Chapter 1174
Dawn broke slow and pale, the first light bleeding across the sea, softening the shadows that had clung so tightly to the world through the night. The wind carried the scent of salt and stone, crisp and sharp, filling Jude’s lungs as he rose from where he’d been sitting, sleepless, beside the dying fire. The horizon glowed with hints of gold and pink, but the beauty of it felt fragile, as if it could be shattered by a single wrong step.
Around him, the others stirred. Sophie was the first to rise, rubbing the chill from her arms, her hair wild from the night air. She moved to him without hesitation, her hand sliding into his, her touch grounding him the way it always did. Her eyes searched his face, seeing the exhaustion there, the worry he could no longer hide.
"We’ll find her," she said, her voice low and sure. "We’ll find her and we’ll bring her back."
Jude nodded, though the weight of uncertainty sat heavy on his shoulders. "We have to move. Before the island tries to trap us here."
Lucy stood at the cliff’s edge, watching the sea, her blade strapped to her side, her posture tense. "The forest," she said without turning. "It’s where she’ll be. Where it’s strongest. We can’t wait for another night. It’s changing her more every hour."
The others gathered around, quiet but resolute. Zoey, Scarlet, Grace, Susan, Stella, Natalie, Emma-they all bore the marks of sleeplessness, of fear worn into bone. But beneath that, the bond that held them together was unbroken. Stronger, even. The night had tested them, and they had not fractured.
They packed quickly, taking what little they had: blades, rope, carved charms that once had been for luck but now felt like fragile armor against the island’s dark heart. The path down from the cliffs was steep, the rocks slick with morning dew. They moved carefully, helping one another, hands gripping wrists, boots finding purchase where they could. The sea fell away behind them, the forest rising ahead, dark and waiting.
The trees seemed taller, their branches woven into a ceiling that blocked the growing light. The air was damp, filled with the scent of moss and earth and the faint, lingering sweetness of the flowers that bloomed unseen. The deeper they walked, the quieter the world became, until it felt as if even the birds had fled this part of the island.
They spoke little, words feeling too loud in that hush. Instead, they moved as one, senses sharpened, watching for any sign-any flicker of silver light, any echo of the song that had haunted them in the night.