Blood Red Road (8 page)

I stop. I turn back. Take a last look at this peaceful green valley with its clear water an sweet air. My chest’s gone all tight. Tears spring to my eyes. I cain’t do it. I won’t be able to find him. I cain’t do it alone.

Saba? Mercy touches me gently on the arm.

I suck in a couple of deep breaths. I curse my own weakness. Swipe at my eyes. Lugh’s countin on me. Only me.

They’re gonna need you, Saba. Lugh an Emmi. An there’ll be others too. Many others. Don’t give in to fear. Be strong, like I know you are
.

I ain’t no quitter, Pa
.

What is it, Saba? Emmi says.

I turn around. Nuthin, I says.

I got somethin to give you, says Mercy. Hold out your hand.

I do. She puts somethin in it an closes my fingers round it.

What is it? says Emmi.

I open my hand. A rosy pink stone nestles there. Smooth, shaped like a bird’s egg, about the length of my thumb. It feels cool. Cold even. It’s threaded on a leather thong to wear around the neck. I hold it up an the light gleams through it, milky an dull.

It’s pretty, says Emmi.

It’s a heartstone, says Mercy. She lifts it over my head. Your mother gave it to me, an now I’m givin it to you.

I touch it. A gift from my mother. I ain’t never had nuthin that belonged to her.

What’s a heartstone? says Emmi.

It lets you know when you’ve found your heart’s desire, says Mercy.

How does it do that? Emmi frowns.

D’you feel how cold it is now? Even though it’s next to Saba’s skin?

Uh huh, she says, touchin it.

A normal stone ’ud warm up next to your body. Not this one. It stays cold until you get close to your heart’s desire. Then the stone becomes warm. The closer you get to your heart’s desire, the hotter the stone burns. An that’s how you know.

I frown. I didn’t think you’d believe in that kinda thing, I says.

I don’t, says Mercy, not really, but your mother did. She said it showed her the way to Willem, to your father. So she gave it to me. Said she hoped it would show me my own heart’s desire.

An did it? I says.

Well, says Mercy, I found this valley. I guess you could say it’s my heart’s desire.

But did the heartstone turn warm? I says.

Mercy don’t answer fer a moment. Then she says, It’s a long time ago now. I don’t remember.

I look at her. I cain’t tell if she’s lyin or not.

Why’re you givin it to Saba? says Emmi.

Allis always said you don’t own a heartstone, says Mercy, you just become its keeper for a time. Once you have your heart’s desire, you pass it on to someone else. Someone who needs its help.

I don’t need no help, I says. I already know what my heart’s desire is. It’s to find Lugh an git him back.

I’m sure you’re right, says Mercy. Anyways, whether you believe it or not, it’s nice for you to have somethin that belonged to your mother. That meant somethin to her.

Thanks, I says. I mean, fer this an … well, everythin. I better git goin.

When you get to Hopetown, don’t start askin questions, she says. You’ll only draw attention to yourself an that means trouble. Be on your guard. Don’t trust anybody.

I can take care of myself, I says.

An Saba … take care crossin Sandsea. It’s one of the wild places. Listen to the winds. She hugs me fiercely. I wish you’d take my advice an travel by night.

I look at Em. She stares at the ground.

We’ll be back before you know it, I says. Me an Lugh.

I reach out to mess her hair an she ducks away.

Well, I says. Best be on my way.

I pick up my barksack an start walkin. I ain’t gone more’n ten paces before I hear, Saba!

Emmi runs up an flings her arms around my waist, clings on tight. Hurry back! she says.

You be a good girl fer Mercy, I says. I’m countin on you.

I step away.

Bye, Em, I says.

G’bye, Saba, she says.

When I reach the woods, the second I’m outta sight, I take the heartstone from around my neck an stuff it in my pocket.

I know what my heart’s desire is.

I don’t need no stone to tell me when I’ve found it.

A
NOTHER DAWN
.

I bin travelin fast. Almost runnin at times. Since I left Crosscreek yesterday mornin, I bin so anxious to make up fer lost time that I kept goin all day an all through last night, only stoppin to sleep fer a couple hours. I don’t feel tired. Not at all. I wish I never had to sleep agin. Not till I find Lugh anyways.

Here’s my cairn. The marker I left to remind me where the hoofprints end. My heart lifts. Deep down inside, I was afeared it wouldn’t be here. That I’d only dreamed I left it here to guide me.

The hoofprints is still here. The last trace of Lugh. If no rain comes to wash ’em away, it’ll be a long time till the wind wears ’em down an they disappear. Maybe they’ll still be here when I come back with him.

I dump my stuff on the ground—barksack, crossbow, quiver. Nero’s bin flyin the last little while, swoopin an divin at me fer fun. Now he flaps down to have a rest on top of the gear.

I ease my shoulders while I uncap my waterskin an take a long swig. I pour some in my hands an wash the dust from my hot face. Wipe it dry with the ends of my sheema. I pour a little water in my eatin tin an put it on the ground fer Nero.

I look out across the wide open desert. Sandsea. It stretches
ahead as far as I can see. No trees, no hills, nuthin but flat dry land fer days. The moment I step past this pile of rocks, I’m in a unknown world. Hopetown lies due north, at the foot of the Black Mountains accordin to Mercy. If I’m lucky, I’ll be there in a week. A week, she said. If I’m lucky.

Before I know what it’s up to, my hand slides into my pocket. It finds the heartstone an pulls it out. My fingers curl around its coolness, rub its smoothness.

