Kelda crouched above the market, watching the merchant who'd sold her the Dwarven necklace lashing heavy bundles to a pair of caribou. Their breath steamed in the chill night air as he worked swiftly, glancing nervously around.

"Hi."

The merchant squeaked as Kelda dropped down next to him, gave him a cheerful smile. The caribou started, stamping their hooves, and he struggled to quiet them.

"Nice morning, isn't it?"

"It's- it's two in the morning, ma'am!"

She shrugged.

"Eh, close enough. Anyways, what's a nice fellow like you doing out so late?"

"I- I-."

Kelda just smiled at him, leaning on her spear. He swallowed hard.

"I'm bringing my brother and the other hunters some supplies, ma'am. Food and whatnont, you know."

"So late?"

"Uh...it's what they asked me to do, ma'am. And, uh, they did tell me to keep it a secret, so..."

"Hmm." She took the reigns of one of the caribou. "Tell you what, I'll come with you!"

"Um...that's...that's really not necessary, ma'am."

"Oh, nonsense. It's dangerous out there." Kelda gave him a smile that was full of teeth. "There's wolves and who knows what else. I'll make sure that nothing happens to you."

"Er..." The merchant swallowed hard. "Yes, ma'am."

"I just want to find out where that necklace came from. I'm curious. Aren't you?"

"Er...not particularly, ma'am."

He led her out of town down a winding trail, up and into the hills. Kelda looked around, frowning.

"Has your brother told you what they've been hunting?"

"No, ma'am."

"Have you seen him bring back any game recently?"

"Huh." The merchant scratched his head. "Come to think of it, I haven't."

He led her through a rocky pass towards a hidden copse of pines.

"They've got a cave out this way," he told her conversationally. "I bring them up supplies maybe once every few weeks."

"How do they pay you?"

"Gold and silver coins, ma'am." He fished one out of his pocket. "Bit funny-looking, if you ask me, but gold is gold."

There was a sharp whistle above them.

"Stay where you are!"

Kelda looked up into the gleaming point of an arrow. A hunter peered down at them, face streaked with camouflaging dirt and soot.

"I thought we told you to come alone, Kris!" The hunter shouted. "Who's that with you, then?"

She pulled back her hood and waved. He lowered the arrow and grinned.

"Kelda!" He swung himself out of the tree and landed, sinking up to his knees in the powdery snow. "Little Kelda!"

"Hello, Bjorn. It's been a long time!"

He struggled out of the snow and grabbed her in a bear hug that knocked the breath out of her, spinning her around.

"We haven't seen you in months, little fox! We were worried about you!"

She pushed him back, grinning.

"I'm fine, Bjorn. In fact, I'm incredible."

"What brings you out our way?"

She nodded at the merchant.

"I'm hunting again, but this time I'm after some information. Your friend was selling something strange in his stall, and said that some of the hunters found it up in the caves."

"Oh?" Bjorn's gaze flickered to the merchant, back to her. "What was it?"

"A necklace." She pulled it out of her pocket to show him. "Have you ever seen anything like this out here?"

"Oh." He was uncharacteristically silent, gave her an unconvincing smile. "No, I've never seen anything quite like that before, but you can ask around the camp." He took the reigns of one of the caribou. "Come on, everyone's still awake. We had a good hunt today, so we're celebrating."

Something strange was going on. She frowned, following after him.

Bjorn waved as they entered the camp.

"Hallo! Supplies are here!"

A grey-haired hunter rose, lined face darkening.

"Bjorn, why aren't you on guard?"

"Oh, to hell with it, Sven, look who came up with the supplies! It's little Kelda!"

Sven gave her a hard look, considering.

"Kelda? What are you doing here?"

"Hello to you, too, Sven," she said sarcastically. "Can't a girl come by and visit old friends?"

"Friends," Sven said dubiously. "Huh."

She leaned on her spear and gave him a wry smile.

"Oh, come off it, Sven. You can't still be pissed that I took down that old seal bull you were after, can you?"

"My arrow was in its hide, woman," he grumbled.

"So was mine, and the arrows of half a dozen other hunters here. You're just mad that I was the one that finally got to kill the old bastard."

"Cheeky little brat," Sven said.

"Grumpy old coot," she said fondly.

He laughed aloud and hugged her.

"Come here, you troublesome wench. What brings you out here, really?"

She hugged him hard enough to make his ribs creak, smiling. Sven was the closest thing to a father she'd had after hers had been killed. He was cranky, bad-tempered, and he smelled worse than the greens, but there was no other hunter she'd rather have with her out on the ice.

"I had a couple of questions about a necklace one of you lot found out here."

"Necklace?" For a second, she felt him stiffen, and then he smiled down at her. "I don't think any of us found a necklace out here, of all places. Why, did you lose one?"

"No..." she said, confused, pulling it out of her pocket. "It was this one, see? Strange-looking, isn't it?" She jerked a thumb back at the merchant. "He told me his brother said one of you found it out here."

"Hmm." Sven gave the merchant a look. "Well, he must have been mistaken."

"But-"

"We'll talk later," Sven said, suddenly jovial. "Come, eat with us! We have roast caribou, and good ale. The hunt was good today- come celebrate with us!" He took the necklace from her hands. "I'll pass this around while we eat, see if anybody knows anything about it."

"I don't know-" she said dubiously.

One of the other hunters rose, pressing a mug of hot cider into her hands.

"Come on, Kelda! It's been so long since we've had a proper feast together! Tell us what you've been hunting!"

