The blue light, she thought. It was the magic of the Elfstones seeking her out in the shroud of darkness. Kirisin had come looking for her using the Elfstones. Clever boy. She wouldn’t have found him on her own, wouldn’t have made it out of the snow and cold. He must have realized this.

“I had given up,” she admitted, her voice a whisper.

He didn’t reply, but his grip tightened about her waist. Don’t give up now, he was saying wordlessly. I’m here for you.

Locked together, they staggered ahead into the night.

THREE

KIRISIN TIED OFF THE LAST OF THE STITCHESclosing Angel’s many wounds, put aside the needle and thread, and rocked back on his heels, looking down at her still form. She was sleeping, the medicine he had given her to take away the pain and render her unconscious working as it should. Numbed to the point of senselessness, she would have felt almost nothing of the work he had done, which was a good thing, given the extent of her injuries. But when she awoke the pain would be back, and he would have to give her another dose.

He was aware suddenly that he was staring at her nearly naked body, the tatters of her clothing removed to give him better access. He hadn’t even thought of it at the time, thinking only about how much blood there was on her body and clothing, how much more she must have lost back on the slopes, and how close to death she probably was.

He pulled the blanket over her and tucked it in carefully. She would forgive him if she lived.

“Finished?” Simralin asked from one side. She was sitting up now, leaning her back against a rock outcropping.

He glanced over and gave a quick nod. “I’ve done what I can, Sim. I just hope it’s enough.”

They were settled well back in the ice caves where the wind and the blowing snow couldn’t penetrate. Only the cold refused to be kept at bay, and there was nothing they could do about that. They were dressed in their all-weather gear, and Simralin and Angel were wrapped in their blankets, as well. A pair of the solar lamps had been placed at the perimeter of their little campsite, lighting the dark interior of the caves. A fire would have been better, but there was nothing to burn except for their gear. Simralin had given Kirisin a sun tab, an artificial heat generator, to place under Angel’s makeshift bedding, but it wouldn’t last for more than three hours and she didn’t have any more. He smiled at his sister. “You seem better.”