Pinch edges his white stal ion forwards. The horse tosses his head an dances a lit le.
Looks like he don’t trust his rider.
Emmi! I shout. Are y’al right? Did they hurt you?
No! Her voice sounds thin an shaky. I’m fine!
A classic bat le tactic, cal s Pinch. Forcing your enemy to at ack uphil . But there is no enemy here. Only your King.
You ain’t no King of mine! yel s Ike.
Ike! Jack hisses. Not helpful.
Wel , he ain’t.
You left something behind, cal s Pinch. Something of value. The King has condescended to return her to you.
Let her go! I yel .
He slides a bolt shooter from his robes. He presses it to Emmi’s temple.
He dislikes children, he says. So noisy. So dirty.
Let her go! says Lugh, standin up. It’s me you want.
I try to tug him down, but he pul s away.
You have displeased your King severely, says Pinch. He chose you with great care but you’re too stupid to realize the great honor done to you. Al his years of planning … gone to waste. His many kindnesses to you—a guest in his royal Palace—and you repay him with humiliation. The King is not accustomed to being humiliated.
I’l come back with you, says Lugh. Whatever you want. Jest let my sister go.
You have wounded the King with your ingratitude, he says. But you are no longer of interest to him.
Cold fingers of fear start to creep along my spine.
Then take me, says Ike. I’m the one who showed ’em where to find you.
The gal ant giant, says Pinch. No. You won’t do either.
Git to the point, says Lugh. What do you want?
Not what, he says. Who.
He points at me.
The King wants her, he says. The Angel of Death.
What fer? yel s Ike.
He wishes to speak with her, says Pinch. To have a friendly lit le chat.
Right away, I lower my bow an take a step forwards.
Lugh grabs my arm. What’re you doin? You cain’t go down there.
He’s got Emmi, I says. Of course I’m gonna talk to him.
He don’t wanna talk to you. Look at him. The man’s crazy.
It’s too dangerous, Saba, says Ash.
What does he want with you anyways? says Lugh.
She kil ed his parents back at Hopetown, says Jack. She nearly kil ed him too.
It was a accident, I says.
Lugh swears. Why didn’t you say nuthin?
I didn’t think it mat ered, I says.
I say we take him out, says Ike. There’s six of us an only three of them.
Ike, he’s holdin a shooter to Emmi’s head, I says. The way I see it, we ain’t got no choice. I’m goin down.
No, says Lugh. We’l think of somethin else. You cain’t go. I ferbid it.
She’s my sister, I says.
She’s my sister, I says.
Jack catches my hand. I look down at him. I know what he’s thinkin.
If it’d bin Emmi they took, he says, Emmi an not Lugh … would you of gone after her?
When he asked me that question, back at Darktrees, the answer was no. If he asked me agin, if he asked me now, I’d answer yes. Without stoppin to think. Yes.
He squeezes my hand. Says, Whatever he says, don’t trust him. We’l be coverin you.
Saba! Lugh says. Come back here!
I make my way down the hil , my feet slidin on the scree. I stop when I’m ten paces or so from Pinch an Emmi.
Al right, Em? I says.
Yes, she whispers.
That’s my girl.
How touching, says Pinch. Throw your weapons down.
I pul my quiver over my head an lay it down beside my crossbow.
Is that it?
I nod.
Check her, he says to his men.
They dismount.
DeMalo walks towards me. That closed face. Those shadowed eyes that ick over my face, jest once, as he starts to pat me down. The feel of his hands on me. Quick. Light. Cool. I hold my breath. He finds the knife in my boot sheath. He takes it, along with my bow an quiver.
She’s clean, he says to Pinch.
Take the child, he says. If Angel here tries anything, break her neck.
While the other Tonton covers me, DeMalo lifts Emmi down. Pinch slides from his horse. He lands badly, on his caged leg, an curses.
DeMalo hands Emmi back to him.
Pinch holds her in front of him, the bolt shooter to her head once agin. He takes a few steps towards me, swingin his leg. He’s wet through with sweat. Must be in a lot a pain.
I can smel him from here. That sour, sweet, rot en smel .
So, Pinch says. At last. The Angel of Death. The King has a personal score to set le with you.
What? I says. That I took my brother before you could burn him to death?
Your brother, he says. Of course. That tat oo on your cheekbone. The King should have kil ed you then and saved himself a lot of trouble.
No, it’s not that.
Then what? I says.
He pul s his sheema away from his face. It’s a mess. Burned. Raw pulpy skin, angry an red. His gold face paint’s al aked an melted into the flesh.
He stares at me, breathin high an fast. His black eyes hard. Ful of hatred an … an somethin else. Madness.
Look what you’ve done, he says.
I says naught.
Look what you’ve done! He yel s it.
It was a accident, I says. I didn’t mean to.
The King’s leg. Look what you did to his leg.
You was chasin us, I says, an the landboat turned over. I didn’t make it turn over. It was a accident.
They were not! Accidents! He screams it at the top of his voice. Al the veins in his neck pop out an spit flies out a his mouth.
I take a step back. Emmi stares at me with huge eyes. Her face is white.
The King requires your life in payment, says Pinch. It’s simple. You give yourself to him and they al go free. Your precious brother, your innocent lit le sister and your friends.
I don’t say nuthin.
No one is holding you, he says. You’re free to walk away. But the moment you do, his finger wil slip and … pop! No more lit le sister.
I stare at him. Frozen.
DeMalo’s watchin me, his face blank.
Think, Saba, think!
Ah, says Pinch, so many questions going through your mind. Does he have more men? Waiting out of sight? Your friends probably told you not to trust him. You’re thinking, how do I know if he’l keep his word?
He pauses. Then, You don’t, he says. That’s what makes this so delicious.
Let her go, you bastard, I says.
His face twists. He backhands Emmi across the face an she fal s to the ground. Right away, he hauls her back up by one arm. There’s a ugly red mark spreadin over her cheek.
Your fault, he says.
The red hot rushes through me. I’l do whatever you want, I says, but you got a let her go first.
A show of good faith? He shakes his head. No.
I feel sweat tricklin down my back. I look at Emmi. I look back at Lugh, Ike, Tommo, Ash. Watchin me. Waitin. An Jack.
Ah Jack.
None of ’em move.
The blood pounds in my ears. My heart’s in my throat. My bel y twists.
I turn back to Pinch.
You win, I says.
I hold my hands up slowly.
He waves a hand. DeMalo stays where he is an the Tonton guard runs over. He jerks my hands behind me an ties ’em tight.
Now let my sister go, I says.
Now let my sister go, I says.
Pinch don’t move. He jest stands there, starin at me fer a long long moment. Then his lips stretch in his ruined face. He’s smilin.