Blood Red Road

eye, he says. Right, that’s me done. You can turn around now.
    I do. We stare at each other. His face is streaked with soot an ash. His teeth flash white in the gloom. You know my name, he says. What’s yers? Yer real name, I mean.
    Saba, I says.
    Saba, he says. I like it.
    I gotta git movin, I says. My sister’ll be waitin with the Hawks an—
    Before I know what he’s up to, he grabs my hand.
    Hey! I try to pull it away but he holds it even tighter.
    Saba, he says, I dunno what happy star sent you lookin fer me but I’m mighty thankful it did. If you hadn’t of turned up, I’d be dead by now.
    Then he brings my hand to his lips an kisses the back of it. While he’s doin it, he looks straight at me with his silver moonlight eyes. I can smell the smoke on his skin. That an dried sweat an—faint, like a whisper—sage.
    Thank you, he says.
    Heat washes over my chest an up my neck. Rushes into my face. I snatch my hand away, shove it unner my armpit an glare at him. What’d you do that fer? I says.
    I was thankin you, he says. I was bein polite.
    I ain’t never seen polite like that before, I scowl.
    Oh that ain’t nuthin, he says. I can be a lot more polite than that. He grins. A cocky, jimswagger grin like he’s king of the world. Then he bends down to pick up a crossbow an quiver that he must of took at the same time as the clothes.
    I need to find my sister, I says. She should be with the Hawks.
    Always good to have a plan, says Jack. Where you meetin her?
    At the gate in the northeast corner, I says.
    There ain’t no gate there, he says.
    There will be by the time I git there, I says. Nice to meet you, Jack. I turn to go.
    Wait! he grabs my arm. I ain’t in no particular hurry, he says. I’ll tag along. Make sure you find ’em.

    I duck down the side streets an alleyways, headed fer the northeast corner of Hopetown at top speed. Jack’s right beside me.
    We swerve an leap as bits of burnin buildin crash to the ground. Roof timbers, a door. The metal shanties twist an buckle an groan in the heat.
    Ever heard of the rule of three? he shouts as we run.
    No!
    If you save somebody’s life three times, their life belongs to you. You saved my life today, that makes once. Save it twice more an I’m all yers.
    I’ll jest hafta make sure that don’t happen, I says.
    We shoot out onto open ground an there they are. Emmi, Maev, Ash an a bunch more Free Hawks waitin fer us with horses. They’ve cut out a big section of the tall palisade fence big enough fer us to git through. A back gate, jest like Maev said.
    Jack grabs both my arms. Turns me to face him. It’ll happen if it’s meant to happen, he says. It’s all written in the stars. It’s all fate.
    I don’t believe in the stars, I says. Not no more.
    We’ll see about that. G’bye Angel. Before I know what he’s up to, he pulls me to him, gives me a quick hard kiss an then he’s off an runnin back the way we jest come.
    I hold my hand to my tinglin lips an stare after him.

    Saba! Emmi runs to me an I sweep her up. She throws her skinny little girl arms around my neck.
    You all right? I says. She nods. Buries her face in my neck an squeezes so tight she jest about chokes me.
    Where’s Nero? I says.
    I dunno, she says. I ain’t seen him fer ages.
    Saba! yells Ash. C’mon! We’re outta here!
    They’re all climbin onto their horses. Maev’s holdin the bridle of a fine chestnut stallion with a broad chest. His name’s Hermes, she says to me. He’s fast.
    I swing myself onto his back. Then I lean down an pull Emmi up to sit in front of me.
    I see you found yer friend all right, says Maev. She hands me a pistol crossbow an a quiver. Leather armbands. Gives me a sly little smile.
    Yeah, I says. I feel my face flushin hot. I busy myself strappin on the armbands an slippin the bow over my head. Sorry, I says, I didn’t mean fer it to take so long. Listen Maev, thanks fer—
    You can thank me later, she says, cuttin in. Let’s git outta this hellhole first. Heeya! She heels her horse in the flanks. Heeya!
    Hold tight, Em, I says.
    We stream through the gap in the palisade at a gallop an head north. Maev rides on my right side. Somebody pulls up on my left. It’s Epona. She shoots me a grin, her eyes sparkin.
    Glad to see you made it, I says.
    Likewise, she says. That was a nasty moment. Who’d of thought they’d change the gauntlet run?
    Once we’re well away from Hopetown, we pull up the horses an look back. Streams of people pour outta