Chapter 1407
He staggered back, and the roots above moved. Just slightly, but enough to see. They pulled back like parting curtains, revealing a small staircase behind the pedestal - stone carved, spiraling down into a darkness so deep it shimmered.
The island had shown them the door.
Lucy was on her feet first, crossing to him, licking the nectar from his lips before kissing him deeply. "Where does it lead?"
"I don’t know," he whispered. "But I need to find out."
"We all do," Sophie said from behind them.
Without hesitation, one by one, they followed Jude to the stairs. The spiral path was narrow, barely wide enough for two, and slick with condensation. As they descended, their bodies pressed together, hips brushing, hands slipping into the familiar places they’d already explored again and again.
Rose held Jude’s hand. Lucy held the other. Sophie trailed behind, her fingers ghosting over his spine. He could feel their heartbeats all around him - like a drum circle growing louder with every step.
At the bottom of the stairs, the chamber opened into a vast underground grove. Roots ran like veins through the walls. A shallow stream cut through the middle, glowing faintly green. And there, in the center of the grove, stood the mirror.
Not a mirror in the traditional sense. It was liquid, suspended upright in a stone arch, its surface shimmering like the black pool - but reflective. When they looked into it, they didn’t see their current selves. They saw moments. Fragments. Truths.
Jude saw himself kissing Rose the first night they arrived.
Lucy saw the night she almost left, heartbroken and afraid.