LOVE REWARDS THE BRAVE.

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LOST IN FIRE (book three).
°•        CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN        •°

"        I HAVE TO SAVE HER!       "

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Harley used to think the grounders were sometimes out of their minds for their beliefs. How they lived, what they said. Their dedication to the Flame got most of them killed. She thought their recital to the deceased was beautiful, how they comforted those dying by reassuring them that their fight was over. But she saw them as savages and no, she didn't believe her people were any better, but she understood more now. Harley appreciated the claim back then that the dead are gone. The living are hungry. Because the rumble of the bike's engine only made her veins pump further with adrenaline. She wanted revenge, justice, whatever you call it for Rose. And it was almost out of reach.

The one who got away had outrun their bikes because he knew his way around the woods better than them. Octavia and Diyoza had to be careful to avoid fallen logs or thick plants, roots that could get caught in their wheels and slow them down. Xavier knew where he was going. They didn't. So when he ducks out of the clearing and past a few clusters of broad trees that they couldn't possibly drive through, Harley knows they're nearly screwed. But she won't let her chance of vengeance get away.

Harley rips off her helmet as the other two did and let it fall to the ground. Octavia's lips curl into a snarl as she furiously claims, "I had him!" Since they were riding the closest to the trail he left behind.

"Did you?" Diyoza presses as they take off, jumping over the roots sticking out of the ground. "He led us here so we'd have to go on foot!"

"So we're doing what he wants?!" Octavia exclaims. Harley tries to block their fighting out. She's too busy keeping her eyes glued on Xavier.

"It's that or he gets away, and I don't get his leader, and my baby doesn't get into Sanctum. Yes, for now, we're doing what he wants!" Diyoza shouts back as Xavier bolts into another opening in the woods at a faster pace.

Harley finally snaps as she bellows, "Shut up, both of you! He's getting away!"

"No, he's not," Diyoza sneers as the leaves they cross don't crunch beneath them.

They have no choice but to stop when Xavier suddenly spun and pointed a gun at them. Diyoza immediately pulls out her own weapon and points the barrel at him, but they know she won't shoot him. Or at the very least, she wouldn't make it a kill shot. As bad as it was, they needed him, for now. They could kill him after.

But as the three froze where they stood, Harley realized something. Her boots weren't sinking past the leaves and into the mud. A strange sludge was pulling her into the ground deeper until it laps against her ankles. Harley fidgets to drag herself out, but it's like cement, too heavy for her to drag herself out.

"What the hell is this stuff?" Diyoza demanded in a panic.

"Call it your crucible. The harder you fight, the faster you die." Xavier leaves the news there and decides he doesn't need his gun anymore as he runs off once more, leaving them there to die.

Harley's heart starts to sink faster than the muck drawing her in. This was what he wanted, to kill them. They were going to drown and suffocate in what felt like quicksand. And they couldn't fight it. All they could do was stand and wait for the end.

That's what she thought, anyway. Harley had grown to be a fighter in the ring, but she was no match for Octavia Blake. She had fought hard enough to pull herself out of the ground that it now circles her knees. It's hard to yank yourself out of a hole if you can't plant your hands on a flat surface. Diyoza had stopped fighting once she found out how true Xavier's words were and watch in what looked like amusement at Octavia, who was now waist-deep and continuing to thrash around.

She finally points out in a question, "Would you like to know why your brother left you out here to die?"

"Oh, shut up," Octavia demands. She twists her arms around the mud to try and make a gape large enough to pull at least one leg out. It's been proven to be useless multiple times, but she refuses to surrender.

"You're a hurricane leaving a path of destruction in your wake," Diyoza continues spitefully.

"Oh, and being a terrorist outweighs that?" Harley fires back venomously in defense the second that she sees Octavia tense by the comment.

Diyoza shrugs. "No, it doesn't. That's why I think I understand her."

"Whatever you think you know about me, you don't," Octavia cuts in.

