The cat-of-ashes rolled her eyes. “You did not help. You hindered. And hid. No, you are not a fierce warrior,” the cat-of-ashes admonished the kitten.

“Prrow,” the kitten-of-ashes insisted, then added in a tiny mew, “Fierce!”

“Ugh. Now I’m stuck raising my own continuity error,” the cat-of-ashes said. “Good thing I’m going to be an amazing parent. Come on, Pip-squeak. We’ve got places to be.”

“You’re going?” Eleanor said.

“We’ll visit,” she allowed. “But we’re not pets. We don’t stay.”

“I stay. Also sit. Also down. Also speak,” the graveyard dog said.

“Hush, you,” the cat snapped, and the graveyard dog huffed and dropped to the ground, putting his blocky head between his paws in a sulk.

“I guess this is goodbye, then,” Eleanor said. “Thank you. For everything.”

“It’s been interesting,” the cat-of-ashes said, which was as close to a compliment as Eleanor could expect from a cat. The cat-of-ashes arched her spine as she rubbed up against Eleanor’s leg. Eleanor scratched her ears, and the cat let out a farewell purr. “Try not to stumble into another apocalypse without us.”

“I think we can manage that,” Pip said, giving her a final pat.

“Merfpurr,” the kitten-of-ashes concluded, bashing her head affectionately against Otto’s shins. And then the two of them loped away.

“What now?” Otto asked as the road vanished behind them.

Eleanor looked around. Someone was missing—the hedgewitch. Eleanor felt a zip of alarm, but then she spotted her. She’d walked off on her own, to the far end of the orchard, near the pine forest that surrounded Eden Eld.

“Give me a minute?” Eleanor asked.

“All of a sudden, we’ve got all the time we need,” Otto said.

“Go on,” Pip said.

Eleanor walked slowly through the trees. The air was cool and crisp, the moon shining overhead. She hadn’t realized how much she missed that. A normal sky overhead.

“Well,” the hedgewitch said as she approached, gazing off into the woods. “You won.”

“We won,” Eleanor reminded her. “You were amazing in that fight. I couldn’t have gotten to Katie without your help. And turning Ms. Foster to stone?”

“I remember very little about that woman, but I do remember her being awful,” the hedgewitch said, and Eleanor laughed. The hedgewitch didn’t join in. “So what are you going to do?”

Eleanor looked at her in puzzlement. “Do?”

“About me,” the hedgewitch said. “You needed me for the fight. Now you don’t. I’m of no use to you anymore. I’m no use to anyone. You can bring your mother back, now.”

“People don’t have to prove that they’re useful to deserve to live,” Eleanor said.

“Don’t they?”