[i]I’ve just received word from the soldiers that two of the prisoners have been recaptured,[/i] Jacob’s voice projected crisply through the earpiece Caspian was wearing. [i]It appears that they split up in the city. One was found taking cover in the downtown district, and the other was attempting to scale one of the border walls on the east side. We suspect he was trying to retreat to the provinces on the other side. However, it is still unknown whether these provinces are the location of the Scourge’s headquarters, so the soldiers shot him down before he made it to the top.[/i]

[color=#b97703]“What is his status?”[/color] Cas asked, climbing the stairs that led to his room. As excited as he had been to finally cross the line from friends to something more with Iris, all of the joy had fled from his visage as he spoke with the security guard about the updates. According to the bedside doctor who had come to check on his father, the king had fallen asleep as soon as his medicine had worn off. That meant the crown prince was left in charge of the handling of the prisoners for the rest of the night, and he needed to take his job seriously.

[i]He survived the fall and was taken in alive,[/i] Jacob answered through the device. [i]However, he sustained a number of serious injuries from both the gunshots and the impact with the ground that require immediate medical attention before he can be handed off to the interrogators. The estimated time of his awakening from the anesthesia is 23:00.[/i]

Cas glanced at the time on his cell phone and winced. It was only half past eight o’ clock. At this rate, it looked like he was going to be pulling an all-nighter in order to stay in touch with the soldiers throughout the interrogation process. [color=#b97703]“What about the others?”[/color] he asked next, pushing open the door to his bedroom and stepping inside. [color=#b97703]“Any sign of them in the city?”[/color]

[i]Negative. Based on the intelligence we have received until this point, there are two terrorists left that have yet to be recovered. The soldiers believe they are still somewhere inside the walls, but their locations are unconfirmed.[/i]

[color=#b97703]“Okay,”[/color] the prince mused, sitting down on the edge of his bed. [color=#b97703]“Thanks, Jacob. Keep me posted as you learn more.”[/color]

[i]Of course, Your Highness.[/i] Soft static followed the statement as Jacob severed his end of the line, and Cas fell back on his mattress with a groan. After the past few days of peace and quiet, he supposed he should have known that something would go wrong that demanded his attention. He just hadn’t thought it would be something as major as a terrorist attack on the mansion. The rebels were getting bolder. It had been years since the last time they had invaded high born territory. He hoped the soldiers that were fighting against them in the provinces beyond the capital were faring alright.

For the rest of the night, Cas alternated between laying on his bed and pacing to stay awake as he took intermittent calls from Jacob and one of the interrogators handling the prisoners. According to both of them, the two rebels they had in their custody weren’t budging, and the only information they could get out of them were details they already knew about the Scourge. It was better than nothing, since their prior intelligence was confirmed, but it was still frustrating to know that the terrorists were so loyal to their cause that they wouldn’t give up any crucial information. The two missing prisoners were never found either.

By the time he was no longer needed—a little after four in the morning—Cas finally turned off his com device and collapsed on his bed, exhausted from the long day. Not everything had been resolved the way he would have wanted, but he was too tired to spend any more energy on trying to fix the issues. Unable to stay awake any longer, he passed out on his pillow, still wearing the same clothes he had been in since the morning.