Dragons of the Watch - Donita K. Paul [101]
Bealomondore cocked an eyebrow at them. “Do you want to go with us? I don’t like the idea of leaving you out here where Yawn could capture you.”
Soo-tie’s eyes grew big. “We can’t go in the library. Old One’ll kill us.”
Bealomondore sighed. “As I told Porky earlier, Old One is grouchy, not murderous.”
“We still can’t go in there.” Cinder puckered his lips and squinted his eyes. “If we aren’t in our beds by the time the moon comes up, we won’t have food.”
Ellie put her arm around Cinder’s waist. Her cheek rested against his shoulder. “Don’t worry, Cinder. We’ll feed you.”
“Maa!”
Amee sat up on Porky’s chest and shook her head as if clearing her ears of water. She bobbed a couple of times, then took off to sit on Tak’s head.
“Maa.”
Amee’s thoughts intertwined with a confusion of input running through Bealomondore’s brain. “Ah yes, the wagon. Excellent idea.”
Bealomondore turned to his companion. “Ellie—”
“I know. I heard it too. But I think you deciphered all that information faster than I did.” She knelt beside the unconscious boy. “We’d never be able to carry him.”
Bealomondore nodded. “Are you comfortable with the idea of staying here with Porky and the dragons while Tak and I go get the wagon?”
“Yes, we’ll be fine. Better take Det to scout.”
He smiled. The thought to take his minor dragon with him had just formed in his mind. He could see a long future where he’d never know which one of them had thought of an idea first. He leaned over and kissed her temple, then moved toward a smashed entryway with Tak following.
He stopped just outside the door and looked back at Soo-tie and Cinder. “You should come with us when we move Porky.”
“Yes,” Ellie said. “We would be less anxious about your well-being if we had you under our care.”
The two children turned puzzled faces to Bealomondore.
“She means we’ll be worried sick unless we can see that you’re all right. Come with us to the library.”
Soo-tie nodded, but Cinder muttered, “Maybe.”
“Think about it.” Bealomondore followed Tak.
As he took a step into the sunshine, he felt Ellie’s reaction as she noticed his sword. Strangely, she didn’t object. Apparently seeing Porky, bruised and bloodied by “just children,” had altered her belief that the gangs could be reasonable and won over with love and daggarts.
Det flew high, circled, and then returned with a report that a group of ten children had congregated nearby. Bealomondore darted into an alley in an attempt to circumvent the ambushers. Det made another surveillance flight and came back with news of two more clutches of possible assailants.
Bealomondore brought up an image of the streets in his head. The map reflected how Det saw the city from his aerial point of view. Bealomondore couldn’t see a route that would avoid all three bands of children. “Do you have any suggestions?”
Det chittered as his opinion flowed into the tumanhofer’s head.
“I know they’re kids and will lose patience soon.” Bealomondore tilted his head while he took in Det’s comments. “I suppose we could wait a few minutes.”
Following Det’s lead, he walked to the closest point of safety. Tak butted the back of his legs, but he refused to go any farther until he got the all clear.
He dodged into the empty building at the corner and climbed the stairs to get a view of the surrounding area. If he could go across the rooftops, he’d be back at the library in a few minutes. But even if he did find a route, Tak wouldn’t be able to follow him.
The view from the top floor didn’t help. The group of children farthest from the front of the library looked like one of the leaderless bands, playing lethargically at the stone and twig game.
A movement caught his eye, and he focused on an area several blocks away. A flicker of gray appeared between two buildings then, but it passed too quickly across an alleyway for Bealomondore to determine what it was.
By watching the next gaps between buildings, Bealomondore