Chapter 31
Ronan
“We have a problem,” Cameron blurts as he yanks the truck door open, not even giving me a chance to kill the engine.
“No, we absolutely don’t. I just took care of our problem, and it’s far too soon to have another. That’s a law of physics, I’m pretty sure.”
Stress and something akin to grief line his face as I sigh, slumping into the seat. “Ronan,” Cameron pleads, voice serious and eyes heavy.
My hands and clothes are caked in dirt, and my back is killing me after two hours of digging. A mass grave wasn’t on my bingo card for this week, but here we are.
“Fuck,” I grunt, climbing out of the truck and rubbing my temple. People from our side of the veil rarely get headaches, but if there was ever the time for a migraine, this might be it. “What is this problem?”
“It’s easier if I just show you.” He leads me through the camp, and I reluctantly follow. Giant flames roar in the fire pit as we pass, a table leg smoldering near the stone edge.
Cleanup duty went well, then.
Despite his somber warning, my curiosity is piqued as we move to the outskirts, approaching a small tent hidden in the tree line that I failed to notice before now. It hasn’t been maintained with the same diligence as the others, weeds growing along the sides and dirt caking the fabric walls.
Cameron reaches the entrance and stands aside, gesturing for me to enter. I frown at him as I push through the canvas flap and freeze with one foot inside the tent.
The smell almost knocks me back. A cage sits in the corner, identical to the one Cameron was locked in last night.
But it isn’t empty.
A small, thin monster with deep forest green skin huddles behind the bars, facing away from us. Long, tangled hair stretches down his back, a few shades darker than his skin, and riddled with knots. His clothes are so tattered, they’re barely more than strips of fabric, and his ribs are prominent lines of malnourishment underneath.
Even in this poor condition, I recognize him as a Drüinae, a race from our side that is deeply in tune with nature. They are gentle, preferring to spend their time working with plants and healing medicines.
“I tried to talk to him,” Cameron says quietly from outside the tent, “but I can’t tell if he was afraid of me or if he couldn’t understand me.” I nod, holding a hand up to stop him from entering, then take a few tentative steps towards the cage. The Drüinae’s pointed ears are perked up, aware of my presence even if he’s refusing to look in my direction.
“We mean you no harm,” I say, and his head turns away, his bone-thin arms hugging his legs to his chest. “We are not part of this camp.” When he doesn’t respond, I repeat myself in the common language of our side, and he finally looks at me. His enormous eyes are pale green, so light they are almost white, and his face is gaunt, barely more than bone with skin stretched over it.
“If you let me help you, I will get you out of there,” I continue in our language. “It might take me some time to find a key or tools that can cut through those bars.” He shivers as he hugs his legs again. “May I bring you food and water while I search?”
I force myself to be patient as I wait, and after a long stretch, he twists to glance at me, though his gaze flits away. He reminds me of a hummingbird, I realize… a hopeless, caged hummingbird who has lost his will to live. It ignites a new fit of rage at the thought of what these monsters must have done to him, and makes me want to dig their bodies up and kill them all over again.
“Gone?” His voice is nothing more than a dry whisper as he responds in our language.
“Dead.” His eyes snap up to mine as he searches for the lie. “All that were left are dead.” The focus in his gaze fades as he curls into himself, his mind having a hard time believing the truth in my words. “Will you allow me to help you?”
He never looks my direction again, but gives a single nod of his head.
Stepping back out into the sun, Cameron worries his lip. “He’s agreed to let me help him. If we can’t find the key to that cage, we’ll need a saw strong enough to cut through those bars… but I really don’t want to subject him to that noise. I’m not sure he could handle it.”
“There were keys hanging in the storage tent, and I collected any useful tools I found,” Cameron says, and I nod, letting him lead the way as we head back towards the common area.
A long row of hooks hangs on the wall, with a dozen keyrings loaded with keys. “Do you mind putting a plate of food together for him while I take these and attempt the lock?”
“Of course.” His voice is choked and expression heavy as he walks towards the kitchen.
