Blood Red Road
Page 45

Then I start to hear another kinda roar. One that ain’t the rain, but somethin else. It reminds me of … I cain’t think what, but I know that whatever it is, I heard it not so long ago.
The river’s git in narrower an narrower. I’m bein carried towards a group of jagged rocks that stick up out a the water.
I’l try to grab holda one.
But I’m goin too fast. As I reach the rocks, the tree trunk I’m clingin to hits the first rock an cracks in two. I lose my grip. I’m dragged unner the water. My nose l s. My mouth l s. I’m chokin. My body smashes aginst stone. Once, twice, I hit the rocks, stil unnerwater. I’m tumbled every which way.
I bob to the surface. Gasp fer air, spit out water. Grit in my mouth, on my tongue. I got nuthin to hang onto now. It’s al I can do to keep my head above water.
The current races me downstream.
That roarin I bin hearin … it’s git in louder. Ever louder.
Now I remember where I heard that sound. It was at Darktrees. The day when Maev an me went bathin.
An my heart stops in my chest. Because I know what that sound means.
There’s a waterfal ahead.
Jack! I scream his name as loud as I can. Jaaaaack!
The roar of the waterfal ’s git in louder. The river’s git in wilder, throwin up filthy water in great sprays.
A rock lies straight ahead. Right in the middle of the river. It’s wide an at. Not too high. I could pul myself onto it. But it’s smooth.
Nuthin to grab hold of.
I’m there. I reach out. No! I’m bein swept past the rock! I feel the rush of the fal s. Draggin at my legs. I ing my arm back. Over my head.
Make a grab at the air. Grab fer anythin. There! My hand closes around somethin. My arm’s near yanked out a its socket.
I stop.
I’ve stopped.
I wait there fer a second, gaspin, as the river roars around me, tuggin at my legs, frantic to rip me from my handhold an throw me over the edge of the fal s.
I hang on. My arm’s pul ed backwards over my head. Whatever I got hold of, it seems strong enough. A piece of metal stickin out a the rock. Cold. Rough. Sturdy. I ip myself over, git ahold of it with my other hand too. Then slowly, ghtin aginst the current with every bit of strength stil in me, I manage to drag myself out a the water an onto the rock.
I lie there. Pantin fer breath.
I can feel the rain pound down on me but I hardly notice it. After a bit, I lift my head to see what it is that’s saved me. A iron spike. Rough an rusted. What it’s doin in this rock in the middle of this river at the top of this waterfal an who put it here, I’l never know. I’m jest damn glad it’s here.
I pul myself up to sit, stil hangin onto that spike. Then I cain’t help myself. I peer over the side to see how close I came.
An I start to shake.
Because my lucky rock is hangin over the edge of the waterfal .
Below me, the waters roar as they plunge down.
My bowels clench an I scrabble back from the edge.
I’m on a rock. On top of a waterfal . In the middle of a river. With no way of .
I look down.
The water’s stil risin around me.
If it keeps on, I’l be swept over the fal s. I got no idea how high they are.
My teeth is chat erin from the cold, or maybe shock. I huddle in the middle of the rock. Hug my knees to my chest.
Saba! Saba! Where are you?
My heart leaps. A voice. Muf led by the rain, but—
I peer through the curtain of rain, try to see where it’s comin from.
Then I see him. He’s in the river, swimmin an bein carried along by the current. There’s a rope looped unner his armpits, tied high around
Then I see him. He’s in the river, swimmin an bein carried along by the current. There’s a rope looped unner his armpits, tied high around his chest.
Jack! I shout. I kneel an wave. Jack! Over here!
He spots me.
The next thing you know, he’s comin up right below me. I hang onto the spike with one hand an reach down with th’other.
He grabs it. I give him a pul an he scrambles up beside me. He drags the slack of the rope out a the water an plops it onto the rock.
That was close, he says. He sits there, pantin.
Jack! I throw my arms around him. I’m shakin, head to foot. I never bin so glad to see anybody in my life! I says.
He shrugs me of . Looks at me with narrowed eyes. What happened?
I lost my … my necklace, I says. I had to go back fer it. Then I lost my footin an … wel . Here I am.
He don’t say nuthin fer a moment. Then, Did you find yer necklace?
I can feel the heartstone burnin aginst the skin of my ankle, where I shoved it deep down inside my boot. Yeah, I says.
Good, he says. I’d hate to think this was al fer nuthin. Wel . Much as I’m enjoyin sit in here … talkin about … jewelry … I think we’l continue this conversation somewhere safer.
He scoots around behind me so’s I’m sit in between his legs. He loosens the slipknot on the rope around his chest.
At least we’re even now, he says.
Even? I says. Whaddya mean?
He lifts the rope from around him an starts makin the loop bigger. The rule of three, he says. You remember, I explained it to you. You save somebody’s life three times, their life belongs to you.
He slips his arm around my waist an pul s me in closer.
What’re you doin Jack! I—
Shut up or I’l throw you in, he says. He lifts the rope over so it’s around both our waists. As I was sayin, he says, you saved me back at Hopetown. That was one to you. Jest now, I saved you from goin over the waterfal so that’s one to me.
You did not! I saved myself!
You wanna quibble? I’m happy to leave you here.
No! I says. No! Don’t do that!
Wel then, he says. I think we’re even.
I don’t believe it, I says. Rule of three. That’s about the stupidest thing I ever—
He yanks the slipknot tight. My back’s crushed aginst his chest.
—heard of, I says.
Stupid, eh? He whispers it in my ear so’s his breath tickles. I shiver.
I hope you got somethin strong at th’other end of this rope, I says.
Ajax, Ash an Epona, he says. Al right?
I nod. He gives the rope a sharp tug to let ’em know we’re ready.
Then we slide down into the river.
Ash an Epona give one last haul on the rope an Jack an me’s dragged out a the water onto the muddy riverbank.
We lie there, gaspin fer breath.
Saba! Emmi throws herself on top of me. Saba! I thought you was drowned! I thought I’d lost you!
C’mon, Emmi, says Ash. Give Saba a chance to git her breath back.
Thanks, Ash, I says.
She peels Em away from me. Epona gives me a hand up an wraps me in a fierce hug.
Thanks, I says.
Ash an me ain’t much good at swimmin, she says. Yer lucky Jack was here.
He grins his big jimswagger grin. Would you mind repeatin that, Epona? he says. I don’t think Saba realizes ezzackly how lucky she is.
I’m startin to feel stupid that I threw my arms around him like I did. Like I couldn’t help myself. I didn’t need savin, I says. I was perfectly fine til you came along.
He stares at me. His mouth drops open. The rain runs down his face into it.
You, he says, are insane. Truly insane. Five minutes ago, you was stranded on a rock in the middle of a river at the top of a waterfal with no way—I repeat, no way—of git in o . Any normal person would not consider that to be ne. An—correct me if I’m wrong—but when I got there, I distinckly heard you say you was never so glad to see anybody in yer life.