ASCENSION: BOOK 3- APOCALYPSE.

Chapter 2: The Blue Flame.

There was little recollection of anything after the stranger found me. She'd lifted me onto her horse and began to ride fast through the dense forest. Leaning against her body, I eventually gave in to the exhaustion that started to overwhelm me and blacked out.
All I remember were my dreams that has swiftly turned into nightmares. I recalled flashes of that day The Mountain fell. Images of those I'd killed and the voice of Lieutenant Emerson echoing in my head, warning me of the consequences of my actions. Destroying Mount Weather meant not only ending the lives of those who had murdered and enslaved my people but also the lives of the innocent.
I saw the dead surrounding me, men, women and children all staring intensely at the one who'd taken them from this world. Their bloodied bodies moved closer and closer until all I felt was the sensation of being crushed alive. It was terrifying and completly consuming.
I awoke abruptly, my body jolted upright as I gasped for air. My heart was beating so rapidly it felt as though it would burst from my chest. As I began to calm my breathing, my senses began to focus. I could feel the soft furs covering the bed I lay upon, the warm glow of candle light flickered around me, yet this was by far a safe haven.
I heard the rattle of a chain and felt the metal shackle clasped around my left wrist. My eyes adjusted to the light to see the sharp blade of a sword pointing directly at me. A long silence held heavy in the air as I froze, unsure of the intensions of its bearer. The stranger remained shadowed by the dim lighting as she finally spoke.
"Do you know why I'm holding this sword?"
I nervously swallow and answered, "Because of the colour of my blood."
"Then you understand my apprehension of having you here in my home. I know you're no Natblida, if you were you'd have be stationed in Polis. The Commander is the only Nightblood that goes to war. So tell me Shadow Blood, are you the only one who escaped The Mountain or are there more of you?"
She spoke with utter disdain for my kind, but I was no kin of The Mountain Men, I was something else entirely. I cared not if the words I chose next would either save me or end my life.
"My name is Clarke Kom Skaikru, The Shadow Blood known as Wanheda. Kill me if you wish, maybe it's all I deserve."
The woman moved into the light and searched my face, looking to see if I spoke the truth.
"They say Wanheda died in The Mountain, that she sacrificed herself for the honour of The Clans. Why should I believe your words?"
I looked her dead in the eyes before answering,
"Because there's not a person alive who would ever want to carry the burden of such a name, who would ever wish to have done and seen the things I have. They say I died with honour? For me I lost that honour the day I wielded my sword against my own people. As for my demise, it seems that even death has no place for Wanheda."
The wary stranger found no falsehood in my words only truth and sorrow now carried by a broken warrior.

After her sword was lowered and I was released from my chains, a certain amount of trust began to build between us.
Her name was Niylah. This kind soul of The Woods Clan had kept me under her watchful eye for days as I remained unconscious in her home.
She was the proprietor of a trading post between the villages of TonDC and Xandria. As with so many of her Clan she had taken up arms against The Mountain in the Battle For Trikru, but she was no trained killer. Niylah was a trader and a healer, skills she had been taught by her mother and father who had both been taken by The Mountain Men.
After The Clans won The Battle for Trikru, Niylah had spent days attending to the injured until those that could be saved were on the road to recovery.
As she stood in solitude on the outskirts of TonDC, taking a moment away from the blood and death of her people, she watched as The Mountain crumbled to dust in the distance. Niylah knew it was finally over, that the terror of Mount Weather had ended.
It was at that point she took her horse and rode home. She felt that her decision not to remain in TonDC was a selfish one, but I could tell the gruesome reality of war had weighed heavy for this gentle soul of forest.
As I sat under the warm furs of the bed, I listened intently to her words. Each time I attempted to move I struggled, my body sore from all it had endured. Niylah handed me a cup of water and urged me to be still.
"You have broken bones, cuts so deep I struggled to stem the bleeding and the rest of your body is beaten blue. You need to rest, Clarke. Give yourself time to heal."
"Why are you helping me?" I asked.
She offered me a humble smile, "Because despite what you think of yourself, you saved us. Those that have passed by this trading posts over the last few days, speak of our victory, of the one who fought with The Commander, who gave her life for her people."
I sighed in discontent, "They martyred me, the Shadow Blood who knew the only honour left was to die for those she'd betrayed. It would be a different story if The Clans knew I were still alive."
Niylah frowned, "I know what they said about you when I was in TonDC, that you led The Reaper army against us, that you were a Shadow Blood under the sway of The Mountain. I've seen what The Reaper Drug does to people, how cruel it is. You deserve forgiveness."
I bowed my head, unable to accept such kindness. For me forgiveness was a luxury I felt I wasn't worthy of.
"The Mountain made me into a monster, Niylah. I can't face the repercussions of that. It's better for my people if they believe I am lost to them. Let them have their martyr, let Clarke Kom Skaikru remain dead."

