06 | POISONED TRUST
trigedasleng in italics

     "HOW much longer will we have to wait for her—" Indra complained, still irritated by the fact of how she was not able to allow her people the justice they deserved, feeling that Finn's life should have been theirs to take, not Clarke's.

     "Indra!" Irene interrupted, her voice booming over the Trikru warrior's which then caused her to go quiet out of respect for the Commander's advisor. "Give her time, she had just killed someone she loved."

     "That is her weakness, and my people paid the price for it," Indra gritted, her anger boiling over as she clenched her fists tightly, whilst eyeing Irene intensely.

     "You mean to say our people," Irene furrowed her brows, an equally determined glare falling back onto Indra, who then went quiet once more, knowing how much Irene had done for her people, even if she empathized with their enemy.

"Irene is right, we give Clarke a few more seconds, allow her people to mourn the loss of one of their own before we discuss the terms on the truce." Lexa finally spoke, drawing Irene, Gustus, and Indra's attention to their Commander as she eyed the pole where a man had been stabbed on, his body now laying upon the earth, before looking back to where a few Skaikru individuals entered the tent where Clarke was, her faint sobs being heard from outside.

     Lexa was true to her word and, after a few mourning seconds of hearing Clarke's faint sobs within the tent, Gustus first entered with Lexa, Irene, and Indra following behind. As Lexa made her way to her throne, Irene followed Gustus and stood in between him and the throne as Indra stood to the left, all four of the grounders eyeing Clarke, Marcus, and their other leader, Abby.

     "Blood has answered blood, some on my side say that's not enough. They wanted the murderer to suffer as our tradition demands." Lexa spoke, causing Irene to flicker her eyes to Indra as she remembered her being the first one to speak up against Clarke's dishonorable actions, "but they do not know that your suffering will be worse. What you did tonight will haunt you until the end of your days. Still, there will be restitution. The body will be given to the people of Tondc, murderer and murdered joined by fire. Only then can we have peace."

     "No. No, we've done enough." Kane declined, causing Irene to tilt her head in the slightest, confused as to how their terms for where the boy's body would go was not an option for the Sky People. "The boy should be buried by his people."

     "Enough?" Indra interrupted, causing Irene to inhale deeply, knowing how the Trikru warrior still held resentment towards the Sky People for all that they've done to her people. "We were owed the pain of eighteen deaths. We were owed our righteous kill. My village deserves justice."

     "You don't want justice," Abby, the apparent leader of the Sky People, spoke immediately after Indra with a glaring look in her eyes. "You want vengeance."

     "You have not seen my vengeance," Indra took a step forward, causing Irene to mimic her actions in case Indra decided to unsheathe her weapon upon the three Skaikru individuals.

     "Indra that's enough—" Irene warned before Clarke's voice sounded, a weak and raspy tone, as she agreed to the Commander's terms on what would happen to Finn's body.

     "But when it's over, we talk about how to get our people out of Mount Weather. All of our people." Clarke's eyes flickered between Lexa and Irene, knowing the influence the Commander's advisor held over the Commander and the new leader of Trikru.

     "We want the same things, Clarke." Lexa uttered, her eyes never wavering from Clarke's.

     "Good. When do we leave?"

     "Now," Lexa stated, standing up almost immediately after she spoke, causing Irene to shift her shoulders back as she readied herself to follow after Lexa. "Choose your attendants." The Commander, passing the three Sky People, exited the tent with Irene, Gustus, and Indra following her closely. Though Irene, for the shortest second, glanced back to Clarke with a pitiful gaze in her eyes before completely exiting the tent after Lexa.

     The night sky seemed to loom over the earth, taunting its inhabitants with its darkness. Irene sighed deeply as she glanced to where the murderer's deceased body laid, as if he were in a peaceful slumber, while a woman with a red jacket held his head in her lap with a pained look in her eyes. Irene then ripped her gaze away from the sight before her and continued to follow Lexa as she mounted her horse to which Irene mounted her own, and by the time the sun rose from behind the surrounding hills, a few of the Sky People and the grounders continued to make their way back to Tondc. Irene eyed the Sky People who walked before her Commander's horse on her left side, eyeing their weapons with intensity.

"Stop worrying, both of you," Irene's thoughts about the Sky People faded away as her attention was brought to her Commander's words directed at her and Gustus. "Like you've always told me, Gustus, all alliances are risky, and Irene, how peace is never easy to manage."

