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.
“We have a few volunteers already,” Max was saying, “and we’ll be keeping the party purposely small, to avoid detection. But if anyone would like to join us, please step for—”
“I’ll go,” Clarke’s voice called out. Bellamy’s skin went cold, watching her pick her way out of the crowd, her lips set in that stubborn line that Bellamy knew meant there was no talking her out of anything. “You’ll need someone with medical training with you.”
No, Bellamy thought. It was one thing for him to put himself in danger, but the thought of anything happening to Clarke was more than he could bear. He opened his mouth to argue, but before he could, another voice said it for him.
“Absolutely not,” Clarke’s father shouted, breathing heavily as he jogged over from the direction of the infirmary.
Clarke shot her father an impatient look. Finding her parents alive had been a miracle, banishing the specter of grief that’d always clung to her. Yet while her broken heart had healed, Bellamy knew that having her parents around was a bit of an adjustment.
She took a deep breath and motioned for her father to join her a little bit away from the rest of the group. Bellamy went to stand next to them, wracking his brain for a way to support Clarke while ensuring that she stayed behind.
“Your mother and I did everything in our power to get back to you,” her dad said.