"Cap'n?" Archibald said hesitantly.

Jay turned to face his redheaded friend. "What can I help you with?" He had been speaking with Percival, but now he turned to face the Scullinder.

Archibald swallowed. He was loath to speak what he was about to say, but if he didn't, the company could find themselves in a tight fix.

When Archibald still seemed nervous to speak, Jay asked him, "What is it, Archibald? Speak your mind."

"I've thought of somethin', Cap'n, and I'm no' sure it's good news," he said slowly.

"Well, if you've got something to say, don't be shy. Let's hear it."

"It's jus', ye see, sir, we only brough' enough provisions for th' thirteen of us to las' for two weeks, and tha's on light provisions. With an extra mouth to feed, I'm afraid we won' las' the trip."

"That's a good point. You're right, Archibald," Jay said, seeing the logic in his words. "I didn't think about that. We could find ourselves in a tight spot."

"What about the provisions in the wagon the smugglers stole?" Percival suggested.

Jay shook his head. "No. Those provisions belong to Skilae."

"You do know that they're our enemy, right?" Percival pointed out. "We're on our way to stop their men from invading our own country- to kill them even."

"Be that as it may," Jay said, looking his companion in the face, "these provisions were stolen from innocent villagers in Skilae. If we use them we'll be no better than the smugglers."

"It doesn't matter if we're no better than the smugglers if we're all dead because we're too weak from hunger to fight," Percival pointed out.

"What are we goin' to do with them, then?" Archibald asked. "Take them with us? Return them to the nearest village?"

Jay nodded. "That's exactly what we'll do."

"No offence, Captain," Percival said, "but that's not exactly the brightest idea you've ever had."

"And why do you say that?"

"Our mission is to stop the attack- that's it. Once we've done that we are to report back to the King to make preparations for the final battles. This girl doesn't change the mission- she just complicates it a bit. And so do these provisions. We can't take that wagon back to Skilae. It will it will just be in the way when the time comes to fight. Besides, even if we did get past the Skilaens, there's no way we could know where these things came from, so it'd be impossible to actually return them."

"But the provisions would still be going to the same kingdom-"

"Where a greedy tyrant is the ruler," Percival cut off. "He'll be taking the provisions from the people anyway. But if we take them and use them, they'll be going toward a good cause."

Jay pondered over Percival's logic. He had a point, Jay had to admit, but he still didn't feel right about using the food of the people that was unjustly stolen from them.

"I know you mean well, Captain," Percival told him. "You're a good man. But sometimes the things you want to do aren't always the things you can to do."

Jay sighed. He could hardly disagree with that. "Very well," he conceded. "We will use minimal provisions from the wagon, and we will return anything that we have not used once the war is over."

His companions agreed, and he felt slightly better about his choice.

"It's all well and good to use as li'l as possible, but wha' will we do with the wagon?" Archibald questioned.

"We can take it with us," Percival suggested. "We have two extra pack horses. They can pull it with no problem. We can even put their things in the wagon."

The men all nodded their consent.

"Now tha' we've gotten tha' taken care of," Archibald said, "wha' are we going to do with th' lass? Will has told her of our plans to wipe out an entire Skilaen fighting force, and she could be a liability."

"We could take her as a prisoner of war," Percival suggested. His companions looked at him with an array of looks from horror to anger to shock."

"No," they both said at once, and Percival shrugged. He hadn't actually planned on them agreeing, but it didn't hurt to make a suggestion.

"We'll take her with us," Jay decided. "We're heading towards her country anyway. Once we've completed our quest, we'll..." He hesitated.

"We'll leave her to fend for herself?" Percival finished for him.

"No," he said firmly. "We'd be no better than the robbers who brought her here in the first place. If necessary I will return her myself. She won't be any harm once we've done what we came here for."

"You, the King's most trusted advisor and lead military strategist, are going to get in and out of Skilae without being noticed and make it out alive?"

"We'll cross tha' bridge when we come to it," Archibald decided.

"Agreed," Jay said. "And I don't think the girl will be much of a problem. She may know of our plans to intercept her country's army, but no one but me knows how we are going to execute that plan." Jay had to fight the urge to pat a hidden pocket in on his tunic inside his armor.

Zia woke freezing cold. Her nose was cherry red and her cheeks were numb with frost. When she first opened her eyes, she thought that her eyes were playing tricks on her. But as she rubbed the sleep from them, she saw that the ground around her was layered with white frost.

