The ground shook under our feet and the flowers screamed.
I bolted upright with Julian right beside me, his face tight. "Liam, what the hell is that?" he asked, grabbing my arm.
"Feels like the whole garden is crying out," I said. We pulled on clothes fast and raced toward the outer edges where the new threads met the old ones. The air felt heavy, like right before a bad storm.
A cluster of island visitors stood there already, eyes wide. Mira pointed at a dark c***k splitting the ground. "It came from nowhere. Our songs cannot reach it."
Julian knelt close. "Liam, put your hand here with me. Talk while we push."
I dropped down and pressed my palm next to his. The cold fought back hard. "It is trying to split us from the new friends. You feel that pull in the bond?"
"Yeah, like someth
