Her Loyalties

Chapter Eighteen

Clarkes POV

I gasped in horror at the sight that met my eyes. Lexa, my poor Lexa was strapped to a machine upside down while being drained of blood. Raven groaned at the sight.

I ran to Lexa and studied the machine. There seemed to be no better way, so I started gently pullig the tubes out of her body.

"Clarke, what are you doing?" Raven complained. "We don't have time to save a bunch of random people." I ignored her, and finished pulling out the tubes. When I turned off the machine by pressing the big red 'off' button, Lexa slumped to the floor in a heap.

I fell to my knees next to her and pulled her lifeless body closer. Her head flopped sideways on my lap.

"Lexa?" I whispered. "Lexa, can you hear me?"

She moaned quietly, and then her eyes opened. Her emerald eyes searched mine as if she couldn't believe I was here.

"Clarke." She whispered under her breath.

"Hey." I almost cried at the sound of her voice. "You're okay."

"So are you."

Lexa reached for my hand and I held it very gently, trying not to hurt her because I didn't know what else they had done to her. Even though it had only been a day since I had seen her, I had missed her a lot.

She gave me a small smile, and I leaned down to brush my lips with hers. I was being careful with her, but Lexa responded with more intensity.

One of her hands wound into my hair, pulling me closer. She kissed me with passion, with a need that I was feeling aswell. She sighed into my mouth, a happy sound that I loved.

"Umm, excuse me?" Raven said. I had forgotten she was there. "Yeah, can we go now Clarke?"

Lexa had frozen at the sound of her voice, apparently not realising that Raven had ever been there. I coughed in embarrassment and then helped Lexa gently to her feet. She swayed slightly, but after a few steps she balanced herself.

"I need to get Anya." Lexa mumbled into my ear.

Anya? My eyebrows shot up and I nodded. I didn't know she was here. Lexa led me to a wall of cages, and I spotted Anya curled inside one. Lexa murmured to her as she twisted a thin piece of metal off a nearby cage. She twisted it into the lock holding Anyas cage closed until it popped off with a clank.

Anya tumbled out, landing in Lexas arms. They clung to each other briefly, before Anya straightened up and looked at me.

"Clarke." She said in a level voice. "Mochof (thank you). Without you Lexa would have died."

I nodded and then cringed. If Anya saw how I saved Lexa, she probably saw me kiss her. That was one conversation I never wanted to have. I suspected that Anya would threaten to cut off my head if I ever hurt Lexa.

"Anyone else we have to save Clarke?" Raven grumbled from behind me. "Because I want to get the hell out of here."

I turned to Lexa and she nodded. We headed for another door that was concealed behind a table, not knowing what was on the other side but wanting to get out of here. As we clambered through the door, Lexa turned and looked at the people in the cages.

"I will come back for you." She called out to the people. There were mumbled responses but they sounded happy. Lexa nodded and then stepped through the door.

We crowded into a narrow tunnel, shuffling down it until it opened up wider. The tunnel was about wide enough for maybe six people to walk side by side, ad tall enough that the top of my head was at least two metres away from the roof. Wooden poles ran along the middle, fitted with lights.

Lexa took my hand and I held onto her. She gave me a timid smile and I squeezed her hand gently. Raven rolled her eyes at us.

"Hey Raven." I suddenly remembered what I wanted to ask her. "How did you get down here anyway?"

"Oh." Raven laughed. "Long story. So after you guys were sent down, your mum pulled me aside and asked for my help to repair this tiny dropship. She wanted to come to the ground to find you. I said yes as long as I could come too."

She didn't finish her story, because I interrupted with a gasp.

"Mum's on the ground?" I couldn't believe it.

"No." Raven shook her head. "Let me finish. I fixed it, but your mum told me to go alone. She couldn't make it. I don't know why. I landed with the big dropship and was there until these people got us."

Lexas hand against mine tightened slightly and I looked over at her. She was trying to reassure me about the fact that my mum didn't make it.

"Hey Clarke. Mind introducing me to your girlfriend?" Raven asked.

I sighed.

"Raven, this is Lexa. She's the leader of the people that were already on the ground."

Raven wrinkled her nose.

"Not the people here?"

"No." Lexa replied. "There are more of us, ones that can survive above ground. We are enemies with the people here."

"Oh, right." Raven nodded and fell silent. We walked on through the tunnel. After a while of walking silently, we heard alarms blare faintly in the distance. They must have finally noticed that we escaped. 

"We should run." Anya said. I looked to Lexa, worried that she couldn't run.

"I will be fine Clarke." She told me. "You came quick enough that I wasn't there for long." I sighed in relief and we started to run. Lexa was indeed fine and she ran alongside me with so sign of pain.

I heard thudding footsteps behind us and looked back to see a group of soldiers approaching, guns pointed at us.

"Stop!" One of them called. We didn't slow, ducking around a corner as gunfire sounded in the echoing tunnel. I skidded to a stop, throwing out my arms to stop the others.

We were at a dead end. Steps away from where I stood, the tunnel dropped off. I peered over the edge of the long drop and saw that it was about a twenty metre jump into a small lake. Lexa spun around and faced the soldiers. 

They had stopped farther away, knowing that we couldn't escape.

"Jump." Muttered Anya behind me. My eyes widened but I nodded. It was a much better alternative than going back to Mount Weather. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Anya jump off the edge. There was a loud splash as she hit the water.

Raven took a trembling breath and followed her example. Lexa looked at me and I nodded nervously.

"Clarke!" One of the soldiers called. I turned just as Lexa jumped. Her hand was ripped from mine and I turned to watch her fall into the water below. "Clarke, come back." The soldier said. I looked back at the people who had tried to kill Lexa.

"Go float yourselves." I snarled at them, and then jumped off the edge.