Raging Star (39 page)

Nell’s head shoots up. Pa, is that you?

It is, but you hush, girl, he tells her. Play it steady.

While they’re goin on, Lugh’s whisperin to me, I want Em outta there, Saba.

Listen, I says, there’s more at stake than—

Nearly done, says Emmi. I’m through. She throws down her cutter. Help pull it back, she tells Nell. Careful, mind yer fingers. They bend back a flap of wire. She’s cut a hole big enough fer a child to slip through. Go, Nell, quick!

Then it’s all happenin. All at once. All too fast.

As Nell bellies through the fence an Webb grabs her into his arms, Em’s sayin, Now you, Bly, an the blonde girl’s wriggled through the hole an Tommo’s pullin her behind the tree with us.

At that moment Frankie, the girl on watch, says, Emmi! He seen us! He’s comin!

A boy workin on the barn’s noticed what’s happenin here. He pelts towards the girls as fast as he can. Judgin by his speed, he aims to join ’em, not to stop ’em. The man in charge shouts, Where you goin? Git back here!

Other kids workin on the barn start to run this way.

Suddenly the man twigs. There’s kids escapin through the fence. Jest as he opens his mouth to yell, Lugh pulls Tommo
from behind the tree. Lugh raises his arm an shouts, It’s okay! We got ’em!

The man sees what he thinks is two Tonton. They seem control of the trouble. He stops dead, not knowin what to do.

Meanwhile, Emmi’s goin, Lin! Runa! Come on!

The littlest girl’s froze to the spot. I cain’t! she says. They’ll catch us! They’ll beat me! She takes off, back towards the bunkhouse. Lin! her friend cries an races after her.

Em’s sayin, Frankie! Quick! An Frankie’s scramblin towards the fence an crawlin through. By now, the barn boy’s scant feet away an Em’s callin to him, Hurry!

Emmi, come through, that’s enough, says Lugh.

But she’s wavin the other barn kids on. Faster! she hisses. C’mon!

The barn man’s sniffed a big rat. He’s yellin fer help. Runnin fer help.

Go! I tell Webb an Tommo. We’ll see you back at the Lanes.

Webb lights out fer the dell where we left the horses. Nell an Frankie stick close on his heels. Tommo grabs my arm. Emmi! he says.

He’s grabbed me with our hands high, in front of our faces. A thin silver band circles his left wrist. It’s got marks etched into it. Jest like DeMalo’s bracelet. I look at Tommo dumbly. Why is he wearin it? How’d he come by it?

Saba! He shakes me. What about Em?

We’ll git her out, I says. Lead the rest of ’em to the
Lanes. Take the girl. We’re right behind you.

Then he’s runnin fer the horses, pullin the blonde girl by the hand.

An Lugh’s sayin, Emmi! Now! but she’s urgin the kids from the barn through the fence. They race off to scatter to the woods an beyond. Five, six, seven of ’em.

Emmi, c’mon, that’s enough, I says.

The barn man’s brought a Tonton to help. They come runnin towards us. The Tonton’s got a firestick. Stop! he shouts. Don’t move!

Emmi! says Lugh.

She dives fer the hole. Me an Lugh haul her through. We turn an start to run. I did it, Saba! I really did it! she cries.

Yer my girl, Em, I says. Yer the best. Come on now! Run!

We’re runnin an pullin her along by her hands. Lugh one side, me the other.

There’s a crack.

I feel the shot hit her.

The blast throws her forwards. I hold tight to her hand. She goes limp between us. We stumble.

Lugh! I cry.

Keep goin, he says.

What’re you doin? I says.

He’s shiftin her to my arms, drawin his shooter, turnin around to go back. Run! he says. Run, Saba, run!

