The argument started exactly thirty-two seconds after Druig announced the infiltration team.
Which, honestly, was thirty-one seconds longer than Quinn expected.
The village council gathered beneath the largest communal shelter as rain drummed steadily against the roof overhead. Maps had been spread across a long wooden table while scouts marked patrol routes, supply locations, and the newly established mercenary encampment deep within the eastern jungle.
Druig stood at the center of it all.
Focused.
Composed.
Infuriatingly attractive.
"The team will be small," Druig said.
Several scouts nodded.
"Fast movement. Minimal exposure."
His finger traced one of the marked routes.
"We enter at night"
Quinn listened quietly.
Then:
"I'm coming."
Silence.
Several scouts lowered their heads.
Amaru actually looked amused.
Druig didn't even look up from the map.
"No"
Quinn blinked.
Just like that.
No discussion.
No debate.
No.
She folded her arms.
"Why not?"
Still no reaction.
Druig continued studying the map.
"We're not doing this"
The scouts immediately became fascinated by absolutely anything except the conversation unfolding in front of them.
Quinn stepped closer.
"Druig"
"No"
"Druig!"
"No"
"Dru—"
"No!"
The villagers seemed stunned that someone would actually even consider arguing with Druig.
Or that Druig didn't use his abilities to stop Quinn from insisting on coming along.
Finally Druig lifted his head.
And Quinn immediately knew she was in trouble because this wasn't the soft version of him.
Not the man from the river.
Not the man who kissed her in the rain.
This was the leader of the village.
The strategist.
The protector.
And he had already decided.
"You are injured"
"I'm fine"
"That's a lie"
"You need my abilities to fight these people off"
Druig looked entirely unimpressed, "Your powers destabilized during the storm"
"They stabilized"
"After nearly collapsing a building"
"A minor setback"
Quinn took a step closer, "I'm still coming"
"No"
The answer arrived instantly.
Again.
Frustration flared through her, "Why do you get to decide if I stay or go when everyone else volunteered"
Druig's gaze narrowed slightly, "Why?"
"Yes! Why?"
The atmosphere around them shifted almost imperceptibly.
Not enough for anyone else to notice.
Enough for Druig.
Always enough for Quinn.
He stepped away from the table.
Toward her.
The scouts figured this was their chance to leave.
Amaru lingered for a bit as if this conversation involved him as well.
Druig's eyes flashed gold before Amaru's eyes reflected the same light as he turned and followed the others out of the room.
The moment they were alone, Quinn lowered her voice, "You asked me to stay"
Druig's expression softened slightly, "I did"
"You told me I was part of this village"
"Yes"
"Then stop treating me like I'm made of glass"
Druig looked away briefly.
When he looked back, the frustration was gone.
Replaced by something much more dangerous.
Fear.
Real fear.
And suddenly Quinn understood.
This wasn't about the mission.
Not really.
Druig stepped closer, "You know what happened when I found you"
His voice had gone quiet.
"You were unconscious"
Quinn rolled her eyes, "Druig—"
"You fell into a ravine"
"I survived"
"Barely"
The emotion behind the word startled her because it wasn't anger.
It was fear he hadn't let himself process until now.
Quinn's chest tightened.
Druig continued, "Then they attacked the village"
His jaw clenched, "You nearly collapsed from overusing your powers"
She opened her mouth but closed it again.
Druig stepped even closer, "I spent centuries convincing myself I could lose anyone"
The confession hit harder than expected.
His eyes locked onto hers, "And then you arrived"
The air left Quinn's lungs.
Druig laughed softly in a defeated way, "You are asking the wrong question"
"What question should I be asking?"
His hand found hers.
Warm.
Steady.
Quinn felt his thumb brush lightly across her knuckles.
And then he said, "Not why I don't want you on the mission"
A pause.
"Why I cannot bear the thought of something happening to you"
Quinn stared at him.
And for one terrible, wonderful moment, she forgot every argument she'd prepared.
Because there it was.
Love.
Terrifying, overwhelming love.
The kind that had survived seven thousand years and somehow still left him vulnerable.
The rain faded, the jungle breathed, and Quinn sat beside Druig on the overlook above the village, her shoulder pressed lightly against his while dawn slowly painted gold across the canopy.
No hiding.
No pretending.
No running.
Just peace.
The kind she'd spent years chasing and somehow found in the arms of the last person she should have fallen for.
Which was exactly why it couldn't last.
Footsteps echoed sharply across the walkway; fast and urgent.
Druig's expression shifted before the scout even reached them.
Quinn noticed immediately.
The leader returned.
The man she'd fallen in love with disappeared and something older took his place.
The scout stopped several feet away.
Breathing hard.
"Druig"
The urgency in his voice was enough.
Quinn's stomach dropped.
"What happened?" Druig asked.
The scout swallowed, "They've brought excavation equipment"
The words seemed almost harmless at first then Quinn watched every ounce of warmth leave Druig's face.
The scout continued, "Heavy machinery, ground-penetrating scanners, military vehicles"
Another scout arrived moments later, "They're building a forward camp approximately fifteen kilometers east"
Druig slowly stood.
Quinn rose beside him.
"What are they looking for?" she asked.
Neither scout answered.
Which was answer enough.
Something in the jungle, something important enough to justify all of this.
The attacks, the tracking, the resources.
The realization settled heavily over everyone present.
Druig stared out across the rainforest; thinking, calculating, and dangerously quiet.
The scouts exchanged nervous glances.
One finally asked, "What do we do?"
Quinn looked toward Druig, waiting.
The jungle wind stirred softly through the trees.
Druig smiled.
It wasn't a warm smile like the one he'd given her beside the river or during the festival.
This smile belonged to the man who had survived seven thousand years.
The man kings feared.
The man who could stop armies with a thought.
Druig turned toward the scouts, "They believe we will remain here"
His voice carried easily through the morning air calm and certain.
The scouts straightened instinctively.
Quinn felt chills race down her arms.
Druig's eyes lifted toward the jungle horizon, toward the approaching threat.
"They expect us to wait"
More villagers had begun gathering now, drawn by the tension and the look on their leader's face.
Druig's gaze swept across them.
Across the village he had protected for centuries at the people who trusted him with their lives and their parents, grandparents, and ancestors before then.
Finally, it settled briefly on Quinn.
The look they shared lasted only a second, but she understood it instantly.
Druig spoke words that changed everything, "We go to them"
The village erupted in shock and confusion.
Amaru stepped forward immediately, "Druig-"
"They have already found us"
His voice cut through the crowd effortlessly, "They will not stop"
No one argued because they all knew it was true.
Druig stepped down from the overlook, every eye followed him, "Every day we wait gives them time to build stronger defenses"
His gaze hardened, "More weapons, more soldiers, and more opportunities to threaten this village"
Quinn watched the village begin to shift around him.
Fear transformed into focus, doubt into purpose.
