Chapter 39: Ch. 39 – The Bait is Set, and the Trap is Ready

A week was not a long time, but it suddenly became so when I was having to wait on word back. I did not even have to pretend to be growing agitated with every day because I truly was. I had tried to sleep the night after I sent the letter, but a nightmare had me waking up with literal flames covering my body which reduced my cot to ashes. Since then, I spent my nights meditating instead of sleeping, but I was starting to nod off more and more. Thankfully, I returned to Troit four days later to work in my clinic which meant that I would sleep whether I wanted to or not.

"Save me some food; I'm going take a bath," I said after the last patient left around sunset.

"You're not going to spend the night sparring with Roan?" Finn asked with a smirk.

"No, but if you'd like me to give you a few pointers, I'd be more than happy to," I retorted with an evil smile.

Bellamy chuckled at his friend's expense as the five of us walked back into the castle. Everyone spread out among the living room while I headed back to the room I shared with Bellamy and grabbed a change of clothes. I left the suite and headed deeper into the castle since the baths were in the wing on the opposite side.

There were still servants moving through the halls, cleaning, lighting candles, and a dozen other minor tasks. Most governing activities that went on in the castle would be finished by sundown since only Nia, Roan, her servants, and us temporarily lived here, so things were quiet. I did see a couple of familiar faces that were talking by one of the large fireplaces and one split off from their group and followed me.

"And to what do I owe the pleasure of your company?" I asked with a sigh.

"We need to talk," Echo replied after she shut the door behind her.

"Of course, we do..." I groaned as I walked over to one of the tubs.

There were three tubs arranged along the back wall that all had spigots which would fill them with water heated by the kitchen fires. This was true luxury that even Polis had been missing and was something that I would learn how to replicate once I started living in Eden with Raven and Lexa. I turned the water and let a tub fill then looked back at her.

"Well, go ahead," I sighed.

"You're supposed to be flirting with Roan, not ordering him to find out about your lover. It was one letter and you've ruined everything that you had built up over the past two months," Echo snapped.

"I never agreed to that plan," I hissed. "Just because Lexa was right, and Nia is trying to use him to get to me, does not mean I'm going to do it. I'd be no better than Nia using him as a pawn in this game because I'm not about to leave Raven. If you want him stay loyal to us after we kill his mother, we have to treat him as an equal."

"That's great for him, but Nia, on the other hand, will take it as your loyalty to her is questionable!"

"Not if I ask to her to bring Raven here," I replied.

"That's still not enough. You're both outsiders with no ties to the Ice Nation. She'll send me to kill her and blame Lexa for her death, and you know it," Echo snapped.

"I could just kill Nia now."

"Then I'll kill you myself. She deserves to die for her crimes, but if it isn't done right, my people will go to war, and I won't let you cause that," she growled.

"You think Roan cares that much about her?"

"His opinion won't matter. Our war chiefs don't respect him. Lexa is the only one who can kill her without this dissolving into a true war, and that's only if we are lucky."

I sighed, shutting off the water, then walked away. Echo, or rather Ash since it was her birth name, was Lexa's double agent here in the Ice Nation. After she had been freed from Mount Weather, Lexa had brought her back to Polis and worked some kind of Jedi mind trick to convince her to work with us against Nia. She knew that Praimfaya was coming and that the bunkers were our only hope of survival, so if Nia was not readying her army to take them, it meant that she was truly on our side. Lexa trusted her, so I had to as well.

"It's already been done, so how do I fix things?" I asked.

It was Echo's turn to sigh as she walked over to me and replied, "I only have one idea, but I don't know how well it will work and I doubt you'll like it."

"And what would that be?"

Before she could respond, the door opened, so she chose to show me instead. Echo pressed me up against the wall with her body against mine then sealed my lips with her own. Unlike Raven, her body was more muscular than my own from years of fighting. Her hands were callous and rough as one held me by my neck and the other slid under my clothes.

It had been a while since I had had an intimate touch and Echo seemed to know exactly how to handle me. I could not help but moan, having been caught off guard, and instinctually wrapped my arms around her waist. I came to my senses quickly and understood what she was doing, but I was already in her trap and had to play along or make things even worse. Deepening our kiss, one of my hands slid up her back while I flicked the fingers of my other hand, sending out a few white flames at the unfortunate servant that had wandered in.

"I f*cking hate you," I grumbled when the door shut once again, and we were alone.

Echo chuckled softly, with her hand still around my neck, and traced my lips with her thumb. "You'll get over it," she whispered before she kissed me again.

