Grace propped herself up on her elbows and smiled languidly. "That was more than joining. That was creation."
Zoey let out a long breath, stretching her body with feline grace. "I don't think the island will ever be the same after this."
Neither would they.
Jude sat up slowly, gazing around the chamber again. The petals of the tree still curved above them like the arms of some great, divine being, shielding them from the sky, but he could see flickers of starlight above now, clearer than before. The pool beside them shimmered again, but its surface was still - no longer demanding, but reflective.
They had given the island what it asked for.
And now it waited.
"What happens next?" Jude asked softly.
Stella reached for his hand, interlacing their fingers. "We rise."
Natalie nodded, her body still wrapped in strands of root that curled affectionately around her waist and thighs. "We've unlocked something. The hum is different. Deeper."