Not because he controlled them but because they believed him.
Amaru finally spoke again, "And what exactly is your plan?"
The old man sounded exhausted.
Druig looked toward the eastern jungle.
His eyes narrowed slightly, "We find out what they're searching for"
Not fully gone, just quieter now, drifting silver through the jungle while pale dawn light slowly bled into the horizon beyond the trees.
Druig still stood impossibly close.
Forehead resting gently against hers. One hand warm against her face.
Quinn's pulse felt unsteady beneath her ribs.
Not from fear, from him.
The terrifying thing was... she no longer knew how to separate the two.
"Stay"
The word lingered softly between them.
Not power, not command, need.
Quinn closed her eyes briefly.
No one had ever asked her to stay before.
Not like this.
Not while fully understanding what she carried inside her.
The danger, the instability, the destruction.
And somehow Druig looked at all of that and still saw someone worth keeping.
It undid her completely.
Quinn inhaled shakily, "This is a terrible idea"
Druig's thumb brushed lightly beneath her eye again.
"Yes" he agreed quietly.
That startled a breathless laugh out of her.
Of course, the immortal telepath she was in love with responded to emotional vulnerability with devastating honesty.
The realization hit all at once.
In love.
Quinn opened her eyes slowly.
Druig was already watching her like he knew exactly what realization had just happened inside her head.
No fear left between them anymore.
Only truth.
Quinn swallowed hard.
"I spent years trying not to need anyone" she admitted quietly.
The words felt fragile leaving her mouth.
"After my father disappeared..." Her voice tightened slightly, "I kept thinking if I stayed detached enough, eventually losing people wouldn't hurt as much"
Druig listened silently.
Quinn laughed softly without humor, "Turns out that strategy fails when an immortal mind-reader in the rainforest decides to emotionally ruin your life"
A real smile appeared this time.
Druig's hand slipped gently from her face to the back of her neck instead.
Closer.
Quinn's breath caught.
"You think I'm handling this any better?" he asked quietly.
The honesty in his voice shattered the remaining distance between them completely.
Quinn stared at him.
And suddenly she saw it clearly: the restraint, the fear, the impossible carefulness in every touch.
Druig wasn't holding back because he didn't feel enough, he was holding back because he felt too much.
The realization wrecked her.
Quinn lifted one trembling hand against his chest slowly.
Steady heartbeat beneath her palm.
"You asked me earlier why I was leaving" she whispered.
Druig's gaze softened, "Yes"
Quinn exhaled shakily, "Because I'm falling in love with you"
Druig froze beneath her touch.
Druig closed his eyes briefly like the words physically hurt him somehow.
When he looked at her again, all the walls were gone.
Seven thousand years of restraint stripped away completely in one impossible moment.
"You should not say things like that to someone like me" he whispered.
Quinn's heart stumbled, "Why?"
Druig's hand tightened slightly against the back of her neck.
"Because once I love something..." His voice lowered carefully, "I do not know how to let it go"
The confession stole the breath from her lungs entirely.
Druig's eyes burned as he kissed her again like he'd spent every second since the first kiss trying not to do exactly this.
Quinn pulled him closer immediately, fingers twisting into the fabric near his collar while the pressure around them rippled warmly through the mist.
The emotional connection burst fully open between them, no barriers left.
She felt him; the centuries of loneliness, grief buried impossibly deep, devotion powerful enough to terrify him.
And beneath all of it, her.
Druig kissed her like someone starved, like someone who had spent lifetimes denying himself softness and suddenly couldn't anymore.
Quinn felt dizzy from it, from him.
From the terrifying realization that she had somehow become important enough to break through all his restraint.
When they pulled apart, both of them were breathing unevenly.
Druig rested his forehead against hers again.
And quietly, like the words mattered more than anything else he had ever said.
he whispered,
"You are mine now"
Not possessive but certain, like something ancient inside him had already decided.
Lanterns had burned low during the night, their fading gold glow barely visible through drifting morning mist while rainwater continued dripping steadily from the jungle canopy overhead.
Quinn moved silently.
Or at least... she tried to.
A small satchel rested against her shoulder filled with only essentials: her father's journal, bandages, water, the knife one of the village women insisted she carry.
Not much.
It hurt less that way.
The narrow pathways through the settlement felt painfully familiar now as she crossed them quietly beneath the gray pre-dawn sky.
The healer's hut, the central fires, the river trail.
Home.
The realization nearly stopped her in her tracks.
No.
She couldn't think like that.
Not now.
Not when every instinct screamed that staying would destroy this place eventually.
Quinn reached the outer edge of the village just as thunder rolled faintly through the distant mountains.
The jungle beyond stretched dark and endless before her.
One more step.
That was all.
"You're leaving"
Quinn closed her eyes immediately.
Of course he knew.
Druig stood several feet behind her concealed in the jungle that of course she couldn't see he was there until he spoke, hands clasped in front of him, expression unreadable in the pale dawn haze.
She turned slowly toward him, "I didn't want to wake anyone"
Druig stared at the satchel over her shoulder.
"You weren't going to say goodbye"
The quietness in his voice hurt more than anger would have.
Quinn swallowed hard, "This place isn't safe anymore with me here"
Druig stepped closer, "It never was"
"That's not true"
The pressure beneath Quinn's skin stirred uneasily.
She forced it down.
"The mercenaries came before of me" she continued softly, "More will follow"
Druig's expression remained frustratingly calm, "So we deal with them"
Quinn stared at him in disbelief, "You say that like it's nothing"
"I've survived worse"
"That's exactly the problem!"
The words escaped sharper than intended.
Bired scattered somewhere deeper in the trees.
Quinn exhaled shakily and lowered her voice again, "You built this place to protect people"
Druig's eyes never left hers, "Yes"
"And now I'm bringing violence directly to it"
Silence.
Rain dripped softly from the woven rooftops around them.
Quinn's chest tightened painfully, "Why do you want me to stay here it it's bringing destruction to your home?"
There it was.
The real question.
The one terrifying truth neither of them had spoken aloud yet.
Druig went very still.
The jungle itself seemed to hold its breath.
Then slowly, carefully... he stepped closer again.
Close enough that Quinn could sense his heartbeat beneath the rain.
"This village is not just walls and pathways" he said quietly.
His voice carried something fragile now, something frighteningly honest.
"It's people"
Quinn's throat tightened.
Druig's gaze locked onto hers completely.
"And somewhere along the way..." he admitted softly, "You became one of them"
The words shattered something inside her.
Because no one had chosen her like that before.
Not fully... not despite the danger.
Druig stepped even closer.
"If you leave now" he continued quietly, "You'll spend the rest of your life running"
Quinn looked away immediately because he was right.
"I know what fear does to people"
Druig said softly, "I know what it becomes when you let it make your decisions for you"
Or maybe it ruined Quinn’s ability to pretend she wasn’t already emotionally doomed.
