The last rays of the sun kissed the fresh snow on the mountain tops and coloured them a glowing orange and gold in contrast to the dark rock. A few wispy clouds decorated the intense blueness of the sky as if the bold brush of a gifted artist added them to underline the beauty of the scene.

I drank in the view, admitting this holiday had been overdue. It was late in the year, close to the season's end, and the remains of the first snow filled the gullies and crevices the sun couldn't reach. Soon, this landscape would be buried deep beneath a silent white blanket. But for a few magical days, it was ours to explore. I stomped through a patch of slush, glad for my sturdy hiking boots. Lou closed up to me and stopped beside me on the narrow path. "Look, there." He pointed to the left, where a few large animals climbed a rocky outcrop with amazing ease.

"Are these mountain goats?" Their horns seemed huge, far longer and heavier than those of any goat I had seen.

My friend chuckled. "They are ibex. Have you never seen one?"

"Only in pictures. I guess you don't see them when you visit the mountains with school outings and by cableway."

He nodded. "That's a fact, and many people never get to visit more than a few tourist spots. The chances of seeing wildlife there are small. But we should be grateful for everyone who leaves this beautiful place for us."

"Good point, I guess." I still studied the ibex. "They are so cool. Look at the young ones, how they climb that rocky slope as if it were a game. I'm sure I'd fall."

"No, you wouldn't. You're a natural, otherwise I wouldn't have taken you up here."

I kissed him on the cheek. "Thanks for organising this trip. I loved every minute so far." It was true. I enjoyed not only Lou's company but also the breathtaking scenery, the clear mountain air, and the feeling of exploring a new world full of wonders. He took my hand, and we watched until the ibex reached a grassy ledge far above and moved out of view.

On this third day of our hike, we had left the valley and climbed the steep flank of a mountain to the glacier. Its blue ice was covered in black gravel and dust, the climate change diminishing its natural beauty year after year. Lou showed me where the tongue of the glacier had been when he visited for the first time ten years ago. To see the amount of ice lost in such a short time shocked me and added to my determination to give my best to protect this amazing environment.

After the glacier crossing, we followed the path along the crumbly side moraine upwards to an ancient mountain pass. Lou told me about archaeological finds that had been made there, reaching back into the Bronze Age and the Roman period. This reminded me of our adventure in Aventicum. "Do you think Marius and Cinna found their rest?"

"I hope it for them, but how should I know? You are the expert on all things ghost." Lou winked at me. "What did Sir Guillaume say?"

"He was convinced they moved on to another place." The way the knight had put it, this sounded comparable to committing suicide. But then, Sir Guillaume wasn't the most typical ghost I had encountered. "Something he would never consider for himself, of course."

"Yes, our knight is far too fond of his afterlife to give up on it. And now he found out how to leave the castle we might be in for interesting times." His smile told me he didn't mind. Lou had become fond of the resident ghost as well.

"Still, I'm glad we have a few days of break up here. No interruption by hostel guests, no surprise bedroom visits by Sir Guillaume, just the two of us and the eternal beauty of the mountains." I spread my arms and turned around my axis on a flat part of the path.

"Says the woman who feared falling off a cliff two weeks ago."

I sent him my darkest possible glance. "I'll have to talk to Matt, the betrayer."

Lou shook his head while he took the lead on a steep stretch of the path. "Be easy on him. He just wanted to make sure I knew you were afraid. He cares for you."

"I know. And I'm grateful for everything he did to support me—from shoe-shopping to his incredible pep talk and standing in for you at the hostel. I wonder how he fares."

"Don't worry. He'll run the hostel like a precision clock these few days." Lou sent me a reassuring smile over his shoulder. "We'll probably have to get used to a collection of new electronic gadgets afterwards."

I laughed, imagining a computer-controlled trick fountain on the terrace of Corbières—or lounge music and coloured ambience lights in the spa. Sir Guillaume would love that. If Matt didn't bring up the idea, I'd prompt him. "I'm less worried about the castle than about his determination to invite his ex, Paul."

"Well, I trust the guy will behave like a civilised person now you evicted the ghost of the Roman legionary. Paul seemed amicable enough in the end, and I'm convinced a meeting will help Matt find closure on this sad chapter of his life."

