Chapter 1134

Jude didn't rise at first. His breath stayed caught in his throat as he stared at the watchersign above. The word Hurt bled slowly down the stone like it had been etched into flesh instead of rock. The lines shimmered deep red, not the enchanted blue of watcherscript, not the golden light of their rituals. This was something older. Angrier.

Sophie crouched beside him, hand firm on his back. "She's wounded."

Emma exhaled behind them. "Good."

"No," Rose said quietly. "It means she's not gone. And now she's bleeding."

The women gathered around the base of the cliff as the sky began to shift, sunset giving way to that eerie, violet hour that made everything on the island blur. The trees whispered like they were murmuring to each other, passing secrets through leaves.