“Tyr,” I whisper as he smiles and then holds two fingers to his lips before dropping his chin.

“My first duty as the god of Ouranos is to see you crowned, Lor.”

I nod and smile. “Thank you again. For everything.”

He bends at the waist in a deep bow before he straightens. “Farewell, Heart Queen.”

His words echo as the scene melts away, and I once again find myself standing amongst the ruins of Heart, surrounded by everyone I love.

“Did it work—” I start to ask, then my eyes widen.

The roses are blooming again, only they’re everywhere now. Spreading over the entire city. The walls. The ground. Climbing over the rubble and what’s left of the castle.

“I think it worked,” Nadir says.

They continue climbing over everything, surrounding me, Nadir, and my siblings in a wreath of flowers, welcoming us home.

My gaze turns to the settlements in the distance. A thin plume of smoke curls in the air like a signal, reminding me of what all of this was really for.

“We should go tell them,” I say. Not waiting for anyone to reply, I start running as vines of roses chase my heels. I hear everyone following as we pass the city walls.

My feet have wings as I fly over the ruined landscape until I come to a halt.

Nadir stops behind me, his hand finding my lower back. Everyone else falls into a line as we watch a mass of people approach.

The roses follow us. They spread out, climbing across the landscape, coating everything in a carpet of red and green. It’s the most beautiful sight.

We wait as the crowd draws closer. Those at the front note the crown on my head, and they all start dropping to their knees.

“The magic!” someone cries. “It’s back!”

“The queen! She lives!”

“We are saved!

“We can return home!”

Etienne and Rhiannon emerge out of the crowd with their hands linked.

They stop in front of me and also fall to their knees.

“Long live our queen,” Rhiannon says before everyone else picks up the chant, repeating it over and over.

And if all of this weren’t enough, the sky starts to fill with lightning bugs. They flit around us, tiny balls of glowing light dancing in the sky. I share a smile with Nadir, who stands to my left, and then one with Willow and Tristan, who stand on my other side.

I look at the three most important people in my life.

At the ruined queendom behind us and the devastation of the land that surrounds us.

I inhale the scent of a million roses on a shaky breath.

“So what do we do now?” I ask.

My brother wraps an arm around my shoulders and sweeps an arm out.

“We finally live,” he says. “And then we build it all again.”

CHAPTER 75

GABRIEL

APHELION—ONE MONTH LATER