"Oh, alright." She sat on a log next to Sven, grinning. "I did manage to take down a saber cat."

"Sealshit!" A hunter exclaimed.

"No, no, it's true!" She turned to him, warming to the tale. "It must have been ten- no- fifteen feet long! I was in the woods tracking caribou..."

The tale-weaving and singing went on until it was almost dawn, hunters dancing out the stories of their hunts in the flickering glow of the flame. Kelda sat back, watching the other hunters as they spun and stalked, wrapped in the skins of the animals they'd claimed.

"I've missed this," she admitted to Bjorn.

The big man gave her an awkward smile, swaying a bit from the cider, handed her another mug.

"We've missed you, too, little fox. What have you been up to these days?"

"Oh, it's a long story." She took a drink, leaning back. "Well...like you know, I was a slave, and then the witch boy came back, and now I'm not a slave, and now I'm with him, I suppose."

"What do you mean, with him?"

She flushed.

"I- er- I live with him, now, I guess? I didn't really have anywhere else to go."

Bjorn's shoulders slumped.

"You could have come and stayed with us, you know."

She punched his shoulder.

"What, and show you lot up every time we go hunting? Come on. Plus," she said, wrinkling her nose. "I need a bath every now and then."

"Eh, dirt is more natural. Gives you a healthy, earthy smell, so the prey can't smell you coming."

"I'm pretty sure everything can smell you coming from miles away, Bjorn. You should really try bathing some time, see if your luck improves."

"What do I look like, a bloody Imperial?"

She laughed aloud, swaying.

"Oh, damn it, I've missed you bunch of animals. I'll have to come visit more often."

Sven sat next to them, leaning forward.

"Did I hear you say you're living with our Overlord, Kelda?"

"Oh." She felt her cheeks heat again. "Yes. It's pretty nice, actually."

"And he doesn't care if you're out and about with us?"

"Why should he care? I'm not his slave or something, gods! I go where I want."

"And you don't- he doesn't make you tell him where you're going?"

Kelda made a face at him.

"I'm not property, I'm a grown woman! He doesn't even know where I'm off to half the time."

"So he doesn't know you're out here?"

"No, why?" She squinted up at him, vision blurring, put out a hand to steady herself and slid off the log. "I don't-"

She hadn't had that much to drink. Kelda stared up at them both, willing her eyes to focus.

"What's happening?" she asked thickly.

Her tongue felt numb. Her fingertips were tingling. She willed her body to stand, got no response.

"What did you do to me?" she slurred.

"Pick her up and put her in my hut," Sven sighed. "We'll decide what to do with her later. Gods. Of all the people to find out, why did it have to be her?"

She felt big arms scoop her up. Bjorn cradled her against his chest.

"Sorry about this, little fox," he muttered. "But we can't have you going around asking questions."

He dumped her on the floor of an igloo, covering her carefully with a blanket.

"Sorry," he whispered again.

Kelda lay mute, unable to move. She willed her limbs to stir, tried to open her mouth to scream, to speak, to do anything, to no avail. She heard her breath rasping in her ears. Everything seemed to be moving very slowly. She wondered dimly if they'd poisoned her.

"We just can't let her go back!" she heard Sven mutter. "If the witch-boy finds out what we've been up to out here..."

"But what are we supposed to do?" Bjorn rumbled. "She's seen the necklace, and Kris said she was asking a lot of questions."

"We could leave her out in the snow," Sven said slowly.

"Ah, Sven, we can't do that."

"You're right. Someone might find the body. Toss her into the sea, then."

"Sven, no!" Bjorn protested. "This is little Kelda we're talking about."

"She's taken up with that witch boy, though," one of the other hunters said grimly. "She's not our Kelda anymore."

"But we can't just kill her! That's hardly sporting."

"But we have to do something, Bjorn. We have to get rid of her."

"Fine, then you do it."

"Me? Why me?"

"This whole thing was your idea."

"Very well. I'll do it."

Sven stomped into the igloo, a long dagger in his hand. The hunters muttered outside, angry. Kelda stared up at him, straining to speak. He stared down at her, lined face twisting. After a moment, he turned away and walked out.

"Gods damn it, I can't do it. Why did Kris have to show her that bloody necklace? Why did she have to come after us? We have to get rid of her."

"Maybe we could swear her to secrecy? She's a hunter, too, Sven, maybe she'd-"

"We can't take that chance." She heard the sound of boots crunching back and forth in the snow. "Take her deep into the caves and leave her there with the clothes on her back and nothing more. If the gods smile on her, she'll find her way out again."

"Sven, nobody can find their way out of those caves without a guide, you know that-"

"Gods damn it, Bjorn, I don't like this any more than you do, but it has to be done."

"But we can't-"

"Don't argue with me, Bjorn. We're all in this together now."

"Alright," Bjorn said, defeated. "Alright. I'll do it."

Kelda heard Bjorn enter the hut. He scooped her up, and she glared at him blearily.

"I'm so sorry," he said softly. "I wish it didn't have to be this way."

He carried her to the cave mouth. A hunter handed him a torch, and he looked back. Sven stared at him, eyes hard. Bjorn heaved a sigh and walked into the cave.

Kelda felt herself sinking lower, deeper. Her head was spinning, consciousness slipping out of reach.

"No," she tried to whisper, heard nothing but a cracked groan. "No, please, don't-"

Her thoughts fluttered, ghostlike. She felt her head loll back as she slid deeper into darkness.