As the sun began to dip below the horizon, casting long, bloody streaks of orange across the sky, Clarke slipped into the holding area where Finn was, "We have to go. Now," Clarke whispered.
Finn looked up in surprise, "Where, Clarke? Every single route is blocked. You saw the guards."
"Not every route," Raven said, appearing from the shadows of the back entrance. "There's an opening at the back, near the old ventilation shaft. We'll go out through that space, but we have to be quick. Murphy will be back soon."
"Is he coming with us?" Finn asked, glancing toward the door.
"No," Raven snapped. "I distracted him with an errand. He's busy looking for a part that doesn't exist."
"Where are Bellamy and Octavia?" Finn asked.
"They're checking the outer perimeter," Raven replied, checking the hallway. "But they'll be back soon, I guess. We are moving now."
———-
They moved like ghosts, ducking behind crates and slipping through the jagged in the perimeter fence that Raven had bypassed. The woods were only fifty yards away..
They were halfway across the clearing when the world suddenly turned blindingly white. High-powered spotlights snapped on, pinning them in place.
"Stop," a voice commanded.
"Shit," Clarke hissed, her hand going to her eyes.
They turned to run toward the treeline, but a calm, and utterly familiar voice stopped them in their tracks.
"So, tell me... what exactly was the plan, hmmm?"
Jason was leaning against a thick oak tree at the edge of the forest, his arms crossed. From the other side of the brush, Murphy, Bellamy, and Octavia stepped out, their faces grim.
"What is this?" Raven shouted, her voice trembling with rage and disbelief
"I can't let you go," Jason said, stepping into the light.
"Please, Jason!" Clarke pleaded , stepping in front of Finn. "You can't do this! They will kill him!"
"Oh, he can," Raven spat, looking at Jason with pure venom. "He wants to sacrifice Finn for the alliance. He's so worried about a war that we aren't even sure would happen that he's willing to hand his friend over to be tortured."
Jason kept his eyes on her, his expression devoid of emotion. He didn't offer a defense. He didn't need to.
Before another word could be said, a squad of guards marched out from the shadows and seized Finn.
"No!" Clarke screamed, lunging forward, but she was caught by Abby, who had appeared with Marcus and Kane.
Abby shook her head, holding Clarke tight. "No, Clarke. Stop."
"This is for the survival of the camp," Marcus told Raven, his voice heavy. "We will give him a fair trial. Our law, not theirs."
"Trial which will end with him dead!" Clarke shouted, looking at Bellamy, Octavia, and Murphy. They all stayed silent, refusing to meet her eyes. "Unbelievable. You're all just going to let this happen?"
"We're doing what we have to," Bellamy said quietly.
Raven scoffed and a harsh laugh at the irony. "Coming from the guy who caused the death of hundreds of people on the Ark? Tell me, why do you get to go free while he gets punished for killing two? Where's the 'math' on that, Jason?"
She was about to continue her tirade when a quiet, broken voice stopped her.
"Enough," Finn said, his head bowed as the guards held his arms. "Raven... enough."
"Enough," Finn said, his voice stronger than it had been all day. "I don't want any of you to fight anymore. Not for me. I did something... I broke something. If this is the price for peace, then I'm willing to pay it. It's my life. It's my choice."
He stepped away from the guards and walked directly up to Jason. He held his hands out, wrists together, offering himself up to his friend, "Do what you've got to do," Finn whispered.
Jason looked him in the eye. He didn't offer a platitude or a lie. He simply gave a short, firm nod. "I will."
————
Later, a massive pyre had been built by the Grounders, the wood stacked high and dry.
Jason and Kane walked side-by-side, Finn between them, toward the center of the clearing. From the opposite side, Lexa emerged, flanked by Indra and Gustus. The Grounder army stood like statues in the background, their presence a suffocating weight.
"Hand him over," Indra commanded the moment they were within earshot, her hand already white-knuckling her sword.
Jason looked at her, a dark, amused glint appearing in his eyes, "My God, Indra, you really are a romantic, aren't you? So impatient to get the bloodletting started. You should try meditation; it does wonders for the blood pressure."
Lexa narrowed her eyes, her gaze flicking from Jason to the boy beside him.
"We have a proposition," Kane interrupted, his voice calm and diplomatic.
Indra scoffed, a sound of pure disgust. "Now what? More Sky People stalling?"
"What is this?" Lexa asked, her voice a low warning.
"We ask that you let us put Finn on trial for his crimes," Kane said, standing tall. "Let us deal the end to him under our law. It shows our people that justice is served, and it fulfills the debt."
