Alice Hearfillia had not eaten in two days, and the strangers in the market knew the road she needed. She crouched behind a cart with her blue tail wrapped tight around her knees. Her fox ears flattened each time a voice rose. Somewhere in Writhergate there was a refuge, a hidden place where Animal Folk lived without fear, guarded and safe. She had run from her old masters to find it. But she could not make herself walk up to anyone and ask the way. The little blue fox spirit pressed against her side. It had found her when she was alone and cold, and it stayed. It looked up at her now with bright, patient eyes. "I can't," Alice whispered. "They'll see what I am. They'll send word to the people who owned me." The spirit nudged her hand, then trotted toward the crowd on its own. "No, wait—" But it was already gone, weaving between boots and baskets. Alice held her breath. She saw the spirit stop before a boy in golden armor. He was short, blond, and carried himself like he expected a crowd to part for him. He did not belong here any more than she did; his armor caught light no one else wore. The spirit yipped and circled his feet. The boy crouched. He listened to the spirit as if it spoke plain words. Then he stood, scanned the market, and found Alice behind the cart. She froze. He walked straight to her. Her legs tensed to run. "Your little friend says you're lost and hungry," he said. His voice was calm, almost kind. "I'm lost too. Some fool wizard dropped me in this world, and I've been trying to survive ever since. Arthur Pendragon is the name." Alice said nothing. She stared at the ground. Arthur knelt so his eyes met hers. "You don't have to speak. Just nod. Are you looking for the safe place? The one for your kind?" Her throat locked. The spirit pawed her boot. Slowly, Alice nodded. Arthur reached into his pack and held out a heel of bread. She snatched it and ate, shaking. He waited until she finished. "I heard two traders talk of it," he said. "They wouldn't say where. But they feared it, which means it's real." He pulled something from his belt and set it in her palm. It was an amulet shaped like an eye, its center hollow and open to the sky. "A trader gave me this. I couldn't read it. Maybe it was meant for you." Alice turned the amulet. Tiny stars and marks ringed the open center. When she lifted it toward the gray sky, the hollow framed a single point of light. Her hands steadied. For the first time, she did not need to ask anyone. The eye pointed the way. She looked up at Arthur, then at the spirit, and her ears rose. She stood, clutched the amulet, and took her first step toward the refuge alone. Arthur grabbed her shoulder, stopping her. He said to her, "You can't possibly survive out there alone. So please allow me to accompany you." Alice looked confused, due to the fact that humans never really treat animal folks nicely like this. Ren spoke up and said, "We accept." Alice was still hesitant about it, but she nodded and accepted the help because she trusted Ren. But she keeps her guard up because she doesn’t trust many humans.