"Lou?" Matt and I rushed to the landlord's side. The fear he might be unconscious and hurt flooded my stomach with icy dread. It was replaced by nauseating relief when he groaned and reached for his head, where a bloody scratch and a nasty swelling marred his temple.

But his mind seemed preoccupied with different matters. "Why did this monster abduct Theo?"

"Monster?" It took a moment to penetrate he meant the Raven Lord. "Sir Guillaume is not a monster, merely a spectre, and an friendly one at that. He offered to help Theo find his bearings in the ghost world. Hold still and let me check that wound, please."

Mister Mortimer jumped from the windowsill to rub his head against his master's chest. Lou cradled him in his arms while I took the tissue Matt handed me and dabbed at the blood running from the gash. It was half the length of my thumb, and the bruise might cause a serious headache. "Watch my finger, please."

Lou's grey eyes followed my index, the pupils narrowing when he turned his face towards the ceiling light. They were both the same size and not dilated, though. To double check, I repeated the experiment. "You're lucky, seems you got off without a concussion. But we should clean and bandage the wound before you get some rest."

He sat up, suppressing another groan, and fingered his bruised temple. "Shouldn't we rescue Theo first?"

I was tempted to tell him our otherworldly friend was beyond rescue and should be the least of his worries, but only shook my head. "He's safe and in excellent company. Guillaume will teach him a few useful skills—he has several centuries of experience at spooking." Plus, he showed the ravens how to cross walls, so teaching his far-distant relative how to float should be a piece of cake for the ancient charmer.

Matt offered Lou a hand and pulled him to his feet. "We only discovered Theo is a ghost today. But Sandrine is right, you need rest. We will brief you tomorrow when you feel better."

Lou pulled a face and took a wobbly step towards the door, his complexion pale enough to rival our deceased architect friend. Matt grabbed his right elbow, and I rushed to his left side to offer my support. "Where do you keep a first aid kit?"

"At the reception."

That made sense.

The way down the two flights of stairs became an awkward adventure. Almost a head taller than Matt and I, Lou rested his considerable weight on our shoulders. Mister Mortimer, who kept weaving his path between our legs, didn't help our task. We had made it around the last bend when the front door opened and let in a waft of muggy air.

"What happened to you, dear?" Alice rushed to Lou's side, eyes wide in alarm. While she fussed over the injury, her friend Catherine dived behind the reception desk and retrieved a large white box marked with a red cross.

Lou slumped down in a lounge chair. "I'm not dying yet, you know? I've just seen a ghost and hit my head."

"Oh, you met our dear friend, Sir Willy? Isn't he an extraordinary medieval gentleman? So civilised." A deep blush coloured Alice's cheeks, and Catherine chuckled while she dabbed a disinfectant onto the victim's temple. Mister Mortimer jumped into his lap and curled into a purring fluff ball.

All the attention seemed to embarrass Lou, and he reached out to me with a pleading glance. "San, what about Theo? Could you check on him, please?"

Matt and I exchanged a look. "Sure, we're on our way. Please get some rest, just in case you have a concussion after all."

"I'm in expert hands here, don't worry. Catherine, there should be an ice pack in the fridge in my office. Would you mind retrieving it?" His attempt at a lopsided grin convinced me he was recovering fast.

Leaving the hostel owner in the care of the two British ladies, I followed Matt to the terrace. Halfway towards the parapet, he stopped on the moonlit path, his hair ruffled by the sultry breeze. "Not sure we're headed the right way. They might still be in the castle somewhere."

"Guillaume, yes, he seems bound to the premises. But Theo will head straight for the cottage as soon as he realises he can float over the earth-slide area, right?" I pressed on, afraid we might have lost too much time to say goodbye. When we reached the viewpoint, the cottage by the lake appeared as a silhouette against the reflecting surface of the water. I squinted, trying to make out details, until I saw the flickering light in the window. But Theo's ghost wasn't in sight. "Pity you didn't bring your telescope, we should see him from here."

"Yeah. I could fetch it, but I fear our partner won't wait for my return, and I don't want to miss this. If we're not too late already."

"Too late for what?" Theo's well-known soft voice sent shivers down my spine and made me whirl around. He stood only two steps behind us, but before I could complain about scaring us with his silent approach, he bobbed in another gust of wind. His feet didn't touch the ground, and I could see the outline of the castle through his apparition.

Matt shivered. "For saying goodbye to you, you twit. I doubt we will see you again after you reunite with your long-lost love."

