He swallows, and sets his jaw; he can see the claws from here, and the fangs were visible enough for that moment. As for the rest. . . well, the way the great beast moves speaks for itself, he thinks. "Rhene," he says to the girl, "will he change back, if I ask him?"

"Perhaps not," says Rhene, "but it is different if I will."

She steps forward so that she is squarely between Hektor and the great brown creature. "That is enough," she says, lifting her chin a little. "You can go back now."