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But she’s wavin the other barn kids on Faster! she hisses C’ rat He’s yellin fer help Runnin fer help
Go! I tell Webb an Tohts out fer the dell where we left the horses Nell an Frankie stick close on his heels Torabbed h, 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 coit her out, I says Lead the rest of ’eht behind you
Then he’s runnin fer the horses, pullin the blonde girl by the hand
An Lugh’s sayin, Eh the fence They race off to scatter to the woods an beyond Five, six, seven of ’eh, I says
The barn ht a Tonton to help They coot a firestick Stop! he shouts Don’t h haul her through We turn an start to run I did it, Saba! I really did it! she cries
Yer irl, Em, I says Yer the best Co 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 lioin, he says
What’re you doin? I says
He’s shiftin her to o 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 in
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 Eoin, 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 Toht 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 soot on his horse without fer a o of Eh the trees, but not the way he should be, not towards the Lanes
an there’s Tooin
an I tell him, Tommo, ride fast, don’t stop
an hiirls an I juh an