Chapter 928
Natalie crossed her arms. "And what does it want?"
"I don’t know yet. But I think it’s what the gods feared. It might be older than them."
That caused a murmur. Layla reached for Serena’s hand. Grace moved to stand beside Jude, as if by instinct.
"What should we do?" Zoey asked.
He looked at each of them in turn. "We prepare. Today, I want three groups. One with me. One to reinforce the orchard’s protections. And one to go north toward the spiral grove. The tree appeared yesterday. Something might grow again."
They didn’t question the orders. They never did when he took this tone. Susan, Rose, and Lucy joined him. They would walk with him into the heart of the jungle, past the burnt-clearings and into the old ravine. Grace led the defense group, Stella, Scarlet, Sophie, and Natalie, with Laurel and Raven staying close. Serena, Zoey, Layla, and Emma would scout the northern woods.
They split before midday.
Jude’s group moved fast. The mist thickened the deeper they went, and the glyphs on his arms brightened with every mile. Birds scattered from the trees in frightened bursts. The air grew hotter, heavier. Even the soil beneath their feet seemed to vibrate faintly.
They reached the heart of the ravine before the sun hit its peak. The ground was cracked and blackened, the trees twisted as if in pain. And at the center was a new growth, a tower of stone and bark, rising twenty feet into the air, shaped like a blooming flower but hard as iron.
Lucy reached out, fingers brushing the surface. "It’s warm."
Rose crouched to inspect the roots. "It’s feeding on something beneath. Blood? Or memory?"