“I have to see the Crown Prince,” Elli said, lifting her chin. “Do you know how far it is?”
“As to that, it’s in Capital City, only about ten pikes that way.” She nodded down the dusty road. “I’m off that direction myself—gotta sell these thunder melons afore they get too ripe and start crackin’ open on their own.”
As she spoke, one of the round, pale pink melons—each about as big around as Elli’s torso—suddenly cracked open and a sound like late-afternoon thunder split the air. The zorel shied at the sound and shivered in her traces.
“Goddess damnit!” the woman swore, turning her head to look at the ruined melon. Its sweet, pale green flesh, flecked with purple was exposed. Elli knew—since thunder melons came from her home world—that in a matter of about an hour, it would go bad.
“Bad luck,” she ventured to say, nodding at the melon. “I’m Elli, by the way.”
“Laziness is more like it!” the woman said, glaring at the zorel, which had come to a complete halt now with its left hind leg raised so it barely touched the road. “I’m Tully and this blame animal here is Looney—and she won’t go no matter how hard I whup ‘er!”
“She’s got a stone in her shoe, I’ll bet,” Elli said. “Just get it out and she’ll go fine, I’m sure.”
The woman shook her head.
“Ain’t nobody but my mate able to touch Looney’s hind feet. She’s no flamer and she ain’t got much more than a puff of steam in her but she’ll kick and bite like there’s no tomorrow if anyone but him tries.”
Elli had a sudden inspiration.
“Give me a ride to Capital City and I’ll get the stone out for you—I have a knack with zorels.”
“Give you a ride, eh?” The hard-faced Tully gave Elli a measured glance. “Don’t you belong in the Priory, there? I ‘ent about to steal one of theirs—no, I ‘ent! I hear the screamin’ and wailin’ that comes outta that place and I don’t hanker to try any of whatever it is they’re dishin’ out if they find out I took a girl from them.”
“Then I guess you’ll be stuck here and all your thunder melons will split like that one did and you’ll lose an entire growing season’s profit,” Elli shot back, nodding at the melons piled in the back of the cart. “That would be a shame and I’m sure your mate wouldn’t be too happy about it either.”
“He’ll beat me, he will,” Tully muttered unhappily. “He’ll blame me for it, though it’s none of my fault.”
“Just let me try to get the stone out,” Elli coaxed. “Then we can both get to Capital City in no time.”
“Well…” The other woman seemed to consider for a moment. “All right,” she said at last. “But don’t blame me if she kicks the life out of you. Looney is a testy one, she is.”
“Let’s just see about that.” Putting her small case down on the side of the road, Elli came up to the zorel’s head. It was clear the animal hadn’t been well taken care of. Looney’s feathered gray mane was matted and tangled and her long muzzle was spattered with mud.
But to Elli, who had gone so long without seeing one of her favorite beasts, the zorel was a sight for sore eyes.
“Hello there, sweetheart,” she murmured, looking into the slitted brown eyes. Zorels had vertical pupils, much like the Earth creature called a cat.
It was clear that Looney wasn’t exactly a thoroughbred, but she seemed to be from good draft stock—hardworking and dependable. Elli had the strong feeling, as she ran her hands down the arching neck, that the doe was doing the best she could, despite the pain in her hoof.
“Whatcha doin’ pettin’ her like that?” Tully demanded. “Thought you were supposed to be getting the stone out of her shoe?”
“I will soon.” Elli didn’t break eye contact with the zorel as she spoke. “Just give me a moment to get to know her and let her know I only want to help.”
She stroked the zorel’s neck gently and looked into the long-lashed brown eyes.
“You’re a good girl, aren’t you, Looney?” she murmured. “And you’re going to let me help you, aren’t you?”
She felt some resistance at first but then the zorel shook her long head up and down and Elli sensed trust from her. She didn’t know if anyone else could sense these feelings she got from zorels—she had asked her youngest brother, Brill, about it once, and he had looked at her like she was crazy. But they came through clearly to Elli and she knew when she felt Looney’s trust, it was all right to touch her hooves.
“Good girl,” she said, stroking the zorel’s neck again. “Now just be still and let me look at that hoof.”