"But they're not here, maybe we're too early."
"Or too late and they've already fled through the back exit."
"I don't see one. Are you sure there is one?"
"Of course, Henry told me."
Ava's eyes widened. There were traitors among the Old Folk?
Marcus froze. Ava felt for his hand, which was cramping around the bow. But she wasn't thinking about the traitor. Instead, she was clinging to the one piece of information that could help them: There was a back exit.
The men's footsteps passed their hiding place and moved to the rear part of the cave. Ava waited until they were barely audible before slowly standing up and watching the light from their lamps.
"Come back down," Marcus whispered.
"But we need to know where this exit is." The light beam disappeared. Standing on tiptoe, Ava ventured out from behind the rocks and crept in the direction their enemies had gone. Ava couldn't hear them anymore; maybe they were already outside. She waited for a moment, but no voice sounded, so she crept back to the others.
"They're really gone. There must be a secret exit up ahead! Come on, we can't waste any time."
Marcus held her back. "We need to go back to the city."
"No way!" Lilly shook her head vehemently, and Ava completely agreed with her.
"Who knows how many mages there are. We need to get out of this valley right now!"
He shook his head decisively. "They're surely waiting for us at the exit."
"Or they're searching the surrounding forest, and if they don't find our tracks within the next few minutes, this exit will be guarded by a strong troop and they'll storm the cave. Then we really won't have a way out anymore."
Lilly nodded. "We have to disappear now!"
"The plan isn't exactly foolproof."
"But it's the only one we have."
Marcus pressed his lips together and looked out of the cave entrance into the valley. Dust was swirling, and boulders had fallen, blocking the paths. The secret back exit was their best option.
"Alright, but I'll go first. If they shoot, I'll stand protectively in front of you, Dragon Guardian."
"We agreed that you'd call me Ava."
Lilly waved it off. "Just forget it, he'll never learn. Come on already."
They rushed one after another to the narrow passage, which Ava could have sworn hadn't been there a few minutes before when she and Lilly had searched the cave walls. It was just wide enough for them to pass through with their shoulders turned sideways.
Before they left the passage, muted daylight filtered into the corridor. After two more steps, they reached theend. Marcus peered cautiously around the corner. When no battle cry sounded, he slipped out, waited until Ava and Lilly were also outside, and led them into the dense forest that reached right up to the rocks.
"Halt, who goes there?" someone shouted. Leaves rustled and heavy boot steps approached.
Immediately, they ducked their heads and ran into the underbrush. Their own footsteps were too loud to hear if anyone was following, so Ava held Lilly tight and crouched down, at which point Marcus also crept over to them and stopped.
"What's wrong?"
"We're too loud."
Marcus looked over his shoulder and they listened wordlessly. Deep male voices filtered through the forest.
"What happened?" someone asked.
