Read Along: The Black Mountains

'It's the anger that keeps me goin.'

Saba, Jack and Emmi are headed into the Black Mountains, on their way to Freedom Fields. Ahead lies old friends and new, and...quite a few revelations!

'We climb steadily, windin our way through forests.'

The trio are making progress, but Saba is working to a deadline - midsummer nears every day and Jack's route isn't ideal. The mountains are a harsh terrain, one that Saba and Emmi, particularly, are unused to, as are their horses. Nevertheless, they cant be slowed down.

'He seems to charm everybody an everythin that crosses his path...not me though.'

To make matters worse, tensions, sexual or otherwise, are growing between Saba and Jack. Nero takes a liking to moonlight boy, 'starts to nibble lovinly on his ear', annoying Saba to no extent. Seemingly, she is looking for reasons to hate Jack. Alas, if Nero trusts him, and Saba trusts Nero, by default she must accept him too. Sleeping arrangements also pose a problem, 'I don't trust him for a second'. However, clearly, beneath it all, Saba does trust the mysterious traveler  After all, she's followed him into unfamiliar mountains, with her kid sister in tow. That takes some element of trust. 

'I'm so aware of Jack lyin next to me.'

But these two do bring more than mere irritation to each other. Jack adds a comical aspect to the story, 'the next time you look like a fool, it'll be all yer own doin.' There is also a growing romantic side; there is great symbolism in Jack's touching of Saba's heart stone, 'it's hot', as if he has actually touched her heart itself. 

'He's everythin I ain't.'

The two also talk of Lugh. 'He's the only person in the world who really knows me', I think it becomes clear here that Saba is lonely. She's grown up with her twin brother always by her side, even if she was in his shadow, and she's grown used to it. Having to adapt to life without him has exhausted her, hence the late night confiding with Jack in the darkness. She takes on a defensive stance when it comes to Lugh and any questions Jack raises against him. 'Lugh's bin changin over the past year or so', as if lying to herself, it is suggested that Saba knows something about Lugh but won't let on, even to the reader. Jack obviously isn't a great believer in altruism and supports the 'too good to be true' rule. But he sees that his attack on Lugh is not recieved by Saba well, and takes a different method, 'Is that what you believe...that you ain't beautiful?...You are somethin, Saba...somethin good an strong an true'. His tenderness with her tears illuminates a new side to him, and also to our fierce female hero, 'a warm path trails behind his touch...I think I might be startin to trust him'. 

'I think somebody's followin us.'

Emmi alerts her fellow travelers to movement behind them. The use of 'long-lookers', aka binoculars, illustrates how language has mutated in the future. As does Saba's wonder at the fallen city they come across, 'skyscrapers they used to call em'. 'Could have been plague, or hunger, or thirst, or wars...the Wreckers did it all', in this haunting vision of the earth's future...we are the generation to blame; it is a warning to us now. After all, the earth is not a gift from our parents, it is a loan from our children. But the wonder of past relics is quickly diminished when they realise that someone definitely is following them. The trio decide not to stick around. 

'I don't believe it.'

It is revealed that Epona and Ash are the ones trailing Saba, unbeknownst to their leader, Maev. Saba is quick to express her reluctance for them to be there; she doesn't want to be dragged into debt by them - if they help her, she must in return help them, just like in Hopetown. She merely wants to find her brother and set up home in a better place than Silverlake, 'I don't care about makin the world a better place'. There's also  an inferred animosity to Ash, for her smittenness with Jack, 'd'you like Ash?...She looks at him all the time...it's sick-makin'. Naturally, this is only amusing for Jack, 'I'd think you was jealous'.

'My heart feels lighter.'

Saba begins to let go of certain grudges, however. A scene between her and Emmi highights their similarities, a possible explanation for why they clash so much, 'I'm stubborn like you'. Saba is seemingly changed, 'I'm gonna try to be a better sister to you, Emmi'. She starts by apologising to Ash and Epona for her unwelcoming behaviour. However, the situation with Jack is still declining as they continue to wind each other up, 'we bin snappin an snipin at each other'. 

'The clouds crack open.'

On the way to 'The One-Eyed Man', where the landlord, Ike Twelvetrees, is a supposed friend of Jack's, whose help he wants to enlist, a storm hits. 'Riverbed's all churned up mud! It's hard to keep yer footin' is foreshadowing of what happens only seconds later. Saba, before crossing the river behind the others, realises she's lost her heartstone and goes back to retrieve it - almost sentimentally. She returns to find Emmi 'fallin into the river' and 'without thinkin [she] dives in to save her'. Luckily, Jack is on hand to rescue Emmi, but upon discovering 'a human leg bone...the current sweeps [Saba] away'. It is telling that the one Saba calls for her in her time of need is Jack. The revelation that 'there's a waterfall ahead' highlights the potential fatality of Saba's situation, but fortunately she sees 'a piece of metal stickin outta the rock...[she] gits ahold of it'. 

'I never bin so glad to see anybody in my life.' 

Jack again saves the day. With the help of Epona and Ash on shore, Saba is brought back to dry land, but now she's on even playing fields with Jack in the 'rule of three', much to her dislike. It arguably causes her to deny that she even needed his help, which leads him to the statement, 'you make my brain hurt'. You make my brain hurt, too, sometimes, Saba! 

'I thought we could have a good time together.'

The resulting scene sees Jack finally admit his romantic interest in Saba. His lunge to kiss her is something she wishes to respond to, but perhaps for guilt of forgetting Lugh, '[She] gives him a shove'. Nevertheless, her lips are left 'tinglin'. 

