"We've seen beyond the veil," Rose whispered. "The truth is so much larger than we ever imagined. This island… this force… it doesn't want to harm us. It wants to connect us."
Zoey shouted, "You've enslaved them!"
Rose smiled. "They're free for the first time in their lives."
Emma clutched Sophie's arm. "We need to do something. Now."
Lucy stepped beside Jude. "I can still feel it. The hum. It's inside the tree. We have to burn it."
Jude turned toward her, then nodded. "Emma. Sophie. Prepare torches."
Emma already had dried cloth and oil in her bag. She wrapped the ends of two branches and handed one to Jude and the other to Zoey. Lucy didn't hesitate - she stepped toward the pool, toward the others, her voice trembling but firm.
"You said you wanted us all together," she said to Rose. "Let me come closer."
Rose's eyes narrowed. "You hesitated once."
"I'm not hesitating now."
Jude held his breath.