Blood Red Road (28 page)

Okay. Jack slides over the top of the hill to where we’re huddled outta sight. Looks like there’s jest two of ’em. They’re on foot. Walkin their horses in.

That’s good, I says. I’d hate to hurt a horse.

But you don’t mind if it’s a person, says Jack.

They can take care of theirselves, I says.

Remind me not to git on the wrong side of you, he says. D’you think we made the hole big enough?

I told you, I says, I dug hunnerds of traps jest like this one. Me an Lugh used ’em all the time when we was huntin wild boar.

Emmi frowns. She says, But Saba, there warn’t no wi—

Behind Jack’s back, I slash my hand across my throat an scowl at her somethin fierce. She snaps her mouth shut.

My plan better work. I don’t want Jack twiggin that I never actually made a pit-trap before. Lugh an me used to talk all the time about diggin one, but at Silverlake there warn’t no huntin worth the time an trouble it would of took us. Jack an me’s dug this one in the spot where my foot went through the ground. Right in the middle of the main track through the city. Turns out there was a pretty big hole already there. All we had to do was make it a bit deeper.

My bedroll’s gonna git all dirty, Emmi grumbles.

We spread it over the hole, pegged down the edges an covered it all with grass. Now you’d never know there was a hole there.

Too bad, I says. It’s yer punishment fer bustin the long-looker.

I said I’d try to fix it, says Jack.

Emmi pokes her tongue at me.

I point at her. Yer gettin way too fresh, Emmi, I says. You jest wait till we—

Shhh! Jack lays a finger over his lips. We crouch there, silent, not lookin at each other. Jest waitin.

Then I hear voices. The soft snort of a horse.

They’re comin, Jack whispers.

We flatten ourselves into the side of the hill. Jack an me reach fer our crossbows an load up. Emmi fits a stone into her slingshot. My heart’s poundin hard in my chest.

The voices pass by our hidin place.

Then, Aaah! They yell out as they step into nuthin. As they tumble into our trap. The horses squeal, frightened.

Go! yells Jack.

We leap up an rush over the top of the hill. We thunder down th’other side. Their horses, two of ’em, rear in fright an dart outta the way.

Hands up! I yell. We got you covered, you bastards!

Me, Jack an Emmi take up positions around the edge of the pit. Our weapons is drawn. We aim down at our captives.

I don’t believe it, says Jack.

What the hell’re you doin here? I says.

Ash an Epona stare at us from the bottom of the pit where they’re lyin in a tangled heap of arms an legs.

It ain’t ezzackly the welcome we was expectin, says Ash. But I’ve had worse.

They git to their feet. Epona holds up a hand. Wouldn’t mind a little help gittin outta here, she says.

It’d serve you right if we left you there to rot, I says. But I give her my hand an Jack gives his to Ash an we help ’em climb out. They start to brush theirselves down.

Hell, Ash, says Jack. That was more’n stupid. We could of shot you. You could of broke a leg when you fell in. Why didn’t you let us know it was you followin us?

We wanted to surprise you, says Ash.

Well you did that all right, says Jack.

I frown. I thought the Hawks had some trouble to take care of, I says. Maev said somethin about a territory dispute on the western road.

They dart a look between ’em. A guilty look.

She don’t know yer here, I says. Don’t tell me … she left you two in charge of Darktrees an you snuck off.

Okay, says Ash, we won’t tell you.

Go away, I says. Turn right around an go back. An make sure you tell Maev this was all yer idea an nuthin to do with me.

Hang on a minute, says Epona. We happen to think Maev’s
wrong. That she should of sent at least some of us with you to help.

This is more important than who’s got control of the western road, says Ash. From what you said—about Freedom Fields an the Tonton an the chaal—this could be about more than jest gittin yer brother back. It could affect all of us. Jest burnin down Hopetown ain’t enough. We cain’t stop there. We gotta stop the whole thing. Git rid of ’em all.

Listen, I says. I don’t care about nuthin besides gittin Lugh back. D’you hear? That’s it. Nuthin else. An I don’t need yer help. I don’t want it. Go home.

Why d’you always gotta be such a rudesby? says Emmi. They jest wanna help us find Lugh.

Button yer lip, Emmi, I says. I got a good mind to send you back to Darktrees with ’em.

She scowls an crosses her arms over her chest. Jest try an make me, she says.

Don’t you sass me!

Now now, says Jack, let’s jest everybody calm down. I’m sure we can—

Shut up, Jack, I says. I narrow my eyes. Give Ash a good hard look. You sure there ain’t another reason why yer here? I says.

I glance at Jack, then look at Ash agin. She’s gone all red in the face.

Of course not, she says.

C’mon, Saba, says Epona. You know we’re good in a fight.

I’ll say this one last time, I says. If I wanted you to come with me, I would of asked you to come with me. But I didn’t. That means I don’t. You can be on yer way soon’s I fetch Emmi’s horse. Yer goin back with ’em to Darktrees, I says to Em.

No! she says. An you cain’t make me! I hate you, Saba!

I turn an start walkin fast towards where we tethered our horses while we found out who was followin us. We hid ’em well outta sight.