Either way, by the time she stepped outside the healer’s hut beside Druig, her pulse still hadn’t recovered properly.
The storm had weakened slightly, but rain continued falling steadily through the jungle while lantern light flickered across the crowded central pathways ahead.
Something was wrong.
Villagers gathered near the southern perimeter speaking rapidly in tense voices while several scouts stood soaked from the storm near the center of the crowd.
Druig’s expression hardened immediately.
Business.
Leadership.
Distance.
The emotional warmth from moments ago vanished behind centuries of practiced control so quickly it almost startled Quinn.
Almost.
She followed him silently through the gathering.
The scouts looked exhausted.
One of them stepped forward immediately.
“They’re moving east now,” he reported urgently. “Toward the mountain pass”
The atmosphere shifted unnaturally across the jungle while distant thunder rolled through the mountains beyond the forest. Wind tore violently through the trees surrounding the village, rattling lanterns and woven rooftops overhead.
And somewhere inside the healer's hut, Quinn's powers reacted immediately.
Druig entered without knocking.
The room looked like a disaster.
Candles flickered violently, loose objects hovered inches above nearby shelves, even the wooden walls groaned softly beneath unstable pressure waves pulsing through the air.
And in the center of it all...
Quinn sat on the floor trying desperately to breath normally.
Failing.
Her hands trembled visibly against her knees while rain hammered against the roof overhead.
The pressure spikes in the storm were amplifying her abilities.
Druig understood that instantly.
Quinn looked up the second he entered, "I'm okay"
An obvious lie.
The atmosphere cracked sharply around her.
Druig shut the door behind him calmly, "You're shaking the walls"
"That's not helping"
Another pulse rippled outward.
One of the lanterns shattered.
Quinn flinched immediately.
Guilt followed fast behind the panic.
Druig crossed the room slowly, "Look at me"
Quinn tried.
Another thunderclap split across the jungle outside.
The pressure inside the hut surged violently.
Druig reached her just as the shelves along the far wall splintered inward.
Then he crouched in front of her.
Close.
Steady.
Real.
"Breathe" he said softly.
Quinn's breathing remained uneven.
"I hate this"
Druig suddenly felt sorry for Quinn, not because of the destruction but because of how terrified she sounded.
The storm raged harder outside now.
Rainfall, thunder, pressure.
Everything overwhelming her senses simultanesously.
Without thinking, Druig reached for her hands.
His eyes glowed gold as he did the only thing he felt he could do at that moment, let her in.
Quinn gasped softly as fragments of emotion passed sharply between them; her fear, his concern, her exhaustion, and his longing.
And beneath all of it, something neither of them could pretend not to recognize anymore.
Druig's heartbeat slowed deliberately.
Grounding himself, grounding her.
Quinn's powers responded almost immediately.
The pressure in the room eased slightly.
Her breathing followed.
"There you are" Druig murmured quietly.
Quinn stared at him.
Lightning flashed through the wooden walls behind them illuminating the room in brief silver light.
And suddenly, the distance between them felt impossible to maintain.
Quinn's voice came out small, "I shouldn't stay"
Druig frowned slightly, "Why?"
"Because eventually" she whispered, "I'm going to hurt someone"
The confession landed heavily between them.
Druig looked at her carefully.
This wasn't fear of power anymore, this was fear of herself.
He understood that too well.
Slowly, Druig lifted one hand to her face.
Quinn leaned into the touch before she could stop herself.
The certainty in his voice made her look at him again.
Rain thundered violently outside while the lantern light flickered softly around them.
Quinn's pulse fluttered unevenly beneath his senses.
Druig realized suddenly, she was waiting for him.
One final choice, one final moment to step away.
He didn't.
Druig kissed her softly.
The world went completely silent.
No thunder, no pressure, not jungle.
Just her.
Quinn inhaled sharply against him before kissing him back almost immediately, one trembling hand gripping the fabric near his collar as though she needed something solid to hold onto.
For the first time since her arrival, Quinn's powers went completely still.
Druig felt it instantly.
Peace.
Actual peace.
The realization nearly undid him.
The kiss deepened slowly, carefully, like both of them were afraid the moment might disappear if they moved too quickly.
And maybe it would have.
Because a sudden violent knock slammed against the healer hut door.
Both of them pulled apart, breathing unevenly.
Thunder cracked overhead.
Another knock followed urgently.
"Druig!"
Amaru's voice.
Druig closed his eyes briefly.
Of course.
Quinn looked equally flustered and entirely too beautiful sitting there flushed beneath the lantern light.
Druig stood reluctantly while trying very hard to not use his power to make Amaru say it was nothing.
But before he could will it, Amaru shouted again, "Scouts have returned"
Druig paused, knowing Amaru's voice long enough to know the urgency under it.
Druig looked back toward Quinn one last time before opening the door.
Judging by the expression on her face, she already knew, whatever came next was going to change everything.
The village still carried the scars from the attack: splintered railings, collapsed watch posts, burn marks along the southern perimeter where explosions had town through the outer defenses.
Druig watched quietly from the upper walkway as villagers worked together below rebuilding damaged structures beneath the dense jungle canopy.
And despite himself...
His attention kept drifting toward Quinn.
Again.
She stood near the southern wall helping reinforce one of the damaged support beams while several villagers worked beside her. Loose strands of dark hair clung to her face in the heat while sweat dampened the fabric at her collar.
She looked tired.
Too pale.
Druig noticed immediately.
Quinn pressed one hand briefly against the wooden support beam beside her.
The atmosphere shifted faintly.
Pressure curled invisibly through the damaged structure.
The fractured wood compressed inward slowly, stabilizing.
Several nearby villagers exchanged startled looks.
One whispered, "She's helping"
Druig remained still.
Watching.
Because Quinn's breathing had already become uneven.
She was pushing herself.
"Damn" he mumbled.
He started toward her immediately.
Below, Quinn moved carefully to the next damaged section of wall while trying unsuccessfully to hide the slight tremor in her hands.
A younger villager handed her another support brace.
"Thank you" Quinn said softly.
Then she touched the damaged structure again.
Pressure rippled outward.
The wood groaned sharply before resetting into place beneath invisible force.
But this time, Quinn swayed hard afterward.
Several villagers stepped back instinctively.
Druig's jaw tightened.
He reached her just as Quinn pressed a shaking hand against her ribs.
"You're overusing your abilities"
Quinn didn't look at him, "I'm fine"
Lie... Druig didn't need to use his power to know this.
He lowered his voice carefully, "Your breathing is irregular"
That got her attention.
Quinn looked up sharply.
"You can hear that?"
"I can see you struggling from the other side of the village"
Another sharp wave of dizziness hit her.
Druig caught her arm immediately before she could stumble.
The second his hand touched her, the pressure around them surged unevenly.
Quinn inhaled sharply through clenched teeth.
Pain.
Druig could tell that it was physical and not emotional.