He had a point, and I hoped my worries for my friend were unfounded. I followed Lou up a crag, using my hands to stabilise myself on the rock. Atop the next slope, he stopped and pointed ahead. "Almost there. That's the hut. We will arrive right in time for dinner."

The sturdy two-storey house beneath a cliff bathed in the evening sun beckoned with the promise of a warm meal and a cosy night—without ghosts or other unwanted interruptions. "I'm hungry as a wolf. Thanks for bringing me up here. It's the best holiday I've had since grandma took me to the Caribbean."

"I've never been there. Would you introduce me to your island?"

I laughed. "Of course, if you want me to. I'll even climb the volcano with you if you get enough from swimming in the sea."

"Sounds like a plan. I've never climbed a volcano—is it active?"

"Oh yes, and you'll love the wilderness and the rainforest. But let's enjoy this holiday here before we plan the next one." I took his hand, and we walked along the broader path towards the mountain hut, our destination for the day, side by side. Aware this was a moment I'd wish to recall later, I took in the scenery, the smell of damp earth, the golden light, and the distant cries of birds. But not for long.

A shadow fell on the path as a giant black bird swooped low over my head, almost touched my hair, and landed on a rock a few steps ahead. I stopped and stared at the Raven. This wasn't a bird's normal behaviour.

Lou crossed his arms, a worry line forming on his forehead. "Don't tell me you attract these birds even up here at the end of the world."

"Sorry, but it seems so." I stepped forward, closed the distance to the Raven as much as I dared, and held out my hand. The bird hopped from one foot to the other and tilted his head, but didn't flee. It felt as if he was waiting for sometime from me. "What's wrong, Raven? How can I help?"

The bird squawked and fluttered to a boulder a few steps farther in the rock strewn field beside the path. I took a few tentative steps in this direction when a well-known tingle in my left wrist told me all I had to know. Lou wasn't the only one with a demanding job, and for the first time I realised my customers would prove harder to shake than his backpackers. So much for our quiet tête-à-tête and a restful sleep tonight.

I readjusted the straps of my pack and followed the Raven to the next boulder. He cawed and hopped onwards to settle in the middle of a giant stone slab cut by white quartzite veins. As soon as I reached it, he continued and hopped to another block of granite. "Okay, I get you want me to follow you. Can you show me how far?"

The Raven scrutinised me out of one beady eye before he flew up and in a straight line to a group of rocks by a small pond of meltwater. There, he circled twice, thrice, before he returned to us. I studied the rock formation the bird had pointed out and turned to Lou, who had followed me a g few steps behind. "The ghost must hide between the boulders over there."

He scratched the reddish stubble on his chin. "I gathered as much. Your communication skills improve."

"Seems so. Although I still don't know if it's always the same bird or if there are several taking turns. However, I believe a ghost wants my help—if there are not two or three populating this lonesome spot."

He chuckled, enclosed me in an embrace, and placed a kiss on my head. "Why am I not surprised? You build quite the reputation amongst the local spectres these days."

"Yes. I doubt Matt and I will ever be able to make a living out of this, though, if we don't find non-deceased customers." While everyone on the Aventicum team had been grateful that we solved the problem of the haunted depot, they didn't have the means to pay us for our effort. We had known this from the start and didn't mind. They would pass on the word and help us build a reputation for our enterprise. But we would need to gain paying customers soon. Ghosts haunting remote mountain areas didn't count.

Lou seemed to read my thoughts. "Well, you shouldn't look a gift horse into the mouth. Who knows where this will lead you?" He shifted his backpack. "If you're happy to have me, I'm happy to help. But do you think we could delay today's ghost whispering session until after dinner? I'm starving."

The Raven fluffed up his feathers, and the tingling in my wrist faded. I glanced from the bird to Lou and back. Did the two of them find an understanding there? "Fine, guys, is it okay if we meet after dinner?" Lou nodded, and the Raven cawed. This was easier than I had feared. "Right. We will meet you here in two hours and see what we can do for that ghost. We'll need a flashlight in this rugged terrain, though, so please don't panic."

Another caw. I grinned, enjoying my new found communication skills. "Perfect. Meanwhile, just tell your client to hold back with spooking innocent tourists and try to avoid possession. Please, I've had my fill of that for a while."

The Raven cackle and Lou laughed, his warm fingers reaching for mine. While we walked the short stretch to the hut hand in hand, I felt like the luckiest person alive.