At which point, the dragon promptly tipped over on its side, exhausted.
No no no, said Assa. You can’t go to sleep now.
But there was no stopping the creature.
Its brain began slowing down. The flashes of light grew dimmer and less numerous. It was as though someone was slowly snuffing out all the lights. She tried to walk the network, hoping to seize the dragon’s will and bend it to her notions of what needed to be done, but it was no good. The dragon was not to be budged. Its brain settled into a holding pattern of lights. Its body twitched and waves of muscle spasms rolled over its bulk. It tucked its head into its shoulder, closed its eyes, and welcomed the darkness of sleep.
Assa had nowhere to go and nothing to do.
She fended off the voices of Dusk and Dawn, who were intent on b
