33.

King Sorrow swoops on the Brooks Library tower, blasting fire through the embrasures. Amid smoke and burning stacks, Gwen fixates on a crossword that completes itself, pointing to “chum”—Arthur. Tana’s touch to the Russian mirror echoes a Y-shaped crack in the glass wall as Arthur’s filmed image glitches toward it.

Donna taunts the dragon and drinks a thermos of dragon tears. As King Sorrow peers in, she trades a childish riddle for her life and exhales flame, scorching his eye and face. He rams the tower repeatedly, hurling Donna and injuring Allie and Tana. Donna’s heart fails as Allie clutches her; Donna dies seeing a vision of Van.

Under the martyr’s robe, Gwen approaches the cracked glass. Arthur mouths “Take it,” and Gwen draws a weightless blade of light from the video. King Sorrow tears open the wall; Gwen shears off a talon, and Allie reaches into the past for Van’s sand-dollar shield, deflecting the dragonfire skyward.

King Sorrow’s tail smashes more stone, flinging Gwen and Robin; Gwen collapses, bleeding. When the tail snakes under the robe, Gwen drives Arthur’s sword through it, pinning it to the floor. The dragon tastes Gwen’s grief-rich blood, then wraps his tongue around his trapped tail and begins devouring himself, dragging his body through the wall and widening the breach.

Tana shoves Allie under a table as the tower partially collapses. Robin helps Gwen and calls out as sirens approach. Above, King Sorrow jerks and laughs while swallowing himself entirely; with a pressure-pop, he vanishes. The room is in ruins, Allie and Tana buried under debris but sheltered, and Gwen—ribs shattered, lung collapsed—laughs through the pain, having helped end the dragon.