It was snowing.

"Great! Just great. Now we'll be out here even longer. And what's more, even if we do use the supplies from the wagon, we'll starve to death before we ever make it through the Westfell Pass!"

"Calm yourself, brother," Hamish said.

Ryker turned on him. "Don't tell me what to do, little brother. I'll do and say what I want, when I want, thank you very much!"

Zia, who had been sitting at the large bonfire that had been roaring since she had woken the traveling party and alerted them about the snow, stood, rubbing her hands for warmth. "Ryker, unless you want us to make an epic saga about your inner three-year-old girl, I suggest you keep your mouth shut, you dollop-head."

"Dollop-head?!" Ryker's tone was outraged. "Dollop-head? You dare to call me a dollop-head?!"

"You're right," Zia said thoughtfully. "'Dollop-head' is too nice a word to describe you."

"What about 'ignoramus'?" Heath suggested.

"Or 'imbecile'?" Ike chimed in.

"'Muttonhead'."

"'Ninny'."

"'Simpleton'."

"'Cretin'."

"'Dimwit'."

"'Nincompoop'."

Zia, Heath, and Ike all lost it, and snorts and giggles were echoed in the frigid air.

Ryker turned as red as an autumn leaf. He clenched and unclenched his fists, looking livid. Zia got the absurd image in her head of Ryker's head blowing off his shoulders like a pressurized tomato, and she laughed all the more.

Ryker exploded. "You find me compatible to a nincompoop? "

"With that temper, absolutely," Jay said very seriously. He had been watching the cantankerous young man through the time of their journey, and Jay had observed that he was a loose catapult. He was too easy to anger and his loyalties were skimpy at best. One moment he was happily and loudly conversing with his fellow travelers, and the next he was threatening to bash in their heads.

"What's your point, Pretty Boy?" Ryker jeered. "Everyone gets heated once in a while."

"While true, you boil over far too often."

Ryker scoffed. "What do you know? You're just a stupid Guard. You think you're so smart and clever, but you're not. It's taken you years to find the whereabouts of the Thieves, and we were hidden in the most obvious place ever! How thick can you get?"

"Actually, Ryker, the only reason they found our Headquarters in the first place is because they followed you and your brother," Zia told him, remembering what the King had said in Arch's tent. "What?" she said at his surprised look. "You didn't realize you were being followed? How thick can you get?"

Ryker glared at her. "You just made that up to make me look bad."

"Trust me, Ryker, you don't need any assistance in that."

"Look, girl-"

Jay rose to his feet. "If you're so sure that you're so steely and adept, then how about a little wager?"

What are you doing? Zia wondered.

Ryker narrowed his eyes, sensing a trick. "What would the terms of this wager be?"

"A duel. You against me. Victor gets the luxury of not hearing the loser's voice for an entire twenty-four hours."

"Agreed," Ryker said, a smug look on his face. "Weapons or hand-to-hand?"

"Hand-to-hand," Jay said. He knew that Ryker would be pleased with that. The other man was much larger than Jay, but he wasn't all that bright, and his idea of fighting was clobbering someone around the head with his large fists.

Jay had read Ryker's mind, and the overly-large donkey smiled, a terrifying sight to behold. He was, indeed, envisioning himself sitting atop of the Captain, holding him in a painful hold, shouting in victory for the smaller man to surrender. "You are going to lose, Pretty Boy."

Archibald, who was seated next to Zia, leaned over and whispered in her ear, "He does know tha' the Cap'n has been trainin' in hand-to-hand comba' for over twenty years, righ'?"

Zia smiled evilly, not a very comforting sight with her odd colored eyes. She whispered back, "I think Jay's counting on the fact that he doesn't. This is promising to be interesting."

"The rules are simple." Percival's voice rang clear through the frigid cold air, smoke rising from his lips as his breath warmed the air around him. "Hand-to-hand combat only. The victor will be declared when blood is drawn, one of you manages to pin the other for five seconds, or one of you surrenders."

Pinning him is out of the question for Jay, Zia thought as she sized up the two men. Ryker's too large for Jay to pin him down for three seconds, never mind five.

"Are you ready?" Jay and Ryker both nodded. "I will be arbitrator for this duel," said Percival. "There will be no weapons allowed, and no armor." He looked at Jay when he said this because, being Captain of the Royal Guard, he was accustomed to wearing the heavy metal protection. Upon hearing Percival's words, Jay stepped aside and removed his armor. As anyone who wore armor knew, it took a long time to remove it. Long enough for Elaina to come out of her tent, shivering despite wearing Zia's extra traveling cloak and an extra blanket wrapped around her shoulders.

