"The Wind is Colder Than I Remember."

Reagan awoke to the midday sun looking down on him and the equivalent weight of eight horses pressing down on each of his limbs. He groaned at the effort it took to open his eyes a millimeter.

“Good morning,” Elisa said from somewhere to his right.

“More like good afternoon,” said a familiar voice. “You slept for almost a whole day.”

The sound of Liam’s voice wrenched Reagan’s eyes open. His vision took a while to adjust, and he struggled to turn his head to the side, but seeing Liam sitting beside him sent a wave of relief through Reagan.

At least he didn’t disappear…

Liam’s dark crimson hair shone in the midafternoon sunlight. His pale blue eyes twinkled, and the smile he wore made his dimples appear. He sat cross-legged on the ground, resting his hands on his ankles, and his face had a healthy glow as the campfire in the center of the clearing flickered over his features.

Reagan stared, trying to look through Liam and see the pine trees behind him. He looked for a gap between Liam and the ground to check if he was floating. He watched as a slight breeze ruffled Liam’s hair.

Still, not trusting his eyes to tell him the truth, he asked, in barely more than a terrified whisper, “Did it work?”

“It worked,” Liam said with a bright smile. “You did it.”

Please don’t let this be a dream, Reagan thought. With a shaking hand, he reached for Liam. Reagan had little feeling in his hands, as cold and numb as they still were, yet he felt the warmth of Liam’s arm. For the first time in ten years, his hand didn’t go through Liam.

And for the first time in over ten years, Reagan cried.

“I was so scared when you disappeared,” he said, sniffling. He wiped tears away with his free hand, still not letting go of Liam’s arm as though worried he’d disappear. “I thought I’d never see you again.” Looking behind Liam at Elisa, Reagan said, “Thank you.” Those words would never be enough, but it was all he could manage to say.

Elisa accepted his gratitude with ease, saying, “I said I wanted to meet Liam alive, and I meant that.” Then, as though feeling weighed down by the seriousness of the moment, she added, “Just don’t ask him to stand up. He’s like a foal.”

Liam laughed. “After floating around for ten years, having a physical body is harder than I remember.”

The moment made Reagan smile, too, and it stole some of the weight from his chest. For the first time in ten years, he could breathe easily. The crisp air tasted light and refreshing. He picked up the warm, cozy scent of pine and woodsmoke from the campfire.

“So tell me, Liam, what’s the forest like?” Reagan asked, returning the question Liam had asked him countless times over their travels.

“The wind is colder than I remember, and I’ve gotten poked by more pine needles than I can count” he said with a grin. “But the fire is nice, especially when it’s colder at night.”

Reagan mirrored Liam’s grin. “We’ll have to find you a coat on the way back, or Helen will scold us both when we get home.”

“I can’t wait to see Mom and Dad again,” Liam said. “And to be able to talk to them myself. Oh, and meatloaf with baked potatoes and duckefett, by the way.”

Elisa cocked her head to one side, giving the boys a confused look when Reagan laughed at the answer. “What about that?” she asked.

“The first thing I want to eat after he brings me back,” Liam said. “It was a conversation we’d had on the way to Omstadt, where Reagan threatened to poison me with those awful tinctures. I couldn’t decide then, but I said I’d tell him first thing after he brings me back.”

Elisa nodded sagely. “I see you were also a victim of Reagan’s threats.”

Reagan groaned. “I didn’t threaten either of yo-” His words were cut off by a loud growl from his stomach.

“Even your stomach disagrees,” Liam laughed.

“I hope you aren’t too hungry,” Elisa said, pulling Reagan’s satchel forward. “I think Liam ate most of the food.”

“After ten years of not eating, it makes sense I’d have quite the appetite.”

Elisa gave Reagan a look. “That’s going to be his favorite excuse for everything now, isn’t it?”

