Chapter 958
Grace appeared behind him, shawl drawn tight. "You came again," she said softly.
He nodded, barely turning. "It’s calling."
She knelt beside him, brushing dew from the wood. "Good or bad?"
He exhaled slowly. "Important."
She laid her hand on his. "You don’t have to go alone."
He welcomed the warmth, but didn’t speak. She sighed and stayed until the first glint of dawn touched the treetops.
At breakfast, the wives were subdued, though their eyes betrayed understanding. Scarlet’s fingers tapped a quiet rhythm against her mug. Zoe and Lucy shared an unreadable glance. Serena stood close, ever-vigilant. Simone, no, Susan, slipped dried petals in Jude’s tea. Their quiet was acceptance, unspoken solidarity.
When they finished eating, Jude gathered them by the glyph-bearing well. "Today," he said, voice hushed but firm, "we learn what lies beneath this memory."
He split the group into two: Grace, Vivian, no, that name didn’t belong. Layla, Lucy, led north to test the watchers’ boundary. Jude, Grace, and Susan, led east to follow the glyphs that had emerged overnight. Emma, Stella, and Zoey circled west, tracking patterns in the mist. Scarlet, Serena, Natalie, Sophie, and Emma, no repetition, Scarlet, Serena, Sophie, and Rose would stay to hold space here, near the glyph and the well.