Chapter 1199
Sleep claimed them all eventually, even Jude. The spiral’s hum threaded through his dreams, soft and steady, carrying him through visions of endless paths, of mist and light, of his wives’ faces illuminated by the glow of ancient symbols. When he woke, the first blush of dawn touched the sky, pale and soft as a promise. The fire had burned down to embers, but the river still sang, and the spiral’s presence still lingered, like the memory of a song that would not fade.
He roused them gently, one by one, with kisses, with whispered words, with the soft press of his hand. Sophie smiled up at him first, her eyes bright with the light of the new day. Rose stretched, catlike, and leaned into him with a grin that promised both mischief and love. Zoey groaned dramatically, earning a soft laugh from Scarlet, who pulled her into a lazy embrace. Lucy was already rising, blade in hand, alert as ever. Natalie and Stella woke wrapped around each other, their faces peaceful. Susan and Grace rose together, fingers laced, sharing a private smile. Emma was already awake, of course, and when Jude met her gaze, she gave him that small nod that always reassured him more than words.
They broke their fast with simple food: wild fruits gathered the day before, fish left from their catch, water cool and sweet from the river. The air smelled of moss and water and dawn, and as they ate, the spiral’s hum seemed to stir the world around them, as if the island itself were waking with them.
When they were ready, they set off again, following the river’s bend where the spiral seemed to guide them. The trees thickened at first, their trunks twisted into shapes that echoed the spiral’s curve, their roots knotted like ancient runes. The mist clung to the ground in places, pooling in hollows and drifting in slow tendrils across their path. The hum grew stronger, vibrating through the soles of their feet, a low song of stone and water and memory.
The path grew steeper as they climbed a ridge, the river falling away below them, its roar softening into a distant murmur. And then, as the sun climbed higher, the trees parted, revealing another terrace, this one smaller than the last but no less ancient. At its center stood a circle of stones, low and worn, their surfaces carved with spirals that overlapped and wove together in a dizzying dance.
Jude approached first, Sophie and Rose at his sides, the others spreading out behind. The hum of the spiral rose until it seemed to fill the air, the sky, their very bones. He knelt, brushing moss from one of the stones, tracing the carvings with reverent fingers.
"It’s a map," Sophie said softly, kneeling beside him. "Look-the spirals, the lines. They mark the spires, the river, the glades. This is the island."
Rose crouched on his other side, eyes bright with wonder. "And this-" she pointed to the center, where the spirals converged in a single point, "-this is where we’re meant to go."