Something inside him went cold, "You're still injured"
Quinn looked away.
Druig's expression darkened.
"Quinn"
"My powers take energy" she admitted quietly, "A lot of it"
"How much?"
Another silence.
Druig guided her away from the others before she could protest, leading her toward the quieter upper walkways overlooking the jungle.
Quinn didn't resist which worried him more.
By the time they reached the shaded platform above the village, her breathing had become noticeably shallow.
Druig turned toward her fully.
"How long have you been hiding this?"
Quinn leaned tiredly against the railing, "Since Peru"
His breath hitched.
"The pressure fields burn through my body when I use too much force" she admitted softly, "Muscles, nervous system, cardiovascular strain, you name it"
Druig stared at her.
Humans were fragile enough already.
And she carried that inside her?
"You should've told me"
Quinn laughed weakly.
"Congratulations... you now know why I don't exactly advertise my powers"
Druig stepped closer slowly.
Anger simmered quietly beneath his ribs now.
Not at her.
At the fact she had been carrying this alone.
Always alone.
"You were trying to protect the village" he said quietly.
Quinn looked exhausted suddenly.
"I'm trying not to destroy it"
The honesty in her voice hit harder than expected.
Druig studied her carefully.
The tension in her shoulder, the exhaustion beneath her eyes, the constant restraint woven through every movement she made.
Quinn wasn't afraid of becoming powerful.
She was afraid of becoming catastrophic.
Druig finally understood how tired she must be.
Without thinking, he reached up carefully and brushed strands of hair back from her face.
Quinn froze instantly.
So did he.
Quinn looked up at him slowly.
Druig's thumb lingered briefly against her cheek before he could stop himself.
The jungle around them blurred softly into distant noise.
And then Quinn whispered, "You stopped trying to avoid me"
He had watched entire civilizations destroy themselves in the span of a human lifetime and felt less unsettled than he did now walking back through his own village after nearly kissing Quinn beside the river.
Ridiculous.
The jungle path stretched silently ahead while lanterns glowed softly between the trees near the village outskirts. Night insects hummed through the humid air.
Druig barely noticed any of it.
Because every thought kept returning to her.
The way her powers reacted to him. The way she looked at him after the connection. The way she had held onto him for one dangerous second too long.
And worst of all... t
The way he had almost forgotten himself entirely.
Druig stepped onto one of the upper platforms overlooking the village below and stopped there, staring out across the glowing lanterns beneath the canopy.
Children still laughed somewhere in the distance. Music lingered softly near the fires.
Peace.
The thing he had spent centuries trying to protect.
And now Quinn stood directly in the center of it.
A storm disguised as a woman.
He should send her away.
The logical part of him knew that.
The mercenaries would return... others would follow. Power always attracted violence eventually.
And Quinn...
Quinn was powerful enough to terrify people.
Druig understood that feeling better than most.
He rested both hands against the wooden railing, jaw tightening faintly.
Because the real problem was no longer the danger.
It was attachment.
He'd felt it growing long before tonight; the way he searched for her instinctively in crowded spaces, the way he listened for her laughter, and the unbearable relief every time she smiled instead of looking afraid.
Druig closed his eyes briefly.
He could still feel echoes of her emotions lingering beneath his skin; fear, loneliness, determination.
And trust.
That one disturbed him the most.
Because Quinn was beginning to trust him.
If she knew everything he'd done... everything he was capable of...
that trust would disappear instantly.
Footsteps approached softly behind him.
Druig already knew who it was.
"You're avoiding me?"
Quinn's voice carried faint amusement beneath the exhaustion.
Druig opened his eyes slowly but didn't turn around immediately.
"I'm trying to"
Silence.
Then, "Well, that's rude"
Despite himself, a small smile almost appeared.
He turned.
Quinn stood several feet away beneath the lantern light wearing one of the woven shawls the village women had given her earlier that evening. Her hair was slightly damp from the river mist.
Beautiful.
Druig looked away first.
"You should be resting"
"You nearly kissed me and then disappeared into the jungle like a ghost"
Druig exhaled slowly through his nose, "This is a bad idea"
"Which part?"
"All of it"
Quinn stepped closer.
"You know" she said carefully, "Humans usually flirt before avoiding"
"I'm not avoiding"
"You walked into the rainforest alone after almost kissing me"
Quinn continued, "You're avoiding"
Druig looked at her and suddenly the truth became impossible to ignore anymore.
He wanted her here.
Not temporarily. Not until her injuries have healed and she can leave.
Here.
Beside him... inside this life he had built.
The realization hit harder than expected.
Because Druig had spent centuries keeping distance between himself and the rest of the world for a reason.
Everyone eventually left... everyone eventually died.
And Quinn...
Quinn would too.
The thought hollowed something painfully inside him.
Quinn's expression shifted slightly watching him withdraw into himself again.
"What happened to you?" she asked softly.
The question settled heavily between them.
Druig's throat tightened unexpectedly.
He took a deliberate step backward.
"Good night, Quinn"
Her face fell slightly.
A tiny change but it left a devastating effect on him.
Druig forced himself to turn away before he did something foolish like reach for her again.
Behind him, Quinn remained silent for several long seconds.
Then quietly.
"Good night, Druig"
He waited until he reached the shadows beyond the lanterns before finally allowing himself one brief moment of honesty.
Even an hour later, the clearing still felt wrong.
The carved stones surrounding the training ground hummed faintly beneath layers of moss and tangled roots while the atmosphere carried the sharp metallic taste Quinn always noticed after using too much power.
Neither she nor Druig had spoken much on the walk back.
The narrow jungle path sloped sharply downward ahead slick with rainwater from the earlier storm. Quinn stepped carefully over exposed roots while trying very hard not to think about the fact she could still remember exactly how Druig's hand felt against hers.
"You're overthinking"
Quinn nearly jumped.
Druig walked beside her with his hands loosely folded behind his back looking entirely too calm considering they had apparently just collided in the middle of the rainforest with their own unique energy.
"I'm not reading your mind" he said, as if he really was reading her mind.
"You say that like it's reassuring"
"It should be"
"It's really not"
A faint smile tugged briefly at the corner of his mouth.
Quinn looked away immediately.
The path narrowed near the river crossing forcing them closer together than before. Water rushed loudly over dark stone while slick moss coated the edges of the crossing ahead.
Quinn carefully stepped onto the first stone.
Her injured ribs protested immediately.
The second step went worse.
Her boot slipped hard against the wet rock.
Quinn's balance vanished instantly.
Strong hands caught her before she hit the water.
The world stopped.
Druig steadied her against him automatically one hand gripping her waist while the other caught her wrist. Quinn's breath hitched sharply as pressure rippled instinctively around them both.
The air trembled soft and warm.
Quinn looked up.
Rainwater clung to dark hair falling loosely across Druig's forehead while river mist drifted around them in pale silver ribbons. His heartbeat echoed enough that she could practically feel it against her own chest.
