Read Online Blood Red Road by Moira Young - Free Book Online Page A

I’m respeckful, I cain’t see how it ’ud do no harm.
    Be good now, I says to Nero. Don’t you go peckin at things.
    The door creaks. Sand pours out as I pull it open an climb inside. I brush the seat clear, slide onto it an look out where the window used to be. I wonder what the world was like when this flyer was new made, so long ago. What it would of bin like to fly in one.
    When Lugh an me was nippers, Pa told us all about how the Wreckers used to go up in the sky in their flyers. They’d soar an swoop all over the place, pretendin to be birds. Sometimes, he said, there’d be hunnerds of Wreckers all piled into one big one an they’d fly around together.
    Me an Lugh thought that was the craziest thing we ever heard. We didn’t believe him. An when we asked Pa why they did it, he said he didn’t rightly know, they jest did, that’s all. We figgered fer definite he was tellin tall tales. But now I seen one fer myself … well, I dunno. Maybe it could be true.
    The night’s drawin in. There ain’t no wind at all now. Not even a whisper. I feel so weary. My eyelids is so heavy, I cain’t hardly keep ’em open. I slide down in the seat. Nero huddles on my chest an snugs hisself unner my chin. I might jest catch a little shut eye before I go on. Not fer long.
    Jest a few minutes.
    Jest a—

    A sound.
    I’m awake. Right away. Muscles tense. Ready to move.
    Nero opens one eye. I hold a finger to my lips. He knows what that means.
    There it is agin. Somethin movin. Outside. Then a snort. A horse. One that ain’t sure of itself, one that’s feelin a bit nervy.
    I set Nero down on the floor. Then I roll outta my seat an crawl towards the back end of the flyer where there’s a part of it missin. I slip outside. I land in a crouch on the ground, scramble to hide behind the back tires.
    It’s a bright clear night. The horse is gittin nearer. Its legs come into view. I cain’t see the rider from where I’m at. The horse stops, jest in front of the flyer. I hold my breath. It snorts agin, shuffles its feet a bit. Then the rider clicks an it moves on.
    A horse. Four legs, not two. Dependin on where Lugh is, where they’ve took him, I could be with him in days instead of weeks if I was travelin by horse. Looks like my lucky night. I slide Lugh’s slingshot outta my belt. Pull a good-sized stone from my pocket.
    I move silent as a cat, slippin between the flyers. My knees is shakin. My hands too. I tell myself I’m with Lugh, trackin a prairie chicken.
    I check there’s only one horse an rider, that they’re headed away from me. Then I step out into the open, an take aim with the slingshot.
    I wanna unhorse him, not kill him. I let fly. But my hands is too shaky. I hit him in the arm. He yells out.
    I gotta have that horse.
    I run at him. I leap at him, pull him offa the horse. He goes without a fight. I git him in a headlock an he starts screamin in a high screechy voice an kickin at my ankles.
    An all the time I’m pullin an headlockin, I got all these thoughts runnin through my head. Like … what’s a puny weed of a fella like this doin out here on his own … what a thin little voice … sounds more like a girl than a man … wait a minute, who does that voice remind me of? An then his hood falls back an—

    Let go! she shrieks. Lemme go, you bastard!
    Emmi? I says. I don’t believe it. My heart jest about stops from shock. Emmi! I says. What the—?
    I haul her up by one arm an grab her chin so’s I can see her better. It’s Emmi an no mistake. My blood boils over so fast I think the top of my head’s gonna blow right off.
    What’re you doin here? I yell.
    Saba? she says.
    Who the hell else would it be?
    I thought you was a sand spirit, from Pa’s stories! She points at my face. Yer face is all white!
    I brush at my cheek. Sand. I must be all coated with sand.
    What’re you tryin to do, kill me? That hurt! she says, rubbin at her arm where my shot hit her.
    When I git finished with you, I