"What's going on?" she asked, her teeth chattering. A violent shiver went through her as she came to stand by Ike. Elaina looked much improved since Zia had seen her yesterday. The color had returned to her face, though it was hard to tell because of the girl's pale complexion. The bags under her eyes had all but disappeared, and she had bathed and combed her hair. She was dressed in some warm spare clothes of Zia's, and she had gotten out of the tent a few times throughout the day. Each time she did this, Zia was sure to be busy doing something, whether it be gathering fire wood or sharpening her sword- anything to avoid looking at her. Zia would be lying if she said that Elaina's story of the Golden-Eyed One didn't rattle her.

"Jay, the smaller man," Ike said pointing, "has challenged Ryker, the big ugly one that looks like an over-grown donkey"- Elaina snorted at this- "to a duel. Loser cannot speak for a whole twenty-four hours."

"Why would the smaller man- Kay, was it?- challenge the donkey-faced one? He's smaller than the other one. He is sure to lose."

"Size isn't the deciding factor in a duel," Zia said defensively. "Ryker's size will betray him in this duel, just you wait. He may be strong, but he's slow, and strength doesn't mean a thing if you're not fast enough to use it. I've fought him before, and unless he's suddenly been blessed with the speed of a horse, Jay will win this easily. Trust me."

Elaina looked shocked. "You've fought that large man before?"

"She did more than just fight him," Heath said excitedly. "She demolished him and his brother."

"Would that be the man over there that looks like a smaller edition of Hiker?" Elaina pointed to where Hamish was seated, rubbing his hands together for warmth.

"That's the one," Ike nodded. "That's Hamish."

"They have odd names, even for Otarians," Elaina commented. "Hamish and Hiker?" She shook her head. "What was their mother thinking?"

Ike smiled. "It's Ryker, with an R, but I couldn't agree more, Elaina."

"And why has Kay challenged him? Did he steal his money or elope with his wife?"

Heath looked horrified. "No! Why in the name of swords and talons would you think that?"

"That's the way we do it in Skilae. When one has made a grievance for someone else, that person has the right to challenge the griever to a duel to the death." The way Elaina said it was simple enough, but there was something in that saying that seemed to make Zia's insides adjust to the temperature outside.

"Well, that's grim," Heath said with a strange, distrusting look in his eyes.

"A just how does your country settle such things, then?" Elaina challenged, her chin in the air.

"In a civilized trail before the King," he replied with just as much heat.

"Are you saying my people are uncivilized?" Elaina sounded scandalized. Her eyes flared in a flash of anger, and the look made Zia take a step back. "You think my people are brutal? When here your kind issues challenges to one another over nothing?" She gestured to Ryker standing at the ready in a cleared area and Jay still removing his armor to the side.

"It's a competition," he said angrily. "A harmless wager! At least we don't fight to the death like barbarians."

"Barbarians?!"

"Have you seen Jay fight, Heath?" Ike asked, breaking up the argument.

Heath gave Elaina one more loathing look before he nodded. "When we attacked the smugglers. Being the cover fire requires me to see everything, and Jay is numbered in 'everything'."

"How good is he?" he inquired.

Heath was still a little angry, but he tried to smiled. "Almost as good with a sword as Zia here."

Elaina's eyes widened and she looked at Zia in an amazement that made Zia feel embarrassed. "You fight with a sword?" Elaina asked in a bewildered whisper.

Ike laughed. "And fight just about everything with it."

"A woman fighting with a sword?"

"I wouldn't say things like that if I were you," Ike whispered to her quickly. "Zia's known for pulverizing anyone who does."

Zia began to be embarrassed, so she silenced them, saying that Percival was speaking again.

"Are you ready?" the large man questioned loudly. When both Jay and Ryker responded positively Percival nodded and said, "On my mark." He raised his hand high in the air. All eyes were trained on that large, callused hand for a few moments, and as it made its descent all spectators were holding their breath.

As soon as Percival's hand had completed its journey downward, Ryker attacked, running at Jay like a battering ram. He had his arms reached forward to grab the Guard in a hold, but Jay merely ducked and sidestepped. Ryker turned quickly on him, running at him again, but the Captain simply performed the same maneuver.

