Blood Red Road

they’re gonna go ahead with the ceremony anyways? I says. Even though Pinch is dead?
    It looks that way, he says.
    The Tonton wheel in two sets of stairs, one on each side of the big platform. Then they disappear back to the Palace an it all goes quiet fer a bit.
    Ike, Ash an Epona’s gone off with Emmi an Tommo, takin Hermes with ’em. They’re gittin the first bit of our plan unnerway.
    Me an Jack got nuthin to do but wait. An wait some more.
    It’s that strange time on the longest day of the year when it’s late enough to be dark but there’s still some last streaks of light. Dark clouds scud across the sky. The wind’s on the rise.
    I look up at the moon. Must be a hour or so to midnight, I says.
    Almost midsummer’s eve, says Jack.
    I shiver. Then I say what’s bin growin on me all day. They ain’t gonna come, I says. Are they?
    I don’t think we should count on ’em, he says.
    It’s okay, I says. We can do this.
    Another wagon’s rollin down the path from the stables to the platform. The Tonton leap down. They start unloadin it an carryin stuff onto the platform. Heavy bags of sand. Armloads of wood.
    They don’t look to be carryin no weapons, I says. That’s strange. An I thought you said there was dog patrols.
    They obviously ain’t expectin trouble tonight, says Jack. But there’ll be some of ’em armed. At the very least, the King’s bodyguards.
    There’s a rustle. It’s Ike an Epona. They’re back. They crouch down beside us. Ike’s grin flashes white in the gloom.
    Emmi an Tommo on their way to the meetin place? I says.
    Yeah, says Ike. They got off fine. They’ll wait fer us at the tire dump an hour’s ride north of here.
    Was Emmi okay on Hermes? She still ain’t so good on a horse. Did you—
    She’s fine, Saba, says Ike. Don’t worry.
    Yer sure they know what they gotta do? I says.
    I made Emmi repeat it three times, says Epona. They wait fer us at the dump. They stay outta sight. If we ain’t there by dawn, they take a big loop to the east an make their way to Darktrees. They know to give Hermes his head.
    An Ash? says Jack. She’s at the stables?
    Nearby, says Epona. Well outta sight. They won’t have no idea she’s there. She’ll have the horses ready an waitin fer us. Can I take a look what’s goin on down there?
    I hand her the long-looker. She trains it on the platform.
    What’s that they’re puttin in the middle? Ike says, squintin.
    They’re spreadin out a circle of sand in the middle of the big platform, she says. Looks like they’re makin a sandpit. An they’re settin up a post in the middle of the circle.
    What, you mean like a fence post? says Jack.
    Kinda, she says. But bigger. Taller. I wonder what that’s fer.
    Let me see, he says. She hands him the looker. He stares fer a long moment, then lowers it. He looks at me direct when he says, The post’s about the right size to tie a man to. An a sandpit’s useful if you wanna make sure a fire don’t spread.
    The bottom falls outta my stummick. My breath starts to come fast. No, I says. No … they wouldn’t do … Jack, you don’t think they’d … burn him. They ain’t gonna burn him, are they?
    No, he says, they ain’t. We won’t let ’em. They won’t hurt Lugh, I promise you. He takes my hands in his, holds ’em tight. Now … listen to me, listen. Are you listenin?
    Yeah, I says, yeah.
    Yer gonna stay calm, he says. An yer gonna trust me. Yer gonna trust all of us. Me an Ike an Ash an Epona. Tommo an Emmi too. We all know what the plan is. This don’t change nuthin. We all know what we gotta do. We’ll go over it now, okay?
    Okay, I says.
    Okay, he says. Emmi an Tommo’s on their way to the meetin point right now. They’re outta harm’s way. Once it’s all clear over at the stables, Ash is gonna git six horses ready to go. You an Ike’s gonna snatch Lugh. Then we all meet up at the stables an take off. Epona, you say agin what yer job is.
    While Saba an Ike’s gittin Lugh, Epona says, you an me is gonna be … creatin a diversion.
    That’s right, says Jack.
    Hey, Ike says. Looks like this party’s really startin to kick off.
    There’s bin the sound of drumbeats driftin up while we bin talkin. The noise grows louder an louder, with more an more drums joinin in. They’re bein played by Tonton in their black robes. Bone flutes start to shrill. There’s fires lit in big buckets scattered all over the open space.
    Slaves in white tunics, unchained now, spill outta