After four hours, the spiral path ended at a granite boulder. The glyph on its face matched the shard, except now it glowed, humming. Behind it, a narrow cave entrance yawned. It felt alive, echoing breeze like soft voices.
Jude knelt and pressed his palm to the glyph. It pulsed. The watchers gathered, bodies close. The wives formed a line behind him. Jude closed his eyes and spoke: "We come again as memory-bearers to this place. We stand with watchers, mountain, island. We ask to pass."
He placed the shard into the glyph. A tremor. Light belched outward, filling grove with gold. The stone vibrated. Behind, the cave lit from within. The watchers condensed into glowing threads that circled the entrance. Silence. Then the cave mouth shimmered like liquid.
Grace stepped forward. "We must enter together." Nods all around.