My heart’s desire. As if a bit of rock could tell me that. I shake my head. If Lugh was here, him an me ’ud laugh about it. I shove it deep in my pocket an swing my gear onto my back.

Let’s go, I says to Nero.

I step past the cairn.

One step closer to Lugh.

I don’t look back.

It’s a Wrecker settlement. Jest like the places in Pa’s scare stories.

Settlements swallowed by wanderin sand dunes, great waves of sand that ’ud cover places in minutes. Then, months or sometimes years later, the sands ’ud move on, an the place ’ud still be there.

There’s twelve metal shanties still standin here. Also a couple of rusty cars, a wind pointer an some other crappy lookin Wrecker junk piled up. A dry, mean, pinched kinda place. But it ain’t none of it bin scavenged. If it had of, there’d be no doors or walls or anythin left on the shanties an they’re all still here, jest bent an twisted, probly by the weight of the sand.

No scavengers means it ain’t bin free of the sands fer long. Strange to think that if I’d passed here last week or yesterday or even a couple of hours ago, this might all still be buried outta sight. I could of walked right over it an never known.

I walk through slowly, Nero ridin on my shoulder. I keep a eye open. You always gotta keep a eye open. You never know when you’ll come across somethin you can use. But I ain’t inclined to take nuthin away from this place. It creeps me out.

There’s a well. Water’s probly bad, it mostly is in these old Wrecker wells, but in desertland you cain’t afford not to check it out. I start to lift the rusted cover when I see the faint markins on it. Skull an crossbones. Deathwater. I drop the cover with a clatter. It sounds so loud in the silence it makes me jump. Nero flaps off in a panic.

Then I see ’em. Three rows of crosses stuck in the sand. The wood bleached silver by the sun, worn away, some to little stumps. The crosspiece of one hangs down, ready to fall.

A wily wind sweeps through, bent on makin mischief. It swirls sand around my feet, tosses it in my eyes an makes ’em
sting. It moans, deep inside the well. Rattles at the doors of the shanties. Like somebody might open up and invite it in.

The loose crosspiece lifts on the wind. Drops silently to the ground. Blows away.

Deathwater. Shiftin sands.

Poor bastards.

Livin here.

Dyin here.

As I’m leavin the settlement, Nero swoops down at somethin on the ground. Starts to make the most almighty racket, shriekin an squawkin an flappin all over the place. I hurry over to see what’s causin such a fuss.

What is it now, you crazy bird? I says.

He’s got a little ring of smooth green glass in his beak. My heart stops.

Ohmigawd, I says. I drop to my knees beside him. Hold out my hand. He places the ring on it. Gently.

It’s Lugh’s. From the necklace I made him fer our birthday. It’s still threaded onto a short piece of the leather thong, snapped at both ends. He must of yanked it from his neck when they warn’t lookin.

Nero croaks.

I know, I says. He’s leavin a trail fer us to follow.

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

You cain’t, it’s too dangerous. You gotta keep yerself safe. You an Emmi. Promise me you will
.

He knows me. He knew I’d come after him.

We’re on the right track, I says. I scoop Nero into my arms an kiss his head. He smells of dusty warm feathers. Yer the smartest bird ever lived. You know that, don’t you?

He gives the little chuck chuck chuck that means he’s pleased with hisself. Then he squirms fer me to let him go. Nero ain’t much of a one fer huggin an such.

The wind starts howlin at me to move on, liftin up handfuls of desert an throwin it at my face.

Time to move, I says.

When I’ve gone half a league or so, I turn an look back.

The settlement’s gone. Vanished.

Swallowed by the sands once more.

I see the tabletop plateau in the far distance around mid mornin. Dusty red rock, high an bare of trees. From the top of it, there should be a clear view in every direction. Maybe I’ll even be able to see Hopetown and the Black Mountains from there.

Nero flies to the top of the plateau an down agin, tryin to hurry me along. He cain’t ever believe how slow I am, how long it takes me to git places. I think he feels sorry fer me with my two legs.

I reach the plateau as the day starts to wane. I start to make my way to the top, weavin my way around rocks an over scree. Nero goes on ahead, hoppin from rock to rock nice an easy, then comin back to croak an caw at me to hurry along.

Show off, I says to him.

I pull myself the last bit an flop on my belly onto the top. I git my breath, then stand up. It’s narrower than I thought it ’ud be, no more’n fifty paces across at the widest point.

I’m on th’other side in no time. I gasp.

As far as the eye can see, to the horizon an beyond, it’s sand. Great crests of it, great sweeps of golden sand carved into waves an hills an peaks an valleys. Smooth on one side, ridged on th’other side. Vast. Endless.

No sign of any town. No sign of any mountains.

I cain’t believe it. I thought I’d bin crossin Sandsea fer two days. But what I jest done was nuthin. That was only the beginnin. Here. Now. This is where the crossin starts.

My heart sinks into my boots. My belly clenches. I lick my dry lips.

Nero flutters down an lands on my shoulder.

It’s big, I says. Whaddya think?

He croaks an bobs up an down.

No problem, eh? Easy fer you to say. I look out over Sandsea agin. It’s too big, I says. Too damn big.

Don’t give in to fear, Saba. Be strong, like I know you are
.

I ain’t no quitter, Pa
.

If I’m careful, what water an food I got should last me another three days. After that, I got my bow an my wits.

Nero launches hisself over the edge of the plateau. He soars above the desert floor an caws, impatient fer me to git movin.

Okay, I says. I’m comin. You better be right about this.

An I start down.