#azgedan

THE HUFF OF BREATH THAT PASSES THROUGH HIM       is a    laugh,     he’s pretty sure     —     ephemeral,     dry,     and without any real humor in it.     much like her comment,     deadpanned from behind a scrim of sarcasm.     his bones ache with exhaustion and his confidence is shot and still,     somehow,     he keeps moving forward.     keeps putting one foot in front of the other,     running on fumes,     grasping at whatever fortitude he can scrape from the bottom of a reservoir that    should have    been tapped out weeks ago.     months ago.

his persistence is what drew her remark in the first place,     but he feels like repetition is getting him nowhere lately.     feels like he’s beating his fists    bloody    against a door that won’t open,     only to discover there’s been nothing but solid wall from the start.

‘       so,     she has a sense of humor.     who knew.       ’

it’s monotone,     a little hoarse around the edges because he hasn’t had a drink of water in a while and he can taste the rake of    grit    in his throat.     he walks a few more paces,     numb to the bite of steel around his wrists     ;     the chain that connects them swings dully with each step,     keeping time like a pendulum.     then he stops.     turns around to try again.     she’s staring him down,     but that’s all.

for now.

‘       look.     skaikru are    not    the enemy     —     not this time.     when praimfaya comes,     every last person that’s left on the ground without shelter    is going to die.     that means your people too,     echo.     yours,     mine,     and every other clan’s.     i    told    you,     what side you’re on     doesn’t matter     anymore.       ’

given her expression,     and the    ticking time bomb    waiting for roan’s head to enter the crosshairs of his rifle,     bellamy rushes the words     ;     one last - ditch shot in the dark.

‘       you’re loyal to them.     i get that.     hell,     i might even    respect    you for it.     i know what it is to wanna protect your own,     at any cost     —     i helped slaughter an army of trikru warriors because i thought i was doing what was best for my people.     we’ve all got blood on our hands.     but it doesn’t have to end like this.     we    can    save everyone,     but we    have    to work together.     otherwise,     we might as well be dead already     —     your    king    included.     is that what you want   ?     or do you want a chance to    live   ?       ’

‘       THE LAST TIME WE SAW EACH OTHER,       you walked us into a trap and forty - nine of my people ended up dead.     what’d you expect,     that i’d take you at your word   ?       ’

he’s wondered,     more than once,     if she’d only helped to subdue that guard in order to lay the first paving stone for azgeda’s plan.     to give herself an    in    when the moment came,     because of course he would vouch for her.     she saved my life,     he’d said.     we can trust her.     but her loyalty isn’t to him,     no matter what happened in that mountain the first time around.     that much is clear.

her only loyalty is to her clan.     not skaikru,     not trikru,     not lexa’s coalition.     she would die for her people,     just like he would die for his.     they owe each other    nothing.

jaw is set     ;     the hardened slant of his stare is dark with detachment,     reflecting firelight like the gunmetal of a rifle.

‘       now unless the next words out of your mouth are the terms of the ice nation’s    surrender,     let’s get back on point.     i’m not here to play games,     echo.     i’m here to negotiate.       ’