Atlantis

Chapter Fifty-Seven

"If I'm not back before the sun goes past the trees, kill the hostages." 

Bellamy went first as Echo and Faye followed. They put away their swords but neither of them lowered their guard.

"That ridge gives the best sight line to the cave. That's where we'll find him." Bellamy explained.

"Are you really willing to kill your own man to save my king?" Echo asked.

"Don't you get sick of it?" Bellamy stopped. "Sides--My man, your king. Praimfaya doesn't give a damn about what clan you're from. In the mountain, you two seemed to work together to get your people out. What changed?"

Faye and Echo refused to look at each other as they stood side by side. "Things are different when you spend a decade in a cage next to each other." Faye walked ahead to where she remembered the cave being. 

"I'm glad you get a chance to say goodbye to your sister before it comes...Unless we all die here today." Echo pushed him to keep walking. 

"If you kill her, these chains would be around your neck." 

"It's like Queen Nia used to say--War makes murderers of us all."

They kept walking. 

"We should be close. Follow my lead." Bellamy kept going. "If he fires that gun, we'll be at war."

"Whatever you say." 

"There." Bellamy spotted the boy. "Riley!" He called. They all began to run to the boy. "Riley, stop. Riley, you don't want to do this." Bellamy ran up next to him. 

"Get out of here, Bellamy." 

"Stop!" Faye grabbed Echo's arms as she drew her bow. They both drew their knives and they both waited at an impasse. 

Bellamy looked back to see them both about to kill each other.

"Echo, Echo, wait. Riley, Riley, listen to me. Pulling that trigger won't end anything." Bellamy knelt next to him. "Kane and Monty will be executed, and our side will open fire. It'll be a bloodbath."

"You're a prisoner." Riley said. "You're just saying what they want you to say. I know all about that." Riley kept his aim. 

"I'm done with this." Echo said.

"Don't!" Faye grabbed her arm and flipped her over her shoulder, pushing her knee against her chest to keep Echo down.

"Move, or I'll kill you too." Echo pushed Faye off of her, now drawing her bow and aiming at Faye.

"Riley, stand down, okay? I am begging you. I know how you feel about them, and I know what they did to you, but your life--your life was saved  for a reason and this isn't it. Please." He pleaded with Riley and noticed Echo shoving Faye into a tree and aiming at Riley. "Don't, okay? Don't. He's listening to me, aren't you, Riley?"

Riley adjusted his grip as he was losing his nerve. Clarke walked out of the cave and Roan was about to follow.

"Now trust me when I tell you, if this turns into a massacre, it will never get out of your head. War made me a murderer. Don't let it happen to you."

As soon as Riley put down the gun, Echo and Faye were quick to put their weapons away.

"Ai haihefa." Echo said when she saw Roan.

"Bellamy, Faye, are you guys okay?" Clarke asked.

"No one died today." Bellamy said. 

"So what did we miss?" Roan asked, watching Echo and Faye exchange glares.

"Nothing, Sire." Echo said.

"So I take it we're not at war?" Bellamy asked Roan. 

"Not today." 

"And the ship?" Bellamy asked.

"If we can't crack Nightblood, we'll share Arkadia, find a way for us to survive together." Clarke explained. 

They all turned their heads when they heard an explosion come from Arkadia.

"It came from Arkadia." They all watched the smoke rising.

People were panicking and running away from the fire that had taken over the ship. 

"I have to find my sister." Bellamy ran towards the ship.

"She was in medbay." Clarke said as her and Faye followed Bellamy. "How did this happen."

"There. There." Faye found Octavia leaned against the Trishanakru boy along with Niylah.

"O!" Bellamy ran to his sister. Bellamy picked her up and carried her away from the fire.

She laid in his arms and cried into his shoulder.

"Hey, hey. It's okay." Faye grabbed her arm, trying to check her for any burns. 

"It was Ilian. I tried to stop him." Octavia's voice was hoarse as she wheezed for air.

"Faye--"

Another explosion came from the ship.

Faye could feel Octavia's hand in hers as they watched their only salvation burn to the ground. The only thing that dulled the fire was rain from an incoming storm. 

This time it wasn't black rain, but the next time it could be.