Ava took to her heels and ran as fast as she could before the captain discovered her. She would have to reach the end of the street or at least an intersection before he looked into the alley. It was her only chance.
"Hurry, he's almost here,"whispered the voice that had nestled into her heartbeat.
Frantically, she looked around for an escape route or hiding place, but the doors to the houses were locked and nowhere did a narrow path lead off to the sides. There wasn't even a garbage can she could crouch behind or a garden fence she could jump over, and the houses lined up wall to wall and left no space in between, as if they had allied themselves with the guards.
"Where can I go?"
"I don't know, but hurry!"
"There she is!" the dreaded voice rang out.
Ava didn't need to turn around to know that the captain had spotted her. All the same, she looked over her shoulder. He was up on his horse, galloping into the side alley as if she were a dangerous criminal who had to be caught at all costs.
"Help!" she screamed, although she didn't know if any citizen would dare to stand up to the king's men.
Nothing stirred. She was on her own.
She ran down the alley at breakneck speed. She reached an intersection and turned into the side street. Everything was deserted there too, and there was no hiding place in sight, so she had only gained seconds.
But seconds could mean the difference between life and death.
The thunder of horse hooves echoed off the walls of the houses, the reins cracked against the horse's body, and the captain's harsh voice boomed through the streets. "Don't think you can escape me!"
Feverishly, Ava looked around without stopping. There had to be a place where she could hide. She rattled the first front door, but it was locked. She tugged at the next, but that one remained closed too.
"Help!"
No one reacted. Not a single person came to at least see what was going on.
"Hurry!"the voice whispered, although there was no escape. It was only a matter of time before she fell into the soldier's hands. Her gaze went up to the sky, but this time no dragon appeared to distract the captain. Still, she couldn't give up and wait until the soldier came. Without heading for another door, she raced through the alley, hearing the hoofbeats coming inexorably closer.
"Stop, woman!"
The leader had reached the side alley and she came back into his field of vision. Panicked, she looked back. His cold eyes boded nothing good. What he would do with the supposed dragon egg was a whole different question. She had to protect it.
The hoofbeats echoed close behind her, he would catch her any moment. But she reached the next intersection before he could grab her. She raced around the corner, screaming once more: "HELP!" Maybe someone would show mercy after all. Maybe... maybe...
Hands seized her and yanked her through a door. Before she could comprehend what was happening or see who was helping her, everything went pitch black.
"Come with me," whispered a voice that sounded gentle, similar to the one from the egg. Was it the same? A hand slipped into hers and pulled her through the darkness.
Pumped full of adrenaline, she followed her helper. She could hardly believe her luck. She wasn't the type of woman to wait for a prince on a white horse, but in this situation, she was more than happy for someone to have come to her rescue. However, if she was interpreting the loud noises outside correctly, they hadn't completely escaped the captain yet.
They raced quickly through the darkness. She bumped her forehead against the ceiling but bit back a cry of pain. The passage became lower and narrower, forcing her to remain hunched over as they pressed forward. The path was dusty, but she suppressed the urge to cough, as the loud skidding of hooves on stone could only mean one thing: The soldier was reining in his horse nearby.
"She must be somewhere around here. I'll find you. Better come out, or you'll regret it!"
Cold sweat broke out on her forehead as she raced through the darkness. She couldn't even see her own hand in front of her face, but her helper knew the way well.
The captain stopped and the noises from outside fell silent, causing her and her rescuer to stop as well. Without discussing it, they remained motionless where they were, breathing slowly and not moving even a finger. Yet the stranger's hand remained in Ava's, calm and composed, as if this person had done this before. The touch radiated trust.
Her nerves at their breaking point, she listened for the soldier and for any sound coming from his direction. More hoofbeats sounded, and a second soldier jumped off his horse.
"Where did she go?"
"Someone must have helped her. As soon as I find out who it was, I'll have them hanged. Did you hear that? Bring her here, or you'll find out what I'm made of!"
Ava turned pale. She didn't want her helper to put themselves in mortal danger, but she had even less of a desire to be handed over. But her rescuer, whose silhouette she couldn't even see, didn't consider reacting to the threat. Whoever it was remained still in the darkness, pressed close to Ava. She felt the warmth emanating from this person, or maybe it was from this potential dragon egg?
