A Dance Of Crowns & Thrones | Book I

Chapter 22 | "Pick Your Demons, Eko."

With his troops beside him, he surveyed the vast sea of survivors huddled around the eighth site where the crashed vessels and escape pods lay. His piercing steel-blue gaze scanned the masses, numbering in the hundreds, if not thousands. It appeared that their programmed destination had been this desolate location, situated midway between the two ice poles, in the midst of nowhere.

It was low temperatures compared to where they had come from of sun and warmth, while on the brink of the horizon before them was a storm rolling in that would reach them if not in a few hours.

"Any idea why it was programmed for this destination?" Matthew leaned into Jesse, that was tapping away at the tablet.

The messy bun-haired woman shook her head, "considering we have thirteen ships and twenty-five pods here, and you think that answer would be definite? Anyway, Rolando is working on it. He's been here for an hour. Tracking only picked up one pod; it's why it was last on the list."

"Keller from the Primitus Base said that sites nine and ten are huddled here. Expanding our numbers," Richie radioed in on their comms, listening to conversation as he searched along the vast number of survivors.

He was followed by an elite of eight searchings and questioning the princess's whereabouts.

"You know, there is a really good chance she could be here." Eko's chirpy voice popped into his senses. Jesse turned briefly with the smiling brunette as more soldiers around them had been disembarking from the ship.

"Saying that it would totally be a positive end to today if we do, and all."

"We're not that lucky." Jesse shook her head, always the one for a cynical approach in what they do, "anyway, I'm going to meet up with Rolando."

Matthew nodded, "I'll take this one and speak to whoever we can; see if she recognises anyone."

"She is here." Eko folded her arms.

Jesse raised an eyebrow at her before she turned her attention to Matthew, "if you can tolerate his behaviour, then by all means."

"You know, that's really offensive. I am a delight."

"You're not," green eyes turned to Eko, "he's really not. He's a pain in my ass."

"Go," he pointed towards one of the ships, "you're hungry and in a bad mood."

Jesse flipped him the bird before sweeping her head and taking off towards where Rolando would be. It left the soldiers passing by them as Eko looked to Matthew, smiling at the red-haired that was now in the distance before them.

"Anyway," Eko offered, "since the sites are here, are we heading back to base tonight? Figure out from here where our next steps are with Ezra?"

"Eventually, we have two more days. We'll likely send the crew to collect the survivors for processing and continue to a few of the bases that had reported an influx of survivors."

"Then why are you frowning?" she scrunched her nose at his facial expression. The dark blonde turned his head nodding.

"The militia back home, we're going to see them rebel, either way, Eko. It'll be out of fear, so while we have to worry about the survivors and how we deal and handle them, I need my soldiers focusing on the outbreak from the civilians that are going to try something fucken dumb."

"You really think that? Even if we find Seraphina?"

"You don't think that?" He scoffed, and this time he started walking.

Eko, on his heel, both bodies in unison as they made their way through the maze of the field of bodies before them.

"Think about it," he offered his thought process, "the people of Isadora will want to take justice into their own hands. You can't say they won't be keen to fight against something that hurts them, and I'm sure the academies would follow. We don't stand for this.