Adria stopped, it was him. It was Kieran. Her right hand dropped the curtain. 

"Kiran." She repeated slowly.

Adria whipped around. Kiran was tying his horse to a tree. She walked up to him as he finished tying the knot.

"Would you like to see your horse?" Kiran asked, looking over his shoulder at Adria.

"Sure."

"Follow me." Kiran motioned for Adria to follow him.

Remrock was tied to a tree next to another horse. He whinnied as Adria approached.

"Hey boy. How you've been?" Adria said patting the shaggy pony.

"I was planning on leaving camp tomorrow, if your up for it." Kiran said.

"Where to?"

"I think it would be better if I didn't tell you just yet."

Adria turned back to her horse, wondering where he was going and how she would get him to come back with her.

° ° °

The next morning Adria had followed Kiran further up the mountain. The pack horse whinnied as snow drifted down from the clouds. Adria had thought of no way to get Kieran back with her. They rode in complete silence for an hour or so before Adria spoke.

"So where are you bringing me?"

There was a slight pause then Kiran answered, "to my home."

"And you've lived alone all these years?"

"No."

That gave Adria a slight twang of hope, perhaps her brother lived with Kiran and probably a bunch of other runaways.

"You live with other runaways?"

"Well, not really."

"What do you mean 'not really'?"

"I live with the dwarfs, there aren't many other people that come up to the mountain."

Adria felt all the hope that had built up inside her drop like the snow. But harder. Much harder.