"No," Gustus growled, stepping forward. "He will answer to us, not to you. He killed our people in their beds, and we shall deal with his—"
Lexa held up a single hand, and Gustus went silent instantly. She stepped closer to Jason, her face a mask of stone. "Perhaps I was not clear. I am not asking for you to hand him over. This is a demand, and the only thing we will accept. The murderer belongs to the Twelve Clans."
Jason let out a low, dry chuckle.
"What is so funny, Butcher?" Indra spat, her face contorting in rage.
"Hmm," Jason mused, tilting his head as he looked at Lexa. "I was just thinking... that's not really the only thing you'd accept, is it? You're a leader of tradition, Lexa. And tradition has more than one door."
"What are you—" Indra started.
"He will be taking the Trial by Combat," Jason cut her off, his voice suddenly sharp and commanding, ringing across the clearing. He gestured to Finn. "He will face any warrior of your choosing. Unarmed. Just like the villagers he killed. He will fight to the death against anyone you put in front of him."
The silence that followed was absolute. Even Lexa looked momentarily stunned as Jason threw the Grounders' own brutal law back in their faces.
———
Kane's face went pale, his jaw dropping as he turned to Jason. "What are you doing? Jason, this wasn't what we agreed on back at the camp. We were supposed to negotiate a peaceful transition!"
"Oh no, it's not," Jason replied, his eyes never leaving Lexa's. "But it's what I'm proposing. Unless, of course, the Heda wishes to deny a sacred challenge in front of her entire army." He let a mocking glint enter his gaze, goading the Grounder leadership after playing his piece. "Your people want to see him bleed, don't they? Why deny them the spectacle of him dying with a bit of dirt under his fingernails? Or is the great Commander afraid a Sky Boy might actually put up a fight?"
Lexa's expression remained a mask of stone, but her eyes flickered toward Finn. "Is this your wish, or is this his?" she asked, her voice cold.
Marcus opened his mouth to intervene, but Finn stepped forward, closing his eyes for a brief second before finding his resolve. "I will take the trial by combat," Finn said with a steady voice.
Jason looked back at the Commander and spread his hands. "Well, there you have it then. So tell me... what say you?"
Indra scoffed. "It doesn't matter. He's as good as dead anyway. Whether he dies on a tree or in the dirt, the crows will still feast."
"Fine," Lexa said, her voice ringing out.
"Splendid," Jason remarked. "Do you need a moment to choose your fighter? I'm sure you have a long list of people who hate us."
Lexa didn't hesitate. She looked at the massive warrior at her side. "He will face Gustus."
Jason looked at the giant man and felt a cold thrill of tactical dread. 'Well played,'he thought. 'Now what's next?'
Back at the gates of Camp Jaha, Abby and Jaha stood with the crowd, their anxiety peaking. "What is happening out there?" Abby whispered. "Why is it taking so long?"
Marcus retreated from the center of the field, walking toward them with a look of pure disbelief. Jason stayed behind for a moment, taking the bounds off Finn's wrists. The Grounder lines moved back, creating a massive, circular arena in the center of the clearing.
Lexa moved to her people as Indra stepped forward, her voice booming across the valley. "The trial shall be by combat! Gustus, secondary to the Heda, shall be the executor!"
"What the hell are they doing?" Raven screamed from the fence, her hands gripping the wire. "What the fuck is Jason doing?"
Marcus reached them, breathless. "Jason invoked a challenge. Trial by combat. If Finn wins, he lives."
"Wins?" Clarke gasped, her eyes wide as she looked at the mountain of a man standing across from Finn. "Against him? That's not a trial, that's a slaughter!"
Raven turned her fury on the Blake siblings. "Did you know about this? Did you help him set this up?"
Octavia stepped forward, her face grim. "Jason met with Lincoln in the med bay earlier and asked if there was any way, any tradition at all to give Finn a chance at survival. This was the only thing Lincoln could find in their laws."
"A slim chance is better than no chance," Bellamy added, his eyes fixed on the field. "It was the only way to get him off that pyre."
The field was vacated. The Grounder army became a wall of silent observers. Gustus walked forward, stripping off his heavy bear-fur mantle and his chest armor, leaving his massive, scarred torso bare to the wind. He tossed his sword to Indra.
"I am no coward," Gustus growled, "I would not stoop so low as to fight an unarmed man with a weapon. I will break you with my bare hands."
Jason stood before Finn one last time. He reached out, taking Finn's hand in a firm grip, and for a split second, it looked like he was just offering a final goodbye, "The lone tree never stands empty," Jason whispered, as Finn looked at him in confusion. Jason let go and backed away, leaving the circle. He took his place at the edge of the clearing as the two men began to circle each other. The Trial by Combat had begun.