Noctisardor Bypass Will you chase the burning sun in to the sea.

I hope this wrench is OK, tell me if I need to change anything @Anselm.

Heda's girls had gone.

Glaukos had not been minding them; they were not his to watch over even if he had been labelled the Den Father of this place. Glaukos had taken notice in the way Druid would roam to visit Fiona more frequently, which they were doing now, and he also witnessed something in Heda breaking each time this happened—and maybe it wasn't related, but to the man there was no other reasoning behind it.

For this reason Glaukos knew he needed to help Heda. If he could keep Heda healthy, then she could fix Druid. The end goal was the same in every plan he held: keep Etienne for Druid's sickness, keep Fiona for her mind, keep her sister for her heart. Therefore if he could not fix whatever ailed Heda now, he would lose a part of Druid in the long-run. That was all that mattered.

It was with this in mind that Glaukos sought out the hiding place of Etienne, as he figured @Anselm would not be too far. He stalked the territory until he found signs of the fool, and instead of avoiding all contact with him this time, he reached out as they passed one-another and grabbed for him, slamming him down in place. Pent-up frustrations fueled this—the anger of having his laws questioned repeatedly, the previous presence of Suzu, the obvious refusals by Anselm in the past.

Now he would pin the man to the nearest tree, or the closest patch of dirt. He did it without warning; but he did not draw blood, knowing how to hold a man without proof of injury. It was as much about Glaukos' strength of will as it was his position of power within Rivenwood.

Beyond that, it was about Druid.

Through a grimace of teeth and his own panting from the exertion of holding Anselm in place, Glaukos commands: Heda's daughters, they're not here. You will go and hunt for them. This was not a request. The boy would find the twin girls and return them here, to Rivenwood, whether it was their desire or not. You will do this, or I will hurt him again. This was no idle threat—the healer had proven to be a useful tool so far, but with each passing day it was clear that Fiona was of infinitely more value.

His grip tightened, and Glaukos glared down at Anselm now with an unbridled fury he was trying very, very hard not to give in to. He did not need a yes or a no, only acceptance, and he waited there for such confirmation that he was understood.