Blood Red Road

An you an this … this …

Ike, says Jack.

This Ike, I says, the two of you’s such good friends that he’s gonna drop everythin an come with us jest because you tel him to.

That’s right, he says. You got a problem with that? He gives me a fierce look, like it might put me of .

Yeah, I says, I do as a mat er of fact. An I also got a problem with you tel in us this is th’only way to Freedom Fields. I think yer takin us this way because you wanna see yer friend Ike.

This ain’t no social cal , Saba, he says.

Oh, so you ain’t denyin it!

Look, d’you wanna find yer brother or not?

Of course I do!

Then shut up an mind yer footin on this slope, he says. I’l go first.

Jack an Ash an Epona go rst. They disappear over the edge of the escarpment as their horses start to pick their way careful y down the slope.

slope.

Al right, Em, I says. You go now. Nice an slow. Give Joy her head.

The earth’s dry, pebbly an loose. Hermes moves along sure-footed, but fer some reason Joy’s playin up skit ish. Em’s havin trouble control in her.

Whoa! I pul Hermes up, jump down an pick my way over to her. You bet er git of , I says. We’l let Joy go down on her own.

I’ve jest lifted Emmi of a Joy’s back when Ash cal s out.

Wind’s changin direction!

Epona points at the sky. Thunderheads! she shouts.

A great towerin bank of brown clouds come rol in at us from the northeast. They’re movin hel ish fast. Lightnin forks down. I count. One Missus Ippi, two Miss—thunder rumbles. It’l be on top of us any moment.

Those are rain clouds! Jack shouts. Hurry up!

I go to take Emmi by the hand but she’s gone. She’s already headed down the slope on foot, holdin Joy’s rope in her hand. Joy whinnies nervously, shyin an pul in back. Her feet’s slippin in the loose earth.

I start after ’em.

Emmi! I cal . Let Joy go!

Jest as I say it, Emmi tugs too hard. The pony throws her head back an rips the rope out a her hands.

Joy pul s herself the few feet up the slope an gal ops of , back the way we jest come from.

At that moment, the clouds crack open.

Rain pours down on top of us in sheets. In seconds, we’re drenched through to the skin.

You idiot, Emmi, I says. I said to let Joy find her own way down. Why cain’t you jest do what I tel you fer once?

Saba! Jack’s voice. Muf led by the rain. Git of a that slope now!

Don’t tel me what to do! I yel back.

I throw Em onto Hermes’ back an lead him down. The ground’s turnin to mud unner our feet.

You took yer sweet time, says Jack when we git to the bot om.

Don’t start with me, Jack, I says. The pony’s gone. Bolted fer home.

That’s jest great, he says. The river’s started to run. If the rain keeps up like this, we could git a ash ood. We got a git across before we’re trapped in the gorge.

We start towards the river’s edge but as I lead Hermes, I feel him limp badly. His left back foot.

Jack! I shout. There’s somethin wrong with Hermes!

Okay! I’l take Emmi across! he cal s.

I run around an lift Hermes’ hoof. He’s picked up a nasty thorn—must of bin when we passed by them hotprickle bushes—an it’s worked its way in. I lever it out with my knife.

There you go, I says. That should do it.

Him an me’s headed fer the river when somethin makes me pause. I frown. I feel … I know there’s somethin not quite right, but … I shake my head. No time to stop an think now.

When we reach the riverbank, the thick reddish brown stream of muddy water’s owin fast. It catches on a dead tree lyin on the riverbed, turns it this way then that way, slowly, like it’s makin up its mind what to do with it. Then it lifts the tree an rushes it downstream.

The riverbed’s narrow here but deep. The banks ain’t wide. If the rain keeps fal in like this, it ain’t gonna take long fer it to over ow its banks an fil the gorge. We’l be swept downstream if we’re caught in it.

Epona an Ash is almost at th’other side.

Be careful! cal s Epona. The riverbed’s al churned up mud! It’s hard to keep yer footin!

Jack heels Ajax an he starts to wade into the water. Emmi’s sat behind Jack, clingin to his waist.

Suddenly I know what it is that ain’t right. My heartstone’s gone. I run back to where I took the thorn from Hermes’ foot. There it is, lyin in the mud. I snatch it an shove it deep into my boot. Run back to the riverbank.

In time to see Ajax stumble.

In time to see Emmi lose her grip on Jack’s waist an fal into the river.

Emmi! I cry.

She cain’t swim. Without thinkin, I dive in to save her. I surface to see Jack haulin her out a the water by the back of her tunic. He swings her up in front of him.

Is she okay? I cal .

She’s fine! he says. Jest git yerself across!

Hermes plunges past me. He’s had it with waitin. He’s crossin by hisself. Looks like I got a do the same.

The water’s reached my chest now. The wicked current wraps itself around me. I ain’t took more’n four steps when somethin bumps into me. I look down.

It’s a human leg bone.

I gasp.

Al around me, the dead are risin.

Another leg bone bobs to the muddy surface. Then a skul . A arm bone. They swing lazily. The current grabs ’em an carries ’em away.

Wreckers must of used the dry riverbed as a mass grave an now the heavy rain’s churnin it al up.

I snatch my hands from the water, hold my arms high, out a the way. Slowly I turn in a circle, blinkin the rain away from my eyes.

Ohmigawd, I says. Ohmigawd ohmigawd ohmigawd.

The river’s alive with dead men’s bones. It’s thick with ’em.

My breath’s comin shal ow an fast.

I feel somethin touch me. I make myself look down. A skel enton’s wrapped itself around my chest. The skul grins up at me.

I feel somethin touch me. I make myself look down. A skel enton’s wrapped itself around my chest. The skul grins up at me.

I shove it away. But when I pul my hands up agin, the whole top half of the skel enton comes with ’em. I’m stuck in the ribcage. The skul ’s right in my face.

I scream. Shake myself loose. Scramble to git away. Lose my footin.

I fal . I go unner.

An the current sweeps me away.

I fight my way to the surface. Spit out a mouthful of filthy river.

Help! I yel . Help!

I doubt if any of ’em can hear me over the poundin of the rain an the rush of the river. An I must be wel out a earshot by now. I’m a ways downstream from where I fel , that’s al I know. An I got no idea where this river goes.

I grab onto the trunk of a dead tree as it slides past me. I pul myself up so’s at least my head’s out a the water. I hang on tight as I go rushin along on the river of mud an bones.

Jack! I shout. Jack!

The heavy rain means I cain’t see no further’n three arms-length in front of me. There ain’t no way of tel in how far I am from the riverbank, but I know it’s there somewhere. I got a try to make my way over to it.

I grit my teeth an kick hard, tryin to steer away from the middle of the river, but the current’s got other ideas. The moment I start to make headway, it snatches at my tree an whirls us of . I keep on tryin, over an over agin. But the current’s too strong fer me to fight.