A frown formed on the spectre's forehead, and he drifted towards the parapet. "You might be right, Matt, my destiny lies down there. And I—" He paused mid-sentence and turned towards us, regaining full corporeality. "Thank you both for your friendship and support, take care, and enjoy a happy and fulfilling life."

Tempted to hug him but afraid of the static discharges, I crossed my arms to keep my trembling in check. "All the best to you too, Theo. Go reunite with your Lorraine and your son, don't keep them waiting."

He nodded. "I will, this time for sure." With a sad smile, he turned and floated over the terrace wall, becoming more see-through by the moment. Matt and I stepped to the parapet to watch him descend the slope when an eerie voice drifted up from the lake, clear, sad, and beautiful. There were no understandable words, but the melody touched my heart.

"Lorraine's lullaby." Matt sat down on the parapet and I joined him, captivated by the unearthly beauty of the song. Halfway down the slope, Theo stopped to listen as well, then he resumed his way, drifting faster. Overhead, a raven cawed.

I glanced up to see a flock of ragged black birds, outlined by the silvery moonlight, carried by the fierce wind across the backdrop of fast-moving, shaggy clouds. They danced in a narrowing circle over Theo's pale form, who now reached the building. When he stopped beside the illuminated window, the singing faltered and was replaced by a joyful cry and a baby's bubbling laughter.

Matt and I observed two moonlit, ghostly forms embrace in front of the dark house, spinning around themselves as if they were engaged in a slow dance, and then ducking inside. There, on the doorstep, the taller figure hesitated, lifting his hand in a last goodbye. In response, I did the same, my eyes brimming with tears. When the door closed behind Theo, the ravens settled on the cottage's roof, black-and-silver specks on the dark shingles, soon fading away with the dying light in the window.

For the first time in several days, my wrist stopped tingling. I rubbed it, surprised my paranormal alarm had been on all the time. "All the ghosts are gone. The ravens, Lorraine, the baby, and Theo. I hope they found their peace."

"I'm happy for him, for them." Matt's voice shook, and the drops clinging to his lashes reflected the moonlight. He rubbed them away with an angry gesture. "Still, I'm going to miss him."

"Oh." I was at a loss for words. "You fell for him too?" I placed an arm around his shoulders and he leaned his head against mine.

"Who wouldn't? He was just perfect, with his knowing smile, the cute dimples, and his caring attitude. He never tired of my technical lectures and had a knack for practical solutions. Lorraine is a very lucky girl. Which man or ghost would bother looking for his mate and child seventy-something years after their death?"

"I agree." We sat in silence, watching the clouds drifting over the moon and the reflections on the lake, until the crunching of steps on the gravel made me look up. Lou was still pale, and his face looked strange, almost boyish in the moonlight.

He stopped a few steps away, took in the scene and slumped his shoulders. "Oh, I don't want to disturb. Just—"

"Stop." Matt grinned and brushed off my arm. "This is not what you think. You just found San and me mourning the loss of a friend and brilliant partner. By the way, the new look suits you." He swung his legs over the parapet and stood, a grin spreading on his face. "I guess I'll collect my sensors from the castle. No need to torture Sir Guillaume with modern technology any longer. See you two for a nightcap?" Without waiting for an answer, he waved and jogged towards the castle.

Lou rubbed his clean-shaven chin. "What was that about?"

I shrugged, trying not to stare at his face. "No idea. How did you find us?" He looked ten years younger without the beard—but then, I'd never asked his age.

"Sir Guillaume. You are right, he is a fascinating person and a helpful spirit. As soon as Alice and Catherine had delivered me to my room, he burst through the door. I almost fainted again, but we had an enlightening discussion." He sat down beside me on Matt's vacated spot.

"And Guillaume convinced you to shave, of all things?" My eyebrows developed a lunar attraction.

Lou chuckled. "No, that was you. We had a bet running, remember?"

I did, although I never had been serious about it. Sure, I'd found the beard ridiculous, and Lou looked handsome without it. Perhaps too handsome for my good. My treacherous hand reached out to touch his smooth cheek beneath the nasty dark bruise. It felt good—so did the smile that formed on his lips.

In the distance, thunder rumbled. Driven by the freshening wind, dark clouds swallowed the moon and a bolt of jagged lightning flashed across the sky, illuminating every stone and beam of the cottage by the shore. A first fat raindrop splashed on my bare arm. The long-awaited thunderstorm announced the end of the drought and relief from the heat.

Lou glanced up at the sky. "Guess it's time for that nightcap." He pulled me to my feet, and hand in hand, we ran back to the castle in the splattering rain, giggling like kids.

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