As the smoke clears and the helicopter soars off into the distance, the price of victory is made known: the final, wheezing collapse of the escape vehicle. All four tires deflate, the entire rear door falls off, the engine sputters, wheezes and chunders to a halt and an endless column of exhausted smoke ascends from the bonnet.

It is to be walking, then.

But the full moon is still high in the sky, so Hyra helps walk Yue from the wreck. Below the broken bridge is a river which promises a release from the dust and panic and the weather is just so warm as to make it inviting. Better, the water runs quick and shallow, barely ankle deep in places, crashing white and loud over ten billion thumb-sized pebbles while sweet coralbark trees emerge from the shoreline to drop their star-shaped leaves one by one into the rushing water. A river like this is no accident. It is the work of princesses and queens to dredge the depths, slay the ancient monsters, seal any portals to the stygian depths, and then surround the banks with saplings that promise springtime flowers. There is a lot of hard, unglamourous work that goes into restoring a river, just as with restoring a shrine.

But now that it's been done there's nothing easier in the world than to enjoy it.