Jude stared at her.
The stranger held out the seed.
"Take it."
He did not move.
"Why?"
"Because the tree is dying."
Jude looked towards the mountain.
The blue crack along its ridge had widened. Its light was fading now, replaced by a deep, pulsing darkness.
"What happens if it dies?"
The woman lowered her hand.
"The house will open all its doors."
"And?"
She looked at the four Sols.
"And the things that were never allowed to happen will come looking for their lives."
The child on the roof dropped his wooden bird.
It struck the tiles.
A tiny sound came from inside it.
A heartbeat.
Then another.
Then twelve more.
The stranger closed the box.
"You have very little time."
Jude looked at the wives.
"Can we trust her?"
Nobody answered.
Layla approached the stranger.
"Have we met before?"
The woman looked at her.
"Yes."
"When?"
"Before you were Layla."
Layla frowned.
The woman gently touched her cheek.
