar with the new terrain. She's a powerful ally, and we're certainly not handing her over."
The girl, Resha, looked to her lap irritatedly, keeping silent.
"Now, we are brought to the question: how do we confront these people?" Octavia sat back, leaving the topic open for discussion.
"They took my son's life," a blonde-haired woman that I didn't recognize spoke, her voice breaking as she continued, "He was only five years old. I demand justice!"
"They killed my wife," The ambassador of Delphikru added, "She would want me to avenge her."
"Jus drein, jus daun!" A voice near the back of the room cried, and the advisors took up the chant. I thought again of my mother's soft face whenever she smiled, and I joined in.
I noticed the silence of Bellamy and Octavia. Bellamy's brows were furrowed thoughtfully, his distant eyes fixed on the table in the middle of the room. I could practically hear his swirling thoughts.
As the chant rose to a deafening volume, Octavia's commanding roar seemed to shake the walls, "SILENCE!"
The advisors' mouths snapped shut as they obediently looked to their Commander.
Her eyes raked over the people gathered in the room. "It appears the vote is unanimous: we declare war on Eligius. Once we get out of this bunker, we'll take time to prepare: build up our walls, craft more weapons, train, and scavenge for anything useful. Once we're ready, we'll strike the heart of Eligius: their ship. We'll show no mercy, just like when they attacked us, and we'll wipe them out."
As each advisor muttered their satisfaction, I casted my gaze to Bellamy, who was still lost in thought. Suddenly, he spoke up, looking at his sister. "I have a concern." When Octavia nodded at him, he turned his gaze to me. "When you were in their ship, Clarke, did you happen to see children?"
I blinked at his question, thinking back to what I had seen of the ship in the short time that I was there. I remembered catching a glimpse of what looked to be a large gathering hall while I had been escorted through the halls, recalling the faint, high pitched laughter that I'd heard coming from the room. "I heard children's laughter coming from one of the rooms, yes."
Bellamy sighed, "That's what I was afraid of. We can't invade the ship. The kids are innocent. They had nothing to do with the attack."
Clarke stared at Bellamy in disbelief. Had he forgotten what Eligius had done to Onekru's children? To Madi?
Resha was the first to object. "They killed our children. Are you seriously suggesting that we spare theirs?"
Bellamy glared at her. "Are you suggesting that we kill innocent children because of something their parents did?" He growled.
"Their parents should have thought about the consequences before they attacked us. They asked for it! Jus drein, jus daun!" The former ambassador of Broadleaf piped up, and a murmur of agreement rippled through the other advisors.
I saw Bellamy's fingers clench on the armrests of his chair. "You all seem to forget that they have untouchable robots on their side. No bullet or blade can pierce them. How do you expect to win a war against an army of them?"
Resha snorted, "Untouchable, you say? I brought down one of the machines in a single blow."
All eyes turned to Resha, surprised and curious. Octavia sat forward, an interested gleam in her eyes as Resha continued smugly, "I found a weak spot on its back, where the neck meets with the rest of the body. Its inner wiring is exposed since the impenetrable metal plates that the machine is covered in does not reach that area. I felled the beast by stabbing the weak point with my sword."
The Commander sat back in her throne thoughtfully, "So the Shells can be killed..."
Bellamy's jaw ticked. His argument about the threat of the Shells had been disproved.
Indra's voice sounded throughout the room as she made her statement, her tone unwavering, "Eligius attacked us unprovoked, killing whoever they could. Their actions will cost their own lives, including the lives of their children," Indra looked solemnly to Bellamy for a moment. "We cannot ignore their act of war. The rest of our people demand justice. Our spilled blood calls for their spilled blood."
He turned to me in a final attempt. "Blood must not have blood. That's what you and Lexa were working towards. Don't let your efforts be wasted by agreeing to this."
I stared into his desperate, piercing eyes. "Eligius invaded our home. They shot Madi. They killed my mother. Bellamy, they want to kidnap Madi and I and steal our bone marrow. They're ruthless. Is that not enough for you?"
He slowly began to shake his head, his disbelieving gaze fixed on mine. "You can't be serious."
"I'm willing to do whatever it takes to secure the safety of my people. Our people." I narrowed my gaze at him, "You should feel the same way."
Bellamy clenched his jaw, his expression changing from one of shock to steely anger and betrayal. "War made me a murderer, but even I know when to draw the line." He looked past me to Octavia as he got to his feet. "I want no part in this war."
He cast another betrayed glance at me. I met his fiery gaze with my own icy gaze, glaring after him as he strode to the door, the guards hurriedly opening it for him and slamming it shut behind him.

So here's the rest of that part! All credit goes to my friend DarianTryon . Alright, thanks for reading! Have a great day!😁

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