When Iris said the districts outside the capital didn’t have taxis, Caspian stared at her blankly. Cab services were something he’d thought existed everywhere in Aspiria, but here—he didn’t believe she was correct about taxis being unavailable everywhere else—the industry must have died off somehow. Maybe the people who lived here preferred to drive themselves around, or maybe Tongsen was so crime riddled, the locals didn’t trust the men and women sitting behind the wheel of a car to get them to their destination without robbing them before they got there. Whatever the case, the lack of public vehicles was quickly proving to be an inconvenience.

[color=#b97703]“Okay,”[/color] he started slowly, furrowing his brows as he thought of an alternative. [color=#b97703]“We can just take a bus then—”[/color] He faltered as she went on to explain to him just how deep the roots of the rebellion had grown. If she was right, it the Scourge was even bigger than their intelligence officers had estimated. He glanced over his shoulder at one of the people sitting on a doorstep, troubled. If his father found out that most of his kingdom had turned against him, he would probably strike many of the rules that were currently in place to keep civilians outside the capital safe. The war was close to exploding into something much more devastating than it already was.

As she went on, disappointment flickered behind his dark eyes. When they’d left her father’s basement, a part of him had begun to hope that he would be back inside his own home by the end of the day. Now, it was beginning to sound like he would be lucky to get there tomorrow or the next day. He loathed the thought of spending any more time among the rebels than he already had, but he had no choice. He couldn’t find his way back by himself, and if Regis was just going to cut him off before he could get to safety, he had to wait out the threat.

[color=#b97703]“Fine,”[/color] he exhaled reluctantly, following after her as she continued walking to wherever she had decided they were going to be spending the night. Even though he wasn’t happy with the way things were turning out, there was no sense in arguing. He just hoped that if they were going to a hotel, it would be cleaner than the buildings he was looking at now. The threat of getting an infection in his arm was very real, and he dreaded getting examined by a doctor only to be told that the limb had to be amputated. He would have felt better sleeping in a place that wasn’t covered in trash and dirt.

Unfortunately, it looked like the place where they would be staying didn’t even have room service. Cas watched in dismay as Iris opened the door to what appeared to be an old, abandoned bomb shelter. [color=#b97703][i]This is the best we’ve got?[/i][/color] He was tempted to tell her that he preferred to stay somewhere with running water, but they’d been walking for so long that he wasn’t sure if he could make it all the way to the closest hotel. It had been yet another long day without any food or water, and on top of that, his wounds were making him feel stiff. All he wanted to do right now was lay down and rest. If that meant putting up with a hovel for a shelter for one night, then so be it.

Without a word, he followed Iris into the dark room. Earlier, he might have been hesitant to go with a rebel into a pitch-black space, but he was too tired to care if it was a trap anymore. He stumbled in the darkness until he found a bed and collapsed onto it with a weary groan. The mattress was uneven and dusty, but compared to the cold, hard floor of the basement that he’d been sleeping on for days, it felt heavenly underneath him. He sprawled on his good side and fitted his forearm comfortably beneath his head, tempted to doze off right then and there if not for the sound of his company rustling around on the other side of the room.

Curious, he tried to watch her, but it was impossible to make out exactly what she was doing when he could barely see her outline. Only when she came closer to hand him something did he realize she had been getting out supplies. He propped himself up on his arm and took the objects from her, his eyes widening with the realization that she was giving him food and water. Immediately, he sat up again and opened one of the bottles, lifting it to his lips to down the whole thing. Once he was finished, he dropped the empty container on the ground, panting to catch his breath.

[color=#b97703]“Why are you doing this?”[/color] the question escaped before he had a chance to filter it. He opened the package of bread and removed a slice to eat, absentmindedly fingering the plastic seal that held it shut to preserve the food’s freshness. Given the fact that no one had killed him yet, it seemed like Iris really was helping him escape. He’d decided she was an ally, but he still couldn’t figure out why she was putting everything on the line for him. [color=#b97703]“Your dad is the leader of the Sco—of the rebellion. And isn’t your boyfriend going to be mad when he finds out you’re helping me?”[/color] Just mentioning Ethan, the reminder that Iris had never really had feelings for him, left a foul taste in his mouth, and he took another bite of bread to get rid of it. [color=#b97703]“I just don’t get it. You said you came to the capital to kill me, but now you’re keeping me alive even though everyone close to you wants to see me dead. Why?”[/color]