Chapter 1347

When the sun dipped low, they gathered in a circle around the fire.

Each wife touched Jude - his chest, his cheek, his lips - before stepping back into the shadows of the jungle path. Rose led them, barefoot and bare-shouldered, her long braid tied with feathers. Lucy followed next, then Stella, then Zoey, then the others, until only Sophie remained.

She looked at Jude for a long moment.

Then she stepped close, took his face in her hands, and kissed him so deeply he forgot his name.

When she pulled away, she whispered, "Come to us whole. Or don't come at all."

He followed.

The jungle grew darker as they walked, not from the fading sun but from the density of the trees - thicker here, older. The air was wetter, heavier. The trail narrowed, twisted. And then they reached it.

A great hollow, carved into the hillside, mouth gaping, filled with tangled vines and black mist.