Neither of them moved.
Neither let go.
Quinn became painfully aware of every single point of contact between them all at once.
His hand at her waist tightened slightly.
The pressure field around them flickered, like her powers were reacting to him specifically now.
Druig noticed too.
His eyes lowered briefly toward the subtle distortion in the air surrounding them, then back to her.
"You feel everything" he said quietly.
The words barely rose above the sound of the river.
Quinn swallowed hard, "It's not exactly a gift"
"No" Druig agreed softly.
His gaze held hers steadily now, "But it's not weakness either"
Something fragile inside Quinn's chest twisted painfully because no one had ever said that before.
Not about her powers, not about her.
The jungle around them blurred into distant noise.
All Quinn could focus on was his voice, his hands, and the unbearable softness suddenly breaking through the guarded edges of him.
Druig's thumb shifted slightly around her wrist.
A small movement but the pressure waved around him, reacting to him.
Druig inhaled sharply.
He felt it too.
Quinn's pulse stumbled violently.
The distance between them disappeared almost without either of them noticing.
His forehead nearly brushed hers now.
Close enough that one more breath... one more inch...
And then
Voices echoed distantly through the jungle behind them.
Both of them froze.
Reality crashed back immediately.
Druig stepped backward first.
The sudden absence of contact left Quinn feeling strangely cold.
Neither spoke for several seconds.
The tension between them remained thick enough to choke on.
Finally Quinn cleared her throat awkwardly.
"So..."
Druig looked equally composed and completely undone somehow.
"Right"
Another beat of silence passed.
Then quietly, almost too quiet that Quinn almost didn't quite catch it, Druig said, "You should be careful with me"
Quinn's breath caught.
Before she could answer, Druig turned and continued down the jungle path toward the village without another word.
Leaving Quinn standing alone beside the rushing river with one horrifying realization settling deep in her chest:
She was already falling for him.
And judging by the look in his eyes a moment ago, he knew it.
The training ground sat beyond the far edge of the village.
Hidden beneath dense jungle canopy and surrounded by enormous stone pillars half-swallowed by roots and moss, it looked ancient enough to predate the settlement itself.
Lanterns burned through the remainder of the night while groups moved urgently between damaged walkways and shattered barricades near the southern perimeter. Smoke still drifted faintly through the trees where parts of the outer defenses had collapsed beneath gunfire and Quinn's uncontrolled pressure waves.
The jungle itself felt unsettled.
Quinn sat alone near the edge of the healer's platform while her hands trembled faintly around a cup of untouched tea.
She could still hear the bullets stopping in midair.
Still feel the crushing pressure folding metal inward beneath her power.
Still see the fear on everyone's faces afterward.
Not just the mercenaries, the villagers.
Footsteps approached softly behind her.
"You stopped them"
Druig's voice, quiet and measured.
Quinn didn't turn around immediately.
"They came because of me"
Druig stepped beside her, gaze drifting toward the damaged edge of the settlement below.
"They came because men like that always want power they do not understand"
"That doesn't exactly make me feel better"
"No" he admitted softly, "I imagine it wouldn't"
The sky had begun lightening faintly now, pale gray dawn filtering slowly through the jungle overhead.
Neither spoke for a while.
Quinn hated how easy silence with him had become.
Finally she looked toward him.
"You could've killed them"
Druig's expression didn't change, "Yes"
Simple answer.
Quinn searched his face carefully, "You wanted to"
That earned the smallest pause, "Yes"
The admission settled heavily between them.
No excuses, no pretending otherwise, and somehow that honesty still felt less frightening than it should have.
Before Quinn could respond, raised voices drifted from nearby.
Druig's expression darkened slightly.
Amaru.
Quinn glanced toward the narrow walkway where several villagers had gathered nearby around the older man from before. Tension radiated through the group immediately.
Amaru spotted Quinn instantly.
His jaw tightened.
"She should not remain here" he snapped sharply.
Quinn looked away immediately.
There it was again.
The guilt returned fast this time.
The attack, the destruction, the fear.
Druig remained completely still beside her.
"The village survived" he said calmly.
"For now" Amaru argued, "And what happens when more come?"
Murmurs spread uneasily through the gathered villagers.
He wasn't wrong.
One of the younger villagers spoke quietly, "She protected the children"
Another nodded.
Amaru looked frustrated now.
"She also nearly collapsed half the southern wall!"
The atmosphere around Quinn stirred faintly.
Shame.
Druig noticed instantly.
His eyes flicked toward her briefly before returning to Amaru.
"You are frightened" Druig said.
Amaru scoffed sharply, "I am realistic"
"No" Druig replied evenly, "You are afraid"
Silence.
The surrounding villagers went still immediately.
Even after everything she'd seen, Quinn still wasn't used to the weight Druig's voice carried when he chose to use it.
Amaru's jaw tightened.
"This village cannot survive another war"
Something flickered behind Druig's eyes then.
"You don't think I know that?"
The words land harder than Quinn expected, because suddenly the argument wasn't about her anymore.
It was about history.
Amaru seemed to realize it too.
The older man exhaled heavily before turning away from visible frustration, leading several villagers with him.
The jungle breeze moved softly through the damaged pathways around them.
Quinn stared down at the untouched tea in her hands, "You should listen to him"
Druig looked toward her, "You believe that?"
"I think your people are terrified another attack will happen because of me"
Druig stepped closer slowly, "And what do you want?"
The question caught her off guard.
Quinn frowned slightly, "What?"
"You keep talking about what everyone else wants" Druig said softly, "But not yourself"
No one had asked her that in a very long time.
Quinn looked away toward the jungle.
What did she want?
Answers, her father, control over her powers.
Peace.
The terrifying thing was, part of her wanted to stay here too.
And judging by the look in Druig's eyes, he already knew that.
A deep horn echoed violently through the jungle canopy, followed by shouting from the village above. Lanterns swung wildly between the trees as voices erupted across the settlement all at once.
Druig was on his feet instantly.
Quinn's heart slammed against her ribs.
"What was that?" she demanded.
Druig's expression hardened into something she hadn't seen before.
War-ready.
"Stay here"
Druig moved to go to the commotion of the village, but stopped as he saw that Quinn was following right behind him.
"Seriously?!"
Another horn blast thundered through the trees.
This one closer.
Then there was gunfire.
The sound ripped violently through the jungle.
Quinn froze.
Memories surged instantly: the expedition, the mercenaries, the collapse.
They found the village.
Druig moved fast, already heading back toward the settlement.
Quinn followed despite the pain in her ribs.
"Quinn-"
"You're not leaving me behind!"
Something exploded near the outer edge of the village ahead.
Villagers shouted.
Children screamed.
By the time they reached the main pathways, chaos had erupted completely.
Several armed men in tactical gear had breached the outer perimeter near the southern entrance. Smoke drifted through the trees while villagers scrambled to move people away from the fighting.
