Tomorrow’s the day.
It’s him. Jack. Legs crossed at the ankle, arms crossed over his chest, leanin aginst a wal in a corner of the male ghters’ exercise yard. Starin at me.
When he sees me lookin at him, he pushes o from the wal an wanders over to the fence. Without my tel in ’em to, my feet start movin an al of a sudden I’m standin in front of him. His long hair’s gone now. Shaved of , like the rest of us.
Angel, angel, he says. He’s smilin an shakin his head. What’re you up to?
I dunno what yer talkin about, I says.
I dunno what yer talkin about, I says.
You don’t lose fights, he says. Not unless you want to, that is.
His silvery eyes flick over to where Epona’s standin, talkin to some of th’other girls.
I saw you talkin to yer friend th’other day, he says. Looked like a mighty innerestin conversation.
I dunno what you mean, I says. Heat’s startin to crawl al over my chest. The heartstone feels warm aginst my skin. The same thing that happened the last time I talked to him. I frown.
He shrugs. Al right, he says. Don’t tel me. I’l find out eventual y.
You won’t find out nuthin, I says. Cuz there ain’t nuthin to find out.
Suddenly he’s got hold of my wrist. I didn’t even see him move. A tingle shoots up my arm. Like when Lugh an me was nearly hit by the lightnin that day.
The smile’s gone. His face looks dead serious. Looks to me like yer playin a dangerous game, he says.
Why should you care what I do?
We stare at each other a long moment. Then, No reason, he says. Jest … be careful, Angel. That’s al . He lets go of my wrist slowly. Almost like he don’t want to.
As I move away from him, the heartstone starts to cool down.
Darkness. Hard to see. Smoke fil s the air. Burns my throat, my nostrils, stings my eyes.
Where are you? I scream.
No answer. Hungry flames lick at wood. Embers pop an hiss.
I hafta find him. Cain’t leave him here.
The sound of a heartbeat. My heartbeat. Over an over. So loud. It l s my brain, my head. I cover my ears with my hands. Panic grips me. I turn in circles, blind.
Where are you? I shout. Where are you?
Another voice now. Whisperin. Mercy’s voice.
The heartstone lets you know … the heartstone … heartstone … hurry, Saba …
Bright sun. Exercise yard. Epona smiles. We’re gonna burn Hopetown to the ground, she says.
I got a find him. Before it’s too late.
Too late … too late … too late …
I wake, mut erin to myself. I’m soaked with sweat, my blanket twisted around my legs, my heart poundin in my chest.
That was a new one. I ain’t dreamed of fire before. An it warn’t Lugh I was searchin fer so frantic. I dunno who it was.
I do what I always do to chase the nightmares away. I sit on my cot, hug my knees to my chest an close my eyes.
I think of water. Clean, clear water. A lake. I dive in. It washes over me, around me. My tired body, my tat ered soul, my heavy heart. As I swim, it washes me clean.
An so I make it through to another dawn.
The keeper opens the door. I step into the Cage fer the last time. My hands an legs feel far away, like they don’t belong to me. My stummick’s clenched into knots. My mouth’s dry.
I cain’t hear myself think fer the noise of the crowd. Them that couldn’t squeeze into the Colosseum l the streets an sit on rooftops. Even if they cain’t see what’s goin on, they can hear the shouts an roars. One way or another, they al wanna be part of the Angel’s end. Of my end.
The chaal vendors is doin a roarin trade, strugglin through the crowds with big baskets of the dark green leaf balanced on their heads. They wanna git everybody hopped up fer the big finish.
The Cage Master’s on his balcony, al crammed with people dressed in their nest. I can see the Pinches there—Rooster an Miz Pinch pushed into a corner. Vicar Pinch, the King, is the center of at ention. He sits on a fancy golden chair an everybody dances around him, of erin him cups of this an plates of that. He waves ’em al away with his lace kercheef an stares down at the Colosseum.
DeMalo stands nearby.
I hope Emmi’s safe. The Free Hawks said they’d look after her, but I won’t be happy til I see her fer myself.
I stare at the center aisle. It runs from the bot om of the Colosseum right to the top in a straight line.
The gauntlet run.
Maev’s in the front row on the center aisle. Right next to the gauntlet run. She gives me the tiniest nod. She looks behind her an then looks back at me.
Fer the first ten rows or so, there’s tough-lookin girls packed in at the ends of the rows, also right next to the gauntlet run.
I see a man try to push one of ’em out a the way. Tryin to steal her place along the gauntlet, to git closer to where the action’s gonna be.
The girl don’t even look as she chops him in the throat with her elbow.
The Free Hawks is here. Jest like Maev promised.
Nero sits on the light tower that stands right next to the Cage. He cries out, over an over agin. He’s beside hisself with fear, I can tel . Al of a sudden, he swoops down, lands on the Cage an slips in through the bars. He ain’t never done that the whole time I bin fightin.
He ut ers down to sit on my shoulder. The whole place goes quiet. Even though I’m on a losin streak, they stil believe I git my powers from him. Even fer this, my last fight, they ain’t bin able to sel the cheap seats on the light tower because he’s there.
He hops onto my hand. I rub his beak, scratch his head. He purrs in that way crows have, jest like a cat. I didn’t know how much I bin missin him til right now.
Okay, I whisper to him, good boy Nero. He leans his head to one side. Looks straight at me with his bright black eyes. It’s okay, I says. I’m gonna be okay.
He gives a croak. He knows what okay means. He unnerstands.
I lift my hand an he flies out a the Cage. Lands on his usual perch on the light tower. The crowd murmurs, mut ers, shifts in their seats.
The Cage door creaks open agin an Epona walks in.
The Cage door creaks open agin an Epona walks in.
My heart’s bangin aginst my ribs. The blood pounds in my ears.
We face up. Eye to eye. Crouch down. The keeper sounds the gong.
My last fight begins.
I let Epona set the pace. Let her chase me round the Cage, corner me, hurt me.
But then the red hot kicks in. I try to shove it down, push it away, but it rips through me. Takes me over. The red hot don’t know Maev. It don’t know she’s got a plan. It don’t trust her. Because the red hot don’t know plans or people or trust. It only knows one thing. Survival.
An I cain’t keep it down. It’s wild. Cornered. It starts to fight Epona. It fights fer my life.
What’re you doin? she says, her eyes wide. Epona’s strong. She’s smart. She pushes me to the edge. But I push right back. I got more to lose than her, with the gauntlet in my sights.
We fight til we’re both bloodied, bat ered, exhausted.
At last she makes a mistake. I git her by the throat. I push her aginst the bars. The crowd goes crazy. They leap to their feet. Out a the corner of my eye, I see Maev. By her face, I know she cain’t believe what she’s seein. She waves her arms at me. Her mouth moves. Sayin somethin I cain’t hear.