Blood Red Road

took, he says, Emmi an not Lugh … would you of gone after her?
    I take in a breath to say of course I would but the look on his face stops me. There ain’t no point in lyin when he already knows the truth.
    He leaves go of me an steps back. I thought so, he says. Yer sister’ll be safer with me than she could ever be with you. You jest ride along on yer high horse an leave her to me.

    Gimme yer hand. Maev says it in a low voice, so’s nobody else can hear. She slips a gold ring onto the middle finger of my right hand. If you ever need me, she says, if you need the Hawks, send Nero with this an we’ll come. Wherever, whenever … you send this ring an we’ll be there.
    She steps back.
    My heart swells in my chest. From Hermes’ back, I look down. She smiles at me.
    You got us outta Hopetown, I says. Saved our lives. You gave us clothes an food an horses … the chance to find Lugh. I … we owe you so much, I don’t see how I can ever repay you, but once we—
    Friends don’t owe, she says. Friends don’t repay. Go well. I hope you find yer brother.
    G’bye! Emmi leans down an hugs Epona around the neck.
    You do what Saba an Jack tell you, says Epona.
    Keep ’em safe, Jack, says Maev. If you don’t, we’ll hunt you to the ends of the earth. An when we find you, we’ll rip out yer guts an feed ’em to the jackals while you watch.
    I’ll bear that in mind, says Jack.
    Nero circles above. He caws, impatient to git goin. I look up. Time to go, I says. I click my tongue at Hermes an we start to move out. Jack leadin the way on Ajax, Emmi in the middle on a pony called Joy, an me bringin up the rear, with our packs an saddlebags an waterskins filled thanks to the Free Hawks.
    They’re all gathered to see us off. Now they start shoutin. G’bye, good luck, don’t ferget about us, see you soon, an all that kinda thing.
    I take one last look. At Ash, Epona an the rest, smilin an wavin.
    But not Maev. Not smilin. Not wavin. Jest standin there.
    Lookin like she don’t especk to ever see us agin.

THE BLACK
MOUNTAINS

W E BIN TRAVELIN ALL DAY . I HAFTA GIVE IT TO J ACK, HE sets a good pace. Fast enough fer my hands not to git itchy on the reins but not so fast that Emmi cain’t keep up on her pony.
    Jack says we’re still in the foothills of the Black Mountains. Says we won’t reach the mountains proper fer a couple of days yet. We climb steadily, windin our way through forests of evergreens an across dry open valleys covered with scrub.
    Nero’s pleased to have me back after being apart fer so long while we was in Hopetown. I feel the same. Mainly he’s happy to jest ride on my shoulder, makin conversation an remarkin on the scenery as we go along. From time to time he’ll disappear fer a bit on some crow business.
    He’s bin missin since mid-afternoon an I’m jest startin to wonder where he’s got to when he appears outta nowhere. But instead of comin to me, he flutters down to land on Jack’s head. Then he leans over an starts to nibble lovinly on his ear.
    I cain’t believe my eyes.
    Nero! I yell. Leave Jack alone!
    He shoots over to me so fast he’s jest a blur. Lands on my shoulder an hunches there, not lookin at me. I never knew a crow could look guilty, but he does all right.
    Jack looks back an smiles. Don’t call him off on my account, he says.
    Bloody Jack. What is it with him? What is it about him that he seems to charm everybody an everythin that crosses his path? Ash an pretty well every other Free Hawk, my sister an now my damn crow. I swear, if there was a rock in his path that he couldn’t be bothered steppin over, all he’d hafta do was give it one look an it’d roll outta the way.
    Not me though. I don’t roll outta the way fer nobody. Not even him. Especially not fer him.

    As dusk starts to fall, we sets up camp in a stand of pine beside a little trickle of a creek. The layers of dead needles feel soft an springy unner my feet. The sharp sweetness of warm pine fills the air.
    Jack closes his eyes an takes in a deep breath.
    We’ll have sweet-smellin beds tonight, Emmi, he says.
    I’m gonna make ’em real good, Jack, she says. You see if I don’t.
    I collect wood an git a fire goin while Jack sorts out the rest of our gear. Emmi bustles around, unloadin the bedrolls from the horses an settin ’em out beside each other. She chats away to herself an I let it roll over me, like usual.
    I’ll sleep here, she says. An Jack’ll be … here … an then Saba