The Drüinae jumps when I walk back inside his tent. “I did not mean to startle you. May I come closer so I can try to open the cage?” He gives another single nod, though I don’t miss the way he flinches as I approach.
The pile of keys is substantial, so I pick one at random and stick it in the lock, unsurprised when it doesn’t work. “What is your name?” I ask as I select the next key, but he shakes his head and looks away. Either he doesn’t know, or he refuses to tell me, so I drop the matter, not wanting to push him.
After a few minutes of no luck, Cameron walks inside with a variety of dried foods and a bottle of water. He hesitates at the door, and I turn to the Drüinae. “My mate—” His eyes snap to mine at the word, his gaze sharper as he stares. I pause for a moment, but he stays silent. “He has brought food and water. Is it alright if he brings it closer?”
His head dips in another single nod, and Cameron’s eyes shimmer as he assesses his condition. Cam’s smile is gentle, so very cautious, as he reaches through the bars. Careful not to startle him with quick movements, he takes his time as he places everything on the ground.
A single tear rolls down his cheek as he walks out the door.
The Drüinae inches closer, inspecting the food before taking a long sip of water. I give him as much privacy as I can while I work, not allowing my attention to veer from the task at hand, and eventually, he eats.
Slowly, my pile of potential keys dwindles, while the stack of rejects grows into a small mountain. Less than a dozen are left when one of them clicks in the lock. Our eyes meet, his guard up once again.
“This door is open. I will step outside with my mate so you may have privacy. When you’re ready, I’ll show you where you can wash, and we can find you clean clothes to wear.” His eyes bore into mine, expecting the worst.
They tell me he believes this is all a sick joke, where he’s the center of a cruel punchline. He's waiting for me to be the only type of monster he knows.
“We’ll be outside,” I repeat, retreating until the canvas hits my back and I step out into the sun.
Cam’s eyes still glisten as he approaches, craning his neck to see inside, but the flap blocks his view. “Did you get it open?”
“Yeah.” He doesn’t comment on the emotion in my voice, only lays his head on my shoulder and takes my hand. Silence stretches as we wait, only punctuated by the sound of the breeze whipping through the leaves.
Cameron shifts between his feet, picking at his jeans. “What happens now? ”
“I told him to join us when he’s ready and we’ll show him where he can get clean.”
“What if he doesn’t come out?”
I hesitate, a heavy sigh pushing from my lungs. “We have to respect his wishes.”
“We can’t abandon him,” he argues, voice rising. “Who knows how long he’s been in that cage? What they’ve done to him? If we leave him out here to die, we are no better than them!”
“We’re no better than them if we force him to do anything , Cameron!” I shout, and he jerks back, surprised by the venom in my voice. “Anything at all! His autonomy has been ripped away, and he deserves to make his own decisions. If it is his choice to starve to death, I will not be the one to shove the food down his throat and steal that freedom again.”
Cameron’s cheeks and neck flush a deep red, an internal battle playing out in real time on his face. “I fucking hate this. I hate this whole gods forsaken world.”
Bitter resignation is written all over him as I pull him into a hug, his head shaking as it smushes into my chest. “I know,” I whisper.
So, we wait.
And wait some more.
Enough time goes by that I tell myself we have to get moving, and still, no noise comes from inside the tent. A frustrated lump builds in my throat, knowing how hard it will be to leave him behind.
Cameron will hate himself, hate me , for not doing more.
Just as I open my mouth to speak, the flap inches back. Pale green eyes meet mine as he hesitates, then finally steps into the sun. He’s somehow tinier outside the cage, squinting those giant eyes against the bright morning.
His feet are bare, hair more matted in the daylight, and he looks fragile enough for the gentle breeze to knock him to the ground. Hunched over, his small stature is even more exaggerated, but even standing straight, he would barely reach Cameron’s shoulder.
“Would you like me to show you where to wash?” He stares at me for a long time before he gives another of those single nods. Relief loosens a fraction of the weight from my shoulders as I gesture towards the camp. “They are gone, I swear to you.”
His throat bobs in a nervous swallow as he nods again, and I translate for Cameron. “He’s going to shower while we find him some clothes.”