"You're wrong," Diyoza disagrees. "I used to be you." She casts a glance towards Harley who glares back. "You, not so much. A spitfire, sure, but it's easy to see the heart of gold you try to cover."

That struck something bad inside Harley as she barks, "Bite me," in return.

A short laugh fell from Diyoza's lips before she winks. "Maybe later, sunshine." Harley doesn't drop her scowl, but the woman averted her attention back to Octavia. "And you, you know that the more you struggle, the deeper you sink. And you can't help it."

"At least I'm trying," Octavia spat. "Your baby's ticket into Sanctum is getting away, and what are you doing about it?" She yanks one of her arms free and sends the sludge splattering Diyoza's clothing. "Nothing."

Cocking an eyebrow, Diyoza argues, "He's not getting away. He's studying us from the trees. That's why he told us not to struggle."

"Yeah, and I bet he'll send us a basket of roses too," Harley claims sarcastically. However, a part of her believes Diyoza. Her gaze still crosses the trees surrounding them curiously. But like the grounders, Xavier knew how to camouflage himself in the woods. None of them will be able to spot him on sight. They would just have to rely on Diyoza's word.

"I don't see anything," Octavia declares dismissively.

Diyoza held up her weapon and gives it a short wave. "You will as soon as I give up this gun. Before I do that, though, I need to know..." There's a quiet click that drew Harley's attention off the trees. Diyoza had switched the safety of her gun off and pointed it directly at Octavia's head like this was a game, some type of test. "... Do you want to die?"

A part of Harley wants to jerk towards Diyoza, the part of her that has an instinct to throw herself between someone she loved and the barrel of a gun. But she knows she can't. So she turns her head, eyes squeezed shut tightly, and mumbles in a clear threat, "I hope you have the sense to shoot me after, too."

Diyoza shrugs with a, "Fair enough. Just say the word, then, and I can put you out of our misery."

Octavia scoffs. "You think you can scare me?" She asks incredulously. Harley flinches when she lurches forward and presses her forehead against the weapon as if she expected Diyoza to pull the trigger. "Do it," Octavia challenges.

They wait because there's nothing else to do when a terrorist holds the power to take their lives. But then Diyoza's arm drops. Harley realized then as she opened her eyes and glances over to notice that Diyoza never intended to shoot either of them. It really was only a test in her eyes, all to see if Octavia wanted to live and if Harley would rather die with her if she couldn't protect her. A cruel game, sure, but maybe sometimes they had to be played.

"I've been there," Diyoza admits. She leans forward and tucks her fingers under the scarf wrapped around her neck to reveal the last wound Harley expected. A white scar healed many years ago is clearer than day. "Self-inflicted," she explains shortly.

Octavia presses her lips together. Harley knows she's taken off guard by the sight, but she won't show it, won't agree that Diyoza was right. "I see you failed at that, too," she retorts instead.

"You're trying my patience, so I'm only gonna say this once," Diyoza states sharply. "As long as you draw breath, you can turn it around. Everybody hates you right now. So what? Talk to me when your face is in the history books next to the worst people that have ever lived." She gives up then, tossing the gun just like Xavier wanted. Harley almost pitied her. Almost.

The throw of the weapon summons the man they've been expecting. He's not wearing a gas mask this time. Diyoza notices and points to the spot of white hair above his forehead. "I like the gray." Xavier doesn't answer, but he loops the rope he was holding around a tree, certainly pleasing Diyoza. "Toss us the rope, and we'll tell you what you want to know," she offers curtly.

"Tell me what I want to know, and I'll toss the rope," Xavier bargains. He works on tying a tight knot.

"What do you want to know?" Diyoza asks.

"Some of your people had blood alteration. How many? Did they have mind drives as well?" Xavier interrogates. Harley thinks back to Clarke and Madi in an instant. She doesn't know what they want with nightbloods. She only knows the last one they had was an innocent child who was shot in the chest. No, Harley may not see eye to eye with Clarke right now, but she'll never give her up. She'd never give up her child either.

