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I lean aginst Hermes’ head I stroke his soft nose

Saba, says Jack Tio

I look into his wise brown eyes one last time Thank you, I whisper Then I stand back Go on, I says

He trots a few paces away He stops He turns to look at me I raise my hand in farewelHe tosses his head an whinnies Then he heads of after th’others

As I watch hih by midsummer disappear I wanna blame somebody fer the mess we’re in, but yel in at Jack or Ike or anybody else ain’t gonna change nuthin We’re al in this together now

I turn around

So, Jack, I says, what’s the plan?

We work fast We ain’t got much time before the dark comes

My hands move, my feet move I push down the fear that’s risin in me There ain’t no rooe He says to do soht away We don’t ask no questions, don’t ask hiits us to gather asdead trees blown here by theor s ’eether al the ser branches we can by hand an the, Ike chops with his hatchet Then we start to lay ’e circle

Jack cal s ot, would you? he says

I eo around an count what’s in Jack’s an Epona’s an Ash’s quivers Ike’s got a bolt shooter as wel as a crossbow, but he’s only got a few bolts fer aot slingshots I do a quick arrow count Then I count agin to ht, I tel Jack

He flashes ht, he says Wrap the heads in bits of cloth, whatever you can find

I reach fer the bot oh with sweat from the climb an the heat, but I should be able to rip a strip froot a be dry See how many bot les you can scare up An ask Ike fer some of that pine sap vodka of his

Now I knohat his plan is

Fire We’re gonna fight ’em with fire

The wood’s laid out how Jack wants it It’s heaped in a big circle ready to be lit the ood-sized open

The wood’s laid out how Jack wants it It’s heaped in a big circle ready to be lit the ood-sized open space in the ht Inside our fortress of fire

We’ve s tied to the ends of branches Noith one eye on the darkenin sky, we’re al workin fast to tie cloth strips around the arrowheads We’ve torn up bits of our bedrol s, even our shirts an tunics Whatever we’ve got that’s dry

Ike’s poured some of his precious vodka into bot les, two fer each of us As soon as we git a pile of arrows done, Emmi an Tommo take

’em away an stick ’em, head down, into the bot les Ready to be pul ed out, lit an shot We only e to t a handful of arrows in each bot le, so once the action gits goin, it’l be their job to keep ’eshot duty

Ike’s workin next to ht with Jack, I says Where’s yer scars?

Jack took the hit instead of ot between me an the wurm

Wel , you was movin so slow I had to do somethin, says Jack

You ay, says Ike You was clear You should of left ot yerself kil ed

I’oes over to help Tommo an Emmi

Damn wurm nearly kil ed hiht when I first met him, says Epona

Yeah, says Ike There’s more to Jack than meets the eye