ix. hell's crossfire

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chapter 9 - hell's crossfire

➳ ➳ ➳

It was as if everything was moving in slow motion.

One minute, the candles were lighting up the room, causing hot wax to melt from their wicks. The balcony a few feet away was open, allowing the cool morning breeze to infiltrate the room.

For one single moment, everything's was fine.

Dakota was seated on her comfy bed in Polis, using the free time she had to draw in her journal. Something she hadn't done in a while.

She felt safe,

...warm,

...loved.

For just a single second, her world was manageable. Possibly, even survivable.

Of course, Lincoln was still imprisoned. However, she knew that patience was a virtue in this situation, and she knew that her brother was strong. He would be able to endure whatever they threw at him, until it was finally time to take action and free them all.

Dakota knew that things were finally going to change, but what she unfortunately did not know, was that they wouldn't change for the better.

At least not for awhile.

Because within the blink of an eye, Kota's world was turned completely upside down, leaving it more colder than ever.

Within an instant, everything was covered in black.

Her hands.

Her vision.

Her mind.

And as for her heart?

Well, that beating part of her was the worst one of them all. For it was the single major thing causing her so much pain.

She felt like it was being ripped right out of her chest from having to accept the scene currently in displayed front of her. And amongst all of the suffering, she only had one question drowning in her thoughts:

.....How the hell did this happen?

➳ ➳ ➳

Two Nights Ago...

Dakota woke up to a blinding pain in her head, pounding heavily with each and every breath she took. It only got worse when a sudden burst of thunder bellowed throughout the night's sky.

They must have been out for a few hours, she thought.

To her right, Octavia was nudging her shoulder, trying to speak to the girl. However, Kota's hearing was tuned out by the throbbing sensation now spreading into her ears. The brunette that was hovering overtop of her, suddenly noticed Semet and another Grounder making their way over. She quickly acted and threw her body on-top of Dakota's, attempting to keep the girl still. They had to pretend they were still unconscious until the two were gone once more.

"The trap is set." The Chieftain spoke. "As soon as it's done, we leave for Polis." They both glanced down at the girls laying on the ground.

"We should just kill them." The other grounder suggested, but Semet shook his head.

"No, the Commander needs to hear about this from the Sky People themselves."

"What about the girl who claim's she's Heda's sister?"

"Leila was assassinated by Azgeda when she was but a mere child. Lexa was the one to inform the clan, herself. If her sister was truly still alive, we'd all certainly know about it. I'll let her deal with this imposter when we arrive at the capital."

At this point, Kota was fully awake now, though her head was still killing her. She heard Semet's words clearly, and honestly, she felt pity for the man. He was obviously not aware of Lexa's announcement that she was alive, however, Kota began wondering if the maybe the Commander hadn't really spoke out about her return to begin with.

Either way, she knew that once they arrived at Polis, Semet would certainly be in for a ride. Not only would he finally realize that Kota had been telling the truth, but also, when Lexa found out what he did to her sister, let's just say she wouldn't be welcoming Semet into the capital with open arms and a greeting smile.

"They're coming!" Semet called out, after hearing the rover's tires drive through the mud. The Grounders ran away to get in their positions, and as they did so, Dakota and Octavia struggled to sit up.

The rover from Arkadia pulled up to the village entrance, and Bellamy, Monty, Hannah, Gillmer, Bryan, and Monroe all jump out with their guns drawn. They slowly walked around the rover, wondering why it was so quiet and empty.

"I don't hear anything." Monroe whispered. "Maybe no one's home."

"Maybe they saw our lights and left." Hannah added.

Still, the group decided to slowly proceed with caution, as they made their way into the village.

Meanwhile, as Semet and his people were too focused on Bellamy's crew, Octavia and Dakota both sat up from their laying positions, and quickly started untying the bonds placed around their wrists. The rope was thick and left burns as it rubbed against their skin, however, the adrenaline from racing to try and warn the members of Arkadia before it was too late, certainly masked the pain for the time being.

All Dakota could think about was what the grounders must think of her. Not only did she claim to be Heda's long lost sister, but also, she came to warn her fellow Grounders that Skaikru is planning to attack, only to warn the Sky People when Semet and the others actually attempted to do something about the situation.

She felt out of place, and the old feeling of whether or not she would ever be accepted in Trikru started to resurface, as well as recent facts that have proven she's certainly not welcome in Arkadia either. However, for the time being she knew that she needed to push those thoughts and feelings aside so that she could deal with the matter at hand.

Octavia's brother, as well as Montyβ€”who she knew was good at heartβ€”were about to be ambushed by the people that she claimed as her own. Of course, she was still furious with Bellamy and the others, but her main anger was directed towards Pike.

He was the cause of all this, because he was their current Chancellor. Every recent bad thing that has happened to her friends in Trikru were all a result from his horrible leadership. It was as if he was the common denominator in the equation, so-to-speak.

But just like Lexa mentioned, her time for vengeance would soon come. Now was not the time to dwell on him.

