Summary: spirits of crows, dancing
Ada and Inman wake up to their third day in the village.
They decide that the war cannot go on for much longer and that it
will be over by late summer. Inman rejects the option of returning
to the army, and Ada vetoes the idea that he should hide as an outlier
at Black Cove because of the danger involved. They settle on their
third option, that Inman should walk north and surrender to the
Federal army. The two promise to stay faithful to their vision of
the future. Meanwhile, by the fourth day, Stobrod can sit up by
himself. His wounds look almost healed, and he starts eating solid
food. Ada watches as the other three devour cooked squirrels. She
does not eat because she is put off by the fact that the squirrels
still have teeth.
The snow starts melting on the morning of the fourth
day when Ada and Ruby leave for Black Cove. Inman decides to follow
later with Stobrod; the men do not want to jeopardize the women’s
safety on their journey. Inman resolves that he will hide out one
night in the woods before heading north. The women leave, and Inman watches
some of the “richness of the world” disappear along with Ada. He
loads Stobrod onto Ada’s horse, and the men follow. When they pass
Pangle’s grave, Stobrod remembers of his friend.
Continuing along the trail, the men hear noises behind
them. They turn to see Teague, a boy, and some other men. Inman
realizes there is no point reasoning with these men. He hits Ada’s
horse to send Stobrod “bucking off” into the woods and out of danger. Inman
then shoots a wolfhound and one guard. The other men rein in their
scared horses. Recognizing that there is nowhere that he can take
cover, Inman shoots another man off his horse. One guard is crushed
by his horse; meanwhile, the boy rides off into the woods. Teague
threatens Inman with his knife before Inman shoots him in the chest.
Inman hits the downed man with the butt of Teague’s rifle. He finds
the final rider—the boy—nearby in the woods, hiding on his horse
behind a tree. The boy, Birch, admits that he will come looking
for Inman if they both live. Birch’s horse bolts, and he falls to
the ground. As Inman tells Birch to put his pistol down, Birch shoots
Inman.
Ada hears the shots and sees Stobrod. She rushes back
to find Inman sprawled on the ground and holds him in her lap. Inman
sees a vision of crows and all the seasons blended into one. The
narrator describes this scene as if watching from a ridge, explaining
how content the lovers look from afar.
Summary: epilogue. October of 1874
Ada thinks about Ruby’s happy marriage to the Georgia
boy, Reid. She watches her friends’ children play in the yard. Ada
thinks on the seasons—how she tries to like winter but in fact loves
autumn best. Ruby comes out of the kitchen with a nine-year-old
girl. The large family sits down to eat with Stobrod, who has just
finished milking the cow.
Later that evening, everyone gathers around the fire.
Stobrod plays his fiddle while the children play and run around.
The girl is scolded for waving a burning stick and responds by kissing
Ada and calling her “Mama.” Ada reads the children the story of
Baucis and Philemon, in which two lovers turn into trees. She has
difficulty turning the page because she lost the tip of her index
finger while cutting trees on the ridge to mark the place where
the sun sets. Ada finishes her tale and puts the book away. She
decides it is time to turn in for the night and latch the door.
