Seren was silent. She had no idea what to say. If she said the truth the Crow might never be human again.

‘I um … well, the fact is…’ the Crow’s voice was strangled. ‘It’s not that straightforward…’

It was Tomos who spoke out. ‘Seren got it,’ he said suddenly. ‘She just went out and found it, all by herself. It was really brave.’

The Swan nodded wisely. ‘I suspected as much. So…’ She turned fiercely to the Crow. ‘The human girl found the Egg. The choice is hers.’

The narrow, black eyes, deep as night, regarded Seren. ‘You have a choice now. Whatever you want, anything, in all the world, can be yours now. Just ask me for it.’

The Crow gasped.

Seren felt as if she was dizzy. Anything in all the world! She could ask for anything! There was so much she wanted. She could ask for Captain Jones to forget about sending her back to the orphanage! She could ask for Them not to be at the Midsummer Ball and for Tomos and Plas-y-Fran to be safe for ever! She could ask for a thousand books and to be a writer and as famous and clever as Mr Sherlock Holmes. She could even ask for gold and jewels and to be as beautiful as the dawn if she wanted, though to be honest she didn’t care as much about those. Ideas went through her mind as swift as arrows.

They were all what she wanted.

She looked at the Crow.

The Crow looked back at her. He was completely silent. But she had never seen such a pleading in his jewel-bright eyes.

Seren sniffed. She tidied her hair and stood up straight. She felt as if what she was going to say next was the most important thing she would ever say in her life, and for a moment it scared her, because it would be final and she did really want those other things a lot. But when she spoke she made the words loud and clear. ‘I want the Clockwork Crow to be back in his right shape again. If you please.’

Enoch gave a great shout and Tomos clapped his hands and whooped.

The Crow gave a little explosion of relief and a few moth-eaten feathers burst upwards.

The Midnight Swan nodded its head. ‘I see. Well, as you have asked for that, you’ll have it. It was a generous act, because I can read in your heart that you have sorrows of your own. So, to show I can be generous too, I’ll give you something for yourself. You will know how to use it when the time comes.’

‘For me?’ Seren whispered.

‘Yes. Take this.’

The Swan lowered its neck so far that the collar of diamonds slipped off and fell on the grass.

‘Oh!’ Seren said.

She stared at the jewels, hardly daring to touch them.

‘They’ll solve one of your problems, I think,’ the Swan said carelessly. ‘But the human things I can do nothing about. Those are for you to solve.’