Blood Red Road

the last two seconds. I had to tell everybody where he is, says Jack. They kept askin.
    He’ll find Maev, I says. I know he will. They should be here by now. C’mon, Nero.
    I scan the sky.
    It’s outta our hands. Let’s jest git on with it. Saba.
    Yeah … yeah. Where is everybody?
    If you look around the corner, you’ll see, he says.
    I step around him, into the clearin, an there they all are.
    Ash an Epona sit side by side, strippin an smoothin down sticks into arrow shafts. They work fast. Ike an Tommo’s makin slate chips into arrowheads an Emmi bobs around, fetchin an carryin an generally makin herself useful.
    It looks like they ain’t none of ’em had no sleep fer a while. They look up when they see me, throw a nod or a little smile, but don’t stop what they’re doin. Even Emmi keeps at it instead of rushin over to me like always.
    It’s so heavy in the air you can smell it, almost taste it. The tightness. The urgency. I feel the heat rise in my cheeks. Everybody must think I’m a real shirker, snorin away while they work.
    You all right? says Epona.
    Yeah, I says. I’ll be okay to shoot.
    Good, Ike says. I especk we might be seein a little action later on.
    Gimme somethin to do, I says.
    You can help me tie on arrowheads, says Jack. He shifts to make room fer me on his rock an I sit beside him. Right away, the heartstone starts to heat up. I shake my head.
    What? he says.
    Nuthin, I says. I take a length of nettlecord, a head an a shaft an git to work. My fingers feel clumsy to start with, slow, but after I done a couple I git into the swing of it.
    Jack holds up a finished arrow. Sights along it. Whenever I make a arrow, he says, I see it in my mind’s eye … flyin outta the bow … singin through th’air, headin fer the target straight an true.
    Me too, I says.
    Our eyes meet fer a second. We smile. Then we bend our heads to our work an really set to.
    Did you know, he says, that every time you make somethin, any time you make anythin, a little bit of yer spirit goes into it?
    No, I says. I didn’t know that.
    Well, it’s a fact. So … you wanna make sure it’s a good bit of you, not a bad bit.
    I think I used up my last good bit a while back, I says.
    Me too, he says. He gives me his lopsided grin an my heart turns over.
    I’m sorry, I says.
    Fer what? he says.
    Fer always bein … you know … so—
    Ungrateful? he says.
    Yeah, I says.
    Ornery?
    I guess so.
    Rude? Pig-headed? Violent?
    I ain’t violent!
    Oh yes, you are. Very. But I like that in a woman.
    I laugh. Yer crazy, I says.
    I was fine till I met you, he says.

    When the sun’s high in the midafternoon sky, we break camp an start to gather up our weapons. I remember what Emmi said about Hermes waitin fer me an not followin th’other horses when we set ’em loose back at the lake.
    Where’s Hermes? I says.
    There, Tommo says with a jerk of his head. We’re all used to him by now an pretty much know what he means. Emmi still seems to git more outta his one or two words than anybody else though.
    He means he’s on th’other side of the hill already, Emmi says now. He’s waitin fer us.
    Tommo nods.
    I knew what you meant jest fine, I says. Thanks, Tommo.
    He turns bright red an hurries off.
    The kid’s soft about you, says Ike. An he ain’t th’only one. I’m jest waitin fer you to give me the word, darlin.
    You know, Ike, I says, I think I might be comin round to the idea.
    He looks shocked. But only fer a moment. Then he grins. You wouldn’t be flirtin with me, would you? he says.
    I dunno, I says. Yeah. I think I might be.
    Be still my beatin heart! he says.
    All right, says Jack, break it up. Time to go. We need to git movin.
    You scouted it out, right? I says.
    Completely, says Ike. Me, Ash an Epona did it while you was gittin yer beauty sleep.
    What does it look like? I says.
    Ike winks. No problem. Piece of cake.
    Piece of cake. Ash shakes her head.
    Wait, what’s the plan? I says.
    You know me, says Jack, I don’t like to be hampered by too much plannin.
    Jack!
    Keep yer shirt on. I got a couple of ideas to run by you. But we won’t know properly till we see what they’re up to. We might hafta … wing it a bit.
    Wing it! I says. This is my brother’s life we’re talkin about, Jack. I ain’t wingin nuthin. You said you had a plan.
    Uh … I think we’ll head over, says Ike.
    Good idea, says Ash.
    They all hurry past us an turn right, disappearin back into the cave.
    Why’re they