Dragons of the Watch - Donita K. Paul [38]
“Not far, but these little brutes can be intuitive. They probably have guards along any route we would take. If we can get past a certain point, we’ll be safe. They don’t like to get too close to Old One’s territory.”
After some time, Bealomondore suggested they make a dash to the library. Ellie agreed. Airon went out to scout and came back to report the main street clear. Ellie beamed.
“What?” asked Bealomondore.
“I hear almost everything she mindspeaks now.”
He returned her smile, and she basked in his approval. Not everything about being stuck in a bottle city was bad.
They entered the alley and made their way to the corner and the main street. Tak lagged behind, and Ellie wondered if he was hurt. She asked Airon, who related that Tak wanted food, water, and no more running. That sounded like a good plan to Ellie. Airon added that Tak was being particularly grumpy.
She put her arm around the goat’s neck. “As soon as we get to the library, we are going to rest a great deal.”
After they moved two blocks closer to their sanctuary, Airon again scouted ahead and brought back a report that several children sat in an alley they would have to pass, but they looked very sleepy.
“Shall we try it?” asked Bealomondore.
Ellie nodded. “I’m game.”
They tiptoed down the street, keeping an eye on the alley Airon pointed out as the trouble spot. They passed on the opposite side of the street and could see the slumping forms in the shadows. When they were clearly out of danger, Bealomondore quickened the pace.
The library loomed at the end of the street. Ellie couldn’t take her eyes off of it. She strode beside Bealomondore, forgetting how tired her legs had been only moments before. Far ahead of them, Airon flew into a third-story window. She smiled when Tak offered a “Maa!” He was happy to see home too. But the second “Maa!” had a different tone.
She whirled around and saw two urohm boys standing between Tak and her. Tak stood his ground, lowering his head a trifle and staring. He looked too angry to be captured, but she didn’t trust the boys to have good judgment. She tiptoed back and felt Bealomondore close behind. Two boys lunged out of the side street.
“Tak, run!” she called.
Tak bounced back and forth, pivoting on his back legs, unsure which way to go. The two boys in front of the goat let out a screech and tackled him. The other two piled on top.
“Let him go!” She ran forward.
Bealomondore snatched at her arm, but she shook him off. “Let him go!”
Three more children rushed her from one side and grabbed hold of her arm. She tried to wrench herself free.
Another child came out of nowhere and locked on to her other arm.
“We got the dog!” screamed a child from the arms and legs twisted together on top of Tak.
“We got a wee one!” yelled her captors.
“Where’s the other wee one?” cried a child with curly hair and pouty lips.
Ellie struggled to look behind her, but still another child appeared, fell at her feet, and locked its arms and legs around her.
“He ran in the castle,” said one of the boys holding her arm.
“Old One’ll get ’im.”
Ellie closed her eyes and breathed a sigh of resignation. She’d been caught. Tak was captured. For some reason Bealomondore had deserted them. She’d welcome Old One appearing on the scene and roaring at the naughty boys and girls.
“You look funny,” said one of the children in a nasty voice.
“I am a tumanhofer. You are a urohm.”
“You don’t have a stink,” said the child wrapped around her legs.
Ellie frowned down at the top of its head. She wasn’t sure, but she suspected the child was female. “I would assume no stink is a good thing.”
“Nah,” said the tallest child as he got off the top of the Tak pile. “We’ll stink you up some before we take you into our secret fort.”
“You don’t need to do that on my account,” said Ellie. “I’m perfectly content to be at odds with your traditions.”
Several children said, “What?”
To Ellie’s ears it sounded like a perfectly natural response from small children.
Small children? These children were taller than she was.
She made her face