Blood Red Road

Ike an Jack both swear that the quickest way to Freedom Fields lies through these mountains, the Devil’s Teeth. There is another route, the one that’s most used, but it ’ud mean retracin our steps almost back to Darktrees. So here we are, an al because Jack jest had to have Ike join us. He bet er turn out to be worth the trouble.

This may be the quickest way but it ain’t wel traveled an no wonder. These ain’t mountains that deal kindly with people who try to cross

’em. They’re steep an jagged with no way of keepin to the high ground. They force us to climb up an then lose the height we jest gained by climbin down agin. It ain’t good ridin country, that’s fer sure. The goin’s so hard that we mainly hafta walk the horses.

An it ain’t jest the mountains. There’s the fog.

It come down on us the day after Ike closed the door of the One-Eyed Man an it ain’t showed no signs of liftin. It lies on the mountains night an day, heavy, dank an bone-chil in. It swirls around our legs an strokes our faces with its clammy fog fingers.

I hate it. I cain’t stand it if I cain’t see the sky. No mat er how bad Silverlake was, at least you could count on big skies, always high an wide, comin right down to meet the earth. A person could breathe there.

We go along without talkin fer the most part, huddled in our cloaks, heads down. When somebody does say somethin, they talk quiet.

Even big Ike with his boomin voice talks soft. A normal voice sounds too loud, almost shockin, in this mu ed fog world. There ain’t no birdsong. No rustle of animal feet. It’s like we’re th’only souls alive.

Emmi’s made friends with Tommo.

They ride along together. He talks to her in his strange hoarse voice. Or he’l use his hands an ngers to speak. She seems to unnerstand what he means, jest like he’s talkin like normal folk do. Like it ain’t no dif erent.

It’s git in so’s they’re almost brother an sister, Tommo an Em. I’m glad. It’s good fer her to have somebody near to her own age. An she’s lookin happier, not peaky like she’s bin fer so long. Ever since we left Silverlake real y.

But it’s al changed between Jack an me.

It started at the Wrecker city an got worse after he pul ed me out a the river. The last time we spoke to each other was when he told me not to smile at Tommo.

We’l say one or two words if we hafta, but he don’t tease me no more or let his hand brush aginst mine an both of us make sure our eyes don’t meet. It’s like I only dreamed that he held me an kissed me til my spine melted.

Wel , what did you especk? Every time he came near you, you pushed him away.

Oh, it’s a waste of time thinkin about Jack. Soon I’m gonna be back with Lugh. Then him an Emmi an me’l nd ourselves somewhere good to set le. A place that’s green an kind, by runnin water. Maybe near to Mercy. An we’l be a family agin. That’s al I care about.

I shiver an pul my cloak around me tighter.

It’s so cold in the fog.

Even colder without Jack’s smile.

It’s bin two whole days of fog but it’s nal y startin to thin out some. It ain’t lifted entirely, but the wind’s picked up an it’s gone al wispy, like long gray feathers driftin lazily around us. The air’s stil cold an dank. Hard to believe it’s the middle of a summer afternoon.

That’s when we come upon the hanged men.

Four of ’em. Danglin by their necks from nooses tied to the branches of a big, lightnin-black tree. They turn gentle in the breeze, their faces an hands gray where they bin covered with wet ash that’s dried. The fog winds itself around their bodies.

We pul up. Fer a long moment we sit there an look. Nobody says nuthin. Epona’s horse snorts.

Then Jack gits down from Ajax. He walks over to the tree an feels the hand of the nearest man. He crouches down an checks the ground.

He shoves his hat back an looks at Ike.

It’s Skinny Nick, says Ike, an uh …

McNulty, says Tommo.

That’s right, says Ike, McNulty. An the two fel as who was with ’em. They was al at the One-Eyed Man the night before you showed up.

Left together on foot the next mornin.

They bin dead fer at least a couple of days, says Jack.

They must of crossed somebody, says Ash.

Yeah, says Ike, that’l be it. Poor bastards. He clicks to his horse an leads the way past the hangin tree. I hold back while th’others go on.

Wait while Jack swings hisself onto Ajax.

You an Ike know who done it, I says.

Yup, he says. A lit le nerve jumps at the corner of his mouth.

Was it the Tonton? I says.

Looks like it, he says.

Why’s there ash on their hands an faces? I says.

Uninvited guest ain’t ezzackly welcome at Freedom Fields, he says. Sometimes the Tonton hang you, other times they’l cut yer head o an put it on a spike. But they always put ash on the face. It’s how you know yer in their territory. Wise man sees that, he turns around an gits the hel out as fast as he can.

But we ain’t turnin, I says.

No, he says. Wisdom ain’t a virtue I ever aspired to.

Ever since we come across the hanged men, I cain’t stop thinkin about Vicar Pinch. About DeMalo an the rest of the Tonton.

With every step, we git closer to Freedom Fields. Until now, I ain’t gived much thought to what we’l be up aginst. Who we’l be up aginst.

But now I do.

But now I do.

The Tonton hang people in trees. Cut o their heads an stick ’em on spikes. Fer nuthin more’n wanderin into their King’s territory. Men like them wouldn’t think twice about kil in Lugh. Al the things Helen told me run through my head. Al the things I know about Pinch an DeMalo. But I need to know more. I got a know my enemy. I need to know what Jack an Ike know.

An they know plenty, I’m sure of it. I’m gonna make ’em tel me. They owe it to me.

I wait til we’re set led into camp fer the night. Epona’s takin the rst watch. Ash an Emmi an Tommo’s wrapped in their bedrol s, already asleep. Ike’s propped aginst a log. His head lol s forwards onto his chest.

Jack an Nero sit by the re playin dice. Once Jack found out how good Nero was at countin, he carved a pair of dice an taught him how to play. Nero throws one at a time, usin his beak.

I go an stand over ’em. Nero throws two sixes.

Damn, says Jack. You beat me agin. Never thought I’d find myself losin to a crow. Think he might be cheatin.

Nero bobs up an down, squawks with glee.

If he is, I say, he learned it from you. I wanna word, Jack. With you an Ike.

He sighs. Like he’s bin expectin this. But he stands up an gives Ike a nudge with his foot. Ike wakes with a grunt.

What? he says.

C’mon, says Jack. Saba wants to talk.

As Ike heaves hisself to his feet, Nero aps up to sit on my shoulder. He rubs his head aginst my cheek. He always knows when I need somebody on my side. Like tonight.

I lead ’em away from the campsite. Climb uphil through the trees til I git to a rocky outcrop. I turn to face ’em. The fog’s completely gone an it’s a warm night with a high sky. A midsummer night sky. I can see Jack an Ike clearly.

Al right, I says. Tel me what you know about Freedom Fields. Tel me everythin.

They look at each other.

I bin straight with you, I says. I told you everythin. What Helen told me about the midsummer sacri ce an why they took Lugh. Pinch might be dead but Lugh ain’t safe, not til we git him out a there. Now you two got a be straight with me. You need to tel me everythin you know. That way, at least we got a chance of figgerin out what we might be up aginst.