******
Pulled to the surface by a line dangling in a well that was a day behind, in a forest that ran in a circle around the river of time, Astray broke into the light of day. Next to him was a large turtle, its shell made of wave-washed and faded stones, mud, and sea-cement. “Gahhhhh,” the turtle yawned, “at last.”
The final ribbon of hazy darkness from the cub’s tail had been reeled away, and with it the last petal from his necklace was returned to the sea, where they all found their way to the stars in the end.
He was pure white, as brilliant as a star himself. He cast no shadow on the gray stones as he sat down in the moss on the turtle’s back and stared up at the sky, waiting for the comet to fall.
“She should be along shortly, my lord,” said the turtle. “Never fear—we’ll catch her. Always do.”
V. Arms of the Sea
Syn violently beat its wings against the sides of Coral Wing, struggling to break free. The living coral shrieked and shrilled as ancient burns turned black all over again at the dragon’s touch.
The sea around the castle turned inward with a will of its own, focused on Wingtip Tower. The water swelled up and rose into huge summits on either side of the narrow castle. The cresting waves smashed into one another, climbing higher until the water achieved a height to rival the beating wings of Syn. The arms of the sea, at last taking shape as the crushing claws of a gargantuan king crab, clamped onto the flaming wings of the dragon and reared back, pulling Syn’s white-hot core deeper onto the sharp pinnacle of the castle. Syn thrashed its tail and whipped its head from side to side, but with its wings immobilized and its heart pierced it could not break free.
Infuriated, the red dragon bellowed freakish, insatiable bloodlust. Then it saw a light as bright as its own heart floating on the back of a turtle far below. Syn grew still, staring at the white light. It slowly opened its jaws, silently stretched its neck down to the surface of the sea, spread its teeth, an endless inferno of white-hot lances all poised to center on the undefended white light, ready to kill, hungry to kill, no longer mindless but thirsty to kill, to close its teeth around the white light.
The comet fell from the sky and blew through the back of the demon’s head like a cannonball filled with rainbow-colored fireworks. The blaring explosion rocked the sea from coast to coast and filled the air with ash as thick as rising yeast.
Through the smoking jaws of the decimated dragon fell a delicate flower with soft petals of all colors. Never a comet at all, only a flower carried up one night and lowered down three days later by the gentle wings of the wind. She landed softly in the moss on the turtle’s back.
Lion nestled his nose against Lilly. She received the kiss with a glow. No sooner than that but they fell asleep.
“Consider your wish granted,” said the stone turtle, giving the stray cub a fond look. “See you when you wake up.”
Riverlilly Page 29