Chapter 1170
No one spoke much. The memory of Rose’s voice still lingered, soft as the wind, impossible to forget.
Jude finally tore his gaze from the sea, turning back to face them. The morning light softened their exhaustion, but didn’t hide it. They all bore it, this shared burden of fear, of love, of loss.
"We can’t stay here," Jude said, his voice quiet but firm. "She’ll come again. We have to move, to think, to find some way to reach her. To stop this before it takes her completely."
Lucy nodded without hesitation. "Agreed. But we need a plan. We can’t just chase shadows and hope."
Sophie glanced at Jude, then at the others. "What about the cave near the river? The one we found early on. It’s hidden. Defensible. We can regroup there, figure out our next move."
Zoey straightened, wiping soot from her fingers. "It’s better than waiting for her to find us out in the open. If this island is changing her, changing everything, we need cover."
No one argued. They packed what little they needed: weapons, rope, the carved charms they’d fashioned in better days, food that would last. Every small task was heavy with tension, but they moved with quiet determination. The bond between them, forged through every danger they’d faced, was stronger now than ever. It had to be.
The hike to the river was slow. The ground was slick from the storm, the air thick with the scent of wet earth and salt. The forest, so familiar and yet so alien, pressed close around them, the trees seeming to lean in, listening, watching. Every snapped twig beneath their boots, every bird call or rustle of leaves, made hearts race. But still they pressed on.
Jude stayed near the front with Sophie and Lucy, scanning the woods for any sign of Rose, or whatever had taken her. The light that filtered through the canopy above was soft, almost dreamlike, but the tension in the air was sharp enough to cut.