Dragons of the Watch - Donita K. Paul [59]
Ellie took a deep, steadying breath and turned another page. “Last night, Mistress Erllee was still screaming when my mother made me go to bed. Porta came to sleep with me because we were both crying. Her mother went to help Mistress Erllee, though she said there wasn’t anything she could do. Not really. My mother went to sit with Mistress Cannust. She said there wasn’t anything she could do either. So it happened. Mistress Cannust died. As soon as my mother got back to our cabin, word came that Mistress Erllee had a puny runt baby. That’s not the words they said, but that’s what I saw in my head and remembered.
“So one was dead and one was born.
“I figured the baby would die next. But I was wrong. Mistress Erllee died. She’d quit screaming, even before the baby came. Now Mr. Erllee stood in the hallway. I could see through the open door. He cried. My father hugged him and patted his shoulder. My father looked like he might cry too. I did cry. Porta didn’t. She’d gone to sleep. I don’t think you should sleep when someone is hurting in his heart so very, very bad.”
Ellie closed the book and stopped walking. Bealomondore stopped as well, but Tak stepped forward without a care. Ellie turned to Bealomondore to see him studying her.
She pushed a bit of curly hair away from her face. “That last entry was more than her usual one page. She didn’t even write big to fill up the lines faster.” She sniffed, but no more tears fell. “I hope her mother found her crying and scooped her up in her arms and rocked her. That’s what she needed. She needed to be held.”
Bealomondore and Ellie walked in silence.
The bells on Tak’s harness jingled softly. He looked striking with red straps, tarnished gold bells, and his pure white coat. He did love to pull the proper goat cart at home, but he seemed to be much more conceited about pulling the toy wagon. He held his chin high, and he pranced. After several hours, he still strutted in a high-step that should have worn him out.
Ellie watched him. What was going on with her dear pet? He didn’t act like himself, and she greatly needed him to be good old Tak. She needed someone to hold. She needed to bury her face in his long white hair and whisper all her troubles. She knew it was ridiculous to unburden herself on a “dumb farm animal.” But she’d done it many times. And Tak had never made fun of her disappointments. He didn’t discourage her from dreaming big dreams. He never revealed her secrets to another. He just listened.
She hadn’t noticed Bealomondore crossing over to her side, where she walked by the wagon. But his arm came around her, and he guided her off the road into a little overgrown park. Tak followed, jingling those ludicrous bells.
“We all need a break,” said Bealomondore. “We’ll rest in the shade while it’s hot and finish our trip in the late afternoon. We can probably time it to get to the library after the horde has turned in for the night.”
He gently pushed Ellie down on a bench and sat beside her. With his arm around her, she naturally leaned her head against his shoulder.
“Ellie, it’s time I told you more about Wulder. You don’t need to whisper to Tak when times are hard or when you’re excited about something. Wulder won’t make fun of you, or discourage you, or tell your secrets to others. He truly listens, but He also has the power to change things. Maybe the circumstances, or maybe you, so you can handle the circumstances.”
Ellie leaned back. She felt her eyes go wide. “You listened to my thinking. How? Why? I don’t like that. I don’t. How could you do that? Why would you do that? I didn’t know you could mindspeak to me. I didn’t know you could hear me thinking.” She pulled farther away from him.
His expression surprised her. He looked