Blood Red Road (46 page)

I snatch a arrow from my quiver as I run. Load my crossbow. I start shootin the second I catch sight of a black robe.

Ike’s slashin away on the edge of the action, a wicked lookin longsword in one hand an a studded chain in th’other. Tommo’s at his back, busy with the slingshot.

Ike grins when he sees me. Now this is what I call a fight! he shouts.

I wade into the middle of the battle. At one point, me an Jack’s fightin back to back. Then Lugh an me. Then me an Ash.

Look! yells Ash. Pinch! He’s gittin away!

I spot him. He’s managed to pull the arrow outta his chest. He’s climbin onto his big white stallion. Slowly, painfully.

Got him! I says. I run towards him flat out. As he pulls hisself onto the horse, I shoot my last arrow. It hits him in his bad leg an he cries out.

He tries to wrench the arrow out as he fumbles with the reins. The horse rears up. It squeals an dances as it tries to throw off a rider it don’t trust.

I make a dive fer him. Grab at his caged leg. He kicks out an the cage catches me unner the chin. I go flyin back an slam onto the ground. Git the air knocked outta me.

As I drag myself to to my feet, he gallops away. Towards the Hoodoos. I look around me, frantic. Not a horse in sight.

Then I see Ash gallopin towards me. On the black mustang we took from Pinch’s stable. He goes like the wind.

Quick! I yell. He’s gittin away! Let me take Titan!

She jumps down right away. I swing myself on to his back.

Wait! she says, holdin the reins. We’re winnin, Saba. You got Lugh back. Emmi’s safe. Let him go.

No, I says.

What does it matter?

It matters to me, I says. Let go, Ash.

Then I’ll come with you, she says.

This is my fight, I says. Don’t tell the rest of ’em where I’ve gone. Promise me, Ash.

All right, if that’s what you want.

She lets go the reins. Steps away.

I wheel Titan around.

Saba! Here! Ash tosses me her half-full quiver an I catch it. Good luck!

I’ll be back. Heeya! Heeya! I dig my heels into Titan.

An we tear across the plain towards the sharp red fingers of the Hoodoos.

Titan feels good unnerneath me. Strong an wild. He can feel the red hot burnin in me. It’s burnin in him too.

Nero flies above, a little bit ahead. He’ll scout the way.

The Hoodoos rise in front of us. They look even stranger close up.

Deep channels etched down their high sheer sides. Sharp points. Crammed tight together. I start to see crevasses. A few thin trees cling to the mean red dirt.

I bin watchin Pinch. He disappeared through a gap in the rocks. I walk Titan through the gap. We’re on a narrow path worn into the earth that snakes its way around the rocks. Right away, I see the prints of Pinch’s horse.

It’s gloomy here. Like bein in a deep canyon.

An it’s silent. A heavy silence. Like the very rocks is holdin their breath.

But there’s alway somethin to listen to, even in silence. Up ahead, a nervous horse whinnies. Stamps his feet. There’s alway somethin to smell. There it is. The faintest whiff. Sour, sweet, rotten. The smell of Pinch.

Then, a echo.

I halt Titan. Wait while it dies away. It’s the sound of rocks fallin. An a faint, scrapin sound as Pinch drags his injured leg behind him.

I slide offa Titan’s back. Wait here, I whisper.

There’s a couple of Hoodoos rounder an smoother’n the rest. I can see a way up between ’em. I start to climb.

The earth’s dry an loose unnerfoot. I move careful, tryin not to make any sound. Nero comes down to see what I’m doin. He hops an flaps from rock to rock, always stayin ahead of me. I hold my finger to my lips so’s he knows not to squawk or caw.

I reach the top. Check that Pinch ain’t in sight. Pull myself up. I’m on top of a flat Hoodoo. There’s drag marks in the dirt from his leg. He couldn’t of got far. He’ll be in a lotta pain.

I slide my bow offa my back. Fit a arrow to the strings. Then I start to follow the drag marks. They stop at the edge of my flat Hoodoo.

I send Nero up into the air. Almost right away, he starts circlin. He’s found Pinch. Looks like he’s on the next Hoodoo to this one. It goes straight up, like a jagged chimley.

He must be on the far side of it.

There’s a little gap between the Hoodoos. Maybe two foot. Only a small bit of flat rock to land on, then a narrow ledge goes off to the left an disappears around the corner.

He could be right around that corner. He’s got his bolt shooter. But he’s injured. He’s weak. Maybe even dyin.

The devil ain’t so easy to kill
.

I look at Nero, still circlin above. He seems calm enough. I jump over the gap an land lightly. I’m on the Hoodoo with Pinch.

My breath’s tight in my throat. I flatten my back aginst the rock. Then I start to sidle along the ledge. To inch my way around the corner.

Be ready
.

I move slowly. Feel ahead with with my right foot. I don’t make a sound. I only got a chance if I take him by surprise.

Be ready
.

The ledge starts to widen out. Wider. Wider. I’m turnin the corner.

Now.

I move fast. My bow at the ready.

I take it in at a glance.

I’m on a wide ledge on the side of the Hoodoo. Pinch is sittin on a rock, restin his leg.

He looks up, startled. He reaches fer his bolt shooter.

I let fly with my arrow. It glances offa his hand.

He yells out but keeps goin fer the shooter.

No time to reload my bow.

I dive at him. Knock him offa the rock.

