Chapter 1085
They had seen the signs. The pattern. Rose had changed since the fall, since that cursed river swallowed her and returned something different. Then Layla changed. Then Zoey. And now Grace was growing quieter, colder, her usual warmth retreating into something unreadable.
Jude made his way to the river with Stella and Emma, hoping a bit of distance might clear his head. They spent the morning casting nets into the slow-moving stream, talking softly about old memories, laughing when the fish splashed too hard and soaked their legs. Emma was all grins and sharp wit, teasing Jude about his "harem" of wild wives, and Stella occasionally brushed her hand along his back as she passed, lingering just enough to make his skin tingle.
It was comforting. Human. Real.
When the bucket filled with slippery silver catches, they began to head back, sun warming their skin and sweat trailing down their spines. But halfway through the path, Jude slowed. His eyes caught something, just for a second. A shadow out of place. Something tall, thin, unmoving, just beyond the trees.
He stopped walking. So did Stella.
"Did you, ?"
"No," she said quickly. Too quickly.
Emma looked between them. "What is it?"
Jude blinked and the shadow was gone. He shook his head, forced a smile. "Nothing. Let’s go."
But it wasn’t nothing.
Back at the camp, Rose was brushing Zoey’s hair, threading tiny white flowers into it, while Layla fed her bits of dried mango from her fingers. Grace sat by the fire, her eyes flicking between them, lips pressed in a line. Sophie was sharpening a knife beside Susan, her movements precise, mechanical. She looked up at Jude as he returned and gave him a slow nod.