Blood Red Road

can see where there was buildins, way back when. Now they’re nuthin but bumps an grass-covered hills. They fell down long ago, bit by bit, an ever since then the earth, the plants an the winds, they bin quietly movin an shiftin to cover what’s left. To hide it away. Bury the past.
    There ain’t no sound but the wind. It moans around corners. Sighs as it brushes past us, whisperin the long-forgotten secrets of this place. Listen to the wind, Mercy told me. If only we could unnerstand what it’s sayin. Maybe it’s tellin us how many people lie buried unner our feet an how they came to die. Could of bin plague or hunger or thirst or wars. Or maybe all of ’em all at once. The Wreckers did it all.
    Now there ain’t nuthin livin here but cats. An where there’s cats, there’s mice. One runs in front of Hermes, but he’s too smart to be bothered. The cats don’t give us a second glance as they slink along on their business. Nero dives at ’em fer fun, fallin silent outta the sky an sendin ’em racin off in a panic.
    We pull up the horses an swing ourselves off.
    The second I hit the ground, it shifts. I don’t even have time to shout out before my right leg’s disappeared up the knee.
    Emmi giggles.
    I fergot to mention, says Jack. If the ground dips, go around it. In this kinda place, a dip usually means there’s a hole.
    He watches, arms folded, as I pull myself out.
    Thanks, I says. I’ll try to remember that.
    We better check where our friends are, he says. He hands the long-looker to Emmi. You wanna shin up an take a look?
    She nods. She ain’t said nuthin to me since we shook her awake to tell her about the lights an strike camp. I’ll take her aside later when Jack ain’t nearby, tell her I’m sorry I didn’t believe her when she said we was bein followed. I guess even Emmi can be right sometimes.
    She scampers up a big hill nearby an climbs the metal tower stickin outta the top of it. She wraps one arm around a girder an holds the long-looker to her eyes.
    I can see ’em! she shouts, all excited.
    How far away? calls Jack.
    Uh …
    She cain’t tell distance, I says.
    I can so! Two leagues, she says.
    How many are there? says Jack.
    Four! No, wait! Uh … I cain’t see very good!
    Try twistin the knob in the middle, Jack calls.
    She lets go the girder an starts fiddlin with the knob.
    Emmi! I yell. Are you crazy? Hang onto somethin!
    Leave me alone! she yells. I know what I’m doin!
    She twists to glare at me. She loses her balance.
    Emmi! I yell. I start to sprint up the hill.
    She throws her arms around the girder. She’s safe. But she lets go of the long-looker. It flies into the air. I make a dive fer it. But I’m too far away. There’s a crack as it hits a rock jest ahead of me. I land with a thud on my stummick an lie there, lookin at the shattered bits of long-looker scattered all over the grass. Nero flaps down an lands on my head.
    Crap, says Jack.
    Gawdammit, Emmi, I says. Look what you done now.

    Okay. Jack slides over the top of the hill to where we’re huddled outta sight. Looks like there’s jest two of ’em. They’re on foot. Walkin their horses in.
    That’s good, I says. I’d hate to hurt a horse.
    But you don’t mind if it’s a person, says Jack.
    They can take care of theirselves, I says.
    Remind me not to git on the wrong side of you, he says. D’you think we made the hole big enough?
    I told you, I says, I dug hunnerds of traps jest like this one. Me an Lugh used ’em all the time when we was huntin wild boar.
    Emmi frowns. She says, But Saba, there warn’t no wi—
    Behind Jack’s back, I slash my hand across my throat an scowl at her somethin fierce. She snaps her mouth shut.
    My plan better work. I don’t want Jack twiggin that I never actually made a pit-trap before. Lugh an me used to talk all the time about diggin one, but at Silverlake there warn’t no huntin worth the time an trouble it would of took us. Jack an me’s dug this one in the spot where my foot went through the ground. Right in the middle of the main track through the city. Turns out there was a pretty big hole already there. All we had to do was make it a bit deeper.
    My bedroll’s gonna git all dirty, Emmi grumbles.
    We spread it over the hole, pegged down the edges an covered it all with grass. Now you’d never know there was a hole there.
    Too bad, I says. It’s yer punishment fer bustin the long-looker.
    I said I’d try to fix it, says Jack.
    Emmi pokes her tongue at