She pulled softly away, wiped her cheeks with one last sniff, and nodded up at him. “What’s next?”
He pointed toward Max and Rhodes, who were rounding up a few guards and other familiar faces. “We’re about to announce our plan.”
CHAPTER 7
Bellamy
The surviving Colonists and Earthborns clustered around the bonfire, shooting nervous glances toward the woods.
We’re not safe anywhere, Bellamy thought bitterly as he joined Max and the other members of the Council in the center of the crowd. They were one short: An Arcadian woman named Fiona, who’d established herself as a wise and warm presence during her short time on Earth, was now lying in the expanding cemetery.
Max raised his hand and the murmurs died away, leaving an uneasy silence. Bellamy shifted his weight from side to side. Every minute they spent discussing the situation was another minute wasted. He didn’t have time for this. He needed to go now. He had half a mind to head out on his own, but then his eyes traveled across the crowd and landed on the group of children that had all been rescued safely, most of them clinging to Molly, who at thirteen was now the oldest of their group. They were all looking at Bellamy, eyes wide and shining with something that looked strangely more like hope than fear.
They trust me, he realized. They don’t see me as a former criminal who keeps screwing up. They’re counting on me.
Rhodes nodded to Max, stepped forward, and began to speak. The sound of his voice still set Bellamy’s teeth on edge. Though they were on the same side now, it would take more time than a couple of months to undo the bone-deep resentment Bellamy felt toward him. Still, there were more important things to focus on right now… like finding and destroying the bastards who’d taken Wells and Octavia.
“I know that you’re all hoping for answers about what happened to us last night,” Rhodes said. “I’ll start with what we do not know. We do not know who attacked us.”
The crowd grumbled, anxiety rippling through them in a wave.
“But we will find out,” Rhodes cut in, raising a hand to quiet them. “We do not know what their motivation for attacking us was, beyond stealing our supplies. But we will find out.”
His voice was firmer now, and the crowd was with him. Even Bellamy found himself nodding along.
“We do not know why they took our people, but believe me when I tell you that we will find out.” He smiled grimly, an unspoken promise of revenge lingering under his words. The crowd was hushed. “We do not know where they took our people… but we now know how to find out.” Rhodes backed up a step, motioning Bellamy forward. “My fellow Councilor Bellamy Blake led a small scouting party into the forest this morning.”
The murmurs returned, but this time, they contained a note of surprise and admiration. Bellamy cleared his throat.
“The people who attacked our camp were skilled at hiding their plans,” Bellamy started, “but they were a lot sloppier about covering up their tracks.”
He scanned the crowd and found Luke leaning against a tree on the far side. He’d been with Bellamy when they found the telltale wagon ruts leading away from camp. Bellamy tried to catch his eye, but Luke was staring off into the distance, his dazed look a stark contrast to his usual alert, focused expression. Bellamy knew exactly what he was feeling. He’d seen the agony in Luke’s face when he’d told Bellamy that Glass had been taken.
Bellamy pointed toward the dimming eastern sky. “The attackers took our friends that way, due east. There were no signs of struggle or violence, so we’ve got to assume they were captured unharmed for a reason.”
His stomach clenched saying it. Octavia had to be alive. Wells too. They had to be, or else the fire keeping him alive would go out, and he’d disintegrate into ash.
“We have a trail,” he went on, more firmly. “And we had some weapons still at Mount Weather. Not many, but enough to give us a fighting chance. Tonight, I’m going to head out with a small group of volunteers. We’re going to find the bastards who took our people and we’re going to bring them home.”
The crowd responded with shouts of approval at first, then a low grumble rose up beneath it, and an older woman Bellamy recognized from back on Walden stepped forward, shaking her head.
“You can’t take all the weapons with you. We’ll be defenseless if they attack again while you’re gone.” A few heads nodded in agreement.
“I understand you’re worried,” Bellamy said, speaking loudly to make sure everyone heard. “But we only have three guns, and we’ll need every one of them for our rescue mission.”
“But what about us?” an Earthborn man shouted. “Why do their lives matter more than ours?”
Max stepped forward. “Bellamy and his team are going to be following the attackers. If, for some unknown reason, they decide they want to raid our camp a second time, Bellamy will know. They’ll come back with the guns and fight for us.”
“That’s a ridiculous plan,” the older woman said. “They need to leave at least one of the guns here. Besides, Bellamy’s far and away the best hunter. Without him, we’ll starve. He should stay behind.”
“Like hell I will,” Bellamy snapped, before he had time to stop himself.
“I assure you that there are many skilled hunters among my people,” Max said, shooting Bellamy a reproachful look. “We aren’t going to let anyone starve.”
“Why should we trust you?” a recently arrived Phoenician woman shouted. “You were hiding weapons at Mount Weather, guns that could’ve been used to fight off the attackers!”
The crackling of the bonfire was soon drowned out by the buzz of heated conversation as people shouted over one another to be heard.
“That’s enough!” Rhodes’s voice boomed. “We’ll put it to a vote. All those in favor of sending out an armed party to retrieve the members of our community who were taken in last night’s attacks, raise your hands.”
His words were drowned out by a chorus of “Yes” as hands flew into the air.
“All those opposed…”
A few hands rose up, but not enough. Bellamy felt his heart start to pound with anticipation. Now he could do what he’d been longing to since the moment he saw his sister dragged into the woods. Chase them. Find her and Wells. Get his revenge. No matter the risk.