Blood Red Road

yell.
    Break out! says Maev. Break out!
    The pack breaks apart an behind us the Hawks scatter in all directions.
    Epona! I yell. I pull on the reins, start to slow Hermes down. Take Emmi!
    Right away, she pulls in tight beside me. I wrap a arm around Emmi’s waist an swing her over to sit in front of Epona.
    Take her to Darktrees! I says. I’ll meet you there!
    Epona nods an they race off towards the mountains with a few of the Hawks.
    I rein in Hermes. He rears an squeals an dances. Maev turns her horse too. This is my fight, I says to her. You done enough already. Leave me to it.
    Not on yer life, she says. Then, Ash! she yells. With me! The rest of yuz, go!
    The three of us wheel our horses around, give ’em the heel an head straight towards the Desert Swan at a full gallop.
    Keep in tight! Maev says. We pull up close together, ridin so’s our knees almost touch. Maev on my right, Ash on my left.
    Bows! Maev yells. We pull our crossbows round an load ’em up.
    Vicar Pinch clings to the mast. His robes billow behind him. Rooster works the sails. The Cage Master steers. Miz Pinch is tied to the front railin, beside the Cage Master. She’s aimin a crossbow at us. She shoots.
    The arrow comes straight at Ash.
    She’s lookin away, yellin somethin at Maev. I fling my arm in front of her head. She turns, startled. Th’arrow pierces my armband, sticks in the thick leather pad. I yank it out.
    That would of had me! Ash says. Thanks, I owe you.
    Ready, aim, fire! yells Maev. We let fly with our arrows.
    Miz Pinch ducks. But the Cage Master’s too slow. Two of our arrows catch him direct in the chest. He cries out, lets go the steerin bar an goes tumblin over the railin. He falls unnerneath the Swan. As the wheels hit him, the landboat fishtails wildly. The right back wheel snaps off. The one I helped Rooster fix. I guess we didn’t fix it too good. It goes bouncin an rollin off.
    The Desert Swan’s outta control. Jackknifin all over the place.
    Look out! shouts Maev.
    Her, me an Ash scatter outta the way.
    Rooster works the sail ropes madly. The Swan tips. It rolls. Once, twice, three times, four. Real quick. Like a tumbleweed. Miz Pinch gits thrown out. She flies through the air an lands hard. She don’t move. The landboat skids across the ground, upside down, throwin up a great dustcloud. It comes to a stop an it’s all quiet.
    Me, Maev an Ash ride over. Maev goes to git down, but I says, No, let me do it.
    I dismount an crouch to peer unnerneath the Swan.
    Rooster dangles head down. Trapped by the steel beams of the crushed hut. His eyes an mouth is wide open. He looks surprised. Vicar Pinch lies on the ground, his curly long hair in a heap beside him. He’s completely bald, with ugly lookin open sores all over his head. Blood covers his face. His right leg splays out at a strange angle.
    I wait fer a moment, my heart bangin in my chest. Silence. Neether of ’em moves. Neether of ’em’s breathin.
    They’re dead, I says. The King’s dead! That means that Lugh’s safe. They won’t have no reason to kill him now.
    Good, says Maev.
    Then I ride over to Miz Pinch. Looks like her neck broke when she hit the ground. She lies on her back. Her open eyes stare up at the sky. They’re full of fury, even in death.
    I dismount. Stare down at her. I fit a arrow to my bow. Take aim. This is fer Emmi, I says. Then I shoot her in the heart.
    Nero flaps down an lands on her chest. He spreads his wings an caws. Plucks at her shirt with his beak. Pecks at her hand.
    That’s enough, Nero, I says.
    Let’s go. He flies onto my shoulder. I pull Hermes round an turn his head towards the mountains.
    The mountains an Lugh.

    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.

DARKTREES

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