Excuse us fer a moment, I hear Jack say.

He sprints after me an grabs my arm. I wanna talk to you, he says.

I yank my arm away an keep walkin. There ain’t nuthin to talk about, I says. They’re leavin an Emmi’s goin with ’em.

They wanna help, he says. They wanna do somethin. Maybe help make the world a better place. C’mon, Saba, what’s yer problem with that?

I keep walkin.

He goes around in front of me.

What’s the matter with you? he says. Talk to me.

While he’s talkin, I try to dodge around him, right then left, but he blocks my way every time I move a foot. My temper’s dancin. It’s itchin fer a fight. I clench my teeth, my fists.

Git outta my way, I says.

No.

I’m goin to git the horses. Git outta the way, Jack.

Not till you tell me why you got such a burr in yer britches, he says.

Fine, I says. You wanna know what’s wrong? It’s this … crowd of people trailin along behind me, slowin me down, an I’m sick of it, that’s what’s wrong! I don’t care about makin the world a better place. All I wanna do is git Lugh back. But I keep gittin trapped. I leave Emmi somewhere safe an she follows me. The Pinches snatch us an I end up in Hopetown in the Cage. I finally ecscape an, thanks to you, I ain’t only lumbered with Emmi agin, but here we are in the middle of nowhere an Ash an Epona’s pitched up. An why d’you think that is, Jack?

You know why, he says. They wanna help.

Are you blind? I says. They only followed us here because … d’you like Ash?

What kinda question’s that? Of course I like her. What’s not to like?

No, I says, that ain’t what I mean. I mean … do you like her? Because she likes you. A lot.

What? He laughs. Don’t be stupid.

You really cain’t see it? I says.

He shakes his head. Yer bein ridiculous, he says.

Oh am I? I says.

I push past him. Head to where the horses are. My skin’s
pricklin. My belly clenches. I’m hot all over, head to toe. I start to untether Joy an Hermes.

He strolls up with his hands in his pockets. Stands watchin me.

If I didn’t know better, he says, I’d think you was jealous.

Jealous! I glare at him. Whaddya mean?

I mean, he says, that you want me fer yerself. You jest don’t wanna admit it.

I stare at him. Then, Go to hell, Jack, I says.

C’mon, he says, admit it. Leave me alone!

I cain’t look at him, cain’t listen to him, cain’t think about things I don’t wanna think about. Feel things I don’t wanna feel. I can only think about Lugh. Nuthin but Lugh an gittin him back.

All I want from you is the fastest way to Freedom Fields, I says. I’m goin on from here by myself.

By yerself, he says. Are you sayin you don’t need me?

I don’t need you, Jack.

Yer wrong. You need all of us. You jest don’t know it yet. The Tonton won’t take kindly to their King bein killed. They’re gonna want somebody to pay the price. I’d almost put money on them goin ahead with their ceremony. If yer gonna save Lugh, yer gonna need all the help you can git. An believe me, once we reach Freedom Fields, you’ll be damn glad we’re with you.

I lean my head aginst Hermes’ side fer a moment an close my eyes.

You ain’t gonna let me go by myself, I says.

No, he says.

You cain’t stop me. I could jump on Hermes, right now, an ride away as fast as I can.

We’d follow you.

Trapped
.

You always know best, don’t you? I says.

I like to think so, he says. An that reminds me, you owe th’others a apology fer bein so rude an high-handed back there.

What? I says.

Apologize, he says. Fer bein so damn ungrateful.

I narrow my eyes. I don’t learn manners from a thief, I says. Cuz that’s what you are, ain’t it Jack? That’s what you do to git by.

I might be a thief, he says, I might not be. One thing’s fer certain though. I ain’t the one they call the Angel of Death.

He knows jest where to stab me.

You bastard, I says.

If it makes you feel better, he says.

He gives a little bow of his head, turns and walks away.

Jack picks up the pace.

He says he ain’t certain how long it’s gonna take us to git to Freedom Fields. Says it depends on whether we run into any trouble on the way but it might take us a week or it might take us ten days.

Ten days. With midsummer twelve days away.

The sun beats down on us, white hot an merciless. The air shimmers, heavy an thick. It’s hard to breathe. I pull my sheema down over my forehead.

Ash rides at the front with Jack an makes up to him like nobody’s business. Even he must notice it by now. She rides so close to him that her leg touches his. She looks at him all the time. She leans over an says things that make him throw his head back an laugh like he never heard nuthin so funny in his life.

It’s sick-makin.

Or it would be, if I cared.

Which I don’t.

Liar
, whispers the voice inside my head.
Liar, liar, liar
.

We pass through the Wrecker city an cover another four leagues before we stop fer the night. Jack calls this real
mountain country. The trail’s bin snakin around the edges of steep, heavily wooded slopes that all press in close together.

This land don’t please me. Too closed in. Too dark. Not enough sky.

We set up camp inside the ruins of a big stone buildin that stands beside a stream in a little rocky valley. Nero swoops in an out through the windows, cawin with glee as he scatters the roostin pigeons. Ash an Jack bring down a couple of ’em fer supper.