Chapter 1246
Jude was the first to reach her. He crouched beside her bedding, gently brushing a hand over Emma’s cheek. Her skin was warm, slightly damp with the morning heat, but her eyes - those bright, determined eyes - stared blankly ahead, unmoving. Her lips were parted just enough to show breath passed through them. But she didn’t blink. Didn’t react.
"Emma?" he whispered, tapping her shoulder. "Hey. Emma. Look at me."
She didn’t.
Behind him, Layla entered, still stretching sleep from her muscles. "What is it?"
Jude moved aside. "Something’s wrong."
She knelt beside Emma, gently cradling her face and trying to tilt it toward her. But Emma didn’t resist or respond - her head moved, but her gaze stayed fixed upward.
"Emma, it’s me. Can you hear me?"
Still nothing.
Layla turned toward the others just as Sophie burst in through the side curtain of vines. "I felt something. Something weird. Like - " Her eyes landed on Emma. "No."
The rest of the wives gathered one by one. Their expressions shifted from curiosity to confusion to a rising fear that spread through the camp like a slow venom. Emma had always been one of the strongest. One of the most present. The idea of her going silent, falling into this state - it was like watching the roots of a tree rot while the leaves still shone green.
Rose pushed her way through the circle and sat next to Emma. Her hand hovered just above her chest, her eyes closed. "She’s not gone," she said softly. "But something’s touching her."