Jude didn't move.
The words had come from the forest beyond the wooden door.
The one standing beside you isn't Sol.
And the boy beside him had just whispered the exact opposite of what Jude wanted to hear.
"Jude... whatever happens, don't let me meet myself."
Jude looked from the child to the strange forest.
"Explain."
Sol shook his head.
"There's no time."
"I'm not going anywhere until you tell me what's happening."
The boy glanced towards the fourteen figures beneath the enormous tree.
"They're waiting."
"For whom?"
"For me."
Jude lowered himself slightly so he could look directly into the child's face.
"Sol, listen to me. You've been with us for days. You've eaten at our table, played in our gardens, walked through our village and slept in our house. Whatever is happening here, you don't have to face it alone."
Sol looked at him.
For a moment, the fear in his expression softened.
Then the voice from the forest spoke again.
"Jude, please. Bring him home."
