Dragons of the Watch - Donita K. Paul [15]
After eating a half dozen, the odd blue muffin attracted her attention. This one didn’t smell as rich as the others, and it was half the size. Cautiously, she nibbled at the edge. Flavor burst in her mouth, something tart like lemon but balanced with just enough honey. She slowed down to enjoy the chewy texture and the wonderful tang.
Tak went back for another drink. Ellie returned to her carpetbag and opened it, trying to find a clean handkerchief to wrap up the leftover muffins. A child’s loud shout brought her head up with a snap. Into the circle, a huge child, taller than Ellie, barreled from one side, snatched the muffin plate, and tore down another street.
As he passed between the corner buildings, he shouted, “There’s another one. She’s got a dog. Catch her!”
A chorus arose from all around. “Catch her! Catch her! Catch her!”
Tak took off the way they’d come.
Ellie had pulled her things out as she’d searched for the handkerchief. Now she stuffed clothing in as fast as she could, but the mess stubbornly refused to be crammed inside. She tried to close and fasten the latch. A primal scream from somewhere behind Ellie sent her after Tak, leaving her belongings behind.
More childlike voices echoed the first yell. Even the cry of a mountain cat couldn’t compare to the war shrieks of the child savages.
Tak slipped between two buildings, and Ellie hurried to keep him in sight. The thought of being alone in this strange land, in this huge city, with monstrous children scared her. Tak was just a goat, but he was her only ally.
They came upon an alley, and the goat cut to the left. Ellie followed. Tak pushed his body behind a pile of rough pine boxes, and Ellie shoved on his backside to make room for herself. They waited, panting. The wild calls scattered and came from all different directions.
Tak’s tail flicked and slapped Ellie in the face. She ignored the goat and leaned toward the opening of their box cave. Were the shouts congregating in one direction? They were. A few minutes passed, then the fanatical screeches resumed.
“I think they’re coming this way, Tak.”
She scrunched in as far as she could and pulled a pine flap out of one box, shielding the hole to their cave. A splinter impaled her thumb, and she stuck the wound in her mouth.
The horde charged past them. Some still chanted, “Catch her!” but most put their energy into bloodcurdling yells. Their pursuers’ feet pounded on the pavement, and the boxes rattled as they went past. Hearing a whop, whop, whop, thud against the top of the pile from one end to the other, Ellie imagined one child wielding a club.
Finally, the noise diminished. The mob had moved on.
The goat’s stubby tail whipped across her face, and he began backing up. When she wouldn’t budge, he kicked her. Not too hard, but enough to make her move out of his way. Once in the alley, the goat stared steadily in one direction and then the other.
“Maa!” He ran back the way they had come and away from the pack of giant children. To Ellie’s confusion and dismay, the city became a maze of alleys and streets that reminded her of the labyrinth she’d read about. Several times she and Tak caught sight of child gangs some distance down the way. Tak found places to hide when they couldn’t outrun the children.
The chase lasted all morning. Ellie tried to direct Tak to a path that would take them out of the city altogether, but the stubborn goat turned back toward the center over and over. Again, they heard the clamoring of the pack, and Ellie chose the turn they’d take to escape. The alley looked promising, but she soon saw she had led them into a dead end. A huge door into the building stood open, so she ducked inside with Tak at her heels.
The door slammed shut, and Ellie whirled with a start. Before her stood a gentleman tumanhofer. Definitely a