What? I says.
Apologize, he says. Fer bein so damn ungrateful.
I narrow my eyes. I don’t learn manners from a thief, I says. Cuz that’s what you are, ain’t it Jack? That’s what you do to git by.
I might be a thief, he says, I might not be. One thing’s fer certain though. I ain’t the one they cal the Angel of Death.
He knows jest where to stab me.
You bastard, I says.
If it makes you feel bet er, he says.
He gives a lit le bow of his head, turns and walks away.
Jack picks up the pace.
He says he ain’t certain how long it’s gonna take us to git to Freedom Fields. Says it depends on whether we run into any trouble on the way but it might take us a week or it might take us ten days.
Ten days. With midsummer twelve days away.
The sun beats down on us, white hot an merciless. The air shimmers, heavy an thick. It’s hard to breathe. I pul my sheema down over my forehead.
Ash rides at the front with Jack an makes up to him like nobody’s business. Even he must notice it by now. She rides so close to him that her leg touches his. She looks at him al the time. She leans over an says things that make him throw his head back an laugh like he never heard nuthin so funny in his life.
It’s sick-makin.
Or it would be, if I cared.
Which I don’t.
Liar, whispers the voice inside my head. Liar, liar, liar.
We pass through the Wrecker city an cover another four leagues before we stop fer the night. Jack cal s this real mountain country. The trail’s bin snakin around the edges of steep, heavily wooded slopes that al press in close together.
This land don’t please me. Too closed in. Too dark. Not enough sky.
We set up camp inside the ruins of a big stone buildin that stands beside a stream in a lit le rocky val ey. Nero swoops in an out through the windows, cawin with glee as he scat ers the roostin pigeons. Ash an Jack bring down a couple of ’em fer supper.
They al chat er away while they build a re an git the water boilin fer a brew of sage tea. Epona plucks an guts the pigeons with Emmi’s help. Then she shoves ’em on a spit an sets ’em to roast.
I sit on my own a lit le ways of , pul in at tufts of grass, mul in over what Jack said to me.
After a while Emmi comes over. Mind if I sit down? she says.
I shrug. Suit yerself, I says.
She sits herself down beside me. We don’t say nuthin fer a bit, then, I’m sorry fer sassin you, she says. An I shouldn’t of stuck out my tongue. Lugh’d be mad if he knew.
Don’t s’pose he’d be too impressed with me neether, I says. Losin my rag with you like that.
Guess we’d both be in trouble. Epona’s nice. An Ash. Don’t you think?
I grunt.
I grunt.
Wel I like ’em, she says.
I don’t say nuthin.
They’d like to be yer friends, you know, she says.
Huh, I says.
She kneels up an takes my hand. We’re gonna find Lugh. I know it. We’re al gonna help you. Me an Ash an Epona an Jack.
You would of bin safe with Mercy, I says, pul in my hand away. You should of stayed there, like I told you to.
I know, she says. But I’m stubborn. Like you.
We look at each other. Then we smile.
Yeah, I says. I guess you are at that. Listen, Em, I … I’m sorry. I know I ain’t bin very nice to you. I don’t mean nuthin by it, you know that, don’t you? It’s jest … I’m worried about Lugh. Worried that … that maybe we won’t—
I know, she says. I worry about him too. Jest like I worry about you. I couldn’t hardly stand it back in Hopetown when you was ghtin in the Cage. Every day I was so afeared that you’d die an leave me.
I won’t leave you, I says. I promise. I sigh. I’m gonna try to be a bet er sister to you, Emmi.
It’s okay, she says. You don’t hafta. I’m kinda used to you the way you are.
She kisses me on the cheek, real quick. She goes back to the re to join th’others. I sit there a minute or two, til the lump in my throat goes down. Then I walk over. The conversation stops. They al look at me. Essept Jack. He stays crouched by the re an makes hisself busy pokin at it with a stick.
I got somethin to say, I says. To al of you. I know I bin actin like I got a … a burr in my britches, bein ungrateful an cantankersome an … wel … I’m sorry. An I wanna say … I wanna say thanks. Fer comin with me. Fer tryin to help me find Lugh. I’m grateful.
They look at me. Like they’re waitin fer more.
That’s it, I says.
Ash shrugs. We’re doin this fer everybody, she says. Not jest you an yer brother. It’s bigger’n that.
We’l find Lugh, Saba, says Epona. We’l help you git him back.
She smiles an they go back to their cookin an chat in.
I done what Jack said. What was right to do. Now I walk away from ’em quickly. But my heart feels lighter. More hopeful.
A hand on my arm stops me. Jack. That was wel done, he says.
An, like every other time Jack’s touched me or come near me, heat washes over me, through me, around me.
Don’t touch me, I says.
He steps back, holdin up his hands. His mouth’s a tight line. Sorry, he says. My mistake. It won’t happen agin.
As he goes back to join th’others, I pul the heartstone out a my vest an curl it in my fist. Hold it while it cools down.
I look up at the sky. The rst stars is out. An the moon. Every night it creeps along in the sky, closer an closer to where it’l be at midsummer. There ain’t nuthin gonna stop it.
We’re in a race, the moon an me. An it’s a race I cain’t af ord to lose.
Maybe it ain’t such a bad idea to have some help. I’l put up with anythin if it means I git Lugh back safe. Anythin an anybody. Even Jack.
We slide of a the horses an stand on the edge of the escarpment. We look over a dry river gorge to the mountain on th’other side.
It towers above us, dark an jagged an dangerous. Behind it, more mountains stretch as far’s the eye can see.
Is this th’only way to Freedom Fields? I says.
No, says Jack, I brought you this way because I thought you’d enjoy the scenery. He glares at me an I glare right back. We bin snappin an snipin at each other ever since the Wrecker city.
Them mountains look awful big, says Emmi.
They’re cal ed the Devil’s Teeth, says Jack. Look. About halfways up. D’you see it? That’s the One-Eyed Man. That’s where we’re headed.
That’s the plan.
He points out a buildin that clings to the side of the mountain. I probly wouldn’t of noticed it otherwise. It’s made of the same dark stone as the mountain. It’s long an low, set wel back into the rocks. A narrow white track zigzags to it from the gorge below. Smoke trickles out from a crooked chimley.
What’s the One-Eyed Man? says Emmi.
A tavern, says Jack.
Epona frowns. She says, An we’re goin there because …
… you’d like a drink? says Ash.
Jack shakes his head. The landlord’s a friend of mine, he says. Ike Twelvetrees. He’s a good pair of hands. Dependable. Jest the man fer this kinda thing.
I stare at him. Oh no, I says, no way. You ain’t askin him to come with us.
Yer right, he says. I ain’t gonna ask him, I’m gonna tel him.