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A spark runs through me, the dull current of magic.

It threads between us like a heartbeat. I feel it, Rosalina’s breath catching beside me, Farron’s warmth like the edge of a fire, Dayton’s grin, Ezryn’s strength, Wrenley’s reluctant pulse of power, Caspian’s determination.

And then more.

All the seasons at once. Spring rain and Summer sunlight. Autumn wind and Winter frost.

And light.

This isn’t our magic, at least not as it once was. But if the ashes of our power live in the hollow places inside us, then this is the spark needed for one final push.

The rosebush stirs. Petals unfurl. The last of the ice melts into mist. And slowly, so slowly, a path reveals itself between the thorns.

The way to the Enchanted Vale is open once again.

Part Two

wasteland

9

Farron

Despite the soggy mud soaking through my pant legs and between my fingers or the thorns snagging my hair and scratching my cheeks, I haven’t felt so filled with hope in ages.

The path through the rosebush grows tighter, but I don’t stop crawling, dragging myself on my stomach. It’s so tight, we’re single file. Dayton’s boots are straight ahead of me. Beyond him, I hear Ezryn’s breath reverberating through his helm. Kel leads the way at the front. I crane my neck to see Caspian tight at my heels, with Rosie and Wrenley bringing up the rear.

Back to the Vale. We’re returning home.

How did Keldarion find the strength to reopen the way? Does a sliver of our power still live in the roses Rosalina carries with her? Or perhaps Kel’s connection to Castletree isn’t completely severed after all. So many questions; I wish I had time to research them.

Out of habit, I reach for my token, but of course it’s not there. We gave them to Justus before we left. There are a few tricks in this old bird yet, he’d told us.

I don’t know what we’ll find when we crawl out of the rosebush, but Rosalina’s right. This is our home. Even if we’re hunted to the corners of the four realms, if there’s something we can do, we must.

Besides, we’ve been gone from the Vale for months now. Sira might assume we’re dead or we’ve fled forever. There’s a lot to be said for the element of surprise.

And this family continues to be full of surprises, Dayton says in my head.

I keep forgetting you can do that, I murmur back internally.

Well, get used to it, mate. Now that we’re not sharing a tiny cabin anymore, and you won’t be within my sight at all times, I’ll be in your head constantly.

I roll my eyes and smile. Heat blossoms in my chest. Maybe it’s my imagination, but with every inch we crawl closer to the Enchanted Vale, the more it seems like we’re coming back to ourselves.

It isn’t as if the human realm is without its beauties. I spent many mornings sitting on the porch in the stillness, watching the eagles crest over the treetops. There’s a fragility to that world, like walking among a flower field: luscious and new and gone in an instant.

But it isn’t the Vale.

In the human realm, my skin felt stretched, lungs constantly searching for oxygen that isn’t there. I crave the magic of my home world.

It’s so close now.

My movement hitches. I heave the bag on my shoulder, unsnagging it from a tangle of thorns. We all carry packs stuffed with supplies from Orca Cove. They’re not our usual provisions, but I took anything I thought might be useful.

“We’re here,” Kel calls from up front.

I hear the breaking of branches as he and Ezryn push through. Light beams from up ahead, and I blink. My speed quickens. The path widens to where I can crawl beside Dayton. A beaming smile graces his face as he turns to me. “We’re home.”