“Nice sheltered spot they chose,” Five said, leaping off Charger lightly.

“Is sarcasm useful?” Twelve mused out loud. “I don’t think so.” She was stirring through the fragments left in the fire and tugged off her glove to feel the heat coming off them. “An example of a useful contribution would be something like: ‘These ashes are still warm, so they must have a maximum four-hour head start on us.’”

Twin spots of color appeared on Five’s cheeks. “Finding the camp was a pretty useful contribution.”

Widge flicked his tail dismissively. Twelve began to say something back, but glanced at Dog and remained silent, focusing on the ground instead.

“I make it eight goblins,” Five said a few minutes later.

He looked at Six but Twelve answered. “Same here but—” She broke off and scanned the ground, fear growing in her. “I don’t see any sign of Seven.”

“Over here,” Six said. He was crouched a little way off, his fists clenched. “What does this look like to you?”

The others crowded around to peer at the marks in the snow.

Five hissed out a breath through his teeth. “Looks like someone was wriggling around in the snow. Maybe they were tied so they couldn’t get up. Maybe they were trying to make a snowsprite. They’ve got the wings totally wrong though.”

Five’s attempt at lightness fell flat. The snow was tinged red. Perhaps Seven hadn’t even survived the night.

As if reading her thoughts, Dog spoke. “She has value. They would not let her perish.”

“Maybe she gave them what they wanted,” Five said doubtfully.

“Which would be what?” Twelve asked, frustration bubbling.

Six stood up, looking sick. “If she was dead, surely they’d leave her? Why carry a corpse?”

Widge shivered, made himself small on her shoulder.

The sight of Seven’s blood filled Twelve with a creeping dread. She imagined her lying here, freezing while they’d been warm by their campfire. Last night she’d thought of the other girl and hoped she was all right. Obviously, she hadn’t been. Unbidden, Seven’s face formed in her mind: the same dimples as Poppy, the same smile she couldn’t ignore.

Twelve stood up abruptly and paced the rest of the site, scouring the ground for clues they’d missed. Her heart pulsed with fear; there had to be something that would tell them Seven’s fate.

Goblins had tramped everywhere, their footprints crisscrossing one another around the fire. Twelve stiffened as she spotted the eight deeper impressions around the embers. The goblins had slept in the warmth, leaving Seven to freeze. Just as she was about to give up, she spotted a trail of larger, shallow prints heading back toward the sled marks.

“Here!” she called, her voice high-pitched with relief. Widge wriggled with delight and Six was by her side in an instant.