I scoop Emmi up an I run an I run an she’s heavy so heavy
an I don’t dare think I jest run an run as fast as I can with her so heavy, an Nero flyin above us callin out an

behind me Lugh shoots, then he shoots agin

then he’s poundin after us an he snatches Em from me an we’re runnin fer the horses with her clutched to his chest

an I’m runnin beside him an holdin her hand an sayin to her, Em yer okay, it’s okay, but her head’s slack an I know it my body knows it, an her eyes is empty an I know our Em’s dead but she cain’t be she cain’t

an—Please, I’m goin, please oh please oh please, an Lugh’s goin, Shut up shut up gawdamnmit

then we’re at the horses, Webb an Tommo’s set to leave, with the kids on their horses, an Tommo sees Emmi, right away he knows the truth an, No! he cries out, like he’s bin shot too

an the girls, her little friends, they all bust out weepin

an Lugh’s somehow, I dunno how, he’s got on his horse without fer a moment lettin go of Em an now he takes off with her, rides fast through the trees, but not the way he should be, not towards the Lanes

an there’s Tommo sayin, Where’s Lugh goin

an I tell him, Tommo, ride fast, don’t stop

an him an Webb they ride off with the girls an I jump onto Hermes an head after Lugh an

my heart beats Emmi

Emmi

she’s dead

Emmi

Emmi

she’s dead.

Lugh rides like a demon. At first I think he’s jest ridin wild. But he’s headed somewhere fer some reason. I follow over fields, down roads. Plenty see us. None stop us. Two in dark robes at full gallop.

Keep my body tight. Like stone. If my bones, if my blood, if my skin don’t know, then it won’t then it won’t then it won’t be true. Not Emmi, not her, no, never. She’s our light, she’s our hope, Lugh an me.

I cain’t feel. Don’t feel. Won’t feel.

The sky turns dark. The rains come agin. Heavier this time than last. The roads turn to rivers. The fields turn to lakes. I’m soaked to the bone. I don’t feel it. Rain on. Rain me gone from this life.

We ride south fer a time. Then I notice where we are. I know this approach. High River. A creek in a dark rock gorge. With a small Wrecker place on its banks. Me an Jack
met here once. I hear its roar before I see it. Bloated by rain, the river’s in flood spate. It runs high an fast, brown with mud.

Lugh don’t falter. He don’t slow. This is where he’s bin headed. He gallops down the slope an I follow.

As Lugh hauls up his horse yellin, DeMalo! DeMalo! four armed Tonton surprise us. They run out from behind the buildin, two on me, two on Lugh.

Why’re we here? I says to him.

They don’t seize him. One guard grabs the bridle as Lugh leaps off, slidin Emmi down into his arms. At gunpoint, the other guard takes Lugh’s weapons belt, but he has to do it on the move becuz Lugh don’t even notice. He’s already walkin towards the doorway yellin, DeMalo! Where are you?

Lugh! I shout. Wait! Stop! My heart pounds danger. He knew DeMalo would be here. But how? Why? This ain’t right. I’m down from Hermes, holdin out my arms, sayin, No weapons, I’m clean, to the Tonton. They check me over quick, then I run after Lugh.

No trouble from them. They’ve had orders. I don’t like
this. Not at all. Two of the Tonton follow behind us.

What’re we doin here? Lugh! I says.

We’re through the door.

DeMalo! he yells.

Two at a time he takes the stairs of rusted iron to the room above. It’s a shattered shell with a junk metal roof. A web of rough props keeps it upright. Bare remains of walls an pillars crumble from the iron skellenton. Black firescorch patches the floor. A broke ladder leans aginst a pillar. On one of its rungs DeMalo’s hawk, Culan, huddles hooded an silent. Four great holes gape where windows used to be. Nero lands in one of ’em. He spies the hawk, his old enemy. He caws a challenge. Culan shifts nervously.

DeMalo stands at the room’s far end. Starin out at the rain, at the river below. He turns as we come in.

She’s dead! Lugh yells. He rushes at DeMalo, Emmi limp in his arms. His face seethes. He’s wild with grief an rage. Aware of nuthin but DeMalo. Yer men shot her, he says. A little girl! Look at her, gawdamn you! She’s dead!

I’m draggin at his arm. Lugh, we cain’t be here. C’mon, let’s go.

If my men shot her they must have had reason, says DeMalo.

