How come? says Lugh.
Number six ain’t there, says Bram with a grin. But I only tell my friends. Okay, let’s move. Quiet as you can.
We hurry to unload the Cosmic. Back an forth between the cart an Bram’s unnerground store, where him an Lugh stack everythin into neat piles.
Where’d you git all this? I ask Slim.
He pulls me aside. Tunnels, he whispers. A Wrecker military place – Nass Camp – loads of stuff, buried unnerground. When we first, uh... met, I’d jest bin there to stock up.
Where? I says.
You know where you hijacked me? he says. Due north up that road, five leagues, give or take. He taps the side of his nose with a finger, points it at me. Our secret.
Emmi’s gathered up a armload of Slim’s lethal little balls with pins. She sets off with careful steps.
No, Emmi, let me take ’em, says Tommo.
I can do it! She glares at him. She trips. One of the balls goes flyin into the air.
Catch it! yells Slim.
Maev dives. We hold our breath. She snags it one-handed. Jest before it hits the ground.
Hoo! Slim wipes his brow. Sometimes them pins can be a little loose.
Shame-faced, Em gives up her armload to Tommo.
Once the Cosmic’s empty of arms, we close the dump an move her deeper into the woods. Down a little ravine an behind a couple of giant deadfall cedars. She’s a sorry sight after her trials on the road.
Poor old Cosmic, says Slim, shakin his head.
We’ll mend her tomorrow, says Bram.
What now? says Molly. Our timin stinks, huh?
You could say, says Bram. Most everybody in Sector Nine’s at our place tonight, every one devoted to the Pathfinder. But that wound of Slim’s needs seein to an Cassie’s the one to do it. I’m gonna sneak you into the house, all of yuz. I got a idea. But you gotta do ezzackly as I say, an Moses’ll hafta stay here. We ain’t got no camels in this sector.
He’s gotta come with, says Slim. He’ll bellow somethin fearful. Don’t you got a stable to put him in?
Sure, says Bram, but—
He’s pals with this here horse, says Slim. Hermes. He’ll keep quiet if they’re in there together.
Good grief, says Bram. A camel in the stable. All right, it won’t be fer long, but you tell Cassie. She won’t kill a wounded man.
Leadin Moses an Hermes, we follow him back through the woods, towards the road. Suddenly, the soft coo of a pigeon. We freeze. It comes agin. Bram answers.
Who’s that? I says.
You ain’t my only new friends, he says. It’s bin quite busy around here.
Quick movement from both sides as two people slip outta the trees. They stand in front of us. Masked, like Bram was. Bodies tense. Firesticks at the ready. They lift their masks.
He’s wiry. Wild-haired. Barefoot. Tattooed. She’s built to fight. Her waist-long hair hangs in dozens of plaits. Hard face. Wary eyes.
Creed. Ash.
Last seen at Darktrees. Presumed dead.
Here in front of us. Very much alive.
My breath catches in my throat.
Ash! cries Emmi.
She runs. She leaps. She clings to Ash like a burr an covers her face in rapturous kisses. Tough Ash softens, like she always does with Em.
She says, Still daft as a brush, I see.
She gives her backside a swat an dumps her on the ground. Creed ruffs Em’s hair an winks as he shines his white-toothed smile on her.
Then I’m the one who rushes at ’em. As tears prick my eyes, I grab Ash in a tight hug.
Hello, my lovely, she says.
We thought you was dead, I whisper.
I’m way too stubborn to die, she says. What the hell’re you doin here?
Jack sent fer me, I says.
Jack! Her face darkens. If I ever see that sonofabitch agin, I’ll kill him, she says. He’s turned, Saba. Gone over to the Tonton.
I says, No, Ash, it ain’t like that.
We cain’t say no more. Tommo’s pilin in with the hugs an handshakes an Lugh as well.
Creed seizes my hand an holds it to his heart. I knew you couldn’t keep away from me, he says. Suddenly, he catches sight of Molly. He goes still. Drops my hand like a hot coal. Good gawd, he says, who’re you?
Bram says, Ash, Creed, this is Molly I bin tellin you about.
Creed walks right up to her, right in close, a look of wonder on his face. I’m gonna marry you, he says.
Molly curls her lip in scorn. As if I’d marry a grubby dirtboy like you, she says.
He wipes a fire smudge from her cheek with his thumb. Tenderly.
You will, he says. Molly swats his hand off, like she would a fly. He jest smiles, an saunters away. She frowns after him, flushed with annoyance.
Creed, says Ash. She nods at Maev.
Maev ain’t moved since Ash an Creed appeared, the dead risen to life. She stands stiff with shock. Her face gleams sickly white in the dimness of the woods. She looks worse’n Slim. Maev, who rode away from Darktrees as the Hawks an Raiders were being slaughtered by the Tonton, who left Ash an Creed to their fate.
Without a word, they go towards her. They pass her on eether side an head deeper into the woods. She stands there a moment. Then she turns an follows ’em.
They got plenty to talk about, I says. Bram, I need yer help. A friend of mine’s in trouble.
Come to the house an meet Cassie, he says. We’ll talk there.
Cassie turns out to be my age. A sturdy, pink-cheeked girl with a ready smile an careful eyes. She don’t even blink when we all slip into her farmhouse as Bram keeps watch by the door. Jest a quick glance at my tattoo an Lugh’s.
She sets out soap, clean rags an basins of hot water fer us to have a wash – Lugh an Tommo in one room an us girls and Nero in her an Bram’s bedroom.
The little girl’s gonna hafta stay outta sight, she says, an you, you cain’t wear them clothes. You’ll stick out. Yer taller’n me, but help yerself to what you can find in the chest.
She leaves us to it an goes to tend to Slim’s wound. Me, Molly an Em waste no time in strippin to our skivvies. Em’s eyes jest about pop outta her head at the sight of Molly’s womanly curves packed tight into her fancy red petticoat. Nero flaps his wings an shrieks.
Nero, quit it! Sorry, I says. He don’t know he’s a crow.
Molly laughs.
Em’s still gogglin. Don’t stare, I says, as I seize her rag an attack the back of her neck.
Ow! she says.
That friend of yers, says Molly, Creed. He’s crazy, right?
No more’n any of us, I says. You better look out.
He better look out, she mutters.
Hold still! I scrub Em’s face an ears. I says, Nobody believes me about Jack. Not Lugh, not Tommo. Maev says she does, but . . . I don’t think so. Ash wants to kill him, probly Creed does too. It’s jest you an me an Em.
I love Jack, says Em.
Do you now? says Molly.
Uh huh, an so does Saba, essept she’s too—
I dunk Em’s head in the basin. She splutters an squawks as I soap her hair.
I know how it is between you an Jack, says Molly. The moment I seen him, I knew he’d met somebody. I could see you in his eyes. Then he showed me the heartstone.
I feel myself flush. I set Em free an git to work on myself. Tonight’s the full moon. An I don’t care what Slim says, when Jack finds the message at the Lost Cause, he’ll come straight here. I’m gonna see Jack agin. My stummick does a nervous flip at the thought. I scrub an rub an rinse till my skin’s tinglin.