"Don't tell him anything," Harley commands firmly when Diyoza's lips part like she's about to speak. Her hands clench into fists at her sides, the tips of her knuckles now starting to brush against the mud. "I will finish the job and slit. Your. Throat," Harley then threatens through gritted teeth.

As if Harley's murderous threat wasn't enough to convince Diyoza, Octavia adds on, "He'll leave us here to die the minute you do."

A heavy sigh comes from Xavier. "Suit yourself." He adjusts the bag on his back so he can sit more comfortingly on the branch of the tree. He casually rests there, propping his legs up with his arms crossed so his head can lay back against his hands. "But I can guarantee you... I can wait longer than you."

Harley glances at the view of her legs nearly fully enveloped in the ground and spares a moment to wonder how true that will be.

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It turns out, Xavier can wait longer than them. Dusk becomes night, and the three are slowly becoming apart of the ground by now. Octavia's was chin-deep, her shoulders hidden under the leaves. She was struggling to stay afloat. Harley and Diyoza had to hold their arms up tiredly so they didn't fall as deep too. And there was Xavier, still casually spread on the tree, waiting for them to answer his questions, words they'd never give him. At least, neither Harley or Octavia would. The other, however...

Diyoza was getting antsy by the minute. Her swollen stomach had already disappeared and she must not have known what that meant for her baby. "Okay, fun's over. Let's talk," she suggests.

Octavia's head snapped towards her. "Don't you dare say a word," she warns, low.

"En beda jos tel op emo der nou bilaik Natblidas," Harley speaks to Octavia so neither Diyoza nor Xavier could understand them. "Em na wich in somtaim. Dena osir na frag op em." (We should just tell them there are no Nightbloods. He'll believe us soon. Then we can kill him.)

But Octavia shakes her head as Diyoza stares strangely at them. "Em nou na wich in. Gon daun den, osir wan raun," she points out in a mutter. (He won't believe us. By that time, we'll die.)

The foreign language has Xavier's interest. "Speak some gibberish as much as you want. It's fine." He shrugs. "We can wait until you both go under. I only need one of you."

"Jok yu," Harley spits back. (Fuck you.)

Xavier grins back, the moon lighting his smile. "I can guess that wasn't too friendly."

"Okay, here's the deal. I'm gonna speak English after you die to save myself," Diyoza informs them, irritated as if they forced her to reach the last straw. "So what are you really accomplishing?"

"You've never loved anyone. You've never cared about someone enough to die protecting them, have you?" Harley challenges coldly. Diyoza presses her lips together in a tight line, but Harley notices her eyes flicker to her covered stomach. "It's called loyalty."

Maybe there was a rift between Harley and Clarke, but it wasn't heavy enough for her to sell her or her child out. They were still once friends, close as family. Harley would rather let her head go under than to utter their names.

"Loyalty, huh?" Xavier echoes after overhearing. "I suppose that's just for you, then. Because looking at her..." He juts his chin out towards Octavia. "She wants a hero's death. But if your silence helps the wrong side, are you still a hero?" He questions. If looks could kill, Octavia's hard stare would have been enough to end Xavier and Diyoza at the same time. It doesn't stop him, though. "You see, by my count, you've killed..." He hums, pretending to think it over. "... Twelve of my people? And we've killed none of yours. So who's the villain?"

"I'm gonna say you since you kidnapped little kids," Diyoza hurls back. The corner of her lips curls into a sarcastic smile. "But feel free to prove me wrong and toss me that rope."

But Xavier knows which of them have the leverage. He settles back again. "How many people have blood alteration?" He repeats again calmly.

The deafening silence from the two girls makes Diyoza huff in anger. "Oh for God's sake, tell him!" She exclaims in a desperate, annoyed plea.

All of a sudden, a whistle in the wind blows through the trees and gradually becomes louder. It makes Harley's ears ring and suddenly, sinking was the least of their problems. The power of it brings the leaves to swirl in the air and bring the trees to shudder. Harley knows it's growing closer as it bursts her eardrums and blows strands of her short hair back.

