At least Iris didn’t sound like she was judging him for handling his injury so poorly. Cas leaned into the wall behind him, relaxing as the soreness in his arm faded to a dull throb. He’d never been stabbed before, and he hoped he’d never have to go through it again. Once he was back in the safety of the capital, he planned to thoroughly review the security in place as the mansion with his guards. He was going to make sure no rebels ever got that close to him or his father again. Additionally, he wanted to review the border security with the military to figure out why it had been so easy for the rebels to get in and out of the capital through the forest in the first place. The only thing that had stopped Iris from reaching him when she’d snuck in was a random bear trap, and her companions seemed to have made it much further without any trouble at all. There was a blind spot in their defenses somewhere that the Scourge was taking advantage of, and he intended to find it.

Hearing the scrape of something sliding across the floor, he glanced down from his perch on the bed. [color=#b97703]“It’s not that big a deal,”[/color] he shrugged his good shoulder even though he knew she couldn’t see the motion. [color=#b97703]“A knife is better than nothing. Thanks.”[/color] The words he spoke could have been misconstrued as sarcastic, but there was no hint of insincerity in his voice. After everything he’d been through so far, he was just glad he didn’t have to eat with his hands. He did, however, hope they would be able to stay someplace nicer tomorrow if he couldn’t get back to the capital right away. It had been a little over half a week since the last time he’d showered, and laying on a basement floor every day had left him feeling grubby. He hoped they could move to a hideout with running water, so he could scrub away the dirt that had been collecting on his skin and hair.

Bending down, he picked up the pocketknife Iris had passed to him and ran his fingers over the edges as he sorted out how to open the blade. It wasn’t as easy in total darkness as it would have been if he’d had a light, but he managed to figure it out without any help. Carefully, he touched the edges of the weapon, determining which side was the sharp one, and then used it to cut the pie into six pieces.

Under normal circumstances, he wouldn’t have eaten an entire pastry by himself. The Maydestones, like most other high born families, had a private dietician who outlined their ideal meal plans to keep them healthy. Of course, the specialists couldn’t force their clients to follow their guidelines—the woman who worked for the royal family was constantly pulling out her hair because of the prince’s drinking habits—but in general, he took most of her advice without too much fuss. If she knew he was about to inhale a whole pie for his dinner, she might have had a heart attack on the spot. Nevertheless, he was starving, and the sugary treat was delicious, so he ate without holding back and set the empty tin on the floor when it was gone.

With a full stomach for the first time in days, he laid down contentedly on his good side and folded his arm beneath his head. Compared to the cold, hard floor of the Nox-Fleurets’ basement, the broken mattress felt like a cloud. He closed his eyes, enjoying the way the soft surface bowed beneath his weight instead of bruising his shoulder and hip. Thoroughly exhausted from the long day, it took less than a minute before he had drifted off into a deep slumber.

--

“Is everyone in position? We’ve only got one shot at this. If anyone fucks it up, I’ll shoot you myself,” Jacob hissed tersely into his headset. He and the rest of his team had been sitting on a run-down old house in Tongsen for the better half of the afternoon. The scouts had tracked Regis Nox-Fleuret to this location the day before and confirmed that he hadn’t left overnight. Judging by that, they had determined that this place was either him home or his base of operations. Maybe it was both. In any case, they were closer to taking down the leader of the Scourge than they had ever been before, and they were just as close to finding their missing prince. If they played their cards right, they could kill two birds with one stone and end their troubles with the rebellion for good.

Jacob glanced up at the sky and then down at his watch, checking the time. Just before he and the rest of the team had arrived to finish the job, they’d received a report that Regis had left the building in his car. Right now, they were waiting for him to return, so the sting wouldn’t be a bust. It was the boring part of a mission when the timing went wrong. They’d done nothing but sit idly for hours, watching a motionless house. The most exciting thing that had happened was when two people in hoods had walked out toward the beginning of the stakeout. They were probably rebels too, but since he and his team had come here specifically to apprehend Regis, he’d given the order to stand down and let the small fish walk. Taking down the leader and finding Caspian was more important than stopping every Scourge member they came across out here.

Fortunately, it seemed like they were about to do just that.

[i]I’ve got eyes on the target.[/i] Jacob perked up as a soldier’s voice crackled through the headset. In the next moment, he watched with delight as the familiar beat-up vehicle rolled into view and parked just outside the house. Regis was finally back.

[i]Gotcha,[/i] he grinned and stood up in the alley he’d chosen as his hiding spot. “Right, men, get ready to move,” he ordered. “It’s time to cut the head off this snake.”