Kai has spent nearly two days tied up in Meredith’s refuge after the ambush in the Scorches. While Paedyn guards him with a crossbow, Kai reflects on overhearing how she killed the ruler she was blamed for killing and notices the scar on her neck, recognizing the pain behind it. When Lenny outlines the group’s plan to take Kai near Ilya and trade him to the king for Paedyn’s freedom, Kai privately judges the plan disastrous because any true Elite nearby would give him access to real power again. He is also fascinated by the unstable, partial abilities he has been sensing in Meredith and the others.

As the camp settles for the night, Meredith hands out bread and Finn takes first watch so Paedyn can sleep. Paedyn lies beside Kai in the shared bedroll, and their banter turns into a quieter exchange when she helps scratch Kai’s nose because his hands are bound. Kai presses her about the bargain with the king and warns that trading him for her freedom may fail, but Paedyn insists Kitt values Kai more than he hates her. Afterward, Kai watches her fall asleep and tries to deny his growing attachment, reminding himself that Paedyn is supposed to be only his prisoner and mission.

During the night, someone throws fabric over Kai’s head and drugs him. He wakes in a filthy underground cell with his hands still tied behind his back and bound to Paedyn’s hands as well. They realize they have both been taken while unconscious, and Kai notes that the prison bars are ordinary metal, which leaves him powerless without an Elite to draw from. Paedyn quickly spirals when she smells blood and feels trapped in the small space.

Recognizing her panic, Kai carefully talks Paedyn through it. He tells her to stretch her legs out and feel the floor so she can judge the space more accurately, even though he lies about his own position to make the cell seem less confining. When he laces his fingers through hers, Paedyn gradually steadies her breathing and leans against him until footsteps approach. The moment shows both Kai’s instinct to protect her and the intimacy neither of them wants to acknowledge.

The visitor is Rafael, whom Paedyn immediately recognizes. Rafael admits he stationed men around the outskirts of Dor in case Paedyn escaped and is delighted that she led him to Kai as well. He says the reward for returning both of them to Ilya is too valuable to refuse, tosses them stale bread, and casually reveals that a sewer beneath the prison will soon be flushed, worsening their danger. Once Rafael leaves, Kai refuses to imagine returning to Ilya as a prisoner because it would destroy the reputation he has built, and Paedyn turns practical at once, asking what escape plan they can make.