Quinn recognized the insignia immediately.
The same mercenaries from the jungle.
One of them spotted her, "There she is!"
Gunfire cracked instantly.
Druig reacted first.
Gold blazed through his eyes.
Every mercenary froze mid-motion.
Still as statues.
The silence that followed felt unnatural.
Terrifying.
Quinn stared.
Even knowing what he could do, seeing it happen was something else entirely.
The attackers stood motionless beneath the lantern light, trapped completely beneath Druig's control.
The villagers watched in fearful silence.
Druig stepped forward slowly.
Cold now, focused.
And suddenly Quinn understood exactly why the village feared him.
Because in this moment, he looked like a god deciding whether people lived or died.
Druig looked to one of the mercenaries and the next thing she knew, the man dropped to his knees instantly.
Quinn's stomach twisted.
"Druig"
His gaze flicked toward her briefly.
Still glowing gold.
The atmosphere around Quinn shifted uneasily.
He's trying to protect the village part of her argued internally.
But another part whispered, At what cost?
A second wave of gunfire erupted suddenly from deeper within the trees.
More mercenaries.
The concentration broke.
One attacker fired wildly toward the fleeing villagers.
Everything happened at once.
A child screamed.
Quinn reacted instinctively.
The pressure in the atmosphere detonated outward.
Invisible force slammed into the incoming bullets midair.
The rounds stopped.
Hung suspended.
Every person in the village froze.
Quinn reacted instinctively.
The pressure in the atmosphere detonated outward.
Invisible force slammed into the incoming bullets midair.
The rounds stopped.
Hung suspended.
Every person in the village froze.
Quinn’s eyes widened slightly.
She’d never done that before.
The pressure field trembled violently around her body while the bullets hovered motionless several feet away.
The mercenaries stared in horror.
Then Quinn clenched her fist.
The bullets crushed inward instantly.
Metal folded into itself with sharp cracking sounds before dropping harmlessly to the ground.
Silence.
Even Druig looked surprised.
Another mercenary raised his weapon toward her.
Quinn lifted one hand instinctively.
The air compressed violently around the man.
Not enough to kill.
Just enough.
His weapon crumpled inward beneath invisible pressure before he collapsed gasping to his knees.
The jungle itself seemed to recoil around her.
Lanterns flickered wildly overhead.
The atmosphere pulsed dangerously.
Quinn could feel it slipping already.
Too much adrenaline.
Too much fear.
The pressure field expanded unevenly through the village pathways.
Nearby wooden structures groaned.
“Quinn.”
Druig’s voice cut through the chaos immediately.
Steady.
Grounding.
She looked toward him.
The gold in his eyes had faded now.
He stepped closer carefully.
Never afraid.
“Breathe,” he said calmly.
The pressure around the village trembled violently.
Quinn’s pulse thundered painfully in her ears.
“They found me,” she whispered.
Another explosion echoed somewhere beyond the trees.
Music echoed softly through the jungle while lanterns swayed overhead like drifting stars beneath the canopy. Laughter still carried through the village in distant bursts, though most of the dancing had slowed into quieter conversations around fading fires.
Quinn slipped away unnoticed.
Or at least, she thought she did.
The river glimmered silver beneath the moonlight, rushing steadily through smooth black stone as mist drifted low over the water. The jungle beyond remained alive with distant insects and rustling leaves, but compared to the noise of the festival, this was peaceful.
Quinn lowered herself carefully onto one of the large stones near the riverbank, suppressing a wince as her ribs protested.
"You disappear often"
She closed her eyes briefly, "Do you ever announce yourself like a normal person?"
Druig stepped out from the shadows of the trees looking entirely too comfortable in the moonlight.
"Of course not"
He sat beside her without asking permission.
Not close enough to touch but close enough to notice.
The river rushed loudly between stretches of silence.
Quinn stared out across the water while absently tracing her fingers against the cool stone beneath her.
"I think your village hates me less now" she said eventually.
"Only slightly"
"That's encouraging"
A small smile flickered briefly across Druig's face.
Quinn glanced sideways toward him, "You were different tonight"
Druig looked toward her carefully, "How?"
"You seemed..." Quinn searched for the right word, "Lighter"
The expression faded from his face almost instantly.
The river filled the silence again.
Quinn should've let it go.
Instead:
"How old were you when you stopped trying to save everyone?"
Druig went very still beside her.
Moonlight reflected softly across the water while the jungle breathed around them.
For several long moments, Quinn though he might not answer.
"I never stopped" he said quietly.
Quinn looked toward him fully now. Druig's gaze remained fixed on the river ahead.
"When I first came to this world" he said softly, "I believed humans could become extraordinary"
His voice carried something ancient beneath it now, grief.
"I watched civilizations rise and destroy themselves over and over again"
His jaw tightened slightly, "Wars... empires... genocide"
Quinn's chest tightened.
"You live long enough" Druig continued quietly, "And eventually you realize humanity's greatest talent is finding new ways to hurt itself"
The jungle seemed strangely silent around them now.
Like even the night was listening.
Quinn swallowed hard.
"And that's why you stayed here?"
Druig nodded, "I was tired of watching people suffer when I had the power to stop it"
His eyes darkened slightly, "So I interfered"
Something in the way he said it made Quinn's pulse slow uneasily.
Because suddenly she understood there was a party of this story he wasn't saying aloud.
"You sound guilty" she said carefully.
Druig laughed once under his breath but it wasn’t amused.
“If you live for thousands of years, Quinn…” His voice lowered softly. “You learn there are things you cannot take back”
Silence settled heavily between them.
The river rushed endlessly onward.
Quinn looked at him differently now.
As someone…
Tired.
Someone carrying centuries of mistakes alone.
And somehow that felt far more dangerous.
Druig finally looked toward her then.
“You were going to tell me something earlier,” he said quietly.
Quinn’s stomach tightened instantly.
Her father.
The journal.
The real reason she came here.
She should tell him.
Every instinct screamed that she should.
Instead, Quinn looked away toward the river.
“My father disappeared in the Amazon two years ago.”
Druig remained silent, listening.
“He was researching…” Quinn hesitated. “Ancient energy signatures. Lost civilizations. Things no one else believed existed”
A pause.
“Then one day he stopped answering my calls”
Druig’s expression shifted almost imperceptibly.
Recognition.
Tiny.
Brief.
But there.
Quinn noticed immediately.
Her pulse quickened.
“What?”
Druig looked back toward the river too quickly.
“Nothing”
Liar.
The atmosphere around Quinn stirred faintly.
Pressure curling instinctively beneath her skin.
“You know something”
“No”
“You do”
Druig exhaled slowly through his nose.
“I may have met him”
Everything inside Quinn stopped.
The river.
The jungle.
Her heartbeat.
All of it vanished beneath those four words.
Quinn turned toward him sharply.
“What?”