The woman may have been raised as a spy and assassin, but she certainly knew how to kiss. It was more than tempting to get swept up in the moment and have some fun, but I knew Raven was waiting for me. I pushed her off of me and moved away with a huff.

"How would Lexa take it if I told her about your little plan?" I asked with a hint of a threatening tone.

She smirked, "There is nothing wrong with two warriors, stranded in enemy territory, to share a moment of peace and pleasure. It's the loyalty that you have to the other person that matters."

"Yeah, well, Raven won't see it the same way," I retorted.

"So, you're just going to go halfway and then give up when things get difficult?" she whispered in my ear while pressing her body against my back.

I stirred the mana in my body, enhancing my speed, then spun around and grabbed her by the neck before she could react. "Giving up and doing something that you'll regret for the rest of your life are two different things. There are still other options and I'm not compromising when it comes to someone I love. I think you would understand that... Ash."

Echo clenched her jaw and looked away, not replying.

I sighed, letting her go, and said, "I'm sorry... Without Raven, I'd take you up on the offer in a heartbeat, but I'm not going to hurt her just to make my life easier. It may be a weakness to you, but I have enough regrets to live with and I'm not going to go out of my way to make new ones."

"Lexa said that you were different than us, but it is a wonder how you survived your past life," she remarked.

"Because surviving is not enough this time. Why do you do this? Be spy, assassin, double agent? For your people, for your family? I do it for her and my family. If I give that up, what reason do I have to keep living?"

Echo expression changed and softened as my words sank in and she sighed, "Strengths can come in different forms... Fine, block the door and take your bath; I'll handle the rest."

I did not need to ask what she meant since I figured it out quickly as she started undressing. I turned around quickly and walked away which made her chuckle at my expense. Shifting the stone under the door, I secured the door then headed for my tub and put in my headphones. I undressed quickly and submerged into the water, praying that the stupid luxury item I had gotten was waterproof.

Thankfully, the headphones held out and I could not hear the sounds of Echo's passion... most of them, anyways. Still, combined with her kisses, I was more than a little sexually frustrated, so there was only so much that warm bath could do to relax me. I missed Raven... her body, but also her teasing, smart-alecky nature that always kept me on my toes in a playful way. If only I was back home with her...

When she finished, I climbed out of my tub and pulled the stopper to let the water drain. I dried off using my power to collect all the water off my body and sent it back into the tub then got dressed. Echo climbed out of her tub and grabbed a towel to dry off.

"You'll catch a cold," I said softly before I reached out with my power and pulled the water off her body with a wave of my hand, sending it back into her tub.

"Aren't you considerate," she taunted with a smile.

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I rolled my eyes as I spread out my Earth Domain through the floor. There was someone pressed against the door that I could sense, so I sighed and released the door. Ontari ended up tumbling into the room which made me shake my head and turn towards Echo who just shrugged. I stepped closer to Echo and gave her one final parting kiss before I walked out of the room, completely ignoring Ontari.

Heading back to my suite, I had a wry smile on my face as I wondered how much trouble I would be in when Raven heard these rumors. Still, it took my mind off my recurring nightmares which was worth the sexual frustration. I would just need to meditate for the night and do my best to forget everything that happened tonight.

In the morning, a servant delivered us food for breakfast, but I did not have more than a couple of bites before my head snapped up and I looked to the east. I suddenly sensed the message tube enter my range, but I was not sure just how close it was since my powers were still growing at a fast pace.

"What is it?" Bellamy asked.

"Kane's reply is nearby. You guys finish eating, and I'll meet you back at the clinic once I read his letter," I replied, standing up.

"I'll go with you," he offered.

"No... it will just make this harder. I'll tell you if something is going on, but there is still a good chance that I'm just overreacting."

"Hey, Raven is tough. She'll be fine, I'm sure of it," Finn said.

"Thanks," I replied with a smile.

I headed out of the suite and headed down the hall towards the great hall. Despite the early hour, there were people already arriving to meet with Queen Nia. I sighed and grabbed a servant that I recognized.

"I need to speak with Echo, now," I growled.

"Yes, Natfaya," she agreed with a hint of fear in her voice.

I let her go then walked over to an empty corner as she scampered off. I did not want to frighten people, but it had also been a week since the last time that I slept properly. Niceties were the last thing on my mind right now, but I still knew that I had to keep up appearances and keep my cool, instead of charging out to meet the messenger.

