“Yes,” I say. “That’s clear now.”
He hides his face in my T-shirt. “It’s too much for me.”
I set the violin on the floor by the bed, then rest my hand over his on the hilt of the sword. He lets go. For a moment, I wonder if I’ll be able to lift it, but I can. I set it by the bed, too.
Simon crawls half into my lap, burrowing his face into my chest.
I lay my cheek on top of his head and hold him behind his ears.
“It would be too much for anyone,” I say.
EPILOGUE
ONE YEAR LATER
AGATHA
I could leave the goats to themselves all day. They’d be fine, and there’s plenty for me to do back at Watford. The goats know their own way home.
I still end up out in the fields with them most days … I have my favourite stones and stumps to sit on. I’ve traded my wand for a walking stick.
I like to be the one who brings the goats in when the sun sets. Over the hills, across the Great Lawn, over the drawbridge—the merwolves are gone, thank magic （thank Niamh）—and into their clean barn.
I sleep above them in the loft. It’s not half bad. There’s a huge wheel window and a claw-foot tub.
I’ll probably stay awhile.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I WROTE THIS BOOK at a time when the entire world was afraid and uncertain. I was so grateful to have something I could work on every day—a way to move forward and make progress. And I was so grateful to spend these months with Simon and Baz, the characters I know best.
I never expected to write a trilogy set in the World of Mages, and the task would have been immensely more difficult without the help of Ashley Christy, my friend and continuity editor. She is incredibly sharp and kind, and I am lucky that she replies to my texts.
Over the last five years, I’ve exhausted all my British friends with my endless usage questions. （They probably wish I would have warned them at the beginning that it was a trilogy.） （I would have, if I’d known.） Thank you, Melissa Cox, Susie Day, and Keris Stainton. I am in your debt and available for questions if you’re ever curious about Nebraska.
Thank you, especially, to Melinda Salisbury, who answered literally thousands of my questions with such grace and humor. （Melinda, what will I do now when I want an excuse to talk to you?） Thank you to my UK agent, Nicola Barr, my UK editor, Rachel Petty— who you can thank for all those gorgeous special editions—and the entire team at Macmillan Children’s Books, who enthusiastically welcomed the World of Mages.
ON THIS SIDE OF THE ATLANTIC, I’m very lucky to work with Wednesday Books, St. Martin’s Press, and Macmillan Audio. From production to publicity to marketing, the whole team works with so much care and thoughtfulness. Designer Olga Grlic has put her whole heart into these wonderful covers. （With the help of super-illustrator Kevin Wada.） Everyone at Wednesday Books refers to Baz and Simon by their first names.
I GET STUCK and tied in knots when I’m writing. And in those moments, I was so glad that I could ask for help. Thank you to Joy DeLyria, Bethany Gronberg, Flourish Klink, Photine Liakos, Tulika Mehrotra, and Christina Tucker for helping me get untangled. （As I typed each of these names, I felt a specific rush of ardor and gratitude.）
I also sometimes fall flat on my face. Thank you to Leigh Bardugo, Alicia Brooks, Margaret Willison, and Elena Yip for helping me back on my feet.
MY REAL ACTUAL KIDS have grown up while I was writing these books. Thank you, Laddie and Rosey, for being so encouraging and for putting up with all the cardboard Bazzes—and for helping me come up with spells. （“Let it all out” was all Rosey; he saved my shirt!） And thank you to my husband, Kai, for forever talking me into happy endings.
I CAN STILL HARDLY BELIEVE I wrote a trilogy. I can’t believe I wrote a book about these characters in the first place! It was such a weird idea …
I am beyond lucky—maybe actually blessed—to work with people who love weird ideas. Who encourage me to take risks, and then have my back every step of the way.
I am profoundly grateful for my editor, Sara Goodman, and my agent, Christopher Schelling. They make my books and my life immeasurably better.