Chapter 1871

The child looked up.

"Yes."

"Which one were you?"

The boy hesitated.

"I was both."

Jude frowned.

"What?"

"I wanted to leave. I wanted to stay. I wanted the door to open, but I was afraid of what would happen when it did."

He looked towards the darkness.

"So I asked for someone to choose."

The woman in Layla’s face closed her eyes.

The child continued.

"And someone did."

The man in the doorway took a step forward.

"I made the promise."

The child shook his head.

"You made a different one."

The man’s smile faded.

The boy looked at Jude.

"The first promise was not about losing people."

Jude waited.

"It was about being allowed to leave."

A low rumble passed beneath the floor.

The woman reached for the child’s arm.

He moved away.

"Don’t touch me."

She stopped.

The boy continued.

"Someone promised that nobody would ever be kept."

Jude remembered the little room.

The empty window.

The two children.

The first house.

"And then the promise changed," he said.

The child nodded.

"Because one of us left."

The man looked towards the tree.

"And the other followed."

The woman turned sharply.

"No."

The man continued.

"The promise became something else. Nobody would ever be lost again."

Jude looked at him.

"Why?"

"Because the one who remained couldn’t accept that the other had gone."

The woman stepped towards the throne.

"And because you refused to let the door close."

The man’s eyes narrowed.

"You were the one who asked me to keep it open."

"I asked you to bring them back."

"You asked me to bring back what had already left."

The tree groaned.

A shower of silver leaves fell from its branches.

The smallest Sol looked towards Jude.

"That’s why there are so many of me."

Jude’s expression changed.

"What?"

The boy pointed at the other three.

"They are the answers."

The first Sol looked down.

The second held his pendant tightly.

The third stepped behind Jude.

The smallest continued.

"One remembers the beach. One remembers the room. One remembers the tree. One remembers the door."

Jude looked at each child.

"And you?"

The child smiled sadly.

"I remember being alone."

The woman in Layla’s face suddenly raised both hands.

The four Sols were pulled backwards.

Jude reached for them.

Silver threads appeared around their wrists and ankles, stretching towards the tree.

The children cried out.

"Let them go!" Jude shouted.

The woman looked at him.

"You don’t understand. They cannot remain separate."

The man in the doorway lifted his hand.

The threads stopped.

For a moment, the children hung in the air.

Then the man spoke.

"They were never meant to be separate."

The woman glared at him.

"You have no right to decide that."

"Neither do you."

Jude rushed towards the children.

He caught the first Sol by the arm.

The thread around the boy’s wrist loosened.

Then he grabbed the second.

Another thread fell away.

The third child reached for him.

Jude caught his hand.

The smallest boy remained suspended.

A dark thread was wrapped around his chest.

Jude pulled.

It did not move.

The child looked at him.

"Don’t."

"I’m not leaving you."

"You can’t pull that one."

"Why?"

The boy looked towards the woman.

"Because it is attached to her."

Jude turned.

A silver thread extended from the child’s chest to the woman’s hand.

But another thread extended from the same place towards the man.

Two threads.

One silver.

One dark.

The same two hearts.

Jude stared.

The woman raised her hand.

The man raised his.

The child began to tremble.

"Stop!" Jude shouted.

Neither moved.

The smallest Sol looked at Jude.

"You have to choose."

Jude shook his head.

"No."

"You have to."

"I’m not choosing between you."

The child smiled.

"You already did."

Then the chamber vanished.

Jude found himself standing on the beach.

The familiar waves moved gently against the shore.

The sky was pale.

The wooden houses were visible in the distance.

He was alone.

At least, he thought he was.

A little wooden bird lay beside his feet.

He picked it up.

The carved wings were familiar.

The small silver crescent pendant was wrapped around its neck.

A voice came from behind him.

"Jude?"

He turned.

Layla stood near the water.

Her clothes were damp from the sea.

Her expression was frightened.

"Where have you been?"

Jude took a step towards her.

"Layla?"

She nodded.

"It’s me."

He looked at her carefully.

There was no silver mark beneath her eyes.

No strange embroidery.

No unnatural stillness.

She looked exactly as he remembered her.

"Are you real?"

Layla frowned.

"What kind of question is that?"

Jude almost smiled.

"An important one."

She approached.

"I’ve been looking for you."

"Where are the others?"

"At the village."

"Are they safe?"

Layla nodded.

"Everyone is waiting."

Jude studied her face.

"Waiting for what?"

She looked towards the water.

"For you to come home."

He lowered the wooden bird.

"Layla, I need you to answer something."

"Of course."

"Have you ever seen the first house?"

Her expression changed.

Only slightly.

But Jude noticed.

"Why are you asking me that?"

"Because I need to know."

Layla looked towards the distant village.

Then back at him.

"I saw it once."

"When?"

"Before we found Sol."

Jude stared.

"What?"

She nodded.

"I didn’t tell you because I thought it was a dream."

"Where did you see it?"

"In the orchard."

Jude remembered the orchard.

The trees.

The old wooden bench.

The path leading towards the northern woods.

"What did it look like?"

Layla hesitated.

"It was a little house."

"Wooden?"

"No."

She looked at him.

"It was made of stone."

Jude felt his stomach tighten.

"Was there a tree?"

Layla nodded.

"And a woman?"

Layla’s eyes filled with tears.

"Yes."

Jude stepped closer.

"What did she say?"

Layla looked down.

"She asked me to bring something to you."

"What?"

"A name."

The beach became strangely quiet.

Jude stared at her.

"What name?"

Layla looked up.