<h4>Chapter 1146: Chapter 1146</h4>
"She’sing," Rose whispered.
Lightning struck the bone structure.
It didn’t burn. It glowed.
The runes carved into its base pulsed with golden light, then deepened into a blood-red hue that spread across the circle like veins. La, Zoey, Natalie, Grace, Scarlet, and Susan fell to their knees as one. They pressed their hands to the earth and began to sing, low, vibrating sounds that made Jude’s teeth ache.
Sophie screamed his name. He turned to see her holding onto Ste, who was fighting to stay on her feet.
"I’m okay!" Ste yelled. "Keep going!"
Jude ran to them, grabbed Sophie’s free hand, and didn’t look back.
They fled the clearing as the sky cracked open, releasing a roar of wind and light so unnatural it sounded alive. The storm wasn’t just overhead, it was inside the ind now. The trees leaned away from it. The ground shook under their feet. The air shimmered with energy that made Jude’s skin crawl.
They ran until they reached the river.
Only then did they stop.
Lucy copsed to her knees, panting. Emma stood over her, de still drawn, scanning the woods behind them. Sophie and Jude crouched with Ste, checking her over. Her dress was torn, her feet were scratched, but her eyes, her eyes were still hers.
"She called to me," Ste whispered. "From the roots. I didn’t want to go, I didn’t, but it was like she reached into me."
"She didn’t get you," Sophie said. "You’re here. You’re you."
Ste nodded, swallowing hard. "I don’t know how much longer I could’ve resisted."
"She’s growing stronger," Jude said. "With every wife she takes, she gets more power. That storm, she made that."
"Then we destroy the altar," Emma said coldly. "Burn it. Tear it down. Whatever it takes."
Lucy looked up. "How? We can’t get close."
"We find another way," Jude said.
Sophie sat back, eyes darting. "Wait... what if the watcher sites can help?"
"What?"
"The real ones. From before. When we mapped the ind. When we used watchersong. What if we use those sites against her? Anchor ourselves in them. Fight from there."
Emma frowned. "If watcherscript didn’t work before, "
"We didn’t know what we were fighting," Sophie said. "Now we do."
Ste wiped her face. "If we can reach a watcher site, maybe we can weaken her connection."
Jude nodded slowly. "We go to the first one. The stone arch. It’s closest."
The journey was slower. Ste limped, but refused to stop. Emma and Lucy took turns guiding her. The storm had settled into a low thrumming wind, and the darkness held steady in the sky, as though a shroud had covered the sun. The forest didn’t feel like the ind anymore. It felt borrowed.
Possessed.
When they reached the stone arch, the air changed. The pressure in their chests eased. The ground felt solid again. The watcher’s presence was faint but still there, a warmth in the bones, a pulse of memory. Jude stepped into the circle and let his hand rest on the smooth curve of the stone.
"We’re safe here," he whispered.
Sophie knelt beside him and began drawing symbols, runes from memory, scratched into the dirt with her fingers. Ste and Lucy mirrored her on the other side of the arch. Emma stood at the edge with her knife, watching the trees.
Susan appeared first.
Just outside the arch.
She didn’t speak. She only stared, hands loose at her sides, her expression soft and nk.
Then Grace.
Then Natalie.
They stood in the trees like shadows, watching.
Then Zoey, La, and Scarlet.
They were all there, except Rose.
Jude stepped to the edge of the watcher’s circle, not crossing it. "You don’t have to serve her."
None of them spoke.
"You’re stronger than her."
Susan smiled. But it wasn’t the twisted grin from before. It was... sad.
Grace took one step forward.
And Rose’s voice came from the woods.
"Careful, darling."
Rose stepped into view, arms crossed, eyes glowing faintly. She looked utterly calm. Confident.
"You’re not supposed to be here," Sophie said.
"Oh, I think I am," Rose replied.
Jude stood tall. "We’ll fight you."
Rose tilted her head. "You can try."
Behind her, the other wives stepped closer.
But they didn’t move in perfect sync this time.
Natalie faltered.
Susan looked away.
And Grace whispered something that sounded like Jude’s name.
Sophie’s eyes widened. "It’s working."
Rose’s smile faded slightly.
And the watcher stone began to glow.
The glow from the watcher stone intensified, not like fire or torchlight, but something deeper, older. It pulsed, warm and slow, as if it were breathing beneath Jude’s palm. The light spilled across the clearing in soft waves, brushing against the edges of the forest where Rose and the others stood. As it reached them, something shifted.
Natalie blinked hard and took a step back.
Susan clutched her arms like she was cold.
Grace trembled, her lips moving in a whisper that couldn’t be heard but felt. Like memory. Like regret.
Rose didn’t move.
She stood just outside the edge of the watcher’s circle, watching them with that maddening stillness, her hands folded calmly in front of her. But her smile had vanished. Her glow dimmed slightly. And Jude could see it now, her jaw clenched. Her pupils too wide. There was tension in her shoulders. She was angry.
"You think that stone can save you?" she asked, voice low and melodic. "You forget who shaped this ind."
"You didn’t shape anything," Sophie snapped. "You’re being used."
Rose stepped closer, her bare feet brushing the edge of the circle. The light recoiled slightly, reacting to her presence. Behind her, Zoey and La froze like puppets caught mid-movement. Scarlet’s mouth opened, then closed again.
"You don’t understand what she offers," Rose whispered.
"We don’t want it," Jude said.
"She brings peace."
"By taking our minds?"
Rose tilted her head. "By freeing them."
Then the forest groaned.
It wasn’t the trees. It wasn’t the wind. It was the ind itself.