"This is not the same as uniting the twelve clans. The Sky People are different, they're more like the Mountain Men than us." Gustus glanced at Irene, who he knew thought differently from him as he knew her to be a more neutral person, "it could kill our coalition."

"It is best not to judge others based on their weaponry, but their skill in combat," Irene spoke up, glancing between Gustus and Lexa before reverting her attention to the path ahead of her. "You taught me that Gustus."

"Hm, our coalition, or me?" Lexa thought about what Irene had said before she spoke once more, knowing the fear Gustus held for her safety and how Irene was prone to finding the good within the enemy.

"You know what he means, Lexa." Irene smiled faintly as she looked to Gustus, who turned his head to face Lexa.

"You are the coalition, Commander." Gustus spoke truthfully, causing Irene to nod in agreement with the Commander's protector as she too wished for Lexa's safety.

"Then do your job and protect me," Lexa solemnly spoke to Gustus before glancing to Irene with a nod, "and advise me with wise decisions." Irene pursed her lips, thinking about what Lexa had said and pondered on how she held a faintly strong influence on the truce which was to be made between the Sky People and her own, knowing how anybody could turn on the other group in the blink of an eye, causing destruction like no other.

Upon nightfall, the two groups of people settled camp near Tondc and Irene stood by Gustus, watching the Sky People carefully, a small part of her still not trusting them after all that they have done. Though, with a deep and calming breath from the lips of the Commander's advisor, she then removed her bow from her shoulder, nodded to Gustus, and entered the Commander's tent where she resided for the rest of the night.

Early the next morning, the group of grounders and Sky People continued their trek and upon making it to Tondc, Irene dismounted her horse as Lexa and Indra did so after Gustus. Irene went to stroke the shoulder of her steed, a gift from Lexa from when she was first assigned to be her advisor long ago to which she named Perseus, and glanced behind her to the Sky People before handing her reigns to one of the escorting grounders. Irene followed Lexa and proceeded to disarm herself of her bow, quiver, and sword, placing them all in the traveling bag on the hip of her horse.

"Commander, all clear," Gustus spoke as he looked to Lexa and Irene, both nodding in acceptance before they made their way to the gates of the village. A few of the people welcomed their Commander back, some even welcomed her advisor as well since Irene was raised amongst many of the people from Tondc as well alongside Lexa. Though others were furious as to why they had brought the Sky People with them, angered by what they've done to their people since they landed upon the earth.

"Sky People took everything from me: my wife, my child." A man from the village spoke, blocking the Commander's path, causing Irene to lift her head slightly as she knew what was to become of him as Gustus ordered him to move aside. "Murderers are not welcome here!" The man gritted angrily, resentment showing through his eyes as he eyed the four grounders before him. Irene looked down as Lexa nodded to Gustus, who then punched the man down and proceeded to beat him with no mercy. Clarke then immediately came to Lexa's side, urging her to stop the beating of the innocent man as the people would surely continue to blame them for that too, causing Lexa to order Gustus to allow the man to keep his life.

"The Sky People march with us now. Anyone who tries to stop that, will pay with their life." Lexa commanded in a strong and fierce tone of voice before continuing on to where the burning of the bodies ritual would take place. "People of Tondc, in fire we cleanse the pain of the past." Lexa spoke to the gathered audience for the ritual with Irene to her right and Indra to her left. Indra then handed a flaming torch to the Commander who then took it in her right hand and before lighting the wood in which the dead laid upon she paused, causing Irene to tilt her head as she saw her eyes look to where the Sky People stood. "Clarke," Lexa handed her the torch, causing many of the grounders behind the Commander to murmur about what the Commander was doing, causing a faint smile to appear on Irene's lips at what Lexa was allowing Clarke to do.

Clarke, now standing beside Lexa on the platform, took the torch and held it over the fire pit where the bodies were, an empty gaze in her eyes as she watched the flames flicker upon the torch. Though slowly, yet surely, she lit the bonfire which caused the flames to slowly engulf the nineteen deceased bodies upon the funeral pyre.

"In this life, or the one after," Irene murmured out of respect for the dead, remembering what Anya had told her and her brother before she left for battle.

