41. betrayals

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Four days had passed since our near disaster experience up on the ravine, and in those four days a lot of progress had been made. 

We had been in frequent contact with Bellamy, and had learned more about our current situation. 

Apparently, this wasn't Clarke's first betrayal. Bellamy had relayed to me how she had left him in Polis to die. I couldn't quite explain the anger I felt over this revelation. 

He had explained to us that the reason Clarke was siding with McCreary, the reason she had betrayed him in Polis, almost certainly had everything to do with Madi. 

 According to Echo, Clarke had met a little girl in the early days following Praimfaya. Essentially, Madi had become her daughter, so it made perfect sense that Clarke was willing to do anything to protect her. A mother's love was unchallenged, the actions Abby had taken in the past was a perfect example of that. 

But did it excuse betraying all of her friends, her family? I wasn't entirely sure about that. There had to be another way. 

The reason Clarke needed to protect Madi in the first place, as explained by Bellamy, was due to the fact that Madi was evidently a Nightblood. This meant that she was eligible to be a true commander, something Clarke feared. Madi taking the Flame meant she was a direct threat to Octavia. And from what Echo told me, that was not a position anyone wanted to be in at this point in time. 

However,  Gaia and Bellamy had taken it upon themselves to placed the Flame in Madi's head, a decision that Clarke clearly was not happy with. 

So, that lead us to the exact position we were in. One in which a good portion of my family could be massacred in a number of hours. 

The group of us had worked hard to devise a sturdy battle plan. We had consulted with Diyoza, learning the battle plan she had curated, one that McCreary was sure to follow. With that information, Echo and I formed a plan in which our people would hopefully escaped unscathed, and take the valley seamlessly. 

That brought us to right now, just before dawn on the day of attack. 

The sky was still dark as we sat in small groups within the forest, everyone prepping for the battle that would ensue in a number of hours. 

"Everybody ammo up!" Shaw instructed, slowly walking around the group to ensure everyone was armed and ready. 

He stopped next to where I was sitting, reaching out to hand me another clip of ammo. I gave him a small smile as I took it, shoving into my pocket with slightly shaky hands. 

Shaw gave me a curt nod before readdressing the group. "Once the shooting starts, it'll take ten minutes for McCreary's reinforcements to arrive, so don't use all your bullets before then."

For what felt like the fifth time, I checked the clip that was already loaded in my gun, ensuring it was full. 

As I looked up from my task, I noted that Shaw had approached Raven. It had been four days and she still had yet to say a single word to him since he saved our asses, while incidentally almost sacrificing his life. 

"Avery." 

I pulled my eyes away from Raven and Shaw to look up at Echo who was standing in front of me, a slightly unnerved look on her face. "Can I talk to you for a minute?"

I cleared my throat, nodding as I shoved the clip back into my gun. "Sure."

She hesitated for a moment before sitting down next to me, her eyes flickering between her hands and my face for a moment. 

"I-uh." she paused, letting out a small cough. "I just wanted to say I'm sorry for everything that happened between us. I was horrible to you."

I stared at her for a moment, my face unwavering. Was she really sorry? Or was she just saying all of this because there was a potential we were all about to die? Better to enter battle knowing you have people who will have your back no matter what. 

𝐒𝐀𝐋𝐕𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍─𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐦𝐲 𝐛𝐥𝐚𝐤𝐞²Where stories live. Discover now