Hans heard footsteps on the damp leaves. He turned. Cappella, wrapped in her red cloak, was close enough to touch.

“Hans. Don’t go. Please.” The white streak in her hair made her look of worry seem more acute, more vulnerable. It was almost enough to get him to agree to whatever she wanted. But only almost.

“I promised always to take care of her. We promised each other.”

“He nearly killed you. Greta wouldn’t want to you to risk hurting yourself again. Or getting infected. You need rest. You lost so much blood.”

“I feel fine, Pella.” He still ached where the arrow had entered. But the weakness, the dizziness, the sense that his life was being pumped away … all of that had ended when he heard Cappella’s music. Her song had healed him, even as he knew that was not possible, that it was his were nature that let his body knit the wound.

“But, Hans.” She lifted her hand.

For a moment, he thought she might cup his cheek or run her hands through his hair. She didn’t, though. He stood, unable to move. He’d killed a horse and chased Albrecht, but neither took as much courage as holding her hand. If he held it, how could he let it go? How could he leave?

“She needs me, Pella. And I’ll be with Ursula and Sabine. We’ll get her and bring her back here and all will be well.”

“I’m afraid. I don’t want you to go.” She pulled him close.

“I wish I didn’t have to.” He touched his forehead to hers.

He could feel her breath on his lips as she spoke. “Am I a coward for staying?”

He swallowed the lump in his throat. “Greta would want you to look after the children. You know you’re the only one they listen to.”

“Hans,” she said. She did not complete her thought.

And then Sabine was upon them. “It’s time to go.”

He peeled away from Cappella. Ursula paced at the edge of the clearing.

“Wait.” Cappella took his hand. His heart flew into his mouth. “Please stay safe. Please come back.” And then she kissed him, the softest touch, at the corner of his lips.

Unable to breathe for a moment, he touched the spot she’d kissed.

But he said nothing in return. He didn’t want to make a liar of himself.

The weres set out through the woods, where they would stay for as long as they could before veering into the kingdom. At Ursula’s instruction, they said little and carried nothing. They’d worn no cloaks that might snag the underbrush and make noise. They’d have to leave behind their clothing anyway, so less was better even as the air was cold enough to turn their breath to mist.

“My brother will be expecting us,” she said.

“What does that mean?” Sabine asked.

Ursula spoke quietly. “Imagine the worst thing possible, and then expect something beyond that.”

Hans’s wound flared. He pressed it and it felt better, but only a bit. He wondered how much Ursula knew of Albrecht’s devices.

“You mentioned traps,” Sabine said. “How do we avoid them?”

“Don’t touch anything made of metal.”

They neared the border of the forest and kingdom. Ursula stopped and sniffed.

“What is it?” Sabine asked.

“I anticipated more guards.”

“Albrecht knows that guards can’t stop us,” Sabine said.

Hans realized she was probably right, which meant the closer they got to the castle, the closer they came to Greta, the more dangerous things would be.

They reached the river that divided the two halves of the kingdom.

“It’s time,” Ursula said.

They stepped out of their clothes and became their animal selves. The river there was shallow and swift. Ursula plunged in first. Sabine followed, and Hans hoped he’d be as steady. Though he’d waded in it, he’d never crossed the river before. He’d had no need. And yet he was pleased to feel at home in the water. He liked the smell, of stone and silt and living things.

They emerged from the river not far from the castle, keeping low to the ground so they’d be hidden by grass. They were on the far side of the moat now. The drawbridge was down, and guests were streaming inside between two guards. Hans looked again, glad for the darkness of their wet fur. There was no better camouflage. He shifted his gaze to the guards. They were metal men. Had Albrecht figured out how to make them work? That was worrisome. Hans wanted to examine them, but Ursula waved him on.

They slipped down the hill and submerged themselves in the moat. Staying underwater the whole way, they swam across, taking deep breaths as their heads surfaced in the shadow of the castle.

Hans looked once more to the metal men. They’d be wound, of course. Perhaps something would set them off. A touch? If he could get them opened, he could destroy them. Undo his past work. Instead Ursula led them behind one of the castle’s crenellations.

She took her human form and fished out a key from a gap in the stone. The door unlocked with a soft click. She shifted again, and they stepped into a dark hallway. Hans’s eyes adjusted to the light. He knew where they were—not too far from the tower.

Greta was nearby. He could smell her. He felt the urge to hurry. Ursula stopped abruptly. Someone was approaching. Ursula looked left and right and chose an open doorway on the right. Sabine followed.

When Hans realized what room they were entering, he yipped a warning. But it was too late. There was a rush of air. Gasps. Two heavy thuds. He froze. This was the room Albrecht had put a trapdoor into.

He peered over the edge and saw Sabine and Ursula down in a hole perhaps twenty feet deep. Sabine crouched over Ursula, who was not moving. But she was in her bear form, which meant she lived.

Hans had no idea how to reach them. If he went down himself, he might not make it out. There was nothing he could lower, and he did not dare call their names, lest they all be caught. Once he had his sister, he’d return for the bears.

He turned and went in search of Greta. The air was thick with scents. So many people. Food. Candles, torches, and lamps. But hers was the scent he knew best, and he filled his nose with it. There was her hair, her skin, her blood. That last scent made him pick up his pace, passing the door to the tower, running on quiet feet. He knew exactly where she was—the banquet hall.

That meant the wedding was happening. He hoped he wasn’t too late.