Chapter 1188
Lucy and Zoey stood at the clearing’s edge, their watch unbroken, their silhouettes sharp against the rising sun. Jude rose quietly, joining them.
"Anything?" he asked.
Zoey shook her head. "Nothing but the hum. It hasn’t stopped."
"It won’t," Lucy said. "Not until we figure out what it wants us to see next."
Jude glanced back at the others, still sleeping or just waking, their faces peaceful in the morning light despite everything. His heart ached with love for them, for their strength, for their trust. Whatever waited in the spiral’s path, he would face it with them. Always with them.
"We move at first light," he said. "We follow where the spiral leads."
And as the sun rose higher, casting light on the spiral etched in ash and chalk, they prepared to do just that-together, as always.
The sun climbed higher, spilling soft gold across the clearing, making the dew sparkle on leaves and grass. The spiral they’d drawn on the stone seemed almost to glow in that morning light, as if the island’s gaze lingered on it, on them. Jude stood quietly for a long moment, watching his wives stir, watching the dawn chase the night’s chill from their skin. Sophie stretched beside the fire, hair loose and tangled, her eyes warm when they found his. Rose moved to her feet, brushing ash from her hands, her gaze thoughtful, the memory of the spiral still etched in her mind.
Lucy sheathed her blade but stayed alert, scanning the forest as always. Zoey joined her, their silent understanding flowing between them like a current. The others rose in ones and twos-Grace and Susan sharing a soft laugh over some private joke, Stella and Natalie pulling blankets tight around their shoulders, Scarlet combing fingers through Zoey’s hair with absent affection, Emma watching them all with quiet care.
Jude felt the hum within him as if the island breathed with them. It hadn’t faded overnight, hadn’t softened with the rising sun. If anything, it felt stronger, as if the island had decided something, as if it waited for them to act.
"We’ll head north," Jude said at last, his voice steady, carrying to them all. "Follow the ridge along the river, see if the spiral’s path repeats itself in the land."