Niylah had agreed to keep my secret. She could see the pain my past had caused me and knew my resolve in the matter would not waiver.
Over the past week I'd remained in her home as she resumed the day to day business of her trading post. The door to her personal quarters remained locked to prevent any over curious patrons wandering in from the trading area.
I felt safe with Niylah and for the first time in my life there were no expectations of me.
I took this opportunity to rest, to allow my body to heal and in time I hoped the scars left on both my mind and my heart would also begin to fade.
Niylah carried her own demons after the war.
She had faced her own father on the battlefield and cut him down during battle. The Mountain had turned him into a Reaper, made a monster of the man who raised her from childhood. It was a cruel twist of fate that now haunted her.
News reached us that a ceremony was to be held in Polis to honour the victory over Mount Weather and those that were lost to war. I insisted that Niylah attend, to honour her father and mother and maybe find some peace out of all of the death we had endured.
During her absence I spent the time reading old books. After being confined to bed rest for over a week I was beginning to get cabin fever. Wandering over to the locked door that led out into the woods, I pressed my hand against it as though I could feel the energy of the outside world. Leaving the sanctuary of the trading post wasn't an option, I couldn't risk being seen.
My mind constantly plagued me with thoughts of those I loved and left behind. My mother, my clan and Lexa. It was worst that any physical pain but I had made this decision with my head not my heart and I needed to stand by it. I chose to distract myself with more books, old journals, maps any literature to occupy my mind
Three days had past, before Niylah returned from Polis. As she entered the room she smiled and walked over to see how I was feeling, noticing the stack of books and papers.
"You've been busy," she grinned.
"Busy not going crazy," I smiled back.
She sat on the edge of the bed near to me, her demeanour changed as though she'd laid to rest some of her troubles.
"You look different," I mentioned
"Lets just say Polis was cathartic. We need to talk," Niylah mysteriously replied as she pulled a pouch from her pocket filled with powder. She sprinkled it onto a nearby candle and I watched with fascination as the flame turned blue.
"Twenty days. One for every year of your life," she spoke.
I looked at her in confusion, "I don't follow."
She turned to me with a knowing smile, "That's how long the fire on the top of Polis Tower will burn blue in honour of you, Clarke. The Commander declared this tribute to you and Skaikru as she spoke of your deeds."
I felt a wave of regret and sorrow and it must have shown.
"She loved you, didn't she?" Niylah softly asked.
"Yes," I replied as I felt the tears in my eyes.
"And you loved her back?" She contiuned.
"I did, with all of my heart."
"Then why would you choose this path? Surely what you both share can overcome any adversity?" Niylah pursued.
I swallowed my pain and stemmed my tears before answering, "I chose this because I love her. My presence complicates her life and her leadership"
"You never gave her a choice, Clarke. The Commander I saw in Polis stood strong for her people, but she had the same look in her eyes that you have now. Sorrow fills her heart as it fills yours. It's not too late to return home."
I looked directly at her, my voice full of resolve, "Niylah, I stand by my decision. What's done is done."