Chapter 1143
They moved quickly, silent, signaling Sophie as they passed. She rose instantly, barefoot and alert. Lucy stirred, blinked after them, and followed without asking questions. Stella woke next. Grace and Susan were slower, rubbing sleep from their eyes, but the way they looked toward the trees said they already knew. Something was happening. Again.
This time, they didn’t stay behind.
They followed.
The path the others had taken curved away from the river, winding through thicker underbrush and into deeper woods. There were no lights ahead. No voices. Just darkness and the occasional flash of movement between the trees. It felt like a dream, the kind where sound didn’t carry, and the air pressed against your ears until even your heartbeat felt muffled.
Then they saw it.
The clearing.
Rose stood at its center, her arms outstretched. Layla was on one knee before her. Zoey and Scarlet knelt on either side, hands resting against the earth. Natalie stood behind them, tracing lines in the air with her fingers. Lines that glowed faintly, just enough for Jude to recognize the shape.
It was the pattern.
The same one they had erased.
But now it floated in the air, drawn with light instead of dirt.
Emma grabbed Jude’s wrist. "She’s casting."