"Your fight is over," Clarke spoke in trigedasleng, causing Irene and Lexa to look to the sky girl with knowing gazes in their eyes, though Irene then reverted her attention to Lexa a faint comforting smile appearing upon the advisor's face at how the Commander looked to Clarke. A look of hope and longing.

After the fire had been diminished into ash, Irene and Gustus led the Sky People into the chamber where a uniting feast was to be held in honor of the truce between the grounders and the Sky People. Once Lexa came down, the Commander took her place in between Gustus and Irene, all standing before the table of food and watched as Clarke, the two leaders of the Sky People, the woman who weaped over the fallen murderer, and the man who always carried a gun entered the chamber.

"Please, accept this gift, Commander." Kane began as he held a bottle wrapped in a clothe in his hands, looking to Lexa and Irene with a grateful look in his eyes. "We drink this at special occasions. I believe this qualifies." Irene smiled with an accepting nod while Lexa looked to Gustus who took the bottle and handed it to Lexa.

"Thank you, Marcus of the Sky People," Lexa spoke in a sincere tone.

"You're welcome, Lexa." Marcus paused, thinking for the name of their clan, "kom Trikru." The man smiled sheepishly, not knowing if he had said the words correctly, "just, uh, don't drink too much of it." Lexa then reverted her gaze to Clarke, offering for them to have the first drink together, to which the blonde woman agreed, allowing for Lexa to pour them each a cup of the concoction and hand one of the chalices to Clarke.

"Heda, allow me." Gustus spoke, causing Lexa to give him his chalice to have the first sip in making sure it was safe, to which it appeared to be. Irene sighed gratefully, not knowing how she would have reacted if something terrible were to happen, causing another war to resurface.

"Tonight, we celebrate our newfound peace. Tomorrow, we plan our war." Lexa spoke before holding her chalice up to a toast. "To those we've lost, and to those we shall soon find." Irene began to nod in agreement with Lexa's words before Gustus bent over the table and began to convulse, causing a worried expression to form on Irene's face as she looked between the two chalices and swatted Lexa's out of her hand out of fear she might be the next to be poisoned. She then held Lexa back and nodded to a few of their men to handle Gustus as he flung himself back again the wall, coughing and sputtering as if he couldn't breath.

"Do what you must to keep him alive," Irene ordered as Lexa stood quiet, fear for her protector showing in her eyes before turning to face the Sky People once more as Indra unsheathed her sword and aimed it to the Sky People in a threatening manner causing Irene to turn and hold her arm out in front of Indra and the other grounders as the tables were moved aside to make way for battle. "Wait, Indra, stand down, all of you—"

"This wasn't us, you have to know it wasn't us." Clarke uttered hurriedly, looking to the Commander with a pleading gaze before Lexa ushered Nyko to not allow Gustus to die.

"Everybody out, search them," Indra ordered her eyes flickering between the small group of Sky People as her warriors began to go through the group of foreigners, checking their clothes and belongings. As Lexa spoke to Clarke in a harsh tone about how Gustus warned her of their people, Irene turned to Nyko, who held the bottle of the substance which supposedly was used to poison, with a pleading look on her face as to what was to become of Gustus who in turn shook his head as he did not know what would become of him.

      One of the warriors then found a vile in the red jacket of the woman Irene saw mourning over the murderer's body, causing the grounder woman to turn from facing Nyko and looked desperately to the red coated woman, who immediately denied having brought the vile into the village and said how Gustus must have put it on her when he searched her, though from the look in the Commander's eyes Lexa did not believe her one bit.

"No Sky Person leaves this room," Lexa shouted, anger seething from her painted eyes as she began to make her way out of the chamber with Irene following closely behind Indra, to which the two stopped as Lincoln called out to the two of them, causing the two Trikru women to turn and face the traitor.

