Blood Red Road

I’m hangin on with one arm. I kick out. Hit him in the face with my heel. His nose crunches. Blood spurts. He cries out, lets go, falls to the ground. I keep goin. Don’t look back.
    I pull myself onto the top of the Cage. Stand up, run across the top.
    Careful! Careful don’t fall through!
    Down below me, inside the Cage, Epona takes a runnin leap at the keeper who’s still there with her. Outta the corner of my eye, I see him go flyin. Good girl.
    I’m nearly at the edge closest to the light tower. I pause. Glance back. Tonton an guards is swarmin up the Cage now, after me. One’s jest about to pull hisself onto the top.
    I eye up the gap between the Cage an the light tower. I take two steps back. I run. I leap offa the Cage an launch myself into the air.
    I throw my hands up. Fingers scrabble. There! I grab warm metal. My body slams into the tower. A jolt through my arms, my shoulders. Jest made it. I pull myself up. Start to climb. Climb higher. Scramble through to th’other side of the tower. The Hopetown side. Down below me, shanty roofs, all crammed in tight together. People who’s on the rooftops to hear the fight better stare up at me, their mouths hangin open.
    I jump offa the tower. People dive outta the way as I land on the nearest shanty roof. It’s crude, made of some flimsy wood. I go right through the roof an land on a table inside. It collapses unnerneath me.
    I’m dazed fer a second. I look up through the hole in the roof. Surprised faces look down at me. I leap to my feet an head outta the door. I grab a cloak from a hook on my way out an throw it over me. I need a pair of boots, but no time to stop an look now.
    Hidden inside the cloak, I quickly lose myself in the crowds fillin the streets. I keep to the edges, move in an outta doorways.
    I can hear the commotion back in the Colosseum. It’s startin to spread to the streets.
    My heart’s beatin like mad. An I’m jest noticin that my elbow an ribs hurt like nobody’s business. I must of banged myself up a bit when I landed on the table. Not to mention the poundin I took from Epona.
    Well, I sure gave Maev the diversion she wanted.
    Now to steal a couple of horses an meet up with Emmi.
    She knows the plan. While the Hawks is lettin out the fighters an settin Hopetown on fire, her an me’s gonna meet at the northeast corner. There’s probly gonna be a Hawk with Em. I’ll hafta git her outta the way. But once that’s done, we should be free an clear. We’ll leave through the hole that the Hawks’ve made in the palisade wall an head north, deep into the Black Mountains where we’ll find Freedom Fields, jest like Helen said.
    Where we’ll find Lugh.
    Jest then, somebody grabs me.

    Strong arms yank me into a stinkin alley. I throw wild punches. I twist an turn, tryin to free myself.
    Wait! Stop, you idiot! a voice yells. I’m a Hawk!
    I stop fer a second, pantin. The person pushes back their hood. It’s a girl I ain’t seen before. Six foot tall, light brown hair, hard eyes. Strong lookin.
    I’m Ash, she says.
    Oh, I says. Right.
    Didn’t have you down as the nervous type. She reaches unner her cloak an throws me a crossbow an a quiver. Right. This way.
    I hesitate.
    C’mon, she says.
    I’m exhausted. Sore. In no shape to fight her. I’ll play along now. Ditch her the first chance I git.
    The alley’s short. It ends in a high metal wall, battered an bent.
    You go first, I says.
    No, she says. You go.
    I sling the bow an quiver on my back an launch myself at the wall. I grab the top an pull myself up. Nobody in sight. I drop down on th’other side an Ash is right there behind me.
    We race along a narrow street with shanties crowded up close together, turn right, left, then right agin. White rays of light slice through the darkness. I got no idea where we are.
    There’s the sound of runnin feet. Voices. Shoutin. To our left.
    Fan out! somebody calls. Cover all the streets!
    This way! Ash dives into a ramshackle stone buildin. I’m right behind. She runs to the corner an lifts a wooden hatch in the earth floor.
    Follow me, she says. Close the hatch behind you.
    I wait fer a split second. Then I turn to run.
    She grabs my arm an twists it behind my back. She’s strong. Real strong. Oh no, you don’t, she says.
    Let me go, I says. I gotta find my brother. I try to twist outta her grasp, but she’s got me in a strong grip.
    I see, she says. The Hawks help you out, risk our lives fer you an yer sister an you cheat