The fight went on in such a manner for some time, and Zia began to grow bored. Ryker would attack and Jay would dodge out of the way in the nick of time. For three minutes it went on like that, and Zia could read by her companions' body language that they were getting bored as well. All except Elaina, who seemed to find the entire thing a novelty.

If Jay did noticed the spectator's lack of interest, he didn't seem to care. Jay was fighting to teach the big brute a lesson, not for their entertainment.

Ryker decided to abandon his charging tactics and he clenched his hands into fists, preparing to throw a wild right-hand hook.

Ryker was strong, it was true, but he was only so-so in the skill of combat. He was slow and unbalanced, and he evaluated situations poorly, which was only something that could be acquired from years of fighting and training, such as Jay had done.

Ryker swung a fist at Jay's head, which the Captain easily evaded. He tried for a kick, but he just hopped out of the way.

Ryker grew angry and his punches became more and more wild. The only exciting thing that happened was when Jay momentarily forgot to duck a punch, and Ryker's fist caught the end of his chin.

Jay rubbed his jaw and decided that he had beat around the bush with the large man for long enough. When Ryker swung at his head this time, Jay not only ducked, but his hand shot out and gripped the man's large wrist in his hand. This move caught Ryker by surprise and he lost his balance. He wobbled this way and that. Seeing his unstableness, Jay pulled Ryker's arm across the large man's chest, making him turn precariously and fall to the ground. Before Jay could pin him however, Ryker rose angrily and tackled the small man to the freezing snow. The two wrestled, gripping and wiggling like giant worms in the snow.

"The Ryker is sure to win now," Elaina said confidently. "Jay is too small to withstand his weight."

"So he's a fat donkey now?" Ike asked as innocently as he could. Zia and Heath snorted, and Elaina allowed herself a small smile.

"You do have a point, Elaina," Zia admitted. "But first Ryker has to pin him, and Jay is too smart to let him do that."

There was a time when Ryker did Jay, though. Jay tried to get up from their wrestling match to get the high ground, but he lost his footing on the slick snow, and he fell sputtering into the white powder. Seizing his opportunity, Ryker leaped at the Captain, pinning him to the ground. Jay lifted his upper body as far as he could, but Ryker, sitting on his legs, pushed his shoulders down in the cold snow, leaning onto Jay.

As Ryker leaned towards his face, Jay felt the larger man's weight come off his legs, and he took the opportunity to throw his legs up, kneeing Ryker in the backside and knocking him off balance.

Jay took his chance to roll away, jump to his feet, regain his balance, and rejoin the fight. Until this point, he had only been playing the defense. He knew he could never win this by fighting only to defend. So he launched a series of intense attacks on Ryker, throwing punches here and there, all of them making solid contact. It all ended when Jay's fist hit Ryker's nose with a satisfying sound. Ryker let out a cry of pain, fell to his knees, and gripped his face, which was dripping with blood.

"The champion is Jay," Percival announced. "Ryker, as the loser, you are condemned to an entire twenty-four hours of silence."

"That was quite exciting, I must say," Elaina commented that night as they all huddled together around a large fire, using their collective body heat to keep warm. "I've never seen fighting quite like that. I see now why you are the Otarian King's Captain, Jay. You fight spectacularly."

Jay was delighted at her praise and said, "Thank you. Being adequate in the skill of combat is part of the job."

The young girl smiled. She had a very beautiful smile, and now that she had been cleaned up, Zia noticed that she seemed more at ease with the Otarians, even though they were sworn enemies.

"I wish I could fight like that," Elaina said dreamily. "It would come in most useful if I ever find myself in this kind of situation again."

"These are dangerous times," Percival agreed. "Knowing how to defend yourself will secure your future."

"I could teach you a few things," Ike offered.

Elaina smiled at him. "You would do that?"

"I don't see why not," Ike said. "We may be here a while, and as much as I love hearing Ryker scream like a little girl, I don't want to spend the entire journey doing that."

Ryker glared at the jaunty young man across the fire, the heat of the flames reflected from his eyes as those around him laughed. Even if Ryker could come up with a witty comeback, he was bound to silence for at least another nineteen hours. Ike was enjoying the man's quietness more than anyone. He teased and pestered Ryker mercilessly, knowing Ryker could do nothing about it. Zia just hoped that Ike knew where to draw the line and not to step over it.

