Blood Red Road

hands.
    I don’t think I will, I says. I turn to Ash. She smiles. I feel tears prick at my eyes. Ash, I says. I pull her into my arms an we hold each other tight. Thank you, I says.
    She don’t say nuthin. We stand there fer a moment. Then she steps away. Stay outta trouble, she says.
    I’ll do my best.
    Lugh gives her a boost an she swings up behind Maev. With them leavin three of their horses fer us, she’s hitchin a ride back to Darktrees.
    Lugh holds up his hand. Maev takes it. Thanks, he says. Fer this an … fer helpin Saba and Emmi. Maybe we’ll see you agin sometime.
    You never know, says Maev.
    They look at each other. My hand, she says. He’s still got hold of it. He lets it go slowly an steps back.
    G’bye, says Ash.
    See you around, says Maev. She wheels about an they gallop away to join the Free Hawks waitin fer her on the ridge. When they git to the top they pause to look down. Then Maev rears her horse in farewell an they’re gone.
    Lugh’s still starin after them. She’s quite the girl, I says. Don’t you think? Lugh?
    Huh?
    Maev, I says. Quite the girl.
    Oh, he says. Yeah. She seems nice. He sets about gittin the Hawk horses ready to go.
    Maev, nice? I mutter. Nice.
    So, says Lugh, where’re we headed?
    What about Crosscreek? I says. It’s so beautiful, Lugh, you wouldn’t believe it.
    No way. Lugh shakes his head. That’s goin backwards. Far’s I’m concerned, that’s in the past. We had enough of livin in the past with Pa. We gotta move on, right?
    Right, I says.
    I say we head out west, he says. To the Big Water. There’s rich land there. They say the air smells like honey.
    Who told you that? I says.
    He shrugs. I cain’t remember.
    I jest want us to be together, I says. Somewhere far away from here. Somewhere safe. The Big Water. I like the sound of that. Whaddya think, Em?
    Sounds good to me too, she says.
    Tommo? I says.
    He nods.
    Then west it is, says Lugh. No point in waitin. Let’s head out.
    Wait, I says, lookin around, where’s Jack got to? Anybody seen him?
    Tommo points. There! he says.
    Jack’s ridin away.
    Across the plain on his white horse. They’re headed east.
    Anger rips through me. Panic. Heats my blood. Oh no, you don’t, I says.
    I jump onto Hermes’ back, dig my heels into his sides an we take off like the wind. Nero streaks along above us.
    Saba! Emmi shouts. Tell him to come with us!

    I catch up with him jest after the Hoodoos. He turns when he hears us comin. Stops. Waits.
    I pull up in front of him an jump down. I go over an grab his horse’s bridle. The blood’s rushin in my ears, my breath’s comin short. My heart pounds in my chest. Git down, I says, glarin at him.
    Not if yer gonna kill me, he says.
    I said … git down!
    All right, all right, he says, swingin hisself off. There … I’m down.
    Nero caws as he settles on a nearby bush. I see you brought backup, says Jack.
    Whaddya think yer doin? I says. Runnin off like that. Sneakin off like a … like a … no g’bye, no see you later, no nuthin. Jest … gone.
    He frowns. I’m comin back, he says.
    I go still. I stare at him. What? I says.
    I’m comin back, he says. But I got some business to take care of first.
    Business, I says. What kinda business? I thought you was a thief.
    Oh! Charmin! I never said that. There’s … a couple of things I gotta do. An Ike’s got somebody waitin fer him. She’s bin waitin a long time. She needs to know what happened.
    You mean Molly, I says.
    You know about her.
    Ike told me.
    But after I see her, I’ll be comin back. That’s the plan.
    Because … because I saved yer life, I says. Three … no, two times. From the fire an then from the hellwurm. An yer the one that said it, when you save somebody’s life two times—
    It’s called the rule of three, he says, not the rule of two. I should know, I made it up.
    I knew it!
    Look, he says. Two times, three times … this ain’t about obligation. That ain’t why I’m comin back.
    It ain’t?
    No. It’s about you. You. He takes a couple of steps towards me.
    Yer in my blood, Saba, he says. Yer in my head. Yer in my breath, yer in my bones … gawd help me, yer everywhere. You have bin since the first moment I set eyes on you.
    My heart turns over. I don’t dare breathe. The heartstone’s burnin into my skin.
    I seem to remember, he says, that first time we met, you said … what was it you said to me?
    I said that … you ain’t my type, I says.
    Would that