Dragons of the Watch - Donita K. Paul [96]
“Oh,” said Ellie and started forward.
Bealomondore put a hand on her arm. She knew he wanted to watch how the children interacted. He noted their expressions, and she pictured a canvas with the two facing each other and ready to fight. The image formed in her mind. She had to dismiss it to concentrate on the real drama in the apothecary.
Ellie thought Cinder would spring from the floor and tackle Soo-tie. Ellie stepped closer to the angry children and spoke loudly. “How old are you going to be?”
Neither answered. Cinder stood and faced Soo-tie, their noses nearly touching and their faces screwed into fierce expressions.
“I said, ‘How old are you going to be?’ On your birthday, how old?”
They answered in unison without breaking eye contact. “Six.”
Bealomondore rested against a large wooden barrel. “How old were you on your last birthday?”
“Six,” growled Cinder.
Bealomondore seemed pleased with the answer. “So that means on this next birthday, you’ll be …”
“Six,” said Soo-tie.
“Nah!” Cinder challenged. “Can’t be.”
Soo-tie’s face lost some of its ferocity. She relaxed her defensive stance. “That’s not right, Cinder,” she said. “If we were six on our last birthday … that was a long, long time ago.”
“Yeah!” said Cinder, still holding on to his belligerent tone. “So long ago, you don’t even remember. That had to be the birth day for being five, ’cause this time we’re gonna be six.”
Soo-tie walked away from her antagonizer and stared out the huge window at the front of the store. Ellie saw her fingers twitch as if she used them for counting.
The child sighed and turned to face Cinder. “When Ellicinderpart asked me how old I am, I said six. You said six too, Cinder. How can we have the birth day to be six if we are six?”
Cinder’s cantankerous attitude melted. He frowned in confusion. Irritation slowly replaced the puzzled look. “What does it matter?” He flapped his arms up and let them slam against his sides. “Nobody asks us. It’s not something we have to know for sure like some important things.”
Soo-tie nodded toward Ellie and Bealomondore. “They asked.”
“Yeah, but they’re just dumb grownups.”
“What’s more important than knowing how old you are? I think that’s important.”
Their voices were getting louder.
“Lots of stuff,” Cinder said.
“What?”
Cinder put his hands in his pockets. “Your name’s important, and we know our names. Knowing when there’s food at the fountain. That’s important. Going to bed before the moon’s all the way up. Lots of stuff’s important.”
Soo-tie returned to Ellie’s side. She took Ellie’s hand and led her back to the bench. Her shoulders drooped as she sat on the bench and scooted back. “I want Laddin to heal me.”
Ellie squeezed the rough and dirty hand of the child. “He’ll be glad to help.”
“And when he’s finished with the bloody stuff, can I ask him to do one more thing?”
Ellie took Soo-tie’s grubby arm and started to remove the bandage. “I’m sure if you ask nicely, he’ll try.”
“I want him to heal all of me so I can be seven and then eight and grow up.”
Ellie felt tears pushing behind her eyes. She kept her head down so Soo-tie wouldn’t have to lecture her again about not crying. When she could speak without giving away her emotions, she said, “We will all work to make that happen, Soo-tie. Not just Laddin, but the other dragons, Old One, Bealomondore, and me.”
Ellie hauled a cushioned chair from the front of the apothecary to the area behind the counter. She curled up to wait, drawing her knees up under her chin and wrapping her arms around her legs. She kept her eyes on the two sleeping children.
After Laddin healed their scrapes and bruises, he informed Ellie and Bealomondore that the children needed milk and sleep. He couldn’t do anything about the milk, but he would see to their rest.
He sat first in Soo-tie’s lap. The girl had no idea what the green dragon intended. She talked softly to the small creature, gently stroking his wings. She yawned and continued to jabber even more quietly. In the end, she curled up on the floor and fell asleep.
Cinder snorted. “Girls!