Blood Red Road

way every time I move a foot. My temper’s dancin. It’s itchin fer a fight. I clench my teeth, my fists.
    Git outta my way, I says.
    No.
    I’m goin to git the horses. Git outta the way, Jack.
    Not till you tell me why you got such a burr in yer britches, he says.
    Fine, I says. You wanna know what’s wrong? It’s this … crowd of people trailin along behind me, slowin me down, an I’m sick of it, that’s what’s wrong! I don’t care about makin the world a better place. All I wanna do is git Lugh back. But I keep gittin trapped. I leave Emmi somewhere safe an she follows me. The Pinches snatch us an I end up in Hopetown in the Cage. I finally ecscape an, thanks to you, I ain’t only lumbered with Emmi agin, but here we are in the middle of nowhere an Ash an Epona’s pitched up. An why d’you think that is, Jack?
    You know why, he says. They wanna help.
    Are you blind? I says. They only followed us here because … d’you like Ash?
    What kinda question’s that? Of course I like her. What’s not to like?
    No, I says, that ain’t what I mean. I mean … do you like her? Because she likes you. A lot.
    What? He laughs. Don’t be stupid.
    You really cain’t see it? I says.
    He shakes his head. Yer bein ridiculous, he says.
    Oh am I? I says.
    I push past him. Head to where the horses are. My skin’s pricklin. My belly clenches. I’m hot all over, head to toe. I start to untether Joy an Hermes.
    He strolls up with his hands in his pockets. Stands watchin me.
    If I didn’t know better, he says, I’d think you was jealous.
    Jealous! I glare at him. Whaddya mean?
    I mean, he says, that you want me fer yerself. You jest don’t wanna admit it.
    I stare at him. Then, Go to hell, Jack, I says.
    C’mon, he says, admit it. Leave me alone!
    I cain’t look at him, cain’t listen to him, cain’t think about things I don’t wanna think about. Feel things I don’t wanna feel. I can only think about Lugh. Nuthin but Lugh an gittin him back.
    All I want from you is the fastest way to Freedom Fields, I says. I’m goin on from here by myself.
    By yerself, he says. Are you sayin you don’t need me?
    I don’t need you, Jack.
    Yer wrong. You need all of us. You jest don’t know it yet. The Tonton won’t take kindly to their King bein killed. They’re gonna want somebody to pay the price. I’d almost put money on them goin ahead with their ceremony. If yer gonna save Lugh, yer gonna need all the help you can git. An believe me, once we reach Freedom Fields, you’ll be damn glad we’re with you.
    I lean my head aginst Hermes’ side fer a moment an close my eyes.
    You ain’t gonna let me go by myself, I says.
    No, he says.
    You cain’t stop me. I could jump on Hermes, right now, an ride away as fast as I can.
    We’d follow you.
    Trapped .
    You always know best, don’t you? I says.
    I like to think so, he says. An that reminds me, you owe th’others a apology fer bein so rude an high-handed back there.
    What? I says.
    Apologize, he says. Fer bein so damn ungrateful.
    I narrow my eyes. I don’t learn manners from a thief, I says. Cuz that’s what you are, ain’t it Jack? That’s what you do to git by.
    I might be a thief, he says, I might not be. One thing’s fer certain though. I ain’t the one they call the Angel of Death.
    He knows jest where to stab me.
    You bastard, I says.
    If it makes you feel better, he says.
    He gives a little bow of his head, turns and walks away.

    Jack picks up the pace.
    He says he ain’t certain how long it’s gonna take us to git to Freedom Fields. Says it depends on whether we run into any trouble on the way but it might take us a week or it might take us ten days.
    Ten days. With midsummer twelve days away.
    The sun beats down on us, white hot an merciless. The air shimmers, heavy an thick. It’s hard to breathe. I pull my sheema down over my forehead.
    Ash rides at the front with Jack an makes up to him like nobody’s business. Even he must notice it by now. She rides so close to him that her leg touches his. She looks at him all the time. She leans over an says things that make him throw his head back an laugh like he never heard nuthin so funny in his life.
    It’s sick-makin.
    Or it would be, if I cared.
    Which I don’t.
    Liar , whispers the voice inside my head. Liar, liar, liar .

    We pass through the Wrecker city an cover another four leagues before we stop fer the night. Jack calls this real mountain country. The trail’s bin snakin around the