“Let him have it,” Reagan said, grinning. “I’ll take those excuses any day.” He accepted the cured meat and tinned vegetables Elisa handed him. Despite being a few days old, the food tasted better than anything he’d had in years.

“On the subject of excuses,” Liam said. “You have no reason not to heal that now.” He pointed to the hastily bandaged wound on Reagan’s side. “Don’t think I missed you trying to hide that from me yesterday.”

Reagan nodded sheepishly and looked away. “Alright, alright,” he said, putting his hands up in mock surrender. “That’ll be the next spell I cast.”

Reagan had polished the last of the tinned beans when he heard the distant clopping of horse hooves. Liam reacted faster. “I’ll check who it is,” he said, and made to stand up.

Elisa grabbed his arm. “You’re not a ghost anymore -- they’ll see you as well as you’ll see them.”

Liam stopped, blinked, then laughed. “Right,” he said, settling back down. “Old habits die hard.”

Reagan threw handfuls of dirt over the fire, stifling it, and picked up his sword. The easy atmosphere around them disappeared, replaced by a tense fear. “Dietfried’s dead, but his advisors aren’t,” he said as he stood. Exhaustion rendered him unsteady on his feet, but he faced the sound anyway, moving to stand in front of Liam. He tightened his grip on his sword. “They shouldn’t know where we are, but I’m not taking any chances…”

Reagan’s heart pounded increasingly faster as the clopping got closer. He didn’t relax until he saw a familiar face riding the horse, dragging two covered wagons along.

“Have you heard the news?” Alan said by way of greeting as he pulled his horse to a slow stop at the edge of the clearing. “It seems the head mage in Omstadt died in an ‘accidental’ fire caused by an oil lamp spilling over.” A hint of a smile played on his lips. “I do believe that’s the first one we’ve had in about ten years, though the authorities are launching a full investigation into what Dietfried and his advisors have been up to, so they’ve been detained temporarily.”

“What a terrible tragedy,” said Reagan sarcastically.

“Hello, Alan,” Liam said, leaning over to see the mage from behind Reagan’s legs.

“You must be Liam,” Alan said with a warm smile as he dismounted. “It’s nice to meet you properly.”

“Likewise.”

“How about a ride back to Vierdorth?” Alan pulled back the wagon cover, holding it open for the trio. “You’re welcome to stay in Omstadt, of course, but the town’s a little chaotic at the moment.”

“I think we’ve had enough chaos,” Elisa said. She moved to Liam’s side.

“Plus, I’m sure Aislinn is eager to fawn over you for saving Braiden,” Reagan said, moving to Liam’s other side. Together, the pair each took one of Liam’s arms and helped him stand. His knees buckled almost immediately, and he had to lean his weight against Reagan and Elisa to stay upright. “You really are a foal,” Reagan said with a laugh.

“Wait till Aislinn learns Braiden’s imaginary friend isn’t imaginary anymore,” Elisa said.

Alan helped them climb into the wagon with Reagan in the front, followed by Liam, and Elisa at the end. Before he let the curtain fall, he handed something to Elisa, saying, “I believe whatever this used to be belonged to you.”

“Thank you,” she said, clutching the fake amulet tight.

As she sat down on the bench, and the caravan lurched forward, Reagan pulled out the spellbook and thumbed through it quickly. He stopped on a page with two different transformation spells and held his hand out to Elisa. “Let me see that,” he said.

Holding the amulet tight in one hand, he closed his eyes and recited a quick spell. Silver light spilled between his fingers, and when he opened his hand, Elisa’s locket rested in his palm. The clasp was broken, and the surface tarnished, but the locket looked otherwise undamaged.

Elisa accepted it with a teary-eyed smile. “Thank you, Reagan,” she said. She opened it to reveal faded images of a man and a woman smiling up at her.

Looking over her shoulder at the locket, Liam smiled, too, and said softly, “I can’t wait till we get to see Mom and Dad again soon.”

For once, Reagan was also looking forward to going home.