A Dance Of Crowns & Thrones | Book I

Chapter 142 | I'm Begging For Mercy

Eko burst out of the elevator, with Richie and Jasmine right behind her. The moment the doors slid open on the ground floor of the academy, the chaotic scene waiting for them hit her like a wave. Soldiers, staff, and trainees surged forward as the whispers turned into frantic voices, filling the air with panic and uncertainty.

"Is he okay?" "What happened to Skarsgard?" "They said Toni was in surgery!" "Was it Ezra?"

The barrage of questions flew at them like sharp arrows, each one more pressing than the last, every voice soaked in fear.

"The Mercy teams are here—does that mean someone's dead?" "How bad is it?"

Richie, his jaw set in tension, pushed through the crowd, his voice booming over the noise. "We'll update you as soon as we know more!" He forced a path through the throng, clearing the way for Eko and Jasmine. His words, although forceful, did little to soothe the growing hysteria.

Everywhere Eko looked, she saw the faces of soldiers—some seasoned, some barely out of training—all united by a shared sense of dread. Among them, she spotted Georgie—Matthew's ever-present shadow, looking pale and visibly shaken. Even the combat instructors were struggling to maintain order, their own expressions betraying how rattled they were by the situation.

With every step, Eko's chest tightened, her breath growing shallow and uneven. The crowd around her faded into a blur, her focus locked solely on the infirmary doors ahead. The pounding in her heart grew deafening, each beat like a drum in her ears as she fought to contain the rising panic threatening to engulf her.

Jasmine, still winded, tried in vain to share what little she knew with the anxious onlookers. But it was useless. The entire academy buzzed with unspoken dread, and no explanation could quell the growing fear.

When they finally reached the infirmary, four soldiers stood at attention outside, their faces expressionless, their stances rigid. The sight hit Eko like a punch to the gut. The grim look on their faces sent a fresh wave of terror crashing over her.

"Why are soldiers stationed here?" Eko's voice wavered with anxiety, her gaze flickering between the guards and the closed infirmary doors. The weight of the situation pressed down on her, each breath becoming harder to take.

"This is really bad," Richie muttered under his breath, his pale face scanning the soldiers for any clue of what was happening inside. Their stony expressions and unwavering postures screamed that something had gone terribly, irreversibly wrong.

"W-why?" Eko stammered, barely able to get the words out.

Richie lowered his voice, more urgent now. "Soldiers outside mean something's escalated inside. Protocol Margot is in place."

"Margot? What?" Eko's heart raced, the panic tightening its grip. She looked to Richie, desperate for any explanation that might make this nightmare easier to understand.

Richie inhaled sharply, his gaze darting to the armed guards. "Protocol Margot is about damage control," he said, his voice low and urgent. "If Matthew and Toni are in surgery, that's why the board's locking everything down. Think about it, Eko—if word spreads that Allegiant's headmaster was attacked, it'll send shockwaves through the system. The board is terrified of a complete meltdown—anarchy. They're scrambling to contain this before it spirals out of control."

Eko's knees wobbled, her mind racing as Richie's words sank in. The horrific possibility loomed over her, too awful to face yet impossible to ignore.

"Well, somehow the students and soldiers have figured out it's Matthew and Toni," Jasmine interjected, biting her lip, her voice strained with fear as they neared the guards. The soldiers, recognizing them, stepped aside without hesitation, clearing the way for the trio.