“Good,” Cam breathes, a wobbly smile forming on his lips. “That’s good. That’s… really, really good.” The two of us walk towards the camp, and after a pause, the Drüinae’s feather-light footsteps follow.
Soap and shampoo are already inside, and I explain how to use the gravity fed system before saying I will place clothes outside the stall for him. Shoulders hunched, he says nothing else, just occasionally glances at me until I offer him a small smile and leave. Outside, I listen for the water and smile again when it starts.
“How long do you think he’s been in captivity?” Cameron asks, and I shake my head.
“There’s no way to know, and he isn’t exactly eager to talk right now.”
“How is it he only knows your language?”
The same question has been bothering me. “It seems impossible, doesn’t it? Unless he’s been alone on this side or held captive for a considerable time. Drüinae have a very long lifespan, and I can’t tell how old he is, especially in his current condition.”
“Drüinae?”
“Peaceful folk… healers. They’re usually found in the forest. When we first passed through the veil, they refused to be part of the front lines. Eventually, some crossed, but they kept to themselves on this side. Until him, I don’t believe I’ve seen a Drüinae in the past eighty years. I’d almost believed them to be extinct.”
Cameron gestures towards the van. “We should get him some of my clothes. They will be big on him, but it feels wrong to dress him in something that belonged to his captors.”
A sad smile pulls on my lips as I twist him to face me. “You have a good heart, mo’sziv.”
“Just don’t tell anyone,” he whispers, his warm breath ghosting over my skin as his lips meet mine, my sadness mirrored in his heavy eyes. “You’ll ruin my reputation.”
“You aren’t important enough to have a reputation,” I tease, coaxing a quiet laugh from him as I smooth the hair from his face. Suddenly, my conversation with Khuth comes to mind. “The soldiers knew who I was.” Cameron’s brows fly up his forehead. “Khuth claimed all bases received reports of a high-ranking Anunian officer’s defection, along with alerts about a missing transport van. They suspected it was me when they stopped us.”
“That’s… not great.”
“It’s not,” I admit, “but news of our presence did not leave this camp. Even amongst the military, radios are so valuable that they stay with the officers. The soldiers here did not rank high enough to be trusted with such technology.”
“You’re sure they didn’t report us?”
“Positive. If they’d been left with comms, the equipment uses antennas and radio towers so tall that you wouldn’t miss them, especially in a camp this size.” I pause as we make it to the van, Cameron chewing on his lip as he digs through his bags. “They didn’t know I was traveling with a human.”
“Why do I feel like I should be offended by that?” he mutters, and an amused smile tugs at my lips. “Big surprise, the drama queen gets to be the center of attention. Again.”
“Your presence kept them from killing us on the spot when they first stopped us on the road. Since your absence was never noted from the base, it made them question my identity. Which also means that regardless of what happens to me, you’re safe. There’s no price on your head, no search party out scouting.”
“You know I hate it when you talk like that,” he says with a frown. “ Whatever happens to you , my ass. The few drops of social energy I had in my body were used up learning to tolerate you, so you’re stuck with me.”
“I love you, too,” I murmur, earning a scowl as I ruffle his hair, but there’s no actual heat behind it.
After a show of swatting my hands away, he returns to his bag and pulls out cotton shorts and a t-shirt, along with underwear and socks. “I don’t have extra shoes.”
“We can only do what we can do, Cam. Come on, let’s search the camp.” We scout all the tents, grabbing every pair of shoes that we find. What doesn’t fit him might work for one of us, and it’s always a good idea to have spares.
Water still runs inside the shower house as I step in, and I can’t imagine the relief of washing away the dirt and grime of his confinement. “The clothes belong to my mate, although we didn’t have extra shoes, so we had to grab what we could find around camp.” His silence is expected, so I lay everything on the bench and tell him we will wait outside, giving him his privacy again.
Midday sun shines overhead as I step out, and I try to hide my anxiety. We should’ve been gone hours ago. “Let me show you what I found,” Cameron says, pulling me from my thoughts as he leads me towards the common tent.
