OUT OF MIND² ━━ Bellamy Blake

𝐗𝐕: Bleeding Out

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BLEEDING OUT

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[ tw: intense self-harm,
though lyra cannot feel pain, it is still graphic,
if this sort of thing is disturbing to you,
then do not read past clarke being captured ]

          "YOU WERE RIGHT," Alie says, voice cool and collected, cutting Lyra a sideways glance. "They're using the king."

     They're in the Polis throne room alongside Noah, Jaha, and a Grounder nightblood named Ontari. The throne room itself feels like an island, sitting at the top of the tower that rises above the rest of the tumbledown city. A fire pit simmers in the heart of the room, the walls smooth and moon pale as they crawl around the circular chamber. The back wall is entirely made up of a balcony, the rest of the world hundreds of feet below them. The afternoon seems pleasantly warm, a soft breeze sifting through the air, and Lyra's two ponytails tickle the back of her neck.

     A throne of jagged and twisted branches lays in the heart of the room. It is meant for the Commander. Instead, Alie sits there.

     "Good," says Ontari. She is moon pale with raven hair, Azgeda symbols carved deep into her sharp features. She is wearing Lexa's former blood red cloak over one shoulder. "Then they'll bring the Flame right to us."

     Jaha gives a pleased smile. "And we'll be waiting."

"But what about the motherboard?" Lyra presses. "Jasper says Monty and Raven have a plan. And Raven scrounged up enough parts to make two working wristbands — "

"You know," interrupts Jaha, not unkindly. "You don't need to suffer from your attention deficit hyperactivity disorder here. We can cure you."

     Lyra frowns. "I'm not suffering."

Then, as if realizing she shouldn't have felt the flash of irritation at all, she quickly squashes it. It seems to vanish as quickly as it appeared. She gives Jaha a polite smile, one that he returns.

"They've left Arkadia," announces Alie abruptly. She glances up at them. "Time to go to work."

*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙　✩　*̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙ 　　.·͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙　✩　*̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙

"I AM ROAN, King of Azgeda. And I have what the Commander seeks!"

With a pleased smile, Lyra's gaze flits towards the chiseled entrance of the base of the central tower in Polis just as a dozen chipped City of Light citizens rise to their feet on the streets and surround the approaching king in a synchronized manner. They enclose the king as Lyra watches quietly from afar, immediately singling out the girl King Roan has as his prisoner. Her blonde hair sticks out like a sore thumb. It's Clarke.

"I don't like what I'm sensing," grouses the king with no throne. "So, if she wants it, she can come to me."

Quickly Lyra recites everything she's learned about Roan over on her head. An Azgeda warrior vanished after his mother, Queen Nia, betrayed Lexa and the coalition by beheading Lexa's former lover, a woman named Costia. He'd kidnapped Lyra and Clarke in order to deliver Wanheda to the Commander and receive his deliverance for his mother's crimes. When Clarke had been given to Lexa, Lexa had refused to kill Wanheda and steal her power and instead sought to make peace with her after the betrayal at Mount Weather. Thus the Ice Nation Queen had declared Lexa weak and unfit to be Commander. She'd challenged her to soulou gonplei and forced Roan to fight in her place.