Dee brought Aurelia back into RavenWood two nights later. The cat slipped through the hedgerow gap, and Aurelia followed to a hollow beneath two ancient oaks. A family crouched between the thick trunks. A mother, a father, and a small daughter. They had run from the guards and now had nowhere left to go. Aurelia opened her cape and showed the deep pockets sewn into the lining. "Climb in," she whispered. "I can carry you past the lanterns. Trust me." The father pulled his wife back. "We don't know you." His voice shook. "Nobody helps us for nothing." "There is no time," Aurelia said. Lantern light bobbed through the far trees. It was closer than a minute ago. "They will find you here." The daughter began to cry. The mother clamped a hand over the child's mouth, but the sound had carried. A shout answered from the dark. Boots crushed brush. Aurelia's plan was falling apart because fear had frozen three people who could not move. Then Dee walked into the middle of the hollow. She sat before the crying girl, tail curled, green eyes calm. The jewel on her collar caught the faint light. The girl stopped crying and reached out. Dee let the small hand touch her head. A rustle came from Aurelia's own pocket. A white mouse climbed out onto her palm. He wore a tiny black butler's coat and a neat bow tie. Aurelia had never seen him before. He must have crept into her cape while she waited. He straightened his coat, looked at the family, and gave a small, formal bow. The father stared. "What is that?" "A friend, it seems," Aurelia said. She had no idea, but the mouse's calm did what her words could not. The mouse pointed one paw at the open pockets. Then he pointed at the cat. The message was plain. These two are with her, and these two are safe. The mother moved first. She lifted her daughter and slid her into the largest pocket. The father followed, folding himself into the folds of green cloth. Aurelia pressed them close against her ribs and pulled the cape shut. Lanterns broke into the hollow just as she stepped behind the far oak. Dee darted ahead, low to the ground, and Aurelia ran after her. The cat cut left, then right, threading gaps between the hedges. Aurelia crawled through mud with three lives held against her chest. Voices faded behind them. The hedgerow opened onto empty fields. No poles. No light. Aurelia knelt and let the family climb out, shaking but whole. The mouse settled on her shoulder and cleaned his whiskers, pleased. "You calmed them," Aurelia said to him. "They wouldn't move for me." The mouse bowed again. Aurelia understood then that Dee was not her only helper. She had a second guide now, one who could reach the frightened when words failed. And more families still waited inside RavenWood, too scared to trust a stranger's cape.