The world didn’t look the same when we returned.

The air shimmered like mist over a fire. Every sound felt doubled, one echo real, one whispering from a dream we hadn’t left behind. The wolves of Iron Howl slept under silver trees, but their bodies moved faintly as if breathing through two worlds at once.

Kael stared at them, his fire flickering low. “They’re trapped between waking and dream.”

I touched one wolf’s fur. It was soft, yet not solid. My hand passed through light. ...