Blood Red Road

beautiful you are.
    We stare at each other. The moon silvers his face. Shadows his eyes. Makes him look strange. Not quite real.
    I step back so’s his hand falls. I block out what he jest said. Even though my heart’s bangin aginst my ribs. Even though I cain’t git my breath an the heartstone’s burnin into my skin.
    I think we’re gonna head back to Crosscreek, I says. Me an Emmi an Lugh. To start with, anyways. We got a friend there, Mercy. Did I ever tell you about her?
    Saba, he says.
    She’s real nice, I says. A old friend of my ma. Yeah, I got it all worked out. I had plenty of time to think about it.
    Saba, he says.
    I know I’m babblin. I cain’t seem to stop myself. An I don’t dare look at him. If I do, I fear I’ll say somethin I shouldn’t or do somethin I don’t mean to. I dunno what ezzackly but it’s … I feel like I’m walkin along a narrow ridge an my foot could slip at any moment. I jest gotta think about Lugh, think about why I’m here, an everythin’ll be okay.
    Well, I better git back, I says.
    I go to slip past him an he grabs my hand. Stops me. We’re standin close. Too close. Stay, he says.
    Before I can stop myself, I look at him. A mistake. Hot silver eyes. Burnin fer me. My heart lurches.
    He leans his head down. Stay with me. He whispers it into my ear. Jest fer a while.
    I … I gotta go, I says.
    Please, he says.
    The brush of his breath aginst my skin. The warm Jack smell of him. I feel myself weakenin. Dangerous. This … the way I feel whenever I’m near him … it’s dangerous. I pull my hand from his.
    No, I says. I … I caint. G’night, Jack.
    I slip past him. Gotta git away. I cain’t move fast enough.
    He don’t reply.

    The mean white sun’s bin poundin down on our heads all day. The way turned steep an rocky around noon. We had to dismount an start leadin the horses an we bin climbin ever since. We’re headed fer a pass high in the mountains that’s our last big crossin before we git to Freedom Fields. Jack says he wants to reach it before nightfall, but it’s slow goin in this terrain.
    The higher we climb, the hotter it gits, even with the day closin down around us. There ain’t bin no relief from the heat, none at all. Not even a single tree to shade us on our way.
    When we was stuck in the fog fer days on end, I never would of thought fer a second that I’d be longin fer its cold dank heaviness, but I am.
    Em’s bin bit by bit fallin behind th’others an I bin holdin back to walk with her. But she’s gittin slower an slower. I look over my shoulder. She plods along on heavy feet. She looks so pale an tired. I wait fer her. The sweat runs down my face, stingin my eyes. I mop myself off with the end of my sheema.
    I’m so thirsty, she says when she reaches me.
    Waterskin empty? I says. She nods. Siddown, I says.
    She sinks onto a rock. I unstop my skin an hold it to her lips. She sucks hard on it, gulpin the water. It runs down her chin an neck an I wipe it away with the tail of my shirt.
    She looks a bit surprised. I don’t ever bother with her that way, worryin about when she last had a wash or if her face is all grubby. Once Pa gave up carin, Lugh looked after that kinda thing. I ain’t gived it a single thought till this moment. I stare down at her, frownin.
    When did you last have a wash? I says.
    She looks even more surprised. I dunno, she says.
    You should wash more regular, I says. You gotta be decent.
    Okay, she says.
    I turn away an take a swig of water myself. I rub a drop into my dry lips.
    The rest of ’em’s well ahead of us. Ash turns back, sees us, waves. She cups her hands around her mouth. No time to stop! she shouts. Jack says we gotta make the pass before dark!
    Emmi needs to rest! I shout back.
    She can rest later!
    She needs to rest now!
    I can see ’em talkin amongst theirselves. Then Ike hands his reins to Tommo an makes his way back down to us. He crouches down beside Emmi.
    Hey there, kid, he says. Yer doin real good. How’s about a ride to the top?
    She nods, not lookin straight at him. She likes Ike, but she’s a bit shy of him. I think on account of him bein so big an her bein so small.
    C’mon then, he says, hop on. She climbs onto his back.
    Thanks Ike, I says.
    We gotta reach the pass before dark, he says.
    I know, I says. I heard it the first hunnerd times.
    He checks the sky. The light’s startin to soften, turn to gold. We’re gonna be pushed, he mutters.
    Ike starts up the mountain,