Epilogue

Nathaniel and Marie had gone down the dirt track to their steamcar, making the trip back to their home for the last time in a while, so Alix stood in the rubble alone. She was sifting through the stone looking for something in particular she wanted to bring with her to Ireland. She heard the manifold wings marking his arrival as the birds settled over the ruins around them and glanced up numbly at the Corvid Prince.

Crows this time—seven for a story yet to be told.

Then she went back to sifting, finally fishing out the green wool coat from the American Civil War and an army-issue knapsack with J. Swanson embroidered on it.

“Was it worth it?” The Corvid Prince asked with a quiet voice as if he already knew the answer.

Maybe he did.

“In the end?”

Alix hesitated for a moment, struggling to put the truth into words.

It was simple when she finally found the right one.

“No.”