"What the hell is that?!" Diyoza calls in a panic over the noise.

Xavier had shot out of the tree he had been nesting in and grabs the end of the rope. "A temporal flare!" Oh, this planet was full of foreign surprises, Harley thinks bitterly as he throws it to them. Diyoza is the closest, and wraps it to curl around one hand. "Get out and run!" Is the last words Xavier screams to them before dashing into the woods for cover.

The flare grows closer and a green light shines above them. They're minutes, maybe seconds, away from the effects of it. Harley tries to bring herself out, but Octavia stops her with a loud cry of, "I can't move. Get out of here!"

All at once, Harley stops fighting it. Her limbs fall completely slack. "I'm not going anywhere without you!" She shouts back with a strain in her voice caused by the growing lump making it harder to breathe as if the sludge was starting to harden and squeeze around her ribs.

Octavia completely ignores Harley as if she never said anything at all and begs Diyoza, "Go! Take Harley! Save your baby!"

They don't have much longer, and Diyoza knows that. It's only Harley who doesn't care. She shouts in a noise of protest when Diyoza uses her other arm to wrap around her exposed torso and give a rough tug. She doesn't know how the other woman became so strong, but it works, as she can feel her body start to lift out of the cementing mud. "Stop!" Harley screeches. "Stop, let me go! Please!" It turns into a sob. Her hands desperately scrape at Diyoza's arm to shred the sleeve of her jacket, but it doesn't work.

She's too busy pulling at the rope until she's ashore, and Harley's boots are kicking against the now solid ground, thrashing in Diyoza's grip. "We'll be back for you!" Diyoza calls out to Octavia in a promise. Octavia nods back, as much as she can, but Harley saw the hesitation. She doesn't plan to go under.

Devastated, Harley attempts to lunge, but because Diyoza has now freed them both, she can use both arms and full-strength to drag her back. "No! She'll let herself die! Please, I have to save her!" She begs in a cry. The fire Echo always told Harley she had inside her burns brighter and suddenly feels like sorrow.

The last thing she sees is a glimpse of Octavia's glimmering green eyes before Diyoza finally wins and yanks Harley over the slope. She can only scream her name one last time before she's at last gone. Harley can feel her muscles strain with all the fight it takes to drag her away from someone she loved. Neither of them gives up. Harley doesn't stop flailing even as Diyoza hauls her deeper into the woods, plunging them into darkness when she throws herself over her behind bundles of rocks and trees for protection.

Harley's cheek presses against the soil when she realizes Diyoza has her skillfully pinned against the firm ground that would have felt so good after nearly drowning in mud if only Octavia was there with them. But she can't break free no matter how hard she tries. Diyoza has her hand planted over her head, kept one arm twisted behind her tightly.

Tears hit the blades of grass under her cheek. "I love her," Harley sobs out but it's barely heard over the chaos of the flare as it passes. The green light illuminates her wet eyes that can't stop the tears streaming free.

The salted water of despair falling from Harley's eyes only hardens because as the emerald light passes over them, everything in its wake hardens. The plants crack as they turn into solid, maybe concrete as the effect of the flare takes over. Harley's heart aches in her chest as she imagines Octavia as still as a statue.

As soon as the pressure lifts off her, Harley is on her feet and taking off as if someone lit a fire under her. The flat sole of her boots scrapes against the now hardened ground as she sprints back to Octavia and she almost stumbles but catches herself in time as she reaches the slope with Diyoza on her heels.

It's as if the place they left Octavia was now a pond, one made of something that looked like concrete, but not built as firmly. But she's nowhere to be seen. Which only meant one thing to Harley who gasps as her vision glazes the frozen clearing. Octavia sunk. She could still be alive.

"Octavia!" Harley cries out her name like maybe she could hear her as she falls to her knees with a thud and slid across the cover. Her hands scramble to brush away the crumbles of dust.

"Hold on!" Diyoza hollers so loud it becomes an echo as she drops herself next to Harley and helps her clear their view. The top below the dust is almost clear and they can see a foggy hand outstretched beneath. Octavia had reached out for them.

