They’re gonna run us down! I yel .
Break out! says Maev. Break out!
The pack breaks apart an behind us the Hawks scat er in al directions.
Epona! I yel . I pul on the reins, start to slow Hermes down. Take Emmi!
Right away, she pul s in tight beside me. I wrap a arm around Emmi’s waist an swing her over to sit in front of Epona.
Take her to Darktrees! I says. I’l meet you there!
Epona nods an they race of towards the mountains with a few of the Hawks.
I rein in Hermes. He rears an squeals an dances. Maev turns her horse too. This is my ght, I says to her. You done enough already. Leave me to it.
Not on yer life, she says. Then, Ash! she yel s. With me! The rest of yuz, go!
The three of us wheel our horses around, give ’em the heel an head straight towards the Desert Swan at a ful gal op.
Keep in tight! Maev says. We pul up close together, ridin so’s our knees almost touch. Maev on my right, Ash on my left.
Bows! Maev yel s. We pul our crossbows round an load ’em up.
Vicar Pinch clings to the mast. His robes bil ow behind him. Rooster works the sails. The Cage Master steers. Miz Pinch is tied to the front railin, beside the Cage Master. She’s aimin a crossbow at us. She shoots.
The arrow comes straight at Ash.
She’s lookin away, yel in somethin at Maev. I ing my arm in front of her head. She turns, startled. Th’arrow pierces my armband, sticks in the thick leather pad. I yank it out.
That would of had me! Ash says. Thanks, I owe you.
Ready, aim, fire! yel s Maev. We let fly with our arrows.
Miz Pinch ducks. But the Cage Master’s too slow. Two of our arrows catch him direct in the chest. He cries out, lets go the steerin bar an goes tumblin over the railin. He fal s unnerneath the Swan. As the wheels hit him, the landboat shtails wildly. The right back wheel snaps of . The one I helped Rooster fix. I guess we didn’t fix it too good. It goes bouncin an rol in of .
The Desert Swan’s out a control. Jackknifin al over the place.
Look out! shouts Maev.
Her, me an Ash scat er out a the way.
Rooster works the sail ropes madly. The Swan tips. It rol s. Once, twice, three times, four. Real quick. Like a tumbleweed. Miz Pinch gits thrown out. She ies through the air an lands hard. She don’t move. The landboat skids across the ground, upside down, throwin up a great dustcloud. It comes to a stop an it’s al quiet.
Me, Maev an Ash ride over. Maev goes to git down, but I says, No, let me do it.
I dismount an crouch to peer unnerneath the Swan.
Rooster dangles head down. Trapped by the steel beams of the crushed hut. His eyes an mouth is wide open. He looks surprised. Vicar Pinch lies on the ground, his curly long hair in a heap beside him. He’s completely bald, with ugly lookin open sores al over his head. Blood covers his face. His right leg splays out at a strange angle.
I wait fer a moment, my heart bangin in my chest. Silence. Neether of ’em moves. Neether of ’em’s breathin.
They’re dead, I says. The King’s dead! That means that Lugh’s safe. They won’t have no reason to kil him now.
Good, says Maev.
Then I ride over to Miz Pinch. Looks like her neck broke when she hit the ground. She lies on her back. Her open eyes stare up at the sky.
They’re ful of fury, even in death.
I dismount. Stare down at her. I fit a arrow to my bow. Take aim. This is fer Emmi, I says. Then I shoot her in the heart.
Nero flaps down an lands on her chest. He spreads his wings an caws. Plucks at her shirt with his beak. Pecks at her hand.
That’s enough, Nero, I says.
Let’s go. He flies onto my shoulder. I pul Hermes round an turn his head towards the mountains.
The mountains an Lugh.
We ain’t gone more’n a league.
We’re pickin our way over a big rocky outcrop when Ash glances over her shoulder. Here they come, she says. She wheels her horse around an me an Maev fol ow her to the edge of the outcrop. From here, we can see over the plain back to the fires an smoke of Hopetown.
We can also see the Desert Swan. An the lit le group of Tonton riders, maybe ten in al , headed towards it.
Bet er not hang around, says Maev.
Not when you got a brother to find, Ash says to me.
DARKTREES
JEST BEFORE MIDNIGHT, WE RIDE INTO THE FREE HAWK summer camp at Darktrees.
Nero flies on ahead to tel ’em we’re comin. Emmi runs up the moment we ride into view an runs an skips along beside the horses.
Saba! Yer here!
You should be asleep, I says.
What took you so long?
We got here soon as we could, I says.
I swing myself down of a Hermes’ back. She leaps at me, wrappin her arms an legs around my waist an neck.
Are they dead? she whispers. Did you kil ’em?
You don’t need to worry about ’em no more, I says. How’m I s’posed to do anythin with you hangin on like a leech?
I give her backside a swat an she slides down. She fol ows at my heels while I rub Hermes down, water him an send him o into the trees to join th’other Hawk horses an ponies to graze on the scrubby grass in the forest clearins.
She chat ers on, about Epona an how we’re gonna sleep in the same bunkhouse as Maev, but al the time she keeps hold of the edge of my tunic an sticks close.
I turn an jest about trip over her. I kneel down an take her hands. They’re tremblin.
Hey, hey, Emmi, I says. It’s okay. I’m here.
No you ain’t, she says. Yer leavin to find Lugh. An it could be dangerous. You said so yerself.
I’l be fine, I says. I’l be back before you know it. An I’l be bringin Lugh with me.
Yer sure I cain’t come with you?
I’m sure, I says. I promised Pa an Lugh I’d keep you safe. I ain’t done a very good job so far.
You done okay, she says.
Hey, I says. I dunno about you, but I’m startin to feel mighty tired. Why don’t you show me that bunkhouse you was talkin about?
Okay. Hey … Saba?
Uh huh?
Would it … would you give me a pickaback ride to the bunkhouse? She says it shy-like, not lookin at me but at the ground where her boot’s tracin a line in the dirt.
I ain’t never let Em ride pickaback on me in our whole lives. Lugh was the one who played with her like that. He’d grab her by the hands an swing her around til they both fel dizzy on the ground. Or she’d jump on his back an he’d gal op around an leap while she squealed with delight. I never used to like it when he spent time with her. Or anybody else fer that mat er. I always wanted him al to myself.
I look down at her. At the back of her neck, scrawny an grubby. She always was smal fer her age.
She’s only nine, Saba. You might try bein nice to her fer a change.
A pickaback? I says. I thought you’d never ask.
Human sacrifice. Maev frowns. That’s … crazy.
Her an me’s sit in on a log in the cool mornin shadows of the clearin where the Free Hawks camp is. I check to make sure Emmi ain’t in earshot. She don’t know none of this an I don’t want her overhearin. But she’s over by the bunkhouse with Nero. They’re playin some countin game with twigs laid out on the ground. Nero loves to count things.
I know, I says. But that’s what Helen said.
An you believe her, says Maev.
I do, I says.
An she says it was the Tonton took Lugh to this place … Freedom Fields.