Chapter 1199

Sleep claimed them all eventually, even Jude. The spiral's hum threaded through his dreams, soft and steady, carrying him through visions of endless paths, of mist and light, of his wives' faces illuminated by the glow of ancient symbols. When he woke, the first blush of dawn touched the sky, pale and soft as a promise. The fire had burned down to embers, but the river still sang, and the spiral's presence still lingered, like the memory of a song that would not fade.