Harley grasps the first rock she sees, maybe it was once a plant, but she doesn't care. She raises it above her head and brings it down just as fast with a grunt. The tip of it causes a faint crack, but it's not enough. Diyoza warns her to be careful, but Harley speeds the process, bringing it against the foggy clearing again, and again, and again. It finally snaps before shattering completely as if it was glass.

The broken pieces start to sink into the slush. Harley drops the rock immediately and dips her hand in before Octavia can sink any further. The slime covers Octavia's frozen face as the pair work together to pull her out. Her weight is heavy, almost like she's gone, but Harley refuses to believe it's possible and they flop her against the top coat. "Octavia?! Octavia, please!" She cries, wiping the mud off her face. Her hand falls to press two fingers against her neck, but she feels nothing. Octavia's almost cold. "She's not breathing!"

"Roll her over!" Diyoza orders. Octavia is like a flopping doll as they pushed her onto her side. Nothing happens, not until Diyoza starts viciously pounding on her back.

Her eyelids fly open at the same time she splutters. The slime spews from Octavia's mouth as she chokes it out, but Harley doesn't care as she heaves another dry sob, this time of relief, and cups her cheek. "You're okay, you're okay," she repeats, broken, and doesn't know which of them she's trying to convince.

Octavia is still gasping, but she presses into Harley's touch like it's what keeps her grounded, comforted. She nods and it's signal enough to reassure Harley she's alive.

"You went under," Diyoza recalls. She starts to smile. "I guess you want to live after all." Harley can't describe the way her heart is free of pain and fills with warmth when Octavia nods. She wants to stay alive on this planet and even if she lives refusing to forgive Harley, she doesn't care. As long as she's still here. "Come on," Diyoza then urged. "He's getting away."

The cycle they threw themselves in doesn't stop. They don't have time to catch their breaths. Diyoza doesn't bother trying to breathe too and stands, taking lead as she walks away, leaving Octavia to grunt as she attempts to push herself up. "Easy," Harley soothes her and reaches out to grasp her arm to help her - only to suddenly stop.

Octavia's arm, the one she rose so they could find her, looks as if it had gone through hell and back. It was completely frail now, the skin tightening across her veins and bones. Harley's hand drew back to cover her mouth before she can cry out at the sight. Octavia notices her reaction and immediately tugs her sleeve over the limb. "It's fine," she says weakly. "It'll heal in time."

"You don't know that," Harley argues in a whisper.

But Octavia doesn't answer. She merely grips Harley's forearms and forces her to help her stand on her feet. "I went under not to just save myself. It was to save you, too," she grunts back. "I couldn't stop imagining your grief. So if I say it's nothing, it's nothing. Despite what you think of how I feel, I'm still here because of you." There's a heavy pause as Harley lets that process. So Octavia doesn't fully hate her. It only took being inches from death to realize that. There's still a chance they can move past this, here, on Eden. Like they wanted to on Earth.

"We're going to kill him, then worry about this after," Octavia decides and hides her arm out of Harley's view, leaving her no choice but to follow after where Diyoza was tracking Xavier as if nothing was wrong at all.

Because it was the spark of hope, no matter how small it may be, that there's a chance of healing, coming back, no matter how far it might be. But little do they know, it's closer than they think, and it's hidden behind a beautiful green light that is calling out to them.

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author's note:

hey guys, it's been awhile!!

i recently caught up on the current octavia fic i'm in love with written by the better harley (if u know who i'm talking about bless u and harley if you're reading this you're an amazing writer and i can't wait to read what's next), and got so inspired to come back and write another chapter.

i've had this scene on my mind for so long along with so many others that are coming. octavia still hasn't forgiven harley yet, but she admits she still cares about her and couldn't die and give her that pain. so it's a start! we're back on the haravia train 🚂

i don't think i have any updates irl to mention either, so i hope everyone's doing good! i'll hopefully see you guys soon ❤️

- koda