"Like you said," Ike continued, "you'll want to be prepared if you ever find yourself in a sticky situation again."

The smile Elaina gave him made her eyes light up. "That would be marvelous."

"We'll start in the morning then," Ike said. "Judging by the temperature now, I don't think we'll be moving much tomorrow."

Ike was right, of course. It continued to snow through the night, and with the absence of the sun the temperatures plummeted so much that Zia couldn't sleep. She spent the entire night stiff as a board, and shaking like a rabbit before its fight-or-flight instincts took over. She slept in the small tent that Elaina had been nursed back to health in with the young Skilaen girl breathing deeply through the dark. The sound of her heavy breathing combined with the cold kept Zia awake all night long. Not that she could have slept much anyway. For some reason, the thought of sharing a tent with Elaina was not a comforting one. Through the night she thought of the way Elaina's eyes had flared when Heath had made her angry. It was a look that Zia knew all too well, and while she had seen it on many, many people, the sight of it on Elaina's face made her stomach lurch. For she realized now what it was about the girl's eyes that had seemed so scarily familiar to her- they were the same shade as Daxtor's.

She knew it was silly to be so nervous over something so stupid as Elaina having the same eye color as the drunk swine, but every time she saw those eyes on the girl's face she couldn't help but remember when eyes of the same color loomed above her in the darkness, connected to a body that was holding a knife over her head in its hand.

You're being ridiculous, she told herself. Her eyes are the same color as his. So what? Ike's eyes are brown too, and you don't cower before him. But even after repeating these words to herself, sleep eluded her all the night long.

When Zia rose the next morning she was wet, cold, and not very happy. She shivered in her blankets, and she did not want to venture out into the frigid cold that awaited her outside those canvas walls.

But venture she did, wrapping her cloak firmly around her shoulders. The air was nose-bitingly cold, and she shuddered violently. She remembered that cold night when she had run away and slept in a shopkeeper's stall. That had been a cold night, but it could not compare to this wintery morning.

"You look cheery this morning," Heath commented as he laid down some dry logs from their rapidly dwindling supply by the fire. He blew on his white hands to keep them warm as he sat on a snow-covered log next to her.

"Couldn't sleep," she grumbled in reply. "It's too cold." She wrapped her cloak around her shoulders more firmly in an attempt to block out the cold. A sudden violent shiver shook her slight frame. Heath wrapped an arm around her back and rubbed his hands up and down quickly on her arms in an effort to keep them warm. She shivered again and he rubbed harder.

"You alright?" he asked with a laugh.

Zia nodded thankfully. She looked down at her small, cold hands as she brought them to her lips to blow warm air on them and she saw that her knuckles were tinged with a blue-ish color.

"It was cold before, but now it's freezing," she said. "It never gets this cold at Headquarters."

Heath nodded. "I agree. I wonder what could have brought on this blizzard? It's been snowing non-stop for a whole twenty-four hours and then some."

"Speaking of twenty-four hours, how much longer until Ryker's vow of silence is over?" Zia asked to keep her mind off her shivering body.

"I'm not sure. Percival put up an hour glass in the Guards' tent to make sure we all got our full twenty-four hours of peace and quiet."

Zia sighed, tipped her head back on his shoulder and closed her eyes. "Ah, and what a wonderful time it's been." She peaked open her eyes and smiled at him.

Heath smiled back. "I concur fully. It's been marvelous." He passed before asking, "Are you certain the cold's the only thing that's bothering you?"

"No" was the truthful answer, but Zia didn't want to give it. You're just being paranoid, she said to herself. So she tried for a smile and said, "I'm sure."

Zia could tell from his expression that he did believe her for a second, but he didn't say anything.

True to his word, Ike taught Elaina some of the finer points of fighting that morning. He mostly taught her hand-to-hand combat because it was the most practical for Elaina given her lifestyle. He did, however, teach her to properly throw knives.

The company did not move on in their journey for five more days, and during that time Ike and Elaina had grown very close. Zia noticed that Ike smiled more when she was around and she seemed to behave much the same. Zia was, of course, pleased that Ike was happy, but every time she saw the girl she couldn't shake the feeling of dread that crept into her mind. I am being ridiculous, Zia said to herself on the forth night of the company's halt. She's just a simple village girl. There's nothing wrong with her. I'm just being protective and paranoid. But even with these constant thoughts, she couldn't stop herself from wanting Elaina gone.

