Blood Red Road

cold an dank. Hard to believe it’s the middle of a summer afternoon.
    That’s when we come upon the hanged men.
    Four of ’em. Danglin by their necks from nooses tied to the branches of a big, lightnin-black tree. They turn gentle in the breeze, their faces an hands gray where they bin covered with wet ash that’s dried. The fog winds itself around their bodies.
    We pull up. Fer a long moment we sit there an look. Nobody says nuthin. Epona’s horse snorts.
    Then Jack gits down from Ajax. He walks over to the tree an feels the hand of the nearest man. He crouches down an checks the ground. He shoves his hat back an looks at Ike.
    It’s Skinny Nick, says Ike, an uh …
    McNulty, says Tommo.
    That’s right, says Ike, McNulty. An the two fellas who was with ’em. They was all at the One-Eyed Man the night before you showed up. Left together on foot the next mornin.
    They bin dead fer at least a couple of days, says Jack.
    They must of crossed somebody, says Ash.
    Yeah, says Ike, that’ll be it. Poor bastards. He clicks to his horse an leads the way past the hangin tree. I hold back while th’others go on. Wait while Jack swings hisself onto Ajax.
    You an Ike know who done it, I says.
    Yup, he says. A little nerve jumps at the corner of his mouth.
    Was it the Tonton? I says.
    Looks like it, he says.
    Why’s there ash on their hands an faces? I says.
    Uninvited guest ain’t ezzackly welcome at Freedom Fields, he says. Sometimes the Tonton hang you, other times they’ll cut yer head off an put it on a spike. But they always put ash on the face. It’s how you know yer in their territory. Wise man sees that, he turns around an gits the hell out as fast as he can.
    But we ain’t turnin, I says.
    No, he says. Wisdom ain’t a virtue I ever aspired to.

    Ever since we come across the hanged men, I cain’t stop thinkin about Vicar Pinch. About DeMalo an the rest of the Tonton.
    With every step, we git closer to Freedom Fields. Until now, I ain’t gived much thought to what we’ll be up aginst. Who we’ll be up aginst. But now I do.
    The Tonton hang people in trees. Cut off their heads an stick ’em on spikes. Fer nuthin more’n wanderin into their King’s territory. Men like them wouldn’t think twice about killin Lugh. All the things Helen told me run through my head. All the things I know about Pinch an DeMalo. But I need to know more. I gotta know my enemy. I need to know what Jack an Ike know.
    An they know plenty, I’m sure of it. I’m gonna make ’em tell me. They owe it to me.
    I wait till we’re settled into camp fer the night. Epona’s takin the first watch. Ash an Emmi an Tommo’s wrapped in their bedrolls, already asleep. Ike’s propped aginst a log. His head lolls forwards onto his chest.
    Jack an Nero sit by the fire playin dice. Once Jack found out how good Nero was at countin, he carved a pair of dice an taught him how to play. Nero throws one at a time, usin his beak.
    I go an stand over ’em. Nero throws two sixes.
    Damn, says Jack. You beat me agin. Never thought I’d find myself losin to a crow. Think he might be cheatin.
    Nero bobs up an down, squawks with glee.
    If he is, I say, he learned it from you. I wanna word, Jack. With you an Ike.
    He sighs. Like he’s bin expectin this. But he stands up an gives Ike a nudge with his foot. Ike wakes with a grunt.
    What? he says.
    C’mon, says Jack. Saba wants to talk.
    As Ike heaves hisself to his feet, Nero flaps up to sit on my shoulder. He rubs his head aginst my cheek. He always knows when I need somebody on my side. Like tonight.
    I lead ’em away from the campsite. Climb uphill through the trees till I git to a rocky outcrop. I turn to face ’em. The fog’s completely gone an it’s a warm night with a high sky. A midsummer night sky. I can see Jack an Ike clearly.
    All right, I says. Tell me what you know about Freedom Fields. Tell me everythin.
    They look at each other.
    I bin straight with you, I says. I told you everythin. What Helen told me about the midsummer sacrifice an why they took Lugh. Pinch might be dead but Lugh ain’t safe, not till we git him outta there. Now you two gotta be straight with me. You need to tell me everythin you know. That way, at least we got a chance of figgerin out what we might be up aginst.
    Well, you know more’n we do, says Ike. We only heard things from travelin folk. You know, you meet somebody from time to time an you git talkin an—
    Ferget it, Ike, says Jack.
    What?
    I said,