Blood Red Road (24 page)

We ain’t gone more’n a league.

We’re pickin our way over a big rocky outcrop when Ash glances over her shoulder. Here they come, she says. She wheels her horse around an me an Maev follow her to the edge of the outcrop. From here, we can see over the plain back to the fires an smoke of Hopetown.

We can also see the Desert Swan. An the little group of Tonton riders, maybe ten in all, headed towards it.

Better not hang around, says Maev.

Not when you got a brother to find, Ash says to me.

J
EST BEFORE MIDNIGHT, WE RIDE INTO THE
F
REE
H
AWK
summer camp at Darktrees.

Nero flies on ahead to tell ’em we’re comin. Emmi runs up the moment we ride into view an runs an skips along beside the horses.

Saba! Yer here!

You should be asleep, I says.

What took you so long?

We got here soon as we could, I says.

I swing myself down offa Hermes’ back. She leaps at me, wrappin her arms an legs around my waist an neck.

Are they dead? she whispers. Did you kill ’em?

You don’t need to worry about ’em no more, I says. How’m I s’posed to do anythin with you hangin on like a leech?

I give her backside a swat an she slides down. She follows at my heels while I rub Hermes down, water him an send him off into the trees to join th’other Hawk horses an ponies to graze on the scrubby grass in the forest clearins.

She chatters on, about Epona an how we’re gonna sleep in the same bunkhouse as Maev, but all the time she keeps hold of the edge of my tunic an sticks close.

I turn an jest about trip over her. I kneel down an take her hands. They’re tremblin.

Hey, hey, Emmi, I says. It’s okay. I’m here.

No you ain’t, she says. Yer leavin to find Lugh. An it could be dangerous. You said so yerself.

I’ll be fine, I says. I’ll be back before you know it. An I’ll be bringin Lugh with me.

Yer sure I cain’t come with you?

I’m sure, I says. I promised Pa an Lugh I’d keep you safe. I ain’t done a very good job so far.

You done okay, she says.

Hey, I says. I dunno about you, but I’m startin to feel mighty tired. Why don’t you show me that bunkhouse you was talkin about?

Okay. Hey … Saba?

Uh huh?

Would it … would you give me a pickaback ride to the bunkhouse? She says it shy-like, not lookin at me but at the ground where her boot’s tracin a line in the dirt.

I ain’t never let Em ride pickaback on me in our whole lives. Lugh was the one who played with her like that. He’d grab her by the hands an swing her around till they both fell dizzy on the ground. Or she’d jump on his back an he’d gallop around an leap while she squealed with delight. I never used to like it when he spent time with her. Or anybody else fer that matter. I always wanted him all to myself.

I look down at her. At the back of her neck, scrawny an grubby. She always was small fer her age.

She’s only nine, Saba. You might try bein nice to her fer a change
.

A pickaback? I says. I thought you’d never ask.

Human sacrifice. Maev frowns. That’s … crazy.

Her an me’s sittin on a log in the cool mornin shadows of the clearin where the Free Hawks camp is. I check to make sure Emmi ain’t in earshot. She don’t know none of this an I don’t want her overhearin. But she’s over by the bunkhouse with Nero. They’re playin some countin game with twigs laid out on the ground. Nero loves to count things.

I know, I says. But that’s what Helen said.

An you believe her, says Maev.

I do, I says.

An she says it was the Tonton took Lugh to this place … Freedom Fields.

Deep in the Black Mountains, I says. That’s what she said.

I wonder what goes on there, says Maev.

Helen got killed before she could tell me everythin. But from what she said, it’s all to do with chaal.

Everythin’s to do with chaal, she says. An the Tonton’s right in the middle of it.

We’re silent fer a minute, then I says, You know, Maev,
when Vicar Pinch saw my birthmoon tattoo, he looked like he’d seen a ghost.

Whaddya mean?

What I mean is, I don’t think it was the first time he seen it.

Where’d you git it anyways? says Maev. I ain’t never seen one before.

It was my pa, I says. He tattooed me an Lugh. Midwinter twins.

You think that’s where he seen it? On Lugh?

I’m certain of it. What else could it be?

Well, Pinch is dead now, so it don’t matter. They won’t be goin ahead with, you know … the sacrifice.

We cain’t be sure of that. An when they find out what happened to their King, they might be so mad they do somethin to him anyways. He won’t be safe till he’s outta there. I gotta git goin.

I stand up.

Oh no. She stands too, puts a hand on my arm. You ain’t in a fit state. Look at you. You need to rest an eat. We need to see to them bruises. Epona worked you over good in the Cage.

It don’t matter, I says.

Yes it does. You don’t know what you got ahead of you. You gotta be strong.

Leave me alone, I says. But I know she’s right. I’m dog-tired an I ache all over my body.

C’mon, Saba, she says. I ain’t yer enemy, I’m yer friend.

My friend, I says.

That’s right. Yer like me. Yer a survivor.

I’m jest stubborn, I says.

I’m sorry to hafta say this, she says, but bein friends an all, it gives me the right to say … when was the last time you had a wash?

I realize I cain’t remember. I dunno, I says. A while back, I guess.

