He looked at us over his shoulder. “We’re not alone.”

“Guardians?” Connor asked.

Ethan nodded. “Three of them. Still human.”

I crept up beside him, peering into the light. The tunnel opened up to a snow-covered hollow, nearly a perfect circle cut out of the mountain. The space was hidden from the outside world, accessible only through the narrow passage we’d scuttled through. On the other side of the open space an immense glacial wall covered the mountainside. Sunlight struck its surface, making the innumerable shades of blue sparkle like gemstones. The bright reflection made it almost impossible to see the outline of an opening in the ice, but I knew that Tordis lay within that glacier.

But between Tordis and our party, smoke was rising toward the sky. Three people huddled around a small campfire. They were outfitted in full winter gear, enough to withstand sudden, harsh weather shifts on the mountain.

“We’d better attack while we still have the advantage of surprise,” Connor said.

“I don’t think we do,” Ethan said. “I’d bet they’re just waiting for us to show. We’ve scouted this area in the past and haven’t encountered Guardians beyond the first passage in. This group is new.”

“The Keepers are tightening their watch on the sites,” Shay said. “They know we’re going for the pieces.”

“Not much we can do about that now, is there?” Connor said, drawing his swords.

“Wait.” I put my hand on his arm.

“Wait for what?” Connor said.

“They’re Guardians,” I said. “Like us.”

“Sort of.” Ethan was frowning.

“Let me talk to them.”

“Are you insane?” Ethan said. He’d unshouldered his crossbow.

“She’s not,” Shay said. “The more allies the better. Maybe the bears are disgruntled employees too.”

Ethan shot him a withering glance.

“You’ll be right behind me,” I said. “Anything goes wrong and you attack. I’ll be okay.”

Connor looked at Ethan, who shrugged. “She’s the alpha.”

“Okay, Calla,” Connor said. “If you think it’s worth a try, go ahead. Just keep in mind bears are grumpy, stubborn animals.”

“And they smell bad,” Ethan said.

“You want me to go with you?” Mason asked.

“No,” I said. “I’ll be less threatening on my own.”

“Good luck,” Shay said as I slid out of the narrow passage into the sunlight.

The moment I stepped into the open, the three Guardians were on their feet, watching me approach. I lifted my hand, waving, walking steadily forward. They didn’t shift, which I clung to as a hopeful sign. The unmistakable fragrance of bear musk hit me and I wrinkled my nose. Ethan wasn’t wrong about their scent. Not pleasant.

One of the Guardians stepped forward, pushing back the hood of its parka. A woman with dark eyes and braided copper hair stared at me.

“Pourquoi vous êtes ici, le loup?”

Why are you here, wolf?

My three-and-a-half years of French class got me that much. Wolf. She knew what I was. But there was no way I’d be able to answer her in French.

“My friends and I are searching for something,” I said, hoping she spoke English.

She smiled. “You have friends who search.” Even her heavy French accent didn’t mask the spiteful emphasis she placed on the word search.

“The Searchers are friends to our kind.” I kept walking forward. The other two Guardians had taken flanking positions close to the first woman. “Our masters made us believe otherwise, to our detriment.”

“These are broad claims for one who is but a child,” she said. “Perhaps you have been misled because of your youth.”

“I learned the truth about the war,” I said. “And we’ve been fighting on the wrong side.”

She laughed, tossing a glance at her companions, who grinned. “No, petite loup, your friends are only more desperate to trick you because they know they will lose this battle.”

I didn’t know if I shuddered because of the blast of icy wind that hit me or from the harshness of her tone.

“The wolves may be fools.” She lifted her hand, and I watched her nails lengthen into claws. “Mais nous ne craignons pas la guerre.” In the next moment the shadow of a giant beast blocked the sun from view. I staggered back.

“Calla!” I heard Shay shout as the immense she-bear swiped at me, but I was already rolling along the snow, shifting into wolf form as I tumbled.

When I scrambled to my feet, she roared, clawing at the crossbow bolts that protruded from her dark fur. The bear’s fury filled her deafening bellows.

Crossbow bolts buzzed through the air. The she-bear ignored them, charging me instead. I braced myself for her attack, catching a glimpse of Mason and Sabine flashing past to meet the onslaught of the other Guardians.

A flash of golden brown fur caught my eye and I knew I wasn’t alone in the fight. Shay struck at the bear’s flank just before she reached me. The blow caught her off guard. She turned her head and I lunged, locking my jaws around her neck. My teeth tore through thick tendons, but I couldn’t get a strong enough grip to crush her windpipe.

She rose onto her hind legs. Still clinging to her, I swung from her neck like a rag doll. I heard Shay barking below me; the bear grunted in pain and I knew he’d attacked again. Kicking up with my back legs, I propelled myself away from her, releasing my grip and flipping through the air. While it wasn’t graceful, I managed to twist around and land on my feet.

The bear was bleeding profusely from the wound I’d left on her neck and bites Shay had inflicted on her flank. Connor was beside him now, wielding a sword in one hand and the short, wide blade of a katara in the other. While Shay kept the bear’s attention, Connor stalked close. With incredible speed he slashed the wound at her neck, widening it, and then plunged the katara into her chest. The bear shuddered. Connor had just enough time to spin away, pulling his blade free, before she collapsed.

“Let’s go,” Connor said, bolting toward the others.

We reached Sabine just as she leapt aside while two bears, one black and one ash brown, lumbered after her. The shaggy black bear roared, dropping lifeless to the ground. Ethan’s bolt protruded from its left eye.