'He walks straight up to him an punches him in the face.'

Upon arrival at Ike's, they aren't welcomed as initially hoped, causing Saba to have to 'snatch [her] crossbow an take aim'. Ike greets Jack even more poorly, almost knocking him out, resulting in the 'red hot ripping' through Saba. Clearly she is protective of her new ally. However, the two old friends are quickly reconciled and stories of Jack's adventurous past are hinted at...but he cuts them off quickly, perhaps not wanting Saba to know of his romantic history. Understandably from the sounds of things! 'You got yerself a handful here, Jack' is Ike's conclusion, but both parties are quick to deny that Saba is anyone's girl, but her own. Saba discloses her plan to Ike about Freedom Fields. 

'He's a good boy...a hard worker.'

We are also introduced to Tommo, a 14 year old deaf boy, slightly awkward, who has been taken in by Ike after the disappearance of his father. He forms a quick attachment to Saba, 'blushin' when she looks at him. Something which Jack doesn't take to kindly, 'he ain't got a chance when you smile at him like that...I don't want yer smiles eether'. Relations between the two are growing slowly colder, 'it's all changed between Jack an me'.

'These mountains don't deal kindly with people who try to cross em.'

As they set off into the Devil's Teeth mountain range, with Ike and Tommo in tow, they come across a shocking scene, 'that's when we come upon the hanged men'. The conclusion is that they 'must have crossed somebody', but having only been in Ike's tavern recently, they could only have come across the Tonton. This is confirmed by the ash that has been put on their bodies, which marks the territory of the Tonton. 

'You two gotta be straight with me.'

Saba realises that Ike and Jack have been withholding information from her about Freedom Fields. 'All right Jack, start talkin' and when he does, he reveals that both he and Ike were slaves at Freedom Fields, where everybody is 'drugged up on chaal...a good thing is you wanna control people', but they managed to escape. He also says that the king has been 'expandin his empire', a worrying vision for the Dust Lands. Saba is hurt by the news, feeling that Jack has only stayed with her to get his revenge on the Tonton and the king, 'you don't care about me...that's jest what it was...crap'. 

'He holds out his hand...I take it.'

The two eventually come to a truce agreement and want to start over with each other. Saba sends Nero to Maev, so they can have more backup to take down Freedom Fields completely. Jack also admits that he was 'jealous' that Saba smiled at Tommo and not him. His gentleness is clear in his tender words to Saba, 'you got no idea how beautiful you are..stay with me. Just for a while.' However, Saba remains firm in her determination not to be distracted from her brother again. Althoguh she does take on a very motherly role for Emmi, 'she looks so pale an tired' - which surprises both of them!

'I ain't likin the sound of this.'

The men express concern over crossing the lakebed by night. It's suspicious. When questioned by Saba, Jack simply shows his 'three long pink claw marks', and asks 'does that answer yer question?'. Clearly, this dried out lake is where his scars were formed. By creatures called 'helwurms'. It's another effect of us Wreckers - pollution has caused the evolution of worms...and not in a good way; they've become beasts.

'We don't make it.'

After hearing this, Saba is determined to go alone; she doesn't want her friends or Emmi to be hurt. However, she's up against six very stubborn people, all of whom want to accompany her, 'there's six white pebbles. Not one black.' and express this in the vote taken. They cross the lake together, but only make it halfway before night begins to fall. 'Jack's in charge' and this seems to set everyone at ease - he's had experience and knows what to do.

'We're gonna fight em with fire.'

Ike tells Saba that Jack risked his life to save him from the hellworms on their escape from Freedom Fields, 'there's more to Jack than meets the eye'. In the time before the fight, Saba also has a chance to talk with Jack - she explains how she knew he was in the Cooler the night of the Hopetown fire, and also about the heartstone. However, the conversation isn't able to progress as...

'They're awake.'

As the earth splits open before Saba's eyes and the worms slide out, the group attack with vodka-soaked, fire-coated arrows. But it's not long until they start running out. Jack attempts to talk Saba into leaving with Emmi to find Lugh, and whilst she clearly feels bad about it, she is about to agree. That is until she's slashed by a worm. And yet, oddly, instantly after, all the worms leave. This isn't the good sign they wanted, 'if we didn't scare them off...what did?' A 'master' worm is on it's way. The group decide to run. A wise choice. But once again, Saba is taken down by a worm - the worm. Fortunately, Jack and Ike are able to pull her up but Jack is injured, 'he don't move'. The 'red hot' strikes again and Saba sends the worm deep back underground with her sharp aim. She saves Jack once again.

'Yer kissin technique could do with a bit of work.'

Naturally, when he comes to, Jack has only a sarcastic comment in response to Saba's attempt at CPR. He also introduces us to one of the best songs I've heard in a while, Hard-Hearted Annie! Saba's response is ironically brilliant, 'what kinda fool 'ud put up with a woman that troublesome'. 

'Saba, we're at Freedom Fields.'

Potential disaster strikes, however, when Saba's gash from the worm worsens and she falls into a hallucinogenic state, 'where am I goin agin?'. She dreams of her Pa and Epona; disturbing, almost prophetic visions. When she regains consciousness, Emmi tells her Jack has been looking after her, 'he wouldn't let nobody else touch you'. Pretty swoon-worthy, right there, Jack! It's a shock to both Saba and the reader that she wakes only a stone's throw from her final destination - Freedom Fields - on Midsummer's Eve - the night before it will all kick off for Lugh!

~Ella