A long while back, I’d say, she says. She pushes past me, heads down the path further into the woods. I got a surprise fer you, she says. This way.

We step outta the darkness of the forest into the shock of bright sunlight. We’re standin on a narrow shelf of bare rock that juts out into thin air. Straight across from us, water roars outta the side of a mountain. It rushes an tumbles down the rocks till it plunges into a deep pool below, where the sunlight dances an sparkles.

Maev disappears over the side of the rock.

I stare at the waterfall. It’s beautiful. Clean. Pure.

Are you comin or not? Maev hollers. Her voice echoes offa the canyon walls.

I follow behind as she picks her way over the rocks to the bottom. I ain’t bin swimmin fer such a long time. Me an Lugh used to swim in Silverlake all the time when we was little. Back before the lake dried up an everythin went wrong.

I’ll take one dive into that cool water. Jest one. It’ll help clear my head. Then I’ll be able to think.

Maev jumps down onto a big flat rock at the side of the pool. She shimmies outta her clothes quick an then she’s naked as the day she was born. Golden freckled skin, long strong legs, a tangled mane of copper hair. She takes a runnin leap, her legs an arms flyin, an disappears unner the water. She breaks the surface, a big grin on her face.

It’s fantastic! she yells.

I realize I ain’t never seen Maev smile before. She looks young. Like a kid.

Maev kitted me out this mornin, everythin from shirt to skivvies. At first, I didn’t wanna take their stuff, but she said the Free Hawks is by way of bein highway robbers an that’s where it all comes from. When she told me that, I should of said no thanks. I know that stealin things is bad. But my clothes was nuthin but dirty rags an my ideas about what’s right an wrong ain’t so fine as they used to be.

I take off my stolen clothes an fold ’em in a neat pile on the warm rock. Then I dive in.

The icy cold water shocks my eyes wide open, slams into my heart. I shoot to the surface, gaspin. Maev’s laughin her head off.

You rat! I yell. It’s freezin cold!

It’ll do you good!

I duck myself, over an over, in the sparklin cleanness till the filth of Hopetown’s washed from my body. I pull a handful of needles from a low hangin pine tree an rub ’em over my skin. Then Maev starts to chase me around an we splash an dunk each other.

After a bit, I realize I ain’t thought about Lugh fer the past few minutes. Not even once.

Right away, I turn an swim back to the rock. Maev follows. I pull myself out an gather my clothes.

What’s the matter? Maev climbs out.

I ain’t got time fer this, I says. I cain’t stop till I find Lugh. I promised him.

Oh, not this agin! She grabs the clothes from me. What, you promised him you wouldn’t wash? Or eat? Or sleep? Don’t be stupid.

Gimme them clothes, I says.

She holds ’em away. No, she says. It was a wash an a swim. It ain’t like you was dancin an singin. Now siddown an jest be quiet fer three minutes while we dry off.

No. Gimme my clothes, Maev.

Gawdammit you stubborn mule … siddown! She roars it at me. She grabs my arm an pushes me down. I’m so surprised, I don’t even try to git up. She drops the clothes an sets herself down beside me, holdin tight to
my wrist. Now, she says, we’ll jest sit here fer a bit an be quiet.

Maev—

Shhh!

I jest—

She holds a finger to her mouth. She lays back, closes her eyes an raises her face to the sun. I lie beside her, starin at the sky. After a bit, I’m feelin warm, a little drowsy. My eyelids is heavy. They start to close.

I don’t unnerstand it, I says.

Unnerstand what? she says.

I cain’t believe you never heard of Freedom Fields. This is yer territory. You must of bin all over the Black Mountains.

Not all over, she says. Hawk Territory ends a day’s ride north of here. You don’t keep what you cain’t defend an there’s only forty of us.

But you meet people, I says. You must talk to ’em when yer … you know … robbin ’em.

We don’t ezzackly stop to chat, she says.

Even so, I says, I cain’t believe you never heard anythin about it, ever, not even the slightest hint.

Well believe it, she says. Cuz I’m tellin you, I ain’t never heard of Freedom Fields.

A man’s voice comes from behind us. Deep. Husky. That’s because they don’t want you to know about it, he says.

Neether of us stop to think. We roll offa the rock an into the water. Maev races away, but somethin stops me followin her.

A familiar heat’s crawlin over my skin. Shudderin up my spine. It’s the heartstone. It’s hot an no matter that the water’s freezin. I bob to the surface.

Jack, I says.

He stands there, his arms crossed over his chest, his hat down low over his eyes. He smiles his lopsided smile. My stupid stummick does a flip.

Fancy meetin you here, he says.

Maev’s head pops up over by the waterfall. What’re you doin? she yells at me. Are you crazy?

It’s okay, Maev, I says. This is Jack.

Jack? she calls. Who’s … oh … Jack!

I flush even redder. Maev knows I went into the burnin cellblock to git him out. Ash told her about it.

Are y’all right, Saba? says Jack. You look kinda warm.

Too much sun on my head, I mutter. I swim back to the rock. Maev joins me. We hang onto the edge an look up at him.

Jack nudges our pile of clothes with his foot. Grins. Well, ain’t this an innerestin sitchation? he says. Two girls naked in the water an me with all their clothes.