"Let me speak for them," Lincoln pleaded, motioning to the fearful Sky People in the chamber, causing Irene to furrow her brows out of slight pity for the Sky People, a part of her believing them to not be the cause of the break in the coalition. Though, before Irene could speak, Indra responded in a disgusted tone how Lincoln was one of them before slamming the gates shut, leaving Irene there alone at the gates. "Please, Irene—"

"I'll do what I can," Irene interrupted, tilting her head in the slightest as she eyed the Sky People before shaking her head. "Though I won't guarantee a good outcome." Irene sighed as she reverted her gaze back to Lincoln, a solemnly saddened look in her eyes, "though for you, I'll try." Irene nodded before exiting up the stairway, knowing she owed it to Lincoln as she believed him to still be her friend after she had abandoned him a long time ago. Irene knew the consequences for going against her Commander's orders, even if Lexa wouldn't wish to harm her the people would end up doing so as it was their tradition. The grounder then made her way to the war room where the other warriors discussed the punishment against the Sky People, before parting ways, causing Irene to follow Lexa to the healing hut where she went to stand by Gustus, who had fortunately stopped coughing. She then gently pulled her aside to talk to her about the Sky People, attempting to advocate for them in a peaceful manner to which Lexa grimaced at her advisor with an unbelievable gaze.

     "Do not let your emotions cloud your judgement. You remember who you serve and what people you belong to," Lexa murmured angrily before glancing to where Gustus laid on the cot, his breathing ragged and hoarse. "Gustus warned me about trusting them—"

     "So trust me, Commander," Irene interrupted with an urgency in her tone, hoping a small part of Lexa would consider her words carefully, though the advisor immediately knew by the look in the Commander's eyes how Lexa was not willing to give the Sky People a second chance. "Please, Lexa, why would they have motive to kill you after what we've done for them?"

     "You mean what we did to them," Lexa exhaled heavily as she shook her head in denial, "we murdered their people too, remember? This is how they seek revenge—"

     "I don't believe that—"

     "Well it's been done," Lexa raised her voice, causing Irene to go quiet, knowing what the Commander meant. "I've ordered for the one they call Raven to be killed for her crimes in an attempt to assassinate me," Lexa then lifted her head and motioned for Nyko and Indra to go and do what needed to be done before reverting her attention back to Irene, "and since you came here to advocate on their behalf for peace, you will be the one to watch that hope for it die along with the woman who attempted to kill me." Lexa clenched her jaw, waiting for Irene to respond though as it was a Commander's order she gave, Irene could do nothing but respect Lexa's wishes and simply nodded and followed after Indra and Nyko, descending down into the tavern where the Sky People awaited their judgement.

     "How's Gustus?" Lincoln questioned glancing between the four grounders and the few guards who escorted them.

     "Gustus will live." Nyko responded, keeping his gaze on Lincoln as Irene shook her head and held her gaze to the ground in pity of the Sky People and their injustice.

     "I'm sorry Lincoln, I tried," Irene muttered as Indra ordered for the guards to take Raven away, causing panic to rise within the group of Sky People as they argued how Raven did not poison the Commander, to which Indra spoke up about how she wanted for all of them to die but some argued against such a fate, glancing to Irene as she was one of the only people, besides Lexa, to advocate for only one individual's death instead of the whole lot of them.

     "The rest of you are free, and when she's dead, so is the alliance." Indra nodded, knowing how the wrath of the Commander would soon follow them back to the land their people resided upon. "You should run."

     Soon, Raven was stripped of her jacket and was tied to a cut up and reddened pole from the blood of others who have met the same fate as her. Irene stood on the left of Indra and quickly glanced to Gustus, who seemed to be okay now as if the poisoning incident had not affected him at all, then back to a frightened Raven.

     "I take no joy in this, Raven. But this time, justice will be done." Lexa approached Raven with a knife as the sky girl pleaded to the Commander how she was not the one to commit the crime before Lexa lifted the blade and took a long agonizing slash at her right arm, causing Raven to cry out in pain. The knife was then handed to Indra, who lifted Raven's shirt and slashed a long cut against her abdomen before looking to Irene and handed her the knife, causing the woman to hesitate as she still believed Raven to be innocent, whether Lexa believed her or not.

     "Do it, or the Commander will put you up there as well for disobeying her," Indra uttered in a low voice as she pushed the handle of the blade into Irene's right palm, causing the Commander's advisor to grip onto the knife tightly as she yanked it away from Indra, eyeing her in a harsh manner.

     "I know what has to be done, Indra," Irene spat back, going up to Raven with a pained sigh as she lifted the woman's shirt and made a shallow and small cut above her hip, causing Raven to wince in pain, before quickly handing the knife to another grounder to cut her, looking away from Raven as she cried out in pain once more. She then, upon spotting Lincoln talking to Nyko, made her way over to him and, as soon as Nyko released Lincoln from his embrace, took Lincoln into her arms with a hopeless sigh escaping her lips. "Please, forgive me," Irene pulled away with tears brimming in her eyes, "I did what I could, but if I pushed the Commander any further..."

