The Back of the Turtle

On the beach, Sonny refreshes his flickering beacon fire with pieces of driftwood. Crisp appears, toting a picnic of Sonny’s favorite foods. As they sit down together to eat, Sonny spots Gabriel and Mara on the Apostles.

Dorian eats breakfast alone at the Hermes, ignoring his phone’s constant ringing. He recites lines from Invictus: “I am the master of my fate. I am the captain of my soul” (484). He calls an impromptu meeting with a real estate mogul and arranges to buy one of the Hermes-owned properties, planning to name it “The Asher.”

After their picnic, Crisp brings Sonny further up the beach and advises him to lie low in the sand. Big Red is laying a clutch of eggs. Sonny knows that soon the eggs will hatch, “as it was in the beginning” (488). In the distance, he sees the figures of Gabriel and Mara straggling up the beach. They have weathered the waves at the Apostles, and he cheers for them as they make their way over to the tower.

Trailing behind Mara, Gabriel spots Big Red on the sand. He recognizes her distinct red marking—she is the same turtle who lived in the tank at Domidion.