"What is it?" Echo asked as she walked up to me about five minutes later.

"The rider carrying the reply from Kane has entered my sensing range about five to ten minutes ago. I want my letter," I replied.

Echo sighed and whispered, "You know that you have to react the same way no matter what the answer is?"

"Thanks to you, I'm plenty worked up to deliver a great performance even if Raven is perfectly fine," I hissed then said calmer and with concern, "I just want to know what's going on."

"I know... but you also know this is the moment that we've been waiting for. We have a little over two months left, so Lexa will have to announce Praimfaya soon. If Nia doesn't believe that you'll side with us against her, the war will start, and we'll be the first casualties."

I took a deep breath and calmed myself down. "I know, I know... I'm sorry."

"I hope that she's fine. I need you to be well-rested after all."

I smirked, shaking my head, "If you say so... at his current speed, the messenger should be here in a few minutes. Do we talk to Nia now, or wait on him?"

"We'll wait and follow him. There are orders to allow him to head directly to her, so you just need to explain that you can sense the metal," she replied.

"Fine, waiting it is," I retorted as I headed out the front door.

Echo sighed with annoyance behind me but followed me out all the same. I walked down the first set of stairs then headed off to the side and stood on the edge of the wall, looking out to the east. There was a fine layer of fresh snow on the ground which my Wind Domain stirred up as I moved.

"Stand closer; we're supposed to be lovers now, after all," I said when Echo stopped a few feet behind me.

She approached me from behind and I pushed my Wind Domain to cover her as well. She watched the snow scatter with a light smile on her face and remarked, "Your powers are impressive."

I chuckled but did not reply. My powers were convenient and helpful, but I was still forced to play along with these schemes and ploys. Even though no one else had powers like Lexa and I, we still did not have the strength to be completely untouchable.

The messenger appeared in the distance on the road, coming at a fast pace. I nearly jumped off to meet him halfway, but Echo placed a hand on my shoulder, and I let out a huff as we both turned away. I followed her back to the front door of the castle where she ordered a servant to meet the messenger on the road. It took a few more minutes, but the messenger arrived, and we followed him inside. Thankfully, Nia had yet to start her daily meetings, so there was only Roan, Ontaria, and one of her senior advisors in the meeting room when we walked in.

"Apologies, my Queen. Octavia sensed the metal tube before the rider had arrived, so I had her wait with me until it could be properly delivered," Echo explained once the messenger left.

"I had no intention of keeping it from you," Nia said, opening the satchel and pulling out the metal tube.

"I know, I'm sorry... I just haven't been able to shake this feeling that something has happened," I replied with a bow.

"Your message," Nia remarked as she set it on the edge of her desk.

I reached out with my power and pulled the metal tube over to my hand. I did not waste any time and ripped apart the small case then grabbed the letter. Skimming through it, I picked up a number of codes that meant Lexa and Raven had been successful, but the important one was that Kane had seen her recently. Instead of letting out a sigh of relief though, I conjured dark red flames across my shoulders and arms as I started to shake.

"Octavia!" Echo snapped.

Instantly, I made the flames vanish and held out the letter to her as I said, "I apologize, your majesty. My patients will start arriving soon, so I should return to my clinic."

"Wait... my spies in Polis have a report about your lover. She's been spotted in a cell under the tower with six guards watching her," Nia explained as she read one of the letters that the messenger brought.

"Lexa doesn't trust Kane anymore," I remarked, shaking my head.

"There have been a lot of strange reports coming out of Polis about Lexa's actions recently. She almost seemed to disappear for a month and a half, not appearing for Council meetings or even leaving her suite then she returned ten days ago and started building up the city's defenses."

I swallowed hard because I knew that this was the prelude to the war with Azgeda. If I could convince her that I would join her, she would likely call for a vote of no confidence in Lexa's rule as she had done in the show. The warning from both Lexa and Echo kept playing in my mind and, while I knew Raven was safe now, I still had to protect Bellamy, Clarke, Finn, and Byrne, so I knew that I still had to be careful.

"Octavia," Echo said again, placing a hand on arm.

I looked down at the white flames surrounding her hand and I let out another sigh, extinguishing the fire. "I'm sorry... Controlling my emotions has never been easy for me, and less so these days. I ask for your permission to leave before I do anything else foolish in your presence, your majesty."

Nia dismissed me with a wave of her hand, and I left without another word. I could only hope that my behavior was believable enough to help fix my recent mistake with Azgeda, but only time would tell.

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