Blood Red Road

But it’s the red hot that l s my ears now. Roars at me to squeeze Epona’s neck. My hands tighten. Wait! No! No! I grit my teeth, think of smotherin the red hot with blackness, holdin it down in deep black water til it cain’t breathe. There’s somethin … I know I got a do somethin or … remember somethin but I … cain’t git hold of it, cain’t …

Lugh. Lugh. I nearly fergot him. How could I?

I’l find you. Wherever they take you, I’l find you. I swear.

I raise my head. The roar of the red hot starts to fade. Then it’s gone an I come back to myself.

The need, deep inside me, fer my heart to keep on beatin, fer my lungs to keep on breathin, that powerful need nearly took me over.

Lugh’s waitin fer me. Countin on me. Maev. The plan. It’s my only hope of git in out a here. What was I thinkin of?

I let go. Epona fal s into my arms. I hold her as she gasps fer breath.

I’m sorry, I says. Sorry. Then I step back. Hold my arms out wide.

Epona lifts her head, holds her hand to her neck. She looks at me, her face confused.

I nod. Go ahead, I says. Do it.

Then she does. She takes me down.

The two cagekeepers haul me to my feet an take me by the arms. Before I know it I’m walkin out a the Cage an standin in front of the crowd.

They’re of their heads with rage. They know damn wel I took a fal . They hate bein cheated. They boo an bay fer my blood like a pack of wolves. Them that stands near to the gauntlet run, climb an punch an push to git the best place. They al want their chance to be in on the kil .The red hot’s gone. My stummick’s in knots. My knees is shakin. I drag in deep breaths, try to git air into my lungs. I thought I felt terror before, but never like this. Never like this.

I look at Maev in the front row. At the Free Hawks, standin at the start of the gauntlet. They look con dent. Strong. Hard. Maev’s eyes burn into mine.

I’ve put my life in her hands. Lugh’s life. Emmi’s. What was I thinkin of, trustin a stranger? Even if she can be trusted, what if she cain’t pul it of ? What if the Free Hawks ain’t the warriors she says they are an she’s jest a girl who talks it up an acts tough?

I look over at the Cage Master’s balcony. Everybody in the Colosseum turns to face it. The whole place fal s quiet.

Vicar Pinch stands. Takes the red kercheef from the Cage Master. Raises his arm.

I don’t dare breathe. When his arm fal s, I got a run. My legs feel like water. Too weak to move.

At that moment, Pinch turns to the Cage Master. Leans in an whispers somethin in his ear. As the Cage Master listens, a lit le smile comes over his face. He moves to the edge of the balcony. Holds up both his arms.

Ladies and gentlement! he cries. This ain’t no ordinary warrior! This ain’t no ordinary death! On such a historical occasion, your King demands a clear view of proceedings. Therefore! He decrees that the gauntlet wil be run … here!

An he throws open his arms. Opens ’em out to the aisle that runs from the Cage to right below his balcony.

Pinch has changed the gauntlet run. He’s moved it.

My whole body starts shakin. Sick rises in my throat.

The crowd busts out talkin, yel in, protestin. The gauntlet’s always run in the same place, always without fail. People bid more to stand by it an be in on the action. They start to face up to the Tonton an the guards, pushin an shovin at ’em.

No! shouts Epona from inside the Cage. She launches herself at the bars, screamin, No, no, no!

Vicar Pinch smiles.

I look at Maev. Her head moves this way an that—lookin at the Free Hawks, at me, at the new gauntlet run where people’s already crowdin in. I can see from her face that she’s frantic, tryin to think what to do. But it’s too late fer a new plan, too late fer the Hawks to move to the new spot. Anyways, the guards an the Tonton’s already in place at the top an bot om of the run to stop people pushin in.

The cagekeepers take me by the arms an drag me over to stand in front of the new run.

So.

After al I bin through, it comes down to this.

Me. Alone. No Maev. No Hawks. No plan.

If I don’t think of somethin quick, I’m gonna die in the gauntlet.

Nero cal s. Over an over, urgent like I never heard him before.

He’s perched on top of the Cage. As soon as he sees me look up, he cal s agin an aps over to land on the light tower. Back to the Cage.

Then back to the light tower.

Not so alone after al .

Not so alone after al .

It’s a long jump. Maybe six foot.

But I ain’t got no choice.

Pinch raises his arm agin. The red kercheef goes down.

Suddenly, I make my legs col apse. I take the cagekeepers by surprise. They lose their grip. I slip free. I run. I spring at the Cage an grab the bars. I start to shin up the outside of it, fast as I can go. My bare toes give me good grip.

One of the keepers leaps. Grabs my foot. Pul s. I’m hangin on with one arm. I kick out. Hit him in the face with my heel. His nose crunches. Blood spurts. He cries out, lets go, fal s to the ground. I keep goin. Don’t look back.

I pul myself onto the top of the Cage. Stand up, run across the top.

Careful! Careful don’t fal through!

Down below me, inside the Cage, Epona takes a runnin leap at the keeper who’s stil there with her. Out a the corner of my eye, I see him go flyin. Good girl.

I’m nearly at the edge closest to the light tower. I pause. Glance back. Tonton an guards is swarmin up the Cage now, after me. One’s jest about to pul hisself onto the top.

I eye up the gap between the Cage an the light tower. I take two steps back. I run. I leap of a the Cage an launch myself into the air.

I throw my hands up. Fingers scrabble. There! I grab warm metal. My body slams into the tower. A jolt through my arms, my shoulders.

Jest made it. I pul myself up. Start to climb. Climb higher. Scramble through to th’other side of the tower. The Hopetown side. Down below me, shanty roofs, al crammed in tight together. People who’s on the rooftops to hear the ght bet er stare up at me, their mouths hangin open.

I jump o a the tower. People dive out a the way as I land on the nearest shanty roof. It’s crude, made of some imsy wood. I go right through the roof an land on a table inside. It col apses unnerneath me.

I’m dazed fer a second. I look up through the hole in the roof. Surprised faces look down at me. I leap to my feet an head out a the door. I grab a cloak from a hook on my way out an throw it over me. I need a pair of boots, but no time to stop an look now.

Hidden inside the cloak, I quickly lose myself in the crowds fil in the streets. I keep to the edges, move in an out a doorways.

I can hear the commotion back in the Colosseum. It’s startin to spread to the streets.

My heart’s beatin like mad. An I’m jest noticin that my elbow an ribs hurt like nobody’s business. I must of banged myself up a bit when I landed on the table. Not to mention the poundin I took from Epona.

Wel , I sure gave Maev the diversion she wanted.

Now to steal a couple of horses an meet up with Emmi.

She knows the plan. While the Hawks is let in out the ghters an set in Hopetown on re, her an me’s gonna meet at the northeast corner.

There’s probly gonna be a Hawk with Em. I’l hafta git her out a the way. But once that’s done, we should be free an clear. We’l leave through the hole that the Hawks’ve made in the palisade wal an head north, deep into the Black Mountains where we’l nd Freedom Fields, jest like Helen said.