Liir flies for days to find the Conference of Birds but struggles upon reaching Kumbricia’s Pass, as the broom resists him, forcing him to walk. He finds the earlier site of the Conference of Birds abandoned and travels through Kumbricia’s Pass until it opens onto the desolate Thousand Year Grasslands. There, he finds the Birds who remain.

General Kynot explains that the Yunamata attacked the Birds in their former home. Afraid to fly too high, many were taken by the tribe. The Birds have lost half their number, but Liir confirms that the dragons are dead and that the skies are free again. He also campaigns for the birds to form a coalition and mount a force of resistance against the Emperor. He believes they should fly to the Emerald City to show they are not afraid of the Emperor. The Birds agree.

The Birds depart, and their numbers swell. When they find the Scrow, Liir sends Kynot to deliver a message. He wants Princess Nastoya to meet him at Apple Press Farm, travelling while he and the Conference of Birds execute their plan. Kynot returns with news that the Scrow will consider his offer, and that Princess Nastoya has news for him. They continue on.

They arrive at Kiamo Ko, where Chistery informs Liir that Nanny’s health has worsened. Liir visits her, asking if she ever knew Yackle. Nanny admits that when she was younger, she sought out a woman named Yackle for a potion that would ensure that Elphaba’s unborn sister would not have green skin. 

They depart from Kiamo Ko, and as they soar toward the Emerald City, their numbers continue to swell with more and more Birds. With 6,000 Birds, the Conference of Birds flies in formation over the Emerald City that evening. They take the form of Elphaba, as if she were flying on her broom with her hat and cape flowing behind her. Liir wonders if Shell is watching as they repeatedly cry, “Elphaba Lives!” (315).

The Conference of Birds disbands, and Liir makes his way back to Apple Press Farm; a Goose named Iskinaary decides to join him. As they near the farm, Liir wonders how his relationship with Candle will have changed after his time with Trism.

When they arrive, Liir is relieved to see the Scrow settled around the farm. He finds Candle, who is nearly at the end of her pregnancy. There is an awkward tension between them, with Candle frustrated by the guests and wary of Liir after meeting Trism. (Trism did make it to the farm, but he left soon after.) Now, Liir is eager to know where he went, but Candle does not know. When he asks if Trism left him anything, Candle points to two packages.

Liir takes the packages and walks away from the farm. When he opens the packages, he finds the faces of the scraping victims. He reflects that he feels torn between Candle and Trism; both give him strength in different ways, but he does not know how to handle the sense that he is being pulled towards both of them.

He finds the Scrow and asks them to tell Princess Nastoya of his arrival. He then hangs the victim’s torn faces in the trees. Liir finds Candle and asks her to play the domingon for Nastoya, helping her like she once helped him. He asks her again about Trism and learns that Trism asked Candle to go with him. She refused, wanting to protect the baby.

The Scrow bring Princess Nastoya to the clearing where the faces hang. Because she can no longer speak, she cannot share any news about Nor, but he is still eager to help Nastoya. Candle begins playing the domingon, giving the torn faces peace; Liir can hear them singing about their lives, letting go. The music has the same effect for Princess Nastoya, whose human disguise melts away, allowing her to returns to being an Elephant. Suddenly, her neck snaps, and she dies.

Liir joins the Scrow for part of their trip back west, where they will bury Princess Nastoya. He leaves Candle and Iskinaary at the farm. After he departs from the Scrow and heads toward Apple Press Farm, Liir thinks of Nor and wonders what news Nastoya had to share. He pulls out Fiyero’s drawing of Nor and realizes that the handwriting on it is Nor’s; it matches the handwriting of the graffiti in the Emerald City that claimed, “Elphaba Lives!” He finally understands what he saw in the burning thatch floating down from the bridge.

Liir returns to the farm at night and finds it empty. He wonders if Trism returned and took Candle away with him. He builds a fire and decides to wait until the next day before doing anything. He nearly trips over Elphaba’s cape in the dark, and when he picks it up, something rolls out of it. Liir realizes that it is the baby, and he thinks with sadness that it must have been stillborn. He wonders if this is why Candle left.

He carries the baby toward the fire. Suddenly, the baby moves and begins crying. Liir finds a small basket to put her in, just as Elphaba once did for him. He feeds her some milk and theorizes that Candle might have left to protect the baby; perhaps Commander Cherrystone arrived, and she led him away. The next morning, it is raining, and Liir takes the baby outside to wash away the blood of its birth. He realizes that she is a girl and that she is also green.