Both girls finally freed themselves, and went to stand up, however, Dakota nearly lost her balance. She figured that she most likely had a concussion from when Semet knocked her out. She felt sick to her stomach and the migraine she had was just making her want to curl up on the ground in agony. Kota knew Octavia would have to be the one to warn them, because she couldn't even stand up to mount on Athena.

"Octavia, you need to go without me!" She told the brunette, just as Semet took notice of them heading to their horses. Octavia hesitated for a split second before nodding and getting up onto Helios. She knew that it was a matter of life or death to get them out of there in time.

"Stop her! She'll warn them!" Semet whispered harshly.

At his command, one of the Grounders went to run after her, however, Dakota had just enough strength left in her to get up and kick the man square in his chest when he came in her direction. It gave Octavia just enough time to hurry away on her horse, while Semet and the others rushed to light up their arrows from a small fire-pit.

The archers then readied themselves on the edge of the cliff while they waited for Bellamy's crew to get closer to the traps they had set in place. Soon, Helios whinnied as Octavia brought him to the edge of a ridge. The sound quickly alarmed the members of Skaikru, and they didn't waste time jumping into action.

"Bellamy, get them out of there!" Octavia shouted, urgently. "It's a trap!"

The group didn't even have much time to react before Semet and the other Grounders were releasing the arrows from their bows, immediately causing the piles of wood covered in radioactive sap to burst into flames.

"The smoke is poison!" Dakota could fairly hear Octavia shout amongst the chaos.

Semet must have definitely hit her with more force than he did the brunette, because unfortunately, Octavia's words and the addition of pained screams were the last thing Kota heard before she fell unconscious once more.

_______

She didn't know how long she had been out for since the ambush at Rendon. Did Bellamy and the others make it out on time? Were there any casualties? She had no idea. Her head was still sore, however, it wasn't as excruciating as it once was when she first woke up. So, she slowly opened her hazel eyes only to be immediately met with a shocking sight.

Octavia was tied up with a gag in her mouth, and it didn't take Kota very long to notice that she was restrained as well. The brunette caught her eye and sighed in relief when she realized that she was finally awake. They knew they couldn't communicate, given the material blocking their mouths, so Dakota took that opportunity to observe her surroundings in the meantime.

The space and sounds around them were very familiar to her. They were in a boxed-shaped containment, and they'd been moving upwards for quite some time. It wasn't difficult to realize that she was in the elevator shaft back in the tower at Polis.

To her right, she noticed Semet standing with a frown of determination, as others from the village accompanied him. Dakota wasn't normally one to judge so quickly, but after only spending a few hours with the man, he was already on extremely thin ice when it came to her patience level. He needed to be put in his place soon, or else she didn't know what she would do. Something about him just didn't sit right with her.

The group quickly arrived at their destination, which Kota knew was the level of the throne room. It was also bright in the hallways, so she could only assume that morning had already come. She wasn't nervous or scared in the slightest. Semet thought that he was delivering an imposter claiming to be the Commander's deceased sister, and that simple fact entertained her. Dakota couldn't wait to see the look on his face when he heard the truth. However, she was even more excited to see Lexa's reaction to when they dragged her and Octavia in there all bloodied and bruised.

It definitely wasn't going to end very well.

With a few more steps, they finally stopped at the doors, and the Commander's guards were already putting a stop to Semet and his followers, not allowing them to enter. They bickered back and forth for awhile, but as they did so, Kota could slightly hear Lexa's voice speaking with the other nightbloods. She had totally forgotten that today was Ascension Day.

Soon enough, their shouting was even heard by the people inside the throne room, and not a second later the doors were being opened for them to walk through. Kota and Octavia were in the back, so they couldn't see much at first, nor could anyone see them. However, they were still able to hear the conversation happening before them.

"Fleimkepa don swega klin bilaik osir na ge sen in!"Β  [The Flamekeeper promised we would be heard!] Semet bellowed, causing Lexa to furrow her eyebrows in confusion.

"Titus? What is this?" She turned to him, as he whispered in her ear.

"Something you need to hear, Heda."

The group suddenly pushed Octavia and Dakota forward, forcing the both of them to their knees as they still remained tied up and gagged. Lexa's eyes instantly grew wide at the sight and she quickly stood up from her throne.

"What is the meaning of this?!" She declared in question, as Clarke gasped at both girls.

Semet and the others quickly bowed, while he began speaking. "Forgive me for intruding on this holy day, Heda. I am Semet kom Trikru, chieftain of Rendon, and I come seeking justice."

"Explain yourself." She demanded. "Why is my sister in your possession as if she is some sort of criminal?"

Semet's eyes immediately grew wide at that revelation as did everybody else behind him. They had no idea that Dakota had been telling the truth about her relation to the Commander. I mean, how could they have realized she had been telling the truth the whole time? They didn't know her that well. She was hidden for the majority of her life. Titus didn't even realize that they had captured Kota as well, or else he would have surely said something sooner. At least, that's what Kota wanted to believe.

Still, the man took that opportunity to march forward and free the grounder girl immediately.

"How dare you treat Heda's second with such little respect!" He sneered, causing Semet to gulp noticeably.

"My apologies, Heda." The chieftain turned towards Lexa. "I assumed she was an imposter, I was misinformed!"