Druig held her gaze now, measured.
“He came near the village several years ago”
Hope slammed violently into Quinn’s chest so hard it hurt.
“You met my father?”
“Yes”
The pressure around Quinn spiked instantly.
Lantern light from the distant village flickered faintly through the trees.
Lanterns glowed gold beneath the jungle canopy like fallen stars suspended between branches and woven rooftops. Music drifted through the humid evening air while fires crackled along the central pathways, casting warm light across painted faces and bright fabrics.
Quinn stood near the healer's hut trying very hard not to look visibly overwhelmed.
Children darted through the crowd laughing. Women carried trays of food between long wooden tables. Somewhere deeper in the village, rhythmic drums pulsed steadily beneath the noise of conversation and jungle insects.
For the first time since arriving here, the settlement felt less like a hidden sanctuary and more like a home.
"You're staring"
Quinn turned sharply.
Druig stood beside her holding two small clay cups filled with something steaming faintly in the cool night air.
"How long have you been standing there?" she asked.
"A while"
Of course he had.
He handed her one of the cups.
Quinn eyed it suspiciously.
Druig rolled his eyes, "It's tea"
"If it's anything else, I'm haunting your ass"
A faint smile touched the corner of his mouth as Quinn accepted the cup carefully.
The warmth seeped pleasantly into her hands while unfamiliar spices filled the air between them.
Around them, villagers moved more comfortably tonight than they had all day. Some still watched Quinn cautiously, but the tension had softened beneath the glow of lantern light and music.
Even Amaru only glared at her twice.
"What is this?" Quinn asked quietly as drums echoed through the trees.
Druig glanced toward the center of the village where dancers had begun gathering near the firelight.
"A celebration"
"Of what?"
"It's meant to remind people why this place exists"
His voice changed slightly when he said it.
Quinn leaned lightly against the wooden railing beside him.
And why does this place exist?"
Druig watched the villagers silently for several moments before answering.
"For peace"
Quinn studied him carefully, "You say that like you had to fight very hard for it"
His jaw tightened almost imperceptibly, "I did"
The jungle breeze shifted softly around them.
Lantern light flickered gold across Druig's face, softening the sharper edges of him Quinn noticed first.
It made him look less untouchable somehow, more tired.
Below them, children laughed loudly neat the fires while villagers joined hands in slow rhythmic dances beneath the canopy.
Quinn watched them quietly, "They trust you"
Druig looked almost confused by the statement.
"They shouldn't?"
"You control minds"
Druig didn't flinch.
Instead, he looked back toward the celebration below.
"For a long time" he said quietly, "I thought if people stopped fighting... stopped hurting each other... then maybe humanity could become something better"
Quinn listened carefully.
"There's just one problem with that" he continued.
"What?"
"You cannot force peace onto people"
Something painful moved behind his eyes briefly.
Regret.
Quinn's chest tightened unexpectedly because suddenly she understood this place differently.
The village wasn't power, it was penance.
Druig built a sanctuary because he no longer trusted himself to shape the world outside it.
The realization settled heavily between them.
Before Quinn could respond, music suddenly swelled louder from below.
Thinking about what he had to go through made the lanterns overhead flicker, people gasped softly.
Quinn froze immediately.
Fear surged hard into her chest but before panic could spiral further, she heard Druig's voice behind her.
"It's alright, I've learned to live with it"
Simple words but somehow they worked.
The pressure in the atmosphere eased slowly.
The lanterns steadied overhead.
No one moved.
Then one of the old women simply smiled gently toward Quinn and resumed dancing.
Others followed.
Quinn looked back toward Druig.
He hadn't moved.
But something in his expression had shifted again while watching her.
Not curiosity anymore, something quieter.
And for the first time since entering the village, Quinn forgot she was supposed to leave.
Smoke curled from cooking fires while voices drifted between the woven walkways and wooden structures hidden beneath the jungle canopy. Somewhere nearby, music played softly through the rhythmic tapping of carved drums.
And despite the tension lingering beneath the surface, life continued.
Quinn sat alone near the outer edge of the settlement, carefully rewrapping the bandages around her ribs while trying very hard not to think about the fact that the emotionally repressed immortal mind-controller from the river this morning had somehow become less unsettling after admitting he was thousands of years old.
Which felt backwards.
A small shadow appeared beside her.
Quinn glanced up.
A little girl stood several feet away clutching a woven basket against her chest.
Maybe six years old.
Dark curls, huge curious eyes.
Not afraid.
The child stared openly at Quinn for several long seconds before asking:
"Are you the woman who broke the sky?"
Quinn blinked, "I beg your pardon?"
The little girl pointed upward very seriously, "Last night"
Quinn rubbed a hand over her face tiredly, "I didn't break the sky"
The girl considered this carefully.
"It sounded broken"
Fair enough.
Before Quinn could respond, two more children appeared nearby.
The children gathered cautiously around her, fascinated in the way only children could be when adults clearly wanted them to stay away from something.
One little boy pointed openly at the cup beside Quinn.
"Can you make things float?"
"No"
But the cup lifted slightly off the ground as Quinn gave them a teasing look.
The children gasped in collective delight.
A small laugh escaped Quinn before she could stop it.
The sound startled even her.
Quinn looked to the girl who approached first, "What's your name?"
"Nia"
Nia climbed onto the wooden bench beside her without invitation and held out the basket proudly.
Inside sat several bright jungle fruits Quinn didn't recognize.
"For you" Nia said.
Quinn stared at the offering.
Something inside her chest tightened unexpectedly.
"Thank you" she said softly.
Druig stood several yards away near the central walkway, speaking quietly with one of the villagers.
Watching her.
The moment their eyes met, Quinn felt something strange shift in the atmosphere around her.
Druig's gaze flicked briefly toward the children surrounding her before settling back on Quinn herself.
And for the first time since meeting him, his expression softened.
Like he was seeing something he hadn't expected to find.
The children ran off and started to laugh and play again as Druig approached slowly.
"You appear popular" he said dryly.
"She accused me of breaking the sky"
Nia called from the game they were playing, "But you did break the sky!"
Druig looked genuinely thoughtful for a moment, "Nia's not entirely wrong"
Quinn glared, "That's not helpful"
A dangerous flicker of amusement crossed his face.
They both turned their attention back to the game that the children were playing right in front of them. Quinn's eyes flicked briefly to the mother's nearby, cautiously watching them but not going over to take their kids away.
"They're still scared of me"
Druig didn't look to her, "The children aren't"
Quinn thought about that after a moment before she said, "I guess it's a start"
Then she heard the soft knock against the wooden doorway.
Not urgent.
Measured.
She sat up slowly, ribs protesting immediately, and glanced toward the entrance just as Druig stepped inside carrying a small lantern. Pale blue dawn light spilled faintly through the woven walls behind him.
"You're awake" he said.
"I'm a light sleeper"
"I wonder why"
Quinn narrowed her eyes suspiciously as he set the lantern down beside the door.
