Dragons of the Watch - Donita K. Paul [4]
Aunt Tiffenbeth patted Ellie’s knee and pointed out the opposite window. “There’s the road we take to go to your home. I bet you don’t travel that road often.”
“Not at all. We take the path to Glenbrooken Village on the other side of the mountain.”
“This road is closer for us and is wide enough for the carriage.” Her aunt frowned and pointed. “Isn’t that your goat?”
On one of the cliffs, a white goat stood straight and tall against the blue sky.
“Tak!”
Ellicinderpart’s shout brought her uncle out of his book.
“What’s wrong?”
His wife answered before Ellicinderpart had a chance. “Her goat is up on that ridge. What is he doing there?”
Uncle Stemikenjon leaned forward to look out the window. “It’s not so far from their house.”
Aunt Tiffenbeth whipped around to face Ellie. “Do you come this way when you take the goats to pasture?”
“Never. The path to this side of the mountain crosses Crooked Gorge. You have to walk all the way down and then climb all the way up the other side. Very few plants grow in the gorge, so the herd doesn’t feed well.”
Uncle Stemikenjon glowered out the window. “Who took over your job as goatherd?”
“Gustustharinback.”
“Would he be foolish enough to cross Crooked Gorge?”
“I think he’s foolish enough,” answered Ellicinderpart, “but too lazy.”
Aunt Tiffenbeth took a turn leaning forward to improve her view of the rough hillside. “Stemikenjon, you must have the driver stop. Ellicinderpart must do something about Tak.”
“Nonsense!” her husband blustered. “The goat got here on his own, and he can very well find his way back.”
“But this goat is special, like my Niffy. You know how distressed I would be if dear Niffy were in danger.”
“Indeed I do. You treat that cat as if she were worth something, and I tell you, she’s not.”
Ellie smiled as her aunt and uncle bickered over her aunt’s spoiled feline. Ellie had met the cat when the family journeyed all the way to the relatives’ house for a feast day. Niffy, looking fluffy and elegant, had never shown any friendliness to her family, and the family had no opinion of the cat. But Aunt Tiffenbeth made a great deal over the pleasure and companionship the cat bestowed upon her. Ellie didn’t feel a “great love and admiration” for her goat as Aunt Tiffenbeth felt for her cat, but she didn’t want anything to happen to Tak either.
“Silly goat,” she muttered. The last thing she wanted was to interrupt her trip before it had barely begun to take care of a goat that should be at home, or at least in the pasture near home, with Gustustharinback.
Uncle Stemikenjon used his cane to bang on the front of the carriage above Ellie’s head. The driver hollered, “Slow!” in a loud and long, stretched-out way. The coach lost speed and came to a stop.
“Oh no!” Ellie looked frantically from her aunt to her uncle. “What are we going to do?”
“You,” said her uncle as he opened the door, “are going to see to the goat. Take Tak home.”
Ellie felt all the joy drain from her, leaving a sad, hollow shell that wanted to wail. She was much too old, of course, to disgrace herself with sobs and rivers of tears.
“No, no,” said Aunt Tiffenbeth. “Home is too far from here. You would never catch up. Take Tak to the Hopperbattyhold family, and pay one of those boys to return your goat to the farm.”
Ellicinderpart relaxed a little. Taking the goat to the Hopperbattyhold home would only take a little time. She could get there and back in under an hour if she scampered.
“I don’t have any money,” she said.
Aunt Tiffenbeth dug deep into the folds of her elaborate skirt, where a pocket held her cloth coin purse. She opened it and reached through the narrow neck with two fingers, pinched a coin, and brought it out. “There.” She placed the copper piece in Ellie’s hand and took a moment to carefully return her money to its hiding place.
Uncle Stemikenjon had already descended from the coach and stood on the road, waiting to hand Ellie down. Ellicinderpart placed her small hand on his broad fingers to steady herself