Several months after Celia, Marco, and Bailey dedicate—or surrender—their lives to the task of maintaining and protecting the circus, Poppet visits Chandresh in his home in order to persuade him to sign ownership of the circus over to her. Chandresh readily agrees, and admits that he has been unable to think of fresh ideas for the circus since it began. In return for ownership of the circus, Poppet uses her magical abilities to grant Chandresh a fresh mind through a simple kiss, which causes Chandresh to “feel better than he has in years, as though the last of the fog had been lifted from him” (492). 

A year later, Widget visits with the Man in Grey. They discuss Marco and Celia’s duel and its outcome. The Man in Grey explains the ultimate purpose of the duel: to bind Celia and Marco to one another in order to ensure that they, through their combined magical abilities, would ensure the survival of the circus. As the story closes, the Man in Grey asks Widget tell him a story. Widget agrees and tells him a story that begins with: “The circus arrives without warning ...” (502), which mirrors the opening line of the novel.