Somehow he’s managed to git hold of his shooter. He tries
to jam it unner my chin. We struggle an I knock it outta his hand.

He gits his fist unner my chin. Pushes up into the soft bit.

I cain’t breathe. He’s pressin on my windpipe. I grab his hand with both of mine. Try to pull it away. I kick an squirm.

But he’s stronger’n I ever imagined.

The rank stink of his breath, his sweat, fills my nostrils.

No escape this time, he says.

I claw at his robes. Then I claw his burnt face.

He shrieks an rolls offa me.

I dive at my bow. I dropped my quiver when I jumped Pinch an my arrows is scattered all over. I scrabble around on my hands an knees, reachin fer one.

But Pinch is on his feet. Holdin his bolt shooter with both hands. Aimin it right at me.

I scuttle as far away from him as I can. Press myself aginst the rock.

Pinch comes towards me. His face bleedin where I clawed him. He’s a terrible mess. Blood an burnt flesh an flaky gold paint.

Somethin sharp’s cuttin into my hand. I’m clutchin somethin in my hand. A little bit of mirror from Pinch’s robe. I must of ripped it off.

Suddenly the sun catches it. It throws out a sharp shard of light.

Pinch flings up his hand. Covers his eyes.

A chance. I got a chance.

I flash the mirror at him agin. Then I move. Quickly. Silently.

He aims the shooter where he thinks I am.

I move. Flash the mirror agin. Move.

He waves the shooter around. Stay still! he yells.

I flash the mirror. Move.

He shoots.

I duck.

The shot goes wild. Ricochets offa the rock, sendin red dust flyin everywhere.

As the echo dies down, as the dust clears, I see Pinch.

He’s standin a few paces from the edge of the ledge. He looks surprised. There’s blood gushin outta his neck. The bolt’s ripped through it. He touches his neck. Looks at his wet red fingers like he cain’t believe what he sees. Then he presses his hand to the wound.

But I’m the King, he says.

You ain’t no King, I says.

They said you were the Angel of Death, he says. He takes a step towards me, blood gushin out from between his fingers. I didn’t believe them.

Suddenly Nero dives at him, squawkin an flappin. Pinch’s arms fly up. He staggers. Steps back into thin air.

I rush to the edge.

He’s on his back. His arms an legs flung out. His eyes wide open.

Speared on the sharp point of the Hoodoo below.

Nero flutters down to land on my shoulder.

By rights, I should feel somethin. Joy or relief or triumph or … somethin. But I don’t. I don’t feel nuthin.

The wind moans among the red teeth of the Hoodoos.

The sound of birds above me. I look up at the sky. The vultures is already startin to circle.

Let’s git outta here, I says.

As I ride up to the battlefield on Titan, they’re clearin up.

I spot Lugh. He’s sittin on the ground a little ways off, lookin exhausted. When he sees me, he raises a hand. Jack an Ash is helpin out with a few injured Hawks. Luckily, it don’t look like nuthin too bad. But we lost two Hawks an one of the raiders. They’re bein tied onto the backs of their own horses to go back to Darktrees where they’ll be set on a funeral pyre.

Emmi rides up on Hermes. She jumps down, goes runnin over to Lugh an throws herself into his arms.

Everybody else is movin around, gatherin weapons an anythin else that might come in useful. Ike’s bendin over a dead Tonton, checkin to see what he’s got on him. Tommo’s standin beside, watchin him.

A movement catches my eye. A Tonton. Lyin on the ground not far from Ike an Tommo. He’s raised hisself up on one elbow. He lifts his bolt shooter. Aims it.

Ike! I scream.

He straightens. He turns.

I yank my crossbow around. Snatch a arrow. Load. Fire.

It all happens at once. It all happens too fast. The Tonton shoots, jest as Tommo throws hisself at Ike. They both go down.

My arrow hits the Tonton.

Ike! I scream. Tommo! I gallop over an leap off. I’m there the same time as Jack.

Tommo’s lyin on top of Ike. I haul him into my arms. He lays there, limp. His eyes is closed.

No! I sob, shakin him. No, Tommo!

With a shudder, he comes to. His beautiful brown eyes stare up at me, dazed. I hug him to me, hold him tight to my chest.

Jack’s rolled Ike over. He kneels beside him, feelin his neck. Dammit, Ike, he says softly. He looks at me an I know.

Ike? says Tommo. Where’s Ike? I want Ike! I hold him even tighter as he tries to struggle free of me. I don’t want him to see. I don’t want him to know.

I feel it the moment he spots Ike. His body stills. I let him go. He stands. He walks over to Ike, sits on the ground beside him an takes his hand. No, he says. Don’t leave me, Ike. Not you too. Great tears start to roll down his face. He rocks back
an forth, pressin Ike’s hand to his heart. Sayin it over an over an over agin.

Don’t leave me, don’t leave me, don’t leave me.

We build a pyre in the middle of the battlefield. A fine one, fit fer a warrior. We lay Ike on it.

Jack says a few words. Good words. About friendship. Other things too, but mainly friendship. Then him an me an Ash set the pyre alight.

We stand in silence. All of us an all of the Free Hawks an all of the raiders from the western road. We watch while the flames lick up the wood, catch on his clothes an start to burn.

Tommo’s by hisself, a little ways off. He won’t let nobody touch him. Won’t be comforted.