You sunofabitch, what reason? I says.

She’s a child, says Lugh. What harm could she do? He stops fer a moment, overcome. His chest heaves as he gasps
in air. This ain’t how it was meant to go, he chokes out.

Your sister was your responsibility, says DeMalo. If you play the game, be prepared to lose. I did tell you.

I stare at him. The blood pounds in my ears. You told him, I says. When? What game? I turn to Lugh. We rode straight here, I says. You knew he’d be here. What d’you hafta do with this man? Lugh! I shake him. Tell me!

He rips hisself from my grasp. He heads fer a cracked stone table.

I look at DeMalo. I wanna know, so you tell me, right now, I says.

He dismisses the guards with a wave of his hand. His face smooth an blank, as always. Your brother and I met, he says. Just after you’d blown up my bridge. We discovered that we share a mutual interest in traitors. One traitor in particular. Your brother said he could deliver him. In return for a plot of best New Eden farmland.

What’re you talkin about? I says.

A certain rotten apple in my Tonton barrel. A friend of yours, I believe, says DeMalo.

Jack. He means Jack. He cain’t do. Nobody knows Jack’s alive.

Lugh’s bin layin Emmi on the table. Carefully. Like she’s asleep an he don’t wanna wake her. I go to him. What does he mean? I says. What’ve you done?

Nothing yet, says DeMalo. He hasn’t delivered. I’m here at
noon, he says to Lugh, as your message instructed. So where’s the traitor? I don’t see him.

Please, Lugh, I says, tell me you ain’t done a deal with this man.

She’d never of bin in that place if it warn’t fer you. Lugh’s breath shudders from him as he tenderly wipes mud from Emmi’s face with his kercheef. Her empty, dead face. She was so desperate to live up to you, she’d of done anythin, anythin to earn yer praise, he says. We should of gone west like I wanted to. Why couldn’t you have a care fer her? He smooths her rain-soaked hair. Why couldn’t you have a care fer me? Becuz of him, that’s why. He’s got you so in his spell, you cain’t think fer yerself, you jest do whatever he tells you. Don’t think I don’t know who’s bin callin the shots. This whole thing, it’s all bin his idea. Well, I’ve seen to him. I’ve seen to Jack.

Jack’s dead, I says faintly.

He looks at me. Give up the lie, he says. I’ve known all along.

I look at him. At Lugh. My brother. My golden heart. He’s betrayed me. As I betrayed him. My skin shrinks to my bones.

He’ll be here any time. As Lugh speaks to DeMalo, his eyes don’t leave mine. Saba’s message told him noon.

You sent a message from me, I whisper. With Nero.

I’m a busy man, I can’t wait, says DeMalo. No traitor, no land.

I don’t want yer gawdamn land, says Lugh. I wanna see him hang. He’s ruined our lives. He can pay with his.

The floor seems a long way away. I cain’t feel my hands or my feet.

DeMalo’s back at the window. He stares out. Let’s hope it doesn’t rain tomorrow night, he says. I always look forward to seeing the blood moon.

He don’t hafta say no more.

If you keep on, more people will die. People you care about. Your sister. Your brother. My offer’s good until the blood moon
.

Formal surrender. Hand in our weapons. Fer Lugh an the others, safe passage over the Waste to the Low China Pass. No doubt a small army of Tonton to escort them, an bound in chains all the way. But they’ll walk free into the mountains an beyond.

If I marry him. That’s fit. It’s just. I’ll atone every day fer Emmi’s death. I trade my freedom fer theirs. That, at least, I can give them. Since the moment I met DeMalo’s eyes at Hopetown, I knew. Somewhere, some day, somehow, it would come down to him an me in the end.

I’d of thought the red hot would of took me by now. Emmi dead. Betrayed by Lugh. Trapped by DeMalo at last. But I’m calm. It’s like I’m watchin everythin from a distance. Like I ain’t in my body. I know it’s the kindness of shock. I listen to myself speak.

Safe passage fer Jack as well as the others, I says.

DeMalo turns his head to look at me. I need to make an example of him, he says.