“You were right about there being no paperwork about this secret base lying around. It’s not like I really expected there to be, you know? It just would’ve been nice to find some random binder laying around with all the answers in it.”
“That would’ve been too convenient,” I say, and he grumbles his agreement.
“There were barely any papers at all, and they were just schedules and duty assignments. A few half-written love letters. One from Kek was particularly raunchy, and I saved it in case you want to read it.” I choke on a surprised laugh as he flashes me the first genuine smile I’ve seen from him all morning.
“I’ll pass.”
“Your loss,” he says with a shrug as we approach a small area piled with items. They aren’t nearly as organized as mine, but I’ll give him a pass considering the circumstances. “We have so much from Reyes’s camp already, so there isn’t much we need. But…” He waves his ha nds dramatically, gesturing at a large crate of MREs. “Ta-da!”
He’s so fucking proud that I can’t even tease him.
“Those will be worth their weight in gold while we get settled,” I say, and his smile, as bright as the sun above, lights up his entire face. We pick through the rest of the stuff, although Cameron is correct. There isn’t much we need aside from gas, and we have more important cargo to consider now.
The Drüinae steps out of the shower house and glances at me before dropping his eyes. He looks like a new person. Cameron’s clothes are a size or two too big on him, but they’re clean and comfortable. His hair is detangled and combed, dripping as it hangs down his back. Sections of his visible skin are tinged pink, as though he scrubbed them for minutes on end.
Boomerang rounds the corner, and both she and the Drüinae freeze when they spot the other. The dog decides she has a new friend and bounds over, and I call her name in a panic, lunging for her.
She won’t hurt him, but he’s so jumpy he just might run.
Shock stops me in my tracks as the Drüinae crouches, holding his arms out as Boomerang crashes into him. A quiet sob hiccups from his throat as he buries his face in her fur.
Cameron and I are both wide-eyed as we find each other’s bewildered gaze. “Do you know this dog?” I ask, and the Drüinae looks up at me, showing a hint of a smile for the first time. He nods, hugging Boomerang tight as the dog wiggles .
Conflict draws Cam’s face tight, his lips a strained flat line as he attempts to hide his worry. “Is she… is she yours?”
Boomerang might’ve only been traveling with him for months, but he loves her. The possibility that she belongs to someone else—that she might have to leave him—has me holding my breath as I brace for the worst. The Drüinae glances at me in question, and I can’t help but feel guilty as I translate, but he shakes his head immediately. It leaves us more confused, but I catch the relief in Cameron’s posture as my own tense shoulders loosen.
“Can you tell me what to call you?” I ask, and he stares at me with those bright green eyes for a long time.
“Nyx,” he finally says, his gentle voice barely audible, and I offer him another encouraging smile.
“My name is Ronan, and this is my mate, Cameron.” Cam lifts a hand in a wave, and I gesture at the dog that continues to wiggle in his arms. “And that is Boomerang.”
Crouching so I’m on his level, I wait until he meets my eyes to speak. “I know there is a lot happening that you don’t understand right now, and I don’t say this to rush you.” He watches me warily as he waits, submissive acceptance on his face that tells me it’s been a long time since he has been given a choice in anything. “The military will realize something has happened here, and we need to be far away from this camp when they do. Cameron and I are searching for an abandoned village from my past. We plan to settle it into our home.”
Even without understanding our language, Cameron knows what I’m asking when I glance at him. He nods, not a split second’s hesitation. “It is isolated deep in the woods, and there are lots of homes, so you would have your own space. We have enough supplies to last several months… including a collection of seeds to start a garden.” Nyx’s head whips up at this, something akin to excitement behind his eyes. “Would you like to come with us?”
He stares at me, unblinking, for a long time, then ducks back into Boomerang’s fur as another quiet sob climbs from his throat. “Yes,” he whispers, and I catch Cameron in my peripheral vision, reaching a single finger under his glasses to swipe at his eyes.
“Alright,” I whisper, forcing the ball of emotion in my throat back down. “Let’s get moving, then.”