     "It would have cost you your life," Lincoln nodded, a faint smile upon his lips as he released from the hug and held his arm out, to which Irene took with gratitude, "but I thank you, for what you've done for me, for these people." Irene simply nodded as she glanced to the Sky People who stood behind Lincoln before Clarke emerged from the tavern, immediately asking Nyko for the flask of alcohol, to which Nyko nodded to Irene to go follow Clarke as he retrieved the bottle.

     "Stop." Clarke shouted, causing the people to halt what they were doing to Raven and look to Clarke, confused as to why she and her people were still there.

     "She's going to get herself killed," Irene shook her head as she looked to Lincoln and slowly followed after Clarke as Lexa allowed her to pass. Irene weaved her way through the crowd of grounders and made her way to the center of the circle near Lexa and listened to Clarke's claim of how one of Lexa's people had tried to poison her, not the Sky People. Indra took a threatening step forward, as she warned for them to have run while they still could, which caused Irene to place her arm before her to stop her and allowed for Clarke to continue her claim once more.

     "I can prove it." Nyko then appeared with the flask in his left hand next to Clarke, who then quickly took it from him, opened the cap, and took a giant swing from the bottle, causing everyone around her to go tense as they waited for her to start convulsing, to which she never did.

     "She tells the truth," Irene murmured to Lexa, looking to her Commander pleadingly as she saw for herself how the Sky People were not guilty.

     "Explain," Lexa uttered, now angered as to how one of her own could have been the cause to not only her demise but to the coalition's.

     "The poison wasn't in the bottle, it was in the cup." Clarke theorized, looking to Lexa intently as she spoke her thoughts to the Commander.

     "A trick, Commander," Gustus murmured to Lexa's ear, causing Irene to squint in a displeasing manner as she scoffed at his remark to Clarke's statement, "do not be fooled." Though, as Irene thought some more about Gustus's warnings as to why he continued to talk down the coalition, Irene finally understood his motive. He wanted to protect Lexa, and protect her he did.

     "It was you," Irene spoke simultaneously as one of the Skaikru individuals, causing everyone to turn and face Gustus in a questioning matter as to why he would do such a thing, though Irene knew why.

     "He tested the cup, he searched Raven." The man responded, causing the grounder to remember how Octavia told her before about her brother to which Irene recognized him to be Bellamy Blake.

     "Gustus would never harm me." Lexa denied, not believing the words of the sky people to be true.

     "Not you, Commander," Irene spoke as she shook her head and glanced from Lexa and Gustus to the Sky People before them.

     "You weren't the target," Bellamy agreed with Irene, "the alliance was."

     "We didn't do this, and you know it." Clarke spoke once more, hoping to convince Lexa.

     "You've been accused, Gustus. Speak true." Lexa demanded for Gustus to confess whether or not he truly attempted to sabotage the alliance, causing Irene to lift her head as a moment of silence passed through the tension of the people before Gustus finally spoke out.

     "This alliance would cost you your life, Commander." Gustus flickered his eyes to Irene, who held her head down not wanting to look at one of her early mentors as a young warrior with betrayal in her eyes, before reverting his attention back to Lexa. "I could not let that happen."

     "This treachery will cost you yours." Lexa simply stated, causing Irene to lift her gaze to Lexa before eyeing Gustus with a despairing look upon her facial features, "put him on the tree." Lexa commanded, allowing Irene to take the knife from one of Gustus's pockets and went over to where Raven was as her people rushed to aid her in taking her down from the wooden pole.

     "Thank you, for believing in us," Bellamy hesitantly murmured to Irene as she cut away at Raven's bonds causing the grounder to glance back to where Lincoln stood with Octavia, a faint smile etching its way onto her face.

     "I owed a friend a favor," Irene nodded as they took Raven into their arms and carried her away, allowing for the other grounders to tie Gustus up and begin the death ritual once more. Though by the time Lexa approached Gustus with the sword, many people had gone before her and slashed away at Gustus's skin, marring him for his treacherous actions against their Commander.

     "Stay strong," Gustus painfully spoke as blood dripped from his lips, causing Irene to inhale shakily as she held her head up, showing no weakness to the surrounding grounders as Lexa readied herself to plung her sword into his chest.

