With one last glance, she made sure the danger had passed. Then again, who would approach them as longas Thalara was ready to incinerate anyone whose face she didn't like? The fire dragon grimly surveyed the theater courtyard, making sinuous head movements. Ava herself would have run away if she hadn't gradually gotten used to the dragons and even grown fond of this enormous specimen.
Smiling, she opened the bag. "There's someone here who's eager to get to know the world."
She was truly overcome by the little dragon's unbridled joy. Grinning, she took him out, and immediately his golden eyes began to shine as he saw the big fire dragon. He squeaked again. Ava and Lilly had to laugh, while Marcus just smiled. Judging by his pale complexion, he hadn't yet recovered from the shock.
"Hey, little one." Kilian reached out his hand to the baby dragon and let him sniff his fingers. When the little one squeaked again, a restrained laugh escaped the dragon fighter. Ava had to laugh too, looking at Kilian, who gazed at her for a moment as if they were both free, as if there were no obligations and everything was possible.
Even a love between the two of them.
But Ava immediately remembered his words. Marcus didn't need to clear his throat for her to, though he did so audibly anyway. She moved away from Kilian and set the young dragon on Thalara's back. The little one squeaked happily and crawled up the scales, while the adult fire dragon let out a gentle rumble. It sounded tender.
Kilian made to take Ava's hand. "Can we talk for a moment?"
Pressing her lips firmly together, she shook her head. "It's okay, Kilian, I understand." And she reallydid. A world without dragons was the worst thing she could imagine. Especially because that would have meant her little dragon would have died too. So there was nothing left to say.
To make it easier on both him and herself, she walked a few meters to the stands to catch her breath, to gain some distance. She heard footsteps and turned around alarmed, but it was only Marcus following her.
She urgently needed to get a grip on her jumpiness. But who could blame her after everything she had gone through in the past few days?
He looked at her with concern. "You shouldn't go too far alone. Many of Elora's followers have escaped."
"I just need a few minutes to myself. Kilian and Thalara are here to protect the dragon child. Or do you think our enemies would dare to snatch the little one past the giant claws of the fire dragon?"
Marcus smiled. "You're probably right. Besides, I'd bet a horde of soldiers is on their way here, which is why the mages have fled. With all that noise, it would be a miracle if we had remained undetected."
She had thought of that too. She looked toward the large gate, but the street was still deserted. "Kilian's dragon will take the little one away soon. They can question us all they want, they won't find any trace of the egg." And then the king's men would finally stop pursuing them.
Marcus nodded. "Guess that means we've made it."
She shrugged, apparently making a sadder impression than intended, because Marcus tilted his head.
"Are you sure I can't accompany you?" He made to take her hand, but Ava crossed her arms in front of her body.
"No, thank you, I need time for myself before thesoldiers come and I probably have to answer a thousand questions."
He nodded understandingly. "But don't go too far, okay?"
"I promise."
"And I promise you that I'll always be there for you."
She gave him a hesitant smile and walked away. Just a few steps. Now that the dragon child was safe, she dared to let the hatchling out of her sight for a moment. She stayed away from the shadows of the stands even though the mage's men must have long since fled, as they too must have realized that the place would be swarming with soldiers within the next few minutes. She strolled in the light of the stars for a few meters and unintentionally kicked a stone aside. It shimmered milky white, which made her spontaneously run after it to pick it up.
The dragon had hatched, and it was time to ask herself what she should do now. She had wanted to wait until this moment to return to Aunt Helen afterwards. But even if the dragon child no longer needed her, she wouldn't leave Lilly alone. Yet she didn't want to take the girl away from this world; on the contrary. It would be nicer to get to know this dragon realm with all its different sides and its various possibilities. And with the question of what it held in store for Ava. It wouldn't be easy to watch Kilian marry the princess. But wouldn't it still be worth considering staying a little longer?
As the idea grew in mind, she strolled back. It occurred to her that maybe she should run away before the soldiers came after all. On the other hand, then she would have been on the run forever, which wasn't desirable either.
Although she remained constantly in the starlightand hadn't moved more than twenty paces away from the others, an arm suddenly wrapped around her from behind. A hand pressed against her mouth, and someone hit her hard on the head. Before any of her friends could notice the assault and she could cry for help, she lost consciousness.
Chapter 26
Her head throbbed as she came to. Holding a hand to her pounding skull, she opened her eyes and looked around. Where was she? It was dark, the floor she sat on was hard. Opposite her, a faint light shone through a small grate in the door, reaching her outstretched legs.
With effort, she got up and staggered to the door as her memories returned piece by piece. Someone had overpowered her from behind, even though she had stayed close to her friends, and locked her in this cell. She felt the back of her head and found a bump that hurt at the slightest touch.
Placing her hands around the grate, she shook it. "Hello?"
No one answered.