Kota smirked to herself in an 'I told you so' attitude while she was being untied, before she rushed over to Octavia and freed her as well, much to Semet's dismay. She held the brunette's face as she scanned her for any new injuries, quickly noticing the various cuts on her forehead courtesy of the bearded man a few feet away.

Lexa sat back down, after seeing that Dakota was okay. "We'll speak more about your dealings with my sister later. Tell me though, why do you hold Octavia kom Skaikru prisoner?"

"She is a prisoner of war, Heda, brought here to bear witness to the crimes of her people."

"What crimes?" Clarke cut in, as she made her way over to him. "What happened?"

"Skaikru attacked their village." Titus answered her, clearly having spoke with Semet while Dakota was still out. "Because their warriors were lost and your people massacred the army we had sent to protect you, their village were defenseless."

Semet looked towards Lexa once more with sadness laced within his eyes. "Beja, Heda. Ai beja yu daun. Goch osir klin." [Please, Heda. I beg you. Avenge us.]

"Blood must have blood! Blood must have blood!" The grounders behind him chanted in unison. "Death to Sky People!"

"You will show respect in this chamber!" Titus bellowed, successfully quieting them down as Lexa stood up from her throne again and stomped out of the room with Kota, Clarke and Titus right on her tail.

➳ ➳ ➳

"How dare you bring this to me on Ascension Day!!" Lexa shouted, storming into her chambers.

"I did not bring this here, Heda." Titus countered, immediately. "You did. Against my advice, you made Skaikru the 13th clan, they rejected this, murdering hundreds of your people. And yet, on the very field that they died you decided to forgive the killers. But this provocation is proof, blood must not have blood has failed. All that can stop that now is war!"

Lexa frowned at him, before looking towards the blonde. "Clarke?" She asked, and Kota too glanced over at the 'Mighty Wanheda'.

"Clarke's opinion in this matter is not exactly unbiased." Titus claimed, side-eying her.

"Titus is right." Clarke sighed. "I would do anything to save my people. You know that. But I know them. Not everyone agrees with Chancellor Pike! Kane doesn't, Octavia doesn'tβ€”"

"β€”Your people did not vote for Kane!" He cut her off, rudely.

"Some of them did! We need to give them time to think that they made the wrong choice and fix it!"

"I agree with Clarke on this one." Dakota finally spoke up. She had been deep in thought for the past few minutes but she ended up realizing a lot in that short time.

"Even though Titus has a point that Skaikru rejected the brand and ignored your declaration for blood must not have blood," She began. "There are still some good people in that camp who are on our side. They want Pike's reign to end just as much as we do because they know that what he's doing is wrong. Which is why we need to give them a chance to prove themselves as the 13th clan. Lexa, you of all people should know that the people being led, are only as good as the one who leads them. That's what you've always taught me. So, I say we need to aim for head of the body."

Lexa's eyes were locked on hers in thought, pride flowing through her from hearing her sister make such a wise statement. In truth, she knew that Kota's intentions weren't to become the next Commander, but she wished that she would. Her potential was outstanding, and Lexa could see the image of her sitting on the throne so vividly. She would make a great Commander whether she believed it or not.

Perhaps, even Trikru's first queen...

Clarke nodded in agreement at Kota's words, sending her a small smile. Titus stood with an unreadable expression on his face, clearly troubled with his own opinions on the matter.

"And you believe your people will take him out themselves..." Lexa figured out, looking towards the blonde once more.

"If they don't," Titus began, the strain in his voice ever so prominent. "If instead, they use this time to plan for their next attack, we must act now Heda! Make an example of the 13th clan, show the other 12 what happens when they defy you. You got them back when you killed the ice queen. But the coalition is still fragile, if you don't act nowβ€”"

Lexa raised her hand gracefully, to finally silence the man from his ranting, which Dakota was extremely grateful for. She was never too fond of the Flamekeeper, but lately, he was getting on her nerves constantly. She knew his intentions were good, and he just wanted to make sure his advice and suggestions were heard so that Lexa could weigh all her possible options. However, he needed to back off and know when enough was enough. She only wished that she could shush him up herself with such a simple hand gesture.

Oh to feel the power that her sister held. The mere thought of it was seeming more and more inviting every time Titus opened his mouth.

The Commander didn't say another word to the three people in front of her. Instead, she took a deep breath and walked out of her chambers, where she soon entered the throne room once again. The waiting crowd bowed respectfully at her return, and Titus stood beside her. Dakota made her way up to her rightful place next to the throne, wondering what her sister had decided to do.

On her way, she passed Octavia, who had been patiently waiting amongst Semet and the others. The chieftain wasn't too keen on letting her out of his sight, which Kota hated. Still, both girls subtly locked their pinkies together for a small second as they passed each other. It may have only been a quick touch, but it was just their little way of reassuring the other that they were alright. A small interaction that held so much meaning.

Lexa stood before the crowd with a emotionless expression plastered on her face. Nobody knew where her head was at, or even what she planned to do. Yet, they all knew that they would have to follow her commands no matter what, because she was their leader, and the one whom their loyalty resided in. Or at least, that's the way it was supposed to

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