Samuel's nod of acceptance was enough, it seemed, to satisfy the story's end. As he looked back over his shoulder at Jigano the world began to shift, colors and edges running together. The hands in his melted away to a memory of warmth, and for a moment only Jigano's startled equine face was solid.
There was a sensation of falling - not down, but up - and a moment of darkness that gave way to sudden light. The ground was still hard flagstones, but they were chilled rather than warm to the touch. Jigano sat on the floor, blinking, Samuel beside him and between them --
That damned book, slender and blue and deceptively innocent. Now, though, it lay open before them, pages ruffling in a dying breeze and revealing the brightly colored pages of a children's fable. They settled on the last page, where a red-haired woodsman stood holding hands with a radiant princess.The simple letters beneath them read:
"...And they lived happily ever after."
"...Well," Jigano said, a little weakly as he looked at his hands in open relief, flexing his fingers just to prove he could. "That was... different. I seem to be in one piece though..." He blinked and then shifted to check his hip, which was whole beneath the loose drape of his clothing. "Even the burn is gone... Hm. What about you, Samuel? Are you alright?"
There was a sensation of falling - not down, but up - and a moment of darkness that gave way to sudden light. The ground was still hard flagstones, but they were chilled rather than warm to the touch. Jigano sat on the floor, blinking, Samuel beside him and between them --
That damned book, slender and blue and deceptively innocent. Now, though, it lay open before them, pages ruffling in a dying breeze and revealing the brightly colored pages of a children's fable. They settled on the last page, where a red-haired woodsman stood holding hands with a radiant princess.The simple letters beneath them read:
"...And they lived happily ever after."
"...Well," Jigano said, a little weakly as he looked at his hands in open relief, flexing his fingers just to prove he could. "That was... different. I seem to be in one piece though..." He blinked and then shifted to check his hip, which was whole beneath the loose drape of his clothing. "Even the burn is gone... Hm. What about you, Samuel? Are you alright?"
