Blood Red Road

hang onto now. It’s all I can do to keep my head above water.
    The current races me downstream.
    That roarin I bin hearin … it’s gittin louder. Ever louder.
    Now I remember where I heard that sound. It was at Darktrees. The day when Maev an me went bathin.
    An my heart stops in my chest. Because I know what that sound means.
    There’s a waterfall ahead.

    Jack! I scream his name as loud as I can. Jaaaaack!
    The roar of the waterfall’s gittin louder. The river’s gittin wilder, throwin up filthy water in great sprays.
    A rock lies straight ahead. Right in the middle of the river. It’s wide an flat. Not too high. I could pull myself onto it. But it’s smooth. Nuthin to grab hold of.
    I’m there. I reach out. No! I’m bein swept past the rock! I feel the rush of the falls. Draggin at my legs. I fling my arm back. Over my head. Make a grab at the air. Grab fer anythin. There! My hand closes around somethin. My arm’s near yanked outta its socket.
    I stop.
    I’ve stopped.
    I wait there fer a second, gaspin, as the river roars around me, tuggin at my legs, frantic to rip me from my handhold an throw me over the edge of the falls.
    I hang on. My arm’s pulled backwards over my head. Whatever I got hold of, it seems strong enough. A piece of metal stickin outta the rock. Cold. Rough. Sturdy. I flip myself over, git ahold of it with my other hand too. Then slowly, fightin aginst the current with every bit of strength still in me, I manage to drag myself outta the water an onto the rock.
    I lie there. Pantin fer breath.
    I can feel the rain pound down on me but I hardly notice it. After a bit, I lift my head to see what it is that’s saved me. A iron spike. Rough an rusted. What it’s doin in this rock in the middle of this river at the top of this waterfall an who put it here, I’ll never know. I’m jest damn glad it’s here.
    I pull myself up to sit, still hangin onto that spike. Then I cain’t help myself. I peer over the side to see how close I came.
    An I start to shake.
    Because my lucky rock is hangin over the edge of the waterfall.

    Below me, the waters roar as they plunge down.
    My bowels clench an I scrabble back from the edge.
    I’m on a rock. On top of a waterfall. In the middle of a river. With no way off.
    I look down.
    The water’s still risin around me.
    If it keeps on, I’ll be swept over the falls. I got no idea how high they are.
    My teeth is chatterin from the cold, or maybe shock. I huddle in the middle of the rock. Hug my knees to my chest.
    Saba! Saba! Where are you?
    My heart leaps. A voice. Muffled by the rain, but—
    I peer through the curtain of rain, try to see where it’s comin from.
    Then I see him. He’s in the river, swimmin an bein carried along by the current. There’s a rope looped unner his armpits, tied high around his chest.
    Jack! I shout. I kneel an wave. Jack! Over here!
    He spots me.
    The next thing you know, he’s comin up right below me. I hang onto the spike with one hand an reach down with th’other.
    He grabs it. I give him a pull an he scrambles up beside me. He drags the slack of the rope outta the water an plops it onto the rock.
    That was close, he says. He sits there, pantin.
    Jack! I throw my arms around him. I’m shakin, head to foot. I never bin so glad to see anybody in my life! I says.
    He shrugs me off. Looks at me with narrowed eyes. What happened?
    I lost my … my necklace, I says. I had to go back fer it. Then I lost my footin an … well. Here I am.
    He don’t say nuthin fer a moment. Then, Did you find yer necklace?
    I can feel the heartstone burnin aginst the skin of my ankle, where I shoved it deep down inside my boot. Yeah, I says.
    Good, he says. I’d hate to think this was all fer nuthin. Well. Much as I’m enjoyin sittin here … talkin about … jewelry … I think we’ll continue this conversation somewhere safer.
    He scoots around behind me so’s I’m sittin between his legs. He loosens the slipknot on the rope around his chest.
    At least we’re even now, he says.
    Even? I says. Whaddya mean?
    He lifts the rope from around him an starts makin the loop bigger. The rule of three, he says. You remember, I explained it to you. You save somebody’s life three times, their life belongs to you.
    He slips his arm around my waist an pulls me in closer.
    What’re you doin Jack! I—
    Shut up or I’ll throw you in, he says. He lifts the rope over so it’s around both our waists. As I was sayin, he says, you