It would be better if Ike did not get attached, the protective part of her mind would say. He's going to have to say goodbye sooner or later.

So I should let him enjoy the time he has with her now, the other part of her brain told her. 

But her eyes!

So what?

Zia fought back and forth with herself for hours as she sat by the fire, trying to keep her blue hands from freezing.

Zia's inner war was brought to a halt when Heath approached her that evening as Ike was teaching Elaina how to throw knives a ways off. "Zia, may I speak with you privately for a moment?" he asked. He wasn't looking at her, though, he was watching Elaina and Ike.

Not sure what to think of his behavior, Zia nodded, rose from her log, and followed him away from the camp and behind a large bend in the Pass so that they were shielded from not only the biting wind but also any prying eyes.

"What is it?" Zia questioned.

"It's that girl," Heath said, urgently. "I don't think Ike should be getting so friendly with her."

"Why is that?"

"It's just a feeling. I don't know how to explain it, but I've got a bad feeling about her."

"Are you sure you're not just feeling the aftereffects of eating Will's cooking?" Zia joked. She was trying to lighten the situation because she had been having the same thoughts in her head the entire day, and she was afraid of what was coming.

"Please, Zia, I'm serious," Heath pleaded, which shocked her. Zia could see in his eyes that he really was concerned. "I've got a really bad feeling about her."

"I think you might be being a little bit selfish, Heath," Zia said gently. "She makes Ike happy, and if we really are his friends then who are we to take that happiness from him? Besides, Ike would never let a girl- no matter how much he fancied her- come between the two of you."

"Zia, please," he said desperately. "I can't explain it, but there is something wrong with Elaina. I saw the way you looked at her when she got upset with me the other day. You can't-"

Out of the corner of his eye Ike saw Heath and Zia walk around the bend and disappear from sight. That's strange, he thought. What was so private that they couldn't speak where people could see them?

"So I extend my arm like this?" Elaina interrupted his thoughts as she mimed throwing a knife.

Distractedly, Ike said, "Yes, just like that. Be sure not to flick your wrist; keep it locked." He handed her one of his perfectly balanced throwing knives, pointed to a small nearby tree and said, "Practice throwing at that tree for a while. I'll be right back."

"Alright," the beautiful girl replied cheerfully as she took his knife from him and wound up to make her first cast. She threw, and the knife bounced harmlessly off the tree. "Oops."

If Ike weren't so busy thinking about what Zia and Heath were talking about, he might have laughed.

"Here," he said, scooping the knife out of the snow and placing it back in her hand. "Let me show you..."

He stanced himself behind her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders to show her how to adjust her grip. She turned back many times to smile at him, and each time she did Ike felt his pulse race.

"So, like this?" Elaina showed him her grip on the throwing knife.

He smiled at her. "That's great. Listen, I'll be right back. I've got to go check on something."

"Alright," she smiled.

Ike walked quickly, not wanting to miss any more of the conversation he was certain Heath and Zia were having. He reached the bend and slowly inched forward, his back pressed to the rock. He made his way silently forward, his soft leather boots barely making a sound in the snow.

"-you can't tell me you don't feel the same way," Heath's voice said. A crunch of snow told Ike that Heath had stepped forward, and Ike could see in his mind's eye Heath and Zia standing close together in the white snow.

Zia was silent for a long time before she took a deep, long breath and said, "You're right, Heath. I can't, because I do feel that way. I've been trying to find some way of explaining it, but I just can't. No matter how many times I try to push it away, it always comes back."

They were silent for a while, and Ike held his breath. He had suspected that Heath was sweet on his sister for some time now, but he never would have thought that Heath would actually say something about it.

"So what do we do now then?" Heath asked.

"I don't know," Zia said quietly. "But whatever we do, we mustn't breath a word to Ike. He'd be furious if he found out. He's my brother and your best friend. Imagine his reaction if he knew!"

"You're right," Heath agreed. "We'll keep it between ourselves for the time being. But should something happen where it is necessary, I think we should tell the others."

"Agreed."

There was a slight pause before Ike heard Heath say, "Come on, we should be getting back before anyone starts to think we've been kidnapped."

Ike's eyes widened in fear of getting caught eavesdropping and he ran back to the camp site where Elaina was practicing her throwing, as quickly as the snow would allow him. He tried to run in the prints that Heath and Zia had left in the snow, and he nearly fell on his face a few times. He reached Elaina just as Zia and Heath appeared from around the bend.