     "In this life, or the one after." Irene muttered as she nodded solemnly as Lexa unsheathed her sword and aimed it at the chest of Gustus, uttering the last words he would ever hear.

     "Your fight is over," Lexa spoke calmly before slowly thrusting her sword into the man's chest, causing Gustus to groan in pain before his head limply fell forward, signaling his death. Irene exhaled and restrained herself from allowing the tears to spill from her eyes as she watched Lexa pull the sword out and look to the ground, the pain of losing someone she cared about lingering in her eyes before she reverted her gaze to Clarke.

     Later that night, Irene sat beside Lincoln whilst Lexa and Clarke conversed with one another in the distance. The grounder stared into the mesmerizing flames of the fire in silence before Lincoln finally spoke up, asking how she and Bellamy knew it was Gustus. Irene simply looked up to Bellamy, who remained quiet allowing her to speak first, curious as to how she figured it out as well.

     "I've known Gustus and Lexa since I was a child, and since the day Lexa ascended as Commander, he would do anything to protect her," Irene spoke as she twisted the stick between her hands once more before tossing it into the fire, "even if it meant dying by her blade." Irene then looked to Bellamy who sighed, faintly nodding his head before he responded as well.

     "Well, he'd do anything for her, to protect her, just as Irene has said," Bellamy stared as he fixed his gaze to his sister before reverting his attention back to Lincoln, "it just makes sense." Irene let out a quiet huff of air as she felt a similar feeling rise within her, a longing feeling for the only family member she had left, her brother, Raiden.

     "Look at the thanks he got." Octavia uttered, looking to her brother, the two sharing a knowing look before Raven came out from one of the tents behind Bellamy with urgency in her voice as she held a device in her hands.

     "Listen to this," Raven spoke as everyone gathered around her and the radio she held, which held a man's voice who was informing whoever was listening about how their were forty-seven of them, the Sky People, trapped within Mount Weather and something else about how they had taken one of them from their group.

     "Talk to him," Clarke spoke worriedly, recognizing the individual to which the voice belonged to. Though, Raven soon realized as they continued to listen to the message sent from their people how it was on repeat.

     "They're alive." Octavia spoke breathlessly, the faint sound of hope in her voice.

     "We need to do this." Bellamy stated urgently, wanting to rescue his friends as soon as he could before anything else were to happen to them. "We got the alliance, now's the time to use it."

     "First we need an inside man." Clarke spoke, to which Irene perked up, knowing how this was her chance to get inside and save her brother and the rest of her people. "You were right, without someone on the inside to lower their defenses, turn off the acid fog, an army is useless. You should go."

     "I thought you hated that plan," Bellamy uttered, faintly surprised as to how Clarke changed her mind so quickly about letting him go. "That I would get myself killed."

     "I was being weak, it's worth the risk," Clarke finally stated, causing Irene to glance between the two with a knowing look as those were words which would have come out from Lexa's mouth too. "My map of Mount Weather. Find a way to get on that radio and talk to us. Good luck." Clarke then left back to where Lexa had gone while Irene stayed put in her spot beside Lincoln and finally spoke up after he offered to help Bellamy go through the tunnels.

     "I want to go too," Irene spoke aloud, crossing her arms with a determined gaze in her eyes. "Someone I care about is still trapped inside that mountain and I will hold myself responsible for whatever happens to him in there." The small group of individuals looked to Irene momentarily before Octavia declined for Lincoln to go back to the place where Lincoln experienced such horror.

     "Well, let me show you two what to look for," Raven eyed Irene carefully before walking over to where the tent was with the female grounder and Bellamy trailing behind her. "Have you ever gone through or near the Reaper tunnels before?" Raven question Irene as they made their way to the tent, causing Bellamy to glance at the grounder who then shook her head with a faintly fearful gaze in her eyes as she recalled the time when she had rescued her younger brother from the hands of a reaper when they were young children.

     "Once, though it's not a memory I like to recall," Irene clenched her jaw as she reached over her left shoulder where her tattoos were, where the scars of her past mistakes littered her shoulders.

     "Well, then you can help Linoln lead the way to where our people are in the mountain," Raven nodded while Bellamy continued to hold his gaze on the grounder woman beside him, watching as she painfully gripped her left shoulder as she continued to follow after Raven.