The One Who's Fallen

Chapter 41

I don't have much (or really any) time to think about what just happened, so I don't sit long before I pick up my back and walk out of my tent. Artigas stays behind me, silently following me as I head toward TonDC's exit. The others, including Lexa, are already there and getting ready to get on their horses.

"Clarke." Lexa greets me warmly. "There are two wagons of supplies where you can put your bag."

"Mochof (thank you)." I say, giving her a shy smile before heading to one of the wagons and placing my bag in it.

Artigas guides me to my horse, which is right next to Lexa's. There's a few guards on horses in front of us, but I'm going to be right next to Lexa. It's probably what we'd do if we didn't know about the Maunon, but still a risky move. It shows how close we are, how much she trusts me already. I have little doubt that it will scare the Maunon and make them more reckless.

"Are you sure about this?" I ask when I hear footsteps coming toward me. I don't have to turn around to know that it's Lexa.

"No," she admits, coming up and standing right next to me. "It will make them nervous and scared. That makes them even less predictable. We will have to be on our guard."

"Heda." Indra says from behind us. I turn around too, curious. She eyes the setup warily and lets out a sigh so soft I almost miss it. "This is dangerous."

"I am aware, Indra. Are we ready to go?" Lexa asks. I note that when she talks to pretty much anyone else, she adjusts her posture to seem larger.

"Sha (yes)." Indra bows her head.

"Get on your horse. We leave soon."

Indra nods and heads back to a strong gray horse with white spots. She gets on easily and waits. I sigh, eyeing my horse. It's a beautiful creature, black with some areas that are a really dark brown. Lexa's, of course, is pure black except the white diamond on its nose.

"Would you like me to help you get on your horse?" Lexa asks.

"No thanks, I think I've got it."

Lexa stays on the ground instead of getting on her horse, watching me. It's both nerve-wracking and soothing at the same time. I take a deep breath and put my hand on the horse's flank. I'm already on the correct side to get on... I think. I get my left foot in the stirrup (which I'm proud to say took me one try even though it was pretty high up) and push down on it, maneuvering my body so I sit on the saddle. At my success, I resist the urge to whoop victoriously and instead quietly clench my fist, grinning.

Lexa gets on her horse beside me, smiling proudly at me. I look around us and see that basically everyone else is on their horses and ready as well.

"Heda." A guard says as she comes up from behind us on Lexa's side. "We are ready to go once I get on my horse."

Lexa nods and the guard continues walking, getting on the horse at the very front. She clicks her tongue and we start to move. The horses are well trained and follow automatically, mine going without me having to tell it to.

The pace is slow, but we make our way into the forest.

"This road continues for a few miles." Lexa says. "Then there will be a four way intersection where we go right. That is the road we talked about."

"How long until we reach it?" I ask.

"Five hours, unless we pick up the pace. Either way, we'll at least get to it today."

We're going to be riding for at least five more hours? Float me (maybe I should be using more Trigedasleng words instead of float me, like jok ai. Though that's more explicit because it means f*ck me). This saddle is comfy, but my butt's already kind of sore. This is going to be a long couple of days.

Lexa occupies my time by talking to me about different things, but one thing we both avoid talking about is this morning (I like to tell myself that it's because we're around so many people, not that she regrets it). She asks me things about the Ark, how it works, how I grew up, and I eventually even tell her a bit more about my dad.

Afterwards, I get to ask her about Earth. The animals and how they've mutated, the Maunon, the problems she's been having with Azgeda. Lexa tells me a few facts about Polis that make me even more eager to get there. It's not necessarily the facts, but the wistfulness in Lexa's voice. She loves that city.

I'm so focused on talking to her that I barely notice when we turn onto the Maunon infested road. The road here is smoother, like not many people have used this road.

"Do you see that mountain?" Lexa asks, pointing to the left of us. "That is the home of the Maunon."

The left side of the road has a few trees before the land drops suddenly. The mountain is visible through them. It's huge. It has to be able to hold hundreds of people, if not a thousand.

"We'll be coming up on the first one soon." I warn Lexa, remembering where all the dots are on the map. The first person is right around the first turn, which we're coming up to.

Though it's less comfortable, I'm glad that I brought my swords and my bow. My swords are strapped to my sides while my bow and arrows are on my back.

I watch the trees more carefully, noting every rustle of leaves. I hear a crackle that's not from a dead leaf. It sounds electronic, like the walkie talkie my dad used to carry around in case of emergency.

I draw my bow and notch an arrow, listening. Lexa stays silent, though I can feel her curiosity. The crackle sounds again and I aim for where it came from, letting the arrow fly. It hits something that definitely isn't a tree. A black piece of technology falls from a nearby tree with my arrow in it as someone in that tree yelps.

I ignore the person, not really caring about that. I look to Lexa and she nods, immediately understanding. She whistles and points to the dropped technology. A guard gets off their horse and gets it, getting back on their horse a it continues moving.

Now I'll be able to see exactly how technologically advanced they are.

Sorry guys, no talk yet... It'll come up soon, though! Thank you for reading this and for your kind comments! Stay awesome!