Outside, the village remained mostly silent.
No children running. No voices. Only distant rainfall dripping from leaves somewhere deep in the jungle.
Druig nodded toward the doorway.
"Come"
Quinn hesitated.
"Why?"
A corner of his mouth lifted faintly, as if reading her mind.
"If I intended to threaten you, you'd know"
Somehow... she believed him.
The jungle looked entirely different before sunrise.
Mist drifted low through the trees in silver ribbons while the sky above the canopy slowly softened from black into deep blue-gray. The air felt cooler now, carrying the scent of rainwater and river stone through the forest.
Druig led her down a narrow path away from the village without speaking much.
Quinn noticed people had built these trails carefully: woven bridges, stone markers, carved symbols hidden subtly into the roots of trees.
The river appeared gradually through the fog ahead.
Wide. Dark. Endless.
Water rushed steadily over smooth black stone while pale morning light shimmered softly against the surface.
Quinn stopped near the edge instinctively.
For several moments, neither of them spoke.
Then...
"You should send me away" Quinn said quietly.
Druig glanced toward her.
"The village would be safer"
"That's not why you want to leave"
Quinn crossed her arms loosely against the damp morning air.
"That man yesterday seemed ready to throw me back into the ravine himself"
A soft scoff escaped Druig, "Amaru's always been dramatic"
Quinn blinked, "Dramatic?"
"He once threatened to exile another child because he stole fruit from him"
"A child?"
Druig crouched near the riverbank, resting his forearms against his knees casually.
"Amaru was eleven at the time"
Quinn stared at him, "How old are you?"
The question slipped out before she could stop it.
Druig went still.
The river rushed loudly between them.
Quinn suddenly became very aware that she had no real idea what he was.
Only that he wasn't human.
And somehow... deep down... she already knew the answer wasn't going to make her feel better.
Druig looked across the water instead of at her when he finally spoke, "I was born thousands of years ago"
Silence.
Then, Quinn laughed automatically, not because it was funny but because her brain genuinely refused to process the sentence.
"You're serious?"
"Yes"
The mist drifting over the river suddenly felt much colder.
Quinn searched his face for any sign of sarcasm.
There wasn't any.
"How is that even possible?"
Druig tilted his head slightly, considering the question.
"I'm an Eternal"
The word settled heavily into the air.
Quinn frowned faintly.
"Never heard of them"
"I wouldn’t expect you to"
"So you don't age?"
"No"
"You can control minds"
Druig paused, "Yes"
"And you've been living hidden in the Amazon rainforest for..." Quinn shrugged, "Centuries"
"Longer"
That explained the village.
The impossible calmness. The way people listened to him. The strange feeling of standing beside someone who didn't move through the world like everyone else.
Quinn looked back toward the river.
"You're telling me this very casually"
"You asked"
Quinn exhaled slowly, "And here I thought I had problems"
That earned a real laugh from him.
Small, warm, and unexpected.
It changed his entire face.
The river rushed steadily beside them.
The silence between them didn't feel tense.
Just... still.
Then Druig spoke again, quieter this time, "This place exists because humanity destroys everything it fears"
Quinn looked toward him.
His expression had shifted again, older somehow, heavy.
"The outside world never stops fighting" he continued softly, "Never stops taking, controlling, and killing"
His eyes lifted toward the waking jungle around them.
"So I made a place where it couldn't reach"
Something in the way he said it tightened painfully in Quinn's chest.
She saw the exhaustion on his face, like someone who had spent centuries trying to hold back a tide with his bare hands.
Mist drifted low across the jungle floor while rainwater still clung to rooftops and woven bridges throughout the hidden settlement. Smoke curled upward from cooking fires, carrying the scent of herbs and wet earth through the humid air.
And everywhere Quinn looked, people stared.
She felt it immediately the second she stepped outside the healer's hut.
Children whispered behind their mothers. Conversations stopped when she passed. Several villagers physically moved out of her way.
Fear.
Not subtle, either.
Quinn's stomach tightened.
Druig walked beside her in complete silence, seemingly unaffected by the tension surrounding them. His expression remained unreadable as villagers glanced nervously between them.
That part bothered Quinn more than she expected.
Because they weren't just afraid of her.
They were watching him.
Waiting to see what he would do.
The realization settled uneasily in her chest.
"You didn't tell him what happened" Quinn said quietly.
Druig glanced at her briefly.
"I didn't need to"
The evidence had apparently shaken half the village awake.
A collapsed section of railing nearby looked partially crushed inward, warped unnaturally under the pressure spike from the night before.
Quinn looked away immediately.
Guilt curled hard beneath her ribs.
"This was a mistake" she muttered.
Druig stopped walking.
"So leave"
Quinn blinked.
That wasn't the answer she expected.
She turned toward him sharply, irritation flickering instantly beneath her exhaustion.
"You dragged me out of a ravine"
"Yes"
"And now you want me to leave?"
Druig studied her calmly for a moment.
"No" he admitted.
The honestly disarmed her again.
Before Quinn could respond, raised voices erupted nearby.
Several villagers approached quickly across the central gathering area, tension evident in every rigid movement. Quinn recognized fear immediately in the way they avoided looking directly at her.
One older man stepped forward first.
He spoke rapidly to Druig in a language Quinn didn't recognize.
Druig answered calmly.
The older man's voice rose sharply.
Another villager gestured toward Quinn with visible unease.
Dangerous.
Unstable.
Outsider.
Even without understanding the words, Quinn understood the meaning perfectly.
The pressure in the air around her shifted instinctively.
Druig noticed immediately.
His eyes flicked toward her briefly.
Quinn clenched her jaw and forced herself still.
The older villager finally looked directly at her.
Fear hardened into anger.
That hurt more than she expected.
"She cannot stay" he said in heavily accented English.
Silence settled instantly across the gathered villagers.
Quinn swallowed hard.
Druig remained completely still beside her.
"She lost control" the man continued, "What happens next time?"
Quinn looked away.
Because he wasn't wrong.
The village waited watching Druig now.
And suddenly Quinn understood something important: This place followed his lead.
Druig finally spoke, "She stays"
Absolute authority.
Murmurs broke instantly through the crowd.
The older villager stepped forward again, visibly frustrated.
"She is dangerous"
Druig's expression darkened, "So am I"
Silence.
A stare down happened between the elder villager and Druig.
The atmosphere changed instantly.
Not one person argued further.
Quinn stared at him.
The villagers slowly dispersed after that, though tension lingered heavily in the air long afterward.
Druig turned to leave as though the conversation had never happened.
"Wait" Quinn called.
He stopped.
"You defended me"
Druig looked over his shoulder slightly.
"You're injured"
"That's not the same thing"
"No" he agreed quietly, "It isn't"
And then he walked away, leaving Quinn alone in the center of the village while one terrifying realization settled into place:
